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Background: Postoperative pneumonia is a common complication after esophagectomy and is associated with a high mortality rate. Although many randomized, controlled trials have been conducted on the prevention of postoperative pneumonia, little attention has been paid to the efficacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of antimicrobial prophylaxis on the prevention of postoperative pneumonia. Methods: Data of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy between 2016 and 2020 were collected. Early-period patients received cefazolin (CEZ) per protocol as antimicrobial prophylaxis (n = 250), and later-period patients received ampicillin/sulbactam (ABPC/SBT) (n = 106) because of the unavailability of CEZ in Japan. The incidence of pneumonia was compared between treatments in this quasi-experimental setting. Pneumonia detected by routine computed tomography (CT) on postoperative Days 5–6 was defined as early-onset pneumonia, and pneumonia that developed later was defined as late-onset pneumonia. Results: The incidence of early-onset pneumonia was significantly lower (3.8% vs. 13.6%, P = 0.006), and the median length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter (17 vs. 20 days, P < 0.001) in the ABPC/SBT group than in the CEZ group. The incidence of late-onset pneumonia was similar between groups (9.4% vs. 10.0%, P = 0.870). The incidence of Clostridioides difficile infections and the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms were similar between groups. Multivariate analyses consistently showed the superiority of ABPC/SBT to CEZ in preventing early-onset pneumonia (odds ratio: 0.20, P = 0.006). Conclusions: ABPC/SBT after esophagectomy was better at preventing early-onset pneumonia compared with CEZ and was feasible regarding the development of antimicrobial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of supraclavicular lymph node (SCLN) metastases in esophageal cancer (EC) remains unknown. Few studies have reported on the prognostic impact of SCLN metastases on patients with cervical EC (CEC). This study aimed to investigate whether SCLNs should be considered regional lymph nodes and be dissected in patients with CEC. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 835 consecutive patients who underwent radical esophagectomy. Of these patients, 67 underwent radical surgery for CEC. These 67 patients were divided into three groups based on the presence of lymph node metastases with or without metastatic SCLNs or the absence of lymph node metastases. Results: Of the 67 patients, 23 (34.3%) did not have metastatic lymph nodes (pN-negative group), 27 (40.3%) had metastatic lymph nodes except for metastatic SCLNs (pN-positive group without metastatic SCLN), and 17 (25.4%) had metastatic lymph nodes including metastatic SCLNs (pN-positive group with metastatic SCLNs). The 5-year overall survival rate was 58.4% for the pN-negative group, 46.2% for the pN-positive group without metastatic SCLNs, and 7.8% for the pN-positive group with metastatic SCLNs. The pN-positive group with metastatic SCLNs tended to show residual tumor cells and complications after surgery. The presence of metastatic SCLNs was a significantly poor prognostic factor (p = 0.004). The efficacy index was lowest for the lymph nodes in the supraclavicular region. Conclusions: The prognosis of the CEC patients with metastatic SCLNs was dismal. Although the cervical esophagus is located adjacent to the SCLNs, the SCLNs may be considered extra-regional lymph nodes in patients with CEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a case of repair of the antegrade anastomosis between the "ileal segment" and amputated ureter for recurrent rectal cancer, in which some postoperative complications occurred but eventually resolved. If the length of the ureter is inadequate for end-to-end anastomosis, an ileal segment can be used as a conduit. This surgical technique is not difficult because an ileal conduit is typically created during total pelvic exenteration of rectal cancers. Therefore, anastomosing the ureter to an "ileal segment" is easy and feasible. Hence, we consider that knowledge of this technique would be beneficial for surgical oncologists who perform colorectal surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis and is often undetected until it is significantly enlarged. While surgical resection remains the primary treatment, there is little research on its benefits, especially that concerning the reoperation of recurrent disease. This study investigated the impact of surgical procedures, especially reoperation of recurrent RPS, on prognosis. Methods: This retrospective study included 51 patients who underwent radical resection surgery (R0 status) for primary or recurrent RPS without distant metastasis. Patient outcomes and prognosis were defined in terms of the clinicopathologic factors and surgical techniques performed. Results: In all cases, the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 28.2%, 5-year overall survival rate was 89.9%, and 5-year no residual liposarcoma rate was 54.3% after operation and re-reoperation. There was a statistically significant difference between the 5-year DFS rate and 5-year no residual liposarcoma rate due to frequent re-reoperation (p = 0.011). On univariate analysis of primary and recurrent lesions, the histological type and the number of organs involved were identified as statistically significant prognostic factors. Patients with well-differentiated liposarcomas had a statistically better prognosis than those with other cancer types (primary RPS, p = 0.028; recurrence, p = 0.024). Conclusions: Aggressive and frequent resection of recurrent RPS with combined resection of adjacent organs contributes to long-term survival. The establishment of a surgical strategy for RPS will require a prospective study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 43-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis and chronic alcoholic pancreatitis was referred for evaluation of chest pain and an enlarging pleural effusion. Computed tomography revealed a bilateral pleural effusion and longitudinal multilocular pancreatic pseudocysts extending to the posterior mediastinum along the esophagus. He was diagnosed with a mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst rupturing into the pleural cavity and was initially treated with endoscopic ultrasound-guided trans-gastric drainage. After 4 months of stable disease, dysphagia and a severe cough developed due to an esophageal stricture and main bronchial fistula. Considering the inadequate drainage, the trans-gastric drainage stent was surgically exchanged for a percutaneous external drain and the bronchial fistula was repaired using an intercostal muscle flap. After improvement of the mediastinal abscess and the symptoms, he was discharged on post-operative day 72. Two years post-operatively, he is in good health with no recurrence. We herein report a rare case of a bronchial fistula and esophageal stricture after endoscopic trans-gastric drainage of a mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst. Endoscopic trans-gastric drainage is an effective treatment for mediastinal pancreatic pseudocysts, but it is important to provide appropriate alternative treatment depending on the course of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is recommended for patients with locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer, the outcome is unsatisfactory. We previously demonstrated the safety and efficacy of induction chemotherapy with docetaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) and subsequent conversion surgery (CS) for patients with locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer. However, whether or not induction DCF chemotherapy and subsequent CS improve the long-term outcomes of patients with locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer is unclear. Methods: A total of 177 consecutive patients with locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer without distant metastasis were included in this study. Of these, 55 patients received DCF induction chemotherapy, of whom 36 underwent CS. We divided these 36 patients into two groups according to clinical response, which was analyzed retrospectively. Results: The toxicities related to DCF chemotherapy were manageable. The response rate to induction DCF chemotherapy was 67%. R0 resection was achieved in 81% of the 36 patients who underwent subsequent CS. No serious postoperative complications were observed. Histopathological CR was achieved in 17% of the 36 patients, and the 3- and 5-year survival rates after CS were 61% and 54%, respectively. The outcomes of the patients who obtained good clinical response was better than the outcomes of patients who did not. Conclusions: Induction DCF chemotherapy and subsequent CS show acceptable toxicity and offer the chance of long-term survival in patients with locally advanced clinically unresectable esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a case of gastric lymphangioma coexisting with mucosal gastric cancer. A 76-year-old man was diagnosed with an advanced gastric cancer (cT2N0M0, Stage I) presenting a nodular protruded lesion with irregular central depression. The surgically resected specimen showed a 4 × 3 cm sessile protruded lesion in the anterior wall of the lower stomach. Histopathological examination revealed a mucosal adenocarcinoma was located immediately above the lymphangioma and was elevated by the cystic component of lymphangioma without admixture, which suggested that the two components arose separately. The mucosal adenocarcinoma was masquerading as an advanced gastric cancer due to the protrusion by the lymphangioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]