Publications by authors named "A Mitsuma"
Article Synopsis
- Lenvatinib is the main treatment for advanced thyroid cancer that's resistant to radioactive iodine, but it can cause serious side effects that often lead to dose changes or interruptions.
- Recent studies suggest that taking breaks ("planned drug holidays") from the medication could help manage these side effects while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
- In a study involving 262 patients, those who took planned drug holidays showed significantly better clinical outcomes, including longer overall survival and progression-free survival rates compared to those who continued without breaks.
Article Synopsis
- Antiangiogenic chemotherapy is crucial in cancer treatment, but no reliable way exists to predict its effects and side effects in patients.
- A study used a nonmydriatic retinal camera to measure retinal blood vessel sizes in 10 colorectal cancer patients before and after they received specific chemotherapy drugs.
- Results showed that patients who responded to treatment had a significant decrease in retinal microvessel diameters, suggesting that this measurement could serve as a useful biomarker for evaluating tumor response to antiangiogenic therapy.
Article Synopsis
- A 57-year-old woman with HER2-positive recurrent gastric cancer developed severe thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) after starting treatment with S-1, oxaliplatin, and trastuzumab.
- After ruling out oxaliplatin, her condition was linked to trastuzumab, confirmed by findings of abnormal megakaryocytes in her bone marrow and high levels of platelet-associated IgG.
- Treatment with oral prednisolone quickly improved her platelet count, and she tolerated S-1 and oxaliplatin in later cycles without recurrence of severe thrombocytopenia.
Article Synopsis
- Vitiligo is a skin condition that can occur as an immune response during treatment for melanoma with immune checkpoint inhibitors, like nivolumab.
- Patients with vitiligo often show a better therapeutic response to melanoma treatments, but it's unclear if this applies to amelanotic melanoma, which has little pigmentation.
- A case study of a patient with amelanotic melanoma of the esophagus treated with nivolumab showed a positive tumor response and subsequent development of vitiligo, suggesting a potential link between vitiligo and treatment effectiveness in this specific subtype.