Hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas combined with neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Hepatoid carcinoma is a primary extrahepatic carcinoma whose morphology, immunohistochemistry, and behavior are similar to those of hepatocellular carcinoma. The most common sites of extrahepatic carcinoma are the stomach and ovary, but nine cases of hepatocellular differentiation of the pancreas have been reported in the literature. We report another case of hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas that was associated with the development of a pancreatic endocrine carcinoma in a 46-year-old man. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was elevated to 262.49 IU/mL and radiological examinations revealed a mass measuring 7.5 cm in diameter in the head of the pancreas. He underwent a conventional Whipple operation, and light microscopy showed adenocarcinoma that was immunopositive for AFP, hepatocyte antigen, cytokeratin, chromogranin, synaptophysin, and alpha-1 antichymotrypsin. Although hepatoid differentiation was not shown unequivocally histologically, other immunohistochemistry findings supported the diagnosis of hepatoid carcinoma combined with neuroendocrine carcinoma. The patient was healthy and had no evidence of recurrence at 4 months after the surgery. This report describes why hepatoid carcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis of a pancreatic mass, especially when serum AFP is elevated.

Long-term follow up of gallbladder polyps.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The management of gallbladder polyps (GBP) is directly linked to the early diagnosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC). This study aimed to evaluate the malignant risk of GBP. METHODS: In total, 1558 patients diagnosed with GBP were followed. Neoplastic polyps were defined as GBC and its premalignant lesions. The risk for malignancy was estimated with the cumulative detection rate of neoplastic polyps. RESULTS: Thirty-three cases (2.1%) were diagnosed with neoplastic polyps. The cumulative detection rates of neoplastic polyps were 1.7% at 1 year, 2.8% at 5 years, and 4% at 8 years after diagnosis. The size of GBP and the presence of gallstones were risk factors for neoplastic polyps. Polyps > or = 10 mm had a 24.2 times greater risk of malignancy than polyps < 10 mm. However, 15 of 33 neoplastic polyps (45.5%) were < 10 mm at the time of diagnosis of GBP. During follow up in 36 (3.5%) of 1027 cases, an increase in size was detected; of these, nine (25%) had neoplastic polyps. CONCLUSION: Even small polyps have a risk of malignancy, and careful long-term follow up of GBP will help detect and treat early GBC.

Effectiveness of self-expanding metal stents for malignant antropyloric and duodenal obstruction with a comparison between covered and uncovered stents.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We evaluated overall clinical outcomes when self-expanding metal stents were used to treat malignant gastroduodenal obstruction; we also evaluated the differences in technical feasibility, effectiveness, and outcomes between covered and uncovered stents. METHODOLOGY: We reviewed 134 patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for malignant antropyloric and duodenal obstructions with self-expanding metal stents. RESULTS: In all but two cases, the procedures were successful in restoring passage through the obstruction. Forty-two patients (31.8%) experienced stent failure during the follow-up period (23/79 (29.1%) with uncovered stents, 19/53 (35.8%) with covered stents). Stent migration was the most common cause for failure in covered stents (73.7%), while tumor ingrowth was the most common cause in uncovered stents (52.2%). The median technical survival in the uncovered stent group was similar to covered stent group (253 days vs. 247 days, p>0.05). Improvement of oral intake was associated with improvement in performance score, which was significantly improved following stent insertion (p<0.05). In addition, patients whose performance score was improved by stenting had better survival than those who did not (median survival 173 days vs. 74 days, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic stenting for malignant gastroduodenal obstruction appears to be an effective therapeutic modality in terminally ill patients, irrespective of the type of stent. Improvement in stent technology will improve patients' oral intake, which in turn will improve patients' quality of life and survival rate.

[Assessment of the definition of early extrahepatic bile duct cancer through the prognosis analysis who had received curative resection].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The definition of early extrahepatic bile duct cancer might be different from that of other gastrointestinal cancer because of the differences of histologic features including the lack of muscularis mucosa and submucosal layer in bile duct. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concept of early extrahepatic bile duct cancer in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated seventynine cases of extrahepatic bile duct cancer who had received curative resection in Severence Hospital, Yonsei University from March 1986 to October 2005. We retrosptectively reviewed the medical records and analyzed variable prognostic factors to define early extrahepatic bile duct cancer. RESULTS: Invasion limited to the mucosa was noted in 5 cases (6.3%), fibromuscular layer in 12 cases (15.2%), adventitia of fibromuscular layer and serosa in 26 cases (32.9%), and invasion of adjacent organs in 36 cases (45.6%). Disease free 5-year survival according to the depth of invasion were 80.7% in tumor confined within mucosa, 80.0% within fibromuscular layer, 57.2% within adventitia of fibromuscular layer and serosa, and 51.5% in tumor with invasion of adjacent organ. There was no significant difference in the survival rate between patients with tumor confined to mucosa and patients with tumor invasion limited to the fibromuscular layer. However, the survival rate of patients with tumor limited to the mucosa or fibromuscular layer was significantly higher than that of patients with tumor invaded beyond fibromusular layer. In early cancer, there were more papillary polypoid type in gross finding and papillary adenocarcinoma in pathologic finding when compared to advanced cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Early extrahepatic bile duct cancer can be defined as the tumor invasion limited to the mucosa and fibromuscular layer.

Efficacy of adefovir dipivoxil in the treatment of lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus genotype C infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) is a nucleotide analogue that is known to be effective for lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants as well as wild-type HBV. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of ADV against lamivudine-resistant genotype C HBV mutants. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with breakthrough hepatitis due to lamivudine-resistant HBV received ADV 10 mg daily with discontinuation of lamivudine. Quantitative HBV DNA, HBeAg, liver function test including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was checked every 4-12 weeks to evaluate the efficacy of ADV. RESULTS: ADV was administered for a median of 48 weeks (range: 24-120 weeks). The rate of serum HBV DNA loss was 68.6%, 80.0%, 84.0%, and 88.2% at weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48, respectively. The rate of serum HBeAg seroconversion was 8.3% and 14.3% at weeks 24 and 48, respectively. The rate of serum ALT normalization at week 48 was 70.6%. Within 32 weeks after stopping ADV therapy, serum HBV DNA levels increased to a median of 378.9 pg/ml in 88.9% of patients, who were treated for a median of 40 weeks. Moreover, in some patients, the ALT level increased to more than five times the upper limit of normal. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of ADV is an effective option for the treatment of patients with lamivudine-resistant genotype C HBV infection.