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Background/aim: The status of each patient with advanced esophageal cancer varies widely, and the prognosis is generally poor. We aimed to determine which prognostic factors are involved in the management of locally advanced esophageal cancer with adjacent organ invasion., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively investigated the therapeutic outcomes of 74 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer and clinical evidence of adjacent organ invasion but without distant metastasis. The predictive factors for a chemoradiotherapeutic response and survival were evaluated., Results: Definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT), bypass surgery and CRT, as well as CRT followed by esophagectomy were carried out in 48 (64.9%), 17 (23.0%), and 9 (12.2%) patients, respectively. The median survival time (MST) of patients overall was 11.3 months. The MST of patients after definitive CRT, bypass surgery plus CRT and CRT followed by esophagectomy was 10.4, 11.0 and 16.4 months, respectively; MST did not differ significantly between patients. MST of patients with a complete response (CR), a partial response (PR) and stable (SD)/progressive (PD) disease as clinical outcomes of CRT was 52.6, 11.3 and 6.7 months, respectively; the MST was considerably longer in patients with, than in those without CR (CR vs. SD/PD, p<0.0001; CR vs. PR, p=0.0004). In multivariate analysis, age <60 years [odds ratio (OR)=7.74; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.85-32.41; p=0.005] and hemoglobin ≥13 g/dl (OR=11.54; 95% CI=1.29-103.21; p=0.03) were independently associated with CR as an outcome of CRT, and serum albumin level ≥3.5 g/dl (OR=2.11; 95% CI=1.09-4.10; p=0.03) was independently associated with prolonged survival., Conclusion: Pre-treatment hemoglobin and albumin levels were valuable predictors of the outcome of CRT and survival, respectively. A better response to CRT as well as improved nutritional status prolonged the survival of patients with advanced esophageal cancer.

We describe the case of an 80-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who developed tracheal obstruction due to peritracheal lymph node metastasis. A metastatic tumor that protruded into the airway was ablated using a neodymium yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser and then a self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) was deployed in the trachea. Stenting resolved symptoms of severe dyspnea upon mild exertion and in the supine position. Three months later, the patient is alive and has resumed normal activities as an outpatient, despite having metastatic HCC. Peritracheal lymph node metastasis arising from HCC is very rare and a polypoid tumor growing from a metastatic lymph node into the trachea is also extremely unusual. Tracheal obstruction in this patient was successfully treated by airway stenting.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of(adjuvant)surgery following the response to chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer., Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 20 advanced gastric cancer patients who had undergone gastrectomy following the response to combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and S-1 from September 2003 to December 2008. They consisted of 14 men and 6 women, with a median age of 58. 8, who received combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and S-1 according to the following regimen: S-1, 80 mg/m2, was administered on 14 consecutive days followed by a 7-day rest period, and docetaxel, 40 mg/m2, was administered on day 1., Results: The average treatment was 4. 4 courses. They consisted of 17 PR and 3 SD. The median overall survival was 855 days. 2-year and 3-year survival was seen in 80% and 54. 9% of patients, respectively, following macroscopically curative operation. Median survival of patients with liver metastasis and peritoneal dissemination was 865 days and 510 days, respectively., Conclusion: Adjuvant surgery might be effective in advanced gastric cancer patients except for cases of peritoneal dissemination.

We have experienced three gastric carcinoma cases successfully treated by the combination therapy of docetaxel and TS-1. Case 1: 66-year-old male with advanced gastric cancer invading the pancreas with metastasis to the liver and left neck lymph nodes. Case 2: 50-year-old female with scirrhous gastric carcinoma causing huge amount of malignant ascites. Case 3: 59-year-old male with recurrent gastric cancer of the remnant stomach presenting with obstruction and vessel involvement. Primary and metastatic diseases of these patients were remarkably improved with the combination therapy, indicating that the combination therapy of docetaxel and TS-1 can be a new therapeutic tool for advanced and recurrent gastric cancer patients.

The patient was a 58-year-old man who suffered from non-resectable gastric cancer, staged intraoperatively for peritoneal dissemination and paraaorta lymph node metastasis at another hospital in December 2002. He was initially treated with TS-1 as an outpatient. However, he was readmitted on March 4, 2003 for hematuria, general fatigue, jaundice and dyspnea. He was diagnosed with gastric cancer duodenum invasion, obstructive jaundice and lymphangitis carcinomatosa, and began weekly TXL as second-line chemotherapy on March 26. TXL (70 mg/ m2) was infused once a week for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week interval as one cycle. One week after the first infusion therapy, the jaundice and dyspnea were greatly improved. CT scan showed the lymphangitis carcinomatosa had disappeared and paraaorta lymph node metastasis was reduced to 60% after one cycle of the treatment. The toxic events were leukopenia (grade 1) and alopecia (grade 1).

An adult case of obstruction of the ileum caused by a loop formation of Meckel's diverticulum is described. The patient, having severe abdominal pain and vomiting, was diagnosed as having ileus. A roentgenogram with a contrast medium showed severe obstruction at the mid part of the ileum. From findings of elective laparotomy, adhesion between the inflammatory end of Meckel's diverticulum and the corresponding mesenterium had formed a loop, which had clasped the distal part of ileum. We here warn that Meckel's diverticulum forming a loop is a cause of obstruction of the ileum in adults.