A retrospective analysis on the utility and complications of upper arm ports in 433 cases at a single institute.

BACKGROUND: We have employed upper arm central venous ports (UACVPs) since 2006 for long-term intravenous chemotherapy (CTx) or fluid supplementation. We evaluated the long-term availability of CVPs implanted in the upper arm to determine whether UACVPs could be one of the treatment options besides chest CVPs in terms of CVP-related complications. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of all patients who underwent subcutaneous implantation of UACVPs at Kyoto University Hospital from 1 April, 2006 to 30 June, 2009. We assessed the indwelling duration of the UACVPs and the incidences of early and late UACVP-related complications. RESULTS: A total of 433 patients underwent subcutaneous implantation of UACVPs during this time period. The cumulative follow-up period was 251,538 catheter days, and the median duration of UACVP indwelling was 439.0 days (1-2, 24). There was no UACVP-related mortality throughout the study period. A total of 83 UACVP-related complications occurred (19.2 %), including 43 cases of infection (9.9 %, 0.17/1000 catheter days), ten cases of catheter-related thrombosis (2.3 %, 0.040/1000 catheter days), ten cases of occlusion (2.3 %, 0.040/1000 catheter days), nine cases of catheter dislocation (2.0 %, 0.036/1000 catheter days), five cases of port leakage (1.2 %, 0.019/1000 catheter days), four cases of skin dehiscence (0.9 %, 0.015/1000 catheter days) and two cases of port chamber twist (0.5 %, 0.008/1000 catheter days). The removal-free one-year port availability was estimated at 87.8 %. CONCLUSIONS: UACVPs were of long-term utility, with complication rates comparable to those of chest CVPs previously reported.

Rapid progression of submucosal invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the colon in progressive systemic sclerosis: report of a case.

A 71-year-old woman presented with hematochezia and narrowing of the stool. She suffered from progressive systemic sclerosis for 12 years and underwent home oxygen therapy due to pulmonary fibrosis and moderate pulmonary hypertension. Colonoscopy revealed a pedunculated, cauliflower-like polyp with a depressed surface in the sigmoid colon. The polyp was regarded as early colon cancer with possible submucosal invasion, and subsequent computed tomographic (CT) scans showed no evidence of lymph node involvement or distant metastases. Because of perioperative risks due to moderate pulmonary hypertension, she underwent an endoscopic resection of the early colon cancer. Pathological examination of the resected specimen of 20 mm diameter revealed the peculiar morphology of an adenocarcinoma with moderate lymphatic invasion. Immunohistochemical analysis for epithelial membrane antigen showed the specific 'inside-out growth pattern' indicative of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC). Taking the perioperative risks into consideration, she opted to undergo close follow-ups without an additional sigmoidectomy. At 6 months after the resection, the follow-up colonoscopy revealed a local recurrence of the colon cancer, and subsequent CT scans revealed multiple distant metastases including the lung, liver, lymph nodes and spleen. This is a rare case of a pure, submucosal IMPC of the colon. Furthermore, pure IMPC of the colon may represent a reliable predictor of lymphogenous and/or hematogenous metastases. Therefore, one should recommend an additional colectomy after endoscopic mucosal resection treatment when pathological findings confirmed IMPC of the colon and should continue a close follow-up for IMPC patients even when curative resections were performed at an early stage.

Intracorporeal esophagojejunal anastomosis after laparoscopic total gastrectomy for patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: To facilitate acceptance of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) for patients with upper gastric cancer, a simple, secure technique of reconstruction is necessary. The authors developed a new technique for intracorporeal esophagojejunal anastomosis that does not require hand sewing. METHODS: From September 2006 to January 2008, 16 patients (11 men and 5 women) with gastric cancer underwent LTG at the authors' institution. Laparoscopic esophagojejunal anastomosis using the following method was attempted for all patients. The esophagus was transected while being rotated by about 45 degrees counterclockwise to make the subsequent anastomosis easier. After the Y-anastomosis was created, an endoscopic linear stapler was applied to create a side-to-side anastomosis between the left dorsal side of the esophagus and the jejunal limb. The entry hole was first closed roughly with hernia staplers. Subsequently, an endoscopic linear stapler was applied so that all hernia staplers could be removed and the closure completed. RESULTS: Laparoscopic esophagojejunal anastomosis was successfully performed for 15 patients. Intracorporeal anastomosis failed for one patient because a nasogastric tube was caught between the jaws of an endostapler, which resulted in a conversion to open procedure. No postoperative anastomotic complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Using the new technique, intracorporeal linear-stapled esophagojejunal anastomosis can be performed easily and securely. This technique could become one of the standard methods for reconstruction after LTG, facilitating the acceptance of LTG as a surgical option for patients with upper gastric cancer.

Safety and efficacy of modified FOLFOX6 for treatment of metastatic or locally advanced colorectal cancer. A single-institution outcome study.

BACKGROUND: Although a variety of FOLFOX regimens (5-fluorouracil and L-leucovorin combined with oxaliplatin) are widely used for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, the neurotoxicity caused by oxaliplatin is often problematic. The aim of this observational study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a modified version of the FOLFOX6 regimen (mFOLFOX6) when administered using the 'stop-and-go' strategy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 112 eligible patients treated between June 2005 and July 2007 were identified using the prospective cohort database system of Kyoto University Hospital. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 16.3 months (range 1.6-33.9), and the response rate was 33.3% (95% CI 14.5-52.2), 40.0% (95% CI 22.5-57.5) and 14.0% (95% CI 3.6-24.3) for patients who received mFOLFOX6 as first-line therapy, second-line therapy and third- or later-line therapy, respectively. The estimated median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (95% CI 2.3-15.1) and 8.2 months (95% CI 7.3-9.1) for patients on first-line and second-line therapy, respectively. The median overall survival was not reached as of April 2008 for the patients on first-line therapy, while it was 27.1 months (95% CI 22.0-32.2) for those on second-line therapy. Severe neurotoxicity occurred in only 4 patients (3.6%). CONCLUSION: mFOLFOX6 administered using the stop-and-go strategy significantly reduced oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity relative to conventional FOLFOX treatment, without compromising efficacy.

Esophagojejunostomy through minilaparotomy after laparoscopic total gastrectomy.

Although laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) has been accepted as a surgical option for the treatment of early gastric cancer, laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) has been adopted less often, because a more difficult surgical technique is required for reconstruction. To reduce the technical difficulties, we made some modifications to the functional end-to-end anastomosis technique and performed esophagojejunal anastomosis through a minilaparotomy. First, for easier handling of the esophagus, the first application of the linear stapler to create the esophagojejunal anastomosis was performed before transection of the esophagus. Second, the jejunal limb was anastomosed to the left side of the esophagus, which, compared with the right side, made available more free space, sufficient to operate the stapling device. Third, to close the entry hole and complete the gastrectomy concurrently, a linear stapler was applied through the left lower trocar. With this technique, the closure of the access opening was performed easily and was monitored directly through the minilaparotomy. We successfully performed LTG with Roux-en-Y reconstruction using our modified procedure in seven patients without any anastomotic complications. We believe our procedure is a secure and reliable method for reconstruction after LTG and will facilitate adoption of LTG as a surgical option for patients with early upper gastric cancers.

Prognostic significance of dysadherin expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Dysadherin is a cancer-associated cell membrane glycoprotein that has been reported to downregulate E-cadherin expression and promote metastasis. To evaluate the role of dysadherin in metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we examined dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in patients with this cancer. METHODS: Dysadherin and E-cadherin expression was evaluated in 117 ESCC patients (pT1, 31; pT2, 30; pT3, 39; pT4, 17) by immunohistochemistry. The findings were compared with the clinicopathological data of the patients. RESULTS: Both dysadherin and E-cadherin were localized to the cell membrane. Thirty patients (29.1%) had tumors positive for dysadherin and 41 patients (35.0%) had tumors positive for E-cadherin. Tumors showing dysadherin positivity and negative E-cadherin expression had a significantly worse prognosis than other tumors. When the patients with dysadherin- positive tumors were combined with E-cadherin-negative patients, this group had a worse prognosis (p < 0.0001). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that dysadherin expression was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC (p = 0.003), but E-cadherin expression was not. CONCLUSION: Combined analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression may help to predict the prognosis of patients with ESCC. Our results suggested that expression of dysadherin by this cancer may partly explain the poor prognosis of patients with preservation of E-cadherin expression.

Clinical significance of dysadherin expression in gastric cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Dysadherin, a cancer-associated cell membrane glycoprotein, has been reported to down-regulate E-cadherin expression and promote metastasis. To evaluate the role of dysadherin in gastric cancer, we examined dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in gastric cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Dysadherin and E-cadherin expression were evaluated in 276 gastric cancer patients by immunohistochemistry, and the results were compared with the clinicopathological findings of the subjects. RESULTS: Dysadherin was not expressed in normal gastric epithelium. Both dysadherin and E-cadherin were localized to the cell membrane. Dysadherin expression was sometimes largely localized to infiltrating tumor cells or cells dissociating. Ninety gastric cancer patients (32.6%) were positive for dysadherin, and 151 patients (54.7%) showed preservation of E-cadherin expression. Expression of dysadherin was associated with moderately differentiated carcinoma and hematogenous metastasis, whereas reduced expression of E-cadherin showed an association with poorly differentiated carcinoma and peritoneal dissemination. As a result, dysadherin positivity and reduced E-cadherin expression were associated with a poor prognosis. In addition, patients with both dysadherin positivity and reduced E-cadherin had the worst prognosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that reduced E-cadherin expression was an independent prognostic factor, but dysadherin expression was not. CONCLUSION: Combined analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression may help to predict the prognosis and the mode of metastasis in gastric cancer patients. Patients with dysadherin positivity have a higher risk of hematogenous metastasis, whereas patients with reduced E-cadherin expression have an increased risk of peritoneal dissemination.