Biomedical subjects

Hiroyuki Kuwano

Publications and source records attributed to Hiroyuki Kuwano.

205 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Gum-chewing stimulates bowel motility after surgery for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: During the perioperative period after open colorectal surgery, surgical stress affects changes in the autonomic nervous system of patients. The decreased intestinal motility results in many complaints for patients. To resolve this problem, the usefulness of gum-chewing for improving the motility was examined. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-two patients with colorectal cancer were divided into two groups; gum-chewing and control groups. From after their operation, chewing gum was given to the former group three times a day. RESULTS: The first passage of flatus and stool in the chewing-gum group after operation were 35 and 50 hours, respectively, sooner for the controls. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that gum-chewing provides a simple and effective method to improve the postoperative state of patients.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oral regimen consisting of UFT/UZEL for elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A clinical trial has been planned to assess the safety and efficacy of oral administration of UFT and leucovorin (UZEL) in elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODOLOGY: Twenty-six patients with advanced CRC who were over 70 years and considered ineligible for combination chemotherapy received oral UFT 300 mg/day and UZEL 75mg/day were administered orally for 28 days followed by a 7-day rest period. Treatment was repeated every 5 weeks until disease progression. RESULTS: A total of 106 cycles of UFT/UZEL were administered (median, four cycles; range, one to twelve cycles). UFT/UZEL was well tolerated. The response rate was 11% (3 partial responses, 16 stable diseases, and 7 progressive diseases). The median progression-free survival rate was 3.9 months and the median survival time was 9.8 months. Treatment-related grade 3 and 4 adverse events were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Oral regimen consisting of UFT/ UZEL is effective and well tolerated in elderly patients with advanced CRC who are considered ineligible for combination chemotherapy.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

P16 protein abnormality in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been detected in lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx and lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas in various organs. Ten percent of gastric carcinomas, including lymphepithelioma-like carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, are associated with EBV infection. The p16 protein is a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor that decelerates the cell cycle, inactivating the CDKs that phosphorylate retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To clarify the relationship between p16 overexpression and EBV-associated gastric carcinomas, immunohistochemical analysis of p16 and detection of EBV by in situ hybridization were performed on 238 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of gastric carcinomas. RESULTS: The non-expression of p16 protein in EBV-positive and -negative carcinoma was 81.5% (53 out of 65 samples) and 26.6% (46 out of 173 samples), respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We suggest that the carcinogenesis of EBV-associated gastric cancers may be closely associated with a p16 abnormality.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reduced galectin-3 expression is an indicator of unfavorable prognosis in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 (gal-3) participates in a variety of biological events, including cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of gal-3 expression with clinicopathological findings and prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Gal-3 and Ki-67 expressions were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 115 patients with gastric cancer. PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)-sequence analysis and the levels of gal-3 mRNA were also examined. RESULTS: The present study demonstrated that gal-3 expression was correlated with nodal status, lymphatic inivasion, pathological stage and histological parameters. On the other hand, gal-3 expression did not correlate with the expression of Ki-67. Reduced expression of gal-3 was significantly associated with a poor prognosis and multivariate analysis showed that gal-3 expression was an independent prognostic factor. On PCR-SSCP-sequence analysis, 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the gal-3 gene, but none showed mutations. CONCLUSION: Reduced gal-3 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced stage and tumor differentiation in gastric cancer. Gal-3 expression could be a useful prognostic factor in gastric cancer.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinicopathological characteristics and outcome indicators of stage II gastric cancer according to the Japanese classification of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The characteristics of stage II gastric cancer according to the Japanese Classification of Gastric Cancer (JCGC) were examined and the high-risk factors predicting poor prognosis were detected. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 107 patients, who underwent clinically curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for stage II gastric cancer, were included. Survival curves of the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, the ratio of involved: resected lymph nodes and chemotherapy treatment were compared. RESULTS: The survival curves were related to tumor invasion depth and lymph node metastasis. The ratio of involved resected lymph nodes was a good prognostic indicator compared to the classification of regional lymph node metastasis (N classification). Survival rates with adjuvant chemotherapy were slightly higher than without adjuvant chemotherapy, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSION: pT2pN1 (stage II) gastric cancers according to the JCGC, especially pSSpN1 cases, included stage IIIB and IV gastric cancers according to the International Union Against Cancer / American Joint Committee on Cancer (UICC/AJCC); therefore, the prognosis of these might be poor. With pSSpN1 cases, according to the JCGC, anticancer chemotherapy equivalent to that required for stage III gastric cancer cases is necessary.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunohistochemical expression of 14-3-3 sigma protein in intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor and invasive ductal carcinoma of the pancreas.

BACKGROUND: 14-3-3 sigma (sigma) has been shown to be overexpressed in pancreatic cancers by a c-DNA microarray technique. However, the expression of 14-3-3 sigma in intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor (IPMT) of the pancreas remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the biological importance of 14-3-3 sigma expression in pancreatic carcinogenesis, immunohistochemistry for 14-3-3 sigma, CDX2, MUC1, MUC2, p53, p16 and Ki-67 was carried out on 33 IPMTs and the results were compared with those for 14 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs). RESULTS: The frequency of 14-3-3 sigma immunoreactivity was 70% and 100% in IPMT and IDC, respectively. The frequency of MUCI and Ki-67 immunoreactivity was significantly higher in IDC than IPMT. In IPMT, dark columnar cell types prevailed over clear columnar cell types in terms of the frequency of the Ki-67 labeling index. CONCLUSION: The overexpression of 14-3-3 sigma was confirmed in both IDC and IPMT. Therefore, this overexpression might occur in the early stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis. Moreover, IPMT composed of dark columnar cells might be a potentially more advanced form than that made up of clear columnar cells.

14-3-3 Proteins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Anxiety in outpatients receiving chemotherapy for solid cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We conducted this prospective study to assess the anxiety in outpatients receiving chemotherapy for solid cancers. METHODOLOGY: Patients were eligible if they were receiving chemotherapy for solid cancer in an outpatient setting, had a life expectancy of more than 6 months, and were able to complete self-administered questionnaires. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure the anxiety levels. RESULTS: From January to December 2004, 119 patients were recruited, and, of these, 114 completed the questionnaires. Their median age was 60.6 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.04:1. Of the 114 patients, 36 had breast cancer, 35, colorectal cancer, 23, gastric cancer, 8, esophageal cancer, 5, non-small-cell cancer, 4, pancreatic cancer, and 3, liver cancer. The state- and trait-anxiety levels were higher for women (p=0.019). Age did not influence the trait-anxiety level, but the state-anxiety levels of younger patients were higher. The periods of chemotherapy raised the state and trait-anxiety levels (p=0.023 and 0.015, respectively). No statistically significant differences were observed according to the type of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The anxiety levels of outpatients with solid cancer receiving chemotherapy were significantly high. Having access to such information will help oncologists provide appropriate support to their patients.

Aged↗