Chromobox 2 Expression Predicts Prognosis After Curative Resection of Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aim: To investigate the function of chromobox 2 (CBX2) in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Materials And Methods: We used real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry to determine CBX2 expression levels in 13 human OSCC cell lines and clinical specimens of two independent cohorts of patients with OSCC.

Results: PCR array analysis revealed that CBX2 was co-ordinately expressed with WNT5B in OSCC cell lines.

Phase II multi-institutional prospective trial of nab-paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer refractory to fluoropyrimidine with modified dose reduction criteria (CCOG1303).

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with modified dose reduction criteria by which the doses were manipulated earlier.

Methods: Gastric cancer patients who developed progression during the fluoropyrimidine-containing first-line chemotherapy were assigned to receive nab-paclitaxel (260 mg/m) by triweekly administration. Dose reduction was regulated according to predefined toxicity criteria which included neutropenia less than 1000/mm and/or peripheral sensory neuropathy of grade 2 or more.

An Open-Label Single-Arm Phase II Study of Treatment with Neoadjuvant S-1 Plus Cisplatin for Clinical Stage III Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus.

Lessons Learned: Two courses of neoadjuvant therapy using S-1 plus cisplatin for clinical stage III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma did not achieve expected response rate according to endoscopic evaluation of primary tumors. Subsequent esophagectomy was safely performed.

Background: In Japan, esophagectomy after two courses of 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin is regarded a standard strategy for treating stage II or III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

High Serum Uric Acid Levels Could Be a Risk Factor of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrences.

Background: The Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study in Sweden revealed that serum uric acid (SUA) was significantly associated with hepatobiliary cancer occurrence. However, the association with postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence has not been reported.

Methods: A total of 256 surgically resected HCC patients were included (from January 2003 to December 2017) in this study.

Comparison of Postoperative Quality of Life among Three Different Reconstruction Methods After Proximal Gastrectomy: Insights From the PGSAS Study.

Background: Proximal gastrectomy (PG) has become an increasingly preferred procedure for early cancer in the upper third of the stomach, owing to reportedly superior quality of life (QOL) after PG when compared with total gastrectomy. However, various methods of reconstruction have currently been proposed. We compared the postoperative QOL among the three different reconstruction methods after PG using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 (PGSAS-45) questionnaire.

Is there disparity between regions and facilities in surgical resident training in Japan? Insights from a national survey.

Purpose: This study sought to assess the disparity between regions and facilities in surgical resident training in Japan via a national level needs-assessment.

Methods: A survey was sent to all 909 graduating residents of 2016. Residents trained in the six prefectures with a population of 7 million or more were included in the large prefecture (LP) group.

Pelvic exenteration associated with future renal dysfunction.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the long-term change in the renal function after pelvic exenteration (PE) and to evaluate the risk factors for any future dysfunction.

Methods: This study comprised 40 patients. A greater than 25% decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 3 years was defined as early renal function disorder (ERFD), possibly predicting future chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Frequency-domain hot-wire sensor and 3D model for thermal conductivity measurements of reactive and corrosive materials at high temperatures.

High temperature solids and liquids are becoming increasingly important in next-generation energy and manufacturing systems that seek higher efficiencies and lower emissions. Accurate measurements of thermal conductivity at high temperatures are required for the modeling and design of these systems, but commonly employed time-domain measurements can have errors from convection, corrosion, and ambient temperature fluctuations. Here, we describe the development of a frequency-domain hot-wire technique capable of accurately measuring the thermal conductivity of solid and molten compounds from room temperature up to 800 °C.

Impact of Qualitative and Quantitative Biliary Contamination Status on the Incidence of Postoperative Infection Complications in Patients Undergoing Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Background: Bacterial contamination status may differ under different biliary drainage conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of qualitative and quantitative biliary bacterial contamination on the incidence of infection complications in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.

Methods: Patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary diseases with different biliary drainage conditions, such as external drainage (ED), internal drainage (ID), and no drainage (ND), were included.

Preoperative risk factors for postoperative intra-abdominal infectious complication after gastrectomy for gastric cancer using a Japanese web-based nationwide database.

Background: Postoperative intra-abdominal infectious complication (PIIC) after gastrectomy for gastric cancer worsens in-hospital death or long-term survival. However, the methodology for PIIC preoperative risk assessment remains unestablished. We aimed to develop a preoperative risk model for postgastrectomy PIIC.

Pancreatic Fat and Body Composition Measurements by Computed Tomography are Associated with Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreatectomy.

Objectives: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most threatening complication after pancreatectomy. This study aimed to directly assess pancreatic fatty infiltration with preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging and to investigate whether a preoperative analysis of patient variables, including CT characteristics and clinical factors, can predict POPF.

Methods: We enrolled 150 consecutive patients who underwent curative pancreatectomy.

Characteristics of Lung Metastasis as an Initial Recurrence Pattern After Curative Resection of Pancreatic Cancer.

Objectives: Understanding the disparity in clinical course because of differences in initial recurrence patterns could lead to a more accurate estimation of prognosis and optimal treatment.

Methods: Patients who underwent resection for pancreatic cancer between January 2003 and December 2016 were identified from a prospective database. We analyzed the association between clinicopathological information or survival outcomes and initial recurrence patterns.

HMGB1-downregulated angulin-1/LSR induces epithelial barrier disruption via claudin-2 and cellular metabolism via AMPK in airway epithelial Calu-3 cells.

A non-histone chromatin-associated protein, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), which impairs the airway epithelial barrier, is involved in the induction of airway inflammation in patients with allergy, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Tricellular tight junctions (tTJs) form at the convergence of bicellular tight junctions (bTJs). Angulin-1/lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) is a novel molecule present at tricellular contacts and contributes to the epithelial barrier and cellular metabolism.

Identification of Serum miRNA Signature and Establishment of a Nomogram for Risk Stratification in Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Objective: The aim of the study was to perform mRNA-miRNA regulatory network analyses to identify a miRNA panel for molecular subtype identification and stratification of high-risk patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Background: Recent transcriptional profiling effort in PDAC has led to the identification of molecular subtypes that associate with poor survival; however, their clinical significance for risk stratification in patients with PDAC has been challenging.

Methods: By performing a systematic analysis in The Cancer Genome Atlas and International Cancer Genome Consortium cohorts, we discovered a panel of miRNAs that associated with squamous and other poor molecular subtypes in PDAC.

Tumor marker recovery rather than major pathological response is a preferable prognostic factor in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with preoperative therapy.

Background/purpose: A pathological response of the primary tumor by preoperative therapy is a prognostic factor in various malignancies, and several histologic grading systems have been proposed for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the prognostic value remains unclear. We explored the clinical implication of a major pathological response following preoperative therapy in patients with PDAC.

An outcome analysis of predictive factors for portal or splenic vein thrombosis after distal pancreatectomy.

Purposes: The aim of this study was to explore predictive factors for portal or splenic vein thrombosis (VT) that might cause serious problems after distal pancreatectomy (DP).

Methods: A total of 230 patients who underwent DP between 2008 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed to identify predictive factors for portal or splenic VT.

Results: Ultimately, 164 patients were analyzed.

Is the measurement of drain amylase content useful for predicting pancreas-related complications after gastrectomy with systematic lymphadenectomy?

Many studies investigating postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after gastrectomy, including studies measuring drain amylase content (D-AMY) as a predictive factor have been reported. This article reviews previous studies and looks to the future of measuring D-AMY in patients after gastrectomy. The causes of pancreatic fluid leakage are; the parenchymal and/or thermal injury to the pancreas, and blunt injury to the pancreas by compression and retraction.

A prospective trial to evaluate treatment effects of a β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate containing nutrient for leakage at the anastomotic site after esophagectomy.

Anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy is associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased medical cost. Additionally, it sometimes leads to a fatal condition and impaired postoperative quality of life. During the process of wound healing, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is important for collagen biosynthesis.

JSCO-ESMO-ASCO-JSMO-TOS: international expert consensus recommendations for tumour-agnostic treatments in patients with solid tumours with microsatellite instability or NTRK fusions.

A Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (JSCO)-hosted expert meeting was held in Japan on 27 October 2019, which comprised experts from the JSCO, the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Taiwan Oncology Society (TOS). The purpose of the meeting was to focus on what we have learnt from both microsatellite instability (MSI)/deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) biomarkers in predicting the efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunotherapy, and the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusions in predicting the efficacy of inhibitors of the tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) proteins across a range of solid tumour types. The recent regulatory approvals of the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab and the TRK inhibitors larotrectinib and entrectinib, based on specific tumour biomarkers rather than specific tumour type, have heralded a paradigm shift in cancer treatment approaches.

Association between Lymphovascular Invasion and Recurrence in Patients with pT1N+ or pT2-3N0 Gastric Cancer: a Multi-institutional Dataset Analysis.

Purpose: Patients with pathological stage T1N+ or T2-3N0 gastric cancer may experience disease recurrence following curative gastrectomy. However, the current Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines do not recommend postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for such patients. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors for patients with pT1N+ or pT2-3N0 gastric cancer using a multi-institutional dataset.