Purpose:To determine the effi cacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and main portal vein (MPV) invasion. Materials and Methods:This study was approved by the institutional review board, and the requirement to obtain informed consent was waived. The authors retrospectively assessed the electronic medical records of patients in whom HCC with MPV invasion was newly diagnosed from January 2004 to December 2007 at a single tertiary medical center. Patients with decompensated hepatic function were excluded. Outcomes of patients treated with TACE were compared with those of patients given supportive care according to Child-Pugh class. Results:One hundred twenty-fi ve patients (104 men and 21 women; mean age, 55.7 years; age range, 33.4-83.0 years) were included. The median overall survival was 3.7 months (range, 0.2-33.3 months). Eighty-three of the 125 patients (66.4%) were treated with TACE and 42 (33.6%) received supportive care. Repeated TACE showed significant survival benefi ts compared with supportive care in patients with Child-Pugh class A (median survival, 7.4 months vs 2.6 months, respectively; P , .001) and class B (median survival, 2.8 months vs 1.9 months, respectively; P = .002) disease. Results of multivariate analysis showed that treatment with TACE (hazard ratio, 0.263; 95% confi dence interval [CI]: 0.164, 0.424; P , .001) and Child-Pugh class A status (hazard ratio, 0.550; 95% CI: 0.368, 0.822; P = .004) were independent predictive factors of a favorable outcome. There were no procedurerelated deaths within 4 weeks after TACE, and patient morbidity was 28.9% (24 of 83 patients). Conclusion:TACE can be performed safely and may improve the overall survival of patients with HCC and MPV invasion.q RSNA, 2011

The results of this study indicated that cHCC-CC had a significantly poorer prognosis than HCC and CC even after curative resection.

Extramedullary plasmacytoma involves organs outside the bone marrow; however, involvement of the pancreas is rare. We recently experienced a case of extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas that was diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). EUS-FNA, which has a high diagnostic accuracy and an excellent safety profile, is the modality of choice for establishing tissue diagnosis. We report a case of extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas diagnosed using EUS-FNA.

Proximity of HCC to a large vessel or the diaphragm as well as large tumor size may increase the risk of local recurrence after RFA. Therefore, the topographical factors of HCC should be considered to tailor therapeutic decisions for solitary, HBV-related HCC.

H. pylori eradication therapy is commonly associated with antibiotics-associated gastrointestinal abnormal responses, which may result in antibiotics intolerance and H. pylori eradication failure. Even though those symptoms are not so severe, we have to consider the gastrointestinal abnormal responses associated with H. pylori eradication, especially diarrhea.

Background/Aims: This study was designed to evaluate the outcomes of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) as palliative treatment for malignant obstruction of the colon and rectum. Methods: From January 2003 to September 2009, 28 patients (12 men and 16 women) with malignant colorectal obstruction received placement of uncovered or covered stents for palliative purposes under endoscopic or fluoroscopic guidance. The rates of technical success, clinical success, and the complications associated with stent insertion, patient survival, and long-term stent patency were evaluated. Results: The technical and clinical success rates were 100% (28/28) and 89.3% (25/28), respectively. Among the 25 patients with technical and clinical success, seven patients (28%) experienced complications: A case of perforation (n=1) was managed by surgical intervention, cases of tumor ingrowth (n=4), tumor ingrowth and overgrowth (n=1), and tumor overgrowth (n=1) were managed successfully with an additional stent. The median survival duration was 128.0±54.8 days. The median stent patency duration was 93.0±29.1 days, and the patency rates at 30, 90, and 180 days were 92%, 52%, and 25%, respectively. Conclusions: The placement of a self-expanding metal stent was safe and effective palliative treatment for malignant colorectal obstruction. Stent-associated complications can be managed with the placement of additional stents in the majority of the patients and long-term stent patency is favorable. (Intest Res 2010;8:135-141)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with main portal vein invasion have a poor prognosis associated with a median survival time of 2.7 months. Though many guidelines recommended sorafenib in HCC patients with macrovascular invasion (MVI), many clinicians or centers still select locoregional therapy (LRT) such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiation therapy (RT), or combination with LRT and sorafenib because the survival improvement by sorafenib only is expected to be shorter than that without MVI. However this multidisciplinary approach may increase treatment related toxicity such as liver failure etc. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is new technology providing very highly conformal ablative radiation dose for a small numbers (3-5 fractions) of large fraction size and is expected to new effective modality for HCC with MVI. Based on above suggestions, we herein offer our experience of a patient with perforation of radiation induced gastric ulcer after complete remission of tumor and main portal vein thrombosis by combination therapy of SBRT and sorafenib. Further study, maybe regarding a combination of locoregional and systemic therapy, is necessary on how to manage HCC patients with main portal vein invasion.

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis is a rare phenomenon presenting with multiple gas-filled cysts in the submucosal or subserosal layer of the gastrointestinal tract. Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis can occur as a primary or secondary disease with an underlying etiology. We recently managed a case of primary pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis in a 42-year-old man with chronic abdominal pain.