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Biomedical subjects

Sumio Sakamaki

Publications and source records attributed to Sumio Sakamaki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Appetite loss, nausea, vomiting].

Appetite loss, nausea and vomiting are most common gastrointestinal distress in patients with advanced cancers. It is worthwhile to relieve these symptoms for improving their quality of life (QOL), an inadequate treatment, on the contrary, will increase their distressing symptoms. To avoid this, it is essential to clarify the cause of illness, especially to find out whether it is due to a complete mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction or not. If it is so, the use of metoclopramide is a contraindication. Practically, the combined use of octreotide acetate, steroids and morphine will be effective to manage a severe gastrointestinal distress such as an obstinately nausea and vomiting.

Anorexia↗

Donor cell derived acute myeloid leukemia after allogeneic cord blood transplantation in a patient with adult T-cell lymphoma.

We report a patient with adult T-cell lymphoma who developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic cord blood transplantation (CBT). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies and molecular analysis using short tandem repeat (STR) sequences proved the AML to be of donor origin. Although 25 cases of donor cell leukemia (DCL) occurring after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation have previously been reported, there have been no reports of DCL after CBT. This case is the first-reported DCL patient after CBT.

Acute Disease↗

[Successful treatment with oral ribavirin of adenovirus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome in a stem cell transplantation recipient].

A 51-year-old woman with severe aplastic anemia underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation using blood stem cells from an HLA-identical sibling. Adenovirus type 11 hemorrhagic cystitis developed and progressed to nephritis and hemophagocytic syndrome. Oral ribavirin was effective not only for the hemorrhagic cystitis and nephritis but also for the hemophagocytic syndrome. Since therapeutic strategies for adenovirus infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have not been established, we present our case and discuss the therapeutic approach.

Adenoviridae Infections↗

Decrease of Smad4 gene expression in patients with essential thrombocythaemia may cause an escape from suppression of megakaryopoiesis by transforming growth factor-beta1.

Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is characterized by the abnormal and sustained proliferation of megakaryocytes. The mechanism for this lineage-specific expansion in ET, remains unclear. We have previously reported that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is involved in negative feedback regulation of megakaryopoiesis in both healthy volunteers (HV) and patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The present study found that megakaryocyte colony-forming units (CFU-MK) of ET patients were less sensitive to TGF-beta1 than those of HV. The expression of Smad4 (Sma- and Mad-related protein-4) in CFU-MK of ET patients was reduced in comparison with that of HV. Finally, to confirm that the impaired TGF-beta1 sensitivity was caused by reduced expression of Smad4, we examined Smad4-transfected CFU-MK from ET patients in the presence of TGF-beta1, and verified that the transfectants were indeed as susceptible as CFU-MK from HV to TGF-beta1. Thus it was surmised that one of the mechanisms for impaired sensitivity of CFU-MK to TGF-beta1 is the reduced expression of Smad4.

Adult↗

Recovery of neutrophil count by ganciclovir in patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia associated with cytomegalovirus infection in bone marrow stromal cells.

Patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia (CIN) usually show chronic inflammation in their bone marrow stromal cells, but the etiologies of this disorder are still unknown. We suspected viral infection of the bone marrow stromal cells and used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to test for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in 4 patients with CIN and in 6 healthy volunteers. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells did not yield signals in any of the patients or healthy volunteers, but PCR analysis for CMV DNA in bone marrow stromal cells showed positive signals in 2 of the patients with CIN. CMV DNA was not detected in the other 2 patients or in the healthy volunteers. The 2 patients who were positive for stromal CMV received 500 mg/day ganciclovir for 14 days. After this treatment, the PCR band showing the presence of stromal CMV disappeared, and the neutrophil numbers of the 2 patients who received this viral eradication therapy normalized 6 months after treatment. In conclusion, the etiology in some cases of CIN is speculated to be infection by CMV in bone marrow stromal cells, and treatment with ganciclovir may be effective in treating such patients.

Aged↗

[A case of inoperable advanced gallbladder cancer that has maintained stable disease status for a long period with gemcitabine and cisplatin therapy].

We report a case of inoperable advanced gallbladder cancer that responded to treatment with gemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CDDP) therapy. A 54-year-old woman was diagnosed in a nearby hospital with inoperable advanced gallbladder cancer (T4, N1, H0, P1, M(-): Stage IV b) with direct invasion to the liver. Therefore, chemotherapy was performed by TS-1. Two months later, however, the disease was found to have progressed, and she was referred to our hospital for further therapy. Combined chemotherapy with GEM 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 and CDDP 50 mg/m2 on day 1 was performed starting in June 2002. No side effects were observed after the first administration during hospitalization, so the treatment was continued on an outpatient basis. Her serum CEA and CA19-9 levels thereafter gradually decreased, and the disease stabilized for over a year. She has been able to maintain good quality of life without any severe adverse effects.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

[Successful treatment with antiviral agents for human herpesvirus type 6 encephalitis following reduced intensity stem cell transplantation in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome].

We report here a patient who suffered from PCR-confirmed human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis following reduced intensity stem cell transplantation (RIST) from her HLA-matched sibling donor. A 66-year-old woman with MDS-RA underwent RIST from her HLA-matched brother. Engraftment was favorable and grade 2 GVHD (skin and intestine) was observed with good response to 60 mg of prednisolone. On day 162, she developed fever, headache, diplopia, disorientation and abnormal neurological findings including cervical stiffness and nystagmus. An analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed 80 cells/microl, a glucose level of 50 mg/dl and a protein level of 97 mg/dl on day 162. Although computed tomography (CT) of the brain and electroencephalography (EEG) were nonspecific, HHV-6 was detected in the CSF using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques and the patient was diagnosed as having encephalitis due to local reactivation of HHV-6. Administration of ganciclovir (GCV) and acyclovir (ACV) were started from day 162. Treatment with antiviral agents was effective, with total resolution of her symptoms and the DNA of this virus disappeared from the CSF after 23 days of treatment. This case shows that HHV-6 infection has to be considered in patients with neurological symptoms following stem cell transplantation, and suggests the necessity of PCR for HHV-6 virus from the CSF.

Acyclovir↗

Interaction between leukemic-cell VLA-4 and stromal fibronectin is a decisive factor for minimal residual disease of acute myelogenous leukemia.

Bone-marrow minimal residual disease (MRD) causes relapse after chemotherapy in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). We postulate that the drug resistance is induced by the attachment of very late antigen (VLA)-4 on leukemic cells to fibronectin on bone-marrow stromal cells. We found that VLA-4-positive cells acquired resistance to anoikis (loss of anchorage) or drug-induced apoptosis through the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3K)/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway, which is activated by the interaction of VLA-4 and fibronectin. This resistance was negated by VLA-4-specific antibodies. In a mouse model of MRD, we achieved a 100% survival rate by combining VLA-4-specific antibodies and cytosine arabinoside (AraC), whereas AraC alone prolonged survival only slightly. In addition, overall survival at 5 years was 100% for 10 VLA-4-negative patients and 44.4% for 15 VLA-4-positive patients. Thus, the interaction between VLA-4 on leukemic cells and fibronectin on stromal cells may be crucial in bone marrow MRD and AML prognosis.

Animals↗

Thrombopoietin concentrations in peripheral blood correlated with platelet numbers in two patients with thrombocytopenia by chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Thrombocytopenia is well known to be one of the clinical manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). However, there exist cases in which the cause of thrombocytopenia has been unexplained. Recently, thrombopoietin (TPO) from bone marrow (BM) stromal cells and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta from platelets and megakaryocytes have been identified as strong positive and negative regulators of megakaryopoiesis in vivo. We hypothesized that the decreased TPO production from BM could be one of the causes of thrombocytopenia in the patients with cGVHD. In the present study, therefore, TPO and TGF-beta concentrations in peripheral blood (PB) and BM were measured serially in two patients with acute leukemia who had received fully matched stem cell transplantation from relatives and subsequently developed extensive cGVHD with thrombocytopenia. The results showed that platelet numbers correlated well with the TPO concentrations, which were consistently higher in BM than in PB. The difference in TPO concentrations between BM and PB was decreased when the platelet levels were low, indicating that the amount of TPO production from BM decreased throughout the duration of thrombocytopenia. TGF-beta concentrations were normal during all periods in which measurements were carried out. Thus, our results suggest that one mechanism of thrombocytopenia in patients with cGVHD is low TPO production by BM cells.

Adult↗

Cyclic platelet and leukocyte count oscillation in chronic myelocytic leukemia regulated by the negative feedback of transforming growth factor beta.

We report a case of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) with cyclic oscillation of platelet and leukocyte counts and attempt to elucidate the oscillatory mechanism from the standpoint of cytokine regulation of hematopoiesis. A 57-year-old woman with a diagnosis of CML exhibited platelet and white blood cell (WBC) count fluctuations of a cyclic nature. The average duration of the cycles was about 8 weeks. The patient suffered from headache, fatigue, and malaise at the peak of the cycle. The peak thrombopoietin concentration in peripheral blood coincided with a period of decrease in platelet numbers. The change in transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) level paralleled that of the platelet numbers. A progenitor cell assay revealed the suppression of trilineage colony formation in the presence of plasma from the blood cell peak point, and this suppression was completely blocked when the plasma was incubated with an anti-TGF-beta antibody. From these findings, we concluded that the cyclic oscillation of the platelet, WBC, and reticulocyte counts had been induced by excess negative feedback to megakaryopoiesis by TGF-beta.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Fatality caused by self-bloodletting in a patient with factitious anemia.

Death by bloodletting among patients with factitious anemia has never been reported to our knowledge. We report the first known case. A 25-year-old woman with severe iron deficiency anemia confessed her habit of bloodletting at her first visit to our hospital, in March 1998. We prescribed oral iron and referred her to a psychiatrist. The diagnosis was borderline personality disorder. The psychiatrist began counseling the patient and prescribed a major tranquilizer. The patient's method of bloodletting was to insert an 18-gauge needle without syringe into her vein after inducing congestion in her arm. This method was considered to involve risk of death, because once the patient fell into a faint caused by blood loss, the bloodletting could not be stopped. Although we attempted to persuade the patient to stop bloodletting by this method, she died after self-bloodletting in September 1999. It is not known whether the death was intentional suicide or an accident.

Adult↗

C(H)OP refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients in whom salvage chemotherapy chosen by evaluating multiple chemotherapeutic drug-resistant factors was remarkably effective.

It is well known that the expression of anticancer drug-resistant factors is elevated in patients with primary refractory or relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been treated with chemotherapy. We report here two C(H)OP refractory patients with CLL in whom salvage chemotherapy chosen by evaluating anticancer drug-resistant factors (glutathione-S-transferase-Pi [GST-Pi], glycoprotein [GP]-170, multidrug resistance-associated protein [MRP], and lung resistance protein [LRP]) was remarkably effective. A 71-year-old male patient was refractory to induction therapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (COP), and his leukemic cells at diagnosis displayed overexpression of GST-Pi and GP-170. A 74-year-old female patient's condition had been stable; she had received ten courses of COP over 9 years. However, because systemic lymphadenopathies recurred, she was treated with chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) or dexamethasone, etoposide, ifosphamide, and carboplatin (DeVIC). However, she did not respond at all, and her leukemic cells at recurrence displayed overexpression of GST-Pi. Therefore, we chose for these patients a salvage therapy consisting of dexamethasone and high-dose cytosine arabinoside (Ara C), to which neither GST-Pi nor GP-170 show any drug resistance. In both patients, this salvage therapy proved effective.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B↗

[Successful treatment after acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) syndrome of relapsed API with arsenic trioxide].

A 52-year-old female was diagnosed with relapsed APL in 2000. After obtaining informed consent, we administered 10 mg/day of arsenic trioxide intravenously. The complications were vomiting, increased transaminase and ATRA syndrome which included high fever, retention of body fluid, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion and respiratory failure from day 16. Administration of steroid and low dose chemotherapy (DNR 60 mg x day 1-2, BH-AC 250 mg x day 1-2) with arsenic was effective for APL syndrome, and complete remission (CR) was obtained at day 35 and PML-RAR mRNA became negative. After obtaining CR, consolidation chemotherapy was conducted and the patient was maintained the CR for more than 18 months. Although arsenic trioxide may be effective for relapsed APL, sufficient caution is needed because of the possibility of various complications.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

[A case of irinotecan-resistant colon cancer responding to chronotherapy with oxaliplatin, 5-FU, l-LV].

We report a case of irinotecan-resistant colon cancer responding to chronotherapy with oxaliplatin (L-OHP), 5-FU, l-LV (l-Leucovorin). A 72-year-old man was examined at a certain hospital because of constipation and appetite loss. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed lung metastases, and abdominal CT revealed liver metastases. He was then referred to our hospital. A colonoscopy revealed type 2 tumor in the colon, at the hepatic flexure. We diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the colon with metastases to the liver and lung. Resection of the primary lesion was performed, and chemotherapy consisting of systemic administration of CPT-11, 5-FU and l-LV was performed. After 2 courses of combined treatment with CPT-11/5-FU/l-LV, CT revealed considerable reduction of the metastatic tumors. However, after 3 courses of combined treatment, progressive disease was observed and new brain and bone metastases were detected. We imported and used a non-approved/pending drug, oxaliplatin from the Remedy and Health Corporation, with informed consent from the patient and his family and our clinical ethics committee. Chronotherapeutic schedules have been performed, from which the safety and activity of oxaliplatin against advanced colorectal cancer was reported. Our patient received a 5-day course of chronomodulated 5-FU and l-LV (750 and 300 mg/body/day, respectively; peak delivery rate at AM 4:00 hours) with L-OHP on the first day of each course (100 mg/body, as a 6-hour infusion). Each course was again repeated every 21 days. A partial response was observed in the liver and lung metastases. These results indicate that chronomodulated 5-FU and LV with L-OHP therapy could be an effective regimen for cases of irinotecan-resistant colon cancer.

Aged↗

[A case responding to weekly paclitaxel (TXL) therapy as third line chemotherapy for scirrhous type gastric cancer].

A 67-year-old female was admitted to our hospital in May, 2001 for examination. She was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer that was inoperable due to peritoneal dissemination. Seventeen courses of sequential MTX and 5-FU therapy, and 2 courses of TS-1 plus CDDP were carried out. A partial response (PR) and prolonged NC were obtained after these chemotherapies. However, pleural effusion and ascites appeared again, and we diagnosed progressive disease. As a third line chemotherapy for this patient, paclitaxel (TXL) was administered. Treatment consisted of two 3-week courses of paclitaxel 70 mg per m2 on day 1 of each week, with a 1-week break between the courses. Two weeks after the start of this therapy, pleural effusion and ascites had completely disappeared. Paclitaxel is considered to be promising for advanced gastric cancers, as second or third line chemotherapy with paclitaxel for patients with inoperable gastric cancer seems to be effective in improving QOL.

Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous↗

[Management of cancer treatment-related diarrhea and constipation].

Digestive complications are frequent dose-limiting side-effect of chemotherapy. Diarrhea and constipation can affect quality of life and alter optimum treatment efficacy. The incidence and the severity of these toxicities have to be systematically evaluated in order to provide specific curative and preventive treatments. This review shows the recommended guidelines for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and the recent therapeutic approaches. The management of gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease and neutropenic enterocolitis is also described. Prevention and early recognition is critical to avoid sever life-threatening complications and improve quality of life.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

[Successful induction and long-term molecular remission with imatinib mesylate and chemotherapy in a case of Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

The patient was a 68-year-old woman who was diagnosed as having Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Complete remission (CR) was not obtained with the induction therapy of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group Protocol. We then considered administration of imatinib (ST1571). The institutional review board of our hospital approved this therapy, and we initiated the administration of imatinib 400 mg/day after obtaining written informed consent from the patient. At day 10 of the regimen, CR was achieved, treatment had to be discontinued RT-PCR showed no induction of detectable minor bcr-abl mRNA after three courses of consolidation chemotherapy combined with imatinib. We changed the administration protocol of Imatinib to two weeks out of every in four, weeks, and conducted 9 courses of consolidation chemotherapy. The negative result of RT-PCR has been maintained 10 months after diagnosis. The adverse effects were body weight gain and retaining pleural effusion, and these were controlled by the diuretics. The negative result of RT-PCR in Ph positive ALL after chemotherapy has rarely been reported, so the combination of imatinib and chemotherapy may be considered to be effective for Ph positive ALL.

Aged↗