BACKGROUNDThe purpose of this study was to reveal the clinical characteristics of nonleukemic granulocytic sarcoma (GS) and an association between the therapeutic regimens and the nonleukemic period.METHODClinical records of 2 patients reported here and 72 patients gathered using a literature search on Medline from other institutions were analyzed. The patients consisted of 57 patients who preceded acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) and 17 patients who did not develop ANLL. These patients were divided into 3 groups by therapeutic regimens; Group I included 12 patients who received only biopsy or surgical resection of the tumor, Group II was 20 patients who received local irradiation for the tumor, and Group III consisted of 42 patients who received systemic chemotherapy. The nonleukemic periods between these groups were compared. In Group III, the period in the patients who were treated with chemotherapy given to ANLL was compared with that in the patients who received chemotherapy used for malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (MLPDs).RESULTSThirty‐five patients (47%) initially were misdiagnosed, and the disease was most often malignant lymphoma. Preferential sites of GS were the small intestine, mediastinum, epidural site, uterus, and ovary, which often are difficult for the detection and diagnosis in addition to the skin and lymph nodes known commonly. The nonleukemic period after the diagnosis of GS was significantly longer in Group III than in the other groups (median, 12 months in Group III vs. 3 and 6 months in Groups I and II, respectively). The aggressive chemotherapy given to ANLL led to a longer nonleukemic period than the chemotherapy used for MLPDs.CONCLUSIONSTo reduce the risk of subsequent ANLL in patients with nonleukemic GS, it is important that accurate histologic diagnosis is established initially for GS and that all isolated cases of GS, even those that appear to be cured by resection or irradiation of the tumor, are treated with intensive chemotherapy similar to that used to treat ANLL during the nonleukemic period as soon as possible. Cancer 2002;94:1739–46. © 2002 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.10399

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Background. The accurate diagnosis of biliary strictures remains problematic. The aim of the present study was to prospectively evaluate the clinical utility of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) under the direct view of peroral cholangioscopy (POCS) for the diagnosis of biliary strictures. Methods. Consecutive patients with biliary strictures were included. We investigated sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to diagnose malignancy for (1) ERCP alone, (2) POCS, (3) pCLE under the direct view of POCS, and (4) tissue sampling under the direct view of POCS. Results. A total of 30 patients (17 with malignant lesions) were prospectively enrolled. (1) ERCP alone showed 88.2% sensitivity, 46.2% specificity, and 70% (95% confidence interval (CI), 52.1%–83.3%) accuracy. (2) POCS showed 100% sensitivity, 76.9% specificity, and 90% (95% CI, 74.4%–96.5%) accuracy. (3) pCLE under the direct view of POCS showed 94.1% sensitivity, 92.3% specificity, and 93.3% (95% CI, 78.7%–98.8%) accuracy. (4) Tissue sampling under the direct view of POCS showed 82.4% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 90% (95% CI, 74.4%–96.5%) accuracy. Conclusions. pCLE under the direct view of POCS provided highly accurate and sensitive characterization of biliary strictures and showed the potential for more diagnostic reliability and reduction of delays in diagnosis. This trial was registered at UMIN (registration number: UMIN000033801).

Background and study aims Endoscopic resection of duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (DNETs) remains controversial, and its indications are still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate short-term outcomes of a newly developed endoscopic muscularis resection (EMR) method that utilizes an over-the-scope clip (OTSC), termed EMRO, for treating DNETs. Patients and methods In total, 13 consecutive patients with 14 small (≤ 10 mm) DNETs who underwent EMRO from September 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. EMRO was performed by a single experienced endoscopist. Patients’ characteristics and treatment outcomes were assessed. Results The En bloc and R0 resection rates were 100 % (14/14) and 92.9 % (13/14), respectively. The median pathological resected specimen size was 10 mm, with a median pathological resected tumor size of 6 mm. During the EMRO procedure, there was no occurrence of misplacement of the OTSC to the target lesion. With respect to the pathological resection depth, nine cases (64.3 %) and five cases (35.7 %) were categorized as deep submucosal resection and muscularis resection, respectively, whereas no case was categorized as full-thickness resection. There were no intraoperative or delayed perforations. However, delayed bleeding occurred in two cases. At a median follow-up of 12 months (range 7–36) after EMRO, there was no incidence of local recurrence. At the first follow-up endoscopy performed at 6 months after EMRO, the OTSC was retained in place in two of 14 DNETs (14.3 %). Conclusions EMRO can be performed safely, by an experienced endoscopist, for small (≤ 10 mm) DNETs.