Prediction recurrence in stage I epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer using multi-modal data.

Introduction: Integrated recurrence prediction models that combine clinical, imaging, and genetic data are lacking for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We developed a recurrence prediction model for Stage I EGFR-mutated NSCLC by integrating clinical, radiological, and whole-exome sequencing (WES) data.

Methods: A total of 306 patients with Stage I EGFR-mutated NSCLC were stratified into training (n = 206) and validation (n = 100) cohorts using stratified random sampling.

Effects of Sarcopenia on the Outcomes and Safety of Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Durvalumab for the Treatment of Patients With Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with poor outcomes of various cancers treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Durvalumab is the standard of care for patients with locally advanced (LA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiation therapy (CRT). However, the effect of sarcopenia on the efficacy and safety of durvalumab in patients with LA-NSCLC remains unclear.

Impact of multidisciplinary team intervention on long-term survival in distant metastatic colorectal cancer: Single-centre propensity score analyses.

Aim: Multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention is generally recommended in patients with distant metastatic colorectal cancer (DMCRC). However, it is not clear whether MDT intervention has a favourable impact on prognosis. We investigated the impact of MDT intervention on improving long-term prognosis in DMCRC.

A series of natural language processing for predicting tumor response evaluation and survival curve from electronic health records.

Background: The clinical information housed within unstructured electronic health records (EHRs) has the potential to promote cancer research. The National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH) is widely recognized as a leading institution for the treatment of thoracic malignancies in Japan. Information on medical treatment, particularly the characteristics of malignant tumors that occur in patients, tumor response evaluation, and adverse events, was compiled into the databases of each NCCH department from EHRs.

Prognostic significance of the retroperitoneal surgical resection margin on computed tomography colonography in retroperitonealized colon cancer.

Background: A positive pathologic retroperitoneal surgical resection margin in the retroperitonealized colon is reported to predict distant metastases. However, no studies have investigated retroperitoneal surgical resection margin positivity on computed tomography colonography and its prognostic significance.

Methods: Patients who underwent primary resection for ascending or descending colon cancer at our institution between 2013 and 2018 were retrospectively evaluated (n = 206).

Treatment strategy involving docetaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by conversion surgery for locally advanced unresectable/borderline resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) is the standard treatment for unresectable (T4) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the prognosis is poor. Borderline resectable (T3br) ESCC has been discussed, but its clinical features and appropriate treatment are unclear. The effects of docetaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) therapy and subsequent surgery for potentially unresectable ESCC remain controversial.

Multi-omics and clustering analyses reveal the mechanisms underlying unmet needs for patients with lung adenocarcinoma and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Background: The cancer genome contains several driver mutations. However, in some cases, no known drivers have been identified; these remaining areas of unmet needs, leading to limited progress in cancer therapy. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can identify non-coding alterations associated with the disease.

Clinical utility of sarcopenia dynamics assessed by psoas muscle volume in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Sarcopenia affects the postoperative prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, it has become possible to measure psoas volume from computed tomography images, and an index called psoas volume index (PVI) has been reported. However, it is unclear whether the dynamics of PVI before and after surgery is associated with clinical outcomes after CRC surgery.

Can physician judgment enhance model trustworthiness? A case study on predicting pathological lymph nodes in rectal cancer.

Explainability is key to enhancing the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence in medicine. However, there exists a significant gap between physicians' expectations for model explainability and the actual behavior of these models. This gap arises from the absence of a consensus on a physician-centered evaluation framework, which is needed to quantitatively assess the practical benefits that effective explainability should offer practitioners.

Mechanism of ERBB2 gene overexpression by the formation of super-enhancer with genomic structural abnormalities in lung adenocarcinoma without clinically actionable genetic alterations.

Background: In an extensive genomic analysis of lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs), driver mutations have been recognized as potential targets for molecular therapy. However, there remain cases where target genes are not identified. Super-enhancers and structural variants are frequently identified in several hundred loci per case.

Prognostic impact of extramural venous invasion detected by contrast-enhanced CT colonography in colon cancer.

Background: The impact of computed tomography (CT)-detected extramural venous invasion on the recurrence of colon cancer is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of extramural venous invasion diagnosed before surgery by contrast-enhanced CT colonography using three-dimensional multiplanar reconstruction images.

Methods: Patients with colon cancer staged greater than or equal to T2 and/or stage I-III who underwent contrast-enhanced CT colonography between 2013 and 2018 at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan were retrospectively investigated for CT-detected extramural venous invasion.

Sketch-based semantic retrieval of medical images.

The volume of medical images stored in hospitals is rapidly increasing; however, the utilization of these accumulated medical images remains limited. Existing content-based medical image retrieval (CBMIR) systems typically require example images, leading to practical limitations, such as the lack of customizable, fine-grained image retrieval, the inability to search without example images, and difficulty in retrieving rare cases. In this paper, we introduce a sketch-based medical image retrieval (SBMIR) system that enables users to find images of interest without the need for example images.

Characteristics of false-positive lesions in evaluating colorectal liver metastases on gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI (Gd-EOB-MRI) shows higher sensitivity for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) than contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). However, the details of false-positive lesions for each imaging modality are unknown.

Methods: Cases undergoing hepatectomy for CRLM following a preoperative evaluation with both CECT and Gd-EOB-MRI between July 2008 and December 2016 were reviewed.

Assessing Versatile Machine Learning Models for Glioma Radiogenomic Studies across Hospitals.

Radiogenomics use non-invasively obtained imaging data, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to predict critical biomarkers of patients. Developing an accurate machine learning (ML) technique for MRI requires data from hundreds of patients, which cannot be gathered from any single local hospital. Hence, a model universally applicable to multiple cohorts/hospitals is required.

Observing deep radiomics for the classification of glioma grades.

Deep learning is a promising method for medical image analysis because it can automatically acquire meaningful representations from raw data. However, a technical challenge lies in the difficulty of determining which types of internal representation are associated with a specific task, because feature vectors can vary dynamically according to individual inputs. Here, based on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of gliomas, we propose a novel method to extract a shareable set of feature vectors that encode various parts in tumor imaging phenotypes.

A New Era of Neuro-Oncology Research Pioneered by Multi-Omics Analysis and Machine Learning.

Although the incidence of central nervous system (CNS) cancers is not high, it significantly reduces a patient's quality of life and results in high mortality rates. A low incidence also means a low number of cases, which in turn means a low amount of information. To compensate, researchers have tried to increase the amount of information available from a single test using high-throughput technologies.

Fine-Tuning Approach for Segmentation of Gliomas in Brain Magnetic Resonance Images with a Machine Learning Method to Normalize Image Differences among Facilities.

Machine learning models for automated magnetic resonance image segmentation may be useful in aiding glioma detection. However, the image differences among facilities cause performance degradation and impede detection. This study proposes a method to solve this issue.

Circumferential Resection Margin Status as a Predictive Factor for Recurrence in Preoperative MRI for Advanced Lower Rectal Cancer Without Preoperative Therapy.

Background: In Japan, total mesorectal excision plus lateral lymph node dissection without preoperative therapy is the standard treatment for advanced lower rectal cancer. Although long-term oncologic outcomes with preoperative therapy based on circumferential resection margin status in preoperative MRI has been reported, outcomes without preoperative therapy are unknown.

Objective: This study evaluated long-term oncologic outcomes of radical surgery without preoperative therapy in advanced lower rectal cancer based on circumferential resection margin status in preoperative MRI, with the aim of defining appropriate patient populations for preoperative therapy.

Application of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Oncology: Towards the Establishment of Precision Medicine.

In recent years, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have led to the rapid clinical implementation of devices with AI technology in the medical field. More than 60 AI-equipped medical devices have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, and the active introduction of AI technology is considered to be an inevitable trend in the future of medicine. In the field of oncology, clinical applications of medical devices using AI technology are already underway, mainly in radiology, and AI technology is expected to be positioned as an important core technology.

Preoperative T staging of colon cancer using CT colonography with multiplanar reconstruction: new diagnostic criteria based on "bordering vessels".

Purpose: Preoperative T staging of colon cancer, in particular, for distinguishing T3 from T2 and T4, has been a challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate newly developed criteria for preoperative T staging of colorectal cancer using computed tomography colonography (CTC) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), based on the spatial relationship of tumors and "bordering vessels," that is, marginal vessels that are detectable by multi-detector row CT with MPR.

Methods: A total of 172 patients with colon and upper rectal cancer who underwent preoperative CTC and surgery between August 2011 and September 2013 were included.

Computed tomographic colonography with a reduced dose of laxative using a novel barium sulfate contrast agent in Japan.

Purpose: To test the tagging efficacy, patient acceptability, and accuracy of computed tomographic colonography (CTC) with a reduced dose of laxative using a novel barium sulfate (BaSO) contrast agent.

Materials And Methods: CTC followed by optical colonoscopy (OC) was performed on 73 patients with positive results in fecal occult blood tests. They were administrated a BaSO suspension and a magnesium citrate solution for bowel preparation.

Intersphincteric Resection Has Similar Long-term Oncologic Outcomes Compared With Abdominoperineal Resection for Low Rectal Cancer Without Preoperative Therapy: Results of Propensity Score Analyses.

Background: Intersphincteric resection has been performed for very low rectal cancer in place of abdominoperineal resection to avoid permanent colostomy.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate long-term oncologic outcomes of intersphincteric resection compared with abdominoperineal resection.

Design: In this retrospective study, propensity score matching and stratification analyses were performed to reduce the effects of confounding factors between groups, including age, sex, BMI, CEA value, tumor height, tumor depth, lymph node enlargement, and circumferential resection margin measured by MRI.