Clinical Significance of Preoperative Inflammatory Parameters in Gastric Cancer Patients

PURPOSE: Chronic inflammation induces cancer and cancer induces local tissue damage with systemic inflammation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the potential relationship between the severity of inflammation and prognosis in cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 220 patients from January 2002 to December 2006 who underwent gastric surgery. We evaluated the relationship between preoperative inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) and other clinicopathological factors. Survival outcomes were compared according to the extent of inflammation. RESULTS: Significant elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate was related with old age, increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, decreased hemoglobin, increased carcinoembryonic antigen, increased tumor size and advanced TNM stage. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly correlated with old age, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate and advanced TNM stage. In the univariate analysis, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio had significantly poorer survival than those without elevation (all P<0.05). However, the multivariate analysis failed to prove erythrocyte sedimentation rate and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were correlated with poor prognosis in the univariate analysis and there was a strong correlation between inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) and tumor progression. Thus, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are considered useful as follow-up factors.

Synchronous T-cell lymphoma in patient with colon cancer: a case report / 대한외과학회지

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy in Korea. In contrast, pericolic or mesenteric lymphoma is relatively rare. We experienced an extremely rare case of synchronous primary colon cancer in the ascending colon with T-cell lymphoma in the pericolic lymph node. A 79-year-old woman presented with complaints of epigastric and right lower abdominal pain combined with anorexia and nausea. Colonoscopic evaluation and biopsy were performed, and the diagnosis was cecal adenocarcinoma. She underwent right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection. The pathology report revealed adenocarcinoma in cecum with metastasis to 1 regional lymph node out of 37 lymph nodes. In addition, there was malignant angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 1 pericolic lymph node. There was no evidence of lymphoma in ileum, cecum and ascending colon, so the possibility of early phase of lymphoma was suggested.