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Esophageal hiatal hernia is a condition in which the esophageal hiatus opens and the stomach escapes from the abdominal cavity into the mediastinum. The basic surgical procedures are 1) return of the prolapsed stomach into the abdominal cavity, 2) suture of the dilated esophageal hiatus, and 3) fundoplication and fixation of the stomach to prevent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The Japanese guidelines for the treatment of GERD recommend laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication as the standard procedure, which we also follow. It is important to determine the position of ports by considering the angle at which the esophageal hiatus can be easily approached. The dissection of the hernia sac from the left side enables effective surgical procedure. In Toupet fundoplication, loosening the wrapping for the elderly is important to prevent dysphagia. Postoperative complications include aspiration pneumonia, delayed gastric emptying, and esophageal stricture. It is important to accurately understand the normal anatomy and the situation causing the hernia, and to perform a careful repair operation.

A 79-year-old man underwent a radical resection for cecal cancer. The pathological diagnosis was pT4a, N1a, M0, pStage Ⅲb(Japanese Classification of Colorectal, Appendiceal, and Anal Carcinoma, 9th edition). He was treated with oral UFT/LV as adjuvant chemotherapy for 6 months. At 7 months, after the end of treatment, he lost all the nail plates on his fingers and toes. A dermatologist examined him and diagnosed these as side effects of the anticancer drugs. Due to this issue, he was unable to perform routine, fine work using his fingertips. Approximately 1 year and 5 months after the completion of treatment, his nail plates regenerated to the extent that about half of his nail beds were covered. At 2 years after the completion of treatment, the nail plates began to cover the entire nail beds. Although there have been very few reports of onychomadesis as a delayed adverse event of anticancer drugs, oncologists must be aware of this possibility, as onychomadesis may impact patients' quality of life significantly.

A 77-year-old woman visited our hospital after noticing bleeding during defecation. Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an early rectal tumor with extension into the anal canal, thus transanal excision was performed. However, histopathological examination revealed a positive surgical margin, therefore, additional transanal excision was performed with endoscopic submucosal dissection, and the residual cancer tissue was completely resected. At one year after surgery, no recurrence has been observed.

In December 2021, abemaciclib was approved as an adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, high-risk early breast cancer in Japan. The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Recurrence Score program(Oncotype DX)is a test that can be used to limit overtreatment in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, low-risk early breast cancer. Although the target groups of both these are different and usually without many overlapping indications, we encountered a case in which this therapy and test were used in a short time period. Our experience suggests that even if the result of Oncotype DX indicates that hormone therapy alone is sufficient, it does not imply that abemaciclib is unnecessary, although this has not been directly studied in the monarchE trial. While a wider choice of treatment options is desirable for patients, more clinical data and trials are needed to further validate the utility of abemaciclib without chemotherapy.

An asymptomatic woman in her early 40s with a history of hyperferritinemia (5,412 ng/ml) was referred to our hospital after repeated phlebotomy for hemosiderosis. She had unexplained hyperferritinemia, low-normal transferrin saturation, and high hepcidin levels, in the absence of iron overload-induced organ injury. She was diagnosed with ferroportin disease based on detection of the SLC40A1 variant SLC40A1 c.485_487del (p.Val162del) on genetic analysis. Her ferritin levels remained stable during pregnancy, and postpartum anemia was successfully treated with 2-week oral iron therapy. Ferroportin disease is characterized by impaired iron export and preferential iron trapping in tissue macrophages. To reduce risk of anemia, a non-aggressive phlebotomy regimen is recommended in patients with ferroportin disease, which shows a milder clinical course compared with other classical hemochromatosis subtypes.

Anthracycline- and cytarabine-based intensive combination chemotherapies are considered the backbone therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although chemotherapy leads to long-term remission and cures many patients with AML, it can induce DNA damage/stress due to acute/chronic toxicities, acquired resistance, relapse, and therapy-related malignancies. Introduction of molecularly targeted agents with less systemic toxicities has considerably improved the scope of treatment, particularly in elderly and frail patients. However, outcomes of TP53-mutated myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML, a distinct group of myeloid disorders, have not improved irrespective of the treatment used (median overall survival, 5-10 months). In this review, we discuss the biological and clinical significance of TP53 mutations in malignancies, while particularly focusing on MDS/AML, and emerging therapies for TP53-mutated MDS/AML. Rationally designed novel treatment strategies are expected to improve the clinical outcomes of TP53-mutated MDS/AML.

A 61-year-old woman was found to have calcifications in the CD region of the left breast. She had previously undergone total hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy for endometriosis at the age of 37 years. Since age 59 years, she had been attending an otorhinolaryngology clinic because of vertigo. Blood tests showed no abnormal findings. Left breast cancer (cT1N0M0, stage Ⅰ)was diagnosed, and left mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy were performed. She developed postoperative nausea, and at 37 hours postoperatively, she was unable to communicate and exhibited suspected delirium. At 43 hours postoperatively a tonic-clonic seizure occurred. Hyponatremia, with serum sodium of 114 mEq/L, was present. Sodium supplementation was provided, and the patient became capable of communication 8 hours after seizure onset(Na 121 mEq/L). A hyponatremic tonic-clonic seizure is extremely rare after breast cancer surgery, and the abnormal behavior of the present patient 31 hours after surgery was also highly unusual. With such an unusual presentation, the possibility that something specific is happening must be considered. This case gave us the opportunity to review patient management after breast cancer surgery, emergency response and preparations, and nursing education from the medical safety perspective.

Collaborations between hospital and community pharmacists play a key role in ensuring consistent continuation of pharmacotherapy within official medical care plans designed to promote community-based healthcare. A previous study conducted by the authors clarified the constructs of collaboration between the hospital and community pharmacists from the hospital pharmacist's perspective. In this study, a similar questionnaire was used to survey a group of pharmacies with 424 outlets nationwide, and 244 responses were collected. Factor analysis from the community pharmacists' perspective extracted five latent factors comprising 18 variables, and structural equation modeling yielded a model with a high goodness-of-fit. In the latter model, variables representing "Organizational climate" and "Basic policy on collaboration" formed the foundation of the collaboration between hospital and community pharmacists, while variables representing "Understanding of healthcare policy", "Resources for collaboration", and "Community support systems" represented concepts that flexibly compensated for fluctuations in medical policy. These trends were similar to those of the constructs previously indicated by hospital pharmacists. We performed multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling to confirm the impact of the inclusion of "Need for collaboration" as a dependent variable on the proposed constructs of hospital-community pharmacist collaboration using different analytical methods. Our results indicated that "Organizational climate", "Basic policy on collaboration", and "Community support systems" affected the "Need for collaboration". Our findings indicate that future studies are needed to confirm and clarify the causal relationships demonstrated by the constructs of hospital-community pharmacist collaboration seen within the current study.

We report a case of early asymptomatic acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with leukopenia as the only hematologic abnormality. A 55-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with leukopenia (white blood cell [WBC] count of 1,500/µl with 36% neutrophils), which was incidentally determined during an annual medical checkup. Two months before the presentation, her WBC was 3,400/µl with 60% neutrophils. A WBC count was 1,200/µl with 40% neutrophils. Immature myeloid cells were not observed. Her hemoglobin level and platelet count were normal. Moreover, no clinical or laboratory evidence was suggestive of disseminated intravascular coagulation or infection. The peripheral blood WT1 mRNA level was increased to 26,000 copies/µg RNA. The bone marrow aspirate smear revealed 40% myeloperoxidase-positive promyelocytes with occasional Auer rods and faggots; however, circulating leukemia cells were not revealed by cell morphology or flow cytometry analysis. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed WT1 and PML-RARA fusion transcripts in both the peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. Thus, the determination of peripheral blood WT1 expression may be sufficiently sensitive for detecting a small number of circulating APL cells.

Abdominal ultrasonography during a regular medical examination showed that a 70-year-old man had an approximately 10 cm cystic tumor in the lower abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography showed that the appendix had swollen to a size of 130 mm×44 mm. As no other tests suggested malignancy, the patient's condition was diagnosed as a low-grade appendiceal mucinous tumor and he underwent laparoscopic ileocecal resection and lymph node D2 dissection. Laparoscopic surgery was completed without damaging the tumor. There has been no recurrence after the operation for 2 years now.

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of nausea, anorexia and tarry stool. In the blood examination, serum α-fetoprotein(AFP)level was 1,650 ng/mL, and the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a large hemorrhage tumor at the gastric body. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography(CT)showed a solitary mass in segment 4 of the liver. We performed distal gastrectomy, and administered S-1 plus cisplatin therapy. After 13 months, abdominal CT showed complete response for the metastatic tumor according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Because of adverse events, S-1 monotherapy was administered from postoperative month 23. The patients survived for 66 months with no recurrence.

We report a case of pseudo-prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), which was suspected to be caused by an animal-derived phospholipid. A 78-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of an unexplained APTT prolongation. She had compensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis, with modestly decreased platelet count and normal prothrombin time, and no bleeding tendency. The APTT was 66 seconds in a test using phospholipid extracted from rabbit brain but was 34.9 seconds with synthetic phospholipids. The artifactual pseudo-prolongation of the APTT was seemingly attributable to the susceptibility of the test reagents to low factor XII levels. Thus, tests with different APTT reagents would be useful to physicians in the diagnosis of similar cases.

We report the case of a patient with lead poisoning caused by a dietary supplement. A 40-year-old man was referred to us due to intermittent upper abdominal pain and normocytic anemia. His hemoglobin level was 9.3 g/dl, with basophilic stippling in 2.8% of red blood cells. Bone marrow aspirate smear showed ringed sideroblasts that represented 19% of the erythroblasts. The patient reported the use of an unauthorized, Indian-manufactured dietary supplement and was diagnosed with lead poisoning based on a significantly high blood lead level. The dietary supplement was discontinued, and he was successfully treated with lead chelation therapy, and his hemoglobin level normalized within 2 months.

Opsins (also called animal rhodopsins) are universal photoreceptive proteins that provide the molecular basis of visual and nonvisual photoreception in animals, including humans. Opsins consist of seven helical α-transmembrane domains and use retinal, a derivative of vitamin A, as a chromophore. In many opsins, light absorption triggers photo-isomerization from 11-cis retinal to all-trans retinal, resulting in activation via dynamic structural changes in the protein moiety. Activated opsins stimulate cognate trimeric G proteins to induce signal transduction cascades in cells. Recently, molecular and physiological analyses of diverse opsins have progressively advanced. This review introduces the molecular basis and physiological functions of opsins. Based on the functions of opsins, I will discuss the potential of opsins as target molecules to treat and prevent visual and nonvisual diseases such as sleep disorder and depression.

Acquired hypofibrinogenemia is observed in patients with severe liver disease, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and high-volume perioperative fluid replacement. In lymphoblastic leukemia, hypofibrinogenemia is most frequently caused by the administration of L-asparaginase. Here we report the cases of two patients with acquired hypofibrinogenemia that occurred during steroid-containing chemotherapy treatment against lymphoblastic blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia in the first case and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the second case. Administration of steroids repeatedly and promptly caused hypofibrinogenemia, irrespective of the products (prednisolone, dexamethasone, or methylprednisolone) or routes (oral or intravenous) that were used. Monitoring of the fibrinogen levels, especially during the first course of steroid therapy, would be useful for early diagnosis.

We report the case of a 26-year-old male patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the chronic phase with the e13a3 (b2a3) variant of BCR-ABL1 fusion. Despite the presence of Philadelphia chromosome and fluorescence in situ hybridization-detectable BCR-ABL1 fusion signals, quantitative measurement of BCR-ABL1 on the ABL1 using a reverse primer in exon 2 of ABL1 failed to detect the fusion transcripts. PCR direct sequencing analysis with a sense primer for exon 13 of BCR and an antisense primer for exon 3 of ABL1 revealed the e13a3 variant of BCR-ABL1 fusion. The variant fusion transcript level was successfully monitored by the TaqMan assay using a forward primer and probe both in exon 13 of BCR and a reverse primer in exon 3 of ABL1. The patient responded extremely well to imatinib treatment, similar to previously reported e13a3 cases. The patient achieved a molecular response (undetectable e13a3 transcripts) after 12 months of treatment.

Granulomatous mastitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown causes that forms a breast mass and may be difficult to distinguish from breast cancer on imaging studies. The patient was a woman in her 50's. Needle biopsy was performed for a mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast and revealed granulomatous mastitis. Breast magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor was malignant. Taking into account that there is a difference between histologic findings and imaging findings and that surgery after steroid therapy for granulomatous mastitis is more likely to cause complications, we decided to perform lumpectomy. The definitive pathological diagnosis was a triple negative, pT1cN0cM0 medullary carcinoma. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was performed. The absence of axillary lymph-node metastasis was confirmed by right axillary sentinel lymph-node biopsy. Radiotherapy was performed on the preserved breast region. Even if granulomatous mastitis is diagnosed, biopsy should be repeated while paying attention to biopsy methods if there is a difference between pathological findings and image findings.

The patient was a 79-year-old woman with a left breast mass. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic mass with a diameter of 10×8 cm and an ulcer in the upper outer quadrant and the nipple-areola region of the left breast. Intracystic carcinoma was thus suspected. A mass with a diameter of 1 cm was found in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. Needle biopsy revealed that a cystic mass in the left breast was diagnosed as a malignant phyllodes tumor. A mass in the right breast was diagnosed as Luminal A breast cancer. The clinical tumor stage was T1N0M0. Computed tomography showed no enlarged bilateral axillary lymph nodes. In the left breast, mastectomy was performed with extensive skin excision above the tumor. In the right breast, partial mastectomy was performed with sentinel lymph node biopsy. On postoperative pathological examination, the diagnosis of left breast tumor was triple-negative spindle-cell carcinoma. The pathological tumor stage was diagnosed as T4bNxM0. Taking into consideration treatment according to breast cancer stage and age, we selected 4 courses of weekly-paclitaxel, endocrine therapy, irradiation to the left chest wall, and irradiation to the residual right breast. The preoperative diagnosis was malignant phyllodes tumor. The postoperative diagnosis was switched from malignant phyllodes tumor to spindle-cell carcinoma. It was therefore difficult to determine the presence or absence of additional resection and postoperative treatment regimens. Even though the preoperative diagnosis was a malignant phyllodes tumor, surgical procedures such as sentinel lymph-node biopsy should be considered, taking into account the possibility of breast cancer.

A 77-year-old woman underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer in the Rb region(3 cm from the anal verge). The treatment regimen consisted of tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium(80 mg/m2/day, administered on days 1 to 5)and irinotecan(80 mg/m2, administered on day 1). A 1-week regimen was regarded a 1 course. In total, 4 courses were administered. Radiotherapy was administered with a margin of 1 cm around the tumor, with a daily dose of 1.8 Gy for 25 days. After treatment, evaluations were performed. Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy, barium enema examination, and computed tomography of the chest and abdomen were performed at 6 to 7 weeks, and a clinical complete response was observed. At the patient's request, we decided to carefully follow-up the patient. Currently, 10 years 8 months after treatment, the patient still has a clinical complete response.

Molecular targeted therapies with small molecule inhibitors and antibodies have rapidly replaced chemoimmunotherapy, which has been the gold standard of care for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We discuss the current treatment strategies for CLL with special emphasis on genomic and molecular risk factors including IGHV unmutated status, 11q deletion, and 17p deletion. Ibrutinib and venetoclax are two molecular targeted agents currently available in Japan. They are highly effective, well tolerated, and have improved overall survival. Therefore, molecular targeted therapies are preferred to chemoimmunotherapy for most patients. Ongoing studies will clarify the optimal option between combination and sequence of treatment regimens with an appropriate timing of therapeutic intervention for longer survival. We are nearing an era of chemotherapy-free CLL management.

Spindle cell type anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas is extremely rare and has a very poor prognosis. A previously healthy 68-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to a large tumor in the body of the pancreas. Abdominal computed tomography revealed an irregular, well-enhanced 140-mm tumor containing a cystic component. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy for a possible malignant tumor (e.g., mucinous cystic neoplasms). Histological examination showed that the tumor contained spindle-shaped cells and adenocarcinoma with nuclear atypia, and a definitive diagnosis of anaplastic carcinoma spindle cell type was made. A review of 27 cases reported in Japan revealed 43% of these lesions invaded other organs, and 26% were classified in Stage IV at the time of diagnosis. Postoperative recurrence rate was 78.2%, and mortality rate was 59.3%. Early diagnosis and sequential radial surgery would improve the poor prognosis.

We evaluated MRSA-CI agar (Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industrial Co., Ltd.) and BD BBL CHROMagar MRSA II agar (BD Japan) for the detection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We used 129 specimens in this study. The positive rate of MRSA-CI agar was 19.4% (25/129 samples), whereas BD BBL CHROMagar MRSA II was 17.8% (23/129 samples). It is suggested that MRSA selective agar medium including enzyme substrate compounds is a useful medium to detect MRSA.

A man in his 60s was hospitalized with multiple cerebral infarctions and referred for Trousseau's syndrome. Computerized tomography confirmed a 60-mm mass in the pancreatic head and swollen lymph nodes around the abdominal aorta. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the pancreatic lesion and laparoscopic para-aortic lymph node biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma, including clusters of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC). Chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) markedly decreased the primary and metastatic lesions, and no recurrence was clinically detected 24 months later. To the best of our knowledge, reports of pancreatic IMPCs are rare. Our case was the seventeenth case of pancreatic cancer with IMPC. In this case, chemotherapy was markedly effective.

A 63-year-old man was followed-up for diabetes mellitus. During follow-up, computed tomography(CT)showed dilatation of the main pancreatic duct in the tail of the pancreas. Abdominal enhanced CT revealed a 25 mm tumor in the body of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA)was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma. Therefore, based on the diagnosis of pancreatic body carcinoma, distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful. Histological and immunohistochemical examination revealed that the tumor consisted of a ductal carcinoma and a neuroendocrine component. Therefore, combined pancreatic tumor (fT3N1M0, StageⅡB)was diagnosed. The patient subsequently received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy(S-1 100mg/ day), and survived without recurrence 6 months after the operation. We report this case of combined pancreatic tumors with a review of the literature.

Interest in minimally invasive surgery has increased in recent decades. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery(RALS)was introduced as the latest advancement in minimally invasive surgery. RALS has the potential to provide better clinical outcomes in rectal cancer surgery, allowing for precise dissection in the narrow pelvic space. In addition, RALS represents an important advancement in surgical education with respect to use of the dual-console robotic surgery system. Because the public health insurance systems in Japan have covered the cost of RALS for rectal cancer since April 2018, RALS has been attracting increasingly more attention. Although no overall robust evidence has yet shown that RALS is superior to laparoscopic or open surgery, the current evidence supports the notion that technically demanding subgroups(patients with obesity, male patients, and patients treated by extended procedures)may benefit from RALS. Technological innovation is a constantly evolving field. Several companies have been developing new robotic systems that incorporate new technology. This competition among companies in the development of such systems is anticipated to lead to further improvements in patient outcomes as well as drive down the cost of RALS, which is one main concern of this new technique.

Treatment of rectal cancer with postoperative pelvic recurrence may complicate infection and may be difficult to treat. We experienced 2 cases complicated with sepsis due to infection in the pelvic local recurrence in which radiation therapy was performed and they were shifted to outpatient molecular-targeted drug therapy. Case 1 involved a 58-year-old woman. In December 2011, colostomy and chemotherapy were performed for locally advanced rectal cancer. In June 2012, we performed low anterior resection. In January 2014, chemotherapy was started for pelvic recurrence. She discontinued treatment for 4 months due to personal circumstances. Recurrence was worsened, and infection caused sepsis and she was admitted to the hospital in February 2017. Infection was not improved with antibiotic drugs, and radiation therapy(60 Gy/30 times)was performed. Infection was improved, and panitumumab monotherapy was started and she was discharged. Case 2 involved a 61-year-old man. In February 2014, a lower anterior resection for rectal cancer was performed. In September 2015, chemotherapy was started for pelvic recurrence. In November 2016, chemotherapy was discontinued due to esophageal variceal rupture. Recurrence was worsened, and infection caused sepsis and he was admitted to the hospital in May 2017. Radiation therapy(50 Gy/20 times)was performed after colostomy. Infection was improved, and cetuximab monotherapy was started and he was discharged.

There are fewer reports by speech-language-hearing therapists than those by physical therapists or occupational therapists for visiting rehabilitation. Therefore, we examined the present situation with emphasis on professional roles of speech-language- hearing therapists working in visiting rehabilitation, patient tendency, and dysphagia rehabilitation. A questionnaire survey and interview survey were conducted on 6 speech-language-hearing therapists working in visiting rehabilitation. In the questionnaire, personal attributes, subject area, details of dysphagia rehabilitation, professional duties, and tendency of patient in charge were collected. In the interview survey, we asked about trends and request status, evaluation and training protocol for patients with dysphagia, activities related to pneumonia prevention, and future directions in the field. Results show that many linguistichearing experts worked with dysphagia patients, indicating that the needs for respiratory rehabilitation and dysphagia rehabilitation are high. In this survey, the environment surrounding visiting speech-language-hearing therapists and patients with dysphagia was clarified.

A 60-year-old man was admitted for a liver mass(S3), which rapidly increased in size during intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(IPMN)follow-up. Although EOB-MRIwas performed, the mass could not be accurately diagnosed as hepatic cancer. Thus, we performed a lateral segmentectomy. In the resected specimen, a solid tumor mass was clearly bound in segment 3 of the liver. Since histopathology revealed no malignant cells and many IgG4-positive cells, we confirmed the diagnosis as IgG4-related inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver. IgG4-related diseases occur in various organs in the body, and they are known to associate with autoimmune pancreatitis and sclerosing cholangitis, but an IgG4-related inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is a rare disease. It is often difficult to distinguish from hepatic cancer and surgical resection is performed.

A man aged 66 years presented with pneumaturia as a major complaint. Cancer of the sigmoid colon with infiltration to the urinary bladder was diagnosed and the patient underwent colectomy of the sigmoid colon and partial cystectomy of the bladder in May 2015. Histopathologic examinations revealed pT4b, Si(bladder), pN(-), cM0, fStage II . Because intestinal sub-obstruction and lymphatic invasion were present, CapeOX was administered as an adjunctive chemotherapy for the high-risk Stage II cancer. Because Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy appeared as a side effect, the dose was decreased to 80% from the 3 cycle. After the 7 cycle, cough and disturbed breathing appeared. The chest CT scans did not reveal drug-induced interstitial pneumonia, but indicated an elevated right diaphragm and zosteroid changes in the medial lobe of the right lung due to discoid atelectatic condition. The Grade 1 respiratory symptoms were mild, and the lung field was considered to exhibit no problems. Thus, the 8 cycle was administered. The symptoms disappeared after about 2 weeks following completion of oral administration of capecitabine. The diaphragm also recovered to its original height. In the attached document, the frequency is unknown and "dyspnea" is written for L-OHP and capecitabine, respectively. It is unknown whether phrenic nerve paralysis occurs. However, because other organic lesions were absent and the symptoms appeared during chemotherapy, the possibility is not deniable. At present, 2 years postoperatively, recurrent lesions in the mediastinum and recurrent respiratory difficulties are absent. Generally, although phrenic nerve paralysis is not considered to be a specific side effect, it was considered that for respiratory difficulties, CT reveals not only the affected condition in the lung fields, but is also useful for detection.

The patient was a 79-year-old woman, who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy(PD)for lower bile duct carcinoma in our hospital(pT3N0H0P0M0, fStage III ). Four years 6 months after the initial operation, abdominal CT revealed left bile duct expansion and hilar bile duct thickening. Therefore, based on the diagnosis of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma originating from the left hilar duct, we performed left lobectomy with caudate lobectomy and biliary tract reconstruction. The surgical specimen showed a tumor in the left hilar bile duct. Histopathological diagnosis of the tumor was a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma(pT2aN0H0P0M0, fStage II ). Surgical margins were histologically negative. Since the tumor was located away from the anastomosed site of the cholangiojejunostomy, we determined that the tumor was not a recurrence but a metachronous cholangiocarcinoma. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient survived without recurrence 2 years after the second operation. The possibility of heterochronic biliary carcinomas should be considered during follow-up evaluation. We report this case of metachronous cholangiocarcinoma that occurred 4 years 6 months after PD, with a review of the literature.

A 70-year-old man was referred because of suspected gallbladder cancer and gallstones. Contrast-enhanced CT, EOB-MRI and PET-CT could not completely rule out gallbladder cancer. The patient preferred follow-up without surgery. At 4 months after initial examination, the gallbladder wall thickening showed improvement, but appeared worse at 9 months after initial examination. Therefore, we decided to perform surgery. Since malignant findings were not observed on rapid intraoperative pathology, we performed a cholecystectomy and right hemicolectomy because of inflammation in the transverse colon. Pathological examination diagnosed xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis. The imaging appearance of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis varies, and also changes over time, making it difficult to distinguish from advanced gallbladder cancer. We experienced a case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis that changed over time, and report this case with a review of the literature.

A 70-year-old man underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)for 2 early-stage gastric cancers in 2009 and 2014, respectively. Both were pathologically diagnosed after curative resection. In 2015, we detected swollen lymph nodes in the lesser curvature of the stomach on computed tomography(CT). PET-CT revealed that the swollen lymph nodes showed an abnormal uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose; therefore, we considered the possibility of metastatic recurrence of the gastric can- cer. The patient's serum a-fetoprotein(AFP)level was elevated to 30.6 ng/mL. The intraoperative pathological diagnosis of the swollen lymph node was tub2. We diagnosed this case as metastatic recurrence of gastric cancer and performed distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. Metastases were found in 3 of the resected lymph nodes. Immunohistochemical staining for AFP was positive in the specimens obtained via ESD in 2014 and in the metastatic lymph nodes. We diagnosed the patient with AFP-producing gastric cancer. On additional trimming of the specimen obtained via ESD in 2014, we found slight lymphatic invasion.

A 72-year-old man was admitted to our hospital department in September 2014 because of a positive fecal occult blood test.Colonoscopy showed a type 2 tumor in half of the AV 15 cm rectosigmoid colon.Histology of the biopsy indicated a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, and the RAS gene test found wild type.On CT examination, there were multiple liver lung metastases and a 30mm diameter tumor with pancreatic duct extension to the pancreatic body.A PET-CT examination had a high SUVmax at the same site.Because of the location of the tumor EUS-FNA was not used.However, the possibility of pancreatic body cancer could not be denied after the CT examination.Treatment by radical resection was impossible because of the spread of the cancer so we selected chemotherapy.Undeniable pancreatic metastasis of rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer was used as a prognostic factor as double cancer of rectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, from that UGT1A1 test side effects appearance was a low-risk decision, was selected FOLFIRINOX in the treatment regimen.After 25 cycles, the pancreatic body tumor and liver metastases and also the primary tumor were reduced, the multiple lung metastases disappeared, and disease control was good.Side effects were diarrhea on the day of administration of irinotecan, but this was controllable by administering oral loperamide when starting the infusion.Grade 3 or more peripheral neuropathy has not developed, and this regimen is continuing.Pancreatic cancer is a solid cancer with a poor prognosis; if you do not reach the tissue diagnosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer, was a case in which no choice but to select a regimen to carcinoma of the prognostic.

A36 -year-old man with intellectual disabilities consulted a local physician complaining of a cough, and an abdominal mass was observed on palpation. The patient visited our hospital for close examination. Abdominal contrasting CT revealed a mass with a clear boundary with heterogeneous contrast on the left side of his abdominal cavity. We performed a laparotomy and observed that the tumor originated from the greater omentum. The tumor size was 9×8×6 cm and its weight was 200 g. Histopathologic examination showed hyperplastic spindle-shaped tumor cells with less nuclear fission. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor was positive for CD34, CD99, and bcl-2, slightly positive for p53, and negative for S-100, a- SMA, c-kit, and desmin. Based on the results, a diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) was made. The patient has not shown any recurrence 8 months after surgery.

A 72-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of macro-hematuria. The radiographic evaluation including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested it to be renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in her right kidney. She underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy. We diagnosed her with renal cell carcinoma associated with Xp11.2 translocation/TFE3 gene fusion, based on pathological findings and break apart of transcription factor E3 (TFE3)by fluorescence in situ hybridization. She was free of recurrence at 8 months postoperatively.

Central mechanisms of thermal and emotional sweating has been elucidated by using functional MRI in healthy human subjects. The hypothalamus (preoptic region) was specifically activated during thermal sweating, whereas prefrontal regions, insula, and anterior cingulate were activated during emotional sweating. Both thermal and emotional sweating were associated with activation in the dorsal midbrain and in the rostral lateral medulla. These results suggested that sweating in human represents not only sympathetic activation but also integrates emotional function, internal awareness, and attentional arousal in humans.

In June 2010, a 73-year old man diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer underwent laparoscopic sigmoidectomy. The histopathological diagnosis was tub2, pSS, n (-), stageⅡ.Vascular invasion was present; however, at the patient's request, no adjuvant chemotherapy was administered.Computed tomography (CT) performed at the outpatient follow-up 4 years and 6 months after the surgery revealed a para-aortic lymph node metastasis in the caudal aspect of the left renal artery branch point. No other definite mass shadows were detected. Positron emission (PET)-CT revealed high tracer accumulation (SUVmax) not only in the CT-identified lymph node, but also near the site of the anastomosis in the bowel. Considering that no tracer accumulation was detected at any other sites and the patient's compliance with medication and scheduled visits was poor, surgical resection rather than chemotherapy was adopted as the treatment strategy. No metastases other than at the sites identified by the diagnostic imaging were found during the surgery. Since the findings on palpation did not rule out the possibility that the nodule near the anastomotic site was present inside the intestinal tract, lymph node dissection, resection of the intestinal tract including the anastomotic site, and re-anastomosis were performed. The most likely diagnosis based on the histopathological findings was dissemination for both the adenocarcinoma and the nodule near the anastomotic site. At present, the patient is being treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. In the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (JSCCR) Guidelines for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer, the recommended therapeutic intervention is surgical resection of hematogenous metastases; however, no treatment is specified for lymph node metastases. In general, chemotherapy is administered for distant metastases. However, we have found no reports of cases in which a complete remission has been achieved. There are reports of improvement of survival by surgical resection in cases with solitary lymph node metastasis or isolated dissemination of colorectal cancer. These observations suggest that surgical therapy may have contributed to the improved prognosis in the present case.

We report a case of a 62-year-old woman with a growing liver tumor that was difficult to differentiate from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Abdominal CT revealed a hypervascular tumor (36 mm in diameter) in segment 3 of the liver that showed early enhancement and which had grown from 30 mm to 36 mm over the previous year. A fatty liver and gallstones were also detected. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high intensity staining of the tumor on both T1- and T2-weighted images, and EOB-MRI revealed a mass that showed high signal intensity in the hepatobiliary phase. The imaging findings were not typical for HCC; however, the possibility of malignancy could not be ruled out due to the enlargement of the mass. Therefore, in February 2015, we performed a laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy with cholecystectomy. After a good postoperative course, the patient was discharged from the hospital 11 days after surgery. Histological assessment revealed the tumor was focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH).

A 72-year old woman visited our hospital complaining of an umbilical mass and a foul smell from the umbilical region. During the evaluation, a massive immobile tumor was palpated in the center of the lower abdomen in addition to an umbilical mass with necrosis. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a massive ovarian tumor accompanied by an umbilical tumor and cyst with peritoneal dissemination, metastases in the liver and spleen and a urachal tumor. There were no symptoms or imaging findings of gastrointestinal obstruction. While searching for the primary focus, it was determined that the ovarian tumor was not of ovarian origin. Under these circumstances, colonoscopy was the only remaining diagnostic modality. However, evaluation of the large intestine was impossible due to compression by the tumor, and diverticulosis of the sigmoid colon did not allow smooth insertion of the colonoscope. Therefore, an excisional biopsy of the umbilical tumor was performed. The most likely diagnoses based on the histopathological findings were colorectal cancer and urachal cancer. Therefore , mFOLFOX6 was selected for chemotherapy because it has been reported to be effective against both urachal and colorectal cancer. At the time of writing, good tumor control had been achieved in the lesions evaluated. Cases of Sister Mary Joseph's nodule have sporadically been reported. The most common primary foci for peritoneal metastases are the stomach, pancreas and ovary. However, in the present case, these sites were ruled out and the primary focus remained unidentified, making it difficult to select appropriate treatment. We present this case with a discussion of the literature.

Recent advances in the treatment of lymphoid leukemias have incorporated molecular targeted drugs (CD20-targeting rituximab and BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors) into the traditional chemotherapeutic agents. This article reviews novel molecular targeted therapies for patients with lymphoid leukemias including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, hairly cell leukemia and HTLV-I-related adult T-cell leukemia. Investigational agents that will be discussed in this review include inotuzumab, blinatumomab, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, ibrutinib, idelalisib, bafetinib, lenalidomide, ABT-199 and mogamulizumab. Novel approaches warrant continued research to improve outcomes for patients with lymphoid leukemias.

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is a multifunctional transcription factor involved in the control of cell survival and death. p53 is inactivated by mutation of the p53 gene in approximately 50% of human cancers. While the rest (including hematological malignancies) encode wild-type p53, p53 is frequently inhibited by its negative regulator human double minute 2 (HDM2). HDM2 is a p53-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in identifying compounds for disrupting the p53-HDM2 interaction. Small-molecule antagonist of HDM2, which binds HDM2 in the p53-binding pocket, negatively controls the activity of HDM2 and prevents p53 degradation. This stabilization of p53 results in its activation, leading to cell cycle arrest, growth inhibition, and apoptosis in wild type p53-haboring hematological malignant cells. Biology of p53-HDM2 interaction and anti-tumor effects of the HDM2 inhibitor in hematological malignant cells are described in this review.

An 85-year-old man with dementia first visited our hospital 5 years ago, complaining of hemoptysis. He was hospitalized 2 years later owing to fever, cough, and dyspnea. A chest computed tomography scan showed infiltration with a cavity in the left upper lobe. He was diagnosed with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infection on the basis of the presence of acid-fast bacilli in the sputum and repeated bronchoalveolar lavage specimens; however, we were unable to identify the isolate by DNA-DNA hybridization. Although his general condition had slightly improved after treatment initiation, intermittent chemotherapy owing to the adverse effects of the drugs and dementia led to rapid disease progression and death. After his death, the isolated mycobacterium was identified as Mycobacterium kyorinense by sequence analysis of the hsp 65 and rpoB genes.

Perioperative corticosteroid supplementation is generally applied in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency or treated with long-term corticosteroid. Currently, appropriate dose and timing of corticosteroid were revised. A 77-year-old woman with primary adrenal insufficiency underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor (operation 1) and mastectomy (operation 2). In both operations, we supplied stress dose of hydrocortisone on the operative day (100 mg x day(-1) of hydrocortisone for operation 1 or 300 mg x day(-1) of hydrocortisone for operation 2) and decreased gradually in one day (operation 1) or in three days (operation 2), respectively. No remarkable symptoms of adrenal deficiency and side effects of corticosteroid during perioperative period were observed. According to current recommendation, the dose of corticosteroid we used could be smaller. Perioperative management of adrenal insufficiency is still controversial, and further investigation is necessary.

Pancreatic fistula( PF) is a challenging postoperative complication. We report a case of PF following gastrectomy successfully treated using intravenous coagulation factor XIII( FXIII).A 78-year-old man with early gastric cancer underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. PF developed postoperatively, following which, leakage from the duodenal stump was observed. Percutaneous drainage and re-operative surgery were performed. A somatostatin analogue, antibiotic drugs, and gabexate mesilate were administrated along with nutritional support. The pancreatic and duodenal fistula had been producing duodenal juice for over 30 days since the re-operative surgery. As suspected, reduced FXIII activity was confirmed in the patient. After administering FXIII for 5 days, the amount of duodenal juice from the fistula markedly reduced, and the fistula closed immediately afterwards. The results of our study suggest that administration of FXIII could be a reasonable and effective treatment for patients with pancreatic or/and enterocutaneous fistula who are resistant to standard treatments.