Multicenter Retrospective Analysis of Chemotherapy for Advanced Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma: Potential Efficacy of Platinum- and Irinotecan-Containing Regimens.

Objectives: The aim of this multicenter retrospective study was to identify the optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC).

Methods: Fifty-eight patients with histopathologically confirmed advanced PACC who had received chemotherapy between 1996 and 2013 were enrolled. The clinical characteristics of the patients and the treatment efficacy data were collected from the medical records at 16 Japanese institutions, using standardized data collection instrument.

Pan-tropomyosin receptor kinase immunoreactivity, ETV6-NTRK3 fusion subtypes, and RET rearrangement in salivary secretory carcinoma.

Salivary secretory carcinoma (SASC) is frequently associated with ETV6-neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) 3 fusion and more rarely with RET, MET, or ALK rearrangement. We aimed to elucidate the potential diagnostic utility of pan-tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) immunohistochemistry and its relationship with the fusion gene subtype in SASC. We examined 33 cases of SASC for immunoexpression of pan-Trk, ALK and ROS1, and gene rearrangement of the ETV6, NTRK3, and RET genes using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Accuracy of the Palliative Prognostic Score With or Without Clinicians' Prediction of Survival in Patients With Far Advanced Cancer.

Context: Previous studies suggest that clinicians' prediction of survival (CPS) may have reduced the accuracy of objective indicators for prognostication in palliative care.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the accuracy of CPS alone, compared to the original Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP), and five clinical/laboratory variables of the PaP in patients with far advanced cancer.

Methods: We compared the discriminative accuracy of three prediction models (the PaP-CPS [the score of the categorical CPS of PaP], PaP without CPS [sum of the scores of only the objective variables of PaP], and PaP total score) across 3 settings: inpatient palliative care consultation team, palliative care unit, and home palliative care.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and adolescents with nonremission acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: The appropriateness of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children and adolescents with leukemia in whom complete remission is not possible remains unclear. This retrospective analysis aimed to investigate the outcomes associated with HSCT, and the risks of HSCT in children and adolescents with nonremission acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Procedure: Data from the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation registry on 325 patients with nonremission ALL (aged <21 years, with blasts in the peripheral blood and/or bone marrow) who had undergone HSCT between January 2001 and December 2015 were evaluated.

Clinical significance of tryptophan catabolism in follicular lymphoma.

The enzyme, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO), catabolizes tryptophan (Trp) in the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway, and is important in suppressing antitumor immune responses in the tumor microenvironment. With regard to previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma (FL), we sought to establish the prognostic significance of Trp catabolism in this disease. Serum Trp and Kyn levels in 110 patients with FL were quantified, and their relationship to different clinical parameters studied.

Attempts to optimize postinduction treatment in childhood acute myeloid leukemia without core-binding factors: A report from the Japanese Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group (JPLSG).

We previously reported that risk-stratified therapy and intensive postremission chemotherapy (PRC) contributed to the improved survival of childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the AML99 study, which led us to consider a reduction in the number of PRC courses with more restrictive indications for stem cell transplantation (SCT) in the successor AML-05 study. We here report the outcome of AML patients without core-binding factor mutation (non-CBF AML) in the AML-05 study. Two-hundred eighty-nine children (age < 18 years old) with non-CBF AML were eligible.

Capmatinib in Exon 14-Mutated or -Amplified Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), exon 14 skipping mutations occur in 3 to 4% and amplifications occur in 1 to 6%. Capmatinib, a selective inhibitor of the MET receptor, has shown activity in cancer models with various types of MET activation.

Methods: We conducted a multiple-cohort, phase 2 study evaluating capmatinib in patients with -dysregulated advanced NSCLC.

Clinicopathologic Significance of EGFR Mutation and HPV Infection in Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) is sometimes associated with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and inverted sinonasal papilloma or oncocytic sinonasal papilloma. Frequent mutations of EGFR and KRAS are reported in inverted sinonasal papilloma-related sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (ISP-SCC) and oncocytic sinonasal papilloma-related SNSCC, respectively. Here, we attempted to determine the prevalence and the prognostic significances of these alterations in SNSCC.

Unrelated cord blood transplantation with myeloablative conditioning for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission: prognostic factors.

The number of individuals undergoing unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) has increased in recent years; however, information on prognostic factors is limited. We retrospectively analyzed data from 475 children and adolescents receiving UCBT with myeloablative conditioning for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in complete remission (CR), based on a nationwide registry. In the total patient cohort, 5-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) rates after UCBT were 61.

Effects of enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition on survival in patients with advanced cancer cachexia: Analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Background & Aims: The benefits of artificial nutrition and hydration in patients with advanced cancer remain unknown. Therefore, we conducted a prospective study to evaluate effects of enteral nutrition (EN) and parenteral nutrition and hydration (PNH) on survival in palliative care units.

Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of a multicenter cohort study.

GVHD-free, relapse-free survival provides novel clues for optimizing allogeneic-HSCT for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

The outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is still unsatisfactory. To illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each donor source, we performed a nationwide retrospective study of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) of patients with allo-HSCT-treated ATL. One-year GRFS did not significantly differ between patients who received related bone marrow transplantation (R-BMT; 26%, n = 117), related peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (R-PBSCT; 22%, n = 225), unrelated bone marrow transplantation (UR-BMT; 26%, n = 619), and cord blood transplantation (CBT; 21%, n = 359; p = 0.

Prognosis of pediatric patients with anicteric and late-onset sinusoidal obstruction syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a life-threatening complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Most adult patients with SOS present with jaundice, whereas hyperbilirubinemia does not always occur in children. Additionally, while late-onset SOS is rare in adults, 15-20% of SOS cases develop beyond day 30 after HSCT in children.

Impact of adherence to board-certified surgeon systems and clinical practice guidelines on colon cancer surgical outcomes in Japan: A questionnaire survey of the National Clinical Database.

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of the institutional medical structure and of the implemented clinical practice guidelines for improving colon cancer surgical outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey among departments registered at the National Clinical Database in Japan from October 2014 to January 2015 to assess the association between quality indicators (QIs), including structure and process indicators (clinical practice guideline adherence), and the risk-adjusted odds ratio for operative mortality (AOR) after right hemicolectomy for colorectal cancer during the study period.

Results: Among the 2064 departments registering at least one colorectal surgery during the study period, we obtained responses from 814 departments (39.

Therapeutic effect of Nivolumab for advanced / recurrent temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: The immune checkpoint inhibitor Nivolumab was approved for the treatment of platinum-refractory head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), expanding the treatment options for recurrent or advanced head and neck SCC. However, since temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (TB-SCC) is very rare cancer, the effectiveness of Nivolumab remains unclear. We investigated the effects of Nivolumab for TB-SCC.

A national survey on esophageal perforation: study of cases at accredited institutions by the Japanese Esophagus Society.

Objective: To get a clear view of the current state of treatment for esophageal perforation in Japan. Esophagus perforations are the most serious gastrointestinal tract perforations and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The optimal treatment choice remains unknown.

Use of eribulin as an earlier-line chemotherapy for patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

: Previous prospective studies have shown that eribulin improves the survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, the optimal timing of its administration to achieve the longest extended survival and the efficacy of using eribulin monotherapy as earlier-line chemotherapy are yet unclear. : We identified all consecutive female patients with MBC who received any chemotherapeutic intervention for metastatic disease at our institution between July 2012 and December 2017, excluding patients with HER2-positive disease.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Graft Failure Following Unrelated Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is closely correlated with graft failure and poor prognosis. Because of its rarity, the incidence, risk factors, and optimal treatment strategy are unclear. We analyzed data from cases of HLH following umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) performed for pediatric patients at our center.

The survival impact of postoperative complications after curative resection in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: propensity score-matching analysis.

Purpose: The relationship between postoperative complications and long-term survival after surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial.

Method: A total of 210 patients with ESCC who underwent subtotal esophagectomy with a reconstructed gastric tube were investigated according to the development of postoperative complications. The associations of age, gender, T and N factors, and pStage with grade 0-2 complications (NSC) and grade 3 and higher complications (SC) were compared by propensity score-matching analysis.

Plasma screening for the T790M mutation of EGFR and phase 2 study of osimertinib efficacy in plasma T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer: West Japan Oncology Group 8815L/LPS study.

Background: Liquid biopsy allows the identification of patients whose tumors harbor specific mutations in a minimally invasive manner. No prospective data have been available for the efficacy of osimertinib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who develop resistance to first- or second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and who test positive for the TKI resistance-conferring T790M mutation of EGFR by liquid biopsy. Therefore, a phase 2 study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of osimertinib in such patients.

Preoperative Immune-Nutritional Abnormality Predicts Poor Outcome in Elderly Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Comorbidities.

Background: Elderly non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are increasing. In general, elderly patients often have more comorbidities and worse immune-nutritional condition.

Patients And Methods: In total, 122 NSCLC patients aged 75 years or older, underwent thoracic surgery between January 2007 and December 2010.

Randomized phase II trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel plus cisplatin versus paclitaxel plus carboplatin in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer: TORG 0503.

Objective: Adjuvant chemotherapy is standard of care for patients with completely resected stage IB, II and IIIA NSCLC. However, optimum chemotherapy regimen has not been determined. TORG0503 was undertaken to select a preferred platinum-based 3 generation regimen in this clinical setting.