A rare case of primary choriocarcinoma in the sigmoid colon

Primary colorectal choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare neoplasm and is usually associated with a poor prognosis.Only 13 cases of colorectal choriocarcinoma have previously been reported.There is no standard chemotherapeutic regimen for this tumor type.A 68-year-old man presented with melena and was diagnosed with sigmoid colonic adenocarcinoma with multiple liver metastases.He underwent a laparoscopic sigmoidectomy.Pathology revealed choriocarcinoma with a focal component of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of colon origin.Based on the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test(CD-DST)results,mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab were administered,which suppressed aggressive tumor growth for 4 mo.The patient died 9 mo after the initial diagnosis.Our study results suggest that the standard chemotherapy regimen for colorectal cancer might have suppressive effects against primary colorectal choriocarcinoma.Moreover,CD-DST may provide,at least in part,therapeutic insight for the selection of appropriate antitumor agents for such patients.

Clinical significance of molecular diagnosis for gastric cancer lymph node micrometastasis

Advances in molecular diagnostic tools have allowed the identification of lymph node micrometastasis(LNM),including isolated tumor cells,in cancer patients. While immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction have been used to identify LNM in patients with gastric cancer,the clinical significance of this finding remains unclear. Recently,minimally invasive treatments,such as endoscopic submucosal dissection and laparoscopic surgery,are widely performed to help improve postsurgical quality of life(QOL). However,it is important to maintain the balance between QOL and curability when making treatments decision for patients with gastric cancer. If minimally invasive surgery based on accurate intraoperative LNM diagnosis was established,it could be performed safely. Therefore,we reviewed the clinical significance of LNM detected by molecular techniques as an important target for treatment decision making with gastric cancer patients.

Sentinel lymph node navigation surgery for gastric cancer: Does it really benefit the patient?

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) navigation surgery is accepted as a standard treatment procedure for malignant melanoma and breast cancer. However, the benefit of reduced lymphadenectomy based on SLN examination remains unclear in cases of gastric cancer. Here, we review previous studies to determine whether SLN navigation surgery is beneficial for gastric cancer patients. Recently, a large-scale prospective study from the Japanese Society of Sentinel Node Navigation Surgery reported that the endoscopic dual tracer method, using a dye and radioisotope for SLN biopsy, was safe and effective when applied to cases of superficial and relatively small gastric cancers. SLN mapping with SLN basin dissection was preferred for early gastric cancer since it is minimally invasive. However, previous studies reported that limited gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy may not improve the patient’s postoperative quality of life (QOL). As a result, the benefit of SLN navigation surgery for gastric cancer patients, in terms of their QOL, is limited. Thus, endoscopic and laparoscopic limited gastrectomy combined with SLN navigation surgery has the potential to become the standard minimally invasive surgery in early gastric cancer.