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Background: Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) are both involved in the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway and play key roles in antioxidant responses. In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the correlation between the expression of these two proteins and the therapeutic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT), as well as the difference in their expression after chemoradiotherapy, remains unknown., Methods: Proteins involved in the Nrf2 pathway were immunolocalized in carcinoma cells in ESCC patients on NACRT with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, followed by esophagectomy. The 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were used to quantify reactive oxygen species. The changes in immunoreactivity before and after NACRT (Δ) were assessed., Results: Tumor reduction following NACRT was significantly attenuated in pre-therapeutic biopsy specimens associated with high HO-1 status. TXNRD1Δ, HO-1Δ, and 8-OHdGΔ were significantly different in the ineffective and effective groups. The overall survival was significantly lower in high Nrf2 and TXNRD1 groups. In addition, high TXNRD1 expression was an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis of overall survival., Conclusions: The study findings indicate that HO-1 status in pre-therapeutic biopsy specimens could predict response to NACRT, and TXNRD1 status could predict overall survival of ESCC patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an endoscopic procedure whereby the esophageal muscle is incised in order to lower the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. Since the time it was first performed in 2008 and subsequently reported on in 2010 by Inoue et al., POEM has been shown to be safe and effective for straight type of achalasia. On the other hand, the efficacy of POEM had been controversial for patients with achalasia of the sigmoid type, in which a high LES pressure is accompanied by morphological changes, including dilation, acute angulation, and rotation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of POEM in patients with sigmoid type of achalasia., Methods: Between May 2015 and December 2017, 16 patients with a sigmoid type of achalasia underwent POEM in our institute. The POEM procedure was the same as that for the straight type of achalasia. The double-scope technique was used to check the distal end of the submucosal tunnel from the gastric side. The primary endpoint was improvement of Eckardt score at 2 months after POEM. The secondary endpoints comprised operating time, change in the esophageal angulation, and adverse events., Results: All patients underwent POEM without severe adverse events. The respective parameters before and after POEM significantly differed in terms of mean (SD) Eckardt score [4.9 (2.0) vs. 0.4 (0.6), p < 0.01], LES pressure [19.4 (10.2) vs. 9.2 (6.4), p < 0.01], and integrated relaxation pressure [17.6 (9.2) vs. 7.9 (5.5), p < 0.01]. The average operation time was 94.7 ± 31.4 min. The average esophageal angulation was 88.4° ± 23.1° before POEM and 109.5° ± 16.7° after POEM (p < 0.01). Four patients had postoperative complications that were treated conservatively., Conclusions: POEM can improve both LES pressure and esophageal angulation in patients with sigmoid achalasia.

Background: Studies have shown a variety of nutritional indices to be prognostic predictors for esophageal cancer patients. However, which nutritional index should be used and when it should be measured during the perioperative period remain unclear. This study attempted to clarify the details surrounding predictive nutritional evaluation by assessing the longitudinal data of serologic indices in perioperative esophageal cancer patients., Methods: The study included 141 esophageal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy after radical esophagectomy at Tohoku University Hospital from April 2008 to December 2017. The nutritional status was retrospectively assessed during the perioperative period, and the prognostic factors related to survival were analyzed., Results: Use of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score showed that malnutrition occurred only from 14 days after surgery in most cases. Use of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) showed that the ratio of malnutrition increased gradually from presurgery to 14 days after surgery. The timing of malnutrition that affected survival was 14 days after surgery with the CONUT score and presurgery and 4 months after surgery with the PNI. A multivariable analysis of independent prognostic factors predicting survival identified malnutrition 14 days after surgery with the CONUT score and a low PNI before surgery, invasion depth of the primary lesion, and node metastasis., Conclusions: Malnutrition occurring during the perioperative state of esophageal cancer was shown to be a survival prognostic factor. Development of an optimal nutritional intervention is recommended for esophageal cancer patients to prevent malnutrition both before and after surgery.

Background: The impact of sarcopenia on digestive cancer is widely known. Muscle mass, defined as the psoas muscle index (PMI), is an important parameter of sarcopenia. However, the relationship between esophageal cancer and PMI has not been fully investigated, especially in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy., Methods: To elucidate the influence of the PMI on patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma receiving neoadjuvant therapy, the progression of sarcopenia defined by the PMI, the relationship between pretherapeutic/preoperative sarcopenia and patient characteristics, and patient survival were retrospectively investigated in 82 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy., Results: The PMI decreased by more than 20 mm 2 /m 2 between the pretherapeutic and preoperative periods in 75.6% of the patients. Pretherapeutic sarcopenia (low PMI) correlated with the pathological therapeutic response, postoperative recurrence, and pretherapeutic body mass index. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy was associated with the progression of sarcopenia. The pretherapeutic sarcopenia group (low PMI) had worse disease-free survival (DFS) than the non-sarcopenia group. Furthermore, pretherapeutic sarcopenia (low PMI) was an independent prognostic risk factor of DFS according to univariate and multivariate analyses., Conclusions: The PMI may decrease during neoadjuvant therapy, especially during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Pretherapeutic sarcopenic (low PMI) patients should be followed-up more carefully postoperatively because higher risks of recurrence and poorer rates of disease-free survival are associated with these patients.

Background: Prone thoracoscopic esophagectomy was introduced at our institution from 2012. This study describes our experiences of the main differences between thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone and traditional left lateral decubitus positions together with an analysis of the short-term surgical outcomes., Method: In total, 87 patients undergoing thoracoscopic esophagectomy between January 2012 and October 2013 at Tohoku University Hospital were enrolled; of these, 54 and 33 patients were operated in the prone (Group P) and lateral decubitus (Group L) positions, respectively., Results: The background of the patients was similar, and there was no in-hospital mortality. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of whole surgical duration, thoracic duration, and number of dissected lymph nodes. Total blood loss and thoracic estimated blood loss were significantly lower in Group P than Group L. Furthermore, postoperative pulmonary complications, intensive care unit stay, and hospital stay were significantly lower in Group P., Conclusion: Thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position is feasible and safe. The prone position technique may be superior to conventional lateral decubitus position esophagectomy.