Identification of predictive biomarkers for response to trastuzumab using plasma FUCA activity and N-glycan identified by MALDI-TOF-MS.

The aim of this study was to identify glycobiological biomarkers that indicate sensitivity to trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against HER2 in plasma samples from breast cancer patients. Plasma samples were obtained from 24 breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab monotherapy. The catalytic activities of plasma alpha1-6, fucosyltransferase (FUT8) and alpha-L fucosidase (FUCA) were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometer, respectively.

Clinicopathological features of tumors as predictors of the efficacy of primary neoadjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) is standard therapy for patients with locally advanced breast cancer and is increasingly used for early-stage operable disease. Clinical and pathological responses are important prognostic parameters for NC, which aims to achieve a pathological complete response or tumor reduction to reduce the volume of subsequent breast resection. Clinicopathological markers that predict patient response to NC are needed to individualize treatment.

Clinical efficacy of S-1 in pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients.

Background: S-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine carbamate, is an active and well-tolerated agent against solid cancer. However, the clinical efficacy of S-1 in patients with metastatic breast cancer has not been determined.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of S-1 and identified its adverse effects in patients with metastatic breast cancer who had failed to respond to prior chemotherapy regimens.

Comparison among different classification systems regarding the pathological response of preoperative chemotherapy in relation to the long-term outcome.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is increasingly used for operable disease. However there are several pathological response classification systems and the correlation between the pathological response to NAC according to each system and the patient outcome is still under debate. From 1998 to 2006, 370 primary breast cancer patients underwent curative surgical treatment after NAC containing both anthracycline and taxane at the National Cancer Center Hospital.

Analysis of the clinicopathological prognosis of stage IVb cervical carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological prognostic factors in patients with stage IVb cervical carcinoma (CC). All patients with stage IVb CC included in the study were diagnosed from 1997 to 2006 at the National Cancer Center Hospital. We retrospectively examined clinicopathological parameters in these patients, including the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Cancer of unknown primary site: review of consecutive cases at the National Cancer Center Hospital of Japan.

Background: Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is not a rare clinical entity, accounting for 3%-5% of all solid malignancies.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 86 (38 male/48 female) patients with a diagnosis of CUP (exclusive of female patients with adenocarcinoma involving the axillary lymph nodes alone and patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervical lymph nodes) who were referred to the National Cancer Center Hospital between April 1996 and October 2002.

Results: The median interval between the first visit to a local community hospital and referral to our hospital was 1 month (range, 1 to 45 months).

Gene expression profiling of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters as a predictor of the pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Drug resistance is a major obstacle to the successful chemotherapy. Several ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters including ABCB1, ABCC1 and ABCG2 have been known to be important mediators of chemoresistance. Using oligonucleotide microarrays (HG-U133 Plus 2.

The safety and efficacy of the weekly dosing of irinotecan for platinum- and taxanes-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: Irinotecan is one of the drugs that might be effective against platinum- and taxanes-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer. We investigated efficacy and safety of the weekly dosing schedule of irinotecan.

Methods: From September 2001 to March 2003, 28 eligible patients who have histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer, which was resistant or refractory to both platinum and taxanes, were consecutively treated at the National Cancer Center Hospital.