Publications by authors named "Ohkuma R"
Background/aim: The Kaplan-Meier curves for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) display a small group of potentially-cured patients with long-term survival, creating a 'kangaroo-tail' shape of the survival curve. However, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon and what occurs in patients whose cancer is resistant to ICIs remain unclear. The present study aimed to answer these questions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a promising treatment option for esophageal cancer (EC). Although ICIs enable long-term survival in some patients, the efficacy of ICIs varies widely among patients. Therefore, predictive biomarkers are necessary for identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from ICIs to improve the efficacy of the treatment.
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- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), like nivolumab, are being studied for treating esophageal cancer, but long-term survival rates are low and some patients face serious side effects.
- A study of 86 esophageal cancer patients on nivolumab found that factors like performance status, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and sex significantly affected overall and progression-free survival rates.
- Results indicated that patients with a low NLR (less than 3.3) and good performance status before treatment had better survival outcomes, suggesting NLR could be a useful biomarker for predicting treatment response.
The low response rate of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is a challenge. The efficacy of ICIs is influenced by the tumour microenvironment, which is controlled by the gut microbiota. In particular, intestinal bacteria and their metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are important regulators of cancer immunity; however, our knowledge on the effects of individual SCFAs remains limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis is promising but has potential for significant morbidity and prolonged hospitalization. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a standardized protocol designed to optimize perioperative care. This study describes trends in epidural and opioid use after implementing ERAS for CRS-HIPEC at a tertiary academic center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) has established advantages over the open approach. The costs associated with robotic DP (RDP) versus laparoscopic DP (LDP) make the robotic approach controversial. We sought to compare outcomes and cost of LDP and RDP using propensity matching analysis at our institution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone broth has recently gained worldwide recognition as a superfood that supplements several nutrients lacking in modern human diets; however, little is known of its efficacy on osteoporosis. Therefore, we aimed to identify the components of chicken-vegetable bone broth (CVBB) that are associated with osteoporosis prevention and verified the efficacy of these components using in vivo studies. In biochemical and cell biological experiments, CVBB was fractionated using ion exchange chromatography (IEC), and the effect of each IEC fraction on osteoclast differentiation was evaluated based on tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, TRAP staining, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis using mouse macrophage-like cells (RAW264 cell).
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- Researchers explored the relationship between intestinal bacteria and postoperative recurrence in esophageal cancer patients after preoperative chemotherapy.
- They used 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing and machine learning analysis to identify specific bacteria linked to cancer recurrence.
- The study highlighted Butyricimonas and Actinomyces as potentially significant biomarkers, with Butyricimonas suggested as a factor in postoperative recurrence, warranting further investigation into their immune regulation roles.
Article Synopsis
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors, like PD-1 inhibitors, have changed cancer treatment, but only 10%-30% of patients with solid tumors respond well to these therapies.
- This study investigated how the occupancy of the PD-1 receptor in different T-cell populations, particularly effector regulatory T cells (eTregs), relates to patient outcomes and adverse effects in people treated with the drug nivolumab.
- Findings showed that lower PD-1 occupancy on eTregs was linked to better clinical outcomes and lower mortality, suggesting that managing PD-1 signaling in these cells could enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapies.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines the potential for non-classical monocytes (NCMs) to improve the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in colon cancer, which typically have a low response rate.
- Using a mouse model with colon cancer, researchers treated the mice with a combination of ICIs and NCMs and found that this combination was more effective than ICIs alone.
- The results indicate that while NCMs enhance the response to ICIs, they do not work effectively on their own; further research will explore how this works and its potential clinical applications.
Article Synopsis
- The article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1308381 has been corrected to address previous inaccuracies or errors.
- The correction aims to improve the clarity and reliability of the scientific findings presented in the original article.
- Readers are encouraged to refer to the updated version for the most accurate information regarding the research discussed.
Article Synopsis
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), specifically PD-1 inhibitors, are used as first-line treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with high PD-L1 expression, but their effectiveness can vary based on serum soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) levels.
- A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the connection between sPD-L1 changes and patient outcomes after PD-1 inhibitor therapy, focusing on data from eligible trials that included individual patient datasets.
- The analysis indicated that increases in sPD-L1 levels during treatment did not correlate with improved overall survival or progression-free survival, suggesting that sPD-L1 changes may not be a reliable predictor of treatment effectiveness.
Introduction: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues is measured as a predictor of the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in many cancer types. PD-L1 expression is evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using 3,3´-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chronogenesis (IHC-DAB); however, quantitative and reproducibility issues remain. We focused on a highly sensitive quantitative immunohistochemical method using phosphor-integrated dots (PIDs), which are fluorescent nanoparticles, and evaluated PD-L1 expression between the PID method and conventional DAB method.
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- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) like anti-PD-1 antibodies have shown promise in cancer treatment, but effective biomarkers to predict their success are still lacking.
- This study analyzed monocytes in 44 cancer patients undergoing anti-PD-1 therapy, identifying three types: classical, intermediate, and non-classical, and their correlation with patient survival rates.
- Results indicated higher classical monocytes were linked to shorter overall survival, while a greater presence of non-classical monocytes was associated with better outcomes, suggesting these monocyte profiles could serve as indicators for treatment effectiveness and prognosis.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a rare type of cancer that makes up about 3-5% of all cases and can have varying prognoses.
- A 32-year-old woman diagnosed with p16-positive squamous cell CUP exhibited widespread metastatic lesions but showed significant improvement after receiving a combination therapy of pembrolizumab, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin.
- The case suggests that this treatment regimen can be effective for patients with unfavorable prognosis CUP, especially when p16 positivity is present, making it a potential new option for managing this condition.
Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have had a major impact on cancer treatment. Gut microbiota plays a major role in the cancer microenvironment, affecting treatment response. The gut microbiota is highly individual, and varies with factors, such as age and race.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndometrial cancer (EC) is the seventh most common tumor in women, and prognosis of recurrent and metastatic disease is poor. Cervical cancer (CC) represents the fifth most common gynecological cancer. While ECs are more common in developed countries, the incidence of CC has decreased due to the recent implementation of large screening and vaccination programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Craniotomy patients have traditionally received intensive care unit (ICU) care postoperatively. Our institution developed the "Non-Intensive CarE" (NICE) protocol to identify craniotomy patients who did not require postoperative ICU care.
Objective: To determine the longitudinal impact of the NICE protocol on postoperative length of stay (LOS), ICU utilization, readmissions, and complications.
Rationale: Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. The anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody pembrolizumab, which is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), has improved survival in bladder cancer. We report a case of bladder cancer that had a high antitumor effect with anti-programmed cell death PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab, an ICI, but asthma occurred an immune-related adverse event (irAE).
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- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective for treating various cancers, but some patients do not respond or develop resistance to them.
- This study focused on plasma levels of soluble anti-programmed death-1 (sPD-1) in cancer patients undergoing ICI therapy, finding that sPD-1 levels increased significantly after treatment cycles.
- The changes in sPD-1 levels were linked to tumor size progression, suggesting its potential as a biomarker to identify patients who may not respond to ICI therapy early on.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how antibiotic use affects the outcomes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, noting a trend toward increased antibiotic prescriptions for these patients.
- - Among 69 patients analyzed, those who received antibiotics around the time of starting anti-PD-1 therapy experienced significantly worse outcomes, including lower objective response rates and shorter overall and progression-free survival.
- - The findings indicate that antibiotic treatment is a negative predictive factor for progression-free survival, suggesting that combining antibiotics with anti-PD-1 therapy should be avoided in NSCLC patients.
Purpose: SN-38, a pharmacologically active metabolite of irinotecan, is taken up into hepatocytes by organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1. The effects of functional OATP1B1 521T>C on the pharmacokinetics of SN-38 remain controversial. Here, we prospectively examined the effects of OATP1B1 function on the area under the plasma total or unbound concentration-time curve (tAUC or uAUC) of SN-38 by assessing OATP1B1 521T>C and the plasma levels of endogenous OATP1B1 substrates, coproporphyrin (CP)-I and III, in cancer patients treated with irinotecan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly anti-PD-1 antibody, have dramatically changed cancer treatment; however, fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs) can develop. Here, we describe a severe case of sclerosing cholangitis-like irAE. We report the use of 3 immunosuppressive agents that resulted in the death of the patient due to treatment inefficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Rapid tumor growth after administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors is designated hyper progressive disease (HPD). In this study, besides the conventional HPD category, we proposed the "super HPD" category where the disease is naturally rapidly growing.
Patients And Methods: Patients treated for advanced gastric cancer with irinotecan or nivolumab as a third-line treatment were retrospectively compared.
Objectives: The relationship between eosinophils and cancer prognosis is unknown. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between circulating eosinophils and the survival of stage IIA and IIB pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgical resection.
Methods: This study included a retrospective cohort of 67 consecutive patients.