Publications by authors named "Takehiro Tozuka"

Background/aim: Chemoresistance to paclitaxel (PTX) significantly ameliorates therapeutic efficacy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in advanced stages, deteriorating the progression free and overall survival rates. One of the critical mechanisms contributing to drug resistance is the excretion of PTX from target cells via efflux pumps. Ivermectin was developed as a bactericidal agent against parasites; however, it has recently been shown to inhibit the proliferation of human cancer cells.

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  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy (ICI-chemo) are a standard treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the effectiveness compared to ipilimumab and nivolumab (I-N) for patients with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) of 1-49% was not previously assessed.
  • A study involving 401 NSCLC patients analyzed treatment outcomes, finding that median overall survival (OS) was similar between the ICI-chemo group (21.0 months) and the I-N group (20.0 months), with no significant survival differences after matching for confounders.
  • However, in patients with a TPS of 25-49%, the ICI-chemo group showed a
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Introduction: A neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) has shown dramatic efficacy against malignant tumors harboring an NTRK fusion gene. However, almost all tumors eventually acquire resistance to NTRK-TKIs.

Method: To investigate the mechanism of resistance to NTRK-TKIs, we established cells resistant to three types of NTRK-TKIs (larotrectinib, entrectinib, and selitrectinib) using KM12 colon cancer cells with a TPM3-NTRK1 rearrangement.

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  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are standard treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this study investigates the impact of upfront radiotherapy for brain metastases (BMs) in patients treated with either ICI alone or ICI plus chemotherapy.
  • An analysis of 591 patients across multiple institutions revealed that those receiving upfront radiotherapy alongside ICI alone had significantly longer overall survival compared to those who did not receive radiotherapy.
  • However, in the group treated with ICI-chemo, the addition of upfront radiotherapy did not show any significant survival benefit, suggesting different responses to treatment strategies.
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Introduction: Osimertinib is a standard treatment for patients with -mutant NSCLC. Although some osimertinib resistance mechanisms have been identified, nearly 50% of the mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study was aimed at identifying non-genetic mechanisms underlying osimertinib resistance.

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  • - The study investigates whether local treatment (LT) for brain metastases (BMs) before starting osimertinib improves survival in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • - Researchers compared overall survival (OS) and central nervous system progression-free survival (CNS-PFS) between two patient groups: those who received upfront LT and those who only received osimertinib.
  • - Results indicated that patients who had upfront LT experienced significantly longer OS and CNS-PFS compared to those who only received osimertinib, suggesting that LT before osimertinib might enhance treatment outcomes for this patient population.
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  • The study investigates the safety and effectiveness of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for older adults (75+) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Conducted across 58 centers in Japan, the research analyzed 1,245 patients, focusing on their overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) based on different treatment approaches.
  • Findings revealed that the median OS for those treated with ICI-chemotherapy was around 20 months, similar to patients receiving ICI alone, suggesting no significant difference in outcomes among treatment types after adjusting for various factors.
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Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is a risk factor associated with brain metastases (BMs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of osimertinib early dose reduction on BM worsening.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib as first-line treatment between August 2018 and October 2021.

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Background: Evidence for use of second-line immunosuppressants for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is inadequate. Therefore, a multicenter analysis should assess the efficacy of second-line immunosuppressants for severe irAEs associated with different malignant diseases.

Methods: This descriptive study aims to investigate the effects of second-line immunosuppressants on corticosteroid-refractory irAEs in patients with lung cancer.

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Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK-positive) lung adenocarcinoma with multiple liver metastases accounts for a relatively small number of cases of non-small cell lung cancer. Several ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) are available for the treatment of lung cancer. However, there is limited evidence on the treatment of multiple liver metastases in patients with lung cancer that are refractory to ALK-TKIs.

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Background: Rechallenge with platinum-combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after disease progression on platinum-combination chemotherapy occasionally leads to a favorable response. The efficacy and safety of platinum-combination chemotherapy with or without immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) for patients with recurrent NSCLC after surgery followed by adjuvant platinum-doublet chemotherapy remains uncertain.

Methods: Patients who relapsed after surgery plus adjuvant platinum-doublet chemotherapy and received platinum-combination chemotherapy with or without ICI between April 2011 and March 2021 at four Nippon Medical School hospitals were retrospectively analyzed.

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Purpose: For patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) that progressed after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and durvalumab consolidation therapy, no subsequent standard treatment exists. The type of treatment selected for each timing of disease progression and its efficacy have not been investigated.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with LA-NSCLC or inoperable NSCLC that progressed after definitive CRT and durvalumab consolidation therapy at 15 Japanese institutions.

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Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) suppresses effector T-cells. Few studies have assessed serum sIL-2R in patients receiving immunotherapy. We evaluated the association between serum sIL-2R levels and the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death 1/ programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-1/PD-L1) antibody combined with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

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Alectinib is a selective anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitor as standard therapy for ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hemolytic anemia is considered as a rare but significant adverse event with alectinib. Here, we report a case of a 73-year-old female with lung adenocarcinoma, harbouring an ALK fusion gene, who received alectinib as second-line therapy and developed gradually progressive grade 4 (6.

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Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare type of malignant tracheal tumor originating from the secretory glands. Complete surgical resection is the current standard of care for tracheal ACC. However, there have been few case reports of chemoradiotherapy for unresectable tracheal ACC.

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Background: The therapeutic efficacy of cytotoxic anticancer drugs has been reported to be enhanced after immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in non-small cell lung cancer; however, it is unclear whether the same is applicable for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We evaluated the efficacy of second-line amrubicin (AMR) following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and ICI combination therapy (chemo-ICI) in SCLC.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients with SCLC treated with AMR as a second-line following chemo-ICI as first-line between July 2019 and April 2021 from 16 institutions throughout Japan.

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Surgical treatment is the best curative treatment option for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but some patients have recurrence beyond the surgical margin even after receiving curative surgery. Therefore, therapies with anti-cancer agents also play an important role perioperatively. In this paper, we review the current status of adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC and describe promising perioperative therapies, including molecularly targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

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Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) that targets programmed death-1. Although ICIs have shown efficacy in the treatment of lung cancer, they have also been reported to cause a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Hepatotoxicity is a known irAEs, but currently, there is not enough information on its pathological characteristics and treatment.

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A 59-year-old woman complaining of wet cough, hemoptysis, slight fever, anorexia, and malaise was admitted to hospital with suspected lobar pneumonia. She received treatment for myocardial infarction and deep venous thrombosis caused by familial protein C deficiency. Rapid deterioration due to respiratory failure occurred despite intensive care with broad-spectrum antibiotics.

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Background: Most patients treated with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop resistance, leading to metastasis, with progression to the central nervous system (CNS) being a primary concern. Although alectinib has better CNS penetration than crizotinib, patients treated with alectinib also develop CNS progression. CNS metastases more likely occurs during crizotinib treatment due to less blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration capability than alectinib.

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Background/aim: The Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS) induces immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, and RAS inhibitors (RASi) improve the tumor immune microenvironment. We evaluated the impact of RASi on the efficacy anti-programmed cell death-1/Ligand-1 (anti-PD-1/PD-L1) antibodies.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study analyzed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies monotherapy as second- or later-line treatment.

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  • The study analyzed the impact of switching from the Therascreen to the Cobas EGFR test for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are treated with EGFR-TKIs, as Cobas is specifically approved for osimertinib use in cases with T790M mutations.
  • A total of 1,228 patients were included; Therascreen identified EGFR mutations in 35.9% of tested patients, while Cobas detected them in 39.3%, indicating no significant difference in overall detection rates.
  • Although both tests had similar overall detection rates for EGFR mutations, there were slight variations in the detection patterns of specific mutation subtypes between the
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  • The Oncomine Dx Target test (Oncomine Dx) is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) method that shows promise in clinical trials but has challenges, such as needing high-quality tumor samples and longer result times.
  • In a hospital study of 167 advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, Oncomine Dx showed lower feasibility metrics compared to other tests like ALK-IHC and Cobas EGFR.
  • To enhance its practicality in clinical settings, the study suggests that improving biopsy procedures could help increase the feasibility of Oncomine Dx testing.
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Objectives: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) plays important roles in tumor immune suppression and thus correlates with the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death-1/ligand 1 (anti-PD-1/PD-L1) antibodies. We aimed to determine the association between change in plasma VEGF-A levels and the efficacy of chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies (chemo-PD1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: We included NSCLC patients treated with chemo-PD1.

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