Tetsuhito Muranaka

Comparison of efficacy and toxicity of FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel in unresectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND Irinotecan, oxaliplatin and leucovorin-modulated fluorouracil (FOLFIRINOX) and the combination regimen of gemcitabine and nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (GnP) (nab-PTX) improve the prognosis of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. However, no study has compared the efficacy of the two regimens. We compared retrospectively the efficacy and safety of the two regimens in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. METHODS Thirty-eight patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer received FOLFIRINOX or GnP as first-line chemotherapy between December 2013 and September 2015. In the FOLFIRINOX group, patients received 85 mg/m2 oxaliplatin followed by 180 mg/m2 irinotecan and 200 mg/m2 L-leucovorin, and by 400 mg/m2 fluorouracil as a bolus and 2,400 mg/m2 fluorouracil as a 46-h continuous infusion every 14 days. In the GnP group, patients received 125 mg/m2 nab-PTX followed by 1 g/m2, and gemcitabine on days 1, 8 and 15, repeated every 28 days. RESULTS Response rate was 6.3% in the FOLFIRINOX group and 40.9% in the GnP group (P=0.025). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.0-4.5] in the FOLFIRINOX group and 6.5 months (95% CI, 6.2-6.9 months) in the GnP group (P=0.031). Drug toxicity in the GnP group was less than in the FOLFIRINOX group. CONCLUSIONS Efficacy and safety of GnP compare favorably to those of FOLFIRINOX in patients with pancreatic cancer. Additional prospective trials are warranted.

Gastric mucosal cracked and cobblestone-like changes resulting from proton pump inhibitor use

Use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) is histologically associated with oxyntic gland dilatations. Two interesting mucosal changes are often detected endoscopically in patients who use PPI: gastric cracked mucosa (GCM) and gastric cobblestone‐like mucosa (GCSM). The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between PPI use and these mucosal changes.

A Prospective Observational Study on Effect of Short‐Term Periodic Steroid Premedication on Bone Metabolism in Gastrointestinal Cancer (ESPRESSO‐01)

This study is an evaluation of the effect of gastrointestinal cancer chemotherapy with short‐term periodic steroid premedication on bone metabolism. Primary endpoints were changes in bone mineral densities and metabolic bone turnover 16 weeks after initiation of chemotherapy.

Decreased RNA-binding motif 5 expression is associated with tumor progression in gastric cancer

RNA-binding motif 5 is a putative tumor suppressor gene that modulates cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. We recently demonstrated that RNA-binding motif 5 inhibits cell growth through the p53 pathway. This study evaluated the clinical significance of RNA-binding motif 5 expression in gastric cancer and the effects of altered RNA-binding motif 5 expression on cancer biology in gastric cancer cells. RNA-binding motif 5 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using the surgical specimens of 106 patients with gastric cancer. We analyzed the relationships of RNA-binding motif 5 expression with clinicopathological parameters and patient prognosis. We further explored the effects of RNA-binding motif 5 downregulation with short hairpin RNA on cell growth and p53 signaling in MKN45 gastric cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed that RNA-binding motif 5 expression was decreased in 29 of 106 (27.4%) gastric cancer specimens. Decreased RNA-binding motif 5 expression was correlated with histological differentiation, depth of tumor infiltration, nodal metastasis, tumor–node–metastasis stage, and prognosis. RNA-binding motif 5 silencing enhanced gastric cancer cell proliferation and decreased p53 transcriptional activity in reporter gene assays. Conversely, restoration of RNA-binding motif 5 expression suppressed cell growth and recovered p53 transactivation in RNA-binding motif 5–silenced cells. Furthermore, RNA-binding motif 5 silencing reduced the messenger RNA and protein expression of the p53 target gene p21. Our results suggest that RNA-binding motif 5 downregulation is involved in gastric cancer progression and that RNA-binding motif 5 behaves as a tumor suppressor gene in gastric cancer.

Feasibility Study of Bolus 5-Fluorouracil+L-Leucovorin as Salvage Line Chemotherapy for Oral Fluorouracil-Resistant Unresectable Gastric Cancer: Hokkaido Gastrointestinal Cancer Study Group Study HGCSG1502

In November 2015 we began a feasibility study of salvage line chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and l-leucovorin given in an intravenous bolus once weekly followed by a 2-week rest period within a 8-week cycle in patients with gastric cancer resistant to other chemotherapies. This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of this treatment and determine whether the treatment has an adverse effect on patients’ quality of life. In total, 38 patients with chemotherapy-resistant advanced or recurrent gastric cancer will be recruited to this study. The primary end point is 8-week progression-free survival after the date of first treatment; the major secondary end points are progressionfree survival, overall survival, and quality of life assessed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 (quality of life score-30) and QLQ-STO22 (quality of life for gastric cancer patients) questionnaires. Based on the results of the study, we will conduct further trials to compare this treatment with best supportive care only.

Efficacy and Safety of Bolus 5-Fluorouracil and L-Leucovorin as Salvage Chemotherapy for Oral Fluoropyrimidine-Resistant Unresectable or Recurrent Gastric Cancer: A Single Center Experience

Purpose The International Organization for Standardization-5fluorouracil (FU) 10 trial found that bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was not inferior to S-1 in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Continuous 5-FU and the rapid injection of 5-FU have different anti-cancer effects. Thus, bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all patients with S-1 or capecitabine-resistant, unresectable, or recurrent GC treated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin between January 2010 and December 2015 at Hokkaido University Hospital. The bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin regimen consisted of intravenous l-leucovorin (250 mg/m2/2 h) and bolus 5-FU (600 mg/m2) administered once weekly followed by a 2-week rest period; each cycle was repeated every 8 weeks. Results A total of 14 patients were identified. The disease control rate was 35.7%. The median progression-free survival was 1.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3~2.0 months), and the median overall survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.7~7.9 months). No patient died from treatment-related causes. The most common severe adverse event associated with bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin was neutropenia, which occurred in 21.4% of patients. Conclusions Bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment might be useful for oral FU-resistant GC. We are planning a multi-center prospective phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bolus 5-FU and l-leucovorin treatment for pre-treated unresectable or recurrent GC to confirm the results of this limited, retrospective study.

Observational cohort study of 1st line bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (HGCSG0802): Sub-group analysis by the GERCOR index.

743 Background: The GERCOR index based on performance status and serum LDH was reported to be useful to predict survival for patients with previously untreated mCRC. However, the validity of the GERCOR index has not been reported in patients treated with bevacizumab (Bev)-based first line chemotherapy. Methods: 115 patients with mCRC treated with Bev contained first line chemotherapy were registered from 15 centers in Japan. Univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival (OS) were performed using patient characteristics. Survival analyses were performed with the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model. The analysis was also designed to determine whether the GERCOR index could be extended to progression-free survival (PFS). Results: All data were available for prognostic categorization in 108 patients. Patients with the GERCOR index of low, intermediate and high risk were 45, 57, and 6, respectively. The pts characteristics between low risk (L) and intermediate/...