Interferon treatment for Japanese patients with favorable-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapy

PURPOSE: Single-agent interferon (IFN) is no longer regarded as a standard option for first-line systemic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Western countries. However, some patients with favorable-risk RCC may still achieve complete and long-lasting remission in response to IFN treatment. The present study compared favorable-risk Japanese patients with metastatic RCC Japanese patients who had been treated with IFN or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy as a first-line systemic therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 2014, a total of 48 patients with favorable risk as defined by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center criteria who did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy were retrospectively enrolled in this study. We assessed the tumor response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The objective response rate for first-line therapy was 29% in the IFN group and 47% in the TKI group, but this difference did not reach the level of statistical significance. Median OS for IFN and TKI was 71 and 47 months, respectively (p=0.014). Median first-line PFS for IFN and TKI was 20 and 16 months, respectively (no significant difference). First-line IFN therapy did not prove inferior to TKI therapy in terms of OS according to metastatic sites. CONCLUSIONS: IFN is associated with a survival benefit in Japanese patients with favorable-risk metastatic RCC in the era of targeted therapy. Further prospective study is needed.

Suppression of metastasis of rat prostate cancer by introduction of human chromosome 13 / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>Chromosome 13 is one of the most frequently altered chromosomes in prostate cancer. The present study was undertaken to examine the role of human chromosome 13 in the progression of prostate cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human chromosome 13 was introduced into highly metastatic rat prostate cancer cells via microcell-mediated chromosome transfer.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Microcell hybrid clones containing human chromosome 13 showed suppression of metastasis to the lung without any suppression of tumorigenicity, except for one clone, which contained the smallest sized human chromosome 13 and did not show any suppression on lung metastasis. Expression of two known tumor suppressor genes, BRCA2 and RB1, which map to chromosome 13, was examined by reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction analysis. BRCA2 was expressed only in the metastasis-suppressed microcell-hybrid clones, whereas RB1 was expressed in all clones.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Human chromosome 13 contains metastasis suppressor gene(s) for prostate cancer derived from rat. Furthermore, the RB1 gene is unlikely to be involved in the suppression of metastasis evident in this system.</p>

Effects of Concentration of Sea Water Components on Body Temperature by Bathing / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

In order to investigate the effects of the concentration of chemical components of sea water on thermoregulatory functions, rectal, skin and mean body temperatures were measured continuously before, during total body bathing as well as during recovery period on land.<br>Eight healthy young men were subjected in the experiment. Their physical characteristics were in average 19.8±1.0yrs in age, 169.2±5.0cm in height, 57.1±3.1kg in weight and 14.0±2.6% in body fat fraction, respectively. Each subject bathed in sea water or in tap water for 15 minutes in the long-sitting position at 38.5°C of water temperature during bathing and took recovery on land for 60 minutes. Water bathing was conducted in individual subject with the concentration of chemical components of sea water at 0, 1, 3.5 and 7%, respectively.<br>The rectal temperature increased during bathing and decreased gradually during recovery period on land. Statistically significant difference (p<.05) between 0 and 7% of the concentration of sea water was detected in the rectal temperature during bathing and recovery period. The mean skin temperature showed a continuous increase during bathing and showed a rapid decrease during 20 minutes in recovery, and a gradual decrease after then. Statistically significant difference (p<.05) between 0 and 7% of the concentration of sea water was detected in the mean skin temperatures during recovery period. The mean body temperature also showed a continuous increase during bathing and rapid decrease during the first 20 minutes in the recovery period, and decreased gradually thereafter. Statistically significant difference (p<.01) between 0 and 7% of the concentration of sea water was detected in the mean body temperature during bathing and recovery period.