Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Nonaka.
We developed a method to measure membrane fluidity of living cancer cells in two- and three-dimensional cultures, and found that there was a close relationship between the membrane fluidity of cancer cells and their proliferative and infiltrative ability. Membrane fluidity is thus a promising indicator of the probability of cancer recurrence.
The prognosis of pancreatic duct carcinoma is determined mainly by the degree of local invasion, particularly of the portal system and/or associated arteries supplying the carcinoma. Intraoperative (25-36.5 Gy of betatron) and/or external (14.4-25.6 Gy, preoperatively, and 24-61.2 Gy, postoperatively, using lineac photon beams) radiotherapy was combined with pancreatectomy or by-pass surgery for patients with pancreatic carcinoma involving the surrounding vessels but with no distant metastases. Twelve- and 24-month survival rates were 25.9% and 3.2%, respectively, in patients with pancreatectomy (n = 35) and 6.4% and 0%, respectively, in patients with by-pass operations (n = 32). However, in patients with combined surgery and radiotherapy the prognosis was markedly improved to 12- and 24-month survival rates of 33.5% and 20.1%, respectively, for patients with pancreatectomy (n = 13) and rates of 25% and 13%, respectively, for patients with by-pass operations (n = 8). Moreover, radiotherapy produced a significant advantage for local control of pain in patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. This suggests that combined treatment using radiotherapy will be a valuable therapeutic improvement for patients presenting advanced pancreatic carcinoma with vessel involvement.