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Biomedical subjects

Y Kusunoki

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kusunoki.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Development of a flow-cytometric HLA-A locus mutation assay for human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

A flow-cytometric technique was developed to measure the frequency of variant lymphocytes lacking expression of HLA-A2 or A24 allele products among donors heterozygous for HLA-A2 or A24. It was found that the variant frequency of lymphocytes in peripheral blood was of the order of 10(-4) and increased with donor age. Molecular analyses of mutant clones revealed that about one-third were derived from somatic recombinations and that the remaining two-thirds did not show any alterations after Southern blotting analysis. In contrast, mutants obtained after in vitro X-ray mutagenesis study were found to be mostly derived from large chromosomal deletions. A small-scale study on atomic bomb survivors did not show a significant dose effect.

Adult↗

Mitomycin C, vindesine, and cisplatin in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. A phase II study.

Between August 1985 and June 1986, 49 previously untreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with the combination of cisplatin 80 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1, vindesine 3 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 and 8, and mitomycin-C 8 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 (MVP), repeating after an interval of 4 weeks, and thereafter every 6 weeks. The median age for all patients was 62 years, with a range of 21 to 77 years. All patients had a performance status of 0, 1, or 2 (ECOG scale) and measurable disease. Histologic types included squamous cell carcinoma (22 patients), adenocarcinoma (22 patients), and large-cell carcinoma (6 patients). Forty-eight patients were evaluable for response. Out of 48 patients, one (2%) achieved a complete response and 24 patients (50%) achieved a partial response, resulting in an overall response rate of 52% (95% confidence interval, 38-68%). The response rates were 52% for squamous cell carcinoma, 45% for adenocarcinoma, and 80% for large-cell carcinoma, respectively. The median duration of response was 4.2 months and the median duration of survival for all patients was 10.6 months. The major toxicity was myelosuppression. Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 85% and 33%, respectively. One patient died of sepsis associated with leukopenia. Other toxicities were manageable and reversible. In conclusion, the MVP regimen was active and tolerable in patients with advanced NSCLC. Prospective randomized study comparing the MVP regimen with the two-drug combination of vindesine and cisplatin is warranted.

Adult↗

Weekly dose-intensive chemotherapy in patients with small-cell lung cancer: a pilot study.

The study was aimed to evaluate the feasibility of dose-intensive chemotherapy given on a weekly basis for 12 weeks. Seventeen [7 with limited disease (LD) and 10 with extensive disease (ED)] previously untreated patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) were treated with the cisplatin, vincristine, doxorubicin, and etoposide (CODE) regimen. Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) was given to eight patients for the purpose of increasing the dose intensity. Overall response rate was 88%, with a 29% complete response. The median survival times were greater than 20.5 months for LD patients and 8.1 months for ED patients. Overall actual dose intensity was 88% of planned protocol. The major toxicity was myelosuppression. Fifteen patients (88%) had grade 3 or 4 leukopenia. Other problems were weight loss and worsening of performance status during the treatment. RhG-CSF significantly reduced leukopenic nadirs and shortened the neutropenic period. Our preliminary results indicate that 12 cycles of the CODE regimen on a weekly schedule is effective for SCLC, but is also associated with significant toxicity.

Adult↗

[Characteristics of group A streptococci isolated from children with non-suppurative complication or severe infection].

We determined the characteristics of group A streptococci isolated from 29 sporadic cases with non-suppurative complication or severe infection during a 15-year period from 1977 to 1991. The clinical diagnoses of children included 4 patients with rheumatic fever, 2 with reactive arthritis, 2 with central nervous system complication, 5 with glomerulonephritis, 11 with Honoch-Schölein purpura, 4 with sepsis and 1 with empyema. Twenty-four strains were isolated from throat swabs, 4 from blood specimens and one from pleural fluid. M/T-serotypes and the number of isolates were as follows; 1/1:10, 3/3:1, 3.3R/3:3, 4/4:7, 5/NT:1, 12/12:3, 18/18:2, 62/12:1, NT/13:1. All 29 isolates had productivity for at least one of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins (SPEs) A, B and C. Two strains were positive for A, 2 for A and B, 3 for A, B and C, 9 for B and 13 for B and C. Of 11 isolates from patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura, 7 and 2 strains were serotyped in M1 and M4, respectively, but none was in M12. Ten of 11 isolates were positive for SPE B or SPEs B and C.

Adolescent↗

Pharmacokinetics of high-dose methylprednisolone in children.

Disposition of methylprednisolone was characterized in 11 children receiving the high-dose therapy (26.0 mg/kg on average). After intravenous infusion, methylprednisolone hemisuccinate was rapidly converted to methylprednisolone with a half-life of about 20 min. Methylprednisolone in serum, eliminated monoexponentially in 8 patients and biexponentially in the remaining three, had the mean residence time of about 3 h, and a terminal half-life of 2.5 h. The volume of distribution at steady state, and the clearance were 1.3 liters/kg and 0.5 liters/kg/h, respectively. Although these average pharmacokinetic parameters were comparable to those determined in other studies with conventional low doses, the clearance values in our data were characterized by 5-fold interindividual difference, suggesting large variations in exposures to methylprednisolone among children on the high-dose pulse therapy.

Adolescent↗

CPT-11 in combination with cisplatin for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose and the dose-limiting toxicities of CPT-11, a new derivative of camptothecin, in combination with a fixed dose of cisplatin in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven previously untreated patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were assessable for toxicity, and 26 were assessable for response. The initial dose of CPT-11 was 30 mg/m2 given as a 90-minute intravenous (IV) infusion on days 1, 8, and 15 in combination with cisplatin (80 mg/m2 IV on day 1) given every 4 weeks. The dose of CPT-11 was escalated in increments of 10 mg/m2 until severe or life-threatening toxic effects were observed. RESULTS: Significant toxicity was infrequent up to 60 mg/m2 of CPT-11. The maximum-tolerated toxicity was reached at a dose of 70 mg/m2. Three of six patients either had leukocyte count nadirs of less than 2,000/microL or experienced grade 4 diarrhea during the first cycle of therapy at 70 mg/m2. The major toxic effects were leukopenia and diarrhea. There were 14 partial responses (54%) among the 26 patients. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of CPT-11 and cisplatin seems to be effective against NSCLC with acceptable toxicities. The recommended dose for phase II studies is 60 mg/m2 of CPT-11 on days 1, 8, and 15, and 80 mg/m2 of cisplatin on day 1 every 4 weeks.

Adult↗

CPT-11: a new derivative of camptothecin for the treatment of refractory or relapsed small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the activity of CPT-11, which is a new derivative of camptothecin, against refractory or relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with refractory or relapsed SCLC were entered onto a prospective, non-randomized, single-institution phase II trial. All 16 patients had been pretreated heavily with some form of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. Five patients had received previous chemotherapy with cisplatin, vincristine, doxorubicin, and etoposide (CODE) as an induction therapy. Six patients had been treated with concurrent cisplatin and etoposide plus chest x-ray. The median time off chemotherapy was 7.3 months (range, 1.9 to 15.1 months). Patients were treated with a CPT-11 starting dose of 100 mg/m2 body surface given as a 90-minute intravenous (IV) infusion every week with subsequent doses based on toxicity. Fifteen patients were assessable for toxicity, response, and survival. RESULTS: Seven patients (47%; 95% confidence limits for an overall response rate, 21.4% to 71.9%) responded to CPT-11 with a median duration of response of 58 days. The major toxicities were myelosuppression (predominantly leukopenia), diarrhea, and pulmonary toxicity. CONCLUSION: CPT-11 is an active agent against refractory or relapsed SCLC and deserves to be studied more closely as both a single agent and in combination with other drugs to treat patients with SCLC.

Adult↗

[Prognosis of small cell lung cancer with ipsilateral pleural effusion].

A total of 184 patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) including 18 patients with ipsilateral pleural effusion as the only evidence of metastasis beyond the primary tumor site (PL), 84 patients with limited disease (LD), and 82 patients with extensive disease (ED) were treated at the Osaka Prefectural Habikino Hospital between December 1982 and June 1990. The median survival time for patients with PL was 51 weeks; for the patients with LD, 51 weeks; and for the patients with ED, 34 weeks. The survival of PL patients was significantly better than that of ED patients (P less than 0.05), and did not differ from that of LD patients. The response rate of PL patients was not significantly different from the response rates observed in LD- and ED-patients. There was no significant difference in survival or response rate between patients with cytologically positive and those with cytologically negative PL. Ipsilateral pleural effusion was not found to be a independent prognostic factor for survival from multivariate analysis in LD patients. These results indicate that the classification of limited disease small cell lung cancer should include patients with ipsilateral pleural effusion, as suggested by the consensus report at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Workshop in 1989.

Adult↗

[A longitudinal study of children with language delay at 3 years of age; later WPPSI and school attendance].

Ninety-four children (eighty-three boys and eleven girls), who were delayed in verbal expression (expressive language less than two-thirds of the standard for their chronological ages) at the age of three years, were evaluated for school attendance and intelligence at the age of six. The Yamada's Check List for Language Development and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) were used to assess language problems and the intelligence quotient (IQ). Thirty children (32%) were delayed in verbal expression only, and sixty-four (68%) were delayed in both: verbal expression and comprehension were less than two-thirds of the standard for their chronological ages. Of children with delay in verbal expression only, 36% of them had low full-scale IQs (less than 70), and 27% had required special tutoring. Of children with delayed development of verbal expression and comprehension, 85% had low full-scale IQs, and 89% had required special tutoring or had attended schools for mentally retarded children. In expressive and comprehensive language delay, forty-one children avoided personal relations at the age of three years. Later thirty of these children were diagnosed as suffering from infantile autism. Poor mental outcome could be predicted by the delay of expressive and comprehensive language at the age of three years. The high prevalence of developmental disorders at later stages for the children in this study suggests the need for close monitoring of children with delayed language.

Child, Preschool↗

Establishment of tumor cell lines as an independent prognostic factor for survival time in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

We studied tumor samples from 39 patients, who entered our study from January 1989 to May 1990, to assess whether the ability to establish a continually growing tumor cell line from fresh tumor specimens can be associated with decreased survival times in patients with small-cell lung cancer. The tumor samples were used to establish cell lines in culture using a serum-free medium supplemented with hydrocortisone, insulin, transferrin, estrogen, and selenium (HITES). Thirty-three of these specimens were obtained by fiberoptic bronchoscopy from primary sites during routine diagnostic procedures. A total of 11 (28%) cell lines were established: seven (21%) from 33 primary tumors and four (80%) from five peripheral lymph nodes. Survival times of the 11 patients whose tumor cell specimens continually grew in culture at any time during their clinical course were significantly shorter than those of the 28 patients whose tumor cell specimens did not grow in vitro (median survival time of 26 weeks versus 73 weeks; P = .0068). Cox's proportional hazards model, including sex, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, stage, source of specimen, treatment, and in vitro tumor cell growth in the overall patient group, showed that cell line establishment (P = .0017) and no therapy (P = .0015) were the most important factors indicating poor survival time. For the subgroup of 23 primary tumor patients, the important factors (in decreasing order) that indicated decreased survival times were the establishment of a cell line (P = .0112) and with cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine alternating with cisplatin-etoposide, versus cisplatin-vincristine-doxorubicin-etoposide therapy (P = .0463). Our study demonstrates that in vitro tumor cell growth is an adverse predominant prognostic factor in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Aged↗

Phase I study of weekly intravenous infusions of CPT-11, a new derivative of camptothecin, in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

7-Ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxy-camptothecin (CPT-11) is a novel camptothecin derivative that has been selected for clinical evaluation because of its broad spectrum of antitumor activity in animal models and its unique inhibitory effects on mammalian DNA topoisomerase I. Seventeen patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer were treated with CPT-11 at weekly dose levels ranging from 50 to 150 mg/m2. At least three weekly doses were given to all patients except four, and a total of 74 weekly doses were given to the 17 patients. The dose-limiting toxic effects were myelosuppression (predominantly leukopenia) and unpredictable diarrhea. Gastrointestinal toxic effects were severe and not well controlled by standard therapy in some patients. Interpatient variability of toxic effects was substantial (including two deaths) and did not correlate with the pharmacokinetic parameters of CPT-11 and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin, its major metabolite. Two previously untreated patients, who received doses of 100 and 125 mg/m2, had partial responses lasting 3.2 and 4.0 months, respectively. The maximum tolerated dose on this schedule was 100 mg/m2, which we also recommend as a starting dose for phase II studies. This schedule appears to allow a CPT-11 dose intensity which is double the dose intensity possible on a once-a-month schedule. However, careful supervision to assess gastrointestinal toxic effects and myelosuppression is indispensable because of wide individual differences in drug tolerance.

Aged↗

A randomized study of cisplatin versus cisplatin plus vindesine for non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Between August 1983 and March 1985, a randomized study was conducted that compared cisplatin (CDDP) (80 mg/m2 on day 1) alone with CDDP plus vindesine (VDS) (3 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15) in 160 consecutive patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There were no complete responses. The response rate for CDDP plus VDS (22 of 77 patients, 29%) was significantly higher than that for CDDP alone (9 of 78 patients, 12%) (P less than 0.05). However, no difference existed in the median duration of response (20 weeks for CDDP plus VDS versus 20 weeks for CDDP alone) or the median survival time (45 weeks for CDDP plus VDS versus 39 weeks for CDDP alone). No significant differences in toxicity were detected between the two arms; myelosuppression, alopecia, and peripheral neuropathy occurred more frequently with CDDP plus VDS and there was one lethal episode of hepatorenal syndrome in the CDDP plus VDS arm. Among the variables Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS), age, sex, stage, weight loss, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, albumin level, histologic cell type, and chemotherapy arm, only chemotherapy arm was a significant factor leading to a major response (P = 0.019, multiple logistic regression analysis). The significant predictors of survival were PS (P = 0.000), sex (P = 0.000), and stage (P = 0.002) (Cox's proportional hazards model), with a PS of 0 or 1, female sex, and lower stage yielding the best survival. Although a significantly higher response rate was obtained in the combination arm than in the single agent arm, the survival benefit to patients receiving such combination chemotherapy was not determined and more effective chemotherapy regimens are required.

Adult↗

A phase I study of chronic daily dosing of oral etoposide in combination with cisplatin for patients with advanced cancer.

A dose escalation study of daily oral etoposide and cisplatin was carried out on 22 patients with advanced cancer using starting doses of 20 mg/m2/d of etoposide given orally for 21 days and 80 mg/m2 of cisplatin given intravenously (IV) on day 1. A total of 40 courses were given. Myelosuppression was the major dose-limiting toxicity, with a maximum tolerated dose of 50 mg/m2/d of oral etoposide for 21 days plus 80 mg/m2 of IV cisplatin on day 1. Doses of 40 mg/m2/d of etoposide for 21 days plus 80 mg/m2 of cisplatin for 1 day in four of eight courses (50%) were associated with Grade 3 or worse leukopenia that occurred between days 18 and 26. However, no Grade 3 or worse thrombocytopenia occurred at this dose level. Nausea and vomiting occurred in most patients at each dose level but were mild and could be controlled by antiemetics. Alopecia also occurred frequently. Significant mucositis (Grade 4) occurred in one patient, but no other toxicities were observed. Four partial responses that lasted from 1.3 to 5.8+ months were observed in patients with cervical (one patient), small cell lung (one patient), and squamous cell lung cancer (two patients); one of them had been heavily pretreated with platin analogue-containing regimens. The recommended doses for Phase II studies on this schedule are 40 mg/m2/d of oral etoposide for 21 days plus 80 mg/m2 of IV cisplatin on day 1. A combination regimen on this schedule seems particularly effective in patients with etoposide-sensitive malignancies.

Adult↗

Isolation and characterization of human peripheral blood CD4+ T cell clones expressing gamma delta T cell receptors.

Rare T cell clones bearing both CD4 and gamma delta T cell receptors (TcR gamma delta) were obtained from human peripheral blood by cell sorting using anti-CD4 and anti-TCR delta 1 antibodies. All the clones established were reactive with anti-TcR gamma delta 1 antibody, whereas only about 20% of the clones showed reactivity with anti-delta TCS1 antibody. Unlike most CD4+ T cells bearing TcR alpha beta, all the clones tested showed lectin-dependent and anti-CD3 antibody-redirected cytolytic activity. About 60% of the clones exhibited natural killer cell-like activity. Immunoprecipitation analysis of TcR gamma delta showed that each clone expressed either a disulfide-linked or non-disulfide-linked heterodimer consisting of 37-44-kDa TcR gamma and TcR delta chains.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Redevelopment of small-cell lung cancer nine years after the start of therapy. A case report and review of the literature.

Most patients with small-cell lung cancer usually relapse within 1 to 2 years. Relapses after a 5-year disease-free interval occur extremely rarely. This report describes a patient with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer who had achieved a complete response to combination chemotherapy followed by chest irradiation but developed small-cell lung cancer 9.4 years after the beginning of therapy. Small-cell lung cancer recurred in the same side of the lung, in the mediastinal nodes, and in the liver. The pattern of development of small-cell lung cancer suggests that the patient had a relapse rather than a metachronous lung cancer. To our knowledge, this is the second-latest relapse of small-cell lung cancer in the literature.

Aged↗

Sensitivity and specificity of lung cancer screening in Osaka, Japan.

Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated for lung cancer screening conducted at 8 municipalities in Osaka Prefecture during 1981-1985. As a screening policy, all attendants were examined by miniature chest X-ray, and the high-risk group, defined as those who smoked cigarettes or had bloody sputum, were also examined by 3-day pooled sputum cytology. A total of 33,599 screening tests for 19,028 people who were 40 years old or more at the time of screening were conducted, resulting in 33,490 miniature chest X-ray examinations for 18,992 people and 11,420 sputum cytologies for 7,070 people. As a result, 43 lung cancer cases were detected. All test-negatives were followed by means of record linkage with the files of the Osaka Cancer Registry up to the end of 1986. There were 24 cases who were diagnosed as having lung cancer without having given a positive screening result in 1981-1986. Assuming the preclinical detectable phase of lung cancer to be one year uniformly, the sensitivity and specificity for the lung cancer screening were estimated to be 71.6% and 95.3%, respectively. The feasibility of increasing the sensitivity is discussed.

Adult↗

Flow cytometric measurements of somatic cell mutations in Thorotrast patients.

Exposure to ionizing radiation has long been well-recognized as a risk factor for cancer development. Since ionizing radiation can induce mutations, an accurate way of measuring somatic mutation frequencies could be a useful tool for evaluating cancer risks. In the present study, we have examined in vivo somatic mutation frequencies at the erythrocyte glycophorin A (GPA) and T-cell receptor (TCR) loci in 18 Thorotrast patients who have been continuously irradiated with alpha-particles emitted from the internal deposition of thorium dioxide and who thus have increased risks of certain malignant tumors. When compared with controls, the results showed a significantly higher frequency of mutants at the lymphocyte TCR loci but not at the erythrocyte GPA loci in the Thorotrast patients. The discrepancy between the results of the two assays is discussed.

Aged↗