To determine whether addition of simvastatin could be an important pharmacological rescue therapy for carvedilol non-responders. One hundred and two consecutive patients of cirrhosis of liver with significant portal hypertension were included. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) was measured at the base line and after proper optimization of dose; chronic response was assessed at 3 mo. Carvedilol non-responders were given simvastatin 20 mg per day (increased to 40 mg per day at day 15). Carvedilol plus simvastatin was continued for 1 mo and hemodynamic response was again measured at 1 mo. A total of 102 patients with mean age of 58.3 ± 6.6 years were included. Mean baseline HVPG was 16.75 ± 2.12 mmHg and after optimization of dose and reassessment of HVPG at 3 mo, mean reduction of HVPG from baseline was 5.5 ± 1.7 mmHg and 2.8 ± 1.6 mmHg among responders and non-responders respectively (P < 0.001). Addition of simvastatin to carvedilol non-responders resulted in significant response in 16 patients (42.1%) and thus overall response with carvedilol and carvedilol plus simvastatin was seen in 78 patients (80%). Two patients were removed in chronic protocol study with carvedilol and three patients were removed in carvedilol plus simvastatin study due to side effects. Addition of simvastatin to carvedilol non-responders may prove to be an excellent rescue therapy in patients with portal hypertension.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) originating from the gastrointestinal tract are considered to be relatively rare tumors with a poor prognosis. We describe a case of an 83-year-old male who presented with complains of bleeding per rectum. Colonoscopy revealed two ulceroproliferative tumors, one in the sigmoid colon and another in the descending colon. The patient underwent left hemicolectomy. Based on the immunohistochemistry, the sigmoid colon tumor was diagnosed as well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, whereas the descending colon tumor was diagnosed as NET. NET coexisted with adenocarcinoma occurring separately in the same segment of colon, as in the present case, is distinctly rare and has not been reported earlier. The coexistence of the NETs with other primary malignancies has been increasingly recognized. Therefore, we recommend that the patients with the diagnosis of NETs should undergo further screening for the associated primary malignancies to prevent late-stage diagnosis of synchronous malignancies.

Dedifferentiated liposarcomas (DDLPS) are rare, high-grade malignancies that usually originate in the retroperitoneum. Frequently, they present as asymptomatic masses, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, and weight loss. They tend to grow significantly and are usually large in size at the time of diagnosis. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment; however, local recurrence is common. When unresectable, they can invade local structures and produce a significant mass effect on the adjacent organs. Here we present the first case of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (MGOO) and acute pancreatitis from a retroperitoneal DDLPS.