[A Patient with AFP-Producing Gastric Cancer and Stenosis Who Regained Oral Intake Capabilities after T-DXd Treatment].

We present the case of a 55-year-old man with HER2-positive, AFP-producing gastric cancer and multiple liver metastases. The patient consequently underwent 7 courses of SOX plus trastuzumab therapy, 3 courses of weekly PTX plus ramucirumab therapy, and 3 courses of nivolumab therapy, all of which resulted in PD. Obstruction due to tumor growth became noticeable 9 months after the start of the first treatment. Subsequently, the patient experienced malnutrition and systemic edema due to impaired oral intake. However, subsequent trastuzumab deruxtecan(T-DXd)therapy induced remarkable tumor shrinkage. Furthermore, oral intake became possible, and edema started subsiding. Thus, we report the course of a patient with AFP-producing gastric cancer and stenosis who regained oral intake capabilities after T-DXd treatment.

Osteoporosis is highly prevalent in Japanese males with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is associated with deteriorated pulmonary function.

Osteoporosis has recently been recognized as a major comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 136 Japanese males with COPD to evaluate the prevalence of vertebral fracture (VF) and to explore its relationship with pulmonary function parameters. VFs were present in 108 (79.4%); multiple and severe (SQ grade 2 or 3) VFs were found in 77 (56.6%) and 25 (18.4%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0)/forced vital capacity (FVC) [odds ratio (OR) 0.963, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.929-998, p = 0.036] was associated with the presence of VF after adjustment for age and that FVC (OR 0.462, 95% CI 0.220-0.968, p = 0.041) and current smoking (OR 2.992, 95% CI 1.128-7.940, p = 0.028) were associated with VF severity (grade 2-3 vs. 1). We also found that FEV1.0 was the sole independent determinant of the number of VFs by stepwise multivariate linear regression (p < 0.001). Bone mineral density (BMD) values were available in 49 subjects. Mean T scores were -2.0 ± 1.2 in femoral neck, -1.4 ± 1.2 in total hip and -1.1 ± 1.4 in lumbar spine. Nineteen patients (38.8%) had a BMD T score less than -2.5. BMD Z scores of all the sites showed a progressive decrease as GOLD stage of COPD advanced (p < 0.05). Our results indicate a high prevalence of osteoporosis in Japanese male COPD patients and a strong inter-relationship between the two diseases, re-emphasizing the urgent need for appropriate intervention to maintain both bone and lung health.

Primary closure of the common bile duct in open laparotomy for common bile duct stones.

It is common these days to treat common bile duct (CBD) stones using endoscopic techniques. However, severe complications sometimes lead to death despite the great benefit of these techniques. If the patient has many and/or large stones, it can take considerable time for duct clearance, and this is associated with high costs. Therefore, we do not hesitate to choose surgical procedures when necessary. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of primary closure of the CBD in open laparotomy for CBD stones. Thirty-four patients with CBD stones were operated on by open laparotomy; primary closure was done in 17 patients (group PC), and T-tube insertion was done in 17 (group TT). We compared the patients' medical records, clinical features, laboratory data, complications, and postoperative hospital admission days. There were no significant intergroup differences in patients' medical records, clinical features, or laboratory data, except for the number of CBD stones. There were no differences in complications. All complications were minor and needed no extra care. The number of postoperative hospital admission days showed a significant difference: 18.3 days in group PC and 31.5 in group TT. There are so many methods to treat CBD stones now that the selection of the procedure can be important for the patient's benefit. We prefer primary closure, to get better quality of life postoperatively and to avoid further operations and any severe complications.

Omental transposition for lymphedema after a breast cancer resection: report of a case.

Lymphedema of the arm and hand is one of the major complications after a breast cancer resection. Conservative treatment for the treatment of lymphedema, such as compression garments and centripetal massage, is very important for these cases. However, if the lymphedema is difficult to control with conservative treatment and the patient's quality of life (QOL) is compromised due to swelling of the arms, surgical treatment should be considered. We used omental transposition to improve the status of lymphedema in the present patient whose left arm and hand had been swollen for 5 years, which thus prevented her from being able to lift her arm. After the operation, she was able to lift her left arm herself and perform tasks with her left hand, thereby obtaining a better QOL than before the operation regarding her left arm movement.