• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.7 s.252
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• pp.514-517
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• 2005

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is documented on every part of the gastrointestinal tract. It develops in the stomach and the small intestine most commonly, and also in the esophagus. A 44 year-old male patient was admitted due to dysphagia and weight loss. Chest CT showed about $15\times11\times11cm$ sized, well-defined, and lobulated soft tissue mass with central necrosis was noted in the posterior wall of lower esophagus throughout the lesser curvature of upper stomach. We performed the distal esophagectomy and total gastrectomy using thoracoabdominal incision. The tumor was positive at CD117 (c-kit) and CD 34, and was diagnosed as malignant GIST of the distal esophagus and upper stomach. The patient is on routine follow up at the out patient department for nineteen months up to now.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2016

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common primary mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract and usually appear as a well-circumscribed mass. However, it may be difficult to confirm the extent of the disease for some GISTs. A 70-year-old asymptomatic female presented for a regular physical exam. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a 2.0 cm protruding mass on the gastric fundus. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed an ill-defined heterogenous hypoechoic lesion ($3.0{\times}1.5cm$). A computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a 4.5 cm multifocal calcified mass at the gastric body as well as at the gastric fundus. Laparoscopic gastric wedge resection was performed according to the extent of multifocal calcifications that are shown on the CT. Intraoperative specimen mammography and intraoperative biopsy might be helpful to obtain a tumor-free margin. Final pathologic diagnosis was an intermediate risk GIST in multilobular form. In patients with diffuse multifocal calcifications in the stomach, the possibility of GIST should be considered.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2015

Gastric cancer that mimics a submucosal tumor is rare. This rarity and the normal mucosa covering the protuberant tumor make it difficult to diagnosis with endoscopy. We report two cases of advanced gastric cancer that mimicked malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors preoperatively. In both cases, the possibility of cancer was not completely ruled out. In the first case, a large tumor was suspected to be cancerous during surgery. Therefore, total gastrectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. In the second case, the first gross endoscopic finding was of a Borrmann type II advanced gastric cancer-like protruding mass with two ulcerous lesions invading the anterior wall of the body. Therefore, subtotal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Consequently, delayed treatment of cancer was avoided in both cases. If differential diagnosis between malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor and cancer is uncertain, a surgical approach should be carefully considered due to the possible risk of adenocarcinoma.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.82-91
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• 2022

Gastrointestinal cancer accounts for one-third of the overall cancer occurrence worldwide. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer that is known to be one of the most fatal among all cancer types, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 8%. Chemotherapy combined with surgical resection is its probable curative option. However, surgery is accessible for only 10-15% of patients diagnosed with PDAC. Organoids show self-organizing capacities and resemble the original tissue in terms of morphology and function. Organoids can also be cultured with high effectiveness from tumor tissues derived from each patient, making them an extremely fitting model for translational uses and improving personalized cancer medicine. Enhancing drug screening platforms is necessary to apply personalized medicinebased organoids in clinical settings.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and curative surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from 2004 to 2015 as the study cohort. Patients with the same inclusion criteria treated in 2016-2017 were enrolled as the validation cohort. Kaplan-Meier curves were assessed using the log-rank test to analyze the differences in overall survival (OS). Multivariate survival analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ypN and LNR categories for predicting the actual 3-year OS were compared. Results: A total of 265 patients were included in the proposal cohort. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes (rLNs) was 32. The number of positive lymph nodes (pLNs) increased as rLN increased (P=0.037), but the LNR remained relatively constant (P=0.462). The LNR was categorized into 4 groups according to the prognosis: ypNr0, node-negative with rLN>25; ypNr1, node-negative with rLN≤25 or 00.3. In the validation cohort of 43 enrolled patients, there was a clear distinction in OS that significantly (P<0.001) varied depending on the LNR values and LNR was the only independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis (P<0.001). Conclusions: LNR was an independent prognostic factor for survival of patients with gastric cancer after preoperative chemotherapy and might be an alternative predictor for ypN stage.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.375-381
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• 2023

Numerous studies have revealed the importance of tumor-derived exosomes in rectal cancer (RC). This study aims to explore the influence of tumor-derived exosomal integrin beta-1 (ITGB1) on lung fibroblasts in RC along with underlying mechanisms. Exosome morphology was observed using a transmission electron microscope. Protein levels of CD63, CD9, ITGB1, p-p65 and p65 were detected using Western blot. To determine ITGB1's mRNA expression, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used. Moreover, levels of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1β, and IL-6 in cell culture supernatant were measured via commercial ELISA kits. ITGB1 expression was increased in exosomes from RC cells. The ratio of p-p65/p65 as well as levels of interleukins in lung fibroblasts was raised by exosomes derived from RC cells, while was reduced after down-regulation of exosomal ITGB1. The increased ratio of p-p65/p65 as well as levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines caused by exosomes from RC cells was reversed by the addition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) inhibitor. We concluded that the knockdown of RC cells-derived exosomal ITGB1 repressed activation of lung fibroblasts and the NF-κB pathway in vitro.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2015

Purpose: Although several clinical trials have proven the efficacy of adjuvant S-1 treatment in gastric cancers, it is still unclear which patients receive the most benefit. In this study, we prospectively recruited patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who had undergone curative resection followed by adjuvant S-1 administration to investigate which factors affect the outcomes. Materials and Methods: Between July 2010 and October 2011, we enrolled 49 patients who underwent curative resection for stage II or III gastric cancer and who subsequently received adjuvant S-1 treatment for 1 year. Results: Twenty-nine patients (59.2%) continued S-1 treatment for 1 year, and 12 patients (24.5%) experienced recurrent disease during the follow-up period. Patients with continuation of S-1 for 1 year had significantly increased rates of disease-free survival (P<0.001) and overall survival (P=0.001) relative to the patients who discontinued S-1 during year 1. Multivariate analysis indicated poor outcomes for patients with stage III disease and those who discontinued S-1 treatment. Excluding patients who discontinued S-1 due to cancer progression (n=7), adjuvant treatment with S-1 still demonstrated a significant difference in the disease-free survival rate between the patients who continued treatment and those who discontinued it (P=0.020). Conclusions: S-1 is tolerated as adjuvant treatment in gastric cancer patients. However, discontinuing S-1 treatment may be an unfavorable factor in the prevention of recurrence. S-1 adjuvant treatment should be continued for 1 year if possible through the proper management of toxicities.

• The Korean journal of helicobacter and upper gastrointestinal research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.258-263
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• 2018

Follicular lymphoma is the most common form of low-grade B cell lymphoma. Follicular lymphoma occurs predominantly at lymph node sites and rarely in the gastrointestinal tract. Rare gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma is most commonly found in the small intestine, especially in the duodenum, and appears as multiple granules. However, gastric follicular lymphoma mostly appears as a subepithelial tumor. We observed two primary gastric follicular lymphomas that resembled subepithelial tumors located in the body of the stomach. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed hypoechoic lesions located in the submucosa layer. Since endoscopic forceps biopsies were inconclusive, we performed endoscopic submucosal dissection, which resulted in a final pathologic diagnosis of follicular lymphoma. Because of the indolent nature of gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma, the "watch and wait" strategy can be applied in the early phase. The identification of endoscopic characteristics of gastric follicular lymphoma can be helpful for differential diagnosis and decision of treatment strategy. Therefore, we report two cases of primary gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma diagnosed following endoscopic submucosal dissection.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 2021

Purpose: To date, no studies have been performed on staging based on the lymph node ratio (LNR) in elderly patients with gastric cancer who may require limited lymph node (LN) dissection due to morbidity and tissue fragility. We aimed to develop a new N staging system using the LNR in elderly patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The present study included patients aged over 75 years who underwent curative gastrectomy between January 1989 and December 2018. Clinicopathological data including the number of retrieved and metastatic LNs were collected and the LNR values were obtained (LNR = the number of metastatic LNs/the number of retrieved LNs). Eleven LNR groups with intervals of 0.1 were divided into four stages based on the inflection points at which the hazard ratio (HR) increased. Survival analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of the LNR. Results: The four LNR stages included LNR0 (n=364), LNR1 (n=128), LNR2 (n=103), and LNR3 (n=10). In the multivariate analysis, both N staging and LNR staging exhibited significant prognostic values for predicting survival outcomes. However, the incremental change in the hazard ratio (HR) between consecutive stages was greater for the LNR staging than for the N staging (HRs: 1.607, 2.758, and 3.675 for N staging; 1.583, 3.514, and 10.261 for LNR staging). Conclusions: LNR staging is more useful than N staging in predicting the prognosis in elderly patients with gastric cancer and may be used as a complement or alternative to N staging.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.397-404
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• 2022

Background: Distant recurrence of esophageal cancer (EC), even after radical resection, is common, and the most frequent site of EC metastasis is the liver. However, a multidisciplinary treatment strategy for postoperative liver metastasis (LM) from EC has yet to be established; in particular, the role of liver-directed therapy (LDT) remains uncertain. We investigated the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients undergoing post-esophagectomy LM with versus without LDT to explore its therapeutic implications. Methods: Among 624 consecutive patients undergoing R0/R1 esophagectomy for EC, 30 were identified in whom LM had developed as the initial recurrence. Their characteristics were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Six of the 30 subjects underwent LDT for metachronous LM. Five of those 6 also received systemic chemotherapy. A comparison between the 6 LDT and 24 non-LDT cases revealed no significant differences in major clinicopathological and operative factors, except for concurrent metastasis to extrahepatic organs (1/6 vs. 15/24, p=0.044). Twenty-nine of the 30 patients died during the study period, whereas 1 who had received multimodal treatment with LDT remained alive more than 200 months after multiple LM had been detected. Kaplan-Meier analysis for survival after LM demonstrated significantly prolonged survival in LDT cases compared to non-LDT cases treated with systemic chemotherapy alone (p=0.014). Even when the analysis was limited to patients without extrahepatic metastasis, this significant prognostic advantage of LDT was maintained (p=0.047). Conclusion: Multimodal treatment combined with LDT might be beneficial for patients with metachronous LM from EC and should therefore be considered a potential treatment option.