Myeloid Cells Induce Infiltration and Activation of B Cells and CD4+ T Follicular Helper Cells to Sensitize Brain Metastases to Combination Immunotherapy.

Brain metastasis (BM) is a poor prognostic factor in cancer patients. Despite showing efficacy in many extracranial tumors, immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) or anti-CTLA-4 mAb appears to be less effective against intracranial tumors. Promisingly, recent clinical studies have reported that combination therapy with anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 mAbs has a potent antitumor effect on BM, highlighting the need to elucidate the detailed mechanisms controlling the intracranial tumor microenvironment (TME) to develop effective immunotherapeutic strategies.

Impact of C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio on Lung Cancer With Interstitial Pneumonia.

Background: Lung cancer with interstitial pneumonia is known to be a refractory disease. We explored whether systemic inflammatory response markers are associated with outcomes in these patients.

Methods: The participants of this multicenter retrospective study, consisting of 17 medical institutions, were treatment-naïve patients with lung cancer combined with interstitial pneumonia who underwent surgical resection between 2012 and 2017.

The role of C1orf50 in breast cancer progression and prognosis.

Although the prognosis of breast cancer has significantly improved compared to other types of cancer, there are still some patients who expire due to recurrence or metastasis. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to identify patients with poor prognosis at the early stages of cancer. In the process of discovering new prognostic markers from genes of unknown function, we found that the expression of C1orf50 determines the prognosis of breast cancer patients, especially for those with Luminal A breast cancer.

Anteroposterior axis of the tibia for kinematic aligned total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: It is not known where the anatomical axis of rotation on the tibial side will be in kinematic alignment (KA), a rapidly expanding area of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) alignment technique today. The purpose of this study was to define the tibial axis for KA-TKA.

Methods: Fifty patients who underwent computed tomography (CT) examination of the lower extremities at a single institution were included.

Expression of SPRED2 in the lung adenocarcinoma.

SPRED2 (Sprouty-related, EVH1 domain-containing protein 2), a negative regulator of the ERK1/2 pathway, is downregulated in several cancers; however, the significance of SPRED2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. Here, we investigated the pathological expression of SPRED2 and its relationship with ERK1/2 activation (ERK1/2 phosphorylation), Ki67 index and clinicopathological features in 77 LUAD tissues from clinical patients. Immunohistochemically, SPRED2 expression was decreased in invasive adenocarcinoma (IA) compared to adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS).

Predictors of nodal upstaging in clinical N1 nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Background: Surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is currently the first choice for the treatment of clinical N1 (cN1) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, diagnosing cN1 correctly can be difficult, even with current imaging diagnostic technologies. We aimed to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative nodal status and the predictive factors for nodal upstaging of cN1-NSCLC.

Long short-term memory algorithm for personalized tacrolimus dosing: A simple and effective time series forecasting approach post-lung transplantation.

Background: Management of tacrolimus trough levels (TTLs) influences morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. Several studies have explored pharmacokinetic and artificial intelligence models to monitor tacrolimus levels. However, many models depend on a wide range of variables, some of which, like genetic polymorphisms, are not commonly tested for in regular clinical practice.

Real-World Comparative Analysis of Trastuzumab Originator and Biosimilars: Safety, Efficacy, and Cost Effectiveness.

Background: Despite the global use of trastuzumab biosimilars, concerns remain regarding their efficacy and safety. In particular, when used concurrently with pertuzumab, trastuzumab biosimilars lack extensive real-world data and safety information. Additionally, as cancer drug expenditures continue to rise worldwide, cost savings from biosimilars have become increasingly important.

Response to Imatinib in a Patient With Gastric Adenocarcinoma With Q556_K558 In-Frame Deletion: A Case Report.

Imatinib may be a useful targeted agent for patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who have KIT mutations.

A Case of Single-lung Transplant in a Patient with Mycobacterium avium Pulmonary Disease Successfully Treated with Amikacin Liposome Inhalation Suspension.

A 55-year-old man presented to our hospital with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). He was registered with the Japan Organ Transplant Network the following year due to disease progression. Treatment with clarithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin for complications of Mycobacterium avium pulmonary disease was initiated, but sputum conversion could not be achieved.

Prophylactic effect of tissue flap in the prevention of bronchopleural fistula after surgery for lung cancer.

Purpose: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a serious complication of lung resection. To avoid BPF, the bronchial stump/anastomotic site is often covered with a flap of surrounding tissue. One risk factor for BPF is radical lung resection after induction chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer.

Somatic mutations in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes impact on antitumor immunity.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exert clinical efficacy against various types of cancers by reinvigorating exhausted CD8 T cells that can expand and directly attack cancer cells (cancer-specific T cells) among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Although some reports have identified somatic mutations in TILs, their effect on antitumor immunity remains unclear. In this study, we successfully established 18 cancer-specific T cell clones, which have an exhaustion phenotype, from the TILs of four patients with melanoma.

Predictive Value of PERCIST for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Preoperative Induction Therapy - A Multicenter Study in Japan.

Background: Induction therapy followed by surgery is recommended as an alternative treatment strategy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients who achieve pathologic response after induction therapy have better outcomes than non-responders; therefore, therapeutic response must be evaluated. Recently, new approaches for monitoring therapeutic responses, which are based on F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), have been developed.

Surgically resected sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung: a nationwide retrospective study in 2010.

Background: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung is a rare histological type of non-small cell lung cancer with a poor prognosis. We aimed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of surgically resected sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 14999 patients who underwent surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer accumulated by the Japanese Joint Committee of Lung Cancer Registry in 2010.

Augmented humoral response to third and fourth dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in lung transplant recipients.

Background: Since lung transplant recipients (LTRs) exhibit low immunogenicity after two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines, optimal vaccine strategies for SARS-CoV-2 are required in LTRs. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of the third and fourth doses of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in LTRs.

Methods: We conducted a single-center study of 73 LTRs and 23 healthy controls (HCs).

The effect of exercise and educational programs for breast cancer patients on the development of breast cancer-related lymphoedema: secondary endpoint from a randomized controlled trial in the Setouchi Breast Project-10.

Background: Although the association between higher physical activity and preventive effect on breast-cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) has been reported, it is unclear what intervention is optimal. We aimed to investigate the effect of exercise and educational programs on BCRL development.

Methods: This study was a secondary endpoint analysis from a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Baseline gut microbiota as a predictive marker for the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer: a multicenter prospective cohort study in the Setouchi Breast Project-14.

Purpose: Various studies have demonstrated the causal relationship between gut microbiota and efficacy of chemotherapy; however, the impact of gut microbiota on breast cancer has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the gut microbiota before neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its consequent efficacy in breast cancer.

Methods: This prospective observational study included patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary early breast cancer at eight institutions between October 1, 2019, and March 31, 2022.

Dissection of the signal transduction machinery responsible for the lysyl oxidase-like 4-mediated increase in invasive motility in triple-negative breast cancer cells: mechanistic insight into the integrin-β1-NF-κB-MMP9 axis.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells are a highly formidable cancer to treat. Nonetheless, by continued investigation into the molecular biology underlying the complex regulation of TNBC cell activity, vulnerabilities can be exposed as potential therapeutic targets at the molecular level. We previously revealed that lysyl oxidase-like 4 (LOXL4) promotes the invasiveness of TNBC cells via cell surface annexin A2 as a novel binding substrate of LOXL4, which promotes the abundant localization of integrin-β1 at the cancer plasma membrane.

Pulmonary Vein Repair on Extracorporeal Life Support: A Potential Surgical Complication for 2-Staged Lung Transplantation: Case Report.

Double-lung transplantation (DLT) is favored for enhanced long-term survival despite the risk of major complications, particularly in elderly patients or those with comorbidities. Two-stage contralateral single-lung transplantation (SLT) leading to DLT is considered a valuable option to combine the advantages of less invasive SLT with DLT survival benefits. This study detailed the intraoperative challenges encountered during the procedure.