Role of Nuclear Pharmacist in Clinical Translation of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Radiopharmaceuticals and Environmental Monitoring of Facility

There have been many changes in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging field as several radiopharmaceuticals have recently been approved and many others on the horizon. Ensuring the compliance with the increasingly aggressive national, federal, and state regulatory has become a critical piece of PET manufacturing and Nuclear Pharmacy. As a nuclear pharmacist, I have been searching for the way I can better contribute to the progress of this field with an ultimate goal of proving safe and effective healthcare to the patients. In order to do so, strengthening my expertise is essential. In this thesis, I would like to capture and narrate my professional growth, by focusing on three projects, 1) Assisting in translational work for a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, 2) Performing Germanium analysis, and 3) Establishing an environmental monitoring program at my work place

Logistical, technical, and radiation safety aspects of establishing a radiopharmaceutical therapy program: A case in Lutetium-177 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) therapy

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a cell surface protein highly expressed in nearly all prostate cancers, with restricted expression in some normal tissues. The differential expression of PSMA from tumor to non-tumor tissue has resulted in the investigation of numerous targeting strategies for therapy of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In March of 2022, the FDA granted approval for the use of lutetium-177 PSMA-617 (Lu-177-PSMA-617) for patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy. Therefore, the use of Lu-177-PSMA-617 is expected to increase and become more widespread. Herein, we describe logistical, technical, and radiation safety considerations for implementing a radiopharmaceutical therapy program, with particular focus on the development of operating procedures for therapeutic administrations. Major steps for a center in the U.S. to implement a new radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) program are listed below, and then demonstrated in greater detail via examples for Lu-177-PSMA-617 therapy

BRCA1/2 Mutation Frequency is HIGH in Japanese Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients

Germline mutations of BRCA1/2 genes cause hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer. However, whether guidelines like those of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) can suitably predict the likelihood of BRCA1/2 mutations in the Japanese population is unclear. Methods BRCA1/2 gene mutation frequencies were investigated in relation to parameters such as age, family history (FH), and breast cancer subtype using data collected from 922 Japanese breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between September 2010 and June 2013. BRCA1/2 mutations were present in 15 of 57 (26.3%) tested patients. The frequency of the mutations was not significantly related to age. Among the 180 patients who reported an FH of breast cancer, 11 of the 37 who were tested (29.7%) were positive for BRCA1/2 mutations. Of those with an FH of ovarian cancer (n = 34), seven of 12 patients tested (58.3%) were carriers of BRCA1/2 (P = 0.013). Six of these seven carriers were triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. In all, there were 97 TNBC patients, and the presence of the BRCA1/2 mutation in this subgroup was significantly greater than in non-TNBC patients, with 12 of 17 TNBC patients (70.5%) testing positive (P = 0.03). There were 59 TNBC patients < 60 years of age, and of the 16 (27.1%) who underwent BRCA1/2 genetic testing, 11 (68.8%) were found to have mutations in BRCA1/2. Among the TNBC patients, 29 also reported an FH of breast or ovarian cancer; of these, nine of the 13 tested (69.2%) were positive for a BRCA1/2 mutation. The data demonstrate that BRCA1/2 mutations are observed more frequently in TNBC patients, especially those < 60 years of age or in combination with an FH of breast and/or ovarian cancer, suggesting that some of the NCCN guidelines can adequately predict BRCA1/2 carriers in the Japanese population

A Case of Androgen Receptor-positive Triple Negative Breast Cancer with Good Response to Anti-androgen Therapy

Anti-androgen therapy has been proposed to be effective in the treatment of androgen receptor (AR)-positive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Herein, we report on the case of a 91-year-old female patient with AR-positive TNBC who underwent anti-androgen therapy and had a good response. Because of dementia, the patient lives in an aged care facility. It was here that a staff member noticed a mass with a rash on the patient\u27s breast. Consequently, the patient was sent for further examination. Ultrasonography revealed an irregularly shaped, indistinct hypoechoic mass measuring 19×18×9mm located in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. Core needle biopsy (CNB) was performed and the mass was diagnosed as apocrine carcinoma. Further immunohistochemical analysis showed that the mass was AR-positive TNBC. Anti-androgen therapy was determined to be the optimal treatment option for this patient. The Institutional Review Board approval the off-label use of an anti-androgen for the treatment of this patient, who was subsequently treated with the anti-androgen flutamide. After 8 months, the size of the tumor had reduced to 15×9×5mm

地域社会により順応するための方言教材作成のための方言データベースの開発について

会議名: 言語資源活用ワークショップ2017, 開催地: 国立国語研究所, 会期: 2017年9月5日-6日, 主催: 国立国語研究所 コーパス開発センター言語には様々な異種が存在する。方言（ここでは特に地域方言）はその一つである。同じ日本語であっても様々な方言があり，別の言語であるかと思うほど理解し合えない時もある。「熊本方言を話せなくてもいいから理解できる」ということを目指し，留学生を対象とした熊本方言の特徴を学ぶ教科書『さしより熊本弁』（「さしより」とは共通語では「とりあえず」という意味を持つ熊本方言である）を作成している。その作成の中で，熊本方言話者の会話データを収集し，文字化した。その会話データにおいて方言要素を抽出し，教材作成者（熊本方言話者）が内省を施し使用頻度が高いと思われるものを選んだ。熊本方言といっても各地域によって大きく異なるため，熊本市で使われる方言に限定し，方言の世代差についても，大学生の使用を念頭において選定した。本稿では，熊本方言話者の会話データにおいてどのような方言要素を抽出し，方言タグを付与し，言語資源化したのかについて述べる