Publications by authors named "Ken Masuda"
Background: In EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma (EGFRm LUAD), EGFR mutations do not necessarily result in increased EGFR expression (EGFR-exp), which differs among patients. However, the factors influencing EGFR-exp and the impact of EGFR-exp on tumor characteristics in patients with EGFRm LUAD remain unclear.
Patients And Methods: Whole-exome and RNA sequencing were performed for patients with early- and advanced-stage EGFRm LUAD.
Background: Women living with genital fistula often endure prolonged suffering and face multiple barriers to accessing treatment. Bangladesh's government has enhanced referral mechanisms, enabling case detection in communities and facilitating surgical interventions at medical college hospitals through nationwide initiatives. However, research on barriers and facilitators for fistula treatment in Bangladesh remains limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Advancements in pharmacotherapy, including molecular targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have revolutionized the treatment for Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) over the past two decades. However, differences in drug approval timelines across countries raise important questions about their impact on survival rates. This study investigates trends in overall survival (OS), patient characteristics, and the association between OS improvements and the introduction of new drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The clinical information housed within unstructured electronic health records (EHRs) has the potential to promote cancer research. The National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH) is widely recognized as a leading institution for the treatment of thoracic malignancies in Japan. Information on medical treatment, particularly the characteristics of malignant tumors that occur in patients, tumor response evaluation, and adverse events, was compiled into the databases of each NCCH department from EHRs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Schlafen 11 (SLFN-11) has been identified as a sensitizer of tumor cells to DNA-damaging agents. However, the relationship between SLFN-11 expression and clinical outcomes in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains unexplored. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the impact of SLFN-11 expression on survival in patients with limited-stage (LS) SCLC.
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- The study investigates the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, particularly comparing those with brain metastases (BM) to those without.
- It analyzes data from 240 patients, finding no major overall survival differences between the two groups, but identifies a significant survival disadvantage for patients with BM among those with high PD-L1 expression (≥50%).
- The conclusion suggests that while ICI is generally effective for both groups, patients with BM and high PD-L1 levels may have poorer outcomes compared to their counterparts without BM.
Introduction: EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been the standard treatment for patients with NSCLC who have sensitive mutations. This study revealed final analysis survival data, biomarkers, and resistance mechanisms of osimertinib plus bevacizumab or osimertinib monotherapy in previously untreated patients with advanced -positive nonsquamous NSCLC.
Methods: We previously reported the primary results of a randomized, open-label, phase 2 study comparing osimertinib plus bevacizumab with osimertinib monotherapy for this population.
Article Synopsis
- Teenage pregnancies can create serious problems for young moms and their babies, and in Kenya, the government wants to end this issue by 2030, but not much progress has been made yet.
- A study done in 2023 highlighted four main reasons for unexpected pregnancies: not knowing how the body works, not knowing about family planning, money troubles, and not being able to get family planning resources.
- Many cultural beliefs make it harder to talk about family planning, and girls from poorer backgrounds are especially at risk, often leading to issues like leaving school and having financial difficulties.
Unlabelled: The efficacy of left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been reported, but LBBP may not always improve conduction disturbance in the left ventricle (LV). To evaluate LV electrical conduction delay during LBBP, we measured conduction time from the pacing at left bundle branch to LV lead sensing (LBBP-LV) in two patients in whom left bundle branch-optimized cardiac resynchronization therapy (LOT-CRT) was attempted. Case 1 was a 77-year-old female with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and left bundle branch block.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Some case reports have found that corticosteroid treatments shrunk thymoma lesions remarkably after the failure of chemotherapy or surgery. However, few studies have comprehensibly evaluated the antitumor effects of corticosteroids in patients with invasive thymomas.
Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 13 consecutively enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic thymomas treated via corticosteroid monotherapies from January 2010 to March 2021 in our institute.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on the effectiveness and safety of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Researchers compared two groups of patients: those who took antibiotics within 30 days before treatment and those who did not, assessing clinical outcomes like progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
- Results showed no significant differences in PFS or OS between the groups, suggesting that antibiotic use may not affect the efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in NSCLC patients.
Article Synopsis
- PD-L1 expression is a key factor in predicting the success of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatments in advanced lung cancer, but differences in assay results can complicate evaluations.
- A study reviewed patients who had their PD-L1 status checked using two different assays and found that a significant number showed discrepancies, which correlated with lower treatment effectiveness in those receiving pembrolizumab.
- The findings suggest that differences in PD-L1 assay results may indicate a specific resistance mechanism to treatments, highlighting the potential importance of understanding these discrepancies in clinical settings.
Article Synopsis
- Osimertinib (OSI) is effective for treating patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), showing a 71% response rate and a median progression-free survival of 23.3 months.
- In a study of 229 patients, specific mutations, like the EGFR exon 21 L858R and liver metastasis, were linked to poorer progression-free survival rates after OSI treatment.
- The subtype of the mutation influences the clinical outcomes and patterns of disease progression, with the L858R mutation being associated with more central nervous system metastases compared to exon 19 deletions.
Introduction: Necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCN) is a standard therapy for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSqCC). However, the efficacy and tolerability of GCN in second-line or later treatment for patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain unknown.
Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of GCN initiated between November 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022 as second-line to fourth-line treatment in patients with advanced LSqCC who had been pretreated with ICIs.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the role of Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) as a therapeutic target in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and its impact on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and patient outcomes.
- - Results show that in limited-stage SCLC, DLL3 expression is associated with more neoantigens but reduced immune activity, leading to lower levels of immune cells like T cells and dendritic cells.
- - In extensive-stage SCLC, patients with DLL3-expressing tumors experience significantly worse progression-free survival when treated with standard chemotherapy and anti-PD-L1 therapy, indicating resistance linked to suppressed immune responses.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the effectiveness of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in Japanese patients with thoracic cancers after they completed standard treatments, revealing its potential value in clinical practice.
- Out of 56 patients, 84% had actionable genetic alterations, but only 14% received therapies that matched their genetic profiles.
- The CGP panel was able to identify additional genetic alterations in some patients who had previously undergone multiplex gene-panel testing, suggesting it could help in finding suitable treatments for those who might not have been detected otherwise.
Article Synopsis
- Pemetrexed is a chemotherapy drug used for advanced thymoma, but exceptional responses to it are rare, warranting investigation into the genetic reasons behind these unique cases.
- Researchers conducted whole-exome sequencing on tissue samples from nine patients (including two with exceptional responses) to identify specific genomic changes associated with their treatments.
- The study found numerous genetic variations but noted no significant differences between exceptional and typical responders, although arm-level chromosomal copy number variations were more prevalent in one exceptional responder, suggesting these could be linked to extraordinary treatment outcomes.
A 50-year-old woman presented with left pleural effusion. A pleural fluid cell-block specimen and longitudinal lymph node needle biopsy suggested signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC). Although computed tomography showed a consolidation shadow in the left lower lobe, a left lung biopsy could not be performed.
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- Crizotinib is an approved treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has specific genetic rearrangements (C-ros and ALK).
- A study analyzed treatment outcomes and progression patterns of 26 C-ros-positive and 42 ALK-positive NSCLC patients who received crizotinib between 2011 and 2021, focusing on metastasis extent and response to the drug.
- Results showed that while the types and locations of metastases differed (with more extrathoracic metastases in C-ros-positive patients), the overall effectiveness of crizotinib, as measured by response rates and survival, was similar in both groups.
Article Synopsis
- Cryobiopsy is a new technique for biopsying lung tumors that appears to provide higher quality and larger tissue samples compared to traditional forceps methods, although its impact on immunohistochemistry (IHC) results is not fully understood.
- A retrospective study analyzed the IHC assessment of specific cancer markers in cryobiopsy samples versus forceps biopsy samples from patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), revealing high concordance rates.
- The study concluded that the freezing and thawing from cryobiopsy do not significantly affect IHC results, suggesting that this method is beneficial for precision medicine and cancer research.
Background: It is still unclear whether patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with disease progression after initial immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, would benefit from ICIs readministration.
Patients And Methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients with advanced NSCLC who received ICI retreatment. Depending on the disease status at the discontinuation of the initial ICI therapy, the patients were divided into two groups: with disease progression (PD group) and without disease progression (Without PD group).
Background: Sequential tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) following immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) increases the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs). However, the factors and the types of TKIs that affect the incidence of SAEs remain unknown.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received sequential TKIs following ICIs between November 2015 and April 2021.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on the effectiveness of platinum etoposide and anti-PD-L1 therapy (ACE) for treating extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) and investigates how patient characteristics, particularly tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) levels and SCLC subtypes, affect treatment outcomes.
- - Researchers classified limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) patients into four subtypes based on genetic data, finding that the SCLC-I subtype had the highest immune response and density of CD8-positive TILs.
- - Results showed that while ACE therapy efficacy did not vary significantly among pathological subtypes in the ES-SCLC group, patients with higher TIL counts had longer progression-free survival,
Objectives: Ramucirumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 antibody, has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, its pharmacokinetic properties in clinical practice are unknown. We aimed to measure ramucirumab concentrations and conduct a retrospective pharmacokinetic analysis using real-world data.
Materials And Methods: Patients with stage III-IV and recurrent NSCLC who received ramucirumab plus docetaxel were evaluated in this study.