Chemotherapy with laparoscope-assisted continuous circulatory hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion for malignant ascites

AIM:To investigate the procedure, feasibility and effects of laparoscopeassisted continuous circulatory hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy (CHIPC) in treatment of malignant ascites induced by peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancers. METHODS: From August 2006 to March 2008, the laparoscopic approach was used to perform CHIPC on 16 patients with malignant ascites induced by gastric cancer or postoperative intraperitoneal seeding. Each patient underwent CHIPC three times after laparoscopeassisted perfusion catheters placing. The first session was completed in operative room under general anesthesia, 5% glucose solution was selected as perfusion liquid, and 1500 mg 5 fluorouracil (5FU) and 200 mg oxaliplatin were added in the perfusion solution. The second andthird sessions were performed in intensive care unit, 0.9% sodium chloride solution was selected as perfusion liquid, and 1500 mg 5FU was added in the perfusion solution alone. CHIPC was performed for 90 min at a velocity of 450600 mL/min and an in flow temperature of 43 ± 0.2℃.RESULTS: The intraoperative course was uneventful in all cases, and the mean operative period for laparoscopeassisted perfusion catheters placing was 80 min for each case. No postoperative deaths or complications related to laparoscopeassisted CHIPC occurred in this study. Clinically complete remission of ascites and related symptoms were achieved in 14 patients, and partial remission was achieved in 2 patients. During the followup, 13 patients died 29 mo after CHIPC, with a median survival time of 5 mo. Two patients with partial remission suffered from port site seeding and tumor metastasis,and died 2 and 3 mo after treatment. Three patients who are still alive today survived 4, 6 and 7 mo, respectively. The Karnofsky marks of patients (5090) increased significantly (P < 0.01) and the general status improved after CHIPC. Thus satisfactory clinical efficacy has been achieved in these patients treated by laparoscopic CHIPC. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopeassisted CHIPC is a safe, feasible and effective procedure in the treatment of debilitating malignant ascites induced by unresectable gastric cancers.

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas:A review of 553 cases in Chinese literature

AIM:To sum up the clinical and pathological characte- ristics of solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) and the experience with it.METHODS: A total of 553 SPT patients reported in Chinese literature between January 1996 and January 2009 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the 553 SPT patients included in this review was 27.2 years, and the male to female ratio was 1:8.37. Their symptoms were non-specific, and nearly one third of the patients were asymptomatic. Computed tomography and ultraso-nography were performed to show the nature and location of SPT. Most of the tumors were distributed in the pancreatic head (39.8%), tail (24.1%), body andtail (19.5%). Forty-five patients (9.2%) were diagnosed as malignant SPT with metastasis or invasion. None of the clinical factors was closely related to the malignant potential of SPT. Surgery was the main therapeutic modality for SPT. Local resection, distal pancreatectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy were the most common surgical procedures. Local recurrence and hepatic metastasis were found in 11 and 2 patients, respectively, after radical resection. Four patients died of tumor progression within 4 years after palliative resection of SPT. The prognosis of SPT patients was good with a 5-year survival rate of 96.9%.CONCLUSION: SPT of the pancreas is a rare indolent neoplasm that typically occurs in young females. It is a low-grade malignancy and can be cured with extended resection. The prognosis of such patients is good although the tumor may recur and metastasize.

Resection of a giant hepatocellular carcinoma weighing over ten kilograms

The authors report a giant hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)with a diameter over 30 cm and weight over 10 kg that was resected completely.A 62-year-old man was admitted because of continuous abdominal uplift.A computed tomography scan demonstrated that the entire abdomen was filled with a giant tumor containing both cystic and solid components with a size of 29 cm×22 cm.The huge tumor was successfully resected without any complication,such as massive hemorrhage or visceral injuries.The size and weight of the tumor were 35 cm×30 cm×15 cm and 10050 g,respectively.Pathological examination showed that the tumor was a well-differentiated HCC,and α-fetoprotein was positive.Postoperative syndrome,characterized by hypovolemic shock,diarrhea and urine retention,was observed and induced by abdominal decompression.This syndrome was resolved with expectant treatment.The patient was still alive without recurrence after a 27-mo follow-up.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of three rare and poor-prognostic subtypes of primary liver carcinoma

Objective To explore the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of three rare and poor-prognostic pathological subtypes of primary liver carcinoma,and to improve the clinical diagnosis and surgical treatment.Methods A retrospective analysis of clinicopathological data of 69 patients with rare pathological subtypes of primary liver carcinoma,diagnosed by

Effects of tetrahydrobiopterin on the angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of tetrahydrobiopterin(BH4)on the angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods BALB/c-nu mice were subcutaneously injected with Hep G-2 cells and randomly divided into control and BH4 groups.The