Survival outcome of esophagectomy and chemoradiotherapy for resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in patients >75 years of age.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard for resectable, locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is surgery-based treatment; however, it is unclear whether esophagectomy or chemoradiotherapy is suitable for older patients. This retrospective study aimed to identify the treatment outcomes of surgery-based therapy versus definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) as an initial treatment for older patients with resectable, locally advanced ESCC. METHODS: Data from 434 patients who received radical treatment for resectable, locally advanced ESCC were collected from January 2011 to December 2020. Of the patients >75 years of age, 49 underwent radical esophagectomy and 26 received dCRT. Survival was compared between the surgery and dCRT groups. RESULTS: The mean ages of the surgery and chemoradiotherapy groups were 77.3 and 78.8 years, respectively. Differences in overall survival (OS) between the two groups were not statistically significant (3-year OS: surgery 66.2%, dCRT 55.7%, p = 0.236). Multivariate analysis for OS showed a hazard ratio of 1.229 for dCRT versus surgery (90% confidence interval 0.681-2.217). OS did not differ between the groups in any of the performance statuses. For patients who were able to receive chemotherapy using fluorouracil and cisplatin, OS tended to be better in the surgery group, but the difference was not statistically significant (3-year OS: surgery 68.1%, dCRT 51.8%, p = 0.117). CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear difference in survival outcome between surgery-based therapy and dCRT as an initial treatment for esophageal cancer in older patients. Either treatment may be an option for older patients.

[A Case of Colorectal Cancer with Asymptomatic Idiopathic Pneumatosis Intestinalis during Bevacizumab Administration].

We present the case of a 75-year-old woman who received CapeOX plus Bmab therapy(capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab)after primary excision for an unresectable advanced sigmoid colon cancer with remote metastasis. Pneumatosis intestinalis(i.e., the presence of isolated gas in the abdominal cavity)was revealed accidentally during a periodical imaging examination in the small intestine and transverse colon, albeit no subjective symptoms were reported. Owing to the absence of definitive evidence of pneumatosis intestinalis and gastrointestinal perforation, the patient was diagnosed with idiopathic pneumatosis intestinalis. Bmab was discontinued, and CapeOX therapy alone was continued after follow-up. Approximately 4 months later, pneumatosis intestinalis had completely disappeared. Bmab is a vascular endothelial growth factor antibody with well-known side effect of gastrointestinal-perforation. However, there have been few reports on pneumatosis intestinalis; to our knowledge, there have been no reports on pneumatosis intestinalis associated with colorectal cancer in Japan. Further, the report suggests the need for appropriate and immediate management of pneumatosis intestinalis following diagnosis.

Optimal minimally invasive surgical procedure for gastric submucosal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic wedge resection (LWR) is widely performed for managing gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs). Despite the development of novel procedures such as laparoscopy-endoscopy cooperative surgery (LECS) and nonexposed endoscopic wall-inversion surgery (NEWS), the most appropriate surgical intervention for gastric SMTs remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, postoperative courses, results of histopathological examinations, and surgical costs of 71 consecutive patients who underwent LWR, LECS, or NEWS for gastric SMTs from January 2010 to June 2016 in our institute. RESULTS: LWR, LECS, and NEWS were performed in 31, 14, and 26 cases, respectively. Patient backgrounds were comparable between groups. LWR was not performed for esophagogastric (E-G) junction tumors to avoid postoperative stricture, and LECS was not performed for ulcerated tumors to prevent tumor dissemination. NEWS was considered for tumors smaller than 3 cm for transoral extraction. Resected specimen area of the LWR group was significantly larger than that of the other groups. Further, the LWR group had a significantly higher complication rate. Compared to the LECS group, postoperative serum C-reactive protein level was significantly lower and postoperative hospitalization was significantly shorter in the NEWS group. Also, operation costs were significantly lower in the NEWS group. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical procedure for gastric SMTs must be carefully chosen according to tumor size, location, and presence or absence of ulceration. For selected patients, NEWS is suggested to be an appropriate option for the treatment of gastric SMTs.

A case of late lymph node metastasis after three endoscopic mucosal resections of intramucosal gastric cancers.

We describe a patient with solitary lymph node (LN) metastasis after three endoscopic mucosal resections (EMRs) in which a gastrointestinal stromal tumor was difficult to differentiate from the carcinoid and lymphoma tumors. A 77-year-old man underwent three EMRs at 62, 72, and 75 years of age, and all resections were determined to be curative. However, 2 years after the last EMR, screening abdominal ultrasonography detected a 20-mm solitary tumor at the lesser curvature of the upper stomach. Laparoscopic tumor resection confirmed the pathological diagnosis. Intraoperative pathological diagnosis showed that the adenocarcinoma was compatible with recurrence of gastric cancer; thus, total gastrectomy with D1 lymphadenectomy was performed. Metastasis was not recognized by pathological examination but was detected by preoperative radiological examinations of the LN. We report a rare recurrence case after several EMRs of intramucosal gastric cancers.