HighlightsNeuroendocrine tumors of the extrahepatic bile ducts are extremely rare neoplasms.They most commonly occur in young females and usually present with painless jaundice.Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because the findings are similar to other biliary malignancies.Surgical resection is considered to be the only curative treatment.

Objective The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of proton beam therapy for liver metastatic recurrence in gastric cancer patients. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent proton beam therapy from 2010 to 2015 were isolated from our institutional database. Patients with extrahepatic metastatic lesions were excluded. Seven patients were enrolled. The median diameter of target lesions was 31 mm (13–68 mm). The most frequent dosage was 72.6 Gy equivalent in 22 fractions. The effectiveness was assessed based on the local control, overall survival and progression-free survival rates. The local control, overall survival and progression-free survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Adverse events were described according to the patients’ medical records. Results The median follow-up period was 41.7 months (20.7–66.3 months). The 3-year local control, overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 85.7, 68.6 and 43%, respectively. All patients completed proton beam therapy without interruption. No grade ≥3 adverse events were observed. Conclusions Proton beam therapy might be a treatment option for patients with liver metastasis of gastric cancer.

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Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the pancreas is uncommon in the gastrointestinal tract. We present a case of AVM of the pancreatic head in a 59-year-old male. He was admitted to a hospital with hematemesis and tarry stool and referred to our hospital in March 2014 on the diagnosis of pancreatic artery pseudoaneurysm. A computed tomography scan showed the presence of irregular dilated and/or stenotic vessels with meandering in the pancreatic head. Magnetic resonance imaging showed strong enhancement of the conglomeration in the pancreatic head. Selective angiography showed the proliferation of a vascular network in the pancreatic head and an early visualization of the portal vein at the arterial phase. The patient qualified for surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of AVM of the pancreatic head. We performed pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. The histological results confirmed the presence of irregular dilated tortuous arteries and veins in the pancreatic head. Surgical treatment may represent definitive management of symptomatic AVM.

Introduction: The prognosis of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and prognosis in AYA patients compared with middle-aged patients. Methods: Participants were identified from a clinical database of the multicenter cohort in Japan. The AYA group was defined as those <40 years of age, whereas the middle-aged group was defined in 10-year ranges around the median age of all patients. The primary outcome was the overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcome was the recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results: A total of 502 patients were enrolled as the AYA group, and 7222 patients between 65 and 74 years of age were identified as the middle-aged group. The OS of colon cancer in stages II and III was significantly better in the AYA group (p = 0.033, 0.006, respectively) than in the middle-aged groups. There were no significant differences in the OS of rectal cancer in stages II and III between the two groups. Conclusion: The prognosis of AYA patients with CRC was the same or better than that in middle-aged patients.

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Background and study aims: Benign esophageal stricture has major deleterious effects on a patient's quality of life and is often refractory. This study aims were to prepare the animal model and to investigate the mechanism of esophageal stricture in the view point of histological and biomechanical evaluation. Material and method: Nine beagle dogs were enrolled in this study. Under general anesthesia, circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection was carried out 5 cm length in thoracic esophagus for preparing stricture models. The process of stricture formation was evaluated by the endoscopic observation and histological findings. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for collagen I or collagen III. In the biomechanical evaluation, rectangular-shaped specimens were obtained from the esophageal samples. The failure load and linear stiffness were measured using a tensile tester and compared healed tissue with normal. Results: The dogs developed severe stricture. The macroscopic appearance showed a deep ulcer formation and severe mucosal constriction. No esophageal glands or muscularis mucosae were evident, and instead, they were replaced with condensed granulation tissue that were composed type I and III collagen fibers. The inner circular muscular layer of the muscularis propria showed partial atrophy and fibrosis in the center of the lesion. The failure load and linear stiffness were significantly decreased in the healed tissue. Conclusion:The cause of benign esophageal stricture might have been the biomechanical deterioration that was caused the change of the collagen components in the submucosal layers or atrophic changes of inner circular muscles.

Objectives: Oral function management has been recognized as important strategy for preventing postoperative complications. In this historical cohort study, we focused on the patients who planed gastrectomy, and investigated the appropriate duration and frequency of preoperative oral care to prevent complications after surgery. Methods: Patients who planed surgery for gastric cancer between 2012 and 2018 were enrolled. We defined intensive oral care (IOC) as initial intervention at least three weeks before surgery and follow-up intervention within a week before surgery.As the primary outcome, the incidence of postoperative infectious complications was compared between the IOC and non-intensive oral care groups.Results: A total of 576 patients were enrolled, including 66 with IOC. The incidence of infectious complications was 2/66 (3.0%) in the IOC group and 64/510 (12.5%) in the non-intensive oral care group. After adjusting for confounding factors, patients with IOC exposure had a lower chance of developing postoperative infectious complications (odds ratio; 0.217, 0.051-0.927). Conclusions:Intensive oral care can help prevent postoperative infectious complications after gastrectomy. These findings suggest that appropriate preoperative oral care includes at least two interventions: three weeks or more before and within one week before surgery.