BackgroundInflammation is a critical component of tumorigenesis, and many cancers arise from sites of infection, chronic irritation, and inflammation. Inflammatory cytokines triggered by tumors alter hematologic components, including neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios have been shown to be valuable prognostic markers in various types of cancers, including bladder cancer. Risk stratification based on clinicopathologic data is insufficient to support treatment-related choices in patients with bladder cancer. Novel prognostic markers are therefore needed. An elevated pretreatment lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is reportedly associated with improved overall survival (OS) and a longer time to treatment recurrence (TTR) in some types of cancers. However, these data are lacking in patients with bladder cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the preoperative LMR on OS and TTR in a cohort of patients with bladder cancer.MethodsSixty-eight patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were included in this retrospective analysis. The associations between a high and low LMR with OS and TTR were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier curves and compared by the log-rank test.ResultsIn our study cohort, an elevated preoperative LMR was significantly associated with an increased TTR (P = 0.001) and OS (P = 0.020). Patients with an LMR of ≤2.87 showed a median TTR of 2.0 years (95% CI, 0.27–3.73), whereas patients with an LMR of >2.87 had a median TTR of 11.1 years (95% CI, 2.31–19.88) (P = 0.001). Patients with an LMR of ≤2.81 showed a median OS of 2.7 years (95% CI, 0.63–4.70), whereas patients with an LMR of >2.81 had a median OS of 6.0 years (95% CI, 3.60–8.40) (P = 0.020). The clinical stage at diagnosis was the only clinicopathologic feature associated with the LMR, while tumor invasion depth showed borderline significance.ConclusionsThe LMR is an easily measured and inexpensive prognostic marker that was significantly correlated with OS and TTR in the present retrospective analysis. However, because of the small sample size in this study, larger multicenter, prospective studies are needed.

Bezoar-induced small bowel obstruction is a rare entity. It should be highly suspected in patients with gastric hypomotility disorders, psychiatric conditions, prior abdominal or bariatric surgery, or improper intake of medication. Their diagnosis is quite challenging and surgical exploration remains the best treatment of choice to ensure the viability of the small bowel tissue and relieve the obstruction. This is a case of a 48-year-old female with no previous abdominal surgery who presented with acute abdominal pain. The patient's history was remarkable for the daily ingestion of 1.5 teaspoons of Metamucil with minimal amount of water. Computed tomography scan demonstrated dilated small bowel loops and a transition zone at the level of the mid jejunum. On laparoscopy, the patient was found to have a hard mass in the mid jejunum amenable to gentle fragmentation and breakdown. Metamucil bezoars are due to the solidification of psyllium-based substances in the gastrointestinal tract. The usual management of small bowel obstruction induced by a bezoar is exploratory laparotomy with enterotomy and primary anastomosis. Laparoscopic intervention has gained popularity among surgeons with good outcome and lower morbidity. In this unusual case, the small bowel obstruction induced by the Metamucil bezoar was safely treated with laparoscopic fragmentation alone.

We present a case of a healthy young female with axillary vein compression caused by the pectoralis minor muscle. Diagnosis was made by clinical findings and dynamic venography. After pectoralis minor tenotomy, the patient had total resolution of her symptoms. Compression of the axillary vein by the pectoralis minor is a rare entity that needs a careful exam and imaging to reach its diagnosis and establish the appropriate treatment.