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A 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with complaints of lumbago. Based on MRI, bone marrow biopsy, and upper endoscopy, she was diagnosed as having advanced gastric cancer accompanied by bone marrow metastasis and multiple bone metastases. She underwent combination chemotherapycontaining S-1 and docetaxel(TXT). However, during the first course of chemotherapy, she developed Grade 4 neutropenia and sepsis, and her ADL worsened. The anticancer agent doses were reduced drasticallyto 40% of the initial dose from the next course of chemotherapy. She was able to continue treatment without developing severe adverse events, and the disease did not progress for 11 months. However, during the 6 course of chemotherapy, she developed Grade 4 neutropenia and sepsis again, and it became difficult to continue treatment. Subsequent S-1 monotherapywas not efficacious, and she died 17 months after diagnosis. From the view of persistence and efficacy, we believe that low-dose combination chemotherapycontaining S-1 and TXT maybe a suitable regimen for advanced gastric cancer with bone marrow metastasis.

Background: The goal of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of preoperative chemoradiotherapy( NACR)in patients with Stage II or Stage III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)., Methods: Between 2004 and 2014, a total of 86 patients underwent surgical resection in conjunction with NACR for esophageal SCC at our institute. Thirty-one patients(36.0%)had Stage II disease and 55 patients(64.0%)had Stage III disease., Results: The median age was 64(43-81)years. A total of 78 patients received the full NACR regimen. The most common major Grade 3 hematologic toxic effects of NACR were leukopenia and neutropenia(48 cases), while the most common major Grade 3 non-hematologic toxic effect was anorexia(12 cases). One patient died in the hospital and no patients died within 30 days after surgery. A pathological complete response was achieved in 23 cases. Pathological staging(number of cases)was Stage 0(23), Stage I (8), Stage II (28), Stage III (25), and Stage IV (2). The 5-year overall survival rate(OS)was 51.0%, and was 83.2% in Stage II patients and 29.9% in Stage III patients., Conclusion: Preoperative NACR is safe and may improve OS and downstaging rates in patients with esophageal SCC.

We retrospectively examined the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block performed in 8 infants (range, 1-115 days) from July 2010 to March 2011. Ultrasound images clearly visualized the fascial plane between the transversus abdominis and the internal oblique muscle and it was possible to confirm proper administration of local anesthetics into the plane in all patients. Complications resulting from opioid overdose were noted in two cases. One infant required reintubation. Another infant developed delayed emergence from anesthesia. We should tailor the dose of systemic opioid, considering the fact that the simultaneous administration of nerve block and systemic opioids may cause sedation and respiratory depression in young infants.

A 51-year-old man was scheduled to undergo adrenal tumor resection. Because his general physical findings and labolatory tests were not particular, and his serum concentrations of noradrenaline and adrenaline were within normal limit, the tumor was diagnosed as nonfunctional adrenal tumor. Anesthesia was induced with propofol, fentanyl and maintained with oxygen, air, propofol and remifentanil. When the surgeons started to work around the tumor, his blood pressure and heart rate increased suddenly. We decided to deal with the tumor as pheochromocytoma and started administering landiolol and prostaglandin E1. After the administration of the drugs, hemodynamic changes became stabilized; however, the increasing serum concentration of lactate continued until ligation of the adrenal vein. There were no clinical manifestations of circulatory failure and his liver function was within normal limits from his blood test. After the operation, we found his plasma concentration of adrenaline extremely high during the operation. Adrenaline increases blood lactate concentration due to metabolic effects. Hyperlactemia should be considered as one of the typical symptoms of pheochromocytoma.

A 74-year-old man with anemia visited our hospital. When he was 42 years old, he was diagnosed with duodenal ulcer and underwent gastrectomy with Billroth II construction. A gastrointestinal endoscopic examination revealed an ulcerative lesion at the remnant stomach, and the pathological examination of the biopsy specimen showed moderate to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Abdominal CT scan revealed liver and para-aortic lymphnode metastases. He received daily oral administration of S-1 at a dose of 100 mg/body, bid, 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off. After 4 courses of S-1, CT scan showed a complete response of the liver and also para-aortic lymphnode metastasis. He underwent total remnant gastrectomy with D2 dissection. Histological examination revealed no residual cancer cells in the surgically removed stomach and lymphnode, and he was diagnosed a complete pathological response (Grade 3). He refused adjuvant S-1, but is in good health without recurrence 2 years after the operation.

A 52-year-old woman, undergoing hemodialysis for chronic renal failure over thirty years, developed pheochromocytoma. Her serum concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline were 5,330 pg x ml(-1) and 212 pg x ml(-1), respectively. She had often developed hypertensive crisis and also hypotensive crisis during hemodialysis, and quite often she had to give up continuing hemodialysis before its end. Anesthesia was induced by propofol, remifentanil and maintained with oxygen, air, propofol and remifentanil. Before starting operation, continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) was performed without any water removal. Although hypotension occurred temporarily after CHDF, severe hemodynamic changes were not observed during operation owing to NA substitution and infusion of 5% plasma protein fraction, and the operation was finished uneventfully. The molecular weight of NA is 169.18, and it can be filtered by CHDF. Because of removal of excessive NA by CHDF, we can avoid severe hemodynamic changes often observed in other case reports. CHDF was useful for anesthetic management of a patient with adrenal pheochromocytoma.

The patient was a 67-year-old male with Type 3 gastric cancer who underwent distal gastrectomy and D2 dissection in December 2004. It was diagnosed to be a cancer of se, n(1+), Stage IIIA. In October 2006, 22 months after the operations, abdominal CT showed multiple tumors with a maximum diameter of 35 mm in both hepatic lobes. The tumors were diagnosed as multiple hepatic metastases of the gastric cancer. After 5 courses of concomitant S-1+CPT-11 therapy, abdominal CT in February 2007 showed complete elimination of the multiple tumors in both hepatic lobes, and it was considered that a complete response (CR) had been obtained. After initiation of the treatment, 32 courses of S-1+CPT-11 therapy were performed, and at present, 24 months after the therapy, the patient has survived with no redevelopment of the cancer. All of the treatments were performed in an outpatient setting, and no side effects have been confirmed other than grade 1 gastric and skin symptoms. We experienced a case in which CR was achieved by S-1+CPT-11 therapy in a patient with hepatic metastasis of a gastric cancer.

The patient was a 51-year-old male diagnosed with gastric cancer in July 1999 by endoscopic examination, revealing multiple liver metastasis with abdominal computed tomography (CT). The serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)were determined to be 91 ng/mL, and tumors were histopathologically identified as AFP-producing gastric cancer by immunohistological staining. We started combination chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), Leucovorin (LV), etoposide (VP-16) and cis-diaminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) (designated as FLEP)in August 1999. The serum AFP value was normalized after two courses, and the liver metastases disappeared. The primary gastric tumor became a ulcer, and disappearance of the cancer was confirmed histologically. We continued adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 as an outpatient. In April 2000, there was no sign of the liver metastases, but endoscopic examination showed IIc-like lesion in the stomach. We performed 2 courses of FLEP, but the tumor did not disappear. He underwent total gastrectomy with D2 dissection in June 2001. The pathological diagnosis was por 1, ss, ly2, v1, n(1+). He was still alive with no sign of recurrence 84 months after surgery. We experienced this AFP-producing gastric cancer in which CR was possible by FLEP. There was no recurrence after total gastrectomy for local recurrence.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the chemotherapy following gastrectomy, and is planned from the beginning of diagnosis of gastric cancer. In this paper, the rationale, disadvantages, indications and several ongoing trials are described. At present, there is no clear evidence of the utility of NAC for gastric cancer, but its benefits will be proved in the near future by RCT.

We administered a combination chemotherapy of S-1 plus cisplatin (CDDP) therapy to a patient with recurrenced cancer of esophagus in lymph node. S-1 (80 mg/m(2)/day), taken out of the capsule, was administered via the catheter for tube feeding on day 1 to day 21 and CDDP at 60 mg/m(2)/day by intravenous drip infusion on day 8 for 3 weeks followed by a drug-free 2 week period as the first course. After 2 courses, CT findings showed a complete regression of the lymph node for complete response (CR). He has been alive for 10 months without recurrence. Combined use of S-1 and CDDP is effective as chemotherapy for recurrenced esophageal cancer.

We performed in vivo chemosensitivity tests on human gastric carcinoma. To evaluate the efficacy of some combined chemotherapy for human gastric carcinoma maintained in the subcutaneous space in nude mice, we designed the following six experimental groups: 1) 5-FU group, 2) CDDP group, 3) CPT-11 group, 4) combined therapy group of 5-FU and CDDP, 5) combined therapy group of 5-FU and CPT-11, and 6) combined therapy group of CPT-11 and CDDP. An in vivo nude mice assay was performed. Histopathological changes of the tumors in nude mice, treated with anti-cancer agents,were also evaluated and compared to the results of the nude mice assay. Based on histopathological grading,the true positive rate of the nude mice assay was 0%, the true negative rate was 83.3%, and the accuracy rate was 83.3%. CPT-11 appeared to be highly efficacious when given in combination with CDDP in human gastric cancer cell lines. These results suggest that combination chemotherapy with CPT-11 and CDDP is clinically effective for gastric cancer patients.

A 58-year-old man with gastric cancer who had undergone distal gastrectomy on February 8, 2001 was revealed to have anorexia, and was diagnosed with a local recurrence in anastomosis by upper GI examination in August 2003. In September 2003, he was given combination chemotherapy with TS-1 50 mg/m2 (days 1-14) and CPT-11 80 mg/m2 (days 1, 8) every 3 weeks. A complete response (CR) was confirmed by endoscopy in December 2003. At present, he has been receiving chemotherapy with only TS-1 50 mg/m2 as a maintenance therapy and continuing CR. However, a trial of combination therapy with TS-1 plus CPT-11 is ongoing, and this combination chemotherapy may well achieve a high response rate. Because the adverse events of this chemotherapy have been mild and tolerable in some of our cases, this regimen is considered very useful.

A 41-year-old man was found to have advanced gastric cancer with simultaneous multiple bone metastases when pyloric stenosis was being diagnosed in our hospital. We performed gastrojejunostomy from the lower third of the stomach to the upper third of the duodenum to relieve the obstruction. However, at 8 days after surgery, disseminated intra-vascular coagulation (DIC) occurred. Therefore, the patient was administered combined chemotherapy with TS-1 plus low-dose cisplatin in addition to anti-DIC therapy. TS-1 (150 mg/day) and cisplatin (10 mg/body intravenously over the course of 30 minutes) were administered on days 1 to 5, 8 to 12, and 15 to 19 (weekday-on/weekend-off schedule). There was remarkable response to this chemotherapy, and the patient was shifted from inpatient to outpatient treatment. The treatment course was repeated for 4 cycles until remission was observed. Because of hematologic relapse due to DIC at 6 months after the first treatment, he was readmitted for administration of combined chemotherapy. Fortunately, DIC once again responded to the same chemotherapy regimen. In this pathologic condition, combined chemotherapy is unavoidable when DIC occurs with cancer. Accordingly, it is necessary that an effective combined chemotherapy with mild bone marrow suppression be chosen. A companion drug should be chosen in consideration of delayed homo-toxicity and of the possibility of relapse into DIC in the drug withdrawal period. In addition, it is indispensable that careful consideration be given to the most favorable dose and regimen.

A 58-year-old man who had colon cancer with liver and multiple lung metastases underwent ileocecal resection on May 10, 2002. MTT assay of 5-FU and CPT-11 was performed with resected material, with both medicines accepted for sensitivity. On June 4, he received combination chemotherapy with CPT-11 + 5-FU/l-LV. The liver metastasis disappeared and was judged CR from a CT of the abdomen. Almost all the multiple lung metastases had disappeared or were decreased in size. They were therefore judged NC from a CT of the chest. Moreover, CEA and CA19-9 decreased to within normal limits. While he was receiving bimonthly chemotherapy with only CPT-11 as a maintenance therapy, liver and lung metastases did not change. Combination chemotherapy with CPT-11 + 5-FU/l-LV is effective. The anticancer drug sensitivity examination is only one index, however. Considering adverse effects and medical costs, individualized therapy based on the sensitivity test for anticancer drugs should be performed.

A 66-year-old man was found to have both advanced cancer of the middle thoracic esophagus and advanced cancer of the middle third of the stomach with paraaortic lymph node metastases. The prognosis was poor because of local advanced disease and distant metastasis. The patient was therefore given combined chemotherapy with TS-1 and cisplatin. TS-1 (80 mg/day) was administered on days 1 to 5, 8 to 12, 15 to 19, and 22 to 26 (weekday-on/weekend-off schedule), and cisplatin (70 mg/m2 intravenously over the course of 2 hours) was administered on days 1 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. After 2 courses of chemotherapy the esophageal lesion had a complete response, and the gastric lesion had a partial response (reduction ratio, 71.4%). However, stomatitis and anorexia of grade 2 (NCI-CTC) occurred. Two courses of TS-1 alone (80 mg/m2) were therefore given. The esophageal lesion continued to show a complete response and the gastric lesion a partial response (reduction ratio, 85.7%). There was no change in the para-aortic lymph node metastasis (No. 16a2 latero). No adverse reaction to chemotherapy was severer than grade 3, and a good response was obtained. These findings indicate that chemotherapy with a combination of TS-1 and cisplatin is effective against advanced esophageal cancer and advanced gastric cancer.