Publications by authors named "Susumu Okano"

Article Synopsis
  • The SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN consortium is conducting a nationwide project that uses AI and multi-omics analyses for molecular profiling in patients with advanced cancers, aiming to create new treatments and diagnostics.
  • The project includes the CIRCULATE-Japan study, focusing on precision medicine for resectable solid tumors and requires substantial data storage in a high-tech supercomputing system called VAPOR CONE.
  • As of December 2023, over 24,000 patients have been registered, with 5.0% of those in advanced solid tumors participating in matched clinical trials, showing a 29.2% response rate and significantly improved survival rates compared to those not receiving matched therapies.
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Background: The significance of induction chemotherapy (IC) in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with unresectable locoregional recurrence after curative surgery has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of IC followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in these patients.

Methods: Among patients with unresectable locoregional recurrent SCCHN who had not undergone prior irradiation and were eligible for cisplatin, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who received CRT following IC with paclitaxel, carboplatin, or cetuximab (IC-PCE group) and those who received CRT without prior IC (CRT group) between June 2013 and August 2021.

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Background: Olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is a rare malignant tumor of the head and neck. Due to its rarity, standard systemic therapy for this condition has yet to be established. In particular, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the recurrent or metastatic (R/M) ONB population remains unclear.

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Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has been treated by multidisciplinary therapy consisting of surgery, radiotherapy, and cancer chemotherapy, but the recent advent of immunotherapy has produced significant changes in treatment systems and the results of these therapies. Immunotherapy has greatly improved the outcome of recurrent metastatic SCCHN, and the development of new treatment methods based on immunotherapy is now being applied not only to recurrent metastatic cases but also to locally advanced cases. To understand and practice cancer immunotherapy, it is important to understand the immune environment surrounding cancer, and the changes to which it is subject.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the effects of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after salvage neck dissection for patients with cervical lymph node recurrence in oral cavity cancer, focusing on outcomes like survival and recurrence rates.
  • After following 51 patients for about 7.4 years, the results showed a 7-year overall survival rate of 66.3% and a recurrence-free survival rate of 54.6%, with better outcomes for younger patients and those with isolated lymph node recurrence.
  • While PORT was effective, some patients experienced side effects like severe acute mucositis (35%) and less common long-term issues like osteoradionecrosis (4%) and laryngeal stenosis (2%).
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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are essential in treating recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). However, the overall response rate (ORR) is limited to 10-20%, and subsequent chemotherapy is critical to maximizing the subjects' prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 59 patients with R/M SCCHN treated with paclitaxel+cetuximab (PE)-based chemotherapy (PCE, paclitaxel+carboplatin+cetuximab; or PTX+Cmab, paclitaxel+cetuximab) following disease progression after either pembrolizumab or nivolumab monotherapy.

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Objectives: Cetuximab-based chemotherapy is a standard 1st-line treatment for recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). However, few studies have reported survival data for a treatment sequence consisting of a PCE regimen (paclitaxel + carboplatin + cetuximab) followed by an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively assessed 37 patients with R/M SCCHN from the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx who received PCE as 1st-line treatment followed by nivolumab as 2nd-line at the National Cancer Center Hospital East between December 2016 and July 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lenvatinib often causes hypertension shortly after treatment starts, with a significant number of patients (71%) developing severe hypertension (grade ≥3) within days.
  • A study of 65 patients found similar increases in blood pressure across those who developed hypertension and those who did not, with an average rise of 20 mmHg in systolic and 13 mmHg in diastolic pressure.
  • Patients with normal to high-normal baseline blood pressure have a greater risk of severe hypertension compared to those with optimal baseline levels, highlighting the need for early monitoring and management of blood pressure during treatment.
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Background: In the phase 3 SELECT study, lenvatinib significantly improved prognostic outcomes vs. placebo in patients with radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC). However, toxicity of lenvatinib is sometimes considerable and requires frequent dose interruptions and modifications.

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  • The text discusses the negative effects of prolonged opioid use, particularly in cancer patients after completing radiation therapy (RT), highlighting the importance of managing opioid prescriptions effectively.
  • A time-series analysis compared outcomes of patients who participated in a pharmacist-led opioid de-escalation (PLODE) program against a control group of similar patients who did not participate.
  • Results indicated that participants in the PLODE program discontinued opioids significantly earlier than the control group, and none of them resumed opioid use or needed to increase their dosage due to pain.
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Background: Despite advances in precision medicine, most patients with recurrent or metastatic salivary gland carcinoma still need conventional chemotherapies, such as the combination of taxane and platinum. However, evidence for these standardized regimens is limited.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with salivary gland carcinoma treated with a taxane and platinum, which contained docetaxel at a dose of 60 mg/m2 plus cisplatin at a dose of 70 mg/m2 on day 1, or paclitaxel at a dose of 100 mg/m2 plus carboplatin at a dose of area under the plasma concentration-time curve = 2.

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  • The study analyzes the effectiveness of local therapies (LT) like surgery and radiotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) who have previously undergone treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab.
  • A retrospective review involved 24 patients, with 37.5% receiving salvage LT and 62.5% undergoing palliative radiotherapy. The outcomes varied significantly based on the type of treatment received, with median overall survival (OS) ranging from 24.5 months to 2.4 months.
  • The findings suggest that for R/M SCCHN patients treated with nivolumab, salvage LT followed by systemic therapy is associated with better survival outcomes,
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Introduction: Despite the common occurrence of cetuximab (Cmab)-induced skin toxicity, management strategies are not well established. The traditional mainstay method consists of topical steroids, which, if used excessively, may give rise to other concerns. Alternatively, adapalene can activate epidermal growth factor receptor pathways to potentially alleviate these toxicities.

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Background: Proteinuria is the most frequent adverse event of lenvatinib use. However, the association between lenvatinib-induced proteinuria and renal dysfunction remains unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with thyroid cancer without proteinuria treated with lenvatinib as a first-line systemic therapy at the initiation of treatment to assess the association between lenvatinib-induced proteinuria and renal function and the risk factors for the development of ≥3+ proteinuria on a dipstick test.

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Background: Several reports have shown that the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and antibiotics (Abx) can reduce the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in various cancers. To date, however, the association of immune checkpoint inhibitors with PPI and/or Abx in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M SCCHN) has not been reported.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with platinum-refractory R/M SCCHN treated with nivolumab from May 2017 and March 2020 in our institute.

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Background: Previous clinical trials have demonstrated the potential efficacy of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPis) in patients with cancer involving homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene-mutation. Moreover, HRR gene-mutated cancers are effectively treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with the increase in tumor mutation burden. We have proposed to conduct a multicenter, single-arm phase II trial (IMAGENE trial) for evaluating the efficacy and safety of niraparib (PARPi) plus programmed cell death-1 inhibitor combination therapy in patients with HRR gene-mutated cancers who are refractory to ICIs therapy using a next generation sequencing-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and tumor tissue analysis.

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Background: The aim of the trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions provided by online support program apps, adopting health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) scores as indicators.

Methods: The design is as an open, randomized, parallel-group trial with longitudinal data collection. The subjects will be female cancer patients receiving treatment in a Japanese National Cancer Hospital.

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Background: The addition of induction chemotherapy (IC) before chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has improved survival over CRT alone in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (LA-NPC). Nevertheless, this population would benefit from further development of a novel IC regimen with satisfactory efficacy and a more favorable safety profile.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed 29 LA-NPC patients who received the combination of paclitaxel (PTX), carboplatin (CBDCA), and cetuximab (Cmab) (PCE) as IC (IC-PCE) at the National Cancer Center Hospital East between March 2017 and April 2021.

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Background: Cetuximab (Cmab) plays an important role in the treatment for recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (R/M HNC). To date, however, no safety data on biweekly administration of cetuximab at a dose of 500 mg/m (biweekly Cmab) for Japanese HNC patients have been available.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of five R/M HNC patients who received biweekly Cmab in our institute between January 2016 and September 2021 and compared the safety profile between two phases of weekly 250 mg/m and biweekly 500 mg/m Cmab in the identical patients.

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Objectives: In CheckMate 141, nivolumab significantly improved overall survival (OS) in patients with platinum-refractory recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinomas (R/M SCC) of the head and neck. However, reports on nivolumab for patients with non-SCC and/or a primary subsite excluded from CheckMate 141 are limited.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of R/M head and neck cancer patients who received nivolumab.

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It was not until around 2000 that human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal carcinoma was recognized as carcinoma with clinical presentations different from nonrelated head and neck carcinoma. Twenty years after and with the revision of the tumor-node-metastasis classification in 2017, various clinical trials focused on human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal carcinoma to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients with this disease. However, the incidence of human papillomavirus-related cancers is increasing, which is expected to be particularly prominent in Japan, where human papillomavirus vaccination is not widely available.

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Salivary gland malignancies are rare neoplasms that have a broad histological spectrum and a variety of biologic behaviors. Salivary gland malignancies are known as chemo-resistant tumors, which render optimal treatment challenging. This review summarizes the role of systemic therapy for salivary gland malignancies.

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Background: To determine the safety, preliminary efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of a single cycle of RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy, an anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab conjugated with a light-activatable dye (IRDye700DX), in Japanese patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (rHNSCC).

Methods: Patients received a single fixed dose (640 mg/m) of RM-1929 and a fixed light treatment dose (50 J/cm for superficial illumination; 100 J/cm fiber diffuser length for interstitial illumination). Safety, tumor response (modified RECIST v1.

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In order to maximize the benefit of induction chemotherapy, practice based on a comprehensive interpretation of a large number of clinical trials, as in this review, is essential. The standard treatment for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is surgery or chemoradiation. However, induction chemotherapy followed by (chemo) radiotherapy may be used in some circumstances.

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