Borrmann type 4 gastric cancers are notorious for the difficulty of finding cancer cells in the biopsy samples obtained from gastrofiberscopy. It is important to obtain the biopsy results for making surgical decisions. In cases with Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer, even though the radiological findings (such as an upper gastrointestinal series, abdominal computed tomography and positron emission tomography/computed tomography) or the macroscopic findings of a gastrofiberscopy examination imply a high suspicion of cancer, there can be difficulty in getting the definite pathologic results despite multiple biopsies. In these cases, we have performed endoscopic mucosal resection under gastrofiberscopy as an alternative to simple biopsies. Here we report on a case in which no cancer cells were found even in the endoscopic mucosal resection specimen, but the radiologic evidence and clinical findings were highly suspicious for gastric cancer. The patient finally underwent total gastrectomy with lymph node resection, and she was pathologically diagnosed as having stage IV gastric cancer postoperatively.
Biopsy ; Electrons ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Stomach Neoplasms

Diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a very commonly performed procedure. Physicians use it as a safe diagnostic tool to evaluate patients with a wide range of problems and complaints, but it can cause several complications in few cases. Esophageal perforation is a rare complication of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, but it is associated with a relatively high mortality rate. Surgical management is required in most such cases. However, medical treatment can be considered for selected patients who are without a large perforation or systemic effects such as sepsis. Deep neck abscess can develop in patients who have had difficult intubations, and this may be related to retropharyngeal trauma or unapparent perforations. We experienced a case of deep neck infection due to an esophageal perforation that developed as a complication of diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and we successfully treated this patient with incision and drainage.
Abscess ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Esophageal Perforation ; Humans ; Intubation ; Neck ; Sepsis

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are widely used as targeted treatments for various malignancies. Sorafenib is an orally active tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks the signaling pathways of several growth factors. Its use is approved for various malignancies such as unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Several adverse effects have been reported in the literature; however, cardiotoxicity is rare. We present a case of recurrent coronary vasospasm caused by short-term administration (5 days) of sorafenib. Since it caused refractory ischemia after re-administration, we had no choice but to stop the treatment.

An acinar cell carcinoma of the exocrine pancreas is a rare tumor with reported a incidence of 1% to 2% of pancreatic carcinomas. Cases of acinar cell carcinomas with amphicrine features have been reported in recent decades. However, there are no reports of two simultaneous pancreatic masses: an endocrine tumor and, an exocrine tumor. We encountered a 59-year-old female patient presenting with abdominal pain and melena. The acinar cell carcinoma was a 1x1 cm-sized round solid mass in the head of the pancreas. The islet tumor was a 2.5x1.5 cm-sized round mass in the body of the pancreas. The endocrine tumor was nonfunctioning. Melena resulted from the hemosuccus pancreaticus due to a ductal invasion of the acinar cell carcinoma. The patient had a parathyroid adenoma with hyperparathyroidism. Therefore, both the islet tumor and parathyroid adenoma with hyperparathyroidism were strongly suggestive of a MEN I.
Abdominal Pain ; Acinar Cells ; Carcinoma, Acinar Cell ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Incidence ; Male ; Melena ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 ; Pancreas ; Pancreas, Exocrine ; Parathyroid Neoplasms

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many previously published articles have reported poor outcomes for young patients with colorectal cancer as compared to that of older patients with colorectal cancer. However, these studies have tended to be small and have various biases. This study was retrospectively designed to determine the clinical course and survival rate of young patient with colorectal cancer. METHODS: All the patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer at Hanyang University Hospital between 1995 and 2001 were identified. These patients were assigned to two age groups: the 45 years old and below 45 years old group (123 patients) and the group over the age of 45 (421 patients). RESULTS: The size of the tumor mass was significantly larger in the young group. There were no significant differences between the two groups for the stage at the time of diagnosis, the differentiation, the degree of lymph node involvement, the cancer location and the gross finding. The median cancer specific survival time was worse for the old group as compared with that of the young group. Age, differentiation, lymph node involvement and the Duke stage were the significant prognostic factors on univariate analysis. Age and the Duke stage were the independent prognostic factors that were significantly correlated with survival on the multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to prior reports, younger patients with colorectal cancer appear to have a better survival rate than that of older patients with colorectal cancer.
Aged ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate