[A Case of Brain Metastasis from Rectal Cancer with Synchronous Liver and Lung Metastases after Multimodality Treatment--A Case Report].

We report a case of brain metastasis from rectal cancer a long time after the initial resection. A 62-year-old woman, diagnosed with lower rectal cancer with multiple synchronous liver and lung metastases, underwent abdominoperineal resection after preoperative radiochemotherapy (40 Gy at the pelvis, using the de Gramont regimen FL therapy: 1 kur). The histological diagnosis was a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Various regimens of chemotherapy for unresectable and metastatic colorectal cancer were administered, and a partial response was obtained; thereby, the metastatic lesions became resectable. The patient underwent partial resection of the liver and lung metastases. Pathological findings confirmed that both the liver and lung lesions were metastases from the rectal cancer. A disease-free period occurred for several months; however, there were recurrences of the lung metastases, so we started another round of chemotherapy. After 8 months, she complained of vertigo and dizziness. A left cerebellar tumor about 3 cm in diameter was revealed by MRI and neurosurgical excision was performed. Pathological findings confirmed a cerebellar metastasis from the rectal cancer. Twenty months after resection of the brain tumor, the patient complained of a severe headache. A brain MRI showed hydrocephalia, and carcinomatous meningitis from rectal cancer was diagnosed by a spinal fluid cytology test. A ventriculo-peritoneal shunt was inserted, but the cerebrospinal pressure did not decreased and she died 20 months after the first surgery. Although brain metastasis from colorectal cancer is rare, the number of patients with brain metastasis is thought to increase in the near future. Chemotherapy for colorectal cancer is effective enough to prolong the survival period even if multiple metastases have occurred. However, after a long survival period with lung metastases such as in our case, there is a high probability of developing brain metastases.

Development of watertight and bioabsorbable synthetic dural substitutes.

We have developed novel watertight and bioabsorbable synthetic dural substitutes. The substitutes were designed such that they had a three-layered structure, and each layer comprised a bioabsorbable copolymer prepared from L-lactide, glycolide, and epsilon-caprolactone. Various copolymers were synthesized, and appropriate compositions were selected for preparing the substitutes based on the results of leakage tests. Experimental substitutes that prevented the leakage of saline through the suture lines between the substitutes and dura mater were prepared. An in vitro study was performed in which the substitutes were sutured to porcine dura mater, and the amount of saline leakage was measured. It was demonstrated that leakage through the suture line could be completely suppressed by using the substitutes we developed along with favorable suturing techniques.