Isolated splenic metastasis arising from colorectal carcinoma is very rare and there has been only 6 cases reported in the English literature. A new case is esented, and its possible pathogenesis was considered with previously reported ses. A 65-year-old male patient had received a right hemicolectomy for cending colon cancer 36 months earlier. He was followed up regularly with rial measurement of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Rising serum CEA was scovered from 33 months postoperatively and CT revealed an isolated splenic tastasis. He therefore underwent splenectomy, which was proven to be a tastatic adenocarcinoma with similar histological feature to the original mor. As all reported cases showed elevated serum CEA at the time of tastasis, isolated splenic metastasis might be associated with CEA in regard its biological functions of immunosuppression and adhesion.
Adenocarcinoma/surgery ; Adenocarcinoma/secondary* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology ; Adenocarcinoma/blood ; Aged ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood ; Case Report ; Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/blood ; Human ; Male ; Splenic Neoplasms/surgery ; Splenic Neoplasms/secondary* ; Splenic Neoplasms/blood ; Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between TSP-1, Angiostatin and Endostatin serum concentrations and progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

METHODSFifty-six patients with suspected pancreatic cancer were enrolled in the study and divided into resectable group (n = 32) and unresectable group (n = 24) according to evaluation and staging with dual phase helical CT. Histopathologic examinations included postoperative final pathology and preoperative fine needle biopsies. Peripheral blood concentrations of antiangiogenic factors Angiostatin, Endostatin and TSP-1 were detected by using ELISA methods, selecting samples of health people as a control.

RESULTSSerum concentrations of antiangiogenic factors in pancreatic cancer group were significantly higher than those in health group (P < 0.01). Serum concentrations of Endostatin, Angiostatin and TSP-1 were significantly increased in unresectable group, and highly expressed in patients whom tumor sizes were greater than 2 cm and tumor invaded peripancreatic great vessels (P < 0.05). After operation, serum concentrations of Endostatin, Angiostatin and TSP-1 significantly decreased (P < 0.05). There were no significant difference between I, II stage group and III, IV group.

CONCLUSIONSDetection of serum concentrations of antiangiogenic factors may be used to evaluate the resectability of pancreatic cancer and may play important roles in growth, invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Angiostatins ; blood ; Disease Progression ; Endostatins ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; surgery ; Thrombospondin 1 ; blood ; Treatment Outcome

Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Biopsy, Needle ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; methods ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the results of laparoscopic resection with those of open resection for consecutive colorectal cancer patients who underwent surgery at a single center. METHODS: During the thirty-month period between January 2003 and August 2005, patients with a colorectal adenocarcinoma admitted to our hospital were assessed. Cancers related with FAP or HNPCC, cancers treated with endoscopy or local excision, and recurrent cancers were excluded from the study. Three hundred two laparoscopic resection patients were matched to 302 open resection patients. RESULTS: The mean age of the laparoscopic resection group was 59.5 years while that of the open resection group was 59.4 years. Patients in two groups were similar in terms of gender distribution, level of CEA and ASA, and location and size of tumor. The modified Dukes' stages showed 51 patients in stage A, 33 in stage B1, 62 in stage B2, 17 in stage C1, and 139 in stage C2 for the laparoscopic resection group and 33 in stage A, 52 in stage B1, 82 in stage B2, 18 in stage C1, and 117 in stage C2 for the open resection group (P=0.024). The operative time averaged 9.6 minutes longer in the laparoscopic group (188.9 vs. 179.3 min, P<0.0001). The rate of stoma formation for protection of anastomosis in the laparoscopic group was 4.9% (5.8% in open group). There were significant differences in blood loss (556.2 vs. 952.8 ml, P<0.0001), the amount of intraoperative blood transfusion (1.6 vs. 2.3 unit, P=0.004), the number of harvested lymph nodes (21.1 vs. 16.9, P<0.0001), and the rate of high ligation of IMA (91.7 vs. 75.5%, P<0.0001). The length of the distal resection margins from cancer was longer in the open group (2.9 vs. 3.5 cm, P=0.037). Patients in the laparoscopic group had a faster recovery of bowel function (P<0.0001) and a significant reduction in the mean length of hospital stay (11.5 vs. 16.8 days, P<0.0001). There was no mortality in either group. Early and late complications were comparable. The conversion rate was 1.6 percent. CONSLUSIONS: The benefits of a laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancers are less blood loss and transfusion, faster postoperative bowel motion, a shorter hospital stay, low morbidity, and a large number of harvested lymph nodes. In conclusion, a laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancers can be done safely and effectively and is an acceptable alternative to a conventional open resection.
Adenocarcinoma ; Blood Transfusion ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Ligation ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Operative Time

Leptomeningeal metastasis occurs in approximately 1% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and this is an extremely serious complication. Without treatment, the median survival of patients is 4~6 weeks. The treatment options currently available are limited and achieve only modest results. Gefitinib was recently approved for the treatment of advanced/refractory non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, there have been case reports showing activity of gefitinib against brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer patients. However, there is limited data on the ability of gefitinib to cross the blood-brain barrier. We report the case of a patient with leptomeningeal metastasis from adenocarcinoma of the lung that had a dramatic response to gefitinib treatment.
Adenocarcinoma ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Humans ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Quinazolines

The authors present a case of 68-year-old woman who underwent resection of a metastatic adenocarcinoma in the left parietooccipital area. The intraoperative course was uneventful; however, after closure of the scalp incision, increased bleeding from the suture line was noted. A computerized tomography scan that was performed immediately after operation revealed acute epidural hemorrhage with mass effect under the bone flap. The patient developed disseminated intravascular coagulation and immediate re-exploration was performed. This patient was successfully treated owing to early recognition of the condition and immediate treatment with transfusion. Neurosurgeons should be alert that hypercoagulabe state is common in cancer patients and consumptive coagulopathy can occur after resection of metastatic brain tumor.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Blood Transfusion ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Scalp ; Sutures

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation is closely related to the EGFR-TKI target treatment and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients. The mutation status of EGFR is limited by tissue detection. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of EGFR mutants in plasmacirculating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) obtained from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in three groups: pre-therapy, after traditional chemotherapy and targeted therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the plasma cfDNA could effectively determine the EGFR mutations and monitor the drug resistant gene T790M, as well as its prognostic prediction value in patients with targeted therapy. METHODS: ARMS (amplification refractory mutation system)-PCR was used to detect EGFR mutations in 107 (50 of pre-therapy, 29 after traditional chemotherapy and 28 after targeted therapy) cases of paired plasma and tumor tissue specimens, followed by comparing their concordance. The sensitivity, specificity and the prognostic value of plasma cfDNA detection were also observed. RESULTS: The total rate of EGFR mutation was 56% (60/107) in all plasma samples and 77.6% (83/107) in corresponding tumor tissues. Completely the same mutants and wild-type EGFR were found in 68.2% cases of paired specimens. The sensitivity of plasma cfDNA detection was 72.3% and the specificity was up to 100%. Patients were sub-categorized according to therapy. The results showed that the highest consistent rate of cfDNA and tumor tissues was found in the group of pre-therapy (74%, 37/50). Whereas, the lowest consistent rate was observed in the targeted therapy group (57.1%, 16/28). It indicated that the targeted treatment could change the EGFR status in plasma cfDNA. Further analyses on inconsistent cases in this group revealed that 50% of them were compound EGFR mutations with T790M. Thereby, it suggested that targeted therapy might induce the emergence of drug resistance gene T790M. This speculation was confirmed by survival analyses. Based on plasma cfDNA results, patients with T790M mutant had significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). CONCLUSIONS For EGFR testing, ARMS-PCR on plasma cfDNA is a promising methodology with the highest specificity and effective sensitivity. It is useful for EGFR testing in patients before treatment, especially the late-stage patients. Simultaneously, plasma cfDNA could be used to monitor the drug resistant mutation, T790M status and predict prognosis after targeted therapy.
Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; drug therapy ; genetics ; mortality ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids ; blood ; ErbB Receptors ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; genetics ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Mutation, Missense ; Prognosis

Tailgut cysts (TGCs) are rare congenital cysts that occur in the retrorectal or presacral spaces. Although most tailgut cysts have been reported as benign, there have been at least 9 cases associated with malignant change. We report herein on an unusual case of a 40-year-old woman with a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) -producing adenocarcinoma arising within a TGC who underwent surgical resection and local radiation therapy. Despite the complete resection, metastatic adenocarcinoma developed five months after surgery. CEA-producing adenocarcinoma from a TGC is extremely rare and only two cases, including this case, have been reported in the English medical literature. Besides CEA, the serum levels of CA 19-9 became markedly elevated in this patient. Given that the serum CEA level decreased to the normal range after complete resection of tumor and that the tumor recurrence was associated with a rebound of the CEA serum level, our case shows that serial measurements of serum CEA can be used for treatment planning and for assessing the patient's treatment response for this rare disease.
Adenocarcinoma/blood/pathology/*therapy ; Adult ; CA-19-9 Antigen/blood ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/*blood ; Cysts/blood/pathology/*therapy ; Female ; Hamartoma/blood/pathology/*therapy ; Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/blood/pathology/*therapy ; Sacrococcygeal Region

OBJECTIVETo identify serum diagnosis or progression biomarkers in patients with lung cancer using protein chip profiling analysis.

METHODProfiling analysis was performed on 450 sera collected from 213 patients with lung cancer, 19 with pneumonia, 16 with pulmonary tuberculosis, 65 with laryngeal carcinoma, 55 with laryngopharyngeal carcinoma patients, and 82 normal individuals. A new strategy was developed to identify the biomarkers on chip by trypsin pre-digestion.

RESULTSProfiling analysis demonstrated that an 11.6 kDa protein was significantly elevated in lung cancer patients, compared with the control groups (P < 0.001). The level and percentage of 11.6 kDa protein progressively increased with the clinical stages I-IV and were also higher in patients with squamous cell carcinoma than in other subtypes. This biomarker could be decreased after operation or chemotherapy. On the other hand, 11.6 kDa protein was also increased in 50% benign diseases of lung and 13% of other cancer controls. After trypsin pre-digestion, a set of new peptide biomarkers was noticed to appear only in the samples containing a 11.6 kDa peak. Further identification showed that 2177 Da was a fragment of serum amyloid A (SAA, MW 11.6 kDa). Two of the new peaks, 1550 Da and 1611 Da, were defined from the same protein by database searching. This result was further confirmed by partial purification of 11.6 kDa protein and MS analysis.

CONCLUSIONSAA is a useful biomarker to monitor the progression of lung cancer and can directly identify some biomarkers on chip.

Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; blood ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Peptides ; blood ; Protein Array Analysis ; Serum Amyloid A Protein ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate correlation of plasma level of fibrinogen with clinical stage, depth of invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer, and its diagnostic and prognostic significance.

METHODSThe present study included 229 patients suffering from colorectal cancer and 31 cases with benign colorectal diseases. For each patient, plasma fibrinogen was determined by COULTER ACL-200 automated coagulation analyzer. The tumor markers CEA, CA19-9 and CA72-4 were examined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on Roche Eleccsys 2010 analyzer. Tumor makers CA242 and TPS were tested by ELISA.

RESULTSThe fibrinogen level was increased in patients with colorectal cancer compared to that in patients with benign colorectal diseases. It increased with the clinical stage and depth of tumor invasion. The fibrinogen level was higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than those without. It was highest in patients with distant metastasis. There were positive correlations of fibrinogen level with tumor makers CEA, CA242 and TPS, but not with CA19-9 and CA72-4.

CONCLUSIONPlasma fibrinogen is significantly increased in colorectal carcinoma patients with progression of the disease.

Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate ; blood ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; blood ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; analysis ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Peptides ; blood