Catheter tract implantation metastases associated with percutaneous biliary drainage for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

AIM： To estimate the incidence of catheter tract implantation metastasis among patients undergoing percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage （PTBD） for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and to provide data regarding the management of this unusual complication of PTBD by reviewing cases reported in the literature. METHODS： A retrospective analysis of 67 consecutive patients who underwent PTBD before the resection of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was conducted. The median follow-up period after PTBD was 106 too. The English language literature （PubMed, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA）, from .lanuary 1966 through December 2004, was reviewed. RESULTS： Catheter tract implantation metastasis developed in three patients. The cumulative incidence of implantation metastasis reached a plateau （6%） at 20 mo after PTBD. All of the three patients with implantation metastasis died of tumor progression at 3, 9, and 20 mo after the detection of this complication. Among the 10 reported patients with catheter tract implantation metastasis from extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma （including our three patients）, two survived for more than 5 years after the excision of isolated catheter tract metastases. CONCLUSION： Catheter tract implantation metastasis is not a rare complication following PTBD for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Although the prognosis for patients with this complication is generally poor, the excision of the catheter tract may enable survival in selected patients with isolated metastases along the catheter tract.

Regional lymphadenectomy for gallbladder cancer: Rational extent, technical details, and patient outcomes

AIM: To define the rational extent of regional lymphadenectomy for gallbladder cancer and to clarify its effect on long-term survival. METHODS: A total of 152 patients with gallbladder cancer who underwent a minimum of "extended" portal lymph node dissection (defined as en bloc removal of the first-and second-echelon nodes) from 1982 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Based on previous studies, regional lymph nodes of the gallbladder were divided into first-echelon nodes (cystic duct or pericholedochal nodes), second-echelon nodes (node groups posterosuperior to the head of the pancreas or around the hepatic vessels), and more distant nodes. RESULTS: Among the 152 patients (total of 3352 lymph nodes retrieved, median of 19 per patient), 79 patients (52%) had 356 positive nodes. Among nodepositive patients, the prevalence of nodal metastasis was highest in the pericholedochal (54%) and cystic duct (38%) nodes, followed by the second-echelon node groups (29% to 19%), while more distant node groups were only rarely (5% or less) involved. Disease-specific survival after R0 resection differed according to the nodal status (P < 0.001): most node-negative patients achieved long-term survival (median, not reached; 5-year survival, 80%), whereas among nodepositive patients, 22 survived for more than 5 years (median, 37 mo; 5-year survival, 43%). CONCLUSION: The rational extent of lymphadenectomy for gallbladder cancer should include the first-and second-echelon nodes. A considerable proportion of node-positive patients benefit from such aggressive lymphadenectomy.

"Extended" radical cholecystectomy for gallbladder cancer:Long-term outcomes, indications and limitations

AIM:To delineate indications and limitations for "ex tended" radical cholecystectomy for gallbladder cancer:a procedure which was instituted in our department in 1982. METHODS:Of 145 patients who underwent a radi cal resection for gallbladder cancer from 1982 through 2006, 52 (36%) had an extended radical cholecystec tomy, which involved en bloc resection of the gallblad der, gallbladder fossa, extrahepatic bile duct, and the regional lymph nodes (first-and second-echelon node groups). A retrospective analysis of the 52 patients was conducted including at least 5 years of follow up. Residual tumor status was judged as no residual tumor (R0) or microscopic/macroscopic residual tumor (R1 2). athological findings were documented according tothe American Joint Committee on Cancer Cancer Stag ing anual (7th edition). RESULTS:he primary t mor as classified as patho-logical T1 (pT1) in 3 patients, pT2 in 36, pT3 in 12, and pT4 in 1. Twenty three patients had lymph node metastases; 11 had a single positive node, 4 had two positive nodes, and 8 had three or more positive nodes. None of the three patients with pT1 tumors had nodal disease, whereas 23 of 49 (47%) with pT2 or more advanced tumors had nodal disease. One patient died during the hospital stay for definitive resection, giv ing an in hospital mortality rate of 2%. Overall survival (OS) after extended radical cholecystectomy was 65% at 5 years and 53% at 10 years in all 52 patients. OS differed according to the p classification ( < 0.001) and the nodal status ( = 0.010). All of 3 patients with pT1 tumors and most (29 of 36) patients with pT2 tu mors survived for more than 5 years. Of 12 patients with pT3 tumors, 8 who had an R1 2 resection, distant metastasis, or extensive extrahepatic organ involve ment died soon after resection. Of the remaining four pT3 patients who had localized hepatic spread through the gallbladder fossa and underwent an R0 resection, 2 survived for more than 5 years and another survived for 4 years and 2 mo. The only patient with pT4 tumor died of disease soon after resection. Among 23 node positive patients, 11 survived for more than 5 years, and of these, 10 had a modest degree of nodal disease (one or two positive nodes). CONCLUSION:Extended radical cholecystectomy is indicated for pT2 tumors and some pT3 tumors with localized hepatic invasion, provided that the regional nodal disease is limited to a modest degree (up to two positive nodes). Extensive pT3 disease, pT4 disease, or marked nodal disease appears to be beyond the scope of this radical procedure.

Genetic changes of p53,K-ras,and microsatellite instability in gallbladder carcinoma in high-incidence areas of Japan and Hungary

AIM： To disclose geographic differences in genetic changes involved in gallbladder carcinogenesis between two distinct high-incidence areas of Japan and Hungary. METHODS： We examined 42 cases of gallbladder carcinoma： 22 Japanese and 20 Hungarian cases, p53 mutations at exons 5 to 8 and K-ras mutations at codon 12 were tested by direct sequencing. Microsatellite instability was determined from fluorescent dye-labeled PCR amplifications of flve-microsatellite markers （BAT-25, BAT-26, D2S123, DSS346, and D17S250）. RESULTS： Mutations of p53 were detected in 11 of 22 Japanese cases and 6 of 18 Hungarian cases （11/22 vs 6/18, P = 0.348）. Transition at CpG sites was found in none of 11 Japanese cases and 2 of 6 Hungarian cases; the difference was marginally significant （0/11 vs 2/6,P = 0.110）. K-ras mutations were detected in only one of the Hungarian cases. Eight of 19 （42.1%） ]apanese cases were MSI-high （presence of novel peaks in more than one of the five loci analyzed）, whereas only 1 of 15 （6.7%） Hungarian cases was MSI-high （P = 0.047）. CONCLUSION： It appears that the p53 mutations and MSI differ in patients with gallbladder carcinoma between two distinct high-incidence areas. Geographic variation might exist in the process of gallbladder carcinogenesis.

Low preoperative platelet counts predict a high mortality after partial hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To assess the validity of our selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures based on indocyanine green disappearance rate （KICG）, and to unveil the factors affecting posthepatectomy mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS： A retrospective analysis of 198 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent partial hepatectomies in the past 14 years was conducted. The selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures during the study period were KICG≥0.12 for hemihepatectomy, KICG≥0.10 for bisegmentectomy, KCG≥0.08 for monosegmentectomy, and KICG≥ 0.06 for nonanatomic hepatectomy. The hepatectomies were categorized into three types： major hepatectomy （hemihepatectomy or a more extensive procedure）, bisegmentectomy, and limited hepatectomy. Univariate （Fishers exact test） and multivariate （the logistic regression model） analyses were used. RESULTS： Postoperative mortality was 5% after major hepatectomy, 3% after bisegmentectomy, and 3% after limited hepatectomy. The bhree percentages were comparable （P = 0.876）. The platelet count of ≤ 10× 10^4/μL was the strongest independent factor for postoperative mortality on univariate （P = 0.001） and multivariate （risk ratio, 12.5; P= 0.029） analyses. No patient with a platelet count of 〉7.3× 10^4/μL died of postoperative morbidity, whereas 25% （6/24 patients） of patients with a platelet count of ≤7.3×10^4/μL died （P〈0.001）. CONCLUSION： The selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures based on KICG are generally considered valid, because of the acceptable morbidity and mortality with these criteria. The preoperative platelet count independently affects morbidity and mortality after hepatectomy, suggesting that a combination of KICG and platelet count would further reduce postoperative mortality.

Risk factors and prevention of biliary anastomotic complications in adult living donor liver transplantation

To evaluate risk factors of biliary anastomotic complications （BACs） and outcomes according to type of biliary reconstruction. METHODS： A total of 33 consecutive adult living donor liver transplantation （LDLT） were reviewed, 17 of which had undergone Duct-to-Duct anastomosis （D-D）. The remaining 16 patients received Roux-en-Y anastomosis （R-Y）. The perioperative factors, such as the type of graft and the number of graft bile ducts, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS： The overall incidence of BACs was 39.4%. The incidence of BACs was significantly higher in the patients with than without neoadjuvant chemotherapy （71.4% vs 10%, P = 0.050）. There was no significant difference in the incidence of biliary leakage in patients with D-D vs. those with R-Y. The incidence of biliary strictures following the healing of biliary leakage was significantly higher in D-D （60%） than in R-Y （0%） （P = 0.026）. However, the incidence of BACs related bacteremia was significantly higher in R-Y than in D-D （71.4% vs 0%, P = 0.008）. In D-D, use of T-tube stent remarkably reduced the incidence of 8ACs, compared with straight tube stent （0% vs 50%, P = 0.049）. CONCLUSION： Our experience showed an increase of BACs related bacteremia in the patients with R-Y. Therefore, D-D might be a preferred biliary reconstruction. However, the surgical refinement of D-D should be required because of the high incidence of biliary strictures. Use of the T-tube stent might lead to a significant reduction of BACs in D-D.

Narrow portion of the terminal choledochus is a cause of upstream biliary dilatation in patients with anomalous union of the pancreatic and biliary ducts

AIM: To clarify the pathogenesis of biliary dilatation associated with anomalous union of the pancreatic and biliary ducts (AUPBD).METHODS: Direct cholangiopancreatograms of 350 adult patients with or with suspicion of hepatobiliary or pancreatic disorders were reviewed. AUPBD was diagnosed cholangiopancreatographically, when the pancreaticobiliary ductal union was located above the narrow distal segment of the bile duct, which represents the action of the sphincter of Oddi. The narrow portion of the terminal choledochus was defined as symmetrical stricture of the common bile duct just above the pancreaticobiliary ductal union.RESULTS: AUPBD was found in 36 patients. Among cholangiopancreatographic features, the narrow portion of the terminal choledochus was the most pathognomonic for AUPBD (accuracy, 98%); it was present in 29 (81%)patients with AUPBD, but was not found in any patients without AUPBD. Among patients with AUPBD, biliary dilatation (＞10 mm) was more frequent in those with the narrow portion of the terminal choledochus (23/29)than in those without (2/7; P = 0.018) AUPBD. Among the patients with both AUPBD and the narrow portion of the terminal choledochus, there was a strong negative correlation between the minimum diameter of the narrow portion and the maximum diameter of the choledochus (r = -0.78, P＜0.001), suggesting that the degree of biliary narrowing at the narrow portion correlates with that of upstream biliary dilatation.CONCLUSION: The narrow portion of the terminal choledochus, a pathognomonic radiologic feature of AUPBD, may be a cause of biliary dilatation in patients with AUPBD.

Endobronchial metastasis from adenocarcinoma of gastric cardia 7 years after potentially curable resection

Endobronchial metastasis(EBM) is a rare form of metas-tasis from extrapulmonary malignant tumors,although there are few reports of EBM from gastric cancer specifically.We report the case of a 51-year-old woman who had undergone gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer seven years previously but was diagnosed with a solitary lung tumor by follow-up computed tomography.On diagnosis of primary lung cancer,she underwent pulmonary lobectomy,but immunohistochemical examination confirmed the resected tumor to be an EBM from the gastric cancer.Six months later,she was diagnosed with peritoneal metastases and underwent chemotherapy with gastric cancer regimen.She is still alive at 33 mo after the lobectomy.Generally,the prognosis for EBM is poor although multidisciplinary treatment can lead to long-term survival.Precise diagnosis on the basis of detailed pathological and immunohistochemical evaluation can contribute to deciding the most effective treatment and improving prognosis.

Possible role of human cytomegalovirus in pouchitis after proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in patients with ulcerative colitis

AIM: To detect the presence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) proteins and genes on the ileal pouch of patients with ulcerative colitis who have undergone proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (iPAA). METHODS: immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR sequencing methods were utilized to test the presence of HCMV in pouch specimens taken from 34 patients in 86 endoscopies. RESULTS: HCMV genes and proteins were detected in samples from 12 (35.2%) patients. The rate of detection was significant in the endoscopies from patients diagnosed with pouchitis (5 of 12, 41.6%), according to the Japanese classification of pouchitis, in comparison to patients with normal pouch (7 of 62, 11.2%; P = 0.021). in all patients with pouchitis in which the HCMV was detected, it was the first episode of pouchitis. The virus was not detected in previous biopsies taken in normal endoscopies of these patients. During the follow- up, HCMV was detected in one patient with recurrent pouchitis and in 3 patients whose pouchitis episodes improved but whose positive endoscopic findings persisted. CONCLUSION: HCMV can take part in the inflammatory process of the pouch in some patients with ulcerative colitis who have undergone proctocolectomy with iPAA.

Peroral cholangioscopy for non-invasive papillary cholangio-carcinoma with extensive superficial ductal spread

Papillary carcinoma arising from the extrahepatic bile duct often shows superficial ductal spread. We report herein the case of a patient with extensive superficial spread of non-invasive papillary cholangiocarcinoma,which was depicted with peroral cholangioscopy. A 65-year-old woman presented with the sudden-onset of severe epigastric pain. Ultrasonography revealed acute acalculous cholecystitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography found small protruding lesions around the confluence of the cystic duct, suggestive of a cholangiocarcinoma. As the contour of the middle and upper bile ducts it was slightly irregular on the cholangiogram, the presence of superficial ductal spread was suspected. Peroral cholangioscopy revealed small papillary lesions around the confluence of the cystic duct and fine granular mucosal lesions in the middle and upper bile ducts and the right hepatic duct, suggesting a superficially spreading tumor. A right hepatectomy with bile duct resection was performed and no residual tumor was found. Histological examination revealed a non-invasive papillary carcinoma arising from the cystic duct with extensive superficial spread. Our experience of this case and a review of the literature suggest that a fine granular or fine papillary appearance of the ductal mucosae on cholangioscopy indicates superficial spread of papillary cholangiocarcinoma, for which peroral cholangioscopy is an efficient diagnostic option.

Perimuscular connective tissue contains more and larger lymphatic vessels than the shallower layers in human gallbladders

AIM： To clarify whether perimuscular connective tissue contains more lymphatic vessels than the shallower layers in human gallbladders. METHODS： Lymphatic vessels were stained immunohistochemically with monoclonal antibody D2-40, which is a specific marker of lymphatic endothelium, in representative sections of 12 normal human gallbladders obtained at the time of resection for colorectal carcinoma liver metastases. In individual gallbladder specimens, nine high-power （×200） fields with the highest lymphatic vessel density （LVD）, termed ＂hot spots＂; were identified for each layer （mucosa, muscle layer, and perimuscular connective tissue）. In individual hot spots, the LVD and relative lymphatic vessel area （LVA） were measured microscopically using a computer-aided image analysis system. The mean LVD and LVA values for the nine hot spots in each layer were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS： In the mucosa, muscle layer, and perimuscular connective tissue, the LVD was 16.1 ± 9.2, 35.4 ± 15.7, and 65.5 ± 12.2, respectively, and the LVA was 0.4 ± 0.4, 2.1 ± 1.1, and 9.4 ± 2.6, respectively. Thus, both the LVD and LVA differed significantly （P 〈 0.001 and P 〈 0.001, respectively; KruskaI-Wallis test） among the individual layers of the wall of the gallbladder, with the highest LVD and LVA values in the perimuscular connective tissue. Most （98 of 108） of the hot spots within the perimuscular connective tissue were located within 500 μm of the lower border of the muscle layer. CONCLUSION： The perimuscular connective tissue contains more and larger lymphatic vessels than the shallower layers in the human gallbladder. This observation partly explains why the incidence of lymph node metastasis is high in T2 （tumor invading the perimuscular connective tissue） or more advanced gallbladder carcinoma.

Multiple carcinoids in the duodenum, pancreas and stomach accompanied with type A gastritis: A case report

We report a case of multiple duodenal, pancreatic, and gastric carcinoids. A 67-year old woman was admitted to our hospital for treatment of a duodenal carcinoid. Laboratory tests revealed that the patient was associated with macrocytic anemia and hypergastrinemia, and type A gastritis was shown by gastrofiberscopy. During surgery, another tumor was incidentally found in the head of the pancreas. The tumors in the duodenum and pancreas were completely excised by pancreatoduodenectomy and immunohistologically diagnosed as gastrin-and serotonin-producing carcinoids, respectively. Pathological examination revealed that in addition to the grossly found carcinoids, there were subclinical carcinoids, one of which was an endocrine cell micronest, located in the stomach and duodenum. The tumors in the duodenum, pancreas, and stomach showed different characteristics from one another morphologically and immunochemically. Although no definitive evidence has been obtained, some sort of genetic anomaly may have been involved in this case, and hypergastrinemia due to duodenal gastrinoma may induce multiple gastric carcinoids.

Pedunculated gastric tube interposition in an esophageal cancer patient with prepyloric adenocarcinoma

Gastric carcinoma is one of the malignancies that are most frequently associated with esophageal carcinoma.We describe herein our device for advanced esophageal cancer associated with early gastric cancer in the antrum.A 57-year-old man presenting with dysphagia and upper abdominal pain was admitted to our hospital.Preoperative examinations revealed locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the middle thoracic esophagus (T3N0M0 Stage ⅡA) and mucosal signetring cell carcinoma of the gastric antrum (T1N0M0 Stage ⅠA).Although the gastric tumor appeared to be an intramucosal carcinoma,its margin was obscure,so endoscopic en-bloc resection was considered inadequate.We chose surgical resection of the gastric tumor as well as the esophageal SCC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin for advanced esophageal cancer.Following transthoracic esophagectomy with three-field lymph node dissection,the gastric carcinoma was removed by gastric antrectomy,which preserved the right gastroepiploic vessels,and a pedunculated short gastric tube was used as the esophageal substitute.Twenty-eight months after the surgery,the patient is well with no evidence of cancer recurrence.Because it minimizes surgical stress and organ sacrifice,gastric tube interposition is a potentially useful technique for esophageal cancer associated with localized early gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer surgery for patients with liver cirrhosis

AIM:To elucidate the influence of liver cirrhosis(LC) on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer(GC).METHODS:Of the 1347 GC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for GC between January 1984 and June 2007,25 patients(21 men and 4 women with a median age of 67 years;range 54-77 years) with LC were enrolled in this study.Using the Child-Pugh classification,15 patients were evaluated as grade A and 10 patients as grade B.No grade C patient underwent gastrectomy in this series.Clinical outcomes,including postoperative morbidity and survival,were retrospectively analyzed based on medical records and surgical f iles.RESULTS:There was no significant difference in operative blood loss and perioperative blood transfusion between the two groups.The most common postoperative complication was intractable ascites,which was the single postoperative morbidity noted more frequently in grade B patients(40.0%) than in grade A patients(6.7%) with statistical signif icance(P = 0.041).Operative mortality due to hepatic failure was seen in one grade A patient.Three patients had hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) at presentation and two patients developed HCC after surgery.Overall 5-year survival rate was 58.9% in patients with early GC and 33.3% in patients with advanced GC(P = 0.230).GC-specific 5-year survival rate of early GC patients was 90.0% while that of advanced GC patients was 58.3%(P = 0.010).Four patients with early GC died of uncontrolled HCC,of which two were synchronous and two metachronous.CONCLUSION:The risk of postoperative intractable ascites is high,particularly in grade B patients.Early detection and complete control of HCC is vital to improve a patient's prognosis.

Common carotid arterial thrombosis associated with ulcerative colitis

A 26-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis was transferred to our hospital with left hemiparesis due to cerebral infarction. Cervical ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging angiography revealed thrombosis at the right common carotid artery and the right internal carotid artery. Antithrombotic and anticoagulant therapies were commenced. After about 2 wk of the treatment, the frequency of her diarrhea increased. She underwent emergency subtotal colectomy, but 10 d later an abundant hemorrhage from the remnant rectum occurred, so the remnant rectum was resected and an ileal pouch anal anastomosis was performed. Antithrombotic and anticoagulant therapies were continued, but neither her neurological status nor magnetic resonance imaging angiography findings showed subsequent changes. She was discharged 3 mon after operation. This is a rare case of common carotid arterial thrombosis occurring as a complication of ulcerative colitis, in which antithrombotic and anticoagulant therapies are considered to provoke a deterioration of the patient’s bowel disease.

Successful treatment for esophageal carcinoma with lung metastasis by induction chemotherapy followed by salvage esophagectomy: Report of a case

We here report a case of a 51-year-old man with lung metastasis from esophageal carcinoma that was initially treated by combination chemotherapy consisting of fluorouracil and nedaplatin. Because metastatic disease disappeared, salvage esophagectomy was performed. Although chest wall recurrence developed at the thoracotomy wound, prolonged survival of 48 months was achieved by local tumor resection and additional chemotherapy. This combination chemotherapy is regarded as a promising and considerable treatment for metastatic esophageal carcinoma.