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Background. Clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with a solitary Peutz-Jeghers polyp (PJP) have not been fully investigated. Methods. Solitary PJP was diagnosed when a single hamartomatous lesion was identified in the gastrointestinal tract of patients without mucocutaneous pigmentation or a family history of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. We retrospectively reviewed 51 patients (32 men and 19 women) with a solitary PJP and analyzed the sex, age at diagnosis, endoscopic features, and outcomes in this patient group. The STK11/LKB1 germline mutation was not investigated in any of the patients. Results. The mean age of the 51 patients was 66.1 years. The polyp was found in the duodenum (N=10), jejunum (N=2), cecum (N=2), transverse colon (N=5), sigmoid colon (N=21), or rectum (N=11). Most of the polyps presented as a pedunculated lesion (N=40), followed by semipedunculated (N=9) and sessile (N=2) morphologies. The mean size of a solitary PJP was 15.6 mm (range: 5 to 33 mm). During a mean endoscopic follow-up period of 4.5 years (range: 0.1 to 16.1 years), no recurrence was identified. Eighteen of the enrolled patients had a history of cancer or concomitant cancer. Five patients died due to non-gastrointestinal-related causes. No additional cancer or death directly related to solitary PJP was observed. Conclusions. Solitary PJPs did not recur in this study. Although examination of the entire gastrointestinal tract using esophagogastroduodenoscopy, enteroscopy, and colonoscopy is desirable to exclude Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, follow-up endoscopy after endoscopic polyp resection may be unnecessary, once the diagnosis of a solitary PJP is made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 86-year-old Japanese man was presented to our hospital for further investigation of duodenal adenocarcinoma. The tumor was endoscopically resected. Pathological analysis revealed coexistence of gastric foveolar metaplasia and a surrounding hyperplastic Brunner’s gland, in addition to an adenocarcinoma component. Immunostaining for MUC5AC and MUC6 confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in situ arising from Brunner’s gland hyperplasia. This case suggests that although detailed preoperative evaluation is required to determine the depth of tumor invasion, endoscopic resection may be a promising option for the treatment of adenocarcinomas arising from Brunner’s gland hyperplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aims of this study were to determine the change of whole-serum N-glycan profile in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and to investigate its clinical utility. Methods: We collected serum from 75 UC patients at the time of admission and the same number of age/sex-matched healthy volunteers. Serum glycan profile was measured by comprehensive quantitative high-throughput glycome analysis and was compared with disease activity and prognosis. Results: Out of 61 glycans detected, 24 were differentially expressed in UC patients. Pathway analysis demonstrated that highly sialylated multi-branched glycans and agalactosyl bi-antennary glycans were elevated in UC patients; in addition, the glycan ratio m/z 2378/1914, which also increased in UC, showed the highest Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (0.923) for the diagnosis of UC. Highly sialylated multi-branched glycans and the glycan ratio m/z 2378/1914 were higher in the patients with total colitis, Clinical Activity Index >10, Mayo endoscopic score 3, or a steroid-refractory status. In particular, the glycan ratio m/z 2378/1914 (above median) was an independent prognostic factor for the need for an operation (hazard ratio, 2.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–7.84). Conclusions: Whole-serum glycan profiles revealed that the glycan ratio m/z 2378/1914 and highly sialylated multi-branched glycans increase in UC patients, and are correlated with disease activity. The glycan ratio m/z 2378/1914 was an independent predictive factor of the prognosis of UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Methods Results Conclusions The 2017 Japanese guidelines recommend continuing warfarin therapy during the perioperative period or discontinuing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) only on the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer. However, their safety has not been sufficiently explored. This study aimed to validate this management method.This retrospective, multicenter study analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection between July 2017 and June 2019. The patients were categorized according to the use of warfarin or DOACs.Among the 62 eligible patients, 53 (85%) were male (median age, 76 years). Warfarin was used in 10 patients (16%) and DOACs in 52 patients (84%). Fourteen patients taking DOACs (27%) used concomitant antiplatelet agents, with seven patients (13%) continuing treatment at the time of the endoscopic procedure. No postprocedural bleeding occurred in patients receiving warfarin (0%), whereas 10 cases (19%) of bleeding occurred in patients receiving DOACs: rivaroxaban, 0% (0/22); dabigatran, 0% (0/2); edoxaban, 43% (6/14); and apixaban, 29% (4/14). The type of anticoagulant (P < 0.01) and continuation of antiplatelet therapy (P = 0.02) were risk factors for postprocedural bleeding in patients receiving DOACs. Intraprocedural bleeding requiring transfusion or symptomatic thromboembolic events were not reported.Continuous warfarin therapy is preferred. DOAC withdrawal 1 day before a procedure is associated with a high bleeding rate, which may differ for different types of anticoagulants. The continuation of antiplatelet medications in patients receiving DOACs carries a high risk of bleeding and is a future challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been no comparative studies investigating the results of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with gastric mesenchymal tumors, including leiomyomas, leiomyosarcomas, schwannomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). We retrospectively reviewed the data of 142 patients with pathologically diagnosed gastric mesenchymal tumors treated at 11 institutions. We analyzed the correlation between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) evaluated using fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and the tumor size. The correlation between the SUVmax and mitotic index was also investigated in GISTs. The SUVmax (mean ± standard deviation) was 0.5 ± 0.6 in very low-risk GISTs (n = 42), 2.1 ± 0.7 in low-risk GISTs (n = 26), 4.9 ± 0.8 in intermediate-risk GISTs (n = 22), 12.3 ± 0.8 in high-risk GISTs (n = 20), 1.0 ± 1.0 in leiomyomas (n = 15), 6.9 ± 1.2 in schwannomas (n = 10), and 3.5 in a leiomyosarcoma (n = 1). The SUVmax of GISTs with an undetermined risk classification was 4.2 ± 1.3 (n = 8). Linear associations were observed between the SUVmax and tumor size in GISTs, leiomyomas, and schwannomas. The SUVmax of GISTs with a high mitotic index was significantly higher than that of GISTs with a low mitotic index (9.6 ± 7.6 vs. 2.4 ± 4.2). In conclusion, we observed positive correlations between the SUVmax and tumor size in GISTs, leiomyomas, and schwannomas. The SUVmax also positively correlated with the mitotic index and risk grade in GISTs. Schwannomas showed a higher FDG uptake than GISTs and leiomyomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An oxyntic gland neoplasm confined to the mucosal layer (T1a) is classified as an oxyntic gland adenoma, whereas that with submucosal invasion (T1b) is defined as gastric adenocarcinoma of the fundic gland type (GA-FG)., Methods: To reveal the differences in clinical features between them, we retrospectively investigated 136 patients with 150 oxyntic gland adenoma and GA-FG lesions., Results: The univariate analysis revealed that the mean size (GA-FG vs. oxyntic gland adenoma, 7.7±5.4 vs. 5.5±3.1 mm), the prevalence of elevated morphology (79.1% vs. 51.8%), black pigmentation within the lesion (23.9% vs. 9.6%), and non or closed-type atrophy (81.2% vs. 65.1%) were different between the two groups. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ≥5 mm lesion size (odds ratio, 2.96; 95% confidence interval: 1.21-7.23), elevated morphology (odds ratio, 2.40; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-5.45), and no or closed-type atrophy (odds ratio, 2.49; 95% confidence interval: 1.07-5.80) were factors in distinguishing GA-FG from oxyntic gland adenoma. When oxyntic gland neoplasms with no or one feature were judged as oxyntic gland adenomas and those with two or three features were judged as GA-FG, the sensitivity and specificity were 85.1% and 43.4% for GA-FG, respectively., Conclusions: We identified three possible distinctive features of GA-FG compared to oxyntic gland adenoma: lesion size ≥5 mm, elevated morphology, and no or closed-type atrophy., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jgo.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jgo-22-870/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.)

An 89-year-old woman underwent examinations for leg edema. Blood tests indicated low nutrition and low pancreatic enzymes, and a stool examination indicated fatty stool. Computed tomography showed pleural effusion, ascites, and cystic lesions in the pancreatic head and mural nodules within the cysts. Pancreatic juice cytology revealed adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis was pancreatic exocrine insufficiency caused by intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma. The patient did not wish to undergo surgery. Therefore, diuretics, component nutrients, and pancreatic exocrine replacement therapy using pancrelipase were initiated. After starting treatment, her leg edema, pleural effusion, and ascites disappeared, and her activities of daily living improved markedly.

An 80-year-old man underwent follow-up examinations after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for esophageal cancer. Computed tomography showed enlarged lymph nodes of the right recurrent nerve. The patient had esophageal stenosis due to repeated ESD for multiple esophageal tumors. The stenosis made the passage of an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) scope through the esophagus difficult. Thus, an endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope, which had a thinner diameter than that of the EUS scope, was used for transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope-guided fine-needle aspiration. This technique led to the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer.

Objective Although Barrett's adenocarcinoma (BA) remains a minor disease in Japan, its incidence has been gradually increasing. We analyzed the characteristics of BA in Japanese populations. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records and analyzed the clinicopathological differences between short-segment Barrett's esophagus (SSBE) and long-segment Barrett's esophagus (LSBE), as well as metastasis. Local recurrence and metachronous lesions were analyzed only in patients who underwent endoscopic resection (ER). Patients Consecutive patients who had pathological T1 BAs resected by ER or surgery from January 2003 to December 2017. Results A total of 168 patients were analyzed, including 139 with SSBE and 29 with LSBE. In total, 67% of the SSBE lesions and 32% of the LSBE lesions were located between 0 and 3 o'clock (p=0.0014). No patients who achieved pathological margin-free resection (pR0) and 17% of patients who did not achieve pR0 experienced local recurrence (p=0.0131). None of the patients without lymphovascular involvement, a poorly differentiated component, lesion size of >30 mm, and submucosal invasion of >500 μm experienced metastasis. The 5-year cumulative incidence rate of metachronous BA after ER was 0% in patients with SSBE and 40% in patients with LSBE (p=0.0005). Conclusion Superficial BA was likely to be detected at the right anterior wall of SSBE in the Japanese population. The risk for metachronous BA after ER was high in Japanese patients with LSBE, as in Western patients.

Background: Recent improvements in the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer have led to the increased occurrence of gastric tube cancer (GTC) in the reconstructed gastric tube. However, there are few reports on the treatment results of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for GTC., Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESD for GTC after esophagectomy in a multicenter trial., Methods: We retrospectively investigated 48 GTC lesions in 38 consecutive patients with GTC in the reconstructed gastric tube after esophagectomy who had undergone ESD between January 2005 and December 2019 at 8 institutions participating in the Okayama Gut Study group. The clinical indications of ESD for early gastric cancer were similarly applied for GTC after esophagectomy. ESD specimens were evaluated in 2-mm slices according to the Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma with curability assessments divided into curative and non-curative resection based on the Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines. Patient characteristics, treatment results, clinical course, and treatment outcomes were analyzed., Results: The median age of patients was 71.5 years (range, 57-84years), and there were 34 men and 4 women. The median observation period after ESD was 884 d (range, 8-4040 d). The median procedure time was 81 min (range, 29-334 min), the en bloc resection rate was 91.7% (44/48), and the curative resection rate was 79% (38/48). Complications during ESD were seen in 4% (2/48) of case, and those after ESD were seen in 10% (5/48) of case. The survival rate at 5 years was 59.5%. During the observation period after ESD, 10 patients died of other diseases. Although there were differences in the procedure time between institutions, a multivariate analysis showed that tumor size was the only factor associated with prolonged procedure time., Conclusion: ESD for GTC after esophagectomy was shown to be safe and effective., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective Gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) under heparin replacement (HR) of warfarin reportedly has a high risk of delayed bleeding (24-57%). It is possible that the delayed bleeding risk may have changed over the years. We evaluated the current risk of delayed bleeding after gastric ESD under HR of anticoagulant agents. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the delayed bleeding rate and analyzed the risk factors for delayed bleeding. Patients Consecutive patients who underwent gastric ESD under HR of anticoagulant agents from July 2015 to June 2017. Results A total of 32 patients with a solitary early gastric cancer and taking anticoagulant agents were analyzed, including 24 patients on warfarin (the warfarin group) and 8 patients on direct oral anticoagulants (the DOAC group). Three (9.4%) patients experienced delayed bleeding: three (12.5%) patients in the warfarin group and no patients in the DOAC group. Continued aspirin treatment was identified to be a risk factor of delayed bleeding (p=0.01). Conclusion Careful management may be required for patients undergoing gastric ESD under continued aspirin treatment in addition to HR of anticoagulant agents; although the delayed bleeding risk after gastric ESD under HR of anticoagulant agents might have decreased over the years.

A 68-year-old woman with an 11-day history of sudden abdominal pain and severe watery diarrhea was transferred to our hospital due to an exacerbation of renal function despite hydration. After treatment for dehydration and acidemia was provided in our intensive care unit, patient's renal function improved. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography was finally performed, revealing a hypervascular pancreatic mass with multiple hepatic masses. This imaging finding along with her clinical symptoms indicated watery diarrhea hypokalemia achlorhydria (WDHA) syndrome caused by a pancreatic VIPoma. Somatostatin analog was administered immediately leading to the improvement of her diarrhea and her general condition. As a result, endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration could be performed. Consequently, she was diagnosed with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. She then underwent surgical resection of the pancreatic tumor and liver metastasis. As revealed in the immunohistochemical analysis of the excised tumor tissue, VIP was highly expressed, resulting in the final diagnosis of pancreatic VIPoma. Therefore, the immediate use of a somatostatin analog is crucial for improving the patient's general condition and achieving a definitive diagnosis pathologically when a patient is suspected of having a pancreatic VIPoma.

A 69-year-old Japanese woman presented to our hospital for the further investigation of an esophageal subepithelial tumor. A diagnosis of extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) was made by an endoscopic biopsy. The patient had no involvement other than the esophagus. The tumor was resected using endoscopic submucosal dissection. Lymphoma recurrence has not been documented in the 57 months since resection. This case suggests that although a detailed preoperative evaluation is required to determine the extent of tumor, endoscopic resection may be an option for the long-term disease control of MALT lymphoma of the esophagus.

A 21-year-old female presented at an emergency department with abdominal pain and nausea. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen revealed a small amount of mediastinal emphysema in the precardiac area, but the underlying cause could not be identified. On admission, her plasma glucose was 371 mg/dl, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was 14.0%, and blood pH was 6.91. These findings supported a diagnosis of Hamman's syndrome associated with diabetic ketoacidosis. Her diabetic ketoacidosis was managed with insulin and fluid therapy, and the mediastinal emphysema disappeared spontaneously by the time of discharge. Presence of free air of the chest and abdominal cavity must warrant a differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal perforation; however, when the free air is accompanied by diabetic ketoacidosis, it is not necessary to perform urgent endoscopy.

Background and Study Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is being increasingly used for superficial esophageal cancers. However, esophageal ESD is technically difficult, time consuming, and less safe compared with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). To perform ESD safely and more efficiently, various types of knives have been developed. This study compared the efficacy of our newly developed device, Mucosectom2, with that of conventional devices for esophageal ESD., Patients and Methods: Between May 2007 and February 2011, ESD was performed for 172 esophageal lesions. Of these, 120 lesions were treated by conventional devices only, whereas 52 lesions were treated by conventional devices and the Mucosectom2. Procedure time, en bloc and R0 resection rates, and adverse events were retrospectively compared between the conventional and Mucosectom2 groups., Results: The median procedure time was 48.0 minutes in the conventional group and 21.5 minutes in the Mucosectom2 group; the procedure time was significantly shorter in the Mucosectom2 group than in the conventional group (P < 0.0001). The en bloc and R0 resection rates were lower in the conventional group than those in the Mucosectom2 group, although these differences were not significant. The rate of exposure of the muscle layer in the Mucosectom2 group was significantly lower than in the conventional group (P = 0.04). The rates of perforation and postoperative bleeding were not significantly different between the two groups., Conclusions: This feasibility study suggests that, compared with conventional ESD devices, the Mucosectom2 may decrease the time required for esophageal ESD. Although our groups appeared comparable, they were studied at different times. Endoscopic expertise and endoscope quality may have differed during these periods, thereby affecting the results of our study. A prospective trial is therefore required to confirm our results., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

We examined the re-bleeding rate after endoscopic hemostasis according to the bleeding pattern in patients with an acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage from colonic diverticula in 34 patients with active bleeding (Type 1) and 49 patients with exposed vessels and/or erosions in the base of diverticulum and no active bleeding (Type 2). Endoscopic hemostasis was performed by clipping the exposed vessel or erosions (direct method) or the entire diverticular orifice (reefing method). The incidence of re-bleeding was significantly higher in the Type 1 group than in the Type 2 group (p=0.002). All Type 1 cases were treated by the reefing method. In contrast, 14 of the 49 Type 2 cases were treated by the direct method, and no re-bleeding was observed in these cases. Of the other 35 Type 2 cases treated by reafing, rebleeding was seen in 5 cases. More effective endoscopic treatment is needed to prevent early re-bleeding, especially for Type 1 patients. The direct method may therefore reduce the rate of re-bleeding in Type 2 patients.

We investigated whether emergency dynamic computed tomography (CT) is helpful to identify bleeding colonic diverticulum treatable by colonoscopy. We enrolled 95 consecutive patients given diagnoses of colonic diverticular bleeding at Hiroshima City Hospital in the present study, of whom 60 underwent CT before colonoscopy (CT group), and 35 underwent colonoscopy alone (CS group). In the CT group, bleeding diverticula were identified and treated by colonoscopy in 31 of 32 (96.9%) patients in whom extravasation was detected by CT. The interval between bleeding being recognized and CT (median 1.0 hours) in patients in whom extravasation was detected by CT was shorter than that in whom extravasation was not detected (median 5.0 hours). To identify and treat bleeding diverticula by colonoscopy, the use of emergency dynamic CT prior to colonoscopy is recommended.

A 79-year-old man was admitted with hematemesis. Emergency upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy revealed bleeding from the papilla of Vater. Computed tomography showed cholecystitis with a gallstone and a hematoma in the gallbladder. Angiography demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm of the anterior branch of the right hepatic artery. Emergency selective transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed, with intravascular microcoils, and complete occlusion of the pseudoaneurysm was achieved. This case shows embolization is effective in the treatment of pseudoaneurysm rupturing in the gallbladder.