Successful Treatment of Multiple Small-Bowel Perforations Caused by Cytomegalovirus in a Patient with Malignant Lymphoma: Report of a Case

We report the successful management of multiple small-bowel perforations caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in a 60-year-old man, 1 day after CHOP (cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone) therapy induction for malignant lymphoma. Emergency laparotomy was performed for perforative peritonitis, but we did not resect the lesions at this time. Instead, we exteriorized the small bowel and then irrigated the peritoneal cavity and intestinal tract. His white blood cell count was low, at 200 cells/μl, so this therapy was continued until it recovered. The intestine was highly edematous, but it improved after irrigation with peritoneal dialysis solution. In the second-stage procedure, we resected the small bowel with the perforations, and constructed a jejunostomy and colostomy, then closed the abdominal cavity. Although the patient needed central venous hyperalimentation, he had a favorable postoperative course and started treatment again for the malignant lymphoma.     

Membranous Glomerulonephritis Associated with Diffuse Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Report of a Case

Membranous glomerulonephritis is associated with a variety of malignant neoplasms. However, an association between membranous glomerulonephritis and pleural mesothelioma is very rare. We report herein a case of pleural mesothelioma associated with membranous glomerulonephritis. A 52-year-old man with severe proteinuria was diagnosed to have diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. A left extrapleural pneumonectomy was thus performed. The proteinuria resolved postoperatively. However, 6 months postoperatively, the proteinuria recurred. A renal biopsy revealed membranous glomerulonephritis. Simultaneously, a recurrence of the mesothelioma in the left pleural cavity was confirmed. Although rare, membranous glomerulonephritis appears to be one type of paraneoplastic syndrome associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Received: November 22, 1999 / Accepted: July 25, 2000     

Giant Malignant Cystic Pheochromocytoma: A Case Report

Cystic malignant pheochromocytomas are uncommon. Differing from solid pheochromocytomas, which produce catecholamines and present adrenergic syndrome, cystic pheochromocytomas, may not produce these. Preoperative diagnosis may be difficult. Ct scan is useful for preoperative management. In this report, we describe a case of a giant malignant cystic pheochromocytoma in a young woman (17 years old) which presented as giant abdominal mass. The malignancy was confirmed by the presence of liver metastasis. Two years after curative resection, the patient is in good health with no recurrence.     

Primary Malignant Mesothelioma of the Greater Omentum: Report of a Case

We report a rare case of primary malignant mesothelioma of the greater omentum. To our knowledge, only one other such case has been described in the English literature. The patient was a 61-year-old Taiwanese woman without any history of exposure to asbestos, who presented with lower back pain. Abdominal sonography and computed tomography showed a 12 × 9 × 9-cm³ mass occupying the lower abdomen. Laparotomy revealed a tumor in the greater omentum, invading the posterior wall of the uterus, without diffuse mesenteric thickening or multiple small nodules in the peritoneum. We performed en bloc resection of the mass, which involved omentectomy, hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Microscopically, the tumor cells were arranged in a tubulopapillary pattern lined by a single layer of uniform, cuboidal cells. A pattern of sclerotic stroma with irregular glandular elements was also recognized. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed strong positivity for calretinin. The final pathologic diagnosis was malignant mesothelioma. The patient did not receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and has remained in good health without any evidence of recurrence for almost 3 years since her operation.     

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Small Intestine: a Case Report

The small intestine is the most common site of gastro-intestinal metastasis from cutaneous malignant melanoma. A primary origin at this site has been reported in rare cases. We report a case of a 71-year-old man with a primary malignant melanoma in the jejunum. The patient presented with weakness, weight loss, non-specific abdominal pain and episodes of fainting. After clinical examination, laboratory evaluation and radiological work-up, which included CT of the abdomen, the patient was diagnosed with a tumour mass in the jejunum. This diagnosis was confirmed at laparotomy. The patient underwent enterectomy with wide excision of the tumour. A primary malignant melanoma of the small intestine is an extremely rare neoplasm.

A definite diagnosis can only be made after a thorough investigation has been made to exclude the co-existence of a primary lesion elsewhere. Curative resection of the tumour remains the treatment of choice.     

Primary Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Ascending Colon: Report of a Case

We report a rare case of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the ascending colon. A 66-year-old man presented to our hospital with epigastralgia, and abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a large soft-tissue mass in the ascending colon. Barium enema and endoscopic examination showed a huge tumor in the ascending colon. At laparotomy, we found a tumor in the ascending colon and performed a right hemicolectomy with en bloc lymph node dissection. The resected specimen contained a tumor measuring 14.5 × 8.0 × 4.5cm, the cut surface of which was yellowish. Based on histological and immunohistological studies, the tumor was diagnosed as MFH of the ascending colon. To our knowledge, only 20 cases of colorectal MFH, including our case, have been documented, which we review following this case report.     

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Small Intestine: Report of a Case

The small intestine is the most common site of gastrointestinal (GI) metastases from cutaneous malignant melanoma; however, primary malignant melanoma originating in the small intestine is extremely rare. We report the case of a 72-year-old man found to have a primary malignant melanoma in the ileum. The patient presented with anorexia, weight loss, diffuse colicky abdominal pain, and episodic rectal bleeding. A preoperative diagnosis of a small intestinal tumor was based on the findings of enteroclysis and computed tomography scanning. This diagnosis was confirmed at laparotomy and an enterectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen clarified the exact nature of the lesion, confirming the diagnosis of melanoma. A thorough postoperative investigation did not reveal a primary lesion in the skin, anus, oculus, or any other location. Thus, we diagnosed this tumor as a primary lesion. One year after his operation, the patient remains well without any evidence of recurrence. Primary malignant melanoma of the small intestine is an extremely rare lesion, which must be differentiated from other intestinal tumors. Received: August 6, 2001 / Accepted: March 5, 2002     

Situs Inversus Totalis with Malignant Lymphoma of the Stomach: Report of a Case

Situs inversus totalis is a rare congenital anomaly that often occurs concomitantly with other disorders. We report a case of situs inversus totalis with malignant lymphoma of the stomach, which was successfully treated by surgery followed by chemotherapy and irradiation. The patient was a 51-year-old woman who present with colicky pain in the left upper quadrant of her abdomen. Chest X-ray showed a right-sided heart, and ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a situs inversus totalis with multiple gallstones in the gallbladder. Tree-dimensional reconstructed CT of the abdomen showed no other malformations coexisting with situs inversus totalis, but a barium upper gastrointestinal series found an inverted stomach and an elevated tumor with ulceration in the center, localized in the antrum of the stomach. First, we performed a cholecystectomy, followed by a total gastrectomy with dissection of the lymph nodes and splenectomy, and Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma of the stomach (diffuse large B-cell type) with metastasis to the regional lymph nodes. Chemotherapy using the CHOP regimen was given three times, starting 1 month postoperatively. A follow-up CT scan showed enlargement of one lymph node around the abdominal aorta and irradiation was delivered to the area of the inverted Y in the abdomen. At the time of writing, 10 months after surgery, the patient is well with no signs of recurrence and leading a normal life. Careful preoperative assessment is very important for determining the most appropriate surgical procedure in patients with situs inversus totalis associated with a malignancy. Received: April 25, 2002 / Accepted: November 19, 2002 RID="*" ID="*" Reprint requests to: S. Murakami     

Malignant Adenomyoepithelioma of the Breast with Lung Metastases: Report of a Case

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast is a rare lesion, and has a bicellular pattern of epithelial and myoepithelial cells which are regularly distributed in the tubular structures based on the histologic and ultrastructural features. It is thought to be a benign or a low-grade malignant disease. We herein describe a case of malignant adenomyoepithelioma of the breast with lung metastases in an 86-year-old woman. A primary massive tumor in the left breast grew rapidly within a short period of time. A simple mastectomy with sampling of the axillary lymph nodes was performed. The obtained lymph nodes did not include any metastatic lesions. Malignancy was evidenced by the presence of a high mitotic rate and severe nuclear atypia. Three months after the operation, radiology showed multiple lung metastases, and the patient died 2 weeks thereafter. Reviewing the literature, nine similar cases were reported, and the prognosis of malignant adenomyoepithelioma of the breast with distant metastases was very poor with the time of recurrence varying after initial treatments. Malignant adenomyoepithelioma should be followed up with careful screening for distant metastases. Received: November 16, 2000 / Accepted: May 15, 2001     

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Abdominal Cavity: Report of a Case

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is a soft-tissue sarcoma originating from fibroblast cells, characterized by a high rate of metastasis or recurrence. This tumor rarely develops in the gastrointestinal tract, with no more than 30 cases described in the literature. We report a case of MFH of the abdominal cavity in a 45-year-old woman who presented with epigastric pain, anorexia, and weight loss. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed multiple solid tumors in the peritoneal cavity. We performed exploratory laparotomy and found at least 15 solid whitish tumors attached to the wall of the small intestine, as well as to the parietal peritoneum. There were three metastases in the liver. All of the tumors were excised, most of which were about 10cm in diameter. Histopathological findings indicated a stromal tumor consisting of spindle cells, and immunohistochemical examination of the resected specimens established the definite diagnosis of a pleomorphic MFH. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was given adjuvant chemotherapy. She is currently well 2 years after her operation. We review the clinical picture of this tumor in the abdominal cavity, and discuss its diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment.     

Successful Treatment of Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma Originating in the Chest Wall: Report of a Case

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) rarely originates in the chest wall, so its clinical features are not well defined. We report a case of MFH that recurred locally 3 years after primary resection. The patient, a 59-year-old woman, underwent wide excision, and is alive without recurrence 7 months after the operation. We reviewed the clinical features and treatment strategies of the total 39 cases of MFH originating in the chest wall reported from Japan. The fact that all patients who underwent wide excision with negative margins at the primary operation were alive without recurrence at the time of each report, despite a local recurrence rate as high as 40%, shows the importance of this operative strategy. Thus, early diagnosis of MFH of the chest wall is essential for improving the outcome of these patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radiation therapy may be worthwhile for patients with advanced disease.     

Metastatic Gastric Cancer from Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: Report of a Case

Metastatic gastric cancer originating from malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is rare. To our knowledge, only nine other cases have been reported. We report the case of a 75-year-old man who underwent a distal gastrectomy for advanced gastric carcinoma, 2 years after resection of an MFH from the left side of his back. We based our preliminary diagnosis of primary advanced gastric carcinoma on the results of a preoperative biopsy specimen, which suggested either poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or nonepithelial cell-originating malignant disease-like lymphoma. The resected stomach contained a large ulcerative tumor in the antral section, which was positive for Kp-1 and S-100 by immunohistochemical staining, confirming a pathological diagnosis of metastatic MFH of the stomach. He died of recurrence in the mediastinal space 16 months after the gastrectomy. Our analysis of this and previous cases suggests that resection may be inappropriate for patients with gastric metastasis of MFH because of the extremely high malignant potential of this tumor.     

Surgical Intervention for Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Lung: Report of a Case

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the lung is rare, accounting for less than 0.2% of all pulmonary neoplasms, and an optimal treatment strategy has not yet been elucidated. We encountered a 62-year-old male patient with MFH of the lung who underwent a resection of the lymph node of recurrence 7 months after a lobectomy. We herein review 93 cases of pulmonary MFH in the literature, and discuss the surgical treatment for this disorder with special reference to lymph node involvement. Lymphogenic metastasis was observed in 14 of 72 cases (19%) who underwent surgical treatment. The 5-year survival rates for these reported patients with and without surgical treatment were 43% and 0% (P = 0.01) and the 5-year survival rates for “resected” patients with and without lymph node metastasis were 27% and 49%, respectively (P = 0.03). A complete resection with the systematic dissection of regional lymph nodes is therefore considered to positively contribute to the survival of patients with primary pulmonary MFH.     

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Ileum at a Site of Previous Surgery: Report of a Case

Sarcomas rarely arise in the intestinum, and leiomyosarcoma represents the majority of cases. With only seven cases reported in the available English literature up to now, malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the small intestine is exceedingly rare. Moreover, follow-up data are almost completely unavailable. We present herein the unique case of a malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising in a postoperatively adherent intestinal loop. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case ever to be described. The clinical history and the intraoperative findings suggested that chronic postoperative repair processes might have been a promoting factor in the tumorigenesis of this neoplasm, on the analogy of malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising at different sites. The patient recovered well but 9.5 years after surgical removal, a solitary recurrent tumor developed in the urinary bladder and progressed rapidly, highlighting the need for long-term, possibly life-long, surveillance of patients with this rare type of intestinal cancer. Received: February 25, 2000 / Accepted: September 26, 2000     

Multiple Thymoma with Myasthenia Gravis: Report of a Case

A resected case of multiple thymoma is reported. The patient was a 47-year-old man with myasthenia gravis of Ossermann IIB type. Multiple thymomas were detected on a chest computed tomography scan and an extended thymothymectomy was performed. There were two separate thymomas in the anterior mediastinum: one measuring 60 × 60 mm and another measuring 25 × 25 mm in diameter, and both tumors pathologically consisted of predominantly lymphocytic forms. Received: November 9, 2001 / Accepted: July 2, 2002 Reprint requests to: H. Ishibashi     

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus Arising from a Melanotic Lesion: Report of a Case

We herein report a case of primary esophageal malignant melanoma in which the development from a preceding benign melanotic lesion and the growing process of the tumor were chronologically observed by serial endoscopic examinations. Biopsy specimens repeatedly taken from the tumor failed to identify the presence of malignant melanoma. A positron emission tomography scan and gross changes of the tumor endoscopically observed were useful for detecting the presence of malignant transformation. The patient eventually died of generalized metastatic disease soon after undergoing an esophagectomy. An early diagnosis may therefore be crucial for improving the treatment outcome of esophageal malignant melanoma. Therefore, esophageal melanotic lesions should be carefully followed up even if biopsy specimens repeatedly show no malignancy.     

Achalasia Complicated by Multiple Intramucosal Carcinomas: Report of a Case

A 56-year-old woman underwent a laparoscopic Heller–Dor operation for esophageal achalasia in June 2002. As dysphagia became exacerbated and the oral intake became extremely poor, an esophagectomy was thus considered to be indicated. In September 2005, a transhiatal esophagectomy was performed, and the esophagus was reconstructed using a gastric tube through the posterior mediastinum. The patient developed pneumonia postoperatively, but responded to conservative therapy and was discharged in good health 30 days after surgery. A histopathological analysis demonstrated degeneration and a loss of gangliocytes throughout the esophagus as well as the presence of seven intramucosal cancers. The main cause of dysphagia was due to a marked flexion of the upper esophagus. Even though we identified a precancerous state, we believe that surgery was an appropriate option in this case.     

Multiple Pulmonary Hamartomas Penetrating the Visceral Pleura: Report of a Case

We report a case of multiple pulmonary hamartomas with a very unusual growth pattern. A 63-year-old woman underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery to investigate a round shadow seen on a routine chest radiograph. We found two tumors in the right S4, penetrating the visceral pleura and adhered to the right upper and lower lobes, respectively. Both tumors were removed and diagnosed histologically as pulmonary hamartoma. We hypothesized that these subpleural hamartomas might have grown invasively to penetrate the visceral pleura.     

Surgical Treatment of Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma in the Left Atrium and Pulmonary Veins: Report of a Case

This report describes the case of a 16-year-old boy who underwent surgical treatment of a cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). He was admitted to our hospital for exertional dyspnea. An ultracardiogram (UCG) revealed a tumor about 10 cm in diameter, in the left atrium. Extirpation of the left atrial tumor, including the part extending into the pulmonary veins, was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. Histological examination confirmed a diagnosis of MFH. No adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy was given. While there has been no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis in the 9 months since his operation, strict follow-up is being done by UCG and computed tomography. A few reviews of this entity have been reported; however, they have confused autopsy cases with surgical cases. Therefore, we reviewed only the surgical cases of this type of cardiac tumor documented in the literature. According to our review of the literature, this patient is the youngest among the 42 cases of surgically treated cardiac MFH reported to date. Received: December 28, 2000 / Accepted: September 11, 2001