Long-term outcomes of preoperative docetaxel with cisplatin plus S-1 therapy for gastric cancer with extensive nodal metastasis (JCOG1002).

Background: Preoperative chemotherapy with cisplatin plus S-1 (CS) followed by gastrectomy with D2 plus para-aortic lymph node (PAN) dissection is regarded as a standard treatment in Japan for advanced gastric cancer with bulky lymph node (BN) and/or PAN metastasis. In the JCOG1002, we added docetaxel to CS (DCS) to further improve long-term outcomes. However, the primary endpoint, clinical response rate (RR), did not reach the expected level (Ito et al.

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) with Additional Therapy for Superficial Esophageal Cancer with Submucosal Invasion.

Objective: The standard treatment for submucosal esophageal cancer is esophagectomy or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). However, these treatment modalities could deteriorate the general condition and quality of life of the patients who are intolerant to invasive therapy. It is therefore important and beneficial to develop less invasive treatment protocols for these patients.

A case report: pancreatic squamous cell carcinoma with effective response by S-1 therapy.

Squamous cell carcinoma (Sqc) of the pancreas is considered to be extremely rare. We report the case of a 79-year-old male with Sqc of the pancreas complicated by massive gastric ulcer fistula and multiple lymph node metastases. After completing two courses of S-1 chemotherapy, the gastric ulcer fistula and lymph node metastases improved.

A novel serum metabolomics-based diagnostic approach to pancreatic cancer.

Background: To improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer, more accurate serum diagnostic methods are required. We used serum metabolomics as a diagnostic method for pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Sera from patients with pancreatic cancer, healthy volunteers, and chronic pancreatitis were collected at multiple institutions.

A novel serum metabolomics-based diagnostic approach for colorectal cancer.

Background: To improve the quality of life of colorectal cancer patients, it is important to establish new screening methods for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Methodology/principal Findings: We performed serum metabolome analysis using gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry (GC/MS). First, the accuracy of our GC/MS-based serum metabolomic analytical method was evaluated by calculating the RSD% values of serum levels of various metabolites.

Ex vivo pig training model for esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for endoscopists with experience in gastric ESD.

Background: Esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has developed in recent years because of its high rate of en bloc resection. However, for many endoscopists, technical difficulty and risks of complications are great barriers to performing esophageal ESD. In this study, we developed an original training model for esophageal ESD using isolated pig esophagus and assessed this ex vivo model in endoscopists with experience in gastric ESD.

Serum fatty acid profiling of colorectal cancer by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Aims: Several screening methods have been applied for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, but most colorectal cancer patients are not diagnosed at a localized stage. In order to find novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, profiling of the serum levels of fatty acids, which are the main components of fats and are important factors for human metabolism, was performed using the sera of colorectal cancer patients.

Materials & Methods: A total of 42 colorectal cancer patients and eight healthy volunteers participated in this study.

Serum metabolomics as a novel diagnostic approach for gastrointestinal cancer.

Conventional tumor markers are unsuitable for detecting carcinoma at an early stage and lack clinical efficacy and utility. In this study, we attempted to investigate the differences in serum metabolite profiles of gastrointestinal cancers and healthy volunteers using a metabolomic approach and searched for sensitive and specific metabolomic biomarker candidates. Human serum samples were obtained esophageal (n = 15), gastric (n = 11), and colorectal (n = 12) cancer patients and healthy volunteers (n = 12).