1/21. Cronkhite-canada syndrome with colon cancer, portal thrombosis, high titer of antinuclear antibodies, and membranous glomerulonephritis. A 64-year-old man, who came to us with diarrhea, presented with ectodermal changes such as hyperpigmentation, alopecia, and onychatrophy, and was affected by polyposis in the colorectum and stomach. The polyps were histologically consistent with those in Cronkhite-canada syndrome (CCS). Interestingly, the patient also had colon cancer, as well as portal thrombosis and a high concentration of antinuclear antibody. Treatment with prednisolone ameliorated the symptoms and the gastrointestinal polyposis, while the cancer was successfully treated with a hemicolectomy. Six months after the surgery, the patient developed nephropathy, with nephrotic-range proteinuria, without recurrence of the cancer. The biopsied renal specimen showed membranous glomerulonephritis. This is a rare case of CCS associated with various complications such as colon cancer, portal vein thrombosis, a high titer of antinuclear antibodies, and membranous glomerulonephritis. Although the pathogenesis of CCS is essentially unknown, these complications might have been indicative of an underlying immunological abnormality. ( info) |
2/21. Localized giant inflammatory polyposis of the cecum associated with distal ulcerative colitis. This case report describes a 68-year-old man who presented with bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) and gastric carcinoma. During evaluation, including a colonoscopy, he was found to have distal colitis and a giant polypoid lesion in the cecum that was diagnosed as localized giant inflammatory polyposis (LGIP) by magnifying colonoscopy. The patient was treated over a period of 3 years without surgery, and the LGIP was reduced in size during the follow-up period. Magnifying observation was useful to distinguish LGIP from a neoplastic lesion. ( info) |
3/21. The concomitant occurrence of multiple epidermal cysts, osteomas and thyroid gland nodules is not diagnostic for gardner syndrome in the absence of intestinal polyposis: a clinical and genetic report. gardner syndrome, a phenotypic variant of familial adenomatous polyposis, is characterized by the classical clinical triad of skin and soft tissue tumours, osteomas and intestinal polyposis, but disease patterns with pairs of these findings have also been reported. Different mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene have been shown to be associated with gardner syndrome disease phenotypes. A 36-year-old patient presented with multiple epidermal cysts on the face, left ear lobe and neck, and the possible diagnosis of gardner syndrome was based on the additional findings of two classical osteomas in the left radius and ulna and a cold non-malignant nodule of the thyroid gland. intestinal polyposis was lacking at the time of examination. Major deletions but not microdeletions were excluded by a cytogenetic analysis with 650 chromosomal bands per haploid set. Systematic sequencing of the entire coding region of the APC gene (> 8500 bp) of the patient and five healthy controls was also performed. As a results, new APC gene polymorphisms were identified in exons 13 [A545A (A/G)] and 15 [G1678G (A/G), S1756S (G/T), P1960P (A/G)]. We also detected D1822V (A/T) which has recently been reported to be potentially related to colorectal carcinoma, and genotyped 194 randomly chosen healthy individuals from the Glasgow area for this as well as for the above variants in exons 13 and 15. Interestingly, of the 194 controls, 112 carried the DD (57.7%), 71 the DV (36.6%), and the remaining 11 (5.7%), including our patient, the VV genotype. It is therefore unlikely that APC D1822V serves as an important marker for colorectal carcinoma. In conclusion, we failed to identify obvious germline candidate mutations in > 8500 bp of the coding region of the APC gene in a patient with multiple epidermal cysts, osteomas and a thyroid gland nodule; major chromosomal deletions were excluded. Therefore, we assume that only the presence of intestinal polyposis is a marker for gardner syndrome. ( info) |
4/21. Cronkhite-canada syndrome with adenomatous and carcinomatous transformation of colonic polyp. We describe a 70-year-old woman who presented with watery diarrhea and was found to have gastric and colonic polyposis, cutaneous hyperpigmentation, alopecia and onychodystrophy (Cronkhite-canada syndrome). histology of a polyp from the stomach showed features of juvenile or retention type (hamartomatous) polyp. One colonic polyp revealed features of tubular adenoma, with moderate dysplasia. Another large pedunculated colonic polyp showed a tubulovillous adenoma with a focus of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma confined to the submucosa of the stalk. Adenomatous and carcinomatous epithelial changes can occur in Cronkhite-canada syndrome. ( info) |
5/21. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a patient with T-prolymphocytic leukemia with small-intestinal involvement. Although T-prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is characterized by organ infiltration, small-intestinal involvement is rare. We performed an unrelated allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a patient with T-PLL who had multiple lymphomatous polyposis of the small intestine refractory to combination chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone [COP] and fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide). The patient developed no graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and remains in complete remission 16 months after the transplantation. T-PLL is usually refractory to chemotherapy and is a T-cell malignancy with poor prognosis. There have been several reports on allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for T-PLL, but none on allo-HSCT for T-PLL patients with intestinal involvement. It is suggested that allo-HSCT may improve the prognosis in patients with T-PLL involving the small intestine. ( info) |
6/21. Cronkhite-canada syndrome containing colon cancer and serrated adenoma lesions. We describe a case of Cronkhite-canada syndrome associated with sigmoid colon cancer, and provide a literature review. A 77-year-old man was diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer after presenting with hypoproteinemia, nail atrophy, loss of scalp hair, hyperpigmentation, and gastrointestinal polyposis. The findings were consistent with Cronkhite-canada syndrome. The colon polyps were histologically serrated adenomas, whose crypts showed a saw-toothed growth pattern with dysplasia, or tubular adenoma. Cronkhite-canada syndrome associated with colon cancer has been reported in 31 cases. The availability of histologic material permitted reexamination of 25 of these cases. Serrated adenoma of the polypoid lesions was retrospectively found in 10 (40%) of the 25 cases. By comparison, the incidence of serrated adenomas has been estimated to occur in about 1% of all general polyps. Taken together, it is suggested that Cronkhite-canada syndrome associated with colorectal cancer frequently has polyps containing serrated adenoma lesions. In the case described here, microsatellite instability and overexpression of the p53 protein were found in the cancer lesion and serrated adenoma lesions, and none of the lesions showed a loss of heterozygosity of various genes or K-RAS mutations. Thus, genetic alterations between the serrated adenoma and the colorectal cancer was correlated in this case. These findings suggested the possibility of a serrated adenoma-carcinoma sequence in this case of Cronkhite-canada syndrome. ( info) |
7/21. A case of Cronkhite-canada syndrome with vestibular disturbances. A 66-year-old Japanese man with Cronkhite-canada syndrome (CCS) presented with complaints of long-lasting dysequilibrium. On neuro-otological examination, he showed gaze-evoked nystagmus at the rightward and leftward gaze, and saccadic pursuit. On the caloric test, he showed no response in either side, and on the head-impulse test he showed bilateral loss of vestibule-ocular reflexes around the yaw axis, while he had bilateral normal responses on the vestibular-evoked myogenic potential testing. Neuro-otological findings suggested that he had lesions in the peripheral vestibular system as well as the central nervous system. Neurological disorders such as sensory neuropathy have been reported in patients with CCS. This patient's balance problems could be due to CCS itself. ( info) |
8/21. Successful treatment of cap polyposis with infliximab. Cap polyposis is a disorder characterized by bloody diarrhea with rectosigmoid polyps covered by a cap of fibropurulent exudate. The pathogenesis is unknown, but histological features suggest that mucosal prolapse may play a role. Drug therapies are usually unsuccessful, and treatment requires sigmoid resection or, if the disease recurs after initial surgical resection, panproctocolectomy. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman with characteristic clinical, endoscopic, and histological features of cap polyposis. Investigations included normal anorectal manometry and defecography, without evidence of prolapse. The patient's disease was unresponsive to treatment with mesalamine, antibiotics, lidocaine enemas, and corticosteroids. One infusion of infliximab 5 mg/kg provided dramatic symptomatic improvement but minimal endoscopic or histological change. After 4 infliximab infusions at 8-week intervals, endoscopy of the rectum and sigmoid colon was normal, and biopsies showed complete histological resolution of the inflammatory process. Well-being with normal endoscopy and histology has been maintained at 38 months, without further treatment. It was concluded that infliximab is effective therapy for cap polyposis and avoids the requirement for surgery. No clinical evidence was obtained to support mucosal prolapse as a causative factor, but the response to infliximab suggests a role for tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the pathogenesis of this disorder. ( info) |
9/21. Multiple lymphomatous polyposis of the gastrointestinal tract. CONTEXT: Gastrointestinal multiple lymphomatous polyposis is a rare type of malignant lymphoma that has aggressive biological behavior, early systemic dissemination and poor prognosis. It is considered to be a manifestation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and represents the gastrointestinal counterpart of mantle cell nodal lymphoma. OBJECTIVE: A case of gastrointestinal multiple lymphomatous polyposis is presented and the anatomopathological, clinical, diagnostic and treatment aspects of this unusual neoplasia are discussed. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 59-year-old white male with a complaint of asthenia, night sweating, alteration in intestinal habit and weight loss over the preceding two months. The physical examination showed pallid mucosa and a palpable mass in the epigastrium and mesogastrium. endoscopy of the upper digestive tract showed the presence of gastric and duodenal polyps. An opaque enema showed multiple polypoid lesions, especially in the cecum. A rectal biopsy revealed infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa by diffuse lymphoma consisting of small cleaved cells. Immunohistochemical study showed lymphocytes that expressed the antibody CD20 (L-26) and light-chain kappa (k) immunoglobulin, but not light-chain lambda (l) immunoglobulin. The patient presented a condition of acute intestinal obstruction with the presence of a mesenteric mass formed by agglutinated lymph nodes that surrounded the proximal ileum, thereby obstructing its lumen. He was submitted to a segmental enterectomy and gastrotomy with excisional biopsies of the gastric polypoid lesions. After two cycles of chemotherapy there was a worsening of the general state, with an increase in the dimensions of the abdominal masses and sepsis, accompanied by progressive respiratory insufficiency, leading to death. ( info) |
10/21. Possible relationship between helicobacter pylori infection and cap polyposis of the colon. BACKGROUND: Cap polyposis is a rarely encountered disease characterized by multiple distinctive inflammatory colonic polyps located from the rectum to the distal colon. The etiology of this disease is still unknown, and no specific treatment has been established. AIM: We report three cases of cap polyposis that were cured following eradication therapy for helicobacter pylori infection. methods AND RESULTS: Three women were referred to Shinshu University Hospital because of mucoid and/or bloody diarrhea. Laboratory data showed hypoproteinemia in all cases; markers of inflammation such as c-reactive protein were negative. colonoscopy revealed multiple sessile polyps with mucus adherent on the apices of the mucosal folds in the rectum and/or the sigmoid colon. The intervening mucosa was normal. Microscopic examinations of biopsy specimens taken from sessile polyps revealed inflamed mucosa with elongated tortuous crypts attenuated towards the mucosal surface. A granulation tissue 'cap' was observed on the surface of the mucosa. Various treatments were unsuccessful, including administration of metronidazole or prednisolone, avoidance of straining at defecation, and surgical or endoscopic resection. All were diagnosed with H. pylori infection in the stomach. helicobacter pylori was not detected in the biopsy specimens from the colonic inflammatory polyps by immunohistochemical study using polyclonal anti-H. pylori antibody. After successful eradication therapy the clinical symptoms improved. Disappearance of cap polyposis was confirmed by colonoscopy in all three cases. CONCLUSION: We speculate that H. pylori infection might play a role in the pathogenesis of cap polyposis. ( info) |