Alterations in 18F-FDG accumulation into neck-related muscles after neck dissection for patients with oral cancers

Background: 18 F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) accumulations are commonly seen in the neck-related muscles of the surgical and non-surgical sides after surgery with neck dissection (ND) for oral cancers, which leads to radiologists having difficulty in diagnosing the lesions. To examine the alterations in 18 F-FDG accumulation in neck-related muscles of patients after ND for oral cancer. Material and Methods: 18 F-FDG accumulations on positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in neck-related muscles were retrospectively analyzed after surgical dissection of cervical lymph nodes in oral cancers. Results: According to the extent of ND of cervical lymph nodes, the rate of patients with 18 F-FDG-PET-positive areas increased in the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and posterior neck muscles of the surgical and/or non-surgical sides. In addition, SUVmax of 18 F-FDG-PET-positive areas in the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were increased according to the extent of the ND. Conclusions: In evaluating 18 F-FDG accumulations after ND for oral cancers, we should pay attention to the 18 F-FDG distributions in neck-related muscles including the non-surgical side as false-positive finding

Prospective study of daily low-dose nedaplatin and continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion combined with radiation for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protracted low-dose concurrent chemotherapy combined with radiation has been proposed for enhanced treatment results for esophageal cancer. We evaluated the efficacy and the toxicity of a novel regimen of daily low-dose nedaplatin (cis-diammine-glycolatoplatinum) and continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with radiation in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between January 2003 and June 2008, 33 patients with clinical stage I to IVB esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. Nedaplatin (10 mg/body/day) was administered daily and 5-FU (500 mg/body/day) was administered continuously for 20 days. Fractionated radiotherapy for a total dose of 50.4-66 Gy was administered together with chemotherapy. Additional chemotherapy with nedaplatin and 5-FU was optionally performed for a maximum of 5 courses after chemoradiotherapy. The primary end-point of this study was to evaluate the tumor response, and the secondary end-points were to evaluate the toxicity and the overall survival.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-two patients (72.7%) completed the regimen of chemoradiotherapy. Twenty patients (60.6%) achieved a complete response, 10 patients (30.3%) a partial response. One patient (3.0%) had a stable disease, and 2 (6.1%) a progressive disease. The overall response rate was 90.9% (95% confidence interval: 75.7%-98.1%). For grade 3-4 toxicity, leukopenia was observed in 75.8% of the cases, thrombocytopenia in 24.2%, anemia in 9.1%, and esophagitis in 36.4%, while late grade 3-4 cardiac toxicity occurred in 6.1%. Additional chemotherapy was performed for 26 patients (78.8%) and the median number of courses was 3 (range, 1-5). The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 83.9%, 76.0% and 58.8%, respectively. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 94.7% and 88.4% in patients with T1-3 M0 disease, and 66.2% and 55.2% in patients with T4/M1 disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The treatment used in our study may yield a high complete response rate and better survival for each stage of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00197444</p

Early pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy modelled in patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells.

iPS細胞によりデュシェンヌ型筋ジストロフィーの初期病態を再現. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2015-08-21.Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive and fatal muscle degenerating disease caused by a dystrophin deficiency. Effective suppression of the primary pathology observed in DMD is critical for treatment. Patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a promising tool for drug discovery. Here, we report an in vitro evaluation system for a DMD therapy using hiPSCs that recapitulate the primary pathology and can be used for DMD drug screening. Skeletal myotubes generated from hiPSCs are intact, which allows them to be used to model the initial pathology of DMD in vitro. Induced control and DMD myotubes were morphologically and physiologically comparable. However, electric stimulation of these myotubes for in vitro contraction caused pronounced calcium ion (Ca(2+)) influx only in DMD myocytes. Restoration of dystrophin by the exon-skipping technique suppressed this Ca(2+) overflow and reduced the secretion of creatine kinase (CK) in DMD myotubes. These results suggest that the early pathogenesis of DMD can be effectively modelled in skeletal myotubes induced from patient-derived iPSCs, thereby enabling the development and evaluation of novel drugs

A case report of primary pancreatic leiomyosarcoma requiring six additional resections for recurrences

Introduction: Primary pancreatic leiomyosarcoma is extremely rare. We report a case in which six additional resections were required to treat recurrent tumors in a 5-year period following the primary operation. Presentation of case: A 69-year-old man presented with a pancreatic tumor. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a large heterogeneous mass with a necrotic area arising from the pancreatic body. We performed distal pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and wide resection of the transverse mesocolon. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a pancreatic leiomyosarcoma. We repeatedly performed surgery on recurrent tumors. Discussion: Primary pancreatic leiomyosarcoma is considered to be a highly aggressive malignancy. The most effective treatment is complete surgical resection with tumor-free margins. Even when tumors recur, it is possible to improve the prognosis by further resection. Conclusion: Long-term survival is achievable by repeated resection of recurrent tumors. Keywords: Leiomyosarcoma, Pancreas, Recurrence, Metastasis, Disseminatio