The incidence of lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer according to the expanded criteria in comparison with the absolute criteria of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Japanese criteria for curative endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer initially included nonulcerated, well-differentiated mucosal lesions ≤2 cm in diameter, known as the absolute criteria. Subsequently, these indications were expanded to include larger, ulcerated, and undifferentiated mucosal lesions as well as differentiated lesions with slight submucosal invasion. Whether patients meeting the expanded criteria can be managed safely without gastrectomy and lymph node dissection has been controversial.

Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection for superficial nonampullary duodenal adenomas.

Background And Study Aim: Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) was recently developed in a Western country. A prospective cohort study to investigate the effectiveness of UEMR was conducted in patients with small superficial nonampullary duodenal adenomas.

Patients And Methods: Patients with duodenal adenomas ≤ 20 mm were enrolled.

Radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer-technical aspects and alternate fractionation.

Early laryngeal, especially glottic, cancer is a good candidate for radiotherapy because obvious early symptoms (e.g. hoarseness) make earlier treatment possible and with highly successful localized control.

The Significance of SCC and CEA mRNA in the Pleural Cavity After Lymphadenectomy in Esophageal Cancer Patients who Underwent Preoperative Treatment.

Background: This report focuses on the surgical manipulation and spread of cancer cells. Our previous study suggested an association between a poor prognosis and positive pleural lavage cytology after resection of esophageal cancer without preoperative treatment. However, little is known regarding the clinical significance of the lavage procedure in esophageal cancer patients who undergo preoperative treatment.

Skeletal muscle depletion during chemotherapy has a large impact on physical function in elderly Japanese patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Elderly patient with advanced cancer is one of the most vulnerable populations. Skeletal muscle depletion during chemotherapy may have substantial impact on their physical function. However, there is little information about a direct relationship between quantity of muscle and physical function.

Impact of chemosensitivity test-guided platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy on the surgical outcomes of patients with p-stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer that underwent complete resection.

The impact of chemosensitivity test-guided platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy on the surgical outcomes of patients undergoing complete resection for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the utility of adjuvant chemotherapy based on the collagen gel droplet embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) in patients with p (pathology)-stage IIIA NSCLC was retrospectively analyzed. A series of 39 patients that had received platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy following complete resection between 2007 and 2012 were enrolled.

Postoperative Chemoradiotherapy After Local Resection for High-Risk T1 to T2 Low Rectal Cancer: Results of a Single-Arm, Multi-Institutional, Phase II Clinical Trial.

Background: After treatment with local excision for TNM stage I low rectal cancer, the risk of local recurrence is not only high for T2 lesions but also for T1 lesions with features of massive invasion to the submucosal layer and/or lymphovascular invasion.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy combined with local excision in the treatment of T1 to T2 low rectal cancer.

Design: We conducted a prospective, single-arm, phase II trial.

Descriptive epidemiological study of vaginal cancer using data from the Osaka Japan population-based cancer registry: Long-term analysis from a clinical viewpoint.

Vaginal cancer is such a rare tumor that epidemiological and clinical information for it is based mainly on studies of small numbers of cases. The aim of the present study was to perform a descriptive epidemiological analysis of vaginal cancer using a significantly larger population-based dataset from the Japanese Osaka Cancer Registry.The age-standardized incidence of vaginal cancer per 1,000,000 persons, from 1976 to 2010, was calculated and examined for trends.

Clinical use of molecular targeted agents for primary small bowel adenocarcinoma: A multicenter retrospective cohort study by the Osaka Gut Forum.

Primary small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare cancer for which effective treatment strategies have not yet been established. The results of previous retrospective studies suggest that chemotherapy contributes to a longer survival time in patients with SBA. However, there are few case reports about the efficacy of molecular targeted agent-containing chemotherapy for SBA.

The concept of platinum sensitivity could be applied to recurrent cervical cancer: a multi-institutional retrospective study from the Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group.

Purpose: This study aimed at evaluating the applicability of the concept of platinum sensitivity to recurrent cervical cancer.

Methods: The clinical information of patients with recurrent cervical cancer, who were initially treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and received second-line platinum-based chemotherapy at the time of recurrence between January 2008 and December 2012, was retrospectively reviewed.

Results: A total of 677 patients from 71 medical centers were analyzed.

Impact of laparoscopy on the prevention of pulmonary complications after thoracoscopic esophagectomy using data from JCOG0502: a prospective multicenter study.

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are the most common causes of serious morbidity after esophagectomy, which involves both thoracic and abdominal incisions. Although the thoracoscopic approach decreases PPC frequency after esophagectomy, it remains unclear whether the frequency is further decreased by combining it with laparoscopic gastric mobilization. This study aimed to determine the impact of laparoscopy on the prevention of PPCs after thoracoscopic esophagectomy using data from the Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study 0502 (JCOG0502).

Health-related quality of life in a randomised phase III study of gemcitabine plus S-1, S-1 alone and gemcitabine alone for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: GEST study.

Objective: This study was performed to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS), S-1 alone and gemcitabine alone as first-line chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer in the GEST (Gemcitabine and TS-1 Trial) study and to assess the impacts of adverse events and tumour response on HRQOL.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine alone (1000 mg/m weekly for 3 of 4 weeks), S-1 alone (80, 100 or 120 mg/day twice daily for 4 of 6 weeks) or GS (gemcitabine at 1000 mg/m weekly plus S-1 at 60, 80 or 100 mg/day twice daily for 2 of 3 weeks). HRQOL was assessed using the EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) questionnaire at baseline and weeks 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72.

Association between coffee consumption and all-sites cancer incidence and mortality.

The preventive effect of coffee on cancer at different sites has been reported, but the effect on all-sites cancer incidence has not been extensively investigated. We evaluated the association between frequency of coffee consumption and risk of all-sites cancer incidence and mortality among 39 685 men and 43 124 women (age 40-79 years, at baseline), in the Three-Prefecture Cohort Study. The association between frequency of coffee consumption and risk of all-sites cancer incidence and mortality was assessed by a Cox proportional hazards regression model, adjusted for potential confounders.

The Primary Result of Prospective Randomized Multicenter Trial of New Spray-Type Bio-absorbable Adhesion Barrier System (TCD-11091) Against Postoperative Adhesion Formation.

Background: Postoperative adhesions are the major cause of postoperative complications including intestinal obstruction, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. In order to reduce postoperative adhesions, Terumo Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) has developed an adhesion barrier system (TCD-11091) which is easy to use at the treatment site in various surgical procedures including laparoscopic surgeries. We conducted a prospective randomized single-blind study in patients who underwent laparotomy with ileostomy.

Chemoradiation therapy with docetaxel in elderly patients with stage II/III esophageal cancer: A phase 2 trial.

Purpose: The most effective treatments in elderly patients with esophageal cancer remain a subject of debate. This multicenter phase 2 study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with docetaxel (DTX) in elderly patients with stage II/III (non-T4) esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: Patients ≥70 years of age with clinical stage II/III esophageal cancer received DTX at a weekly dose of 10 mg/m during 6 consecutive weeks and concurrent radiation therapy (60 Gy in 30 fractions).

A Pilot Study of Post-Operative Adjuvant Vaccine for Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background: Previously, we had performed a clinical study using human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A24-binding peptide vaccines containing a combination of novel cancer-testis antigens and anti-angiogenic peptides derived from DEPDC1, URLC10, FOXM1, KIF20A and VEGFR1 for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients who were refractory to chemotherapy. We applied the cocktail vaccine to the combination therapy with S-1 for patients with AGC as a post-operative adjuvant therapy and performed this clinical pilot study.

Methods: AGC patients who had curative surgery and were classified as pathologically stage III were enrolled.

Protein and mRNA expression of folic acid-associated enzymes as biomarkers for the cytotoxicity of the thymidylate synthase-targeted drugs, pemetrexed and S-1, in non-small cell lung cancer.

The thymidylate synthase (TS)-targeted drugs, pemetrexed and S-1, exert an important role in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment; folic acid-associated enzymes are expected to behave as biomarkers, although their role has yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, a single-institutional prospective analysis, in which the mRNA and protein expression levels of five folic acid-associated enzymes were evaluated with surgical specimens of NSCLC, was performed. Drug sensitivity was evaluated using a collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) .

Smoking and subsequent risk of acute myeloid leukaemia: A pooled analysis of 9 cohort studies in Japan.

Smoking has been identified as a significant risk factor for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). However, epidemiological evidence for the effect of smoking on the risk of AML among Asians is scarce. Here, we investigated the impact of smoking habits on the risk of AML by conducting a pooled analysis of 9 population-based prospective cohort studies in Japan.

Radiologic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis-like lesion in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease.

Background: Radiologic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE)-like lesion including pulmonary apical cap can be occasionally observed in clinical settings. However, the significance of radiologic PPFE-like lesion is unclear in connective tissue disease (CTD)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Materials And Methods: A total of 113 patients with CTD-related ILD were enrolled and assessed for radiologic PPFE-like lesion, which was defined as bilateral, upper lobe, and subpleural dense consolidations with or without pleural thickening on chest high-resolution computed tomography.

Safety and effectiveness of eribulin in Japanese patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a post-marketing observational study.

Background This large-scale study was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of eribulin for the treatment of inoperable or recurrent breast cancer in real-world settings in Japan. Methods Between July and December 2011, eligible patients with inoperable or recurrent breast cancer receiving eribulin for the first time were centrally registered and observed for 1 year. Eribulin was administered intravenously (1.

Evaluation of an e-learning system for diagnosis of gastric lesions using magnifying narrow-band imaging: a multicenter randomized controlled study.

 Magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI) is useful for the accurate diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, acquiring skill at M-NBI diagnosis takes substantial effort. An Internet-based e-learning system to teach endoscopic diagnosis of EGC using M-NBI has been developed.

Evaluating the ability to detect pancreatic lesions using a special ultrasonography examination focusing on the pancreas.

Purpose: The ability to detect pancreatic cysts was compared between special ultrasonography (US) examination focusing on the pancreas (special pancreatic US) and routine upper abdominal ultrasonography to objectively assess the ability of the former to detect cysts.

Subjects And Methods: Of 3704 patients who underwent special pancreatic US at our hospital, 186 underwent routine upper abdominal US within six months, had pancreatic cysts, and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In these patients, 447 cysts measuring ≥5mm were detected via MRI, which was used as the gold standard.

Influence of age and comorbidity on prognosis and application of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly Japanese patients with colorectal cancer: A retrospective multicentre study.

Background: Adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) in patients aged ≥75 years is supported by inadequate evidence, although such patients are increasing in number worldwide.

Patients And Methods: We assessed the influence of age and comorbidities on the prognosis of CRC in elderly patients using pooled data by the Japanese Study Group for Postoperative Follow-up of Colorectal Cancer. In total, 4598 patients (3304 with colon cancer and 1294 with rectal cancer) who underwent curative surgery from 2004 to 2006 were analysed with respect to age, Charlson comorbidity score (CS), tumour marker positivity, adjuvant therapy and prognosis.