Pooled safety analysis and management of sotorasib-related adverse events in KRAS G12C-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: We describe the safety of sotorasib monotherapy in patients with KRAS G12C-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and discuss practical recommendations for managing key risks.

Methods: Incidence rates of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were pooled from 4 clinical trials: CodeBreaK 100 (NCT03600883), CodeBreaK 101 (NCT04185883), CodeBreaK 105 (NCT04380753), and CodeBreaK 200 (NCT04303780) and graded according to CTCAE v5.0.

Cemiplimab in recurrent cervical cancer: Final analysis of overall survival in the phase III EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9 trial.

Aim: Cemiplimab has demonstrated significantly longer survival than physician's choice of chemotherapy in patients with recurrent cervical cancer after first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. We report the final survival analysis from the phase III randomized study (EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9).

Methods: Cemiplimab (n = 304) or chemotherapy (n = 304) were administered every 3 weeks.

Confirmatory diagnosis and successive chemotherapeutic treatments of metastatic skeletal sarcoma: A case report.

sarcoma is rare and its clinical features remain unclear. Given the similarity in presentation, it is possible that previously reported cases of Ewing-like adamantinoma may have been sarcoma. The present case report describes a tumor in a 55-year-old man that was originally thought to be a Ewing-like adamantinoma, but was recently found to be an sarcoma following direct sequencing.

Availability of, Barriers to Performing, and Educational Practices of Interventional Procedures for Refractory Pain in Cancer Patients: A Nationwide Survey of Designated Cancer Hospitals in Japan.

Background: Because of the limitations of pharmacological therapy, nonpharmacological therapies including intervention procedures are also important for quality of cancer pain management.

Objective: To clarify the availability of, number performed, barriers to performing, and educational practices of four interventional procedures (celiac plexus neurolysis/splanchnic nerve neurolysis, phenol saddle block, epidural analgesia, and intrathecal analgesia) in designated cancer hospitals.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

The knowledge and skills required for the onco-rheumatologist: Study of four-year consultation records of a high-volume cancer centre.

Objectives: Onco-rheumatology, the intersection of oncology and rheumatology, is an emerging field requiring further definition. This study aimed to identify the knowledge and skills essential for rheumatologists in clinical oncology.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consultations with the onco-rheumatology department of a high-volume tertiary cancer centre in Japan from January 2020 to December 2023.

Prognosis and tumor microenvironment in pseudohypoxic pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) are rare tumors that occur in the adrenal medulla and extra-adrenal tissues, respectively. The prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME) of pseudohypoxic PPGL as a major entity have not been fully described. Based on the clinical database of 65 patients with PPGL, we assessed the morphological features as well as the immunohistochemistry of pseudohypoxia-related proteins (SDHB and CAIX) and TME-related immune cell markers.

Real-world data of first-line treatment with pembrolizumab for NSCLC with high PD-L1 expression in elderly patients: a subgroup analysis of HOT/NJLCG2001.

Background: In the first-line treatment of elderly patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (tumor proportion score ≥ 50%), this study aimed to determine whether pembrolizumab monotherapy (MONO) or pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (COMB) should be selected.

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study (sub-analysis of the HOT/NJLCG2001 trial) of 299 patients with NSCLC with high PD-L1 expression who received MONO or COMB as the first-line treatment between December 2018 and January 2020. We selected patients aged 75 years and older and assessed the clinical efficacy and toxicity.

Oncological impact of the preoperative combined assessment of skeletal muscle mass for patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Purpose: We performed a combined assessment of skeletal muscle mass using the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and the psoas muscle index (PMI) to evaluate their association with the overall survival (OS) of gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy.

Methods: We analyzed, retrospectively, the computed tomography records of skeletal muscle mass of patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for pStage I-III gastric cancer between April, 2010 and April, 2016. We then compared OS as the primary outcome, stratifying patients according to their SMI or PMI, and investigated prognostic factors using multivariate analyses.

Spontaneous regression in mature T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Introduction: Spontaneous regression (SR) is observed in some patients with mature T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MTCL), including adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), although the incidence is rare.

Area Covered: We extracted 31 cases with MTCL who experienced SR based on a literature search and summarized the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes.

Expert Opinion: MTCL with SR included various subtypes, the most common being ATL ( = 17).

Efficacy and feasibility of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for early-stage triple-negative and estrogen receptor low, HER2-negative breast cancer: a Japanese single-institution real-world study.

Background: Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy and adjuvant pembrolizumab have been established as the optimal systemic therapies for patients with early stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, their efficacy and feasibility in the Japanese population remain unexplored.

Methods: This study included patients with early stage TNBC or low estrogen receptor (ER) positivity (1-9%) with human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2- (HER2-) negative breast cancer who received neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy from October 2022 at Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. Information regarding clinicopathological features, systemic therapy, treatment outcomes, and adverse events of patients who underwent surgery by February 2024 was retrospectively collected.

Association between the COVID-19 pandemic and short-term outcomes after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in facilities with and without board-certified esophageal surgeons: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment procedures. We speculated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient medical resources were maintained in board-certified hospitals, resulting in favorable short-term outcomes, whereas hospital functions in non-board-certified hospitals declined, leading to mortality increase. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on short-term outcomes after esophagectomy, based on the scale of the facilities.

The Influence of Total Fat Mass and Skeletal Muscle Mass Index on the Occurrence of Perioperative Hypothermia in Patients Undergoing Open Gastrectomy.

Background: Perioperative hypothermia, a common occurrence in patients undergoing general anesthesia, is defined as a core body temperature below 36°C. The relationship between patient body composition and the incidence of hypothermia remains underreported. This study aims to elucidate the association between body composition and perioperative hypothermia in patients undergoing open gastrectomy.

Dynamics in the Prostate Immune Microenvironment Induced by Androgen Deprivation Therapy.

Background: The influence of testosterone on the prostate's immune microenvironment remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the dynamics of immune cells in the prostate following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Methods: We retrospectively compared prostate needle biopsy and radical prostatectomy specimens from 33 patients who underwent both procedures, along with neoadjuvant ADT at a single institution.

Post-radical gastrectomy long-term survival and etiologies of mortalities in older adult patients greater than 80 years of age with gastric cancer.

Background: Patients aged >80-years-old with gastric cancer are commonly excluded from clinical trials, and no consensus exists regarding surgical indications and outcomes in older patients. In this study, we analyzed the post-gastrectomy long-term survival and etiologies of mortality in older patients with gastric cancer.

Methods: Patients aged >80-years-old with pathological stages I-III primary gastric cancer who undergone radical gastrectomies, between May 2006 and March 2017, were included in the study.

Comprehensive serum biomarker analysis reveals IL-8 changes as the only predictor of the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is widely used to predict the effectiveness of PD-(L)1 inhibitors despite its imperfection. Previous studies suggested the utilization of various serum biomarkers; nonetheless, findings are inconclusive because of limited sample sizes or the focus on a single biomarker in many of these studies. This study analyzed multiplex serum biomarkers to explore their predictive ability in a large cohort of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with a PD-L1 inhibitor in a real-world setting.

Basic Techniques and Technical Tips for Ultrasound-guided Needle Puncture.

Ultrasound-guided needle puncture is essential for both vascular and nonvascular interventions. Ultrasound is widely available in various clinical settings, requires no ionizing radiation, offers color Doppler imaging, and enables real-time visualization of the needle position during puncture. However, ultrasound imaging has some limitations, such as signal attenuation in deeper tissues and the inability to penetrate bone or air, and it is a heavily operator-dependent modality.

Nurse-Led Screening-Triggered Early Specialized Palliative Care Program for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: We aimed to examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led, screening-triggered early specialized palliative care intervention program for patients with advanced lung cancer.

Methods: Patients with advanced lung cancer who underwent initial chemotherapy were randomized to intervention and usual care groups between January 2017 and September 2019. The intervention comprised comprehensive needs assessments, counseling, and service coordination by advanced-level nurses.

Rivaroxaban for 18 Months Versus 6 Months in Patients With Cancer and Acute Low-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial (ONCO PE Trial).

Background: The optimal duration of anticoagulation therapy for patients with cancer and acute low-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is clinically relevant, but evidence is lacking. Prolonged anticoagulation therapy could have a potential benefit for prevention of thrombotic events; however, it could also increase the risk of bleeding.

Methods: In a multicenter, open-label, adjudicator-blinded, randomized clinical trial at 32 institutions in Japan, we randomly assigned patients with cancer and acute low-risk PE of the simplified version of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index score of 1, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive either an 18-month or a 6-month rivaroxaban treatment.