Positional advantages of supine MRI for diagnosis prior to breast‑conserving surgery.

The present study aimed to evaluate the rate of positive surgical margins for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed in the supine position prior to breast-conserving surgery (BCS). The rate of positive surgical margins and the clinicopathological factors were examined in consecutive patients with BCS who underwent preoperative MRI performed in the supine position at Sapporo Medical University Hospital (Sapporo, Japan) and related hospitals and clinics between January 2012 and December 2013. Of 1,175 eligible patients, 1,150 were included after excluding 25 patients with either bilateral breast cancer or stage IV disease.

Additional effect of anthracycline in preoperative chemotherapy with a sequential anthracycline‑containing regimen preceded by pertuzumab, trastuzumab and docetaxel combination therapy.

The proper use of anthracycline-containing regimens in combination with anti-HER2-targeted therapy in a neoadjuvant setting for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer has not been resolved. Regimens preceded by anthracyclines have become the standard of care, and although the order has no significant impact on HER2-negative breast cancer, it is inconclusive as to whether a taxane-first sequence would have a similar effect on HER2-positive breast cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the benefit of a taxane-first sequence and of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC) in patients with non-clinical complete response (non-cCR) to pertuzumab, trastuzumab and docetaxel (PTD).

An Optimal Timing for Removing a Drain After Breast Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: In clinical practice, drains had been routinely used for reducing seroma formation after breast surgery. However, an optimal timing to remove drains does not identify yet.

Methods: This study aimed to compare the clinical outcome, such as seroma formation, surgical site infection (SSI), and a length of hospital stay between early removal and late removal.

Peptide vaccinations elicited strong immune responses that were reboosted by anti-PD1 therapy in a patient with myxofibrosarcoma.

Peptide-based immunotherapy does not usually elicit strong immunological and clinical responses in patients with end-stage cancer, including sarcoma. Here we report a myxofibrosarcoma patient who showed a strong clinical response to peptide vaccinations and whose immune responses were reboosted by anti-PD1 therapy combined with peptide vaccinations. The 46-year-old man showed a strong response to the peptide vaccinations (papillomavirus binding factor peptide, survivin-2B peptide, incomplete Freund's adjuvant, and polyethylene glycol-conjugated interferon-alpha 2a) and subsequent wide necrosis and massive infiltration of CD8+ T cells in a recurrent tumor.

Development of a T-cell receptor multimer with high avidity for detecting a naturally presented tumor-associated antigen on osteosarcoma cells.

For efficacy of peptide vaccination immunotherapy for patients with cancer, endogenous expression of the target peptide/human leukocyte antigen (HLA) on cancer cells is required. However, it is difficult to evaluate the expression status of a peptide/HLA complex because of the lack of a soluble T-cell receptor (TCR) that reacts with tumor-associated antigen (TAA) with high avidity. In the present study, we developed two soluble TCR-multimers that were each directed to TAA, survivin-2B (SVN-2B) and PBF in the context of HLA-A24 (SVN-2B TCR-multimer and PBF TCR-multimer, respectively), from CTL clones that were established from peptide-vaccinated patients.

Case report: Long-term survival of a pancreatic cancer patient immunized with an SVN-2B peptide vaccine.

A 62-year-old woman who underwent surgery to treat pancreatic cancer provided written, informed consent to undergo adjuvant therapy with gemcitabine, tegafur, and uracil. However, this was stopped after only 14 days due to Grade 4 neutropenia. She was then started on vaccine therapy with Survivin 2B peptide (SVN-2B) including IFA and INF-α.

Flap revascularization in patients following immediate reconstruction using an autologous free dermal fat graft for breast cancer: a report of two cases.

It has been reported that use of the free dermal fat graft (FDFG) technique produces a good cosmetic outcome for breast cancer. An FDFG is harvested from the lower abdomen as a columnar-shaped specimen and implanted into the defect of the breast after a partial mastectomy as a volume replacement technique. In this report, two patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery with immediate reconstruction using an autologous FDFG are described in order to show the difference in status between one case with and one without blood flow in the graft.

Risk of node metastasis of sentinel lymph nodes detected in level II/III of the axilla by single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography.

In breast cancer, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) shows the exact anatomical location of sentinel nodes (SN). SPECT/CT mainly exposes axilla and partly exposes atypical sites of extra-axillary lymphatic drainage. The mechanism of how the atypical hot nodes are involved in lymphatic metastasis was retrospectively investigated in the present study, particularly at the level II/III region.

A phase I study of combination therapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide in patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer.

Background: The objective of the present clinical study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended dose (RD) of combination therapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) and cyclophosphamide (CPA) in patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer.

Methods: nab-PTX and CPA were administered on the first day of each 21-day treatment cycle. The dose of CPA was fixed at 600 mg/m(2), while the dose of nab-PTX was increased from 180 mg/m(2) (Level 1) to 220 mg/m(2) (Level 2) and then to 260 mg/m(2) (Level 3).

Use of the dye-guided sentinel lymph node biopsy method alone for breast cancer metastasis to avoid unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection.

For sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), a combination of dye-guided and γ-probe-guided methods is the most commonly used technique. However, the number of institutes in which the γ-probe-guided method is able to be performed is limited, since special equipment is required for the method. In this study, SLNB with the dye-guided method alone was evaluated, and the clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed to identify any factors that were predictive of whether the follow-up axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was able to be omitted.

Immunotherapeutic benefit of α-interferon (IFNα) in survivin2B-derived peptide vaccination for advanced pancreatic cancer patients.

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family containing a single baculovirus IAP repeat domain, is highly expressed in cancerous tissues but not in normal counterparts. Our group identified an HLA-A24-restricted antigenic peptide, survivin-2B80-88 (AYACNTSTL), that is recognized by CD8 + CTLs and functions as an immunogenic molecule in patients with cancers of various histological origins such as colon, breast, lung, oral, and urogenital malignancies. Subsequent clinical trials with this epitope peptide alone resulted in clinical and immunological responses.

Heat shock enhances the expression of cytotoxic granule proteins and augments the activities of tumor-associated antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Focal inflammation causes systemic fever. Cancer hyperthermia therapy results in shrinkage of tumors by various mechanisms, including induction of adaptive immune response. However, the physiological meaning of systemic fever and mechanisms of tumor shrinkage by hyperthermia have not been completely understood.

Pigmented mammary Paget's disease mimicking melanoma: report of three cases.

Pigmented mammary Paget's disease (PMPD) is a rare subtype of mammary Paget's disease. The differential diagnosis of PMPD and melanoma is difficult clinically and sometimes histopathologically. Here we present three cases of PMPD with a variable-sized lesion.

[Efficacy of vinorelbine in advanced and metastatic breast cancer].

Vinorelbine is a new anti-cancer drug that is available for advanced or metastatic breast cancer, approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in May 2005. We evaluated its efficacy and safety in 35 patients treated with vinorelbine since April of 2005 to February of 2009. Patient's average age was 52 years old, and the average number of previous treatments was 2.

Immunogenic enhancement and clinical effect by type-I interferon of anti-apoptotic protein, survivin-derived peptide vaccine, in advanced colorectal cancer patients.

We previously identified a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A24-restricted antigenic peptide, survivin-2B80-88, recognized by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Subsequently, we attempted clinical trials with this epitope peptide alone for some malignancies, resulting in clinical and immunological responses, although their potential was not strong enough for routine clinical use as a cancer vaccine. In the current study, to assess whether immunogenicity of the survivin-2B80-88 peptide could be enhanced with other vaccination protocols, we performed clinical trials in advanced colon cancer patients with two vaccination protocols: (i) survivin-2B80-88 plus incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA); and (ii) survivin-2B80-88 plus IFA and a type-I interferon (IFN), IFNα.

Evaluating the utility of N1,N12-diacetylspermine and N1,N8-diacetylspermidine in urine as tumor markers for breast and colorectal cancers.

Background: Among natural polyamines, the concentrations of the diacetylated form of spermine and spermidine increase in the urine of patients with cancer. We evaluated the utility of urinary N(1),N(12)-diacetylspermine (DiAcSpm) and N(1),N(8)-diacetylspermidine (DiAcSpd) as tumor markers for breast and colorectal cancers.

Methods: Urinary DiAcSpm and DiAcSpd concentrations were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.