Publications by authors named "Yuki S"

Purpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies have shown promise in treating -amplified metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Identifying optimal biomarkers for treatment decisions remains challenging. This study explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting treatment responses to trastuzumab plus pertuzumab (TP) in patients with -amplified mCRC from the phase II TRIUMPH trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • HDL (high-density lipoprotein) has protective effects against cerebral infarction due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties, but there's a lack of effective clinical treatments.
  • Researchers focused on paraoxonase 1 (PON1), an enzyme linked to HDL, to develop it as a new therapy for ischemia-reperfusion injury in stroke.
  • The study found that PON1 can effectively bind to HDL, reduce infarct volume in a mouse model, and improve neurological function, suggesting its potential as a treatment for acute stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Repeated inhalation of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was recently approved in Japan as a treatment for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. However, the detailed physiological and pathological effects of repeated inhalation in the long term, especially at increasing doses, remain unclear.

Methods: In this chronic safety study, we administered 24 cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) aged 2-3 years with aerosolized sargramostim (a yeast-derived recombinant human GM-CSF [rhGM-CSF]) biweekly for 26 weeks across four dosing groups (0, 5, 100, and 500 µg/kg/day).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: While advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are primarily treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), acquired resistance from specific mutations in KIT or PDGFRA frequently occurs. We aimed to assess the utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a modality of therapeutic decision-making in advanced GIST.

Methods: We conducted a pooled analysis of SCRUM-Japan studies for advanced GIST patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cell cycle is driven by cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). The decision whether the cell cycle proceeds is made during G1 phase, when Cdk4/6 functions. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 (Cdkn2) is a specific inhibitor of Cdk4/6, and their interaction depends on D84 in Cdkn2 and R24/31 in Cdk4/6.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Comprehensive genomic profiling using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has potential in capturing tumor diversity and improving therapy choices, but it's not fully utilized in clinical settings, especially for advanced solid tumors.
  • - The GOZILA study found that ctDNA profiling led to a 24% match rate for targeted therapies, significantly improving patient outcomes, with those receiving matched treatments experiencing better overall survival rates compared to those who were unmatched.
  • - Key ctDNA characteristics, like biomarker clonality and plasma copy number, serve as indicators of treatment effectiveness, suggesting that ctDNA can enhance precision in oncology and should be more widely used to optimize patient survival in advanced solid tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: HER2-targeted therapies in ERBB2-amplified metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are effective; however, a notable portion of patients do not respond to treatment, and secondary resistance occurs in most patients receiving these treatments. The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of treatment efficacy and resistance in patients with ERBB2-amplified mCRC who received HER2-targeted therapy by analyzing multiomics data.

Experimental Design: We investigated genomic data from a nationwide large cancer genomic screening project, the SCRUM-Japan project.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aflibercept (AFL) plus FOLFIRI prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, there is limited evidence on the efficacy and safety of AFL plus FOLFIRI previously treated with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents. Therefore, we conducted a prospective open-label phase II trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of AFL plus FOLFIRI in Japanese patients with mCRC failing a prior oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy plus an anti-EGFR agent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN consortium is conducting a nationwide project that uses AI and multi-omics analyses for molecular profiling in patients with advanced cancers, aiming to create new treatments and diagnostics.
  • The project includes the CIRCULATE-Japan study, focusing on precision medicine for resectable solid tumors and requires substantial data storage in a high-tech supercomputing system called VAPOR CONE.
  • As of December 2023, over 24,000 patients have been registered, with 5.0% of those in advanced solid tumors participating in matched clinical trials, showing a 29.2% response rate and significantly improved survival rates compared to those not receiving matched therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A trial studying preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by nivolumab for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) reported promising 3-year outcomes with 39 microsatellite stable (MSS) and 5 microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) patients.
  • For the MSS group, the 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate was 79.5%, while the MSI-H group had a remarkable 100% RFS rate; overall survival (OS) rates were similarly high for both groups.
  • Key biomarkers like PD-L1 positivity and a high CD8+ T cell/effector regulatory T cell ratio appeared to contribute to better outcomes in MSS patients, highlighting potential prognostic indicators
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metacognition includes the ability to refer to one's own cognitive states, such as confidence, and adaptively control behavior based on this information. This ability is thought to allow us to predictably control our behavior without external feedback, for example, even before we take action. Many studies have suggested that metacognition requires a brain-wide network of multiple brain regions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • No reliable marker for predicting peritoneal metastasis during chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) currently exists, which complicates treatment effectiveness.
  • A study examining 73 AGC patients receiving TAX/RAM therapy found that elevated serum CA125 levels were significantly associated with the presence of peritoneal metastasis, with 80.6% of patients showing increased CA125 levels having this condition.
  • The study concluded that monitoring CA125 kinetics can serve as an early indicator of peritoneal metastasis progress in patients undergoing this chemotherapy regimen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The significance of angiogenic factors as predictors of second-line (2L) chemotherapy efficacy when combined with angiogenesis inhibitors for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains unestablished.

Patients And Methods: In this multicenter prospective observational study, 17 angiogenic factors were analyzed in plasma samples collected at pretreatment and progression stages using a Luminex multiplex assay. Patients who received chemotherapy plus bevacizumab (BEV group), FOLFIRI plus ramucirumab (RAM group), or FOLFIRI plus aflibercept (AFL group) as the 2L treatment were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Neo phenomenon is defined as the conversion of tumor status from mutant-type (MT) to wild-type (WT) after systemic chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Cetuximab, an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody, is effective in patients with WT mCRC but ineffective in those with MT mCRC; however, its outcome in patients with Neo WT mCRC is unclear. Herein, we report two cases of Neo WT mCRC that responded clinically to anti-EGFR treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Treatment strategies and prognoses for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) vary depending on whether the primary tumor is left-sided or right-sided.
  • A study involving 531 patients found significant differences in overall survival based on tumor sidedness and specific gene alterations.
  • The analysis showed that gain-of-function (GOF) variants were poor prognostic factors for left-sided CRC, while non-GOF variants and specific alterations had poor implications for right-sided colon cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metacognition is the ability to adaptively control one's behavior by referring to one's own cognitive processes. It is thought to contribute to learning in situations where there is insufficient information available from the environment. Information-seeking behavior is a type of metacognition in which one confirms the necessary information only when one does not have the necessary and sufficient information to accomplish a task.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study focused on identifying plasma angiogenesis factors that could help predict how well traditional chemotherapy combined with biologics works for patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
  • Researchers collected plasma samples before treatment and at the progression stage from 202 patients, analyzing 17 factors using specialized technology to assess their impact on patient survival.
  • Results showed that levels of interleukin-8 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were linked to treatment effectiveness, indicating these could serve as important biomarkers for tailoring cancer therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Nivolumab is an effective treatment for advanced gastric cancer, but identifying reliable biomarkers like TP53 mutations could help predict patient response.
  • A study involving 913 patients found that those with TP53 wild type (wt) had a higher response rate to nivolumab (24.6%) compared to TP53 mutant patients (14.8%).
  • For TP53 mutants, those with the frameshift type had a slightly better response rate and progression-free survival compared to other mutation types, suggesting some variants may still benefit from treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the BEACON phase 3 trial showed survival benefit of triplet therapy with cetuximab (anti-EGFR antibody), encorafenib (BRAF inhibitor) and binimetinib (MEK inhibitor) as well as doublet therapy with cetuximab and encorafenib over irinotecan-based chemotherapy plus anti-EGFR antibody. Both regimens are standards of care in Japan, but definite biomarkers for predicting efficacy and selecting treatment remain lacking. The mechanisms underlying resistance to these regimens also warrant urgent exploration to further evolve treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physicians determine the treatment regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer on a case-by-case bases, according to the individual disease characteristics. We retrospectively compared the baseline characteristics and efficacies of first-line treatment among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received intensive therapy involving fluoropyrimidine plus oxaliplatin and/or irinotecan, potentially with molecularly targeted agents as well, versus less intensive fluoropyrimidine and/or bevacizumab therapy. Data were collected from a medical claims database.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Binding of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to the cognate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is the initial step in the viral infection process. In this study, we screened an in-house extract library to identify food materials with inhibitory activity against this binding using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and attempted to ascertain their active constituents. Hydrangea macrophylla var.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammation, characterized by the overexpression of IL-6 in various tissues, has been reported as a symptom of coronavirus disease 2019. In this study, we established an experimental system for overexpression of IL-6 in HeLa cells stimulated by TNF-α and IL-17, along with identification of anti-inflammatory materials and components from local agricultural, forestry, and fishery resources. We constructed a library of extracts from natural sources, of which 111 samples were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) tests have been covered by public insurance in Japan for patients with advanced solid tumors who have completed or are completing standard treatments or do not have them. Therefore, genotype-matched drug candidates are often unapproved or off-label, and improving clinical trial access is critical, involving the appropriate timing of CGP tests. To address this issue, we analyzed the previous treatment data for 441 patients from an observational study on CGP tests discussed by the expert panel at Hokkaido University Hospital between August 2019 and May 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The SCRUM-Japan GI-SCREEN program uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to profile genomic data for patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers, aiming to facilitate enrollment in targeted clinical trials and enhance real-world data collection.
  • The study involved 5,743 patients, revealing that those enrolled in matched trials after starting their first-line treatment experienced longer overall survival compared to those who enrolled before treatment, indicating possible immortal time bias.
  • Results showed significant improvements in survival rates for colorectal cancer patients receiving targeted therapies based on genomic alterations, highlighting the importance of genetic profiling in clinical trial participation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF