We report two cases of paraneoplastic syndrome with sensory polyneuropathy. Case one showed numbness of the upper and lower extremities before a diagnosis of small cell carcinoma was made. Case two showed the same symptoms coincidentally with a recurrence of ovarian cancer. In both cases, Romberg's sign was positive, ataxic gait was noted, and the patient's skill movement was disturbed. Sensory nerve action potentials were not evoked in any of the nerves. Compound muscle action potential and motor conduction velocity were at the lower limits of normal. The neurological abnormalities did not resolve in spite of medical treatments. In these two cases, the loss of sensory neurons due to a lesion of the dorsal root ganglia was suggested. The loss of sensory feedback might lead to muscle weakness and fatigue, so they tend to be disused. For long-term rehabilitation management in these two cases, we suggested a regular exercise program to prevent muscle weakness.

OBJECTIVE: Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive type 2 endometrial cancer. Data on prognostic factors for patients with early-stage USC without adjuvant therapy are limited. This study aims to assess the baseline recurrence risk of early-stage USC patients without adjuvant treatment and to identify prognostic factors and patients who need adjuvant therapy. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I–II USC between 1997 and 2016 were included. All the cases did not undergo adjuvant treatment as institutional practice. Clinicopathological features, recurrence patterns, and survival outcomes were analyzed to determine prognostic factors. RESULTS: FIGO stages IA, IB, and II were observed in 42, 7, and 19 cases, respectively. Median follow-up time was 60 months. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for all cases were 73.9% and 78.0%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, cervical stromal involvement and positive pelvic cytology were significant predictors of DFS and OS, and ≥1/2 myometrial invasion was also a significant predictor of OS. Of 68 patients, 38 patients had no cervical stromal invasion or positive pelvic cytology and showed 88.8% 5-year DFS and 93.6% 5-year OS. CONCLUSION: Cervical stromal invasion and positive pelvic cytology are prognostic factors for stage I–II USC. Patients with stage IA or IB USC showing negative pelvic cytology may have an extremely favorable prognosis and need not receive any adjuvant therapies.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cytodiagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Institutional Practice ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obstetrics ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the dosimetric difference between simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and the clinical outcomes of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) chemoradiotherapy featuring SIB-IMRT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included ten patients with ASCC who underwent chemoradiotherapy using SIB-IMRT with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. SIB-IMRT delivered 54 Gy to each primary tumor plus metastatic lymph nodes and 45 Gy to regional lymph nodes, in 30 fractions. Four patients received additional boosts to the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes; the median total dose was 54 Gy (range, 54 to 60 Gy). We additionally created 3DCRT plans following the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9811 protocol to allow dosimetric comparisons with SIB-IMRT. Locoregional control, overall survival, and toxicity were calculated for the clinical outcome evaluation. RESULTS: Compared to 3DCRT, SIB-IMRT significantly reduced doses to the external genitalia, bladder, and intestine, delivering the doses to target and elective nodal region. At a median follow-up time of 46 months, 3-year locoregional control and overall survival rates were 88.9% and 100%, respectively. Acute toxicities were treated conservatively. All patients completed radiotherapy with brief interruptions (range, 0 to 2 days). No patient experienced ≥grade 3 late toxicity during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The dosimetric advantages of SIB-IMRT appeared to reduce the toxicity of chemoradiotherapy for ASCC achieving high locoregional control in the extended period.
Anus Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Epithelial Cells* ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Intestines ; Lymph Nodes ; Mitomycin ; Radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated* ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder

Purpose: Screening image-enhanced endoscopy for gastrointestinal malignant lesions has progressed. However, the influence of the color enhancement settings for the laser endoscopic system on the visibility of lesions with higher color contrast than their surrounding mucosa has not been established. Materials and Methods: Forty early gastric cancers were retrospectively evaluated using color enhancement settings C1 and C2 for laser endoscopic systems with blue laser imaging (BLI), BLI-bright, and linked color imaging (LCI). The visibilities of the malignant lesions in the stomach with the C1 and C2 color enhancements were scored by expert and non-expert endoscopists and compared, and the color differences between the malignant lesions and the surrounding mucosa were assessed. Results: Early gastric cancers mainly appeared orange-red on LCI and brown on BLI-bright or BLI. The surrounding mucosae were purple on LCI regardless of the color enhancement but brown or pale green with C1 enhancement and dark green with C2 enhancement on BLIbright or BLI. The mean visibility scores for BLI-bright, BLI, and LCI with C2 enhancement were significantly higher than those with C1 enhancement. The superiority of the C2 enhancement was not demonstrated in the assessments by non-experts, but it was significant for experts using all modes. The C2 color enhancement produced a significantly greater color difference between the malignant lesions and the surrounding mucosa, especially with the use of BLI-bright (P=0.033) and BLI (P<0.001). C2 enhancement tended to be superior regardless of the morphological type, Helicobacter pylori status, or the extension of intestinal metaplasia around the cancer. Conclusions Appropriate color enhancement settings improve the visibility of malignant lesions in the stomach and color contrast between the malignant lesions and the surrounding mucosa.

Background: /Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of ablation and surgery in solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring ≤5 cm with a large HCC cohort database. Methods: The study included consecutive 2,067 patients with solitary HCC who were treated with either ablation (n=1,248) or surgery (n=819). Th e patients were divided into three groups based on the tumor size and compared the outcomes of the two therapies using propensity score matching. Results: No significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) was found between surgery and ablation groups for tumors measuring ≤2 cm or >2 cm but ≤3 cm. For tumors measuring >3 cm but ≤5 cm, RFS was significantly better with surgery than with ablation (3.6 and 2.0 years, respectively, P=0.0297). However, no significant difference in OS was found between surgery and ablation in this group (6.7 and 6.0 years, respectively, P=0.668). Conclusion The study suggests that surgery and ablation can be equally used as a treatment for solitary HCC no more than 3 cm in diameter. For HCCs measuring 3-5 cm, the OS was not different between therapies; thus, ablation and less invasive therapy can be considered a treatment option; however, special caution should be taken to prevent recurrence.

Anti-inflammatory therapy is generally considered to be prior to surgery for Takayasu disease to achieve better outcomes. We report two Takayasu arteritis patients with thoracic aneurysm. Case 1 was a 19-year-old woman who presented acute trachyphonia for one month. CT revealed aortic arch aneurysm of which maximal diameter was 64 mm with partial cystic protrusion. We performed urgent total arch replacement before anti-inflammation therapy was induced. Postoperative course was uneventful and the patient discharged on steroid therapy. Case 2 was a 35-year-old woman who complained chest pain for two weeks. CT revealed a Valsalva aneurysm with maximal diameter 54 mm and the aortic wall of the arch including its branches was surrounded by thick low density area. As the FDG-PET confirmed inflammatory arteritis, initial steroid therapy was planned. However, one day before admission, the patient presented acute aortic dissection and did not respond to any resuscitation. We conclude that the right time of surgery or the initial induction of anti-inflammatory therapy for anuerysmal dilation by Takayasu arteritis is to be determined based not only on the inflammation level but also on aneurysmal size and the patient's severity of complaints.

Today, syphilitic aortic aneurysm is rarely diagnosed due to widespread use of penicillin for early syphilis. Large aneurysms can be symptomatic by compressing on adjacent organs. We report a case of a huge syphilitic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta complicated with airway obstruction and superior vena cava syndrome. A 62-year-old man presented with acute severe dyspnea and distention of superficial veins. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an aneurysm of the ascending aorta extending to the transverse arch the diameter of which was 90 mm. The aneurysm compressed the bilateral main bronchi and superior vena cava. We performed an emergency operation because respiratory failure persisted despite the support of a ventilator. Since the aneurysm eroded the sternum, median sternotomy was performed under hypothermic circulatory arrest. Dissecting the aneurysm was complicated due to dense adhesion. Ascending aorta and partial arch replacement with reconstruction of the brachiocephalic trunk was successfully performed with antegrade cerebral perfusion. Postoperative computed tomography demonstrated that compression of the bilateral main bronchi was released. The result of preoperative syphilitic serologic test was strongly positive, and pathological findings of the aneurysm wall specimen was compatible with syphilitic aneurysm. Following treatment with benzyl penicillin for 14 days, the patient was discharged on the 19th postoperative day without specific complications.

Surgical stress is closely associated with the activity of the thyroid hormone. Although many patients undergoing cardiac surgery revealed markedly low triiodothyronine (T3), few patients showed symptomatic hypothyroidism. This condition is generally recognized as “non thyroidal illness (NTI) ” which is characterized by a low T3 level, despite the normal function of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid system. NTI is generally considered as one of the biological defense mechanisms rather than a pathological condition, eliminating the requirement of medical intervention. Even if low T3 is observed in blood biochemical examination after open heart surgery, a cautious interpretation is required. We report an elderly case presenting severe fatigue and mild disorientation accompanied by significantly low thyroid hormone after aortic valve replacement. The morbidity was remarkably improved with medical treatment, suggesting hypothyroidism after cardiac surgery.

Objective：Only 44 of the 82 university medical schools in Japan have rehabilitation medicine departments, although rehabilitation medicine is one of the 19 basic specialties recognized by the Japanese Medical Specialty Board, and many medical doctors are concerned regarding selecting rehabilitation medicine as a basic specialty without sufficient education in the field. The “Let's Become a Physiatrist” Seminar has been organized since 2017 to eliminate such concerns, and this study aimed to investigate how these results are manifested in the number of majors.Methods：We examined the number of past attendees and tracked how many of them became rehabilitation medicine majors.Results：The number of seminar attendees over a 5-year period was 589. The number of on-demand viewers in FY2020 and FY2021, which were held via the web, was 554. A total of 116 of the 471 physicians who began specialty training in rehabilitation medicine after the seminar was planned attended or web viewed the seminar accounting for 24.63％．This percentage has been increasing each year, with 36.81％ of the majors who applied in 2022 attending the seminar, and the number of multiple attendees also increased. The number of majors has increased significantly doubling to 144 in 2022 compared with 74 in 2018.Conclusion：In many cases, the seminar helped the attendees learn more about physiatrists and develop their thoughts while attending multiple times. Thus, they started their majors. Five years have passed since we started planning this seminar, and we believe that the results are now coming to fruition.

Objective：Only 44 of the 82 university medical schools in Japan have rehabilitation medicine departments, although rehabilitation medicine is one of the 19 basic specialties recognized by the Japanese Medical Specialty Board, and many medical doctors are concerned regarding selecting rehabilitation medicine as a basic specialty without sufficient education in the field. The “Let's Become a Physiatrist” Seminar has been organized since 2017 to eliminate such concerns, and this study aimed to investigate how these results are manifested in the number of majors.Methods：We examined the number of past attendees and tracked how many of them became rehabilitation medicine majors.Results：The number of seminar attendees over a 5-year period was 589. The number of on-demand viewers in FY2020 and FY2021, which were held via the web, was 554. A total of 116 of the 471 physicians who began specialty training in rehabilitation medicine after the seminar was planned attended or web viewed the seminar accounting for 24.63％．This percentage has been increasing each year, with 36.81％ of the majors who applied in 2022 attending the seminar, and the number of multiple attendees also increased. The number of majors has increased significantly doubling to 144 in 2022 compared with 74 in 2018.Conclusion：In many cases, the seminar helped the attendees learn more about physiatrists and develop their thoughts while attending multiple times. Thus, they started their majors. Five years have passed since we started planning this seminar, and we believe that the results are now coming to fruition.