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Background Rectal leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is an extremely rare disease. Previously, LMS was not properly distinguishable from gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) until c-kit, a characteristic marker of GIST, was discovered in 1998. No standard therapeutic strategy for gastrointestinal LMS has been established except for surgical resection because of its rarity. Rectal LMS is often accompanied by symptoms, which can enable detection at a small size. However, when a large LMS is detected at the lower rectum, it is difficult to excise due to the narrow pelvic space. Case presentation We present the case of an 86-year-old man with a large LMS. The LMS was asymptomatic and incidentally found at the lower rectum when he visited another hospital for management of benign prostatic hypertrophy. An abdominoperineal resection of the rectum was performed with combined resection of both seminal vesicles and a part of the prostate because tumor invasion was suspected. We used the hybrid method of laparoscopic and transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) approaches to achieve negative surgical margins. Late-onset urethral injury occurred in the postoperative course, which was successfully treated with a urethral catheter. The patient was discharged and received no adjuvant therapy. Local recurrence did not occur, but multiple lung metastases were detected 4 months later and the patient died 12 months after the surgery. Conclusions This is the first report of the hybrid method of laparoscopic and TaTME approaches to remove a large LMS at the lower rectum.

Aim The aim of this prospective study was to clarify the frequency of male sexual dysfunction after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LTME) and to examine the relationship between pelvic autonomic nerve (PAN) preservation status and functional outcomes. Method Candidates for LTME were included in this study. PAN preservation status after LTME was examined in detail by video review. Patients completed a functional questionnaire (the International Index of Erectile Function) before and 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation. Results Twenty-six patients who underwent LTME were assessable. Detailed video reviews identified inadvertent PAN damage during surgery. PAN injury was observed in 11 cases (41%), including eight cases (32%) of inadvertent PAN damage (incomplete preservation group). There was a trend toward increasing inadvertent PAN injury rate in patients with high body mass index and large tumours. The results from all patients who underwent LTME showed no deterioration in total International Index of Erectile Function or its domain scores 12 months after surgery. In the incomplete preservation group, these scores temporarily decreased (3 and 6 months after surgery), but such deterioration was not observed in the complete preservation group. Most of the 12 patients with potentially active erectile function before the operation recovered this function, and only one patient (7%) with PAN injury was still judged as inactive 12 months after surgery. Conclusion The proportion of patients with sexual dysfunction after LTME is low. With the enhanced visibility of the laparoscope, inadvertent PAN injury was detected in a significant number of cases and associated with transient deterioration of sexual function.

Background In rectal cancer, anastomotic leakage was reported to have a negative impact on both short- and long-term outcomes. However, there is limited data on the impact of anastomotic leakage on oncologic outcomes in patients with colon cancer. We aimed to evaluate the impact of anastomotic leakage on disease recurrence and long-term survival after curative resection of colon cancer. Methods This multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 4,919 consecutive patients utilized data from the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to adjust for confounding. Results The incidence of anastomotic leakage was 2.5% and 30-day mortality was 0.21%. The 5-year overall survival rate was 80.8% in the anastomotic leakage group, compared with 90.3% in the no leak group (P = .001). In the multivariable analysis, anastomotic leakage was significantly associated with reduced overall survival rate (hazard ratio = 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.96). Overall disease recurrence rate was 14.1%: 21.2% in the anastomotic leakage group and 13.9% in the no leak group. There was a significant association between anastomotic leakage and local recurrence (hazard ratio = 4.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.60–10.6). In contrast, anastomotic leakage was not significantly associated with total distant recurrence. However, anastomotic leakage did show a tendency toward increasing peritoneal recurrence, although it did not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio = 2.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.79–6.29). Conclusion In our study population, anastomotic leakage was associated with reduced overall survival and with increased rate of local recurrence after curative resection for colon cancer.

This prospective multicenter phase 2 study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) without radiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Patients with LARC (cStage II and III) were included in the study. Those with cT4b tumor were excluded. Six cycles of modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6) plus either bevacizumab or cetuximab, depending on KRAS status, were administered before surgery. The primary end point of the study was the R0 resection rate. The secondary end points were adverse effect, rate of NAC completion, postoperative complications, and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. The study enrolled 60 patients from eight institutions. For the study, mFOLFOX6 was administered with cetuximab to 40 patients who had wild-type KRAS and with bevacizumab to 20 patients who had KRAS mutations. The completion rate for NAC was 88.4%. Sphincter-preserving surgery was performed for 43 patients and abdominoperineal resection for 17 patients. The median operation time was 335 min, and the median blood loss was 40 g. The R0 resection rate was 98.3%, and the pCR rate was 16.7%. The overall postoperative complication rate (≥grade 2) was 21.7%. The complications included anastomotic leakage (11.6%), surgical-site infection (6.7%), and urinary dysfunction (3.3%). The patients with wild-type KRAS did not differ significantly from those with KRAS mutations in terms of response rate, postoperative complication rate, and pCR rate. The findings show that NAC is a feasible and promising treatment option for LARC (This study is registered with UMIN-CTR, UMIN000005654).

The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) is reportedly lower in laparoscopic colorectal surgery than in open surgery, but data on the difference in SSI incidence between colon and rectal laparoscopic surgeries are limited. The incidence and risk factors for SSI, and the effect of oral antibiotics in colon and rectal laparoscopic surgeries, were investigated as a sub-analysis of the JMTO-PREV-07-01 (a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of oral/parenteral vs. parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis in elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery). A total of 582 elective laparoscopic colorectal resections, comprising 376 colon surgeries and 206 rectal surgeries, were registered. The incidence of SSI in rectal surgery was significantly higher than in colon surgery (14 vs. 8.2 %, P = 0.041). Although the incidence of incisional SSI was almost identical (7 %) between the surgeries, the incidence of organ/space SSI in rectal surgery was significantly higher than in colon surgery (6.3 vs. 1.1 %, P = 0.0006). The lack of oral antibiotics was significantly associated with the development of SSI in colon surgery. Male sex, stage IV cancer, and abdominoperineal resection were significantly associated with SSI in rectal surgery. The combination of oral and parenteral antibiotics significantly reduced the overall incidence of SSI in colon surgery (relative risk 0.41, 95 % confidence interval 0.19–0.86). The incidence of SSI in laparoscopic rectal surgery was higher than in colon surgery because of the higher incidence of organ/space SSI in rectal surgery. The risk factors for SSIs and the effect of oral antibiotics differed between these two procedures.

Laparoscopic (Lap) surgery has not been established as a standard procedure for locally advanced colon cancers. Here, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of Lap multivisceral resection (MVR) for tumors that had invaded adjacent organs (T4b).We performed retrospective analyses using a single institutional database. Eighty-four patients who underwent Lap or open MVR for surgical T4b primary colon cancers satisfied the inclusion criteria.Among the 84 patients, 48 underwent Lap MVR and 36 underwent open MVR. More patients in the open group were clinical T4b and were receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients in the open group had worse performance status (P = 0.037) and tumors of greater diameter. Lap completion was achieved in 42 cases (87.5%); the conversion rate was highest in cases involving the urinary tract (40.0%). Lap reconstruction of the bladder or ureter was extremely challenging, and therefore, adjacent organ reconstruction influenced Lap completion. Regarding perioperative outcomes, Lap was superior to open surgery in terms of intraoperative blood loss, morbidity, and postoperative hospital stay. Conversion was required in six cases; five were strategic conversions, and conversion was not associated with severe morbidity. The microscopic positive surgical margin rate was not higher in the Lap group than in the open group. Kaplan-Meier analyses of overall and disease-free survival were comparable between the groups. Cox regression analyses revealed that the operative approach did not have a significant adverse effect on long-term outcomes.The Lap approach could be considered for surgical T4b cancers, except for urinary tract invasion cases that require complicated reconstruction.

Although liver resection combined with preoperative chemotherapy is expected to improve outcomes of patients with resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM), there is as yet insufficient clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of preoperative systemic chemotherapy. The aim of this phase II study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of preoperative FOLFOX systemic chemotherapy for patients with initially resectable CRLM.A prospective multi-institutional phase II study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy for resectable CRLM (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier number NCT00594529). Patients were scheduled to receive 6 cycles of mFOLFOX6 therapy before liver surgery. The primary endpoint was the macroscopic curative resection rate.A total of 30 patients were included in this study. Two patients who were diagnosed with hepatocellular and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma based on pathology were excluded from the analysis. More than half of the patients (57 %) had solitary liver metastasis. The completion rate of preoperative chemotherapy was 64.3 % and the response rate was 53.6 %. Two patients were unable to proceed to liver resections due to disease progression and severe postoperative complications following primary tumor resection. Macroscopic curative resection was obtained in 89.3 % of eligible patients. Postoperative mortality and severe complication (≥Gr. 3) rates were 0 and 11 %, respectively. The 3-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 81.9 and 47.4 %, respectively.Our phase II study demonstrated the feasibility of liver resection combined with preoperative mFOLFOX6 therapy in patients with initially resectable CRLM. Further study is warranted to address the oncological effects of preoperative chemotherapy.

Hospital factors along with various patient and surgeon factors are considered to affect the prognosis of colorectal cancer. Hospital volume is well known, but little is known regarding other hospital factors. We reviewed data on 853 patients with stage IV colorectal cancer who underwent elective palliative primary tumor resection between January 2006 and December 2007. To detect the hospital factors that could influence the prognosis of incurable colorectal cancer, the relationships between patient/hospital factors and overall survival were analyzed. Among hospital factors, hospital type (Group A: university hospital or cancer center; Group B: community hospital), hospital volume, and number of colorectal surgeons were examined. In univariate analysis, Group A hospitals showed significantly better prognosis than Group B hospitals (p = 0.034), while hospital volume and number of colorectal surgeons were not associated with overall survival. After adjustment for patient factors in multivariate analysis, hospital type was significantly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio: 1.31; 95 % confidence interval: 1.05–1.63; p = 0.016). However, there was no significant difference in short-term outcomes between hospital types. Hospital type was identified as a hospital factor that possibly affects the prognosis of stage IV colorectal cancer patients.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To examine the efficacy and acceptability of subcuticular sutures for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery.

Introduction Anastomotic leakage remains a devastating complication following low anterior resection of the rectum. Our aim was to retrospectively assess the efficacy of transanal drainage. Methods Twenty-five patients with anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic low anterior resection (using the double-stapling technique) were reviewed. Transanal drainage was performed when an abscess was localized within the pelvic cavity, and any leakage was detected through radiological study and digital examination. In each patient, the fistula was dilated with a forefinger, and the abscess was drained into the rectum. A suction drain tube was indwelled transanally when the abscess cavity was large or unstable. Clinical outcomes of patients after transanal drainage were then analyzed. Results Nine of the 25 patients required an emergency operation. The remaining 16 cases with localized disease were treated conservatively as an initial treatment. This included 12 patients treated by transanal drainage, 10 of whom were successfully cured. Two eventually required a defunctioning ileostomy because of fistula formation with other organs (treatment success rate: 83.3%). The median duration of drain placement, fasting and postoperative hospitalization were 10, 10 and 45 days, respectively. Conclusions Transanal drainage may be a viable option for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection of the rectum.

Chemokines and their receptors play key roles in leukocyte trafficking and are also implicated in cancer metastasis. We previously demonstrated that forced expression of CXCR3 promotes colon cancer metastasis preferentially to the draining lymph nodes (LNs), with poor prognosis. Using clinical colorectal cancer (CRC) samples, here, we show that expressions of CXCR3 and CXCR4 are significantly higher in metastatic foci within LNs and liver compared to primary tumors, whereas ligands for CXCR3 and CXCR4 are not. We also have demonstrated that some human CRC cell lines constitutively express both CXCR3 and CXCR4, and that activation of CXCR3 strengthens the CXCR4-mediated cell migration in vitro in a synergistic manner. By constructing SW620 cell lines with reduced expression of CXCR3 and/or CXCR4 using microRNA, we investigated in vivo metastatic activities in a mouse rectal transplantation model. Six weeks after inoculation, CXCR3-, CXCR4-, and CXCR3/CXCR4 double-knockdowns significantly reduced metastasis to LNs, liver and lungs, compared to the control (p < 0.05). Importantly, its suppressive effect on LN metastasis was significantly stronger in CXCR3- and CXCR3/CXCR4 double-knockdowns. In addition, CXCR3- and CXCR3/CXCR4 double-knockdowns significantly decreased the dissemination of cancer cells to liver and lungs, even after 2 weeks. These results indicate that targeting CXCR3 and CXCR4 can be a promising therapy against CRC metastasis.

To investigate the hypothesis that laparoscopic primary tumor resection is safe and effective when compared with the open approach for colorectal cancer patients with incurable metastases.There are only a few reports with small numbers of patients on laparoscopic tumor resection for stage IV colorectal cancer.Data from consecutive patients who underwent palliative primary tumor resection for stage IV colorectal cancer between January 2006 and December 2007 were collected retrospectively from 41 institutions. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared between patients who underwent laparoscopic or open resection.A total of 904 patients (laparoscopic group: 226, open group: 678) with a median age of 64 years (range: 22-95) were included in the analysis. Conversion was required in 28 patients (12.4%) and the most common reasons for conversion (23/28: 82%) were bulky or invasive tumors. There was no 30-day postoperative mortality in either group. The complication rate (NCI-CTCAE grade 2-4) after laparoscopic surgery (17%) was significantly lower than that after open surgery (24%) (P = 0.02), and the difference was greater (4% vs 12%; P0.001) when we limited the analysis to severe (≥grade 3) complications. The median length of postoperative hospital stay in the laparoscopic group was significantly shorter than that in the open group (14 vs 17 days; P = 0.002). In univariate analysis, overall survival for the laparoscopic group was significantly better than that for open surgery (median survival time: 25.9 vs 22.3 months, P = 0.04), although no difference was apparent in multivariate analysis.Compared with open surgery, laparoscopic primary tumor resection has advantages in the short term and no disadvantages in the long term. It is a reasonable treatment option for certain stage IV colorectal cancer patients with incurable disease.

It has been determined that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) regulate several key processes in a wide variety of cancers. However, the function and mechanism of the SDF-1/CXCR4 system in the metastasis of colorectal cancer remain controversial.Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine quantitatively the expression of CXCR4 in 40 human samples of colorectal cancer and liver metastasis. The functions of SDF-1 on HCT116 colon cancer cells were investigated in vitro. We subcutaneously inoculated HCT116 cells with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) expressing SDF-1. The CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 was tested in vitro and in vivo.By quantitatively counting the number of cells, it was shown that there are more CXCR4-positive cells at the metastatic site in the liver compared with the primary sites. We demonstrated the effect of SDF-1 on the invasion and antiapoptosis of HCT116 cells in vitro. In mouse experiment of liver metastasis, intraperitoneal administration of AMD3100 blocked the metastatic potential of HCT116 cells. Furthermore, we found that alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA)-positive myofibroblasts derived from HSCs, surrounding the liver metastasis foci, secreted SDF-1. The subcutaneous inoculation of HCT116 cells with HSCs promoted the tumor initiation in nude mice, indicating the importance of the direct interaction between these cells in vivo.These results suggest that HSCs play important role in liver metastasis of colon cancer cells by the action of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis and provide preclinical evidence that blockade of the axis is a target for antimetastasis therapy.

Laparoscopic surgery is widely used for the treatment of colorectal cancer, but little is known about perioperative risk factors for complications. Clinical data were reviewed for 401 consecutive unselected colorectal cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery at Kyoto Medical Center between 1998 and 2005. The outcome variable was incidence of postoperative complications. Using logistic regression analysis, 58 background, clinical, preoperative, and intraoperative factors were assessed as potential predictors of complications. The set of independent protective factors that had the greatest influence on the incidence of local complications after colon surgery was as follows: cefmetazole use for prophylaxis (versus oral only; adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06–0.54), high operative infusion rate (per ml/min; OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70–0.95), regular laxative use (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12–0.79), and double-stapled anastomosis (versus hand-sewn; OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03–0.83). Independent risk factors for local complications after rectal surgery were abdominoperineal resection (versus low anterior resection, OR 4.84, 95% CI 1.64–14.9), long operative time (per hour, OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.11–2.23), and history of heart disease (OR 5.18, 95% CI 1.34–21.5). The occurrence of complications was not found to be associated with overall survival in this study. We identified intraoperative management such as low operative infusion rate is one of the independent significant risk factors for complications after laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in addition to patient characteristics and surgical procedure.

Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer is widely spread all over the world. In this chapter, the history of colorectal surgery and evidences of laparoscopic colorectal surgery were described. In these 200 years, colorectal cancer surgery has dramatically changed. In the last two decade, laparoscopic surgery appeared and greatly changed the history of colorectal cancer treatment. Many evidences have reported and many inventions are being developed in the laparoscopic surgical field. A combination of great knowledge and skilled technique with novel devices will lead to an excellent outcome for colorectal cancer patients.

Laparoscopic dissection of the lower rectum is a technically demanding procedure in patients with a narrow pelvis and a bulky tumor or in those who are obese. Moreover, transection of the rectum using a stapling device deep in the narrow pelvis is the most difficult part of this operation. Transanal mesorectal dissection using transanal endoscopic microsurgery aims to overcome these limitations and was first reported in 2010. Moreover, following the report by Tuech et al. in 2011, a single-port device with laparoscopic instruments is now widely used as a platform for transanal total mesorectal excision (TME). This convenient approach, referred to as transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS), has been welcomed by surgeons who are used to laparoscopic surgery.

Decreased blood perfusion is an important risk factor for postoperative anastomotic leakage (AL). Fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) provides a real-time assessment of intestinal perfusion. This study evaluated the utility of ICG fluorescence imaging in determining the transection line of the proximal colon during laparoscopic colorectal surgery with double stapling technique (DST) anastomosis.This was a prospective single-institution study of 68 patients with left-sided colorectal cancers who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery between August 2013 and December 2014. After distal transection of the bowel, the specimen was extracted extracorporeally and then the mesentery was divided along the planned transection line determined by the surgeons' judgement under normal q. After ICG was injected intravenously, intestinal perfusion of the proximal colon was assessed in the fluorescent imaging mode. Intestinal perfusion was examined in relation to the patient-, tumor- and surgery-related variables using univariate and multivariate analyses.ICG fluorescence imaging showed that intestinal perfusion was present at 3 mm (median) distal to the initially planned transection line. ICG fluorescence imaging resulted in a proximal change of the transection line by more than 5 mm in 18 patients (26.5 %) and, particularly, by more than 50 mm in 3 patients (4.4 %), compared with the initially planned transection line. Univariate analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus, anticoagulation therapy, preoperative chemotherapy and operative time were significantly associated with poor intestinal perfusion. Multivariate analysis identified anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.021) and preoperative chemotherapy (P = 0.019) as independent risk factors for poor intestinal perfusion. Three patients (4.5 %) with a change of transection line developed AL.ICG fluorescence imaging is useful for determining the transection line in laparoscopic colorectal surgery with DST anastomosis. Anticoagulation therapy and preoperative chemotherapy are important risk factors for poor intestinal perfusion.

First online: 26 July 2015

Recently, the efficiency of transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) for rectal cancer has been demonstrated (Velthuis et al. in Surg Endosc 28:3494-3499, 2014; Fernandez-Hevia in Ann Surg 261:221-227, 2015; Atallah et al. in Tech Coloproctol 18:473-480, 2014). We present our procedure of TAMIS for extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) (Holm et al. in Br J Surg 94:232-238, 2007).The patient had a rectal cancer located 4 cm from the anal verge with suspected invasion of the levator ani (cT4bN0M0). A skin incision was made around the tightly closed anus, and a GelPOINT device was placed. The fat tissue of the ischioanal fossa was divided until the levator ani muscle was widely exposed. Anterior dissection was performed just behind the transverse perineal muscle, and the arms of the puborectalis sling were identified at 1 and 11 o'clock. The levator muscle was divided from the posterior to bilateral sides, and dissection was entered into the mesorectal plane. Posterior dissection was performed until the sacral promontory was reached. Bilateral pelvic splanchnic nerves were identified at the 5 and 7 o'clock positions, and special care was taken to preserve them. At the anterior side, the arms of the puborectalis sling and perineal body were divided. Special care should be taken to avoid inadvertent injury to the anterior tissues (urethra or prostate) because the dissection tends to go toward the anterior-lateral side of the prostate in this approach. Once the dissection plane behind the prostate was established, it was easy to dissect the mesorectum circumferentially while preserving the pelvic autonomic nerves. Vascular division, mobilization of left colon and stoma creation were performed laparoscopically.This approach provides better exposure of the surgical field, especially at the anterior side, compared with the conventional perineal approach of ELAPE. Since January 2014, we have performed seven cases using this procedure. There was no conversion to the conventional approach, and no major complication was encountered.TAMIS is a promising approach for the perineal phase of ELAPE.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is the systematic evaluation to measure the value of new health technologies. It improves the quality of choices on hand for cost-effective health technologies that are considered valuable. Japan has built a society of longevity consisted of the institution of the universal health care system, which is financially unsustainable. In Japan, no independent HTA organization has been publicly established but the government is contemplating implementation of such system. To advance the usage of HTA into surgery, we need to establish methods for evaluating new surgical technologies with steep learning curves. The promotion of clinical researches is also essential, especially by taking advantage of observational studies from medical big data such as the Japanese nationwide database which has more than four million surgical cases registered. In addition, we need more clinical information regarding each surgical patient's quality of life and socioeconomic status. The countries already introduced HTA into their health care system have measures to solve the problems that arose and have developed necessary evaluating methods. To introduce and promote HTA in Japan without taking away the benefit of our current healthcare, it is required that surgeons collaborate with other specialists such as methodologists and health economists.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of Tri-staple™ technology and slow firing using the Endo-GIA™ endoscopic linear stapler. Methods: The cardiac and pyloric portions of porcine stomachs were divided using the endoscopic linear stapler with different reload types. A total of 8 min of waiting time was employed during firing in the slow-firing group and no waiting time was employed in the normal-firing group. The shape of the staples was then evaluated. The length of the staple line and serosal laceration was also determined. Results: There was a moderate negative correlation between tissue thickness and secure staple formation. Tri-staple™ reloads (purple, black) offered more secure staple formation compared with Universal green reload. Although slow firing enhanced secure staple formation, its effect was greater when using green reload, compared with Tri-staple™ reloads. Significantly shorter staple line length and longer serosal laceration was observed in the thick tissue. Although the cartridge type did not influence lengths of the staple line or serosal laceration, both were better in the slow-firing group. Conclusions: Tri-staple™ reloads offered more secure staple formation compared with the Universal reload. Although slow firing improved staple line shortening and serosal laceration, its effect on secure stapling was relatively small when using Tri-staple™ reloads.

透析患者に発症し,急激な経過をたどった気腫性胃炎(emphysematous gastritis)の1例を経験したので報告する. 症例は66歳,男性. 35歳時より腎不全にて透析中であった.透析中に右膝痛が出現し,化膿性膝関節炎の診断で整形外科に入院したが,入院3日目の夜間に突然意識レベルの低下を認め,疼痛刺激に反応する程度となった.胃管を挿入したところ血性排液があったため,緊急内視鏡を施行.小彎を中心とした胃壁全体の発赤とびらん,出血を認めた. CTにて食道,胃,十二指腸の壁内気腫と門脈内ガスが確認され気腫性胃炎と診断した.昇圧剤,輸血の使用にもかかわらず,全身状態が急速に悪化し発症後24時間で死亡が確認された.

肺・脳転移をきたした, Prevotellaによる肝膿瘍の1例を経験した. 症例は特に既往歴のない51歳,男性. 2004年12月初めより下痢, 39度台の発熱が持続し,急性腸炎の診断で入院.抗生剤治療を開始したが症状改善せず,入院5日目の胸腹部CTにて肝膿瘍を指摘され,同時に両葉に多発する肺膿瘍も認めた.肝膿瘍は開腹ドレナージを行い,肺は保存的に治療を行った.解熱し炎症所見も改善したが解熱後も軽度のふらつきが持続し,術後18日目に頭部CTを施行したところ,脳膿瘍が確認されたため穿頭術を行い症状は改善した.肝膿瘍の膿汁よりPrevotellaが検出され,腸管の炎症から経門脈的に肝臓に膿瘍を形成し,さらに肺・脳への転移性膿瘍を生じたものと考えた.

症例は32歳,男性.呼吸困難,胸部痛,右腹部痛を主訴に,当科受診した.右腹部に自発痛,圧痛および腹膜刺激症状を認め、腹部CTでは右腎周囲にair像,液体貯留を認めたため,右腎周囲膿瘍の診断で即日緊急手術を施行した.開腹すると,虫垂穿孔がみられ,回盲部および右腎周囲に膿瘍形成を認めたため,穿孔性虫垂炎による右腎周囲膿瘍と判断し,虫垂切除術,腹腔内・右後腹膜腔洗浄ドレナージ術を施行した.しかし,術後も解熱傾向なかったため,第4病日に腹部CTを施行したところ,右腹壁の筋肉間に不連続に2カ所の膿瘍を認めた.右側腹部からアプローチし,腹壁を筋肉含めて大きくT字型に切開して洗浄ドレナージしたことで,解熱,状態改善し,救命しえた.腹腔内膿瘍から不連続性に腹壁膿瘍をきたした例は極めて稀なため,報告する.

迷入異物が総頸動脈を貫通した稀な1例を報告する.症例は, 71歳男性. 5カ月前に交通外傷で右鎖骨遠位端を骨折し, Kirschner鋼線(K-wire) 2本による観血的整復固定術を受けた.そのうちの1本が徐々に前縦隔内に迷入したため外科に紹介された.自覚症状はなく,術前検査でも臓器損傷を疑わせる所見はなかった.十分な視野を確保するため胸骨縦切開でアプローチしワイヤーを摘出したところ, K-wireの入っていた瘻孔先端部より大出血が見られた. K-wireが左総頸動脈を貫通していたことが判明したため,血管損傷部を切除し端々吻合を行った.術後の経過は順調であった. K-wire迷入の報告は散見されるが動脈を貫通した報告は国内では1例目である.たとえ無症状であっても縦隔内の異物は重要な臓器損傷を起こす可能性があり,十分な視野のもとで摘出術を行う必要がある.

餅による食餌性サブイレウス状態が3カ月継続した末,小腸穿孔を起こし汎発性腹膜炎となった症例を経験したので報告する.症例は66歳,男性.胃切除術の既往がある.平成13年12月18日腹痛のため内科入院.イレウスの診断で保存療法を受け軽快したため退院した.その後も腹痛がときどき出現していたが, 3月29日朝より突然激しい腹痛となり来院.腹部に腹膜刺激症状と,腹部CTでイレウス像,腹腔内遊離ガス像および回腸に長径4cmの高濃度を示す食物塊が認められた. 12月の腹部CTを見直したところすでに同様の食物塊が描出されていた.以上より3カ月にわたる食餌性サブイレウスの末の消化管穿孔,汎発性腹膜炎の診断で開腹術を行った.回腸に嵌頓した餅と,その180cm口側の空腸に穿孔部を認めた.術後敗血症となったが,集中治療の末救命しえた.食餌性のサブイレウスが3カ月継続した末,小腸穿孔を起こした例は極めて稀であるため報告した.

A 79-year-old woman who had undergone laparoscopic radical cystectomy and ileal conduit construction for bladder cancer 4 years earlier presented to our hospital with anemia. We diagnosed advanced ascending colon cancer (cT4bN2M1) and documented tumor regression after six courses of folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin therapy. We then performed laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. Intraoperatively, we found that the right colic artery was the feeding artery of the tumor, whereas the ileocolic artery, which was the main feeder of the conduit, was not. We performed lymph node dissection along the surgical trunk with central vascular ligation of the right colic artery and the right branch of the middle colic artery while preserving the ileal conduit and its blood supply (ileocolic artery and ileal branches). The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient remains well and cancer-free 2 years after colonic surgery. We believe that this is the first report of laparoscopic right colectomy in a patient with an ileal conduit.

3612Background: Laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer is widely performed all over the world and several randomized controlled trials have been reported. However, the usefulness of laparoscopic su...

730 Background: The aim of this prospective multi-center phase II study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: Patients with LARC (cStage II–III) were included; those with cT4b tumor were excluded. Six cycles of mFOLFOX6 plus either bevacizumab (bev) or cetuximab (cet), depending on KRAS status, were administered before surgery. Primary endpoint was R0 resection rate. Secondary endpoints included completion rate of NAC, response rate, postoperative complications, pathological complete response (CR) rate, overall and disease-free survival, and quality of life. Results: Sixty patients from 7 institutes were enrolled. mFOLFOX6 was administered with bev to 40 patients who had wild-type KRAS and with cet to 20 patients who had K-RAS mutations. Completion rate of NAC was 88.4% and overall response rate was 81.7%. Sphincter-preserving surgery and abdominoperineal resection were performed in 43 and 17 patients, respectively. Median operation time was 335 min and median blood loss was 40 g. R0 resection rate was 98.3% and pathological CR rate was 16.7%. Overall postoperative complication rate ( ≥ grade 2) was 21.7%, including anastomotic leakage (11.6%), surgical site infection (6.7%), and urinary dysfunction (3.3%). There were no significant differences between patients with wild-type KRAS and those with KRAS mutations in response rate, postoperative complication rate, and pathological CR rate. Conclusions: NAC was a feasible and promising treatment option for LARC. Clinical trial information: UMIN000005654.

Anastomotic leakage remains a devastating complication following low anterior resection of the rectum. Our aim was to retrospectively assess the efficacy of transanal drainage.Twenty-five patients with anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic low anterior resection (using the double-stapling technique) were reviewed. Transanal drainage was performed when an abscess was localized within the pelvic cavity, and any leakage was detected through radiological study and digital examination. In each patient, the fistula was dilated with a forefinger, and the abscess was drained into the rectum. A suction drain tube was indwelled transanally when the abscess cavity was large or unstable. Clinical outcomes of patients after transanal drainage were then analyzed.Nine of the 25 patients required an emergency operation. The remaining 16 cases with localized disease were treated conservatively as an initial treatment. This included 12 patients treated by transanal drainage, 10 of whom were successfully cured. Two eventually required a defunctioning ileostomy because of fistula formation with other organs (treatment success rate: 83.3%). The median duration of drain placement, fasting and postoperative hospitalization were 10, 10 and 45 days, respectively.Transanal drainage may be a viable option for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection of the rectum.

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been widely used in the management of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the relationship between FDG accumulation and KRAS/BRAF mutations has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether KRAS/BRAF mutations affect FDG accumulation in CRC. Experimental Design: Retrospective analysis was conducted in 51 patients with CRC who underwent FDG-PET/computed tomographic (CT) scans for staging before primary tumor resection. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for the primary tumor and the tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR) were calculated from FDG accumulation and compared between KRAS/BRAF mutated and wild-type groups. Expression levels of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) and hexokinase type-II (HXK-II) were assessed by immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Both SUVmax and TLR were significantly higher in the KRAS/BRAF-mutated group compared with the wild-type group (P = 0.006 and 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that SUVmax and TLR remained significantly associated with KRAS/BRAF mutations (P = 0.016 and 0.01, respectively). KRAS/BRAF status could be predicted with an accuracy of 75% when a SUVmax cutoff value of 13 or 14 was used. GLUT1 expression in cancer cells was positively correlated with FDG accumulation and KRAS/BRAF status whereas HXK-II expression was not. Conclusion: FDG accumulation was higher in CRC with KRAS/BRAF mutations. FDG-PET/CT scans may be useful for predicting the KRAS/BRAF status of patients with CRC and thus aid in determination of therapeutic strategies for patients with CRC. Clin Cancer Res; 18(6); 1696–703. ©2012 AACR.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in Japan. The majority of these deaths is attributable to liver metastasis. Recent studies have provided increasing evidence that the chemokine–chemokine receptor system is a potential mechanism of tumor metastasis via multiple complementary actions: (a) by promoting cancer cell migration, invasion, survival and angiogenesis; and (b) by recruiting distal stromal cells (i.e., myeloid bone marrow-derived cells) to indirectly facilitate tumor invasion and metastasis. Here, we discuss recent preclinical and clinical data supporting the view that chemokine pathways are potential therapeutic targets for liver metastasis of colorectal cancer.

One prerequisite for the safe stapling of anastomoses is the formation of perfectly aligned B-shaped staples. Using an animal model, this study investigated whether precompression enhances secure staple formation.A 45-mm linear stapler with a blue cartridge (staple leg length, 3.5 mm) was used on three portions each of six porcine stomachs (cardia, center, and pylorus). Staple shape and height were examined according to the precompression time (0, 1, or 5 min) before firing. The shape was classified as optimal or suboptimal, and the heights of the staples were measured individually. The completeness of the proximal staple lines also was compared with the distal lines.The optimal staple rate in the 5-min group (52.7%) was significantly higher than in the 1-min group (28.7%; p0.001) or the 0-min group (17.1%; p=0.002). The optimal staple rate in the 5-min group for the cardiac portion (mean wall thickness, 2.7 mm) reached 98.9%. However, this rate was less than 50% in the center (5.3 mm) and pylorus (4.2 mm) portions regardless of the precompression time. Compared with the root side, the top side of the cartridge had a lower optimal rate (45.3 vs. 18.7%; p0.001). A high correlation of completeness was observed between the distal and proximal sides of the stump.When a linear stapling device is used, proper staple formation is correlated with intestinal wall thickness, and a sufficient amount of precompression time is effective for gaining the secure staple formation.

We have previously shown that expression of SIAH1 is frequently down-regulated in HCCs and associated with their advanced stages. It has been shown that SIAH1 functions in the phosphorylation-independent degradation of beta-catenin and induces apoptosis and growth arrest. To examine if the effects of SIAH1 overexpression depend on the altered beta-catenin signaling pathway, we transferred the SIAH1 gene into three hepatoma cell lines with different genetic backgrounds: HepG2 (mutant beta-catenin), SNU475 (mutant AXIN1), and Huh7 cells (wild type beta-catenin and AXIN1). SIAH1 significantly decreased aberrant beta-catenin signal in HepG2 and SNU475 cells and induced growth arrest and apoptosis. However, SIAH1 also induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells, which retained a normal membranous distribution pattern of beta-catenin. Immunoblotting study demonstrated that SIAH1 also reduces the amount of PEG10 protein, which is known to be frequently overexpressed in HCC and to promote cell proliferation. These data suggest that PEG10 is another target protein of SIAH1 to induce apoptosis in hepatoma cells. Our results should lead to a better understanding of the relationship between deregulation of beta-catenin signals and hepatocarcinogenesis. Further investigations into the mechanisms by which SIAH1 promotes apoptosis and suppresses cell growth should also allow for the discovery of new therapeutic strategies.

The gold standard of surgical technique for rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision (TME). Laparoscopic TME has been proven to provide surgical safety and oncological outcomes equivalent to open TME. However, dissection of the lower rectum has some inherent difficulties related to a narrow pelvic space. The challenge of TME in the lower rectum was confirmed by the Colorectal Cancer Laparoscopic or Open Resection (COLOR) II trial showing a 9% positive circumferential margin (CRM) rate in laparoscopic TME and a 22% positive CRM rate in open TME. Recently, transanal TME has attracted intense attention as a promising alternative to laparoscopic TME. In this video article, we show the performance of a transanal approach for intersphincteric resection (ISR) of rectal cancer in a patient with a huge prostatic hypertrophy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13691-016-0272-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

クローン病合併小腸癌の1例を報告する. 症例は49歳の男性で, 22歳時にクローン病を発症し, サラゾピリン治療を受け症状が軽快した. 36歳時に消化管穿孔にて手術, 以後イレウス症状を繰り返し, 内視鏡的拡張術を受けていた. 2006年4月 (49歳), 狭窄症状が改善しないため手術. トライツ靭帯から130cmを超えた部分より複数か所の狭窄部分を認め, 回腸末端10cmを温存し, 長さ80cmの小腸を切除した. 病理組織学的検査にて90mmにわたるdysplasiaの広がりを粘膜内に認め, 粘膜下層から固有筋層に至る癌部 (T2 N0 M0) も確認された. 我が国においてクローン病の罹患者数は年々増加傾向にあり, 小腸癌の報告も増加してきている. クローン病の高度狭窄病変に対しては, 悪性腫瘍の可能性を念頭においた治療が必要である.

We have previously shown that expression of SIAH1 is frequently down-regulated in HCCs and associated with their advanced stages. It has been shown that SIAH1 functions in the phosphorylation-independent degradation of beta-catenin and induces apoptosis and growth arrest. To examine if the effects of SIAH1 overexpression depend on the altered beta-catenin signaling pathway, we transferred the SIAH1 gene into three hepatoma cell lines with different genetic backgrounds: HepG2 (mutant beta-catenin), SNU475 (mutant AXIN1), and Huh7 cells (wild type beta-catenin and AXIN1). SIAH1 significantly decreased aberrant beta-catenin signal in HepG2 and SNU475 cells and induced growth arrest and apoptosis. However, SIAH1 also induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells, which retained a normal membranous distribution pattern of beta-catenin. Immunoblotting study demonstrated that SIAH1 also reduces the amount of PEG10 protein, which is known to be frequently overexpressed in HCC and to promote cell proliferation. These data suggest that PEG10 is another target protein of SIAH1 to induce apoptosis in hepatoma cells. Our results should lead to a better understanding of the relationship between deregulation of beta-catenin signals and hepatocarcinogenesis. Further investigations into the mechanisms by which SIAH1 promotes apoptosis and suppresses cell growth should also allow for the discovery of new therapeutic strategies.