[A case of postmenopausal breast cancer becoming HER2 positive after neoadjuvant hormone therapy].

A 75-year-old woman presented to a local doctor with a lump in the right breast. On physical examination, a tumor measuring 24mm was palpable in the BD area of her right breast. Mammography showed category 5 disease, and ultrasonography revealed a tumor measuring 24×16 mm. A mammotome biopsy provided a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast(ER 7/PgR 4/HER2 1+), and the tumor was classified as stage IIA(T2N0M0)according to the UICC-TNM classification. She was recommended surgery but she rejected this option and underwent hormone therapy with anastrozole (1mg/day). One year and 8months after beginning the treatment, ultrasonography showed the tumor to measure 7.0×5.7 mm, and hormone therapy resulted in a partial response(PR). The patient hoped to undergo an operation, so she was referred to our hospital, and a right partial mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy was performed. A histopathological exami- nation indicated scirrhous carcinoma, 18mm, nuclear grade 1, f, ly1, v0, n0, ER 3/PgR 3/HER2 3+. The curative effect was grade 1a. The tumor had become HER2 positive, so the patient was then administered radiotherapy and trastuzumab and anastrozole as adjuvant therapy. Herein, we report our experience with a case of breast cancer that only became HER2 positive after hormone therapy, and also provide some bibliographic comments on this occurrence.

[Effectiveness of S-1 plus CPT-11 therapy for an elderly patient with recurrent colon cancer].

In May 2006, a 79-year-old man underwent left colectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy for descending colon cancer (fStage II , Cur A). No adjuvant chemotherapy was done. Eighteen months after surgery, the serum tumor marker level was increased (CA19-9 526 U/mL), and multiple liver metastases (H2) and peritoneal dissemination were detected using abdominal CT. He was treated with S-1 plus CPT-11 therapy, because mFOLFOX6 as a standard chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer was rejected. After 4 courses, tumor markers normalized and abdominal CT revealed a partial response. At present, progression-free survival (PFS) is 240 days. In our case, this regimen was found to be convenient and safe in an outpatient compared with FOLFIRI and FOLFOX. This case suggested that S-1 plus CPT-11 therapy could well be a promising systemic chemotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

[A case of recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach with complete response to imatinib mesilate].

We report a patient who long had a complete response by chemotherapy with imatinib mesilate(IM)for locally recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST)of the stomach. On July 2000, a 58-year-old woman was pointed out to have anemia in the course of surveillance for malignant melanoma of skin. Endoscopic examination revealed continuous bleeding from a submucosal tumor with ulceration on the posterior wall of the stomach. After endoscopic homeostasis failed, emergency laparotomy was performed and a biopsy was also done. The diagnosis made was GIST from immunohistological findings of positive c-kit, positive CD34, negative HMB45, and negative S100. After diagnosis, total gastrectomy, distal pancreatectomy, and splenectomy were performed. On September 2003, a local recurrence was recognized, and then chemotherapy by 400 mg IM daily was started. After beginning with a dose of IM 400 mg daily, the reduction of the tumor was monitored. The IM dose then had to be reduced to 300 mg daily. Because of the adverse side effects of IM, systemic edema and body weight increased. After reduction of IM, the adverse reactions resolved promptly, and a complete response of the primary tumor has been maintained for 4 years 3 months.

[Rectal perforation in a patient treated with combination chemotherapy for lung cancer].

A 74-year old man was treated with first-cycle chemotherapy of paclitaxel (70 mg/m2=110 mg day 1, 8, 15) and carboplatin (AUC5=500 mg day 1) for lung cancer (c-T3N2M0, stage III A). On day 6 abdominal pain appeared, while on day 7 abdominal CT showed a perforation of the digestive tract. Thirty-three hours after the onset he underwent Hartmann operation during which we recognized a perforation 1.7 cm in size in the rectum. Although the cause of the perforation was unknown from the pathological findings, anticancer agents were suspected to be involved. Perforation should be taken into consideration in connection with acute abdominal disease after chemotherapy.

Evaluation of calorie intake according to age and sex in patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We studied food intake in 107 patients undergoing gastric surgery, with emphasis on postoperative quality of life (QOL). The time course of food intake after surgery, sex- and age-related differences in food intake, and the relation of food intake to surgical procedure were evaluated retrospectively. METHODOLOGY: The following variables were studied: 1) the time required for stabilization of food intake, assessed on the basis of the time course of food intake after operation; 2) the relations of sex and age to postoperative food intake, assessed by comparing food intake according to sex and age; and 3) postoperative food intake according to surgical procedure, evaluated by calculating the ratio of postoperative food intake to the food intake of healthy individuals matched for sex and age. RESULTS: At 6, 12, and 24 months after operation, there was no difference in food intake among the three operative procedures; food intake was stable from 6 months onward. When food intake was analyzed according to age, similar trends were seen in men and women, and there were no significant differences in food intake among patients in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Food intake was significantly lower in patients in their 70s than in patients in the other age groups. Food intake even in women with significantly decreased food intake or in patients 70 years or older was not necessarily low as compared with food intake levels in healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Food intake is substantially affected by the period of time after surgery, as well as by sex, and age at the time of surgery.

The validity of sentinel lymph node biopsy using dye technique alone in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated whether sentinel lymph node biopsy using dye technique alone is useful or not in decision-making for less invasive surgery in patients with gastric cancer. METHODOLOGY: The subjects were 43 patients who had undergone laparotomy for gastric cancer and consented to undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy using patent blue dye. The patients enrolled were 26 males and 17 females, with a mean age of 62.5 years. The tumor sites were upper third of the stomach in 14, middle third in 16, and lower third in 13 patients. The depth of invasion was mucosa in eight, submucosa in 19, muscularis propria in five, subserosa in five, and serosa in six patients. Total gastrectomy was performed in 12, subtotal gastrectomy in 28, and proximal gastrectomy in three patients. RESULTS: The mean number of sentinel lymph node biopsies per surgery was 3.5 +/- 4.1. We were able to perform blue node biopsy in 40 out of 43 patients, but could not find any blue nodes in three patients. Among the 40 patients in whom blue nodes were identified, 29 patients with no metastasis in blue nodes had no evidence of lymph node metastasis (NO). The depth of invasion was not deeper than subserosa in all these patients. Metastasis was observed in one out of the three patients in whom no blue nodes were found. CONCLUSIONS: When the depth of invasion was not deeper than the subserosa and blue nodes were identified, no metastases in either non-blue nodes or blue nodes could be found in the absence of metastatic blue nodes. Therefore, if the depth of invasion is not deeper than the subserosa in gastric cancer, metastatic search in blue nodes seems sufficient and less invasive surgery can be performed safely. Even when the invasion depth is not deeper than the submucosa, the tumor could be metastatic to Group 2 lymph nodes in patients in whom blue node biopsy revealed metastases. When metastasis is found in lymph nodes by intraoperative frozen section diagnosis, less invasive surgery for gastric cancer is not indicated.

13C-urea breath test in patients having undergone total gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we performed 13C-urea breath test in patients who had undergone total gastrectomy and investigated the content of (13)CO2 in the CO2 gas expired after direct influx of 13C-urea into the small intestine. METHODOLOGY: 13C-Urea breath test was performed in 31 patients who had undergone total gastrectomy at this department for the treatment of stomach cancer and consented to participate in this study. The test was performed in two ways, i.e. with and without mouth washing (gargling) on taking 13C-urea. RESULTS: Among 41 measurements, the delta13C was less than 2.5% per hundred in 9 measurements (22.2%) and less than 2.0% per hundred in 6 measurements (14.6%). The delta13C exceeded 50% per hundred, in 4 subjects (9.8%). There were no differences between the methods with and without gargling. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggested the possibility that 13C-urea is decomposed even in the jejunum or the lower part of intestine resulting in absorption of H(13)CO3 and another possibility that 13C-urea is directly absorbed from the intestine and decomposed in the blood.

Bone disorder and vitamin D after gastric cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between bone metabolic disorder after gastrectomy for gastric cancer and vitamin D metabolites or the hormones involved in calcium metabolism. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-one patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer and had been followed for less than 10 years were assessed for bone disorder by microdensitometry. The levels of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1,25(OH)2VD), 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)VD), 24,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (24,25(OH)2VD), N-PTH, calcitonin, estradiol, osteocalcin, and ALP were measured and assessed for correlations with clinicopathological factors, including the operative procedure and the number of years since surgery. RESULTS: Bone disorder was found in 9 out of 21 patients (42.9%). The prevalence was significantly higher in patients who had undergone surgery more than 2 years before assessment, so there was a relationship between the period after surgery and bone disorder. Among the vitamin D metabolites, the level of 1,25(OH)2VD was normal in all patients, whereas 25(OH)VD was reduced in 6 out of 21 patients (28.6%) and 24,25(OH)2VD was reduced in 17 patients (81.0%). The 1,25(OH)2VD was significantly higher in the patients with Grade I to III bone disorder compared to the patients with normal bones or early bone disease. The 1,25(OH)2VD/25(OH)VD ratio was significantly higher in the patients without passage of food through the duodenum due to the reconstructive method, while the 25(OH)VD/24,25(OH)2VD ratio was significantly higher in the patients with remaining of duodenal food passage. PTH was decreased in about 50% of the patients, while calcitonin was normal in all patients. Estradiol was decreased in one female patient, while it was elevated in 10 of the 17 men (58.8%). The osteocalcin level was high in all patients irrespective of the period after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: After gastrectomy, the incidence of bone metabolic disorder increases with time. Changes of vitamin D metabolites, particularly 25(OH)VD and 24,25(OH)2VD, seem to be closely associated with post-gastrectomy bone disease.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with 3-cm laparotomy, left hepatic lobe compression technique, and selection of automatic anastomosis device.

In this study, we performed laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) and lymph node dissection with an incision of 3 cm aiming at radical cure and low invasiveness. We introduce and discuss this technique of minilaparotomy and recommend a device for anastomosis. In LADG, a skin incision of 5cm or greater is made in order to pull out the stomach in other institutes. Whether function is distinctly better after laparoscopy-assisted surgery than after abdominal section has not been elucidated so far, so we should seek an aesthetic advantage. We have used a 3-cm abdominal wound to date. If the wound is smaller than this, the body of the SDH25 cannot be inserted, and currently a wound less than 3cm may thus not be possible. The shaft of the SDH is straight, making it easy to confirm the direction even through a laparoscope. The shaft of the anvil head of the PPCEEA is too long, so that when it is connected with the body through the 3-cm incision, it is necessary to draw it through the remnant stomach to a great extent.

How to eradicate Helicobacter pylori using amoxicillin and omeprazole in the remnant stomach.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We previously investigated the effects of amoxicillin/omeprazole combined therapy on patients who were Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive after gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer, and we determined the difference in amoxicillin dosage between the therapeutic successes and failures. In the present study, assuming that amoxicillin dosage should be determined on the basis of body weight of each patient, we examined whether the eradication of H. pylori would be improved by using this novel dose-selection method. METHODOLOGY: We have previously reported about eradication of H. pylori of remnant stomach as follows. Patients who underwent gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer were enrolled if H. pylori was detected in their remnant stomach after the operation. Of these patients, 22 were treated with amoxicillin at 750 mg/day for 2 weeks and omeprazole at 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. For the evaluation of H. pylori eradication, endoscopic examination and 13C-urea breath test were performed 12 weeks after the initiation of the treatment. The amoxicillin dosage in the therapeutic successes was compared with that in the therapeutic failures, and we found that the dosage was 14.1 +/- 1.5 and 12.5 +/- 1.5 mg/kg/day in the successes and the failures, respectively. Following these results, another 10 H. pylori-positive patients were treated with amoxicillin greater than 16 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks and omeprazole at 20 mg/day for 8 weeks, and H. pylori eradication was evaluated as mentioned above. The efficacy of the drug therapy on H. pylori infection was compared between the two groups that one group (Group A) is treated with amoxicillin 750 mg/day for 2 weeks and omeprazole at 20 mg/day for 8 weeks and the other group (Group B) is treated with 1250 mg/day for 2 weeks and omeprazole at 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The eradication rate of H. pylori in Group B (84.6%) was higher than that in Group A (42.1%). There was significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: We assumed that the optimal dosage of amoxicillin was over 15.6 mg/kg/day for omeprazole-amoxicillin combined therapy for gastrectomized patients who were H. pylori positive, and the favorable therapeutic effects could be obtained by applying this amoxicillin dosage to the eradication of H. pylori.

Basaloid cell carcinoma of the esophagus with a metastatic neck tumor of unknown origin: report of a case.

A 51-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a tumor in the right anterior region of his neck. Aspiration biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Further investigations, including upper gastro-intestinal series and endoscopy, showed two flush lesions in the middle and lower thoracic esophagus. An endoscopic biopsy was done and the pathological findings indicated poorly differentiated SCC. He underwent esophagectomy with three-field lymph node dissection, including the neck tumor. Histological findings revealed that the tumor in the middle thoracic esophagus was moderately differentiated SCC, and that the other tumor below it was basaloid cell carcinoma (BCC). The depths of invasion were to the lamina propria mucosae for the former and to the submucosal layer for the latter. There was no lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, or lymph node metastasis. A diagnosis of poorly differentiated SCC of unknown origin was made for the neck tumor. Postoperative recombinant chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was given for the unknown primary site, which we still have not identified. No recurrence of the esophageal cancer has been detected.

[Is sentinel lymph node navigation useful for laparoscopic gastrectomy].

The aim of this paper is to assess the usefulness of sentinel lymph node navigation for laparoscopic gastrectomy. The standard lymph node dissection for gastric cancer is a D2 dissection. D2 dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsy can be performed with laparoscopic gastrectomy as well as with open surgery. Sentinel lymph node navigation surgery for gastric cancer has not yet been established, but once a strong consensus is reached we will be able to perform the laparoscopic gastrectomy safely.