Autonomic function measurements for evaluating fatigue and quality of life in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy: a prospective longitudinal study

Background: Fatigue during radiation therapy in women with breast cancer can decrease quality of life (QOL), yet it is often underestimated and needs to be evaluated objectively. This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate fatigue and QOL of women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy with a simple autonomic function measurement. Methods: Women with breast cancer who underwent postoperative radiotherapy in eight cancer care hospitals in Chubu and Kinki regions in Japan were recruited between October 2021 and June 2022. The women underwent a self-administered questionnaire that included the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and the Short Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8) and an autonomic nervous function measurement using a simple, non-invasive device before (T0, baseline), mid (T1), and at the end (T2) of treatment. Results: The 57 women showed similar trends, with CFS scores and log LF/HF ratio being the highest at T0 and significantly decreasing at T1 (both p < 0.05). The log LF/HF trends differed between those with high and low baseline log LF/HF values. Women with mental component summary (MCS) score improvement (T0 to T2) had the highest log LF/HF ratio at T0 and had significantly lower log LF/HF values at T1 and T2 than at T0 (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). The change of (⊿) MCS from T0 to T1 was negatively correlated with ⊿log LF/HF from T0 to T1 (r = − 0.36, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Measurement of autonomic nerve function with a simple device is useful for objective fatigue assessment during radiotherapy. Psychological support is important as improvement in mental health helps improve autonomic nerve function and, in turn, fatigue.Aoki M., Kuratsune H., Yamamoto S., et al. Autonomic function measurements for evaluating fatigue and quality of life in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy: a prospective longitudinal study. Radiation Oncology 18, 171 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1186/S13014-023-02362-W

Venous hemangioma of the posterior mediastinum.

Here, we describe our experience in treating a patient with mediastinal hemangioma, a rare neoplasm. An abnormal shadow was noted in the thoracic region of a 54-year-old woman at a health checkup, and she was referred to our hospital. A neurogenic tumor was suspected based on the findings of the chest X-ray and computed tomography scan. Thoracoscopic tumorectomy was performed. The tumor surface was smooth with a reddish-dark reddish color, and capillary blood vessels showed marked growth around the tumor. The tumor was composed of medium or large blood vessels with a relatively thick vascular wall containing smooth muscle. On immunostaining, anti-CD34 antibody and Factor VIII were positive and D2-40 was negative. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as mediastinal venous hemangioma

Preliminary assessment of ecological exposure of adult residents in Fukushima Prefecture to radioactive cesium through ingestion and inhalation.

福島県成人住民の放射性セシウムへの経口、吸入曝露の先行評価を実施. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2011-11-14.OBJECTIVE: This study aims to estimate the ecological exposure of adult residents of Fukushima Prefecture to (134)cesium (Cs) and (137)Cs through ingestion and inhalation between July 2 and July 8, 2011. METHODS: Fifty-five sets of meals with tap water, each representing one person's daily intake, were purchased in local towns in Fukushima Prefecture. Locally produced cow's milk (21 samples) and vegetables (43 samples) were also purchased. In parallel, air sampling was conducted at 12 different sites using a high-volume sampler. Nineteen sets of control meals were collected in Kyoto in July 2011. (134)Cs and (137)Cs levels in the samples were measured using a germanium detector. RESULTS: Radioactivity was detected in 36 of the 55 sample meals from Fukushima, compared with one of 19 controls from Kyoto. The median estimated dose level (μSv/year) was 3.0, ranging from not detectable to 83.1. None of the cow's milk (21) or vegetable (49) samples showed levels of contamination above the current recommended limits (Bq/kg) of 200 for milk and 500 for vegetables. The total effective dose levels by inhalation were estimated to be <3 μSv/year at nine locations, but samples at three other locations close to the edge of the 20-km radius from the crippled nuclear power plant showed higher levels of contamination (μSv/year): 14.7 at Iitate, 76.9 at Namie, and 27.7 at Katsurao. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of exposure to (134)Cs and (137)Cs in Fukushima by ingestion and inhalation are discernible, but generally within recommended limits

Post-Accident Sporadic Releases of Airborne Radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Site

The Fukushima nuclear accident (March 11, 2011) caused the widespread contamination of Japan by direct deposition of airborne radionuclides. Analysis of weekly air filters has revealed sporadic releases of radionuclides long after the Fukushima Daiichi reactors were stabilized. One major discharge was observed in August 2013 in monitoring stations north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). During this event, an air monitoring station in this previously scarcely contaminated area suddenly reported [137]Cs activity levels that were 30-fold above the background. Together with atmospheric dispersion and deposition simulation, radionuclide analysis in soil indicated that debris removal operations conducted on the FDNPP site on August 19, 2013 are likely to be responsible for this late release of radionuclides. One soil sample in the center of the simulated plume exhibited a high [90]Sr contamination (78 ± 8 Bq kg[–1]) as well as a high [90]Sr/[137]Cs ratio (0.04); both phenomena have usually been observed only in very close vicinity around the FDNPP. We estimate that through the resuspension of highly contaminated particles in the course of these earthmoving operations, gross [137]Cs activity of ca. 2.8 × 10[11] Bq has been released

FLT-PET for the Evaluation of Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Carbon-Ion Radiation Therapy: Initial Results

Aim: To investigate the clinical value of FLT-PET in the evaluation of lung cancer patients treated with carbon-ion radiation therapy (CIRT). Materials & Methods: Eighteen consecutive patients (pts) with lung cancer who are going to be treated with CIRT received FLT-PET/CT before (18 pts) and 3 months after CIRT (13 pts). Fifty minutes after intravenous injection of approximately 296 MBq of FLT, PET/CT data were acquired. Maximal standardized uptake values (SUV) were measured and compared with short-term effect evaluated by the reduction of maximal tumor diameter measured by CT at 3 months post CIRT. Initial FLT uptake in the tumor was compared with the occurrence of local recurrence and/or metastasis. The study plan was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee and informed consent was obtained from all patients before each FLT-PET examination. Results: Before CIRT, squamous cell carcinomas tended to show higher FLT uptake than adenocarcinomas did, although the difference was not statistically significant (3.70 +/- 1.88 versus 2.31 +/- 1.17, p=0.058). Three months after CIRT, both maximal diameter and maximal FLT-uptake showed significant reduction compared to those before CIRT (p=0.004 for maximal diameter and p=0.002 for SUV). There was a significant correlation between the reduction rate (RR) of FLT-uptake [(SUVpre - SUVpost)/SUVpre] and the reduction rate of maximum diameter [(Diameter-pre - Diameter-post)/Diameter-pre] (p=0.003). In 7 of 13 pts, CT showed the development of radiation pneumonitis (RP) 3 months after CIRT, and mild to weak FLT uptake was observed in the area of RP. Pts developing RP tended to show lower reduction rate of FLT-uptake than pts not developing RP (0.25 +/- 0.41 with RP versus 0.53 +/- 0.09 without RP, p=0.063). In 14 pts having more than 6-months follow-up period, 7 pts developed local recurrence and/or metastases, and pts having recurrence/metastases tended to show higher SUVpre, although not statistically significant (3.74 +/- 1.39 versus 2.81 +/- 0.82, p=0.116). Conclusion: Although the number of pts is limited and the follow up period is not long enough, the present preliminary data suggests the feasibility of FLT-PET in lung cancer patients being treated with CIRT. The presence of RP can modify the FLT uptake in the treated tumor and may cause underestimation of the CIRT effect. Although there is a possibility that higher tumor uptake of FLT before CIRT can be a predictor of recurrence/metastases, more cases are necessary to prove this.Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine 200