Effectiveness and Safety of Regorafenib and TAS-102 in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the real-world effectiveness and safety of regorafenib and trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: Data were extracted from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to evaluate the clinical outcomes of mCRC patients treated with either regorafenib or TAS-102 between 2016 and 2019. Overall survival (OS) was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox's proportional hazard models, adjusting for age, gender, Quan-CCI score, liver metastases, number of metastatic sites, and the use of anti-EGFR medications.

Integrated genomic analysis to identify druggable targets for pancreatic cancer.

According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the standard treatment for pancreatic cancer (PC) is gemcitabine and fluorouracil. Other chemotherapeutic agents have been widely combined. However, drug resistance remains a huge challenge, leading to the ineffectiveness of cancer therapy.

Effectiveness and Safety of Lower Dose of Rivaroxaban for Cancer-Related Venous Thromboembolism: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Primary and recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) commonly occur in patients with cancer. However, because of the National Health Insurance regulations, available dosage forms, and clinical conditions, the prescribed dose of rivaroxaban may not be consistent with its recommended dose.

Objective: To evaluate the 6-month recurrence rate of VTE and safety of rivaroxaban for patients with cancer.

Effectiveness of collaboration between oncology pharmacists and anaesthesiologists for inpatient cancer pain management: A pilot study in Taiwan.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the collaboration between oncology pharmacists and anaesthesiologists for improving pain control management in cancer patients.

Methods: This retrospective case-control pilot study enrolled inpatients with active cancer and a pain score of >3 at least once per day for 3 consecutive days. The study group was selected from June 2018 to January 2019.

Effectiveness and healthcare costs of eribulin versus capecitabine among metastatic breast cancer patients in Taiwan.

Objective: To compare the real-world effectiveness and costs of eribulin to those of capecitabine in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) pretreated with anthracyclines and taxanes.

Methods: This study extracted data from the Health and Welfare Database in Taiwan to identify MBC patients, and then eribulin and capecitabine users were matched at a 1:1 ratio by age, residential region, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and molecular subtype of BC cell. The overall survival (OS) and time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD) curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors: an updated patent review (2014-2018).

: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), a receptor tyrosine kinase, has been discovered in several cancers, including anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors. The deregulation of ALK activities, such as translocation and point mutation, results in human carcinogenesis. The use of ALK inhibitors in clinical cancer treatment has been shown to be efficacious, and the issue of resistance to ALK inhibitors has been reported.

Correction to: Development and clinical applications of cancer immunotherapy against PD-1 signaling pathway.

In the original publication of this article [1] the name of the fifth author is uncorrect. The correct name of the fifth author should be Wei-Chiao Chang rather than Wei-Chao Chang. The original publication has been corrected.

Development and clinical applications of cancer immunotherapy against PD-1 signaling pathway.

Dramatic advances in immune therapy have emerged as a promising strategy in cancer therapeutics. In addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, inhibitors targeting immune-checkpoint molecules such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) demonstrate impressive clinical benefits in clinical trials. In this review, we present background information about therapies involving PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and provide an overview of current clinical trials.

Cancers in Taiwan: Practical insight from epidemiology, treatments, biomarkers, and cost.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan, and the overall incidence rate has gradually increased. The four most common cancers in Taiwan are colorectal, lung, breast and liver cancers. With the rise in incidence, the clinical use and costs of all anticancer drugs have steadily increased.

Association between Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Colorectal Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study.

COX-2 overexpression may contribute to colorectal cancer occurrence. Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can reduce colorectal cancer recurrence, but the efficacy of primary prevention in Asian populations is still elusive. Thus, we examined the primary preventive efficacy of aspirin and NSAIDs on colorectal cancer incidence in Taiwan.

Increase risk of allergic diseases in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A 10-year follow-up population-based study in Taiwan.

Th2 and Th17 cells are both associated with developing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and asthma. Th2 cells are also associated with allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis (AD). The prevalence of such allergic diseases in AS patients is unknown.

A population-based five-year study on the risk of stroke in patients with osteoporosis in Taiwan.

Objectives: Osteoporosis and stroke are common diseases in elder patients. The relationship between these two diseases is unclear. This study was intended to estimate the risk of stroke among elder persons aged ≥ 50 years within five years of being diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis increases subsequent risk of gallstone: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which is expressed in various tissues. It participates in the bone remodeling process and stimulates bone resorption by osteoclasts. It is also a core protein of cholesterol gallstones.

Osteoporosis and the risk of symptomatic nephrolithiasis: a population-based 5-year follow-up study in Taiwan.

This study estimates the risk of symptomatic nephrolithiasis within 5 years of newly diagnosed osteoporosis in a Taiwan population. This cohort study consisted of patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis between Jan. 2003 and Dec.

Association between Kawasaki disease and autism: a population-based study in Taiwan.

Objective: The association between Kawasaki disease and autism has rarely been studied in Asian populations. By using a nationwide Taiwanese population-based claims database, we tested the hypothesis that Kawasaki disease may increase the risk of autism in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: Our study cohort consisted of patients who had received the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease (ICD-9-CM: 446.

No increased risk of herpes zoster found in cirrhotic patients: a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan.

Background: The association between liver cirrhosis (LC) and herpes zoster has rarely been studied. We investigated the hypothesis that LC, known as an immunodeficiency disease, may increase the risk of herpes zoster using a national health insurance database in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: The study cohort included cirrhotic patients between 1998 and 2005 (n = 4667), and a ratio of 1:5 randomly sampled age- and gender-matched control patients (n = 23,335).

Bromocresol green/mesoporous silica adsorbent for ammonia gas sensing via an optical sensing instrument.

A meso-structured Al-MCM-41 material was impregnated with bromocresol green (BG) dye and then incorporated into a UV-Vis DRA spectroscopic instrument for the online detection of ammonia gas. The absorption response of the Al-MCM-41/BG ammonia sensing material was very sensitive at the optical absorption wavelength of 630 nm. A high linear correlation was achieved for ppmv and sub-ppmv levels of ammonia gas.