Publications by authors named "Masaaki Akai"

Blunt abdominal trauma causing intraperitoneal injury and/or bleeding can be life-threatening, requiring immediate intervention. Diagnosing these cases can be challenging, especially when pre-existing conditions are involved. Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN) is a rare tumor of the appendix that can lead to pseudomyxoma peritonei.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Esophageal cancer remains a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis, despite ongoing advancements in treatments such as immunotherapy. The tumor microenvironment, particularly cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), plays a crucial role in driving the aggressiveness of esophageal cancer. In a previous study utilizing human-derived xenograft models, we successfully developed a novel cancer treatment that targeted CAFs with near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT), as an adjuvant therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a critical role in tumor immunosuppression. However, targeted depletion of CAFs is difficult due to their diverse cells of origin and the resulting lack of specific surface markers. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a novel cancer treatment that leads to rapid cell membrane damage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway significantly contributes to tumor immunosuppression, while cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) also promote tumor growth.
  • An analysis of 140 esophageal cancer cases revealed a correlation between PD-L1 expression and CAF markers, indicating that higher PD-L1 levels in CAFs are linked to poorer patient survival.
  • Experimental studies showed that targeting PD-L1 can lead to increased cancer cell death and enhance immune responses, suggesting that PD-L1-expressing CAFs are potential therapeutic targets to improve cancer treatment outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute significantly to tumor growth and immunosuppression, largely influenced by interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is linked to a more aggressive tumor environment.
  • - Anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies were investigated as a potential systemic therapy to counteract the effects of IL-6 and CAFs, demonstrating the ability to inhibit tumor progression in mouse models by regulating the activation of HIF1α, a key factor in cell growth and survival.
  • - Clinical findings revealed a strong correlation between IL-6 expression and worse patient outcomes, indicating that targeting IL-6 could potentially enhance cancer treatment by alleviating immune suppression and improving survival rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are crucial for tumor progression, and a new therapy called dual-targeted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) targets both cancer cells and CAFs to improve treatment effectiveness.
  • A study involving 132 esophageal cancer cases found that high levels of markers like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) were linked to poorer patient survival, while HER2 status showed no significant effect.
  • Dual-targeted NIR-PIT demonstrated more effective tumor suppression and improved outcomes in experimental models compared to single-targeted NIR-PIT, suggesting it could be a promising strategy for cancer therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of preoperative hyperbilirubinemia in Japanese patients and to assess its clinical potential as a predictor of the severity of acute appendicitis.

Methods: We studied 318 patients with appendicitis who underwent appendectomy between July 2010 and June 2017. We analyzed preoperative data including age, sex, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, fever, peritoneal irritation signs, and serum total bilirubin level as potential risk factors for complicated (perforated or gangrenous) appendicitis, using multivariate analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A woman in her early 50s underwent abdominoperineal resection with left lateral lymph node resection for advanced rectal cancer. The pathological diagnosis was RC, RbP, well-differentiated, type 5, 65×47mm, pT3(A), pN0(0/40), M0, pStage Ⅱ. The local recurrence discovered under the perineal skin 2 months later was treated by resecting the tumor and both inguinal lymph nodes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Leptomeningeal metastasis(LM)is a rare complication in patients with breast cancer. We report 3 cases of LMs in patients with breast cancer who were treated with intrathecal methotrexate via an Ommaya reservoir. In 2 patients, a significant neurological improvement was observed, whereas in 1 patient there was no response.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The patient was a man in his early 30s. He underwent sigmoidectomy with D3+ #216 for advanced sigmoid colon cancer with metastatic para-aortic lymph nodes. The pathological diagnosis was colon cancer(S), type 2, moderately differentiated, pT4a(SE), pN3(19/33), pM1a(LYM), pStage IV , KRAS wild-type, EGFR(+).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy(LADG)is a recently developed minimally invasive surgery for management of early gastric cancer. We describe short-term results obtained from a retrospective study of LADG, performed in elderly patients, using comorbidities as predictive factors. We studied 160 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who underwent LADG between January 2005 and October 2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colovesical fistula (CVF) resulting from colon diverticulosis is a comparatively rare disease, and neither the diagnosis nor treatment has been established. Our experience with CVF due to sigmoid diverticulitis over a 9-year period was reviewed to clarify the clinical presentation and diagnostic confirmation. Ten patients with CVF were identified in this period, and chief complaints, laboratory findings, presenting symptoms, diagnostic investigations, and subsequent treatments were reviewed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF