Efficacy of Supportive Care for Radiodermatitis in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: Supplementary Analysis of an Exploratory Phase II Trial.

Self-care demonstrated efficacy in preventing severe acute radiation dermatitis among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This prospective trial aimed to confirm the feasibility and safety of transcutaneous electrical sensory stimulation while examining the relationship between changes in self-care behavior through supportive care interventions and the severity of acute radiation dermatitis during CRT. Patients underwent assessments for dermatitis grading (Grades 1 to ≥3) and were interviewed regarding self-care practices. The self-care questionnaires comprised six items, and a point was deducted for each task that the patient could not perform independently. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the association between G3 radiation dermatitis and the lowest self-care behavior scores. Of the 10 patients enrolled, three experienced G3 dermatitis. During CRT, six patients maintained their initial scores and did not develop ≥G3 dermatitis. Meanwhile, three of four patients with decreased scores exhibited ≥G3 dermatitis. The group with ≥G3 dermatitis had significantly lower scores than those with ≤G2 dermatitis, suggesting that the inability of patients to perform self-care routinely may lead to severe acute radiation dermatitis. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential of self-care interventions in preventing severe dermatitis.

[A Case of Retroperitoneal Mature Teratoma Successfully Treated by Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy].

We report a case of retroperitoneal mature teratoma which was successfully treated by laparoscopic adrenalectomy. A 37-year-old woman complaining of right abdominal discomfort was referred to our hospital because computed tomography showed an adrenal tumor at another hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 10 cm adrenal tumor that consisted of fat with calcification. Endocrine examination showed no abnormal findings. Under the suspicion of myelolipoma, we performed laparoscopic right adrenalectomy. Histological diagnosis was mature teratoma. The patient had no recurrence at 5 years after surgery.

[Dermatomyositis-Like Symptoms Useful for Diagnosis of Ureteral Cancer].

We here report a case of dermatomyositis associated with ureteral cancer. A 69-year-old male presented to our hospital complaining of a rash on his whole body, which resulted in a clinical diagnosis of dermatomyositis. Right ureteral cancer was suspected on computed tomographic CT examination during the investigation for the underlying malignancy. The patient was treated with prednisolone and right nephroureterectomy with bladder cuffing for dermatomyositis and ureteral cancer, respectively. One year after surgery, the dermatomyositis worsened, and CT examination showed local recurrence and lymph node metastasis. Chemotherapy was performed, and CT examination 3 months after treatment showed that the tumor had shrunk. Skin symptoms were also ameliorated. Chemotherapy was given intermittently thereafter. The tumor then increased and skin symptoms reappeared ; 3 years after surgery the patient's general condition deteriorated, resulting in death. Ureteral cancer with dermatomyositis is rare, but dermatomyositis complicated with malignancy has a poor prognosis. Careful whole body search may be useful for early detection of malignancy.

TROY expression is associated with pathological stage and poor prognosis in patients treated with radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: New biomarkers may help us provide individualized prognosis and allow risk-stratified clinical decision making about radical treatment. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the tumor necrosis factor of receptor superfamily 19 (TROY) expression in urothelial carcinoma and its relationship to clinicopathological findings. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining for TROY was carried out in 136 archival radical cystectomy specimens with immunoreactivity being stratified on a 0-9 scale. Expression scores for TROY were further stratified into negative (score 0) and positive (score 1 or greater). Median age was 65 years, and the median follow-up period was 50.7 months. RESULTS: Expression of TROY was significantly associated with the pathological stage (p= 0.019) and expression of nestin (p= 0.013). Log-rank tests indicated that expression of TROY was significantly associated with disease progression and cancer-specific mortality (p= 0.044 and 0.008, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, lymph node status was the only independent prognostic factor for disease progression and cancer-specific survival. Expression of TROY was a marginal prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: TROY may therefore be a new molecular marker to aid in identifying and selecting patients undergoing radical cystectomy who could potentially benefit from multimodal treatment.

Heterosupramolecular photocatalysis: oxidation of organic compounds in nanospaces between surfactant bilayers formed on TiO2.

A heterosupramolecular photocatalyst consisting of TiO2 and a cationic surfactant bilayer formed on the surface has achieved a very high level of activity in the oxidation of 2-naphthol through the cooperation of the inorganic and organic components.