Cost-effectiveness analysis of first line pembrolizumab monotherapy for high programmed cell death ligand 1 expressed, advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Japan.

Background: Pembrolizumab monotherapy significantly extends progression-free and overall survival compared to platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but also has a significant impact on medical costs.

Aim: To clarify the health economic evidence for selecting the first-line treatment for patients with stage IV advanced NSCLC with a programmed cell death ligand 1 tumor proportion score of 50% or greater in Japan, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab monotherapy compared with that of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Method: Using a Markov model, the study simulated three health states for patients, based on clinical data and utility values from KEYNOTE-024.

Empagliflozin cost-effectiveness analysis in Japanese heart failure with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction.

Aims: Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, was shown to be effective in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in the EMPEROR-Preserved trial. The present study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of empagliflozin among Japanese patients with HFpEF.

Methods And Results: A Markov cohort model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of empagliflozin added to standard of care (SoC) compared with SoC alone in patients with HFpEF from the perspective of the Japanese healthcare system and with a lifetime horizon.

Cost-effectiveness of combination therapy of polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone for previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in Japan.

Aim: The POLARIX trial showed that Pola + R-CHP (polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone) prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) compared with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone), the conventional standard of care, with a similar safety profile. However, Pola + R-CHP has not been evaluated from the viewpoint of health economics in Japan. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of Pola + R-CHP for previously untreated DLBCL from a Japanese public healthcare payer's perspective.

Prognostic Impact of Visceral Pleural Invasion in Resected Solitary Lung Metastases from Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: Pulmonary resection of metastases from gastric cancer is extremely rare because gastric cancer metastasis to the lungs or thoracic cavity occurs as multiple pulmonary metastases, carcinomatous lymphangitis, or carcinomatous pleurisy. Therefore, the significance of surgery for pulmonary metastasis of gastric cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the surgical outcomes and prognostic factors for survival after the resection of pulmonary metastases from gastric cancer.

Budget impact analysis of comprehensive genomic profiling for untreated advanced or recurrent solid cancers in Japan.

Aims: In Japan, the use of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) is only available for cancer patients who have no standard of care (SoC), or those who have completed SoC. This may lead to missed treatment opportunities for patients with druggable alterations. In this study, we evaluated the potential impact of CGP testing before SoC on medical costs and clinical outcome in untreated patients with advanced or recurrent biliary tract cancer (BTC), non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSQ-NSCLC), or colorectal cancer (CRC) in Japan between 2022 and 2026.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of empagliflozin in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in Japan based on the EMPEROR-Reduced trial.

Background: Several studies have reported the cost-effectiveness of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in heart failure patients; however, their economic implications have not been sufficiently elucidated in Japan.

Methods: A Markov cohort model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of empagliflozin plus standard of care (SoC) vs. SoC for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in Japan.

[Relationship between volunteer group participation and depressive symptoms in older Japanese: A 3-year JAGES longitudinal study using propensity score matching].

Objectives　In this study, we aim to clarify the optimal threshold for the frequency of volunteer group participation among older people aged 65 years and above, which is expected to prevent the risk of developing depression.Methods　We utilized longitudinal data from 2013 to 2016, collated by the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study for people aged ≥65 years living in 24 municipalities and not certified as requiring long-term care. In addition, those who were not depressed in 2013 (≥5 points on the Geriatric Depression Scale-15) were followed up for 3 years and classified according to the frequency of participation in the volunteer group in 2013 (≥once per year, ≥once per month, ≥once per week).

Community-Level Participation in Volunteer Groups and Individual Depressive Symptoms in Japanese Older People: A Three-Year Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis Using JAGES Data.

Background: The current study aimed to investigate the contextual effect of volunteer group participation on subsequent depressive symptoms in older people.

Methods: We analyzed the longitudinal data of 37,552 people aged 65 years and older in 24 municipalities surveyed in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Volunteer group participation of older people was assessed in 2013 by one question and depressive symptoms were assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 in 2016.

Burden of caring for Alzheimer's disease or dementia patients in Japan, the US, and EU: results from the National Health and Wellness Survey: a cross-sectional survey.

Aims: The growing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) worldwide has sparked the implementation of national policies to support the growing burden among caregivers of AD/dementia patients. This study aims to quantify and compare the burden of AD/dementia caregivers and evaluate how different living arrangements might impact health outcomes among caregivers in Japan, five European countries (5EU), and the United States (US).

Materials And Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on existing data from the 2018 National Health and Wellness Survey.

Humanistic burden among caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease or dementia in Japan: a large-scale cross-sectional survey.

Aims: As the population in Japan is rapidly aging, the prevalence of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's Disease (AD), is expected to increase, resulting in a growing need for caregivers. This study aims to quantify and compare the humanistic burden of caregivers of AD/dementia patients with caregivers of patients with other conditions in Japan.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2018 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS).

Factors associated with humanistic burden and indirect cost among patients with cancer in Japan.

Aims: Patients with cancer experienced reduced health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL), increased work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), and indirect costs. With the current emphasis on economic evaluation of health technology in Japan, it is important to understand how indirect costs correlate with HRQoL and patient characteristics. It is also crucial to assess the patient characteristics associated with the HRQoL, WPAI, and indirect costs among patients with any types of cancer.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Linagliptin in Japan Based on Results from the Asian Subpopulation in the CARMELINA Trial.

Introduction: We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of linagliptin in Japan by estimating the lifetime outcome based on clinical event rates from the Asian subpopulation of the CARMELINA trial. In CARMELINA, linagliptin added to standard of care (SoC) versus SoC demonstrated noninferiority with regard to risk of composite cardiovascular (CV) outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of CV and kidney events. Issues resulting from conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis using data from a clinical noninferiority study were also investigated.

A population-based study of the humanistic burden among cancer patients in Japan.

Understanding the burden of cancer in Japan is becoming increasingly important to address the socio-economic consequences of the disease. This study broadly examined the cancer burden in terms of: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), stress-related comorbidities, and indirect costs in patients diagnosed with (i) any type of cancer, (ii) breast cancer, (iii) colorectal cancer, compared to controls without cancer. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS).

Tracheal resection and reconstruction for post-tracheostomy tracheal stenosis treated with T-tube stenting for 10 years.

We describe the case of a patient who underwent tracheal resection for post-tracheostomy stenosis following T-tube stenting for 10 years. A 32-year-old female patient with a T-tube in the trachea was referred to us. She had brain surgery for intracranial hemorrhage 10 years ago and developed a post-tracheostomy tracheal stenosis, for which she had been treated with a T-tube.

Cost-Effectiveness of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using a Balloon-Expandable Valve in Japan: Experience From the Japanese Pilot Health Technology Assessment.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an innovative and effective treatment in high-surgical-risk (HR) and inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

Objectives: This cost-effectiveness analysis of transfemoral TAVI (TF-TAVI) compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) conforms with the methodological guidelines for cost-effectiveness evaluation by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan.

Methods: The cost-effectiveness of TF-TAVI using SAPIEN XT was evaluated using a lifetime Markov simulation from the national payer perspective.

Humanistic and economic burden among caregivers of patients with cancer in Japan.

As the number of cancer patients increases in Japan, and people are living longer with cancer, the need for caregivers of cancer patients is expected to increase substantially. This study intended to reveal the humanistic and economic burden among caregivers of cancer patients, and to compare it with the burden among caregivers of patients with other conditions (other caregivers) and non-caregivers. This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Japan National Health and Wellness Survey 2017.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Empagliflozin in Japan Based on Results From the Asian subpopulation in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME Trial.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of empagliflozin in Japan based on the Asian subpopulation in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial.

Methods: The trial has shown a reduction in the risk for cardiovascular (CV) and renal events with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established CV disease. A cost-effectiveness analysis based on the overall population of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial was reported previously by using a lifetime discrete event simulation model.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip delivery system for patients with mitral regurgitation in Japan.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous mitral valve repair (TMVr) with the MitraClip NT system (MitraClip procedure) for patients with symptomatic severe mitral regurgitation (MR) at high surgical risk in line with the methodological guideline for cost-effectiveness evaluation by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The cost-effectiveness of MitraClip procedure was evaluated using a Markov model. Patients are classified into four New York Heart Association classes in each cycle.

[A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Sunitinib vs. Interferon-alpha in Patient with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in Japan].

Sunitinib has been shown to offer clinical benefits during the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. However, molecular targeting drugs are expensive and can have a significant impact on medical expenses. The purpose of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of sunitinib as a first-line therapy compared with interferon-alpha (IFN-α) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients.

Health System Development and Performance in Korea and Japan: A Comparative Study of 2000-2013.

Background: The Japanese and Korean healthcare systems are very similar and thus, they have the same problems and weaknesses. This study discusses the problems and proposes complementary solutions based on the results of a comparative analysis of conditions in the healthcare systems of the two countries.

Methods: This article presents a comparative analysis of the healthcare status of the two countries based on certain health criteria used worldwide, a literature review, and data from the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Solitary pulmonary metastasis from occult papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Pulmonary metastases from thyroid carcinoma typically cause a micronodular or miliary pattern throughout both lungs. Metastasis consisting of a solitary pulmonary nodule measuring 20 mm in diameter is rare. Here we report a case of a 66-year-old woman without a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma who presented with a pulmonary nodule measuring 20 mm in diameter, found on chest computed tomography during a health checkup.