Publications by authors named "Kunihiko Kobayashi"
Article Synopsis
- This study looked at how cardiac uptake of F-FDG PET, a commonly used imaging technique for cancer, relates to cancer cachexia and overall survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Researchers evaluated 43 patients who experienced weight loss before starting treatment and found that low visual scores for cardiac F-FDG uptake correlated with higher tumor activity and a higher risk of cachexia.
- The findings suggest that lower cardiac F-FDG uptake indicates poorer nutritional status and is a significant predictor of reduced overall survival for patients with advanced NSCLC.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer cachexia frequently occurs in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its impact on chemotherapy is not fully understood.
- A study involving 887 NSCLC patients identified that 31.7% experienced weight loss indicative of cachexia, with variations in quality of life (QOL) observed across different treatment groups.
- Results showed that quality of life declined more significantly in chemotherapy patients compared to those receiving targeted therapies or immune checkpoint inhibitors, especially within the first week of treatment.
Background: The standard treatment for patients in good general condition with limited-disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC) is concurrent platinum/etoposide chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy (TRT). However, the efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in older patients with LD-SCLC has not been fully explored; moreover, the optimal treatment for this patient group remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of CRT in older patients with LD-SCLC.
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- The study investigates the effectiveness of durvalumab combined with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) versus CRT alone in treating locoregional recurrence of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete resection.
- Using propensity score analysis to adjust for confounding variables, the research involved 119 patients in the CRT-D group and 111 in the CRT group, noting differences in gender distribution and adenocarcinoma rates.
- Results indicated that the median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the CRT-D group (25.4 months) compared to the CRT group (11.5 months), suggesting that the combination treatment could be a beneficial strategy for these patients.
Article Synopsis
- * A retrospective analysis of 124 LD-SCLC patients revealed that those with favorable GPS scores (0-1) experienced significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those with unfavorable scores (GPS 2).
- * The study suggests that the GPS may serve as a useful tool for predicting treatment outcomes in LD-SCLC, with favorable scores correlating with improved survival rates.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the risks and survival outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with pre-existing autoimmune disorders (AIDs) undergoing immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy.
- Conducted across 20 centers in Japan, it analyzed data from 229 patients, revealing that 25.4% experienced AID flare-ups while receiving ICB, particularly those diagnosed with NSCLC within a year of their AID diagnosis.
- The results suggest that ICB therapy not only extends survival but also emphasizes its potential benefit for NSCLC patients with AIDs, despite some associated immune-related adverse effects.
Article Synopsis
- This study focuses on determining the D-dimer cut-off value for predicting venous thromboembolism in Japanese patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.
- A multicenter observational study involved 1,008 lung cancer patients, identifying 62 with venous thromboembolism at diagnosis and analyzing their D-dimer levels.
- The research found a D-dimer cut-off value of 3.3 μg/ml, suggesting that patients with levels at or above this may have venous thromboembolism, marking a significant finding in this patient population.
Article Synopsis
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are standard treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this study investigates the impact of upfront radiotherapy for brain metastases (BMs) in patients treated with either ICI alone or ICI plus chemotherapy.
- An analysis of 591 patients across multiple institutions revealed that those receiving upfront radiotherapy alongside ICI alone had significantly longer overall survival compared to those who did not receive radiotherapy.
- However, in the group treated with ICI-chemo, the addition of upfront radiotherapy did not show any significant survival benefit, suggesting different responses to treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- * A study involving 30 patients found that the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.2 months, and median overall survival (OS) was 18.5 months, with better outcomes for those on durvalumab for 6 months or longer.
- * About 10% of patients experienced severe side effects like pneumonitis, dermatitis, and colitis, indicating that while the treatment is effective, it can have adverse effects.
Article Synopsis
- Chemo-immunotherapy using PD-L1 antibodies shows effectiveness in treating extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), but a reliable biomarker for predicting treatment outcomes is lacking.
- A study involving 46 ES-SCLC patients evaluated F-FDG-PET imaging to assess metabolic activity through metrics like maximum standard uptake value (SUV), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG).
- The findings indicate that higher MTV and TLG levels correlate with poorer performance and survival outcomes, suggesting they could serve as valuable predictors for treatment efficacy in ES-SCLC patients.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the safety and effectiveness of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for older adults (75+) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Conducted across 58 centers in Japan, the research analyzed 1,245 patients, focusing on their overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) based on different treatment approaches.
- Findings revealed that the median OS for those treated with ICI-chemotherapy was around 20 months, similar to patients receiving ICI alone, suggesting no significant difference in outcomes among treatment types after adjusting for various factors.
Article Synopsis
- Ramucirumab plus docetaxel (RD) treatment can lead to febrile neutropenia (FN), often requiring pegfilgrastim to prevent complications, but its full impact on advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients hasn't been completely studied.
- A study involving 288 advanced NSCLC patients showed that those receiving prophylactic pegfilgrastim had significantly lower rates of severe neutropenia and FN compared to those who did not receive it.
- Patients who received pegfilgrastim also experienced improved therapeutic efficacy, with higher objective response rates, better disease control rates, and longer progression-free and overall survival than those without the prophylactic treatment.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated how tumor metabolism (specifically glycolysis) relates to inflammatory and nutritional status in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing PD-1 blockade therapy.
- - 186 patients' F-FDG PET imaging results were analyzed, showing that certain metabolic indicators (like MTV and TLG) correlated significantly with various inflammatory and nutritional indexes, impacting overall survival (OS).
- - High metabolic tumor volume (MTV) under conditions of high inflammation (measured by NLR, PLR, and SII) and low nutrition (measured by ALI) was found to be a serious predictor of poorer outcomes after PD-1 treatment, especially in first-line therapy.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the risk factors for hemorrhagic events in patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing treatment, finding a significant occurrence in 11.4% of participants.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and poorer performance status are identified as major risk factors for bleeding, while female sex and a specific cancer stage (M1a) are linked to a reduced risk.
- The research emphasizes the need to monitor bleeding risks in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy for cancer-related thromboembolism.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the link between antinuclear antibody (ANA) levels and the effectiveness of pembrolizumab, a PD-1 blockade therapy, in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Results indicated that patients with high ANA levels had better progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when treated with pembrolizumab, especially those with high PD-L1 expression.
- However, no significant differences in PFS and OS based on ANA levels were observed in patients receiving a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Article Synopsis
- The study explored the effectiveness of a treatment regimen called ABCP (atezolizumab, bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel) for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
- Results from 60 patients showed a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 7.4 months and median overall survival (OS) of 23.1 months, with an overall response rate (ORR) of 55.9%.
- However, the study did not reach its primary endpoint and indicated that PFS was notably shorter for patients with previous TKI treatment and those with brain or
Purpose: We report CNS efficacy of first-line osimertinib plus chemotherapy versus osimertinib monotherapy in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor ()-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the phase III FLAURA2 study according to baseline CNS metastasis status.
Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to osimertinib plus platinum-pemetrexed (combination) or osimertinib monotherapy until disease progression or discontinuation. Brain scans were performed in all patients at baseline and progression and at scheduled assessments until progression for patients with baseline CNS metastases; scans were assessed by neuroradiologist CNS blinded independent central review (BICR).
Background: The factors that predict the clinical response to ramucirumab plus docetaxel (RD) after first-line chemoimmunotherapy are unresolved. We explored whether the therapeutic efficacy of prior chemoimmunotherapy could predict the outcome of RD as sequential therapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: Our study comprised 288 patients with advanced NSCLC who received RD as the second-line treatment after first-line chemoimmunotherapy at 62 Japanese institutions.
Background: Osimertinib is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) that is selective for EGFR-TKI-sensitizing and T790M resistance mutations. Evidence suggests that the addition of chemotherapy may extend the benefits of EGFR-TKI therapy.
Methods: In this phase 3, international, open-label trial, we randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio patients with -mutated (exon 19 deletion or L858R mutation) advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had not previously received treatment for advanced disease to receive osimertinib (80 mg once daily) with chemotherapy (pemetrexed [500 mg per square meter of body-surface area] plus either cisplatin [75 mg per square meter] or carboplatin [pharmacologically guided dose]) or to receive osimertinib monotherapy (80 mg once daily).
Article Synopsis
- This study explores how inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers can predict treatment outcomes for cancer patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving a combination therapy of ipilimumab and nivolumab (Nivo-Ipi).
- Researchers analyzed data from 101 NSCLC patients, finding significant correlations between various indices, like the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and patient response to treatment.
- The study concluded that the PNI appeared to be the most effective biomarker for predicting patient outcomes, while the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) was also promising, especially in relation to PD-L1 expression levels in patients.
Article Synopsis
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been linked to resistance against EGFR-TKIs in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with specific EGFR mutations.
- A study involving 76 patients on first-line osimertinib and 43 on other EGFR-TKIs found associations between VEGFR2 and VEGF-C expression and worse patient outcomes, particularly relating to survival rates.
- The results suggest that high levels of VEGFR2 and the combined expression of VEGFR2 and VEGF-C could serve as important prognostic indicators, especially for patients with different EGFR mutations (del19 and L858R).
Background: A prospective evaluation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) during induction therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has not been performed. Herein, we prospectively investigated the frequency, risk factors, and outcomes of NAFLD during induction therapy in children and adolescents with B-cell precursor ALL (BCP-ALL).
Methods: This study enrolled 74 newly diagnosed BCP-ALL cases aged 1 year and older who were admitted to our department between January 2011 and December 2020.
Unlabelled: Perioperative immune checkpoint inhibitors have been shown to improve prognosis in early-stage lung cancer. However, no biomarkers are known to indicate the requirement for treatment. This study aimed to identify T-cell clusters responsible for antitumor immunity in patients with early-stage lung cancer.
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