Leiomyosarcoma of the chest wall mimicking schwannoma resected by a video-assisted thoracoscopic approach: a case report.

Chest wall sarcomas account for <20% of all soft tissue sarcomas of which leiomyosarcomas represent only 1-4%. We report a case of thoracic leiomyosarcoma that resembled schwannoma in preoperative image studies. A 79-year-old man presented to our hospital with a chest wall tumor that increased in size over 3 months. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a 3-cm mass arising from the chest wall. Thoracic magnetic resonance imaging showed a solid tumor that was hypo-intense on T1-weighted imaging and iso-intense on T2-weighted imaging. Chest wall resection was performed using a video-assisted thoracoscopic approach after a frozen section examination revealed sarcoma. The histological diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma. Liver and multiple lung metastases were detected 5 years after surgery. Malignant tumors should be considered in any patient with chest wall tumors. The thoracoscopic approach could be an optimal treatment for chest wall tumor.

[Experience with Pulmonary Resection under Thoracoscopic Surgery for Lung Cancer Patient with Abnormal Left A4b+5 and A8+9 Branching].

The case was a 56-year-old man. A nodular shadow of the left upper lobe was found in the chest computed tomography, and a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was obtained by bronchoscopy. Preoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography indicated an extremely rare pulmonary artery bifurcation abnormality in which A4b+5 and A8+9 bifurcate from the left main pulmonary artery. Thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection were performed. Pathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma with pStage I B. The mediastinal basal pulmonary artery is extremely rare, and to our knowledge, the bifurcation pattern of this case has not been reported elsewhere. The 3D-CT angiography was useful to detect the anatomical vascular abnormalities of the pulmonary artery before surgery, for the safe performance of the thoracoscopic surgery.

[Schloffer Tumor that Appeared and Increased 40 Months after Resection of Lung Cancer and was Suspected of Recurrence of Pleural Dissemination].

The case is a 50-year-old woman. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) left upper division segmentectomy was performed for adenocarcinoma through a postero-lateral incision. The pathological result was stage ⅠA. A chest computed tomography (CT) examination 40 months after the operation revealed a nodule in contact with the left 6th rib. A recurrence due to pleural dissemination was suspected in the PET/CT examination, but the possibility of reactive granulation was also considered. Two months later, chest CT reexamination showed an enlargement of the nodule, and reoperation was performed. A fibrous structure that appears to be a silk thread for closing chest at the 1st operation was found on the chest wall. The pathological examination revealed chronic suppurative pleuritis and organizing pneumonia without malignancy, leading to a diagnosis of Schloffer tumor.

[Dumbbell-shaped Intercostal Neurilemmoma of the Anterior Chest Wall;Report of a Case].

A 18-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of chest abnormal shadow of the left upper lung field in mass screening chest X-ray. Although his left anterior chest wall swelled, he did not recognize that. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a dumbbell shaped tumor of the left 1st intercostal space which had grown both inside and outside the thoracic cavity. As a possibility of solitary fibrous tumor or myxoma was not excluded, the patient underwent tumor resection. A solid tumor connected to the 1st intercostal nerve was easily dissected from surrounding tissue. Pathological examination revealed the tumor was consisted of spindle shaped cells without atypia, and diagnosed as neurilemmoma without malignancy. Based on anatomical pathway of intercostal nerves, we speculate that the tumor originated from anterior cutaneous nerve.

Successful treatment of combined thymic epithelial tumor with hepatic metastasis: a long disease-free survival case.

A 73-year-old man presented with multiple liver nodules on an abdominal echogram. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) showed multiple nodules in his anterior and posterior mediastinum, and liver. Following thymothymectomy with lymph node dissection, the liver nodules were completely resected. Finally, he was diagnosed with combined thymic tumor (small cell carcinoma and type B3 thymoma) with multiple mediastinal lymph nodes and liver metastases by type B3 thymoma. Follow-up PET-CT scan revealed multiple rib and celiac lymph node metastases, six courses of chemotherapy (paclitaxel and carboplatin) were administered, and the patient survived without any recurrence for 15 years after initial surgery.

Annexin A2 Expression in Aerogenous Metastasis of Pulmonary Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report including Immunohistochemical Analysis.

Aerogenous metastasis (AM) is a form of lung cancer that spreads in a unique fashion, but its mechanisms are still unclear. Annexin A2 (ANX A2), a membrane-binding protein, promotes cancer invasion and is involved in cell adhesion and polarity. The relationship between ANX A2 and cancers with poor stromal invasion capacity has not been studied. We immunohistochemically analyzed ANX A2 expression in AM observed in a patient with pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma. In the primary site, ANX A2 immunopositivity on the cell-cell borders weakened as tumor cells projected and separated into alveolar spaces. In AM, tumor cell aggregates with ANX A2 immunopositivity near the surface and within the cytoplasm attached to alveolar epithelial cells, then engulfed them and formed a protrusion. As tumor cell aggregates adhered to the alveolar wall and formed a single layer, cytoplasmic ANX A2-positive products accumulated in the lateral sides of the tumor cells and exhibited distinct membranous positivity. These results indicated that ANX A2 near the tumor cell surface was related to alveolar wall attachment. Furthermore, the translocation of cytoplasmic ANX A2 to cell-cell borders changed cell morphology, adhesion, and polarity restoration.

Synchronous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and squamous cell lung carcinoma.

A 68-year-old woman was referred for a nodule in the right lung and hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Physical examination revealed left cervical lymphadenopathy. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) images revealed radiotracer uptake in the pulmonary nodule and multiple lymph nodes of the truncus. Biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of synchronous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and squamous cell lung carcinoma. Because the etiology of hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy was unknown, the staging of lung cancer could not be determined. We performed therapy for malignant lymphoma earlier than lung cancer. After therapy, FDG-PET showed that uptake in the lymph nodes due to lymphoma had disappeared, whereas uptake in the pulmonary nodule and right hilar lymph node remained or had increased. Based on these findings, the staging of lung cancer was determined and radical surgery was performed successfully. This rare case of synchronous malignancy illustrates the limitation of initial single testing of FDG-PET.

A prospective study of surgical procedures for patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Purely localized, oligometastatic, and widely metastatic tumors are likely to require different therapeutic strategies. Although surgical procedures for isolated pulmonary, brain, or adrenal metastases from lung cancer have been extensively evaluated, most data are from retrospective studies; accordingly, we conducted a prospective multicenter trial. METHODS: Patients were eligible if they had previously untreated clinical T1-2N0-1 lung cancer with single-organ metastasis, or single-organ metachronous metastasis after complete resection of pathologic T1-2N0-1 lung cancer. Metastatic lesions were classified into three groups: group A included metastasis in single organs other than brain or lung; group B included synchronous brain metastasis; and group C included pulmonary metastasis. The treatment intervention was surgical resection of metachronous metastasis or of both synchronous metastasis and primary lung cancer. RESULTS: From December 2002 through June 2011, 36 patients were enrolled. Two patients were ineligible, and the remaining 34 were analyzed; 6 (18%) had a benign lesion and no metastasis, 5 patients (15%) underwent incomplete resection of primary lung cancer, and 20 patients (59%) underwent complete resection of both primary lung cancer and metastasis. The 5-year survival rate for these 20 cases was 44.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical T1-2N0-1 lung cancer with a single-organ metastatic lesion was a good candidate for surgical resection. A 5-year survival rate of about 40% can be expected, which could be comparable with that for stage II non-small cell lung cancer.

[Middle mediastinal schwannoma originating from the intrathoracic vagal nerve with difficulty in swallowing; report of a case].

A 41-year-old male complaining of difficulty in swallowing was referred to our hospital. Chest computed tomography( CT) demonstrated 34×25×36 mm tumors in the subcarinal region. Gadolinium( Gd)-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid( DTPA) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the tumor with the target appearance sign, i.e., signal intensity of the mass was low on T1-weighted MRI, and the center of the mass was enhanced by Gd-DTPA. A neurogenic tumor was suspected on radiological findings. Resection of the tumor by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed. The tumor was found to originate from the left vagus nerve by operative findings and was diagnosed as schwannoma by pathological examination.

[Air embolism at the pleurodesis for air leakage after pulmonary resection].

A 61-year-old female who was diagnosed with right lung cancer had right lower lobectomy by videoassisted thoracic surgery in June 2010. At the 7th post operative day( 7POD), the patient complained of dyspnea and chest X-ray showed right pneumothorax which was successfully treated by closed drainage and pleurodesis. Since then repeated right pneumothorax appeared and the same procedures were chosen for treatment. In September 2010, just after the pleurodesis for the 3rd time event, she lost consciousness. Brain computed tomography (CT) demonstrated air density area in bilateral internal carotid arteries and right parietal lobe, establishing the diagnosis of air embolism which was successfully treated by hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

[Bilateral pulmonary metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma successfully treated by surgical resection and stereotactic radiotherapy; report of a case].

We report a case of 68-year-old-man with pulmonary metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Following right hepatic lobectomy in January 2005, 4 pulmonary metastases in the right lung were detected by chest computed tomography (CT) in September 2007. As chemotherapy was not effective, surgical resection (right upper lobectomy, partial resection of middle and lower lobe ) was performed. Secondary metastases in the left lung was detected in March 2008, and stereotactic radiotherapy was performed considering the site of tumor location and poor pulmonary function. Two years after radiotherapy, the patient is alive without recurrence.

[Granular cell tumor in the mediastinum; report of a case].

Granular cell tumor is found in various organs but is rare in the mediastinum. We report a case of 21-year-old woman with a granular cell tumor in the left upper mediastinum. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a 30 x 20 mm well circumscribed tumor in the left upper mediastinum. Tumor resection was performed. It was found that the tumor involved the sympathetic nerve. Histopathologically, the tumor consisted of cells with eosinophilic granules and diagnosed as a granular cell tumor.

Modified central venous catheter for pneumothorax.

Pneumothorax frequently requires drainage, and many thoracic surgeons continue to use the traditional rigid chest tubes. Traditional tube thoracostomy using a large-bore tube is an essential technique for thoracic surgeons, but it is associated with significant pain at the time of insertion and during continued drainage. We have found a new small-bore, flexible thoracostomy method using a modified central venous catheter that is simple, less painful, and safe.

Blunt tracheal transection and long tear in posterior membranous trachea.

Blunt tracheobronchial injuries are rare, but can be life-threatening. A precise preoperative diagnosis and a well-recognised plan of surgical treatment, which may be unique for each patient, are needed to restore the continuity of tracheobronchial tree in a one-stage intervention. We encountered a patient with complete tracheal transection and 15 cm tear in the posterior membranous trachea and right bronchus, and whose tracheal injury was difficult to repair using direct intubation of distal airway by bronchoscopy. We achieved a good result of one-stage repair using a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS).

[Occluding spiral embolus for treatment of refractory pulmonary fistula].

A 57-year-old man was admitted for pulmonary emphysema. Volume-reduction-surgery (VRS) was performed. Three days later, after he coughed hard, the right lung collapsed. Although surgery was repeated, the air leakage continued. Air leakage was immediately reduced by means of bronchial embolization with a spiral embolus. We suggest that bronchial embolization with a spiral embolus causes little harm and is an effective treatment for refractory pulmonary fistula in poor-risk patients.