Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts treatment efficacy and prognosis of cytotoxic anticancer drugs, molecular targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently attracted attention as a prognostic predictor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the utility of NLR in relation to cytotoxic anticancer drugs or molecular targeted drugs remains unclear. We determined if NLR could predict the treatment efficacy and prognosis in NSCLC patients who receive cytotoxic anticancer drugs or molecular targeted drugs, as well as ICIs, in a cross-sectional manner.

Importance and Difficulty of Differentiating BMA-induced AFF Prodromal Symptoms from Hormonal Therapy-related Femoral Pain.

We herein report a case of breast cancer in a 74-year-old woman treated with exemestane as fourth-line hormonal therapy and bone-modifying agents for long time. She suddenly developed a right femoral shaft fracture during treatment. Her femoral fracture had a beaking sign on radiogram.

Promising Combination Therapy with Bevacizumab and Erlotinib in an EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Patient with MET Amplification Who Showed Intrinsic Resistance to Initial EGFR-TKI Therapy.

In lung cancer, several potential mechanisms of intrinsic and acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been explored, including mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) signaling pathway activation. On the other hand, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production of EGFR-mutated lung cancer cells is stimulated by predominantly activated MET signaling pathway. Therefore, the inhibition of VEGF axis as the downstream target of MET signaling pathway seems promising.

Need for Flexible Adjustment of the Treatment Schedule for Aprepitant Administration against Erlotinib-Induced Refractory Pruritus and Skin Rush.

Common dermatological side-effects associated with erlotinib, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), include pruritus and skin rash, which are mediated by substance P, leading to the occasional discontinuation of cancer treatment. Aprepitant is an antagonist of neurokinin-1 receptor, through which substance P activates the pruritogens. Thus, aprepitant is expected to offer a promising option for the treatment of erlotinib-induced pruritus.

Significance of Earlier Initiation of Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer Complicated with Primary or Secondary Nephrotic Syndrome following Its Appropriate Differential Diagnosis.

We encountered a case of primary lung cancer complicated with membranous nephropathy as primary nephrotic syndrome. Because treatment approaches vary greatly for primary and secondary nephrotic syndrome, a renal biopsy was performed for diagnosis. Much time was required to make a definitive diagnosis of primary nephrotic syndrome, as opposed to paraneoplastic nephrotic syndrome.

Successful Treatment with Taxane-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Sebaceous Carcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

For sebaceous carcinoma (SC), a rare malignant tumor, no standard chemotherapy regimen for patients with distant metastasis has been studied. We experienced a case of eyelid SC with multiple lung metastases that responded to combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel with 11-month progression-free survival (PFS). This patient also responded to second-line treatment with docetaxel, another taxane, with 7-month PFS, resulting in at least 18 months of survival at the time of reporting.

A Phase 2 Study of Induction Chemotherapy Using Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and S-1 for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis (KUGC06).

Background: The authors previously showed the significant efficacy of S-1 plus cisplatin for gastric cancer with limited peritoneal metastasis. They conducted a phase 2 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of induction chemotherapy using a docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (DCS) triplet regimen to treat gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis.

Methods: The key eligibility criteria were gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis or positive peritoneal cytology but no other distant metastases and capability of oral administration.

A Patient with Advanced Gastric Cancer Who Achieved a Long-Term Prognosis by Early Diagnosis of Sister Mary Joseph's Nodule.

The patient was a 66-year-old woman. An induration of approximately 15 mm in size that accompanied redness was palpable in the umbilical fossa. She did not respond to 1-month antibiotic treatment provided by the previous physician.

A Case of Lung Adenocarcinoma with Marked Improvement of Pulmonary Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis by Adding Bevacizumab to Cisplatin and Pemetrexed.

A 40-year-old man with a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (cT4N3M1c, stage IVB) experienced worsening of lymphangitic carcinomatosis in the right lung and right pleural effusion after receiving 1 cycle of first-line chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and pemetrexed. Bevacizumab was thus added from the second cycle of the cisplatin-pemetrexed regimen, leading to a marked improvement in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis and a decrease in pleural effusion. Subsequently, maintenance therapy consisting of pemetrexed and bevacizumab was continued, successfully leading to long-term progression-free survival.

A Case of Paraneoplastic Remitting Seronegative Symmetrical Synovitis with Pitting Edema Syndrome Improved by Chemotherapy.

The patient was a 69-year-old male who had started experiencing acute-onset pain in both shoulder joints and edema of both hands and feet. His symptoms progressively worsened within 1 month. Laboratory data indicated elevated CRP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate despite the normal range of antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor and normal organ function.

A Case of Advanced Submandibular Gland Cancer in Which Increased Prostate-Specific Antigen and Multiple Bone Metastases Wrongly Suggested Concurrent Prostate Cancer.

A 73-year-old man, followed for prostatic hyperplasia, developed submandibular gland cancer. Initially, because of the concurrent presence of elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and multiple bone metastases, he was clinically determined as having stage IV prostate cancer in addition to stage II submandibular gland cancer, and radical surgery for his submandibular gland cancer was performed first. However, subsequent detailed examinations of the prostate gland showed no prostate cancer, and a diagnosis of advanced submandibular gland cancer with increased PSA and multiple bone metastases was established.

Paraneoplastic IgA Vasculitis in an Adult with Lung Adenocarcinoma.

A 50-year-old man with lung adenocarcinoma (c-T1aN2M1b) experienced reddish purpura mainly on the lower legs after receiving 12 cycles of second-line chemotherapy with docetaxel. There was tumor enlargement on computed tomography performed to assess the therapeutic response, so paraneoplastic IgA vasculitis was considered. IgA vasculitis was diagnosed based on a biopsy of the skin lesion and histology of an upper gastrointestinal hemorrhagic mucosal erosion.

Nivolumab-Induced Myocarditis Concomitant with Myasthenia Gravis.

We report a 69-year-old female patient with advanced lung cancer who developed myocarditis concomitant with myasthenia gravis (MG), also known as "Herzmyasthenie," after 3 cycles of nivolumab administration. Her initial symptoms were general malaise and double vision. However, her myocarditis deteriorated rapidly the following day, necessitating a temporary pacemaker and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the intensive care unit.

A Case of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome Induced by Cisplatin/Pemetrexed Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer.

This report presents the case of a 60-year-old woman who was diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with asymptomatic brain metastases and commenced chemotherapy with cisplatin/pemetrexed (CDDP/Pem). She experienced tonic-clonic convulsions on day 9 of the first cycle, which were accompanied by increased blood pressure (173/69 mm Hg) and headache. Therefore, brain MRI was performed to check for stroke or progression of brain metastatic foci.

Ultrasound findings of diffuse metastasis of gastric signet-ring-cell carcinoma to the thyroid gland.

It has been shown that metastases to the thyroid from extrathyroidal malignancies occur as solitary or multiple nodules, or may involve the whole thyroid gland diffusely. However, diffuse metastasis of gastric cancer to the thyroid is extremely rare. Here, we report a case of a 74-year-old woman with diffuse infiltration of gastric adenocarcinoma (signet-ring-cell carcinoma/poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma) cells in the thyroid.

Immunohistochemical differential diagnosis between thymic carcinoma and type B3 thymoma: diagnostic utility of hypoxic marker, GLUT-1, in thymic epithelial neoplasms.

There are only a few immunohistochemical markers that are useful for differentiating thymic carcinomas from type B3 thymomas. The purpose of this study is to examine the additional markers that would be useful for differentiating between thymic carcinoma and thymoma type B3. We performed a tissue microarray analysis of surgically resected thymic tumor specimens from 12 cases of thymic carcinoma, 7 cases of type B3 thymoma, and 68 cases of other types of thymoma.

Expression of breast cancer resistance protein is associated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Background: ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter and DNA excision repair proteins play a pivotal role in the mechanisms of drug resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of ABC transporter and DNA excision repair proteins, and to elucidate the clinical significance of their expression in biopsy specimens from patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods: We investigated expression of the ABC transporter proteins, P-glycoprotein (Pgp), multidrug resistance associated-protein 1 (MRP1), MRP2, MRP3, and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), and the DNA excision repair proteins, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) protein and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) protein, in tumor biopsy specimens obtained before chemotherapy from 130 SCLC patients who later received platinum-based combination chemotherapy, and investigated the relationship between their expression and both response and survival.

Immunohistochemical expression of BCRP and ERCC1 in biopsy specimen predicts survival in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of expression of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins and DNA repair gene proteins by immunohistochemically staining tumor biopsy specimens from patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Experimental Design: Expression of ABC transporter proteins, including BCRP (breast cancer resistance protein) and MRP2 (multidrug resistance proteins 2), and the DNA-repair-related proteins, ERCC1 (excision repair cross-complementation group 1) and BRCA1 (breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein) was assessed immunohistochemically in 156 tumor samples from untreated stage IV NSCLC patients. All of the patients had received platinum-based chemotherapy.

Hydrolysis kinetics of trisaccharides consisting of glucose, galactose, and fructose residues in subcritical water.

The hydrolysis kinetics of trisaccharides consisting of glucose, galactose, and fructose residues with different glycosidic bonds, 1-kestose, d-melezitose, d-raffinose, and lactosucrose, in subcritical water were conducted over the temperature range of 150-230 degrees C and at a constant pressure of 10 MPa. The hydrolysis of trisaccharides in subcritical water proceeded consecutively, i.e.

Comparison of intratympanic and intravenous dexamethasone treatment on sudden sensorineural hearing loss with diabetes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intratympanic administration of dexamethasone (IT-DEX) treatment on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients with diabetes by comparing the results with intravenous administration of dexamethasone (IV-DEX) treatment.

Study Design: Comparative study.

Setting: University hospital and affiliated hospital.

Kinetics of maltooligosaccharide hydrolysis in subcritical water.

The kinetics of the hydrolysis of maltooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3-6 in subcritical water was studied using a tubular reactor at temperatures between 200 and 260 degrees C and at a constant pressure of 10 MPa. The maltooligosaccharide disappearance and product formation at residence times shorter than 50 s could be expressed by first-order kinetics. The rate constants for the hydrolysis of each maltooligosaccharide were evaluated.

[A case of systemic sclerosis complicated by Takayasu's arteritis].

We report a case of systemic sclerosis complicated by Takayasu's arteritis. A 68-year-old woman had been treated for hypertension since 1984. She also had Raynaud's phenomenon and noticed vertigo and dizziness.