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Recent improvements in diagnostic modalities are increasing the frequency of detection of small-sized branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs). International consensus guidelines for IPMN recommend surveillance without immediate resection for small-sized (

Repeated pancreatectomy for pancreatic carcinoma is extremely rare. We report two such patients who underwent pancreatectomy for carcinoma developing in the pancreatic remnant after pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PpPD) for invasive pancreatic ductal carcinoma. One patient underwent PpPD for invasive pancreatic ductal carcinoma and received adjuvant chemotherapy. Follow-up computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a low-density mass in the remnant pancreas, which was diagnosed as a carcinoma by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology 5 years 10 months after PpPD. She underwent curative resection of the remnant pancreas and is alive and well 13 months after the second operation. The other patient underwent PpPD for invasive pancreatic ductal carcinoma. Follow-up CT showed a low-density mass in the remnant pancreas after 2 years 11 months. He received systemic chemotherapy with S-1 for 3 months. The tumor shrank, and the patient underwent curative resection of the remnant pancreas 3 years 1 month after the initial operation. Repeated pancreatectomy may provide a chance of long survival for patients with carcinoma developing in the remnant pancreas after pancreatectomy if the recurrence occurring at long term is limited to the remnant pancreas.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the effects of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers on gastrointestinal motility. Diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin reduces sphincter of Oddi trans-sphincteric flow and increases duodenal motility in the Australian brush-tailed possum, effects attributed to nitric oxide (NO) scavenging. Recently, second-generation recombinant hemoglobin molecules with reduced NO scavenging ability have been developed.

CD166, also known as activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM), is expressed by various cells in several tissues including cancer. However, the role of CD166 in malignant tumors is controversial, especially in pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to clarify the role and significance of CD166 expression in pancreatic cancer.We performed immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry to analyze the expression of CD166 in surgical pancreatic tissues and pancreatic cancer cell lines. The differences between isolated CD166+ and CD166- pancreatic cancer cells were analyzed by invasion and migration assays, and in mouse xenograft models. We also performed quantitative RT-PCR and microarray analyses to evaluate the expression levels of CD166 and related genes in cultured cells.Immunohistochemistry revealed high expression of CD166 in pancreatic cancer tissues (12.2%; 12/98) compared with that in normal pancreas controls (0%; 0/17) (p = 0.0435). Flow cytometry indicated that CD166 was expressed in 33.8-70.2% of cells in surgical pancreatic tissues and 0-99.5% of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Invasion and migration assays demonstrated that CD166- pancreatic cancer cells showed stronger invasive and migratory activities than those of CD166+ cancer cells (p

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a crucial role in the aggressive behavior of pancreatic cancer. Although heterogeneity of PSCs has been identified, the functional differences remain unclear. We characterized CD271⁺ PSCs in human pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemistry for CD271 was performed for 31 normal pancreatic tissues and 105 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). We performed flow cytometry and quantitative RT-PCR, and assessed CD271 expression in PSCs isolated from pancreatic tissues and the changes in CD271 expression in PSCs cocultured with cancer cells. We also investigated the pattern of CD271 expression in a SCID mouse xenograft model. In the immunohistochemical analyses, the CD271-high staining rates in pancreatic stroma in normal pancreatic tissues and PDACs were 2/31 (6.5%) and 29/105 (27.6%), respectively (p = 0.0069). In PDACs, CD271⁺ stromal cells were frequently observed on the edge rather than the center of the tumors. Stromal CD271 high expression was associated with a good prognosis (p = 0.0040). Flow cytometric analyses demonstrated CD271-positive rates in PSCs were 0-2.1%. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that CD271 mRNA expression was increased in PSCs after coculture with pancreatic cancer cells. However, the level of CD271 mRNA expression subsequently decreased after the transient increase. Furthermore, CD271 mRNA expression was decreased in PSCs migrating toward pancreatic cancer cells through Matrigel. In the xenograft model, CD271⁺ PSCs were present at tumor margins/periphery and were absent in the tumor core. In conclusion, CD271 was expressed in PSCs around pancreatic tumors, but not in the center of the tumors, and expression decreased after long coculture with pancreatic cancer cells or after movement toward pancreatic cancer cells. These findings suggest that CD271⁺ PSCs appear at the early stage of pancreatic carcinogenesis and that CD271 expression is significantly correlated with a better prognosis in patients with PDAC.

BACKGROUND: Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is predominantly mediated by fibroblasts using intracellular and extracellular pathways. Although it is well known that extracellular degradation of the ECM by proteases derived from cancer cells facilitates cellular invasion, the intracellular degradation of ECM components by cancer cells has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to characterize collagen internalization, which is the initial step of the intracellular degradation pathway in pancreatic cancer cells, in light of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed the function of collagen internalization in two pancreatic cancer cell lines, SUIT-2 and KP-2, and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) using Oregon Green 488-gelatin. PSCs had a strong ability for collagen uptake, and the pancreatic cancer cells also internalized collagen although less efficiently. The collagen internalization abilities of SUIT-2 and KP-2 cells were promoted by EMT induced by human recombinant transforming growth factor β1 (P

Objective: To identify factors predicting the development of high-risk lesions in the remnant pancreas after surgery for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). Background: IPMN has unique features, including multifocality, adenomacarcinoma sequence, and the development of distinct pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in the same pancreas. Careful attention should, therefore, be paid to the metachronous occurrence of high-risk lesions, including high-grade dysplasia or invasive carcinoma (HGD/INV) of IPMN and concomitant PDAC in the remnant pancreas after partial pancreatectomy for IPMN. Methods: Clinicopathologic and surveillance data for 195 patients who underwent partial pancreatectomy for IPMN were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Thirteen patients exhibited metachronous development of high-risk lesions including 6 HGD/INV and 7 concomitant PDACs in the remnant pancreas. The 5- and 10-year cumulative incidences of metachronous high-risk lesions in the remnant pancreas were 7.8% and 11.8%, respectively. Twelve of 13 patients had high-risk lesions at the time of initial surgery, and 10 of the 13 IPMNs were located in the distal pancreas. The IPMN subtypes initially resected were gastric in 6 patients, intestinal in 5, and pancreatobililary in the remaining 2. Univariate and multiple regression analyses identified pathologic results of HGD/INV and IPMN located in the distal pancreas as independent predictive factors for metachronous HGD/INVof IPMN, and the pancreatobiliary subtype of IPMN and presence of concomitant PDAC for metachronous PDAC. Conclusions: Patients undergoing partial pancreatectomy for IPMN are at high risk of developing lesions requiring surgery in the remnant pancreas, and close, long-term surveillance should be considered in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Purpose Midkine (MK) has been reported to be a possible molecular marker for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We investigated the feasibility of quantitative analysis of MK mRNA by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) as a promising tool for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Results We found that pancreatic cancer tissues expressed significantly higher levels of MK mRNA than intraductal pancreatic mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues (P MK mRNA expression between IPMN and non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues. Additionally, we observed that poorly differentiated carcinoma samples expressed higher levels of MK mRNA than well-differentiated carcinoma samples, although a significant difference was not observed. Conclusions The present data suggests that quantitative analysis of MK mRNA provides an objective and sensitive evaluation and may be a promising modality for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and the prediction of its prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies have suggested that Braun enteroenterostomy (BEE) during conventional pancreatoduodenectomy might decrease delayed gastric emptying (DGE). However, the advantages and disadvantages of performing BEE during pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) remain controversial. METHODS: The medical records of 185 patients who underwent PPPD either with or without BEE between January 2008 and June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed, and the postoperative course of the 2 groups was compared. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients underwent PPPD with BEE and 87 without BEE. DGE occurred in 4% of patients with BEE and in 21% of those without BEE (P < .01). The addition of BEE did not affect postoperative complications other than DGE. By multivariate analysis, the omission of BEE was the only independent factor associated with DGE (odds ratio 5.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.59 to 19.66; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: BEE during PPPD reduced the incidence of DGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]