Early impact of school closure and social distancing for COVID-19 on the number of inpatients with childhood non-COVID-19 acute infections in Japan.

Many countries have implemented school closures as part of social distancing measures intended to control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to assess the early impact of nationwide school closure (March-May 2020) and social distancing for COVID-19 on the number of inpatients with major childhood infectious diseases in Japan. Using data from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination system in Japan, we identified patients aged 15 years or younger with admissions for a diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), influenza, gastrointestinal infection (GII), appendicitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), or skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) between July 2018 and June 2020.

Economic impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute care hospitals in Japan.

Background: In response to the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Japanese government declared a state of emergency on April 7, 2020. Six days earlier, the Japan Surgical Society had recommended postponing elective surgical procedures. Along with the growing public fear of COVID-19, hospital visits in Japan decreased.

Safety and Evidence of Off-Label Use of Approved Drugs at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan.

Purpose: In Japan, for pharmaceutical products to be covered by public medical insurance, their efficacy and safety must first be confirmed in clinical trials. To our knowledge, this study is the first investigation into the off-label use of pharmaceutical products at a high-volume cancer treatment center in Japan. The objective of this study is to explore the framework necessary for future pharmaceutical development and regulatory approval in the field of oncology by surveying the frequency of and indications for off-label use of pharmaceutical products at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, Japan.

Treatment strategies for recurrent ovarian cancer in older adult patients in Japan: a study based on real-world data.

Background/objective: Elderly patients with cancer are often at risk for undertreatment because of frailty, an aging-specific problem. However, current real-world conditions of recurrent ovarian cancer treatment in elderly patients remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify treatment patterns in elderly patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Analysis of concordance with antiemetic guidelines in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer using a large-scale administrative database.

Object: The appropriate use of antiemetics is important for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV); however, little is known about the rate of concordance with antiemetic guidelines for CINV in the field of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult.

Methods: Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination system in Japan, we identified patients <30 years of age who were diagnosed with cancer between July 2010 and March 2016. We have assessed concordance with the ASCO antiemetic guidelines for each emetic risk category of chemotherapeutic drugs.

Feasibility of initial treatment in elderly patients with ovarian cancer in Japan: a retrospective study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the real world situation and clarify the problem in initial treatment for elderly patients with ovarian cancer in Japan.

Methods: We used the ovarian cancer database, containing all patients diagnosed and treated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage I-IV ovarian cancer at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan from June 2008 to April 2013. Patients were stratified into two groups based on age: an elderly group, aged 70 years or older, and a younger group, aged below 70 years.

Platinum-free interval affects efficacy of following treatment for platinum-refractory or -resistant ovarian cancer.

Background/objective: Platinum-refractory or -resistant ovarian cancer (PRROC) is associated with poor prognosis and low response to further chemotherapy. We investigated predictors of effectiveness of following treatments for PRROC.

Patients And Methods: We included 380 patients diagnosed with stage I-IV ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, who were treated at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan from January 2007 to December 2014 and recurred after initial treatment, who had a platinum-refractory or -resistant relapses and received chemotherapy, in this single-center, retrospective study.

Efficacy and Safety of Pazopanib for Recurrent or Metastatic Solitary Fibrous Tumor.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of pazopanib for recurrent or metastatic solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in first- and second-line settings.

Methods: Patients histologically diagnosed with SFT at our hospital who received pazopanib monotherapy for inoperable disease between January 2013 and November 2016 were eligible. We retrospectively investigated treatment outcomes according to the treatment lines and assessed adverse events.

Symptom management: the utility of regional cooling for hand-foot syndrome induced by pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in ovarian cancer.

Purpose: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a major side effect of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). Regional cooling during PLD infusion was shown to improve severe HFS. We investigated the utility of frozen gloves and socks (FGS) as a simpler cooling method.

Efficacy and safety of eribulin in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer not meeting trial eligibility criteria: a retrospective study.

Background: The efficacy and safety of eribulin in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer has been demonstrated in phase III trials. However, as patients receiving eribulin in daily practice do not necessarily meet all the eligibility criteria of clinical trials, data for such patients are limited.

Methods: We identified patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, treated with eribulin monotherapy between July 2011 and December 2015 at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

The Prognostic Impact of the Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Dose-Dense Therapy for Ovarian Carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the use of the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for predicting disease prognosis in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who received neoadjuvant dose-dense weekly paclitaxel and carboplatin (dd-TC) therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma treated at our hospital from July 2004 to October 2014. Patients received dd-TC therapy as NAC followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS).

Feasibility of olanzapine, multi acting receptor targeted antipsychotic agent, for the prevention of emesis caused by continuous cisplatin- or ifosfamide-based chemotherapy.

Background To determine the feasibility and efficacy of olanzapine, which is approved by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency as multi acting receptor targeted antipsychotic agent of the thienobenzodiazepine class, for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients undergoing continuous five-day chemotherapy. Patients and methods This study was a prospective dose escalation study at a single center (UMIN ID: UMIN000015386). Patients received a combination of adriamycin and ifosfamide (AI) or a combination of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP).

Amrubicin Monotherapy for Patients with Platinum-Pretreated Non-Gastrointestinal Non-Pancreatic Extrapulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of amrubicin therapy for patients with non-gastrointestinal (GI) non-pancreatic extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-NEC).

Methods: The medical records of patients from the 2 participating institutions were retrospectively reviewed. The eligibility criteria were: patients with non-GI non-pancreatic EP-NEC who received amrubicin monotherapy after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Feasibility of dose-dense paclitaxel/carboplatin therapy in elderly patients with ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer.

Purpose: Weekly dose-dense paclitaxel (PTX) in combination with carboplatin (CBDCA) every 3 weeks (ddTC therapy) is a standard treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. However, there is no detailed analysis of the feasibility of ddTC therapy in elderly patients with ovarian cancer.

Methods: We identified patients diagnosed with ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer who received ddTC therapy at the National Cancer Center Hospital from April 2003 to April 2013.