Sunitinib-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy in metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A case report.

Background: Sunitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has been approved for the salvage treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Hyperammonemic encephalopathy is a rare but severe complication of sunitinib use. Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old male with metastatic GIST without underlying liver cirrhosis who developed sunitinib-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy.

[A Case of an Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Effectively Treated by Conversion Surgery after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy of Gemcitabine, Cisplatin and S-1].

A 61-year-old male suffered from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in S7 lesion(90 mm diameter), diagnosed by hepatic tumor biopsy. As PET-CT showed para-aortic lymph node metastasis(cT3N1M1, cStage ⅣB), and judged to be unresectable, he received neoadjuvant chemotherapy of gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1(GCS). After 7 courses of GCS, CT showed partial response of the primary tumor and PET-CT showed decreased accumulation of FDG at para-aortic lymph node.

[A Case of Fournier's Gangrene during Second-Line IRIS plus Bevacizumab Chemotherapy for Rectal and Anal Canal Cancer].

A 52-year-old man diagnosed with Stage ⅢA rectal and anal canal cancer underwent abdominal perineal resection using Miles's method. Two years later, local recurrence and lung metastases were detected using contrasted CT imaging. First-line chemotherapy of XELOX was administered for 4 months until the disease progressed and lung metastases developed.

[A Case of Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Due to Recurrent Breast Cancer Effectively Treated by Trastuzumab Deruxtecan].

A 64-year-old female underwent Bt+Ax surgery due to ER(-), PR(-), HER2(+), ycT3N1M0, Stage ⅢA right breast cancer. After cancer recured in the chest wall, whole-breast radiation therapy was performed, followed by ddAC, and T- DM1. After 12 courses of T-DM1, CT scan and physical findings showed no evidence of metastases, so chemotherapy was suspended with strict follow-up.

[A Case of Advanced Esophageal Cancer Discovered Due to Suffocation, Which Was Invasive to the Trachea and Internal Carotid Artery and Treated by Chemotherapy].

A 51-year-old male presented with dyspnea due to upper airway obstruction. We decided to perform a cricothyroidotomy due to difficulty in performing orotracheal intubation. A CT scan revealed a massive tumor infiltrating into the right side of the neck, which penetrated the internal carotid artery.

[A Case of Recurrent Premenopausal Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer with Liver, Lung and Bone Metastasis Successfully Treated with Endocrine Therapy].

Here we report a 48-year-old female with recurrent breast cancer. She had received chest muscle-conserving mastectomy and lymph node dissection at another hospital, diagnosed as pStage ⅡB, T2N1M0 premenopausal left endocrine positive/ HER2 negative breast cancer at the age of 45. Although postoperative adjuvant therapy was started with LH-RH agonist plus tamoxifen, and chest radiation, tamoxifen therapy was intolerantly discontinued due to severe adverse events of hot flash after 1 year later.

[A Case of Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence(IBTR)after Breast-Conserving Surgery Which Successfully Resected after Chemotherapy Using Carboplatin plus Gemcitabine].

A 39-year-old woman underwent partial mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy for right triple negative breast cancer(T2N0M0, Stage ⅡA). Six months later, ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence(IBTR)was observed and paclitaxel plus bevacizumab therapy was started, but anaphylactoid symptoms appeared and the patient was discontinued. Subsequently, eribulin was started, but the IBTR was increased ineffectively.

[Incidence of Secondary Malignancy of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia during Treatment of Breast Cancer with Hormone Therapy].

It is expected that the number of long-term breast cancer survivors will increase owing to the improvements in chemotherapy and irradiation, while the risk of double cancers, including secondary malignancy, may become an issue. There are many unclear points in the treatment policy with regard to when a secondary malignancy occurs or the primary cancer relapses during the management of a secondary malignancy. A 54-year-old woman who was diagnosed with ER/PgR-positive HER2 negative breast cancer Stage ⅢB received neoadjuvant chemotherapy FEC and docetaxel followed by breast surgery, adjuvant hormone therapy, and radiation therapy.

Female Functional Constipation Is Associated with Overactive Bladder Symptoms and Urinary Incontinence.

This noninterventional cross-sectional study aims to assess the association between functional constipation (FC) and urinary symptoms in female patients with no treatment for urination and defecation. The Rome III criteria for evaluation of defecation, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) for evaluation of urinary symptoms, and clinical features were investigated in 145 female patients. Latent FC and moderate to severe overactive bladder (OAB) were defined on the basis of positivity for two or more of the Rome III criteria and an OABSS ≥ 6 with OABSS Q3 ≥ 2, respectively.

Second-line chemotherapy for refractory small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the esophagus that relapsed after complete remission with irinotecan plus cisplatin therapy: Case report and review of the literature.

Small cell esophageal carcinoma is a type of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC). SCNEC follows an aggressive clinical course and has a poor prognosis despite multidisciplinary therapies. A standard therapeutic strategy, including surgery, radiation and first-/second-line chemotherapy, has not yet been established for SCNEC.

Phase I study of combination chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 in patients with unresectable gastric cancer (KOGC-02).

Background: Triplet combination chemotherapy has the potential to improve the prognosis of patients with unresectable gastric cancer. We conducted a phase I trial of triplet combination chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (PCS) for unresectable gastric cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with metastatic or incurable disease were enrolled.

Mesenchymal stem cells regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor progression of pancreatic cancer cells.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts contribute to cancer progression that is caused by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were found to be the major candidate involved in the development of tumor-promoting cancer stroma. Here we report that α-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblast-like cells originating from MSCs contribute to inducing EMT in side population cells of pancreatic cancer.

Colon neoplastic cells do not originate from bone marrow-derived cells after sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation.

Background: Although previous studies indicate that gastrointestinal (GI) cancer may originate from cells recruited from bone marrow (BM) in mice, whether similar phenomena occur in humans is controversial. In the current study, we evaluated two female patients who developed colonic adenocarcinoma more than 10 years after gender-mismatched BM transplantation, and followingly underwent successful endoscopic mucosal resection.

Materials And Methods: Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to determine whether the tumours contained donor-derived BM cells.

Chemoresistance is associated with cancer stem cell-like properties and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether apoptosis-resistant cancer cells have cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties.

Materials And Methods: Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells were incubated in the presence of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for 24 h, and further incubated without 5-FU for 28 days. To assess the capacity of self-renewal, surviving cells were planted for sphere-forming assay.

Anti-high mobility group box 1 and box 2 non-histone chromosomal proteins (HMGB1/HMGB2) antibodies and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA): accuracy in differentially diagnosing UC and CD and correlation with inflammatory bowel disease phenotype.

Background: The development of a supportive diagnostic method has long been required to differentially diagnose ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Several antibodies circulate in the sera of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We previously identified the high mobility group box 1 and box 2 non-histone chromosomal proteins (HMGB1 and HMGB2) as novel antigens of perinuclear type anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA) and discovered anti-HMGB1/HMGB2 antibodies in sera from patients with UC.

Suppression of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) enhances chemotherapy-associated apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.

Background: Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is an anti-apoptotic protein that regulates apoptosis sensitivity in a variety of cell types. Here we evaluate the roles of Mcl-1 in chemotherapy-associated apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In addition, our study examined whether Mcl-1 contributed to apoptosis resistance in so-called cancer stem cell (CSC)-like populations in gastric cancer.

5-aminosalicylic acid mediates expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase to suppress colorectal tumorigenesis.

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a key enzyme that produces prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and plays an important role in colorectal tumor growth. In addition, recent researches focused on 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), which degrades PGE2. Here we determined the effect of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) on COX-2 and 15-PGDH expression and investigated its preventive effect for colorectal cancer (CRC).

[A case of metastatic esophageal cancer - endoscopic resection of the primary site following systemic chemotherapies].

A 64-year-old male presented with discomfort in the chest. His endoscopic examination and CT scan showed esophageal cancer with multiple liver metastases. A total of ten courses of systemic chemotherapy by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (800 mg for five days) and cisplatin (CDDP) (80 mg/day on the first day of the week for four weeks) were performed, and liver and lymph node metastases disappeared.

Ectopic Cdx2 expression in murine esophagus models an intermediate stage in the emergence of Barrett's esophagus.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is an intestinal metaplasia that occurs in the setting of chronic acid and bile reflux and is associated with a risk for adenocarcinoma. Expression of intestine-specific transcription factors in the esophagus likely contributes to metaplasia development. Our objective was to explore the effects of an intestine-specific transcription factor when expressed in the mouse esophageal epithelium.

Cdx2 levels modulate intestinal epithelium maturity and Paneth cell development.

Background & Aims: Caudal-related homeobox protein 2 (Cdx2) is an intestine-specific transcription factor that is important for intestinal development and intestine-specific gene expression. Cdx2 regulates intestinal cell-cell adhesion, proliferation, and the transcriptional activities of Wnt and β-catenin in cell culture systems. We generated transgenic mice that overexpress Cdx2 in the small intestinal and colonic epithelium to investigate the role of Cdx2 in differentiation and function of the intestinal epithelium.

Intestine-specific transcription factor Cdx2 induces E-cadherin function by enhancing the trafficking of E-cadherin to the cell membrane.

Cdx2 is an intestine-specific transcription factor required for normal intestinal epithelium development. Cdx2 regulates the expression of intestine-specific genes and induces cell adhesion and columnar morphogenesis. Cdx2 also has tumor-suppressor properties, including the reduction of colon cancer cell proliferation and cell invasion, the latter due to its effects on cell adhesion.

The intestine-specific transcription factor Cdx2 inhibits beta-catenin/TCF transcriptional activity by disrupting the beta-catenin-TCF protein complex.

Cdx2 is an intestine-specific transcription factor known to regulate proliferation and differentiation. We have reported previously that Cdx2 limits the proliferation of human colon cancer cells by inhibiting the transcriptional activity of the beta-catenin-T-cell factor (TCF) bipartite complex. Herein we further elucidate this mechanism.

An open-label prospective randomized multicenter study shows very rapid remission of ulcerative colitis by intensive granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis as compared with routine weekly treatment.

Objectives: Granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GMA) has shown efficacy in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC). However, with routine weekly treatment, it may take several weeks to achieve remission, and to date, the efficacy of a more frequent treatment schedule remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of intensive GMA treatment in patients with active UC.