Multimodal treatment with chemoradiotherapy, regional hyperthermia and interstitial brachytherapy for a huge locally advanced cervical cancer: A case report.

A female patient in her 50 s was found to have a 10-cm tumor resulting from locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Three-year relapse-free survival was achieved following a multimodal treatment strategy integrating chemoradiotherapy (CRT), regional hyperthermia (RHT), and interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT). Given the large size of the tumor, enhancement of the geometrical dose distribution was anticipated using ISBT.

Risk Factors for Radiation Necrosis and Local Recurrence after Proton Beam Therapy for Skull Base Chordoma or Chondrosarcoma.

[Proposal] Here, we retrospectively evaluate risk factors for radiation necrosis and local recurrence after PBT for skull base chordoma or chondrosarcoma. [Patients and Methods] We analyzed 101 patients who received PBT for skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas from January 1989 to February 2021. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied for local recurrence, temporal lobe radiation necrosis rates, and temporal lobe radiation necrosis.

Retrospective Analysis of the Areas Responsible for Light Flash and Odor During Proton Beam Therapy and Photon Therapy.

Background Abnormal sensations were frequently experienced by patients who received irradiation of the brain or head and neck region. We have previously suggested correlations with irradiation of the nasal cavity and retina. Purpose We performed a retrospective dose-volume histogram analysis focused on the brain and head and neck tumor to examine the relationship between these abnormal sensations and the details of irradiation.

Analysis of person-hours required for proton beam therapy for pediatric tumors.

Proton beam therapy (PBT) is effective for pediatric tumors, but patients may require sedation and other preparations, which extend the treatment time. Pediatric patients were classified into sedation and non-sedation cases. Adult patients were classified into three groups based on irradiation from two directions without or with respiratory synchronization and patch irradiation.

Clinical Impact of Proton Beam Therapy for Postoperative Lymph Node Oligorecurrence of Esophageal Cancer.

Background/aim: Radiotherapy is a salvage therapy type for postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer. Compared to conventional photon-based radiotherapy, proton beam therapy can reduce the irradiated dose to the surrounding organs, facilitating the management of patients who are unfit for radiotherapy. In this study, the outcomes and toxicity of proton beam therapy for postoperative lymph node oligorecurrence of esophageal cancer were investigated.

Long-term Outcomes After Moderate Hypofractionated Proton Therapy for Centrally Located Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: To investigate the outcomes of patients with centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with proton beam therapy (PBT) using moderate hypofractionation.

Patients And Methods: Between 2006 and 2019, 34 patients with centrally located T1-T4N0M0 NSCLC who received moderate hypofractionated PBT were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The median follow-up was 50.

Discovery of Novel Substrate-Competitive Lysine Methyltransferase G9a Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents.

Identification of structurally novel inhibitors of lysine methyltransferase G9a has been a subject of intense research in cancer epigenetics. Starting with the high-throughput screening (HTS) hit - obtained from the chemical library of the University of Tokyo Drug Discovery Initiative, the structure-activity relationship of the unique substrate-competitive inhibitors was established with the help of X-ray crystallography and fragment molecular orbital (FMO) calculations for the ligand-protein interaction. Further optimization of the characteristics and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties led to the identification of (RK-701), which is a structurally distinct potent inhibitor of G9a/GLP (IC = 27/53 nM).

Factors Involved in Preoperative Edema in High-Grade Gliomas.

Background Expansion of preoperative edema (PE) is an independent poor prognostic factor in high-grade gliomas. Evaluation of PE provides important information that can be readily obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but there are few reports on factors associated with PE. The goal of this study was to identify factors contributing to PE in Grade 3 (G3) and Grade 4 (G4) gliomas.

Light flash and odor during proton beam therapy for pediatric patients: a prospective observational study.

Light flash and odor during radiation therapy are well-known phenomena, but the details are poorly understood, particularly in pediatric patients. Therefore, we conducted a prospective observational study of these events in pediatric patients (age ≤20 years old) who received radiotherapy at our center from January 2019 to November 2021. Light flash and odor were evaluated using a patient-reported checklist including the presence, strength, and duration of the phenomenon, and color of light or type of odor.

Proton Beam Therapy in Elderly Patients With cT1-3N0M0 Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: To investigate the outcomes of elderly patients with cT1-3N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing proton beam therapy (PBT).

Patients And Methods: Between 2009 and 2019, 110 patients receiving hypofractionated PBT for cT1-3N0M0 NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The median follow-up was 36.

Olfactory Sensations During Proton and Photon Radiotherapy: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study.

Purpose: Patients often report a sense of smell during radiation therapy (RT), but the details of these events are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to evaluate events of smell during photon RT and proton beam therapy (PBT).

Methods And Materials: The subjects were all adult patients (≥20 years old) treated with photon RT or PBT at two centers from January 2019 to August 2020, with the exclusion of those with communication difficulties or olfactory abnormality.

Light flashes during proton and photon radiotherapy: A multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Patients who receive radiation therapy sometimes complain of a light flash during irradiation. The details of the characteristics of this light have not been described.

Purpose: To evaluate light flashes during photon and proton radiotherapy.

The impact of lymphopenia during chemoradiotherapy using photons or protons on the clinical outcomes of esophageal cancer patients.

We assessed the development of lymphopenia during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) using X-ray versus proton beams and the impact on survival in patients with esophageal cancer. Among patients with esophageal cancer who were administered concurrent CRT with a curative intent at our institute from 2014 to 2018, 69 (15 receiving X-ray radiotherapy (XRT) and 54 receiving proton beam therapy [PBT]) who underwent weekly blood testing during treatment were enrolled. The absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) at 1, 5 and 6 weeks were significantly higher in the patients who received PBT than in those who received XRT (p = 0.

Endplate defects, not the severity of spinal stenosis, contribute to low back pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background Context: It is controversial whether lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) itself contributes to low back pain (LBP). Lower truncal skeletal muscle mass, spinopelvic malalignment, intervertebral disc degeneration, and endplate abnormalities are thought to be related to LBP. However, whether these factors cause LBP in patients with LSS is unclear.

Risk factor of pneumonitis on dose-volume relationship for chemoradiotherapy with durvalumab: Multi-institutional research in Japan.

Objectives: To estimate appropriate dose-volume parameters for avoidance of pneumonitis in use of chemoradiotherapy and durvalumab for treatment of lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: Patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by durvalumab at 9 centers were enrolled in the study. Three-dimensional radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, and proton beam therapy were used.

Effectiveness of e-Learning on Neonatal Nurses' Pain Knowledge and Pain Measurement Skills: A Pilot Study.

Background: Reported benefits of virtual programs include user satisfaction and feasibility to train nurses to utilize pain scales. However, the effectiveness of the virtual neonatal pain management program on nurses' knowledge and scoring skill acquisition has not been examined.

Purpose: This study developed a comprehensive virtual program on neonatal pain management and examined its effectiveness on nurses' knowledge and skill acquisition of selected pain scales.

Psychological Predictors of Satisfaction after Lumbar Surgery for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

Study Design: A retrospective study of prospectively collected clinical data.

Purpose: To identify preoperative psychological factors associated with patient satisfaction after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

Overview Of Literature: Associations between depressive symptoms, anxiety, and worse surgical outcome or patient dissatisfaction have been reported in LSS patients.

Supervised physical therapy versus unsupervised exercise for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the 1-year outcomes of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis treated with supervised physical therapy or unsupervised exercise.

Design: A single-center randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation, blinded assessor and intention-to-treat analysis.

Setting: Spine care center.

Associations between psychological factors and daily step count in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background: Body mass index, pain, female sex, and age have been reported as predictors of physical activity in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). However, no reports have examined the psychological factors associated with physical activity in people with LSS.

Purpose: To use psychological assessments to identify the factors associated with physical activity measured as daily step count in people with LSS.

Influence of Sarcopenia on the Effect of Exercise Therapy for Elderly Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.

Introduction: Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by decreased skeletal muscle mass, has increasingly been attracting attention in Japan, which has an aged society. The association between chronic low back pain (CLBP) and muscle mass is important. This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise therapy for CLBP with or without sarcopenia.