Myxofibrosarcoma of the Breast: A Case Report.

Development of a myxofibrosarcoma in the breast tissue is extremely rare. Reported here is a case of myxofibrosarcoma found in the left breast tissue of a male in his late fifties. The patient first underwent tumor resection, followed by a left mastectomy with the reconstruction of the vastus lateralis valve. The tumor comprised atypical spindle-shaped cells in a myxoid matrix with elongated blood vessels. Myxofibrosarcoma was diagnosed based on histology and immunohistochemical examination results performed for differential diagnosis. At two years and two months after the mastectomy, no local occurrence or metastasis had occurred.

Delayed Diagnosis and Prognostic Impact of Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Breast screening services were suspended for several months owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We estimated the potential impact on breast cancer mortality using long-term global observations. However, the magnitude of the impact may vary across countries; therefore, we conducted an analysis and modeling study of this impact in Japan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared the clinicopathological features of breast cancers between the nonpandemicgroup (April 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019) and the pandemic group (April 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020). We also compared the estimated 10-year survival rates between the two groups based on the weighted average of the 10-year survival rate by clinical stage and site (2004-2007). RESULTS: Results...Pandemic-related disruption decreased the number of breast cancer cases from296 to 249 during both 7-month periods. The percentage of patients with stage IIB or higher disease was significantly higher in the pandemic group than in the non-pandemic group (22.0% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.0133). The percentage of cases with a Ki-67 labeling index higher than 20% tended to be higher in the pandemic group than in the non-pandemic group (62.2% vs. 54.4%). The estimated 10-year survival rate was lower in the pandemic group than in the non-pandemic group (83.9% vs. 87.9%, 95% confidence interval of the difference: 0.87-8.8, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: We found more aggressive and advanced disease afterthe suspension of breast cancer screening services owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. This may have affected the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with breast cancer.

A Randomized Controlled Phase 2 Study of Neoadjuvant Eribulin Versus Paclitaxel in Women with Operable Breast Cancer: The JONIE-3 Study.

OBJECTIVE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is essential for surgical downstaging of early-stage breast cancer, but taxane administration is associated with neuropathy. We investigated whether eribulin induces less neuropathy than paclitaxel. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised study (UMIN000012817), patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between December 2013 and April 2016 were randomly assigned to group E (eribulin followed by fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide; FEC) or group P (paclitaxel followed by FEC). The primary endpoint was incidence of grade 1 or higher peripheral neuropathy according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Secondary endpoints were pathological complete response (pCR), clinical response, breast-conserving surgery, adverse events, disease-free survival (DFS), and patient neurotoxicity questionnaire (PNQ) analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and eighteen cases were analyzed for safety and 115 were evaluated for efficacy. Peripheral sensory neuropathy was significantly lower in group E after week 6, while peripheral motor neuropathy in group E was significantly lower at weeks 9, 12, and 15. pCR in groups E and P was 20.7% and 29.8% (P = .289), respectively, and clinical response was 55.2% and 77.2% (P = .017), respectively. Three-year DFS was 89.7% in group E and 86.0% in group P (P = .561). Neutropenia was more frequent and more severe in group E. PNQ was evaluated for 4 years, and item 1 (sensory) was consistently lower in group E. CONCLUSION: Neuropathy was significantly less frequent and less severe in patients who received eribulin compared with paclitaxel. Thus, eribulin could be a good alternative to paclitaxel in patients suffering severe neuropathy.

Strontium-89 plus zoledronic acid versus zoledronic acid for patients with painful bone metastatic breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: ß-ray strontium-89 (Sr-89) intra-irradiation therapy has been approved and clinically used to reduce bone metastasis pain not alleviated by bone-modifying agents, external radiation, and analgesic agents. We examined the efficacy of zoledronic acid (ZOL) and Sr-89 combination therapy compared with ZOL alone in breast cancer patients with bone metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on breast cancer patients with bone metastasis to compare the efficacy between ZOL monotherapy and ZOL plus Sr-89 combination therapy. The primary endpoints were changes in urinary NTX levels at 13 weeks and brief pain inventory scores. The secondary endpoints were analgesic drug usages, response rates, changes in bone metabolism markers, quality of life, and adverse event rates. RESULTS: Thirty of the planned 60 cases were randomly assigned to ZOL alone or ZOL + Sr-89. There were no significant differences in the changes in urinary NTX levels between the 2 groups (P = 0.365). There was no consistent difference in the pain score changes between the 2 groups. Sr-89 addition to ZOL slightly reduced the white blood cell and platelet counts. However, all adverse events were Grade 1. Safety and analgesic drug dose reduction were more evident in ZOL + Sr-89. CONCLUSION: This trial showed the lack of benefits from Sr-89 addition to ZOL for breast cancer patients with painful bone metastases. However, safety and analgesic drug dose reduction were more evident in ZOL + Sr-89, indicating its potential for pain control. Sr-89 therapy is safe, thus more effective radiopharmaceuticals are anticipated.

Development of Japanese Versions of the Control Preferences Scale and Information Needs Questionnaire: Role of Decision-Making and Information Needs for Japanese Breast Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE: The importance of shared decision-making (SDM) between physicians and patients is increasingly recognized. In Japan, patients have shown more willingness to participate in treatment if medical professionals provide sufficient information; however, relationships between physicians and patients have traditionally been asymmetric, with patients accepting information from physicians without discussion. To explore the benefits of SDM in cancer treatment, including confidence in treatment decisions, satisfaction with treatment, and trust in healthcare providers, this study developed Japanese versions of the Control Preference Scale (CPS) and Information Needs Questionnaire (INQ). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Reliability and validity of the CPS and INQ were tested with 49 breast cancer patients. RESULTS: The CPS showed good test-retest reliability (kappa coefficient: 0.61, weighted kappa coefficient: 0.61, Kendall's tau coefficient: 0.61) and acceptable criterion validity. The INQ showed adequate consistency; the mean number of circular triads and coefficient of consistency were 3 (range 0-19) and 0.9 (range 0.37-1), respectively. Using the CPS and INQ to identify patients' roles in decision-making and information needs, results further suggested that breast cancer patients in Japan want to participate in SDM. Medical issues, including disease spread and cure, were found to be of high interest, while social and psychological issues, including sexual attractiveness, genetic risk, and family impact, tended to be low. CONCLUSION: The Japanese CPS and INQ can be used to assess patients' needs to improve care. Further, as patients' information needs change along the care trajectory, these tools should be used throughout treatment.

A case of hereditary metachronous bilateral triple-negative breast cancer that was highly sensitive to carboplatin.

A 52-year-old woman with a strong family history of breast cancer was diagnosed as having triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in her right breast. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC; four cycles of epirubicin/cyclophosphamide/5-fluorouracil) was performed, followed by breast-conserving surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. Histopathological analysis of the surgical specimens demonstrated a few focal tumor cells remaining in the stroma, but not a pathological complete response (pCR). Weekly paclitaxel was subsequently added to the treatment regimen. A total of 17 months after the adjuvant treatments, TNBC recurred in her left breast with massive lymph node metastasis. Because of the early recurrence after standard treatment, NAC was administered together with carboplatin and paclitaxel. Histopathological analysis of the partially resected breast and axillary lymph nodes demonstrated a pCR. No recurrent disease was found 2 years after the second TNBC treatment. This case underlines the importance of platinum-based chemotherapy and prophylactic mastectomy for patients with BRCA dysfunction.

Protein co-expression networks identified from HOT lesions of ER+HER2-Ki-67high luminal breast carcinomas.

Patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative/Ki-67-high (ER+HER2-Ki-67high) luminal breast cancer have a worse prognosis and do not respond to hormonal treatment and chemotherapy. This study sought to identify disease-related protein networks significantly associated with this subtype, by assessing in-depth proteomes of 10 lesions of high and low Ki-67 values (HOT, five; COLD, five) microdissected from the five tumors. Weighted correlation network analysis screened by over-representative analysis identified the five modules significantly associated with the HOT lesions. Pathway enrichment analysis, together with causal network analysis, revealed pathways of ribosome-associated quality controls, heat shock response by oxidative stress and hypoxia, angiogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation. A semi-quantitative correlation of key-protein expressions, protein co-regulation analysis, and multivariate correlation analysis suggested co-regulations via network-network interaction among the four HOT-characteristic modules. Predicted highly activated master and upstream regulators were most characteristic to ER-positive breast cancer and associated with oncogenic transformation, as well as resistance to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Interestingly, inhibited intervention causal networks of numerous chemical inhibitors were predicted within the top 10 lists for the WM2 and WM5 modules, suggesting involvement of potential therapeutic targets in those data-driven networks. Our findings may help develop therapeutic strategies to benefit patients.

Successful treatment of G-CSF-related aortitis with prednisolone during preoperative chemotherapy for breast cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: With the introduction of dose-dense therapy, the use of primary pegfilgrastim (PEG-G) has been increasing in breast cancer treatment. A rare side effect of PEG-G is aortitis. We describe a case of PEG-G-induced aortitis. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 43-year-old woman with stage IIA breast cancer. Due to the subtype of triple-negative breast cancer, preoperative dose-dense epirubicin-cyclophosphamide chemotherapy was started. PEG-G was administered on day 3 after the first cycle of epirubicin-cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. On day 11, she had a fever (39.4 °C) and an elevated C-reactive protein level (27.1 mg/dL). Emergency computed tomography revealed diffused wall thickening of the aortic arch without any other signs of infection. Despite administering antibiotics, her general condition and laboratory findings deteriorated until day 18. Based on these observations, she was diagnosed with PEG-G-induced aortitis. Antibiotics were discontinued, and she was treated with prednisolone thereafter. Subsequently, her clinical symptoms and laboratory findings improved around day 39. A second computed tomography scan revealed a decrease in the aortic arch wall thickening, and she was discharged on day 43. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully treated PEG-G-induced aortitis using prednisolone. Although this side effect is rare, cancer patients receiving PEG-G for chemotherapy should be monitored for aortic inflammation.

Absolute Lymphocyte Count, Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, and Overall Survival in Eribulin-treated HER2-negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.

Background/Aim: To investigate the utility of peripheral blood biomarkers - absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) - for predicting outcomes in eribulin-treated patients with metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. Patients and Methods: ALC, NLR, and PLR were retrospectively obtained from pre-treatment blood sampling results of 120 patients and stratified according to means. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the association of clinicopathological factors, including these values, with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The ALC, NLR, and PLR cut-off points were 1,285/µl, 3.3, and 235, respectively. No biomarkers were associated with PFS. However, univariate analysis showed ALC (p=0.044) and PLR (p=0.044) to be significantly associated with OS. Conclusion: ALC and PLR can predict eribulin efficacy in terms of OS, reflecting the antitumour immune response in the microenvironment and indicating eribulin's effectiveness.

Prediction of pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer by combining magnetic resonance imaging and core needle biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Pathological complete response (pCR) is often achieved by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), particularly in hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) is the most reliable imaging modality to evaluate the pathological effect of NAC. Ultrasonography is indispensable to collect representative specimens from the target lesion by core needle biopsy (CNB). This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of predicting pCR by adding CNB after NAC, in cases with complete clinical response (cCR) diagnosed by cMRI. METHODS: In this prospective multicentre study, we evaluated patients diagnosed with cCR by cMRI after NAC. Ultrasound-guided CNB (uCNB) using a 14G needle was performed without clip markers under general anaesthesia as planned surgery. Specimens collected by uCNB were compared to those resected surgically and were categorized as (i) no carcinoma (ypT0), (ii) no invasive carcinoma and only residual carcinoma in situ (ypTis) and (iii) residual invasive carcinoma. The concordance of pathological results between the uCNB and surgical specimens was evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 83 patients evaluated, 41 (49.4%) and 17 (20.5%) of them had ypT0 and ypTis, respectively. The false negative rates (FNR), sensitivity and specificity for predicting ypT0 by uCNB were 50.0%, 50.0%, 100%, respectively, and those for predicting ypT0+ypTis were 28.0%, 72.0% and 98.3%, respectively. The concordance rates were 74.7% (62/83) for ypT0 and 90.4% (75/83) for ypT0+ypTis. CONCLUSION: In cCR cases diagnosed by cMRI, uCNB was not accurate enough to predict pCR. Additional modalities like clip placements and/or thicker core needles may be required for better prediction.

Association of BRCA Mutations and BRCAness Status With Anticancer Drug Sensitivities in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines

BACKGROUND: Many triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) show impaired breast cancer susceptibility gene I (BRCA1) function, called BRCAness. BRCAness tumors may show similar sensitivities to anticancer drugs as tumors with BRCA1 mutations. In this study, we investigated the association of BRCA mutations or BRCAness with drug sensitivities in TNBC. METHODS: BRCAness was evaluated as BRCA1-like scores, using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in 12 TNBC cell lines, including four with mutations. Sensitivities to docetaxel, cisplatin, and epirubicin were compared with BRCA mutations and BRCA1-like scores. Cisplatin sensitivity was examined in BRCA1 knockdown Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 cell lines. RESULTS: Eight and four cell lines had characteristics of BRCAness and non-BRCAness, respectively. The 50% inhibitory concentration of docetaxel was higher in BRCA mutant and BRCAness cell lines than their counterparts. BRCA1-like scores showed a weak positive correlation with docetaxel sensitivity (r = 0.377; P = 0.039). Regarding cisplatin, scores were lower in BRCA mutants and BRCAness tumors than their counterparts. A negative correlation was found between BRCA1-like scores and cisplatin sensitivity (r = -0.407; P = 0.013). No differences were found for epirubicin. BRCA1 gene knockdown increased the cisplatin sensitivity of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: BRCA1-like scores were associated with cisplatin sensitivity and docetaxel resistance. BRCA1-like score is hence a promising indicator for estimating drug sensitivities in TNBC.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With Anthracycline-Based Regimen for BRCAness Tumors in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: A subgroup of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) shows impaired BRCA1 function owing to causes other than mutation, which is called "BRCAness." DNA-damaging agents are known to have more efficacy in BRCA1-mutant tumors than mitotic poisons. We conducted a prospective single-arm clinical trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) using an anthracycline-based regimen without taxanes for BRCAness TNBCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BRCAness was examined using the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) method in TNBC cases. For BRCAness cases, NAC was performed with anthracycline-based regimens without additional taxanes. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients with TNBC were enrolled. MLPA was successfully performed in 25 patients. Eighteen patients (72%) showed BRCAness. Twenty-three patients received NAC as per the protocol. On analysis, the clinical response rate (complete response plus partial response) was 76.4%, and the pathological complete response rate was 35.3%. CONCLUSIONS: The interim analysis revealed that the pathological complete response rate was lower than estimated. Therefore, BRCAness by MLPA was not sufficient to predict the therapeutic response to anthracycline-based regimens in TNBC.

Efficacy of denosumab for restoring normal bone mineral density in women receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors for early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a major side effect of aromatase inhibitors (AIs), which are greatly effective in the treatment of breast cancer. However, there are no satisfactory measures against osteoporosis. In this multicenter, randomized, comparative study, we evaluate the efficacy of denosumab for preventing loss of bone mineral density (BMD) induced by adjuvant therapy with AI s in breast cancer patients with normal BMD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The bone loss-suppressing effect of denosumab will be comparatively evaluated in postmenopausal patients scheduled to receive letrozole or anastrozole as a postoperative endocrine therapy for stage I-IIIA hormone-sensitive breast cancer and a control group. Patients will be administered letrozole 2.5 mg or anastrozole 1 mg once a day, and the treatment will be continued for 5 years unless recurrence, secondary cancer, or unacceptable toxicity develops. Patients in the denosumab group will receive a subcutaneous injection of 60 mg of denosumab every 6 months. The primary endpoint is the rate of change in the lumbar spine (L1-L4) BMD, as determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 12 months after the start of the injection. The secondary endpoints were ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:: The protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and all the participating faculties. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients before registration, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results of the study will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT03324932, Japan Registry of Clinical Trial (jRCT): CRB5180001.

Risk Analysis for Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV) in Patients Receiving FEC100 Treatment.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Risk factors for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) with anthracycline-containing regimen for breast cancer patients remain unknown. The risk factors for CINV with FEC100 were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on CINV events and patient backgrounds of 180 patients were collected from the first cycle of FEC100 treatment. In this regimen, patients were administered various antiemetics (ADs). The combinations of ADs were classified into four categories, while body mass index (BMI) was stratified into three categories. Risk factors were selected based on patient characteristics and combination of ADs. Risks for CINV were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis of nausea, BMI was a significant factor, while BMI and combination of ADs were significant in vomiting. In the multivariate analysis concerning nausea, BMI was a significant factor. In the analysis concerning vomiting, the combination of ADs and BMI were significant. CONCLUSION: BMI was the most important risk factor for nausea and vomiting, while the combination of ADs was for vomiting.

Effect of denosumab on low bone mineral density in postmenopausal Japanese women receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors for non-metastatic breast cancer: 24-month results.

BACKGROUND: Aromatase inhibitors (AI) have been established as the gold-standard therapy for postmenopausal patients. Worldwide, adjuvant denosumab at a dose of 60 mg twice per year reduces the risk of clinical fractures in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer who received AI. However, the efficacy of denosumab in the treatment of AI-associated bone loss had not been prospectively evaluated in Japan. Previously, we reported the 12-month effect of denosumab in Japanese patients for the first time; the primary endpoint was the change in the percentage of bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine from baseline to 12 months. METHODS: This secondary follow-up study prospectively evaluated the change in the percentage of BMD of the lumbar spine from baseline to 24 months. Postmenopausal women with early-stage, histologically confirmed, hormone receptor-positive, invasive breast cancer who were receiving or scheduled to receive AI were included. Denosumab was administered subcutaneously on day 1 of the study and then 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The lumbar spine and bilateral femoral neck BMD was measured at baseline and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. RESULTS: At 18 and 24 months, the lumbar spine BMD increased by 5.9 and 7.0%, respectively. The femoral neck BMD also increased. Grade ≥ 2 hypocalcemia, osteonecrosis of the jaw, and atypical femoral fractures did not occur. CONCLUSIONS: Our prospective study showed that semiannual treatment with denosumab was associated with continuously increased BMD in Japanese women receiving adjuvant AI therapy for up to 24 months, regardless of prior AI treatment.

Hereditary breast cancer associated with Cowden syndrome-related PTEN mutation with Lhermitte-Duclos disease.

BACKGROUND: Cowden syndrome is characterized by multiple hamartomas in various tissues, including the skin, brain, breast, thyroid, mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal tract, and is reported to increase the risk of malignant disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 52-year-old woman in whom a tumor was diagnosed in the left cerebellar hemisphere and treated by surgical resection. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) mutation in exon 8 insertion was found in the brain tumor tissue and leukocytes. This finding supported the diagnosis of Cowden syndrome. She consequently developed endometrial cancer and underwent abdominal total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Four years later, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer was found in the right breast, and breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy and sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed. CONCLUSIONS: Herein, we describe a patient who was diagnosed as having familial breast cancer associated with PTEN mutation-related Cowden syndrome. We also reviewed reports of this syndrome in the literature for disease appraisal.

Randomized phase II study of nab-paclitaxel as first-line chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Weekly administration of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in clinical studies. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label phase II study to compare the efficacy and safety of weekly nab-paclitaxel and docetaxel in Japanese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative MBC. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Patients were randomized to receive nab-paclitaxel (150 mg/m2 nab-paclitaxel once per week for 3 of 4 weeks; n = 100) or docetaxel (75 mg/m2 docetaxel every 3 weeks; n = 100). The median PFS by independent radiologist assessment was 9.8 months (90% confidence interval [CI]: 8.5-11.2) for nab-paclitaxel and 11.2 months (90% CI: 8.4-13.8) for docetaxel (hazard ratio: 1.25, P = 0.363), and the median overall survival was 42.4 months and 34.0 months, respectively. The overall response rate was 56.1% for nab-paclitaxel and 52.5% for docetaxel. Adverse events in both treatment arms were similar to previous reports. Neutropenia was the most common adverse event in both arms, with 35.0% of patients in the nab-paclitaxel arm and 89.0% in the docetaxel arm experiencing grade 4 neutropenia. Grade 3 peripheral sensory neuropathy occurred in 22.0% of patients in the nab-paclitaxel and 5.0% in the docetaxel arm. In this study, although weekly nab-paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 did not show superiority in PFS compared with docetaxel, efficacy outcomes were similar in patients treated with weekly nab-paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Objection to postoperative radiation therapy in breast cancer with one to three lymph nodes involvements.

My arguments regarding postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) for this case are based on the following 4 reasons: (1) high rate of local recurrence in the no PMRT group in the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group meta-analysis on which the present guideline is based, (2) stage migration by sentinel node biopsy, (3) possible adverse events of radiotherapy, and (4) problems on extrapolation of data from western countries.

Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue, Pain, and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients at Palliative Care Team Referral: A Multicenter Observational Study (JORTC PAL-09).

INTRODUCTION: Cancer-related fatigue greatly influences quality of life in cancer patients; however, no specific treatments have been established for cancer-related fatigue, and at present, no medication has been approved in Japan. Systematic research using patient-reported outcome to examine symptoms, particularly fatigue, has not been conducted in palliative care settings in Japan. The objective was to evaluate fatigue, pain, and quality of life in cancer patients at the point of intervention by palliative care teams. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were referred to palliative care teams at three institutions and met the inclusion criteria were invited to complete the Brief Fatigue Inventory, Brief Pain Inventory, and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative. RESULTS: Of 183 patients recruited, the majority (85.8%) were diagnosed with recurrence or metastasis. The largest group (42.6%) comprised lung cancer patients, of whom 67.2% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 0-1. The mean value for global health status/quality of life was 41.4, and the highest mean European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative symptom item score was for pain (51.0). The mean global fatigue score was 4.1, and 9.8%, 30.6%, 38.7%, and 20.8% of patients' fatigue severity was classified as none (score 0), mild (1-3), moderate (4-6), and severe (7-10), respectively. DISCUSSION: Cancer-related fatigue, considered to occur more frequently in cancer patients, was successfully assessed using patient-reported outcomes with the Brief Fatigue Inventory for the first time in Japan. Results suggested that fatigue is potentially as problematic as pain, which is the main reason for palliative care.