Prognostic significance of positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma confined to the uterus.

A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of peritoneal cytology in patients with endometrial carcinoma limited to the uterus. A total of 280 patients with surgically staged endometrial carcinoma that was histologically confined to the uterus were examined clinicopathologically. The median length of follow-up was 62 (range, 12-135) months.

Unknown primary carcinoma: a feasibility assessment of combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and docetaxel.

Background: Docetaxel (Taxotere) and cisplatin are two of the most active single agents used in the treatment of solid tumors. We examined the feasibility of using a combination of docetaxel and cisplatin for the treatment of unknown primary carcinoma in order to prepare a larger scale prospective study.

Methods: Eligible patients were aged 18 to 75 years, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 2 or less and a life expectancy of 8 weeks or more, and had been diagnosed as having unknown primary carcinoma by the required examinations.

Phase II study of concurrent administration of doxorubicin and docetaxel as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of concurrent administration of doxorubicin and docetaxel, without prophylactic use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, as first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Methods: This multi-institutional study enrolled 40 women; 37 were assessable for efficacy and all 40 patients were evaluated for toxicity. Treatment consisted of 50 mg/m(2) doxorubicin and 60 mg/m(2) docetaxel on day 1 every 3-4 weeks.

HER2 is frequently over-expressed in ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma: possible novel treatment modality using recombinant monoclonal antibody against HER2, trastuzumab.

Ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) is generally chemo-resistant. Recently the poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents of HER2/neu over-expressing tumors have become clear. Thus, we investigated the expression level of HER2 in surgically resected CCA and ovarian serous adenocarcinoma, endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and mucinous adenocarcinoma specimens, as well as CCA cell lines, by an immunohistochemical method.

[Latest information of therapeutic approach for endometrial cancer].

The role of chemotherapy for metastatic endometrial carcinoma is palliation, although modest response can be achieved because of development of chemotherapy. The response rate is 31-56% of conventional CAP therapy and 33-81% of AP therapy. However these chemotherapeutic regimen did not prolong the survival.

Systematic overview of quality of life studies for breast cancer.

Background: The concept of quality of life (QOL) is essentially subjective, determined from the patient's point of view. Thus, an appropriate investigation and analysis of QOL as an indicator of medical treatment outcome is a task of some difficulty. The physician-led QOL assessment studies to date in Japan have suffered from insufficient knowledge and understanding of the diverse factors contributing to QOL, thereby contributing to a dearth of quality studies.

Compound heterozygous mutations in the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme gene (CYP11A) cause congenital adrenal insufficiency in humans.

Cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) catalyzes the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone in mitochondria, which is the first step in the biosynthesis of all steroid hormones. Until now, no homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in CYP11A have been described in humans. Here we describe novel compound heterozygous mutations in CYP11A in a patient with congenital adrenal insufficiency born to healthy parents.

Physician-patient communication and patient satisfaction in Japanese cancer consultations.

Over the past few decades, physician-patient communication has been intensively studied in western countries, because of its importance for the physician-patient relationship and patient health outcomes. Although various concepts and models of this relationship have recently been introduced in Japan, there are few studies on Japanese physician-patient interaction. The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of physician-patient communication in a Japanese cancer consultation, and to examine the relation of this interaction with patient satisfaction.

Effects of nutritional conditions around weaning on carbonic anhydrase activity in the parotid gland and ruminal and abomasal epithelia of Holstein calves.

Thirty-two male Holstein calves were used to investigate the effects of nutritional conditions around weaning and aging on carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in the parotid gland and epithelium from the rumen and abomasum. We fed calf starter and lucerne hay as well as milk replacer (group N) or fed milk replacer either with (group S) or without (group M) administration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) through polypropylene tubing into the forestomach until 13 weeks of age. The diets were fed at 1000 hours and 1600 hours, and SCFA were administrated after milk replacer feeding at 1600 hours.

Analysis of the AAAS gene in a Japanese patient with triple A syndrome.

Triple A syndrome, also known as Allgrove syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by adrenal insufficiency, achalasia and alacrima. It has recently been reported that this syndrome is caused by mutations in the AAAS gene. In the present study, we analyzed the AAAS gene in a Japanese patient with triple A syndrome.

The interaction between physician and patient communication behaviors in Japanese cancer consultations and the influence of personal and consultation characteristics.

The communications of physician and patient vary with the characteristics of patient and consultation, as well as the communications of the counterpart. The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction between physician and patient communications in Japanese cancer consultation in view of the influence of patient and consultation characteristics. One hundred and forty cancer outpatients and 12 physicians were included in this study.

A novel and de novo splice-donor site mutation in intron 3 of the GH-1 gene in a patient with isolated growth hormone deficiency.

Heterozygous mutations at the splice-donor site of inron 3 of the GH-1 gene are known to affect growth hormone (GH) mRNA splicing and cause isolated GH deficiency (IGHD), which is inherited in an autosomal dominant trait. We report here a novel and de novo heterozygous IVS3 + 6T --> G mutation of the GH-1 gene in a Japanese patient with IGHD. RT-PCR analyses of the GH-1 minigene transcripts demonstrated that the IVS3 + 6T --> G mutation causes complete skipping of exon 3.

[Genetic testing for effective Herceptin therapy].

Herceptin has provided the first proof that tyrosine kinase modulation, through monoclonal antibodies can translate into improved clinical outcomes in cancer therapy. The development of Herceptin was encouraged by the biologic significance of HER2 overexpression. Although the number of patients affected by the targeted molecular abnormality(30% of breast cancer patients) is small and the response rate observed in patients after treated with single agent Herceptin is rather low, the ability to document overexpression of the target in breast biopsies, and a growing interest in biologic therapy facilitated the rapid accrual of patients to clinical trials.

Effects of aging and weaning on mRNA expression of leptin and CCK receptors in the calf rumen and abomasum.

In order to know the effects of weaning and volatile fatty acid feeding on gastric leptin expression, we investigated the expression of leptin and CCK receptor mRNA in the bovine rumen, abomasum and duodenum using RT-PCR in 3-week-old pre-weaning, 13-week-old post-weaning and adult animals. Leptin mRNA was expressed in the rumen and abomasum of 3-week-old pre-weaning animals, but it was abolished in 13-week-old and adult animals. In the duodenum, leptin expression was observed in the 3-, 13-week-old and adult animals.

[Familial glucocorticoid deficiency due to the ACTH receptor gene mutations].

Familial glucocorticoid deficiency(FGD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by resistance to ACTH leading to glucocorticoid deficiency, but not mineralocorticoid deficiency. Recently, mutations in the ACTH receptor gene were identified in several families with FGD. Thus far, twelve missense mutations, one nonsense mutation and three frameshift mutations causing FGD were described.

Relationship between outpatients' perceptions of physicians' communication styles and patients' anxiety levels in a Japanese oncology setting.

For life-threatening illnesses such as cancer that require a long-term treatment regimen, communication is particularly important between doctors and patients. While it is assumed that the more serious the illness, the greater the need to relieve patients' anxiety, physicians' communication styles can directly influence patients' anxiety levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between outpatients' perceptions of physicians' communication styles and the patients' anxiety levels in oncology settings.

Two special types of breast cancer presenting as progressive disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel plus doxorubicin.

Seventy-eight patients with primary breast cancer over 3 cm in diameter in stages II A, II B, III A and III B according to the UICC classification received neoadjuvant chemotherapy from August 1, 1998 to June 30, 2000 at the Breast Division of the National Cancer Center Hospital. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisted of doxorubicin (Adriamycin: ADM) 50 mg/m(2) and docetaxel (Taxotere: DOC) 60 mg/m(2) every three weeks. The overall clinical response to this regimen was 88% (69/78).

Mental adjustment to first recurrence and correlated factors in patients with breast cancer.

Previous reports have demonstrated that breast cancer patients felt that news of their recurrence was more upsetting than their initial diagnosis. However, no studies have examined the factors that are correlated with mental adjustment in breast cancer patients who experienced recurrence. The authors investigated factors that are correlated with mental adjustment styles of fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness in women with breast cancer with a first recurrence.

New compound heterozygous mutation in the CYP17 gene in a 46,XY girl with 17 alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency.

Background: 17alpha-Hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency is caused by a defect of P450c17 which catalyzes both 17alpha-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase reactions in adrenal glands and gonads.

Results: In the present study, we analyzed the CYP17 gene in a Japanese patient with 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency. The patient was a phenotypic girl and referred to us for right-sided inguinal hernia at the age of 4 years.

Protein determination by high-performance gel-permeation chromatography: applications to human pancreatic juice, human bile and tissue homogenate.

A high-performance gel-permeation chromatography (HPGPC) method to determine the proteins of human pancreatic juice, bile, and tissue homogenate has been developed. A diol-type silica gel column (35 x 8 mm I.D.

Accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the prediction of residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Determination of the extent of residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is sometimes inaccurate by conventional diagnostic methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) in depicting the extent of residual carcinomas. Fifty-seven patients with breast carcinomas of 3 cm diameter or more received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with four cycles of AT (doxorubicin and docetaxel).

Japanese familial patients with male-limited precocious puberty.

Familial male-limited precocious puberty (FMPP) is a rare disease caused by constitutively activating mutations in the luteinizing hormone receptor (LH-R) gene. In the present study, we analyzed the LH-R gene in members of a Japanese FMPP family. Two males of the family were affected and had a heterozygous M398T mutation; one patient developed pubertal signs as early as 2 years of age, and the other at 6 years of age.

Efficacy of docetaxel 60 mg/m2 in patients with metastatic breast cancer according to the status of anthracycline resistance.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of docetaxel 60 mg/m2 in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) according to the status of anthracycline resistance.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-nine patients with anthracycline-resistant MBC were treated with docetaxel 60 mg/m2 intravenously for a 90-minute period every 3 to 4 weeks. Anthracycline resistance was defined as primary and secondary resistance.

A phase II trial of docetaxel in platinum pre-treated patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: a Japanese cooperative study.

Background: This phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of docetaxel in Japanese patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Patients And Methods: Docetaxel was administered at a dose of 70 mg/m2 intravenously to patients with platinum pretreated advanced ovarian cancer. Treatment was repeated every three weeks.