Sarcomatoid malignant pleural mesothelioma: a case of long-term recurrence-free survival following curative intent surgery alone.

BACKGROUND: Curative intent surgery may be indicated for some patients with resectable early stage malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, sarcomatoid MPM is a highly aggressive subtype for which curative intent surgery is generally not recommended. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 63-year-old man who presented with dyspnea and chest tightness. Computed tomography revealed pleural thickening and nodular lesions. A pleural biopsy confirmed lymphohistiocytoid MPM (cT1N0M0, stage IA), prompting surgical intervention. The patient underwent left extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), and the final diagnosis was sarcomatoid MPM (pT2N0M0, stage IB). Although post-operative chemotherapy was planned, the patient refused additional treatment, because of the introduction of home oxygen therapy, and has remained recurrence-free for 10 years after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This case presents a noteworthy instance of achieving long-term recurrence-free survival solely through curative intent surgery for sarcomatoid MPM. It highlights the potential efficacy of surgical intervention in managing this aggressive subtype, offering a glimmer of hope for improved outcomes. Further research is warranted to better define the role of surgery in the treatment of sarcomatoid MPM.

Obstructive Shock Due to a Crushed Left Atrium and Pulmonary Vein by Pulmonary Artery Intimal Sarcoma Successfully Treated with Pulmonary Vein Stenting.

A 46-year-old patient who had undergone right pneumonectomy for pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma presented with hypoxemia. The recurrent sarcoma in the mediastinum revealed external compression to the left pulmonary veins (PVs), leading to obstructive shock and cardiac arrest. Venous artery extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was initiated; however, withdrawal was difficult, and the patient's survival seemed hopeless. However, the patient's condition improved with stenting for the compressed PV; therefore, VA-ECMO was discontinued, and he was discharged on foot. This is the first case report of obstructive shock due to critical PV stenosis caused by compression of a malignant tumor that responded to PV stenting.

Effects of age on suicide attempts by medication in patients transferred to the emergency rooms of two advanced medical centers: A retrospective chart review of the DJ project.

AIMS: The means of suicide vary, but in cases of impaired consciousness, it is often difficult to determine the initial treatment because it is not known whether a patient has overdosed or used pesticides or poisons. Therefore, we investigated the clinical characteristics of suicide by medication in patients with suicide attempts who were brought to the emergency department, especially the influence of age. METHODS: Patients with suicide attempts were transported to the two hospitals. There were 96 males (38.4%) and 154 females (61.6%). The mean age was 43.5 ± 20 years, and both males and females were most often in their 20s. Data on sex, age, motive for suicide, means of suicide attempt, psychiatric diagnosis, length of hospital stay, and place of discharge were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The average age of the patients by means of suicide attempt was 40.5 years for "prescription drugs," 30.2 years for "over-the-counter drugs," and 63.5 years for "pesticide/poison." For each means of suicide attempt, there was a significant difference in age among patients with suicide attempts using "prescription drugs," "over-the-counter drugs" and "pesticides/poisons." There was a statistical bias in the means and reasons for each suicide attempt. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the age of patients who used over-the-counter medicines and pesticides and poisons varied significantly. It was thought that pesticide use should be considered first, especially when patients aged 50 years and over are brought to the hospital with impaired consciousness due to suicide attempts.

Male intimate partner violence (IPV) victims in Japan: Associations of types of harm, sociodemographic characteristics, and depression trait.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting depression trait among male intimate partner violence (IPV) victims in Japan utilizing a multiple linear regression analysis. Methods: A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted. Male IPV victims living in Japan were recruited to answer the questionnaire on the website on February 25-26, 2021. A total of 16,414 subjects were enrolled, of whom 1466 respondents were included in the study. Other than IPV exposure, information about sociodemographic characteristics, past traumatic experiences and psychiatric history was collected. The Domestic Violence Screening Inventory (DVSI), a 20-item questionnaire regarding IPV exposure, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to determine the intensity and the type of IPV harm and to screen for depression, respectively. Results: The victims were more frequently subject to psychological abuse than to physical violence. Based on PHQ-9 scores, 10.7% of respondents exhibited moderate to severe depression. In the DVSI score, 79.2% of respondents required "observation and support." The lowest level of academic attainment (junior high school), positive psychiatric history, foregoing divorce to avoid adverse childhood experiences of their offspring, childhood exposure to domestic violence, younger age, having no children, and experience of school bullying were shown to be significantly associated with depression trait. Conclusion: Male IPV harm has a multilayered complexity. The sociodemographic characteristics and experiences of victims' own have a greater impact on depression trait than direct violent harm, suggesting that the violence-focused support might be inadequate for male victims. Comprehensive supports are urgently needed.

Serum immunogloblins might be useful predictors of immune-related adverse events after immune checkpoint inhibitor usage in lung cancer.

We herein report a 79-year-old woman who underwent surgery had recurred non-small cell lung cancer and developed irAEs following ICI treatment. During ICI treatment, we conducted monthly measurements of the serum antibody levels in this patient, including those which were both tumor- (anti-p53 antibody) and nonspecific (immunoglobulins). Anti-p53 antibodies and IgM had not increased during ICI treatment, but the serum levels of IgG and IgA had gradually increased before the occurrence of irAEs. These results suggest that monitoring serum immunoglobulin levels might enable the early detection of ICI-induced immune responses in patients with lung cancer.

A case of thyroid storm caused by Graves' disease misdiagnosed as panic attack due to panic disorder.

BACKGROUND: Graves' disease is characterized by hyperthyroidism and its symptoms often overlap with those of panic disorder, which may make it difficult to distinguish between the two conditions. In this report, we describe how proper diagnosis of thyroid disease in patients with mental illness can lead to appropriate treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: We encountered a 34-year-old woman in whom thyroid crisis from Graves' disease was misdiagnosed as panic attack. The patient was being managed as a case of panic disorder and bipolar disorder in a psychiatric outpatient setting. About 6 months before presentation she had lost about 16 kg in weight, and a month before presentation she developed several unpleasant symptoms as her condition worsened. Several weeks before she had had severe palpitations, tachycardia, and discomfort in her throat. She became unable to eat solids, ate only yogurt and gelatin, and felt it difficult to take psychiatric drugs. She visited our emergency outpatient department on a Sunday morning, presenting with nausea, severe tachycardia, fever, and restlessness with anxiety. We treated her as panic disorder with fever, but noted proptosis and considered the possibility of Graves' disease. Thyroid function tests were performed even though data from her clinic was not available because it was a weekend. Because there was no improvement in her condition after her first visit, she returned to our hospital early the next morning. We had misdiagnosed her as having severe panic attacks due to panic disorder, and after a diazepam injection had allowed her to go home. Later that day, the thyroid function test results became available, and her symptoms and the results strongly indicated a thyroid storm. The endocrinology department was consulted immediately, and she was referred for hospitalization the next day. During hospitalization, she was treated with steroid and radioactive iodine therapy and was discharged from hospital in 3 weeks. CONCLUSION: Psychiatrists and doctors engaged in psychosomatic medicine need to consider the possibility of severe hyperthyroidism as a differential diagnosis of panic disorder.

Development of adoptive immunotherapy with KK-LC-1-specific TCR-transduced γδT cells against lung cancer cells.

The present study analyzed the antitumor effect of γδT cells transduced with the TCR of cancer-specific CTLs to establish forceful cancer-specific adoptive immunotherapy. We cloned the TCRαß genes from CTLs showing HLA-B15 restricted recognition of Kita-Kyushu lung cancer antigen-1 (KK-LC-1), a cancer/germline gene antigen, identified in a lung adenocarcinoma case (F1121). The TCRαß and CD8 genes were transduced into γδT cells induced from PBLs of healthy volunteers stimulated with zoledronate and IL-2. The KK-LC-1-specific TCRαß-CD8 γδT cells showed cytotoxic activity against the KK-LC-1 positive lung cancer cell line F1121L and produced IFN-γ against F1121L and KK-LC-1 peptide-pulsed F1121 EBV-B cells. These responses were blocked by HLA class I and HLA-B/C antibodies. An in vivo assay using NOD/SCID mice with xenotransplantation of human lung cancer cells was performed, and the TCRαß-CD8 transduced γδT cells (TCRαß-CD8 γδT cells) were intravenously injected. Growth inhibition of KK-LC-1+ , HLA-B15+ lung cancer cells was confirmed in mice with injection of the TCRαß-CD8 γδT cells from 1 wk after xenotransplantation of cancer cells but not in those treated 2 wk after xenotransplantation. The resected specimens of the tumor, 2 wk after xenotransplantation, highly expressed FasL but not programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) by immunohistochemical staining. FasL highly expressed cancer cells xenotransplanted 2 wk ago were resistant to TCRαß-CD8 γδT cells injection. These results suggested that apoptosis of Fas-positive TCRαß-CD8 γδT cells may be induced by a Fas-mediated signal after interacting with FasL-positive cancer cells.

Cardiac herniation after extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Cardiac herniation is a fatal complication in patients undergoing pneumonectomy with pericardial resection. A 53-year-old man underwent right-sided extrapleural pneumonectomy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. He underwent right-sided pericardial resection and reconstruction with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene sheet. Routine chest radiography performed 18 h postoperatively revealed cardiac herniation into the right-sided thoracic cavity. The patient was immediately transferred to the operating room, and the defect was repaired. He died of tumor progression. However, cardiac herniation did not recur over 2 years postoperatively.

[Coexistence of Schwannomatosis from Vagal Nerve and Intercostal Nerve;Report of a Case].

Schwannomatosis with mediastinal vagal schwannoma is rare. A 71-year-old man presented with multiple mediastinal tumors by a regular check-up. A chest computed tomography showed well-defined round tumors along with the 3rd intercostal nerve and in the left upper mediastinal area. A percutaneous biopsy specimen of the tumor suggested benign tumor, however surgical excision was performed for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. The histological diagnosis was schwannoma. Since the tumor originated from the mediastinal vagal nerve proximal to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and was suggested to be benign, it was not resected to preserve the function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Aspiration of a drug in a blister pack.

We report a rare case of aspiration of a drug in a press-through package (PTP) treated by not just pulling it but using a unique technique. A 73-year-old woman was referred to our department because of a persistent cough resulting from aspiration of a PTP. Flexible bronchoscopy identified the PTP in the trachea immediately above the carina. Just pulling the centre of the PTP edge with biopsy forceps could not move it, and we then rotated it by pulling the corner of the PTP edge to directly below the vocal cord. Passing over the vocal cord was difficult, which made us remove the bronchoscope and urge the patient to cough. These rotation techniques and voluntary coughing successfully removed the foreign body. This unique procedure may aid in the removal of a similar foreign body using a flexible bronchoscope forceps with insufficient grasping force.

Anterior mediastinal tumor as a solitary lymph node metastasis of occult thyroid carcinoma.

Solitary metastasis of occult thyroid carcinoma to the anterior mediastinum is very rare. A 65-year-old woman was examined for anterior mediastinal tumor based on the FDG accumulation on PET. We resected the tumor by video-assisted thoracic surgery. A pathological examination revealed that the tumor was lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The postoperative examination showed that the tumor was a solitary lymph node metastasis of occult thyroid carcinoma. Primary thyroid carcinoma has not appeared in 2 years since the surgery, and careful follow-up has been continued.

Suicide attempts by drug overdose at Jichi Medical University Hospital emergency centre: A study of patient characteristics and quantity of drug overdose.

OBJECTIVE: Patients attempted suicide by psychotropic drug overdose and require medical care have increased, becoming a serious problem in Japan. This study investigated the characteristics of patients who attempted suicide by overdose and required emergency care, with a focus on quantity of drugs taken. METHODS: We conducted a clinical survey of 98 patients examined at the emergency centre of the psychiatric department of Jichi Medical University Hospital and hospitalized for attempted suicide by drug overdose from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014. Data were collected by chart review and subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: Diagnoses were mainly mood disorder and neurosis in both genders. Also, 23.5% of the cases had multiple hospitalizations at the centre, and past overdose was significantly higher in these patients. The average total number of pills/sachets ingested was 84.4 ± 95.5, but no significant difference was noted in dosage according to psychiatric clinic visit history (P = 0.63). Of these patients, 45.1% returned to their previous hospital, and 12.2% were hospitalized in the psychiatric ward. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with reports in the literature. Psychiatric outpatient history does not seem to be a risk factor for attempted suicide by ingesting higher drug doses.

Early chest tube removal after thoracoscopic lobectomy with the aid of an additional thin tube: a prospective multi-institutional study.

OBJECTIVES: There is no evidence concerning the appropriate drainage volume for indicating chest tube removal after pulmonary lobectomy. A prospective multi-institutional cohort study was designed to elucidate the safety of early chest tube removal after thoracoscopic lobectomy. METHODS: Between April 2009 and November 2011, 310 patients with suspected or histologically documented lung cancer were screened. Patients without air leakage or bloody, chylous, or purulent pleural effusion underwent chest tube removal on the day after thoracoscopic lobectomy, independent of the drainage volume. The subjects were classified into three groups as tertiles according to the drainage volume that was observed for approximately 24 h after surgery. The associations between the drainage volume and the development of complications were investigated, with several clinical factors taken into account. RESULTS: The 162 patients who were enrolled underwent early chest tube removal via this protocol and were classified into three groups according to their drainage volume (0-219 mL, n = 52; 220-349 mL, n = 56; and ≥ 350 mL, n = 54). A 7F backup tube placed within the dead space to prevent troubles was removed by postoperative day 4 in all patients because nothing happened. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the drainage volume was not associated with the risk of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Early removal of the chest tube on the day after thoracoscopic lobectomy appears to be a safe treatment protocol in patients without air leakage or bloody, chylous, or purulent pleural effusion; however, careful surveillance is needed for patients who have a drainage volume of ≥ 350 mL/day. CLINICAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry, 000028971 (Japan).

Primary epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the lung with cavitary lesion: A case report.

Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma (EMC) typically arises in the salivary glands, whereas EMC of the lung is an extremely rare histological form that originates from the bronchial glands. Although cavitation in primary lung cancer is not uncommon, to the best of our knowledge, a case of EMC with a cavitary lesion has not been reported to date. We herein describe a case of cavity-forming pulmonary EMC. A 72-year-old man was referred to our department due to a thickened cystic wall discovered in the upper lobe of the left lung and underwent thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy. Microscopically, the tumor was characterized by biphasic architecture, with glands surrounded by myoepithelial cells. The pathological diagnosis was EMC. The patient has remained in good health for 2 years postoperatively, without any evidence of recurrence. As regards the mechanism of cavity formation, it was hypothesized that the bronchial gland in the primary cystic lesion had been present 3 years prior to the development of the EMC, and grew to become a cavitary lesion. Therefore, although the mechanism of cavity formation remains to be elucidated, EMC of the lung may include a cavitary lesion.

Simple covering technique in thoracoscopic bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Reduced-port thoracoscopic surgery for pneumothorax has been well reported. However, the optimum method for preventing postoperative recurrence in reduced-port thoracoscopic bullectomy remains unclear. We investigated ways to improve the covering technique with reduced-port thoracoscopic bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax. From April to December 2016, we performed a simple covering technique with reduced-port thoracoscopic bullectomy on six patients and evaluated the surgical results and patient outcomes. All of the patients were successfully treated with the simple covering technique, and none had a postoperative ipsilateral recurrence of pneumothorax. Our method is a simple and easy technique involving the wide reinforcement of the staple line and may be effective in reducing the risk of postoperative recurrence in reduced-port thoracoscopic bullectomy.

Contralateral thoracoscopic lobectomy in postlobectomy patients.

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to perform thoracoscopic lobectomy in patients with a history of contralateral lobectomy, as stable oxygenation is not always maintained under conditions of one-lung ventilation during surgery. METHODS: This study evaluated 14 patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy after previously undergoing contralateral lobectomy at a single institution between 2008 and 2015. RESULTS: Among 14 patients who had previously received contralateral lobectomy, 4 were unable to maintain sufficient perioperative oxygenation with usual one-lung ventilation. The predicted pulmonary function before surgery in these patients was as follows: both (I) predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second <800 mL/m2; and (II) ≤5 contralateral residual segments for ventilation. Regarding special oxygenation techniques, two underwent selective ventilation using lobe-selective bronchial blockade, one underwent intermittent positive airway pressure for operative side lung, and one underwent high-frequency jet ventilation for operative residual lobe. CONCLUSIONS: When performing thoracoscopic lobectomy in patients with a history of contralateral lobectomy, a careful evaluation of the preoperative pulmonary function is needed.

Rapid growing pulmonary cavernous lymphangioma after chronic process for ten years.

INTRODUCTION: Solitary cavernous lymphangioma is very rare disease characterized by abnormally proliferating lymphatic vessels. We report a 49-year-old woman with a cavernous pulmonary lymphangioma showing rapid growth after remaining indolent for 10 years. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Chest computed tomography revealed a solitary, poorly demarcated mass in the left lower lobe; however, the tumour grew in size over the next 6 months. A left lower lobectomy was performed following suspected lung cancer. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of the resected specimens revealed a pulmonary cavernous lymphangioma. DISCUSSION: It is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis of solitary cavernous lymphangioma by imaging findings, therefore a surgical resection is recommended as the diagnostic and therapeutic modality. CONCLUSION: A pulmonary lymphangioma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a rapidly growing tumour.

Risk factors for short-term outcomes after thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer.

Few studies have analysed postoperative risk factors in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy, including assessments of preoperative physical function. The objectives of this study were to identify predictors of postoperative deterioration of performance status and cardiopulmonary complications in cases of thoracoscopic lobectomy.Between June 2005 and October 2012, we retrospectively reviewed 188 consecutive subjects who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy for preoperative stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer. The demographic and clinical parameters, including physical function, were analysed using a multivariate logistic regression to clarify the determinants.The percent predicted diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, quadriceps muscle strength and pathologic stage were independent risk factors for deterioration of performance status after surgery in the multivariate analyses. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 6-min walking distance and pathologic stage were also independent risk factors for postoperative cardiopulmonary complications.Our data suggest that, in addition to a greater pathologic stage, lower diffusing capacity and comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, poor physical function was associated with worse short-term outcomes after thoracoscopic lobectomy. An evaluation of preoperative quadriceps muscle strength and 6-min walk test is easily performed and may therefore be a useful predictor in cases of thoracoscopic lobectomy.