Prognostic significance of IL-17 mRNA expression in peritoneal lavage in gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection.

Peritoneal dissemination is frequently detected in patients with advanced gastric cancer. The peritoneal cavity is a compartment in which an immunologic host-tumor interaction can occur. There are no reports on the relationship between IL-17 expression in peritoneal lavage and prognosis in gastric cancer patients.

Lower mediastinal lymph node metastasis is an independent survival factor of Siewert type II and III adenocarcinomas in the gastroesophageal junction.

We examined clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes in patients with adenocarcinoma in the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), while also analyzing the survival factors that have a prognostic impact. Between 1991 and 2009, 61 patients with tumors in the GEJ (Siewert type II and III) underwent primary surgical resection. Thirty of 61 patients had type II tumors (49.

The evaluation of surgical treatment for gastric cancer patients with noncurative resection.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the results of treatment in a series of 233 gastric cancer patients who underwent a noncurative resection.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients with noncurative treatment for advanced gastric cancer who were divided into three treatment groups: total gastrectomy (TG, n=150), distal gastrectomy (DG, n=44), and nonresection (NR, bypass procedure or chemotherapy only, n=39).

Results: In multivariate analysis, surgical treatment (TG) and an absence of chemotherapy were significant independent prognostic factors for a poor survival.

[Peptide vaccine therapy with TLR-9 agonist for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

Patients with advanced carcinoma are thought to have an impaired immune surveillance system. Therefore, the potent helper action is required for the induction of an antitumor immune response in such patients. We evaluated the efficacy of CpG-ODN, which is TLR-9 agonist, as cancer vaccine adjuvant through in vitro experiments.

Endoscopic resection of duodenal bulb neuroendocrine tumor larger than 10 mm in diameter.

Background: Endoscopic treatment for duodenal bulb neuroendocrine tumor larger than 10 mm is still controversial. This report presents four cases successfully treated with endosonography (EUS)-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) procedure for duodenal bulb neuroendocrine tumor larger than 10 mm in diameter.

Methods: The case series of four patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor from 2003 to 2008 were reviewed.

Optimal period for the prophylactic administration of neutrophil elastase inhibitor for patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy.

Background: The present study was designed to determine the optimal period for the prophylactic administration of the neutrophil elastase inhibitor, Sivelestat, in patients undergoing transthoracic esophagectomy. Sivelestat is reported to be effective in patients who undergo esophagectomy by providing an increased oxygenation ability and suppressing the serum inflammatory cytokines in the postoperative period. However, the optimal period for the prophylactic administration of Sivelestat remains to be elucidated.

Dendritic cells adenovirally-transduced with full-length mesothelin cDNA elicit mesothelin-specific cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro.

Mesothelin (MSLN) is an attractive candidate as a molecular target for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by stimulation with genetically-modified dendritic cells (DCs) expressing MSLN could produce specific anti-tumor immunity against pancreatic cancer cells endogenously expressing MSLN. MSLN-specific CTLs were generated from PBMCs of healthy donors by in vitro stimulation with DCs adenovirally-transduced with the full-length MSLN gene (DC-AxCAMSLN).

Tumor-infiltrating CD4+ Th17 cells produce IL-17 in tumor microenvironment and promote tumor progression in human gastric cancer.

Recently, a subset of IL-17 producing T cells distinct from Th1 or Th2 cells has been described as key players in inflammation and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer development. In this study, we investigated the expression level of IL-17 and T helper 17 (Th17)-related cytokines in gastric cancer tissues and assessed the association of their expression with angiogenesis and their clinicopathological parameters. Tumor and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 82 patients with gastric cancer.

Vaccination with peptides derived from cancer-testis antigens in combination with CpG-7909 elicits strong specific CD8+ T cell response in patients with metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Potent helper action is necessary for peptide-based vaccines to efficiently induce antitumor immune responses against advanced cancer. A phase I trial for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was carried out for patients with HLA-A*2402 using epitope peptides derived from novel cancer-testis antigens, LY6K and TTK, in combination with CpG-7909 (NCT00669292). This study investigated the feasibility and the toxicity as well as induction of tumor antigen-specific immune responses.

Clinicopathological characteristics of remnant gastric cancer after a distal gastrectomy.

Introduction: The survival rate of patients with remnant gastric cancer (RGC) is unfavorable in comparison to that of cancer in the nonresected stomach. However, when RGC is curatively resected, no significant differences have been reported between both groups in regard to survival. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinicopathological factors influencing a curative resection of RGC.

Optimal dose of preoperative enteral immunonutrition for patients with esophageal cancer.

Purpose: A preoperative immunonutrition pharmaceutics diet (IMPACT) significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative infectious complications, but the optimal regimen still remains unclear. We evaluated the optimal dose of a preoperative IMPACT for patients with esophageal carcinoma and the incidence of postoperative complications based on the dose of IMPACT.

Methods: This study design was a prospective nonrandomized study.

Association of allogeneic blood transfusions and long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer after curative gastrectomy.

Introduction: The relationship between perioperative allogeneic blood transfusions and poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of perioperative blood transfusions on long-term survival of patients undergoing curative gastric resection for gastric cancer.

Methods: Eight hundred fifty-six consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy (R0) from January 1, 1991 through December 31, 2002 were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Evaluation of double tract reconstruction after total gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer: prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: The double tract (DT) method was compared with the Roux-en-Y (R-Y) method to identify the optimal reconstruction procedure after total gastrectomy for patients with gastric cancer. The DT reconstruction is as simple as the R-Y, and it can be safely performed even after total gastrectomy. However, these have been no studies evaluating the usefulness of DT reconstruction in comparison to R-Y reconstruction.

Influence of overweight on patients with gastric cancer after undergoing curative gastrectomy: an analysis of 689 consecutive cases managed by a single center.

Hypothesis: Overweight (body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], > or =25.0) has an effect on surgical results, postoperative complications, and long-term survival in patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy.

Design: Retrospective study from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 2002.

High CCR7 mRNA expression of cancer cells is associated with lymph node involvement in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the biological malignant tumors. Once a tumor invades the submucosa, an incidence of lymph node (LN) metastases is very high, thus resulting in poor survival. Recently, chemokines have been reported to play an important role in organ-specific metastases in several malignancies.

Multiple early gastric cancer with gastritis cystica profunda showing various histological types.

We report a case of multiple early gastric cancer showing varied histological types associated with gastritis cystica profunda (GCP). A 61-year-old man who had early gastric cancer associated with GCP underwent a distal gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy. Histological examination showed various histological types of cancer -well differentiated, moderately differentiated, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma- that had developed independently in the mucosal and submucosal layers of the resected specimen.

Analysis of the prognostic factors and evaluation of surgical treatment for synchronous liver metastases from gastric cancer.

Background And Aims: Whether or not a synchronous resection of liver metastases from gastric cancer provides a survival benefit has been a key issue. We identify the significant prognostic factors and clarify the beneficial effect on the survival of liver surgical treatment.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed 72 patients who underwent a gastrectomy for gastric cancer with synchronous liver metastases and classified the liver metastases into three grades, such as H1: metastases were limited to one of the lobes, H2: there were a few scattered metastases in both lobes, and H3: there were numerous scattered metastases.

Tumor vaccine therapy against recrudescent tumor using dendritic cells simultaneously transfected with tumor RNA and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor RNA.

Recently, dendritic cells (DC) transfected with tumor RNA have been used as a cancer vaccine. The efficacy of a cancer vaccine using DC transfected tumor RNA was examined. Of particular interest was whether a vaccine using DC transfected with recrudescent tumor RNA is effective for the treatment of a regrowing tumor after prior immunotherapy.

Streptococcal preparation OK-432 promotes the capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) to prime carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses induced with genetically modified DCs that express CEA.

Cancer immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) adenovirally transduced with the whole tumor-associated antigen (TAA) gene is an effective approach. Streptococcal preparation OK-432 is useful for stimulating DCs in terms of maturation. In this study, we established carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) using in vitro stimulation with adenovirally modified human DCs that express CEA.

An analysis of the factors contributing to a reduction in the incidence of pulmonary complications following an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Background: Pulmonary complications occur most frequently following a transthoracic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and would get to be lethal occasionally. In this study, we sought to determine the effect of respiratory physiotherapy, corticosteroid administration, and the use of the video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) esophagectomy with a small thoracotomy incision, on the incidence of pulmonary complications following a transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy.

Materials And Methods: Approximately 184 patients who had undergone a right transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus were studied.

Benefits of gene transduction of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in cancer vaccine using genetically modified dendritic cells.

Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a key cytokine for the generation and stimulation of dendritic cells (DCs), and it may also play a pivotal role in promoting the survival of DCs. In this study, the feasibility of creating a cancer vaccine using DCs adenovirally transduced with the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene and the GM-CSF gene was examined. In addition, the effect of the co-transduction of GM-CSF gene on the lifespan of these genetically modified DCs was determined.

Successful cancer vaccine therapy for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-expressing colon cancer using genetically modified dendritic cells that express CEA and T helper-type 1 cytokines in CEA transgenic mice.

This study was designed to determine whether the vaccination of genetically modified dendritic cells (DCs) simultaneously expressing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin 12 (IL-12) can overcome the peripheral T-cell tolerance to CEA and thereby elicit a therapeutic response in CEA transgenic mice. CEA transgenic mice were immunized once by subcutaneous injection with DCs adenovirally transduced with CEA and T helper-type 1 cytokine genes. The cytotoxic activity of spleen cells against CEA-expressing tumors, MC38-CEA, in the mice immunized with DCs expressing CEA (DC-AxCACEA) was higher than that in those immunized with DCs-AxCALacZ (p < 0.

The boosting effect of co-transduction with cytokine genes on cancer vaccine therapy using genetically modified dendritic cells expressing tumor-associated antigen.

The T-helper 1 (Th1) immune reaction is most important in dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy. Interleukin 12 (IL-12) and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) play a pivotal role in inducing Th1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. In this study, DCs expressing the natural tumor antigen gp70 of BALB/c-derived CT26 were adenovirally transduced with the IL-12 gene and/or GM-CSF gene, and it was examined whether vaccinations using these genetically engineered DCs can induce strong therapeutic antitumor immunity.

Surgical management of small gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach.

Small gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) (< 3 cm) occasionally are found in the stomach during endoscopy. There is no consensus about the surgical management of these small tumors, although this clinical issue is crucial because some of the tumors show unexpected malignant behavior. In this study, we evaluated the clinical management of patients with gastric GISTs who underwent surgical resection.

Individualized adjuvant chemotherapy guided by chemosensitivity test sequential to extended surgery for advanced gastric cancer.

Background And Objectives: Various adjuvant chemotherapy regimens have been proposed for patients with advanced gastric cancer; however, the majority of these trials failed to show a clear survival benefit over surgery alone. In this study, the feasibility and efficacy of a strategy of extended surgery combined with individualized adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with serosal invasion and nodal involvement was examined.

Patients And Methods: Sixty-four patients with advanced gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy with extended lymph node dissection.