Chylothorax following transsternal total thymectomy: a case report.

Herein, we report a case of chylothorax following total thymectomy. A 46-year-old woman having an anterior mediastinal tumor underwent a thymectomy via median sternotomy. Seven days after surgery, there was no massive pleural effusion. However, on post-operative day 17, a right massive pleural effusion was detected, and it was diagnosed as chylothorax. She was successfully treated with conservative therapy. Chylothorax following thymectomy is a very rare complication.

A case of diaphragmatic hemangioma completely resected by partial diaphragmatic resection.

Diaphragmatic hemangiomas are rare tumors and the preferred resection range in surgical procedures is considered on a case-by-case basis. We report a case of diaphragmatic hemangioma that was completely resected by partial diaphragmatic resection. An 81-year-old man was referred for the examination of right diaphragmatic mass. Computed tomography revealed two contrast-enhanced nodules (diameter: 17 and 10 mm, respectively) on the right diaphragm. The nodules were completely resected by partial resection of the diaphragm via video-assisted thoracic surgery using an ultrasonic coagulation and incision device. Resection was performed leaving part of the muscular layer of the diaphragm. Histopathology confirmed the nodule to be hemangioma originating from the diaphragm and no hemangiomatous lesions were noted in the normal connective tissue in the resected stump. Partial diaphragmatic resection is a less invasive treatment method and may be a useful surgical procedure for diaphragmatic hemangioma.

Aberrant Expression of Cardiac Troponin-T in Lung Cancer Tissues in Association With Pathological Severity.

Background: Cardiac troponin-T (TNNT2) is exclusively present in cardiac muscle. Measurement of TNNT2 is used for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome. However, its expression may not be limited in myocardium. This study aimed at evaluating the expression of TNNT2 in neoplastic tissues. Methods and Results: We used paraffin-embedded blocks of 68 patients with lung cancer (age, 68 ± 11 years old; early-stage, 33; advance-stage, 35) at Miyazaki University Hospital, Japan between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2019. We stained the slide sections with primary monoclonal antibody against TNNT2 protein, and assessed the frequency of positive staining, and its association with pathological severity. In addition, we examined whether TNNT2 gene is detected in lung cancer tissues of four patients using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Immunoreactivity for TNNT2 protein was present in the cytoplasm and nucleus of lung cancer cells. The frequency was 37% (25 of 68) in all patients and was irrespective of histologic type (six of 13, squamous cell carcinoma; 18 of 50, adenocarcinoma; 0 of 4, neuroendocrine cell carcinoma; 1 of 1, large cell carcinoma). The prevalence increased with pathological staging [9% (3 of 33) at early-stage (Stage 0-I); 63% (22 of 35) at advance-stage (Stage II-IV and recurrence)]. In addition, frequency of positive staining for TNNT2 increased with pleural (χ2 = 5.877, P = 0.015) and vascular (χ2 = 2.449, P = 0.118) invasions but decreased with lymphatic invasion (χ2 = 3.288, P = 0.070) in specimens performed surgical resection. Furthermore, TNNT2 mRNA was detected in the resected squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma tissues. Conclusions: Our data suggest the aberrant expression of TNNT2 in lung cancer and its prevalence increases with pathological severity.

Primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the thymus: A case report.

Primary thymic mucinous adenocarcinoma is extremely rare; to our knowledge, only 16 cases have been reported to date. A 68-year-old man presented to a previous hospital due to massive pericardial effusion. Cytological examination of the pericardial effusion revealed the presence of adenocarcinoma, and computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass lesion invading the pericardium. Because systemic examination failed to detect other lesions, except for liver metastasis, mediastinal lymph node swelling, and pleural dissemination, a thoracoscopic biopsy of the mediastinal and pleural tumor was performed. The pathological diagnosis was thymic mucinous adenocarcinoma. Although he received chemotherapy, he died due to cancer 6 months after the biopsy.

Recurrent solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura with malignant transformation: a case report.

We report a rare case of recurrent solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura with suspicious malignant transformation. A 78-year-old man had undergone prior surgical resection of the primary and recurrent SFT tumors at 11 and 2 years before the current presentation. Although his primary tumor had a round shape and did not show invasive growth, the current recurrent tumor extended through the neural foramen and had an osteoclastic progression into the thoracic spine. A computed tomography (CT) guided needle biopsy was performed and the pathological diagnosis of the tumor was confirmed as the recurrence of SFT. Immunohistochemically, the MIB-1 proliferation index (Ki-67) of the primary tumor and the current tumor was 1.74 and 30.00%, respectively. These clinical and immunohistochemical findings were strongly suspected the malignant transformation of SFT from benign. He was treated with radiotherapy, and a response was observed.

Pulmonary torsion after resuscitative thoracotomy: a case report.

We report a rare case of pulmonary torsion after nonpulmonary thoracotomy. A 38-year-old woman with schizophrenia committed suicide by a self-infliction of sharp force into the chest and abdomen. During emergent abdominal damage control surgery, a left-sided resuscitative thoracostomy was also performed due to hemorrhagic shock. Although abnormal shadow was detected on postoperative chest roentgenogram and computed tomography, the diagnosis of pulmonary torsion was delayed. Seven days after initial surgery, pulmonary torsion was diagnosed and managed by left upper lobectomy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of pulmonary torsion after resuscitative thoracotomy.

A case of bilateral invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung with severe productive cough and dyspnea successfully treated with palliative lung lobectomy.

Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) of the lung is a chemo-refractory type of lung cancer with frequent intrapulmonary dissemination. Patients with IMA of the lung often suffer from a productive cough and rapid deterioration of performance status (PS). There is currently no standard therapeutic strategy against this unrelenting condition. Here we report a patient with bilateral IMA of the lung with severe productive cough and dyspnea successfully controlled by palliative lung lobectomy. A 67-year-old Japanese man presented with a 3-month history of productive cough. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass lesion in the left lower lobe and a small nodule and multiple thin-walled cystic lesions in the right lung. He was diagnosed with stage IIB IMA of the lung. Over the next two weeks, his productive cough and dyspnea drastically worsened and his PS declined from 0 to 4. Chest CT showed increases in size of both the nodule and cystic lesions in the right lung and the mass lesion in the left lower lobe. He was re-diagnosed as stage IVA. Given the extreme heterogeneity of the tumor distribution, we decided to perform palliative resection of the left lower lobe. After the surgery, he experienced complete relief of respiratory symptoms, and his PS improved dramatically, enabling chemotherapy. Thirty-one months after surgery, he maintains good PS. In conclusion, our report suggests that aggressive introduction of palliative lung lobectomy played a substantial role for in the excellent outcome of our patient with relatively well confined, advanced-stage IMA.

Current status of trauma surgery at a Japanese prefectural academic institute: improved organization in a regional prefecture.

PURPOSES: Balancing scheduled surgery and trauma surgery is difficult with a limited number of surgeons. To address the issues and systematize education, we analyzed the current situation and the effectiveness of having a trauma team in the ER of a regional hospital. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the demographics, traumatic variables, procedures, postoperative morbidities, and outcomes of 110 patients who underwent trauma surgery between 2012 and 2019. The trauma team was established in 2016 and our university hospital Emergency Room (ER) opened in 2012. RESULTS: Blunt trauma accounted for 82% of the trauma injuries and 39% of trauma victims were transported from local centers to our institute. The most frequently injured organs were in the digestive tract and about half of the interventions were for hemostatic surgery alone. Concomitant treatments for multiple organ injuries were performed in 31% of the patients. The rates of postoperative severe complications (over Clavien-Dindo IIIb) and mortality were 10% and 13%, respectively. Fourteen (12.7%) of 24 patients who underwent damage-control surgery died, with multiple organ injury being the predominant cause of death. CONCLUSION: Systematic education or training of medical students and general surgeons, as well as the co-operation of the team at the regional academic institute, are necessary to overcome the limited human resources and save trauma patients.

Prognostic Impact of a Novel Tumor Marker and Inflammation Index for Patients With Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Different tumor markers and systemic inflammation have been linked with cancer development and poor outcome. We aimed to establish a novel non-invasive prognostic index for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-two patients curatively resected for NSCLC between 2008 and 2014 were included. All patients with a follow-up period of less than 5 years were omitted. The geometric mean of the normalized serum CEA and CRP levels was used as a novel tumor marker and inflammation index (TMII). The cut-off value of TMII was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the relative risk factors for survival. RESULTS: ROC curve analysis revealed a TMII cut-off value of 0.46. The group with high TMII displayed more adverse clinical characteristics. Furthermore, compared to patients with low TMII, the group with high TMII had significantly poorer survival. On multivariate analysis, TMII was independently associated with survival. CONCLUSION: We established a novel prognostic index (TMII) based on serum CEA and CRP. Preoperative TMII may predict poor outcomes in patients with NSCLC.

[Preoperative Spontaneous Regression of Thymoma].

We report a case of preoperative spontaneous regression of thymoma in a 66-year-old woman who presented chest pain. Chest computed tomography revealed a well-defined tumor in the anterior mediastinum. The long axis of the tumor decreased from 25 to 18 mm during 1 month preoperatively. Video-assisted thoracoscopic thymothymectomy was performed for definitive diagnosis and treatment. Histopathologically, the tumor mainly comprised necrotic components with partially viable cells, and was diagnosed as a thymoma. The occlusion of the feeding artery by organized thrombus was found by pathology and it was considered to be the cause of coagulative necrosis.

A rare association between true thymic hyperplasia and thyroid follicular tumor: a case report.

BACKGROUND: True thymic hyperplasia is a rare condition characterized by enlargement of the thymus while its normal structure is retained. True thymic hyperplasia is known to accompany Graves' disease, but no association between true thymic hyperplasia and thyroid follicular tumor has been reported so far. We report a case of true thymic hyperplasia in a patient with a thyroid follicular tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a thyroid mass and a mediastinal mass. His serum thyroglobulin level was high, and hemithyroidectomy was performed to remove the thyroid mass. The resected mass was diagnosed as a follicular tumor of uncertain malignant potential. After resection of the thyroid lesion, the patient's serum thyroglobulin levels were markedly decreased. Seven months later, the patient underwent resection of the mediastinal mass. On pathological examination, the mass was found to consist of lobules, which formed a corticomedullary structure with Hassall's bodies, indicating a normal thymic mass with hyperplastic thymic tissue, less organized cellular cords, and intermingled adipose tissue. Immunostaining for cytokeratin 19 and cytokeratin 7 indicated that the lesion was consistent with thymic tissue. The lesion was diagnosed as true thymic hyperplasia, and the histological findings suggested that secondary atrophy had occurred. No evidence of recurrence was observed at 24 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We present a case of a combination of true thymic hyperplasia and thyroidal follicular tumors that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. High serum thyroglobulin levels might play a role in hyperplasia of the thymus. Although true thymic hyperplasia is a rare disorder, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of a mediastinal mass in patients with thyroid disease.

The Prognostic Values of a Novel Preoperative Inflammation-Based Score in Japanese Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Several previous researchers have investigated the prognostic value of the combinations of systemic inflammatory markers. However, the prognostic power of these systemic inflammatory markers is not identical. We aimed to establish a novel prognostic score based on systemic inflammatory markers. METHODS: Four hundred non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent surgery and were followed more than 5 years were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Among systemic inflammatory markers which were used for the previously reported indexes, preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and body mass index (BMI) were independent prognostic markers in multivariate analysis, while serum albumin level, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio were not. Based on this result, a novel score was established. Patients with both normal CRP (< 0.13 ng/dL) and high BMI (> 20.6 kg/m2) were allocated a score of 0. Patients in whom only one of these abnormalities was present were allocated a score of 1, whilst those with both high CRP and low BMI were given a score of 2. Patients with score 0 had 84.44% of 5-year cancer-specific survival, while patients with score 1 - 2 had a 61.88%. On multivariate analysis, this novel score was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: This novel score based on CRP and BMI might serve as an efficient prognostic indicator in resected NSCLC.

Resected thymic large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the thymus is an extremely rare neoplasm. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a rare case of LCNEC of the thymus in a 55-year-old woman. Her chest roentgenogram during a routine checkup revealed an abnormal shadow in the mediastinal left upper lung field. Chest computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass measuring 4.8 × 4.0 cm. Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) showed high FDG accumulation at the lesion. To obtain a definitive diagnosis and achieve complete resection, a surgery was performed. The postoperative diagnosis was thymic LCNEC; it was classified as a Masaoka stage III tumor due to the invasion of tumor cells into the left lung. Postoperatively, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and survived without any signs of recurrence for 30 months after surgery. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The detailed clinical features of thymic LCNEC remain unknown because of its rarity. In total, 20 cases of resection for LCNEC, including the present case, have been reported in the English language literature; we have presented a review of these cases and discussed the optimal therapy for this rare and virulent tumor of the thymus.

Clinicopathologic characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer in patients with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to evaluate the biological behavior of this disease. We investigated the association between smoking-related COPD, the recurrence-free proportion (RFP) and the clinicopathological features of clinical stage I NSCLC patients. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2014, 218 consecutive patients with clinical stage I NSCLC underwent complete resection with lobectomy or greater and systematic lymph node dissection. Differences in categorical outcomes were evaluated by the χ2 test. RFPs were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were evaluated using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The 5-year RFP of clinical stage I NSCLC patients with smoking-related COPD was 55%, which was significantly lower than in those without smoking-related COPD (85%; p < 0.001). Postoperative pathological factors, including moderate or poor histological differentiation, intratumoral vascular invasion and lymph node metastasis, were detected more often in patients with smoking-related COPD. In adenocarcinoma patients, the 5-year RFP of patients with smoking-related COPD was 47%, which was significantly lower than in those without smoking-related COPD (87%; p < 0.001). The presence of a solid component was more frequently found in patients with smoking-related COPD (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Clinical stage I NSCLC patients with smoking-related COPD have histologically more invasive tumors than those without smoking-related COPD.

Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Level Predicts Cancer-Specific Outcomes of Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Interstitial Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: It has been well accepted that the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with interstitial pneumonia (IP) is significantly poor. However, there are only a few studies that indicated the prognostic factors, especially tumor markers, among NSCLC patients with IP. METHODS: Forty-one NSCLC patients with IP who underwent surgery at our institution were included. Patients died of other diseases including postoperative acute exacerbation (AE) of IP were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The 5-year cancer-specific survival of overall and stage I patients were 37.4% and 39.2%, respectively. The 5-year cancer-specific survival of patients with high serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was 9.4%, while that with normal serum CEA level was 55.6%. However, serum cytokeratin-19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) and squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen (SCC) levels were not associated with patients' survival. Furthermore, serum CEA level was significantly associated with poorer cancer-specific survival in univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that serum CEA level might serve as an efficient prognostic indicator after surgery in NSCLC with IP.

The Inflammatory Prognostic Index Predicts Cancer-Specific Outcomes of Patients with Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: Previous study developed a new inflammatory prognostic index (IPI) and found the prognostic value of IPI for all stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To the best of our knowledge, however, no studies regarding IPI in patients with resected NSCLC are available. Methods: Three hundred forty-one NSCLC patients who underwent surgery at our institution were included. The IPI was calculated as C-reactive protein × neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)/serum albumin. The optimal cut-off value was calculated by the Cutoff Finder. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: The optimal cut-off value was 5.237 for IPI. The IPI was associated with age, gender, smoking status, histology, pT status and serum CYFRA21-1 level, but not pStage, pN status and serum carcinoembryonic antigen level. The 5-year cancer-specific survival of patients with low IPI was significantly better than that with high IPI (84.8% vs. 57.9%, p< 0.001). Furthermore, low IPI was significantly associated with favorable cancer-specific survival in univariate (HR =0.326, 95% CI =0.212-0.494; p<0.001) and multivariate (HR =0.438, 95% CI =0.276-0.690; p=0.001) analyses. Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate that IPI might serve as an efficient prognostic indicator in resected NSCLC.

A case of spontaneous hemopneumothorax in which the condition worsened after chest drainage.

A 45-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with sudden chest pain. She came on foot with normal vital signs. Computed tomography (CT) revealed right mild pneumothorax with niveau level. We suspected spontaneous hemopneumothorax (SHP) and inserted a thoracic drain. After 800 ml of blood and air was evacuated immediately, the outflow from the drain stopped. However, despite the outflow of blood from the drainage tube having stopped, she developed hemorrhage shock 2 h after drainage. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed extra-vascular signs at the top of the right pleural cavity. Emergency video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was performed. We identified the chest drain as being obstructed by blood clot. Continuous bleeding from a small aberrant vessel at the top of the thoracic cavity was identified, and we stanched it easily by clipping. The present experience suggests that routine enhanced CT and aggressive emergent VATS should be performed in cases of SHP.

Comparison of Inflammation-Based Prognostic Scores in Patients undergoing Curative Resection for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation-based prognostic scores, including Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and advance lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) are reported to be associated with survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, at present, there are no studies that compared these scoring systems for resectable NSCLC. METHODS: Three hundred forty-one NSCLC patients who underwent surgery at our institution were included. The optimal cut-off values of SII and ALI were calculated by the Cutoff Finder. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was calculated to compare the predictive ability of each of the scoring systems. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the clinicopathological variables associated with overall survival. RESULTS: The optimal cut-off value of SII and ALI were 471.2 × 109/L and 37.66, respectively. All scores were significantly related to the 5-year cancer-specific survival. The ALI consistently had a higher AUC value in comparison with other inflammation-based prognostic scores. A multivariate analysis showed that GPS and ALI were independently associated with overall cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that GPS and ALI appear to be superior to other inflammation-based prognostic scores in patients undergoing potentially curative resection for NSCLC.

Intrathoracic scapular dislocation following lung cancer resection.

A 64-year-old man underwent right upper lobectomy combined resection with third-fifth rib for lung cancer and reconstruction of chest wall using Dual Mesh. Six days after surgery, he experienced acute severe pain in the right shoulder. The purulent drainage through the drainage tube was also found. Chest CT showed that the inferior angle of the scapula protruded into the right intrathoracic cavity. We performed a removal of Mesh. Although we did not want to use synthetic materials because of infection, we performed titanium plate fifth rib fixation to avoid the recurrent dislocation of the scapula. After the redo surgery, continuous lavages with physiologic saline of the thoracic cavity was also performed. Patient is now doing well without recurrences of cancer, infection and scapular dislocation, 14 months after the redo surgery.

Systemic Immune-inflammation Index Predicts Survival of Patients After Curative Resection for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is reported to be associated with clinical outcomes and has been proven to be a promising prognostic indicator in several solid tumor types. To the best of our knowledge, however, no studies regarding SII in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are available. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred forty-one patients with NSCLC who underwent surgery at our Institution between 2008 and 2012 were included. The SII was calculated using the formula: platelet count × neutrophil/lymphocyte count. The optimal cut-off value was calculated using the Cutoff Finder (http://molpath.charite.de/cutoff). Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The optimal cut-off value was 471.2×109/l for SII. A low SII was associated with female gender, never smoking status, adenocarcinoma histology, higher pathological TNM stage and low level of serum C-reactive protein, but not age, serum carcinoembryonic antigen or cytokeratin 19 fragment level. Patients of the low SII group had a significantly better 5-year overall survival than those with high SII (83.61% vs. 60.39%, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the SII was a significant independent predictive indicator for cancer-specific survival (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate that the SII could represent an independent prognostic factor for patients with resectable NSCLC.