Retrorectal cystic hamartoma as benign cause of CA 19-9 elevation

Malignant transformation of tailgut cysts is significantly higher than previously reported: systematic review of cases in the literature

AIM

The best treatment for tailgut cysts has not been firmly established. We report a systematic review of the cases in the available literature in order to provide an evidence base for treatment.

METHOD

A systematic search of articles wholly or partly in English was made of PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar; additional studies were discovered by searching reference lists and contacting authors directly. Search terms 'tailgut cyst', 'tail gut cyst', 'retrorectal hamartoma' and 'retrorectal tumour' were used for case reports or case series; no publication date restrictions were imposed. Only studies with histological confirmation of diagnosis and reporting the age and gender of patients were included. Papers were excluded by consensus between the first two authors.

RESULTS

A total of 196 individual cases were analysed in detail including 51 cases of neoplasia. The overall rate of neoplastic transformation was 26.6%. Although the male:female cyst incidence ratio was 1:4, men over 18 had a significantly greater relative risk of neoplasm at 1.94 (P = 0.0055). Radiological evidence of nodular thickening of the cyst wall significantly increased the relative risk of the presence of cancer (P = 0.0023).

CONCLUSIONS

Current orthodoxy that these are not dangerous embryological remnants is unfounded and may be false. The available data suggest the risk of malignant transformation is high and will apply to any residual tissue after excision. The same rationale behind total mesorectal excision in rectal cancer applies to tailgut cysts. Consequently they should be resected with similar oncological margins.

Granular cell tumor of the esophagus with elevated preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9: a case report

A 59-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital for treatment of a submucosal tumor of the esophagus detected by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and computed tomography (CT). Endoscopic examination revealed a submucosal tumor in the esophagus 35 cm from the incisor teeth. Biopsy of the lesions identified granular cell tumor. CT indicated a projecting and slightly enhanced homogenous mass measuring 2.0 × 1.5 cm in the esophagus below the tracheal bifurcation. Serum tumor marker studies revealed elevated carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9. Therefore, the tumor was considered to have malignant potential, and surgical resection was performed. The final pathologic diagnosis was a benign granular cell tumor, positive for S-100 protein. The patient was doing well with normal CA 19-9 levels and no recurrence more than 5 years after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a granular cell tumor with elevated serum CA 19-9.

Schwannoma of the stomach with elevated preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9: report of a case

We herein report a case of a gastric schwannoma with elevated preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (155.2 U/ml, normal range 0-36.9 U/ml). A 59-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital for treatment of a submucosal tumor of the stomach detected by barium meal, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and computed tomography. Endoscopic examination revealed a 3-cm diameter submucosal tumor in the antrum of the stomach, but biopsy of the lesion was unable to confirm the diagnosis. Positron emission tomography to evaluate the malignant potential showed a high uptake of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the tumor. Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy was therefore performed. The histopathological findings of the surgical specimen revealed a benign gastric schwannoma, positive for S-100 protein. The postoperative serum CA19-9 levels gradually decreased and normalized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a gastric schwannoma with elevated serum CA19-9.