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Ovarian metastasis of colorectal cancer is relatively rare. The present study reports two cases of synchronous ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer, which were managed by cytoreductive surgery. In case one, a 60-year-old female patient presented with a multilocular pelvic tumor and ascites. Virtual colonoscopy revealed a mass in the sigmoid colon; however, no tumor cells were identified on histological examination. Ovarian metastasis from sigmoid colon cancer was suspected and adnexectomy was subsequently performed. Histological examination of the excised tumor revealed adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of the resected tumor revealed positive staining for cytokeratin (CK)20 and caudal-type homeobox 2 (CDX2), and negative staining for CK7, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and inhibin. The immunohistological results supported the diagnosis of ovarian metastasis from sigmoid colon cancer. In case two, a 56-year-old female patient presented with a multilocular pelvic tumor and ascites. Colonoscopy identified a rectal tumor, and histological examination revealed moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma, which was confirmed by cytological analysis of ascites. Subsequently, ovarian metastasis from rectal cancer with peritoneal dissemination was diagnosed, and left ovariectomy and transverse colostomy were performed. Histological examination of the excised tumor revealed moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and immunohistochemical investigation revealed positive staining for CK20 and CDX2, but negative staining for CK7. These immunohistological results indicated ovarian metastasis from rectal cancer. Both patients recovered well and are currently undergoing regular follow-up examinations. The observations from the two cases indicate that ovarian metastases of primary colorectal cancer may present as pelvic tumors and, thus, preoperative examination of the gastrointestinal tract is required. Furthermore, even in cases of widespread colorectal cancer metastases, excision of the ovarian tumor is required to establish a histological diagnosis for the selection of appropriate treatments.

In this report, a case of hemorrhagic shock caused by a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) of the ileum, which was successfully treated by emergency surgery, is presented. A 67-year-old male patient presented to the Ibaraki Medical Center, Tokyo Medical University (Ami, Japan) in July 18, 2014, with dizziness and blood in the stool. Upper endoscopy and colonoscopy failed to reveal the source of the hemorrhage, although abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed extravasation of the contrast medium into the small intestine. The patient developed hemorrhagic shock; thus, double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) was performed, which revealed a Meckel's diverticulum and a submucosal tumor with excessive bleeding at 60 and 100 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve, respectively. Subsequent emergency partial resection of the ileum, including the tumor and the Meckel's diverticulum, was performed in July 20, 2014. Histological examination of the excised tumor revealed proliferation of spindle-shaped cells, and immunohistochemical staining of the tumor was positive for CD34, KIT and α-smooth muscle actin, but negative for S-100 protein. These immunohistological results supported the diagnosis of GIST of the ileum. The patient had an uneventful recovery and has been monitored at our outpatient clinic for 14 months after surgery. This case demonstrated the efficacy of DBE for the diagnosis of small intestinal bleeding, and immediate emergency surgery should be considered for cases of small intestinal GISTs with excessive bleeding.

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of the serum inflammatory cytokines and the blood granulocytes/lymphocytes (G/L) ratio in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: Forty-six patients underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. The G/L ratio and serum inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) were measured before surgery and correlated with the Tumour Node Metastasis classification and overall survival. Results: Serum IL-6 in T3-4, N1-2, M1 cases and cancer stages III-IV sub-groups was significantly higher than in Tis-2, N0, M0 and cancer stages 0-II sub-groups. The G/L ratio, serum M-CSF and TNF-α in T3-4 cases were significantly higher than in Tis-2 cases. Furthermore, the G/L ratio and serum IL-6 showed a significant inverse correlation with the overall survival, while the G/L ratio showed a significant positive correlation with serum IL-6, TNF-α and M-CSF. Multivariate analysis showed that the serum IL-6 level and G/L ratio were independent risk factors for poor prognosis. Conclusions: In this investigation, a pre-operative high level of serum IL-6 and the G/L ratio appeared to be significant predictive factors for cancer progression and poor prognosis. Accordingly, these variables might be clinically relevant biomarkers in patients with colorectal cancer.

We herein report a case of postoperative fecal fistula following an appendectomy which was successfully treated by the use of autologous fibrin glue. An 82-year-old man had acute appendicitis and underwent an appendectomy. Later, a fecal fistula developed and he underwent drainage treatment twice. After 4 weeks of drainage and during the third recurrence, the remaining fistula was successfully treated using autologous fibrin glue, instead of surgery, due to potential complications and the risks of associated with advanced age. No recurrence has been observed for 5 months. In conclusion, autologous fibrin gluing for fecal fistula was found to be a safe, economical, and effective treatment. A search of Medline from 1980 until 2002 revealed no other report of this treatment for postoperative fecal fistula following an appendectomy.

An additional technical step when using the pure-string instrument in low anterior resection is described. Namely, the lower part of the rectum is covered by a thin polyvinyl membrane, and then the pure-string instrument is smoothly slid in place without tissue damages.

Purpose This study aims to assess the clinical relevance of postoperative arterial blood lactate (LAC) level as a prognostic factor in patients with colorectal perforation. Methods Forty-two patients (22 males, 20 females; mean age, 70.8 years) underwent emergency surgery for colorectal perforation. The patients were divided into mortality and survivor groups. As a prognostic scoring system, Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria were calculated. These scores, postoperative LAC level, and other data, including site and etiology of perforation, elapsed time from onset to surgery (eTIME), preoperative white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP), and preoperative arterial blood base excess were assessed between the groups. Results The total mortality rate was 33.3 %. On univariate analysis, the APACHE-II and SOFA scores were significantly higher, and eTIME was significantly longer in the mortality group than in the survivor group. The postoperative LAC level was significantly higher in the mortality group (43.1 ± 14.1 mg/dl) than in the survivor group (23.8 ± 12.7 mg/dl; p