Publications by authors named "Masahiro Tajika"

Background: Gastric cancer is divided into differentiated and undifferentiated types and sometimes exhibits mixed histology. However, the risk of gastric cancer-related death after curative endoscopic resection for mixed histology remains unknown. This study evaluated the long-term prognosis of mixed histological type gastric cancers treated with endoscopic resection.

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Purpose: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) exhibits spatial heterogeneity, which may lead to sampling bias during biopsies. Although multiple biopsies are believed to improve the accuracy of PD-L1 assessment, the optimal number of specimens remains uncertain. This study investigated the relationship between PD-L1 expression and biopsy specimen count in AGC.

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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are used either as monotherapy or in combination with cytotoxic agents in metastatic gastric cancer (mGC). Studies show that circadian rhythms are essential for immune system functions, including anticancer immunity.

Objectives: This study evaluated whether the time of day of nivolumab infusion altered the efficacy of mGC treatment.

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Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (DCF) is the standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC). DCF is associated with a high risk of febrile neutropenia (FN), but the optimal primary prophylaxis remains unclear. The present study aimed to assess risk factors for FN and efficacy of primary prophylaxis using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and antibiotics in LAEC patients treated with DCF.

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Background: Radical esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the established strategy for resectable advanced esophageal cancer. However, some patients are converted to definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) after NAC due to reasons such as their wishes or disease progression, and their prognosis remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients who converted to dCRT.

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Anamorelin, a highly selective ghrelin receptor agonist, enhances appetite and increases lean body mass in patients with cancer cachexia. However, the predictors of its therapeutic effectiveness are uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), used for classifying the severity of cancer cachexia, the therapeutic effectiveness of anamorelin, and the feasibility of early treatment based on cancer types.

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This study aimed to address the limitations of conventional methods for measuring skeletal muscle mass for sarcopenia diagnosis by introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) system for direct computed tomography (CT) analysis. The primary focus was on enhancing simplicity, reproducibility, and convenience, and assessing the accuracy and speed of AI compared with conventional methods. A cohort of 3096 cases undergoing CT imaging up to the third lumbar (L3) level between 2011 and 2021 were included.

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Purpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status is a critical biomarker in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). While the role of HER2-positive tumors in guiding targeted therapies is well-established, the clinical implications of HER2-low expression, defined as immunohistochemistry (IHC) 1+ or IHC 2+/in situ hybridization-negative (ISH-negative), remain undetermined. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance and clinicopathological features of HER2-low AGC.

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Aims: Paclitaxel and nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel can cause early, extremely severe neutropenia, occasionally leading to fatal outcomes. As paclitaxel is a substrate of P-glycoprotein, this study aimed to investigate the impact of ABCB1 single-nucleotide variants, which encode P-glycoprotein, on early, extremely severe neutropenia in patients receiving paclitaxel/nab-paclitaxel plus ramucirumab as second-line therapy for unresectable advanced/recurrent gastric cancer.

Methods: We analysed patients treated at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from January 2018 to August 2023, with DNA samples stored in the Cancer BioBank Aichi.

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Article Synopsis
  • A gastroscopy revealed multiple areas of erosion with white patches from the angulus (the bend of the stomach) to the antrum (the lower portion of the stomach).
  • A gastric biopsy was taken and tested, showing numerous brown spirochetes, indicating an infection caused by syphilis.
  • The findings suggest a significant gastrointestinal issue likely linked to an underlying syphilitic infection affecting the stomach.
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Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a highly conserved family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases with multiple roles in the regulation of key cellular processes. Specific FGFR mutations have been observed in several types of cancers, including gastric carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Dose escalation data of 24 Japanese patients with solid tumors treated with Tasurgratinib (previously known as E7090), a potent, selective FGFR1-3 inhibitor, was reported in a phase I, first-in-human, single-center study.

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Background: Based on the JCOG1109 trial, it is suggested that the combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) could potentially become a standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen, alongside the conventional 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (CF) therapy, for esophageal cancer. However, there are few reports on the impact of body composition changes associated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on prognosis.

Aim: Our study aimed to explore the effect of different neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens on body composition during treatment and the impacts of body composition changes on their prognosis.

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Background: Gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for lesions located on the greater curvature of the upper and middle (U/M) third of the stomach remains challenging, even for experienced endoscopists. Accordingly, we have developed a novel traction technique, termed the outside-lesion clip-thread method (O-CTM). In this method, a clip thread is attached to the healthy mucosa outside the circumferential incision line, and traction is applied to bring the scope and lesion into proximity for ESD.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Results showed the combination therapy resulted in higher objective response rates (25.8% vs. 5.0%) and longer median progression-free survival (2.9 months vs. 1.8 months) compared to FTD/TPI monotherapy.
  • * While the combination therapy led to a higher rate of febrile neutropenia (13.8% vs. 2.9%), it was generally well-tolerated, suggesting it could provide clinical benefits
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Background: Recent trials have reported a median overall survival (OS) of 11-17 months in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, it is unclear how recently approved drugs contribute to patient prognosis.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the characteristics and survival in patients with AGC over the past 15 years.

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  • A study investigated the genetic factors influencing alcohol consumption in 175,672 Japanese individuals, focusing on a specific genetic variant (rs671) associated with drinking behavior.
  • The analysis found significant genetic interactions, identifying three key genetic locations in individuals with one variant (wild-type homozygotes) and six in those with two variants (heterozygotes), with some linked to esophageal cancer risk.
  • The research highlights how genetic makeup can shape alcohol consumption patterns and potentially increase the risk of alcohol-related diseases in different ancestral groups.
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  • The study examines the increasing incidence of colorectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) due to more frequent cancer screenings and colonoscopies, highlighting a shift in management from radical surgery to endoscopic resection methods.
  • Researchers analyzed short-term outcomes from 418 patients who underwent endoscopic treatments for colorectal NETs, focusing on en bloc resection rates and tumor-free margins.
  • The findings revealed that various endoscopic methods, particularly endoscopic submucosal resection with a ligation device (ESMR-L), were effective and safe for treating tumors smaller than 10 mm, with high R0 resection rates and minimal complications.
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The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the prognosis after docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing surgical resection. We retrospectively examined a total of 100 patients who received neoadjuvant DCF therapy for ESCC at our institution between 2011 and 2020. The psoas muscle index (PMI) was calculated from the psoas muscle area at the L3 vertebral level, and the intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) was calculated from the mean CT value of the multifidus muscle and from four points of subcutaneous fat.

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