Impact of relative dose intensity of trabectedin with pegfilgrastim support: a single-centre retrospective study.

Relative dose intensity (RDI) has been associated with improved survival in patients with advanced solid tumours. However, there is no evidence regarding RDI in patients under long-term treatment with trabectedin for adult advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Pegfilgrastim use was associated with chemotherapy dose intensity maintenance in patients with various cancers.

Effectiveness of a smoking cessation educational program for Japanese nurses on subsequent changes of behavior in delivering smoking cessation counseling.

Introduction: Despite the effectiveness of smoking cessation counseling, participation of nurses in delivering smoking cessation advice has been far from satisfactory in practice. Training nurses is considered to be important for increasing self-efficacy and skills for routine delivery of smoking cessation counseling. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a smoking cessation educational program for Japanese nurses on subsequent changes of their behavior in delivering smoking cessation counseling, three months later.

How Self-Efficacy toward, Perceived Importance of, and Beliefs about Smoking Cessation Support Impact-Related Behaviors in Japanese Nursing Professionals.

This study investigated the relationships among Japanese nursing professionals' percetions of the importance of smoking cessation support (SCS), attitude toward SCS, SCS self-efficacy, and SCS behaviors. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was administered to 613 nursing professionals (valid response rate: 89.9%) who participated in SCS workshops in Japan between May 2019 and February 2020.

Users' evaluation of Japan's cancer information services: process, outcomes, satisfaction and independence.

Background: Cancer information service (CIS) programmes are becoming increasingly important because patients need to obtain appropriate information and take an active role in their treatment decisions. Programme evaluation is required to determine the level of satisfaction and quality of experiences of users. The purpose of this study is (1) to identify users' evaluation of CIS programmes by both satisfaction and outcomes that reflect the quality of experience and impact of using the CIS, (2) to examine the related factors of these evaluation outcomes and (3) to analyse the differences of those relations between patients and families.

Creation and provision of a question and answer resource for esophageal cancer based on medical professionals' reports of patients' and families' views and preferences.

Background: In the rapidly-progressing healthcare environment, it is essential to improve treatment quality through continuous clarification of the needs and concerns of esophageal cancer patients and their families. Effective collaboration between information providers and academic associations could help make such clarified information available.

Methods: We analyzed esophageal cancer patients' views and preferences (PVPs) using data that were previously obtained from medical staff in Japan.

[Medical Cooperation between Designated Cancer Care Hospitals and Regional Medical Institutions].

Based on the basic plan to promoting cancer control programs, a cooperation between designated cancer care hospitals and regional medical institutions was outlined. Regional designated cancer care hospitals supports the system of regional cancer medical treatment cooperation, and prefectural designated cancer care hospital manage a prefectural cancer medical treatment cooperation. Although system is progressing, such as sharing regional cooperation pass and holding multi-facility joint meetings to promote regional cooperation, there are regional disparities, and we believe that further promotion is necessary.

Matters of data openness and KapWeb, a web tool of multi-cancer survival analysis for cancer survivors.

KapWeb is an interactive tool for the determination of cancer survival rates based on case outcomes compiled from more than half a million records from cancer registries all over Japan, and we believe that both the tool and the call for data openness and transparency are important.

Exposure Assessment of Environmental Tobacco Aerosol from Heated Tobacco Products: Nicotine and PM Exposures under Two Limited Conditions.

It is too early to provide a clear answer on the impact of exposure to the second-hand aerosol of heated tobacco products (HTPs) in the planning of policy for smoke-free indoors legislation. Here, we conducted a preliminary study to evaluate indoor air quality with the use of HTPs. We first measured the concentration of nicotine and particulate matter (PM) in the air following 50 puffs in the use of HTPs or cigarettes in a small shower cubicle.

Development of a New Tool for Better Social Recognition of Cancer Information and Support Activities Under the National Cancer Control Policy in Japan.

Under the recent trend of an increasing number of cancer survivors, there is a need to devise measures for visualization of medical care and public health programs related to cancer control, which will enable better overview of the activities at hospitals and local communities and allow various stakeholders to share the information about such activities. The aim of this study was to propose a new tool for proper implementation of cancer information and support programs provided under the national cancer control policy in Japan. Considering 5 elements reported by Handler et al (macro context, mission, structural capacity, processes, and outcomes), we conducted the focus group discussions to confirm the goals of activities of Cancer Information and Support Centers.

[The Ideal Situation and Problem for Providing of Cancer Information].

More than 60% of cancer patients obtain cancer information from the Internet. However, on the Internet of Japan, there are many inappropriate information about cancer including advertisements for commercial purposes. In search sites, strong Search Engine Optimization are applied, paid advertisements are given priority, and it is difficult for patients without certain medical knowledge to judge whether information is accurate, and patients and families do not receive standard treatment.

[The Present State of Cancer Education in Japan and Its Future].

On the basis of the Cancer Control Act, the Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs was launched in June 2007 and was revised in June 2012. Cancer education and awareness is one of the newly added specific endeavors under this plan. To carry out the plan, the Committee on Cancer Education was set up, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology operated the model projects of cancer education.

Questionnaire survey for the development and publication of cancer clinical practice guidelines in Japan.

Purpose: To understand the current situation of the development and publication of cancer clinical practice guidelines and discuss an ideal structure in future.

Methods: A questionnaire survey pertaining to the development and publication of cancer clinical practice guidelines was conducted with funding by a Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant. Respondents included presidents and chairpersons of academic societies developing guidelines and members of the Cancer Guidelines Committee of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology who were specialists in various cancer sites.

Comparison between a traditional single still image and a multiframe video image along the z-axis of the same microscopic field of interest in cytology: Which does contribute to telecytology?

The limitation of cytologic still images is one of the reasons why telecytology has not met with widespread acceptance by the cytology community. Cytologic still image only displays a single depth of field, and this is a particularly acute problem in cytology where the specimen is often much thicker than a single microscopic depth of focus. In this article, we examine the validity of a "z-axis" video of a microscopic field of interest.

Telecytology in Hokkaido Island, Japan: results of primary telecytodiagnosis of routine cases.

In 1997, an Internet-based static image telepathology system was built at Sapporo National Hospital, Japan. We can exchange high-resolution microscopical images through a file transfer protocol server and discuss cytological findings and diagnosis on an electronic mailing list. We applied the system to primary telecytodiagnosis.

Hepatic nodules with early enhancement during computed tomography portography: report of six cases.

Aim: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics of hepatic nodular lesions with high attenuation (increased portal blood flow) compared with surrounding hepatic parenchyma on computed tomography (CT) during arterial portography (CTAP).

Methods: For six lesions found in six patients demonstrated as a high-attenuated mass by CTAP, CT during hepatic arteriography (CTHA; n = 3 patients), digital subtraction hepatic arteriography (n = 6) and conventional helical CT (n = 6) were evaluated retrospectively and compared with histopathologic findings (n = 4). Pathologic diagnosis was atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, nodule-in-nodule hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in one resected lesion each and overt HCC in two biopsied lesions.

[Cancer therapy and processing information].

The National Cancer Center Japan started to provide free, computer-based cancer information, through a service called the National Cancer Center--Cancer Information Service (NCC-CIS), to patients and their families, physicians and other health professionals via fax (telephone) and the Internet in 1996. NCC-CIS in Japanese is modeled on the Physician Data Query service produced by the National Cancer Institute in the United States and is produced from an independent standpoint adopted to the medical and social environment in Japan. NCC-CIS provides up-to-date cancer treatment information (staging, prognosis and state-of-the-art treatment by stage of disease), supportive care for each type of cancer, an image reference database, and a directory of organizations and lecture meeting reports in Japan in order to facilitate better understanding of cancer among people and support the decision-making process for physicians in order to achieve a reduction in cancer deaths.

Alveolar architecture of clear cell renal carcinomas (< or = 5.0 cm) show high attenuation on dynamic CT scanning.

Background: To establish the correlation between tumor appearance on CT and tumor histology in renal cell carcinomas.

Methods: The density and attenuation patterns of 96 renal cell carcinomas, each < or = 5 cm in greatest diameter, were studied by non-enhanced CT and early and late after bolus injection of contrast medium using dynamic CT. The density and attenuation patterns and pathological maps of each tumor were individually correlated.

The clinical advantages of editable real-time volume rendering in a medical virtual environment: VolMed.

Segmentation for a medical virtual environment is a process of image diagnosis. It should be performed by clinical doctors, otherwise the data may be meaningless for using clinical purposes. At the National Cancer Center, in Japan, we have recently developed interactive, editable real-time volume rendering software (VolMed), based on Volren-6 software, with the ability to interactively edit the 3D images of a patient's virtual cancer and virtual organs, in a virtual environment.

Virtual reality support system in palliative medicine.

We have been examining the potential value of a VR system for the palliative care of cancer. We recently developed palliative care system which consists of a 100-inch-wide screen, HMD (Head-mounted display) and 8-mm video or a PC. Our goal is to use VR techniques to help alleviate a patient's stress and concern regarding their cancer during hospitalization.

Virtual cancer image data warehouse.

We previously developed a system with which we have created more than 100 virtual cancer images from CT or MR data of individual patients with cancer (Cancer Edutainment Virtual Reality Theater: CEVRT). These images can be used to help explain procedures, findings, etc. to the patient, to obtain informed consent, to simulate surgery, and to estimate cancer invasion to surrounding organs.

Stereoscopic visualization system for clinical angiography.

Four dimensional visualization (FDV) project for clinical angiography has started at National Cancer-Center since 1995 in cooperation with medical virtual reality projects in our center. All stereo pair of x-ray angiographic images, both digital images and film based conventional x-ray images, are available in this system. FDV system software was developed on a Silicon Graphics platform.