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To reduce cancer care disparities, this study aimed to clarify the difficulties in cancer care for people with mental disorders as perceived by cancer care providers.Cancer care providers at 17 designated cancer hospitals in Japan were surveyed using mail questionnaires. Respondents were asked to rate 29 items related to difficulties or insufficiencies in cancer care for patients with mental disorders on a five-point Likert scale. We analyzed the proportion of respondents who answered "difficult/insufficient" in each item. We also calculated the proportions of responders stratified according to the presence of psychiatric support systems within their hospitals.A total of 388 (58.4%) cancer care providers responded. Among the issues related to "difficulties in diagnosing and treating cancer," support for decision-making, assessment of treatment adherence, and assessment of physical symptoms were perceived as most difficult (73.5%-81.5% of respondents). Among the issues related to 'difficulties or insufficiencies in collaboration among multidisciplinary health care providers,' the issue of advance consultation and sharing information with the patient's primary psychiatric care provider was perceived as most difficult (52.2%). Among the issues related to "insufficiencies of in-hospital and community medical systems," education to provide reasonable accommodation was perceived as most insufficient (47.4%). The perceived difficulties of over half of the issues varied significantly between hospitals depending on the level of psychiatric support systems.This study clarified the difficulties of cancer care in patients with mental disorders as perceived by cancer care providers. Some issues may be resolved by psychiatric liaison teams.

Background Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures can provide valuable information in evaluating patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Post hoc analysis of the AFTERCAB study was conducted to evaluate the HRQoL benefit of enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) compared to flutamide plus ADT for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in Japan. Methods The open-label AFTERCAB study was conducted from November 2016 to March 2020 in Japanese men aged ≥ 20 years with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic CRPC. Patients received enzalutamide plus ADT or flutamide plus ADT, respectively, as first-line alternative androgen therapy (AAT). HRQoL was analyzed through the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Prostate, EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level instruments, Brief Pain Inventory–Short Form, and Brief Fatigue Inventory. The longitudinal changes in HRQoL, HRQoL deterioration based on minimally important difference (MID), and time to HRQoL deterioration were evaluated for first-line AAT. Results Overall, HRQoL between the enzalutamide and flutamide groups was similar during first-line treatment. No statistically significant HRQoL difference in change from baseline to week 61 (least square mean difference; p value) was observed. Furthermore, proportions of pain progression, symptom worsening, and HRQoL deterioration based on MID, were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions The results were similar in all subscales of each PRO, demonstrating similar HRQoL deterioration based on MID criteria between the enzalutamide and flutamide groups.

Background Predicting the prognosis of patients with solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is often difficult. The prognostic risk models developed by Demicco et al. are now the standard for evaluating the risk of SFT metastasis in the current World Health Organization classification of soft tissue and bone tumors. Methods In this study, we examined the prognostic usefulness of a modified version of the Demicco risk models that replaces the mitotic count with the Ki-67 labeling index. We compared the three-variable and four-variable Demicco risk models with our modified risk models using Kaplan–Meier curves based on data for 43 patients with SFT. Results We found a significant difference in metastasis-free survival when patients were classified into low-risk and intermediate/high-risk groups using the three-variable (P = 0.022) and four-variable (P = 0.046) Demicco models. There was also a significant difference in metastasis-free survival between the low-risk and intermediate/high-risk groups when the modified three-variable (P = 0.006) and four-variable (P = 0.022) models were used. Conclusion Modified risk models that include the Ki-67 labeling index are effective for prediction of the prognosis in patients with SFT.

The J‐CAPRA score is an assessment tool which stratifies risk and predicts outcome of primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using prostate‐specific antigen, Gleason score, and clinical TNM staging. Here, we aimed to assess the generalisability of this tool in multi‐ethnic Asians. Performance of J‐CAPRA was evaluated in 782 Malaysian and 16,946 Japanese patients undergoing ADT from the Malaysian Study Group of Prostate Cancer (M‐CaP) and Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer (J‐CaP) databases, respectively. Using the original J‐CAPRA, 69.6% metastatic (M1) cases without T and/or N staging were stratified as intermediate‐risk disease in the M‐CaP database. To address this, we first omitted clinical T and N stage variables, and calculated the score on a 0–8 scale in the modified J‐CAPRA scoring system for M1 patients. Notably, treatment decisions of M1 cases were not directly affected by both T and N staging. The J‐CAPRA score threshold was adjusted for intermediate (modified J‐CAPRA score 3–5) and high‐risk (modified J‐CAPRA score ≥6) groups in M1 patients. Using J‐CaP database, validation analysis showed that overall survival, prostate cancer‐specific survival, and progression‐free survival of modified intermediate and high‐risk groups were comparable to those of original J‐CAPRA (p > 0.05) with Cohen's coefficient of 0.65. Around 88% M1 cases from M‐CaP database were reclassified into high‐risk category. Modified J‐CAPRA scoring system is instrumental in risk assessment and treatment outcome prediction for M1 patients without T and/or N staging., The modified J‐CAPRA scoring system is a risk assessment tool to predict the outcome of primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) based on Gleason score, prostate‐specific antigen, and clinical M stage alone. It is beneficial and applicable in stratifying the risk and predicting the treatment outcomes of M1 patients without T and/or N staging.

Background To best employ radium‐223 dichloride (Ra‐223) for patients with castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastasis, we investigated the bone‐predominant status in patients treated with Ra‐223. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 127 CRPC patients who underwent treatment with Ra‐223. The patients were divided into three groups based on the types of dynamic changes of bone metastasis between diagnosis and just before Ra‐223: (a) only known lesions; (b) de novo lesions; (c) new progressive lesions. We developed the risk assessment using predictive factors based on progression‐free survival (PFS). Results During the median follow‐up period of 10.4 months, the median PFS in the only known lesions group was 11.3 months compared to 8.1 months in the de novo lesions group and 5.1 months in the new progressive lesions group (P 1 (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.04‐2.89, P = .034), PSA value of >100 ng/mL (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.02‐2.50, P = .043), and PSA doubling time (PSADT) of, We developed the risk assessment based on the types of dynamic changes of bone metastasis before the use of radium‐223 dichloride (Ra‐223). This risk assessment can be used to maximize the clinical benefits of Ra‐223 treatment for bone‐predominant metastasis.

Background Although neoadjuvant chemotherapy provides survival benefits in muscle-invasive bladder cancer, the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on health-related quality of life has not been investigated by a randomized trial. The purpose of this study is to compare health-related quality of life in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy or radical cystectomy alone based on patient-reported outcome data. Methods Patients were randomized to receive two cycles of neoadjuvant methotrexate, doxorubicin, vinblastine, and cisplatin followed by radical cystectomy or radical cystectomy alone. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder (version 4) questionnaire before the protocol treatments, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, after radical cystectomy and 1 year after registration. Results A total of 99 patients were analysed. No statistically significant differences in postoperative health-related quality of life were found between the arms. In the neoadjuvant chemotherapy arm, the scores after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significantly lower than the baseline scores in physical well-being, functional well-being, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General total, weight loss, diarrhoea, appetite, body appearance, embarrassment by ostomy appliance and total Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder. However, there was no difference in scores for these domains, except for embarrassment by ostomy appliance, between the two arms after radical cystectomy and 1 year after registration. Conclusions Although health-related quality of life declined during neoadjuvant chemotherapy, no negative effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on health-related quality of life was apparent after radical cystectomy. These data support the view that neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be considered as a standard of care for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer regarding health-related quality of life.

Background A previous comparative study in Japan has demonstrated that the two consecutive UroVysion tests are useful tools to detect the presence of bladder cancer during follow-up after transurethral resection, but they also presented their high rates of false-positive results. Here, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the UroVysion tests and subsequent intravesical recurrence. Methods In the previous study, patients without bladder cancer during the first analysis showed the same examination set repeated 3 months later as the second analysis. In this follow-up study, 326 patients showed negative findings confirmed on cystoscopy during the second UroVysion test. Recurrence-free survival was assessed using a median follow-up of 27 months. Results In the two consecutive UroVysion tests, 214 patients (65.6%) showed negative UroVysion results in both tests, whereas 91 presented a positive result on either tests and 21 patients presented positive results in both tests. During the follow-up, 40 patients (12.3%) had an intravesical recurrence with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The recurrence rates in patients with negative results in both tests, those with one positive result in either tests, and those with positive results in both tests were 8.4%, 16.5%, and 33.3%, respectively. The multivariate analysis indicated that the history of bladder cancer and the consecutive UroVysion test pattern were independent risk factors for recurrence. Conclusions Our data confirmed the effectiveness of two consecutive UroVysion tests in predicting intravesical recurrence after TURBT. Further prospective studies would help determine an appropriate interval for cystoscopy follow-up.

This study aimed to analyze the survival rate and to examine the risk of death from prostate cancer when accounting for competing risk of death, in men aged ≥80 y treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Data of patients with prostate cancer who had received ADT were extracted from a nationwide community‐based database established by the Japan Study Group for Prostate Cancer. Prognostic variables, including progression‐free survival, cancer‐specific survival, overall survival, and death rates were compared between men stratified by prostate cancer risk. Overall, 4760 patients older than 80 y were included. The proportion of low‐, intermediate‐, high‐, or very high‐risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer among super‐elderly men was 9.5%, 14.6%, 48.8%, 9.0%, 3.2%, and 24.9%, respectively. Survival rates decreased with increasing risk stratification. The cumulative 5‐y death rate by prostate cancer for low‐, intermediate‐, high‐, or very high‐risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer, was 0.92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2%‐3.6%), 1.6% (95% CI: 0.8%‐3.4%), 5.75% (95% CI: 4.25%‐7.75%), 15.6% (95% CI: 11.6%‐23.3%), 20.7% (95% CI: 13.1%‐31.7%), and 36.9% (95% CI: 32.8%‐41.4%), respectively. Our findings support that there is no need for immediate ADT for low‐ and intermediate‐risk groups. Conversely, in high‐ or very high‐risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer, more efforts for curative therapy and intensive therapy are needed in selected patients., This manuscript investigated the survival rate and examined the risk of death from prostate cancer when accounting for competing risk of death, in men aged ≥80 y to clarify which subset benefitted from androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The cumulative 5‐y death rates by prostate cancer for low‐risk, and intermediate‐risk were very low, supporting no need for immediate ADT. In addition, the cumulative 5‐y death rate by prostate cancer for high‐risk or very high‐risk, regional, and metastatic prostate cancer was high, more effort for curative therapy and intensive therapy are needed in selected patients.

Objectives The objective of the study is to compare the efficacy and safety of alternative androgen therapy (AAT) with enzalutamide + androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and flutamide + ADT in the treatment of Japanese men with metastatic or nonmetastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who progressed despite combined androgen blockade (CAB) with bicalutamide + ADT. AAT treatment sequence was also investigated. Materials and methods The open‐label, Phase 4 AFTERCAB study (NCT02918968) was conducted from November 2016 to March 2020 in Japanese men aged ≥20 years with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic CRPC. Patients were initially randomized to enzalutamide (160 mg/day) + ADT (enzalutamide first) or flutamide (375mg/day [125mg three times daily]) + ADT (flutamide first) as first‐line therapy. Following prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) progression, other disease progression, or discontinuation of first‐line therapy due to an adverse event (AE), patients switched to the other treatment as second‐line therapy. The primary endpoint was time to PSA progression with first‐line therapy (TTPP1). Secondary endpoints included TTPP2 (TTPP1 + time to PSA progression with second‐line therapy). AEs were monitored to assess safety. Results Overall, 206 men were randomized (enzalutamide first, n = 102; flutamide first, n = 104) and stratified by study site and disease stage; 133 patients transitioned to second‐line therapy (enzalutamide first, n = 48; flutamide first, n = 85). TTPP1 was significantly improved with enzalutamide first versus flutamide first (median 21.4 months vs. 5.8 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.29, 0.61]). TTPP2 was numerically improved with enzalutamide first versus flutamide first (median not reached vs. 21.2 months; HR 0.76; 95% CI [0.48, 1.19]). Both treatments were generally well tolerated, with AEs consistent with their known safety profiles. Conclusion First‐line AAT with enzalutamide + ADT provided a significant improvement in time to PSA progression versus flutamide + ADT. Enzalutamide + ADT may therefore be the preferred first‐line AAT option in Japanese men with metastatic or nonmetastatic CRPC who progress despite CAB with bicalutamide + ADT.

First‑line chemotherapy for men with metastatic castration‑resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been employed to improve overall survival (OS) and progression‑free survival (PFS). However, several new agents for CRPC after first‑line chemotherapy prolonged survival by only a few months. To develop a new treatment modality, we conducted a phase III randomized trial of personalized peptide vaccination (PPV) for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‑A24‑positive patients with castration‑resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) for whom docetaxel chemotherapy failed. This randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled, phase III trial was carried out at 68 medical centers in Japan. Patients were randomly assigned at a 2:1 ratio to receive PPV or placebo. Four of 12 warehouse peptides selected based on pre‑existing peptide‑specific immunoglobulin G levels or the corresponding placebo were subcutaneously injected in 6 doses weekly and then bi‑weekly following the maximum of 30 doses until disease progression. The primary end‑point was overall survival (OS). Efficacy analyses were performed by the full analysis set. Between August 2013 and April 2016, 310 patients were randomly assigned, and 306 patients were analyzed. Baseline characteristics were balanced between groups. The estimated median OS was 16.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 13‑18.2] with PPV and 16.9 months (95% CI, 13.1‑20.4) with placebo [hazard ratio (HR), 1.04, 95% CI, 0.80‑1.37; P=0.77]. Grade ≥3 adverse events were observed in 41% of both groups. The analysis of treatment arm effects among subgroups revealed lower HRs for OS in favor of the PPV arm in patients with

Background This study investigated how differences in the method of the first‐line androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) affected the time to castration‐resistant prostate cancer. Methods The Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer compiled a nationwide community‐based database on prostate cancer patients who underwent ADT. That database included 13 774 patients who were started on ADT by surgical or medical castration alone (monotherapy group, 5395 cases) or ADT in combination with a nonsteroidal anti‐androgen (combined androgen blockade (CAB) group, 8379 cases). We used logistic regression analysis with background factors as independent factors to calculate propensity scores in regard to selection of CAB. Next, for 8826 cases of propensity score‐matched patients, we compared the survival rates in the two groups. Results The CAB group showed a significantly better progression‐free survival (PFS) rate (65.6% vs 59.6% at 5 years; median time to progression, 11.6 vs 7.1 years; hazard ratio in the CAB group: 0.78, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.72 to 0.84; P

IntroductionOne of the reasons for the high mortality rate from cancer in people with schizophrenia is delay in diagnosis. Many studies have shown lower cancer screening rates in people with schizophrenia; however, there are no interventions for people with schizophrenia to increase cancer screening. Therefore, we developed a case management (CM) intervention to encourage participation in cancer screening. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of CM to encourage participation in cancer screening for people with schizophrenia, with particular focus on colorectal cancer screening by faecal occult blood testing, compared with usual intervention (UI), namely, municipal public education.Methods and analysisThis is an individually randomised, parallel group trial with blinded outcome assessments. The participants will be randomly allocated to either the CM plus UI group or UI alone group in a 1:1 ratio using a web-based program at a data management centre. The primary end point of the study is participation in colorectal cancer screening in the year of intervention, which will be assessed based on municipal records.Ethics and disseminationThis study is performed in accordance with Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects published by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare and the modified Act on the Protection of Personal Information as well as the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee at the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Okayama University Hospital on 23 April 2019 (approval number: RIN1904-003). The findings of this trial will be submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberUMIN000036017.

We evaluated the use of UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization tests to detect the intravesical recurrence of bladder cancer during follow-up after a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). In this prospective, blinded, comparative study, 486 patients treated by TURBT within the prior 2 years were registered at 12 centers. Urine cytology and UroVysion tests were performed once or twice at a central testing laboratory. For the patients with no suspicious findings of bladder cancer in the first analysis, the same examination set was repeated 3 months later as the second analysis. Totals of 468 and 399 patients were eligible for the first and second analyses, respectively. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of two consecutive UroVysion tests. Bladder cancers were identified in 44 patients at the first analysis. The UroVysion test had 50.0% (95% CI 35.2–64.8%) sensitivity and 72.4% (68.3–76.8%). Urine cytology had 4.5% (0.0–10.7%) sensitivity and 99.8% (99.3–100.0%) specificity. The concordant rate of the first and second UroVysion test results was 72% (kappa coefficient 0.157). Interestingly, the patients with two consecutive positive UroVysion test results had the highest cancer detection rate (14.8%), which is greater than those of the patients with a positive result in either (7.2%) or neither (1.2%) of the two tests at the 3-month follow-up. The UroVysion test provided higher sensitivity than urine cytology to detect bladder cancer during post-TURBT follow-up. Two consecutive UroVysion tests might be a better indicator to predict intravesical recurrence.

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), an anti-erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (HER2) antibody-drug conjugate, has been shown to significantly improve survival in HER2-positive breast cancer. We report a phase II trial of T-DM1 monotherapy in relapsed NSCLC with documented HER2 positivity (an immunohistochemistry [IHC] score of 3+, both an IHC score of 2+ and fluorescence in situ hybridization positivity, or exon 20 mutation). This study was terminated early because of limited efficacy. The demographic characteristics in the 15 assessable patients were as follows: median age, 67 years; male sex, 47%; performance status of 0 to 1, 80%; HER2 status IHC 3+, 33%; HER status IHC 2+/fluorescence in situ hybridization-positive, 20%; and exon 20 mutation, 47%. The median number of delivered cycles was 3 (range 1-11). One patient achieved a partial response with an objective response rate of 6.7% (90% confidence interval: 0.2-32.0). With a median follow-up time of 9.2 months, the median progression-free survival time and median survival time were 2.0 and 10.9 months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events included thrombocytopenia (40%) and hepatotoxicity (20%) without any treatment-related deaths. T-DM1 had a limited efficacy for HER2-positive NSCLC in our cohort. Applying the concept of precision medicine to tumors appears challenging; thus, additional molecular approaches are warranted.

The progression-free survival in Japanese was similar to that recorded in the RECORD-1 study, whereas prolongation of overall survival was observed in this study compared with the RECORD-1 study., Objective Many studies have shown the efficacy of everolimus after pretreatment with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We investigated the efficacy and safety of everolimus as a second-line treatment after the failure of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in Japanese patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Methods This was an open-label, multicenter, phase II trial conducted in Japan through the central registration system. A total of 57 patients were enrolled. Patients were administered 10 mg of everolimus q.d. orally. The primary efficacy endpoint was progression-free survival achieved by administration of everolimus. Results The median progression-free survival of patients administered everolimus was 5.03 months (95% confidence interval: 3.70–6.20). The median overall survival was not reached. The objective response rate was 9.4% (95% confidence interval: 3.1–20.7). The progression-free survival in the group of

The treatment outcome has been unsatisfactory for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) refractory to standard first-line chemotherapy. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), an anti-HER2 antibody conjugated with a vinca alkaloid, has been approved for clinical use in HER2+ breast cancer in many countries. Approximately 5% of NSCLC tumors possess HER2 alterations, and T-DM1 has shown excellent antitumor effects against HER2+ lung cancer cell lines in preclinical models. Therefore, we hypothesized that T-DM1 could significantly inhibit the growth of HER2+ lung cancers. We have launched a nonrandomized phase II trial of T-DM1 monotherapy for patients with HER2+ lung cancers. The major eligibility criteria are as follows: age ≥ 20 years, pathologically diagnosed NSCLC with documented HER2 positivity (immunohistochemistry 3+, both immunohistochemistry 2+ and fluorescence in situ hybridization positive, or exon 20 insertion mutation), and previous chemotherapy. Thirty patients will receive T-DM1 3.6 mg/kg every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint is the overall response rate. This trial will provide information on whether T-DM1 monotherapy is effective against HER2+ lung cancer.

81 Background: Enzalutamide has been approved for the treatment of CRPC in Japan since 2014. This study compared the efficacy and safety of enzalutamide + ADT and flutamide + ADT in the treatment of men with CRPC who progressed despite combined androgen blockade with bicalutamide + ADT. The sequential order of treatment was also investigated. Methods: The open-label, Phase 4 AFTERCAB study (NCT02918968) was conducted from November 2016–March 2020 in Japanese men aged ≥20 years with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic CRPC (metastatic or nonmetastatic) and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 who progressed despite bicalutamide + ADT. Patients were initially randomized to enzalutamide (160 mg/day) + ADT (enzalutamide first) or flutamide (375 mg/day [125 mg 3 × daily]) + ADT (flutamide first) as first-line therapy. Following prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, other disease progression, or discontinuation of first-line therapy due to an adverse event (AE), patients switched to the other treatment as second-line therapy. The primary endpoint was time to PSA progression with first-line therapy (TTPP1). Secondary endpoints included TTPP2 (TTPP1 + time to PSA progression with second-line therapy). AEs were monitored to assess safety. Results: 206 men were randomized, stratified by study site and disease stage. Baseline demographics and disease characteristics were similar between treatment arms. Median treatment exposure was 14.3 months (range 0.8–35.9) with enzalutamide first and 5.6 months (range 0.3–37.7) with flutamide first. 133 patients transitioned to second-line therapy (n=48 for enzalutamide first and n=85 for flutamide first). TTPP1 was significantly improved with enzalutamide first versus flutamide first; numerically longer TTPP2 was observed with enzalutamide first versus flutamide first (Table). With first-line therapy, 92.2% (n=94) of patients reported treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) and 28.4% (n=29) reported serious TEAEs for enzalutamide first. Corresponding numbers for flutamide first were 76.0% (n=79) for TEAEs and 14.4% (n=15) for serious TEAEs. Conclusions: Treatment with enzalutamide + ADT provided a significant improvement in time to PSA progression versus flutamide + ADT as first-line therapy. Both treatments were generally well tolerated, with AEs consistent with the known safety profiles. Clinical trial information: NCT02918968. [Table: see text]

Objectives To describe the nature of metastatic upper urinary tract urothelial cancer and determine the prognostic predictors or treatment modality associated with all-cause mortality. Methods Within the nationwide case series study of the Japanese Urological Association, consisting of 1509 patients with urinary tract urothelial cancer diagnosed in 2005, we identified 102 patients with metastatic urinary tract urothelial cancer. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses identified prognostic outcome variables. Results Predominant sites of distant metastasis at diagnosis were the lungs (54.9%), distant lymph nodes (37.3%), bone (32.4%) and liver (19.6%). Of 102 patients, 70 patients (68.6%) died during the median follow-up period of 6 months, and the 2-year overall survival rate was estimated at 22%. The median survival time to all-cause mortality was 8.5 months (95% confidence interval 6.4–10.7 months). On multivariate analysis, independent predictive factors for all-cause mortality were age (hazard ratio 2.36, P = 0.015) and liver metastasis (hazard ratio 2.35, P = 0.037). Patients who received multimodal treatment including chemotherapy and surgery showed significantly better prognosis (median survival time 25.8 months) compared with patients treated with chemotherapy alone (median survival time 7.3 months) or best supportive care (median survival time 4.3 months). Conclusions Age at diagnosis and the presence of liver metastasis seem to have an impact on survival of metastatic urinary tract urothelial cancer patients. Multimodal treatment including systemic chemotherapy and surgery might result in better prognosis in some of these patients.

e17006 Background: Although neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) provides survival benefits in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), the impact of NAC on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been investigated by a randomized trial. The purpose of this study is to compare HRQoL in patients with MIBC who received NAC followed by radical cystectomy (RC) or RC alone based on patient-reported outcome data. Methods: Patients were randomized to receive 2 cycles of neoadjuvant methotrexate, doxorubicin, vinblastine, and cisplatin (MVAC) followed by RC or RC alone. HRQoL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Bladder (FACT-BL, version 4) questionnaire before the protocol treatments, after NAC, after RC, and one year after registration. Results: A total of 99 patients were analyzed. No statistically significant differences in postoperative HRQoL were found between the arms. In the NAC arm, the scores after NAC were significantly lower than the baseline scores in physical well-being, functional well-being, FACT-General total, weight loss, diarrhea, appetite, body appearance, embarrassment by ostomy appliance, and total FACT-BL. However, there was no difference in scores for these domains, except for embarrassment by ostomy appliance, between the two arms after RC and one year after registration. Conclusions: Although HRQoL declined during NAC, no negative effect of NAC on HRQoL was apparent after RC. These data support the view that NAC can be considered as a standard of care for patients with MIBC regarding HRQoL. Clinical trial information: C000000093.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an NPO organization comprised of university hospitals and cancer centers in the US. The publication of clinical practice guidelines on the treatment, diagnosis, prevention and screening is one of important activities. Background factors of prostate cancer patients, such as the prevalence, age at the diagnosis and mortality are markedly different between Western countries and Asia. Thus, various factors should be taken into consideration at the treatment choice for individual patients. Experts from Asian countries were published as the Asia Consensus Statement. In this review, we explain important points of the Asia Consensus Statement such as differences in the epidemiological backgrounds of patients, differences in treatment options and differences in medical insurance systems.

Many risk assessment tools have been developed for prostate cancer patients. The risk classifications, for example, the D’Amico classification and NCCN classification, are widely used. In addition, a nomogram to predict pathological stage and prognosis has also been developed. In this chapter, J-CAPRA score for all stage of patients treated by androgen depletion therapy is explained in detail.

To investigate the clinical outcomes of metastatic prostate cancer patients and the relationship between nadir prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and different types of primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT). This study utilized data from the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry, which is a large, multicenter, population-based database. A total of 2982 patients treated with PADT were enrolled. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients treated using combined androgen blockade (CAB) and non-CAB therapies. The relationships between nadir PSA levels and PADT type according to initial serum PSA levels were also investigated. Among the 2982 enrolled patients, 2101 (70.5 %) were treated with CAB. Although CAB-treated patients had worse clinical characteristics, their probability of PFS and OS was higher compared with those treated with a non-CAB therapy. These results were due to a survival benefit with CAB in patients with an initial PSA level of 500–1000 ng/mL. Nadir PSA levels were significantly lower in CAB patients than in non-CAB patients with comparable initial serum PSA levels. A small survival benefit for CAB in metastatic prostate cancer was demonstrated in a Japanese large-scale prospective cohort study. The clinical significance of nadir PSA levels following PADT was evident, but the predictive impact of PSA nadir on OS was different between CAB and non-CAB therapy.

Purpose: The current tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) classification system has been used for many years. The prognosis of patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) treated using primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT) was analyzed according to the TNM classification. Methods: A total of 5618 cases with lymph node metastases only (N1M0), non-regional lymph node metastasis (M1a), bone metastasis (M1b), and distant metastasis (M1c) were selected from the Japanese Study Group of Prostate Cancer database. Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were calculated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. The influence of clinical variables on patient prognosis was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: The 5-year OS, CSS, and PFS were 76.0, 83.2, and 38.8% in N1M0, 57.5, 69.0, and 23.0% in M1a, 54.0, 63.1, and 23.0% in M1b, and 40.0, 51.5, and 16.6% in M1c, respectively. OS, CSS, and PFS worsened as the stages progressed. OS, CSS, and PFS were all significantly worse in N1M1b compared with N0M1b. Multivariate analysis revealed that OS and CSS were worse in patients with a Gleason score ≥8 and that combined androgen blockade (CAB) treatment provided better OS than non-CAB treatments at any tumor stage. However, OS and CSS were worse in individuals with a prostate-specific antigen >100ng/ml only in M1b. Conclusions: Patient prognosis worsened with stage progression; therefore, current TNM classification system of mPC for PADT was shown to be trustworthy. Each PC cell that develops bone or lymphoid metastasis may exhibit different characteristics. © 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Novel anti-androgens and androgen biosynthesis inhibitors have been developed to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, knowledge of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has not been developed in the criticism, including information regarding the adverse effects of hormonal therapy. We hypothesize that there are ethnic differences in the efficacy and adverse effects of ADT; therefore, this review summarizes the experience of ADT, mainly in Japan. A risk stratification instrument, the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (J-CAPRA) score, was developed based on the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry, which is a large, multicenter, population-based database. It revealed that clinical outcomes were substantially better for males treated with ADT in Japan compared with those in the United States. Moreover, there were small survival differences in patients with localized and locally advanced cancer who received local therapy and primary ADT in another Japanese cohort study. In terms of adverse effects, including bone loss and cardiovascular risk, ADT appears to be better tolerated in Japanese populations than in Western cohorts. An ongoing randomized controlled trial of a trimodality treatment comprising brachytherapy, external beam radiation therapy, and neoadjuvant with or without adjuvant ADT in patients with localized high-risk prostate cancer will provide novel insights regarding adjuvant ADT. As a future perspective, the optimal selection of the type of primary ADT, including combining androgen blockade and novel hormonal compounds, adjusted according to each patient's clinicopathological background, may provide better clinical outcomes in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

© 2014 The Authors BJU International © 2014 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Objectives To compare directly survival outcomes of primary androgen-deprivation therapy (PADT) in Japan, where this treatment is endorsed by guidelines, with outcomes in the USA, where it is not. Patients and Methods Data were compared between men receiving PADT in the USA Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) registry and the Japanese Cancer of the Prostate (J-CaP) registry database. Competing risks regression was used to assess prostate cancer-specific mortality (CSM), adjusting for age, Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (J-CAPRA) score, diagnosis year, and treatment type [combined androgen blockade (CAB) vs castration monotherapy], comorbidity, and practice type. Results Men on PADT in J-CaP (13 880 men) were older than those in CaPSURE (1633 men), and had higher-risk disease (mean J-CAPRA score 3.8 vs 2.1, P < 0.001). They more often received CAB: 66.9% vs 46.4% (P < 0.001). Despite different risk profiles between the cohorts, CSM was similar on univariate analysis (log-rank P = 0.88). On multivariable regression, the subhazard ratio for CSM was 0.52 for J-CaP vs CaPSURE (95% confidence interval 0.40-0.68). Conclusions Men on PADT in Japan have less than half the adjusted CSM than those in the USA. These findings support both existing guidelines endorsing PADT in Asia and discouraging its use in the West. Elucidating the reasons behind these substantial differences, which probably include both genetic and dietary/environmental factors, may help explain the varying epidemiology of prostate cancer on either side of the Pacific.

Objective To evaluate the impact of lymph node dissection (LND) on the clinical outcomes during radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in patients with clinically node-negative upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UTUC). Methods Within the nationwide case series of the Japanese Urological Association, which comprises 1509 patients with UTUC diagnosed in 2005, we identified 823 patients with clinically node-negative UTUC who underwent RNU. The extent of limited LND was defined as the renal hilar region only for renal pelvic cancer and as either the pelvic region or para-aortic/paracaval region only for ureteral cancer, while the extent of wider LND was defined as at least one perilesional LND region in addition to limited LND. Multivariate analysis with a Cox regression hazard model was used to evaluate the survival benefit. Results Among the 823 patients, LND was performed in 197 (23.9%) patients, and 26 (13.2%) of them had pathologically node-positive disease. Of 197 patients who underwent LND, limited and wider LND was performed in 119 (60.4%) and 78 (39.6%) patients, respectively. Patients with node-positive disease showed significantly shorter overall survival than those with node-negative disease. No LND-associated survival improvement was observed in a direct comparison between patients with and without LND. In addition, limited or wider LND was not associated with overall survival or cancer-specific survival. Conclusions The therapeutic benefit obtained by LND remains unclear regardless of the extent of LND, although LND has diagnostic value with respect to the prediction of a poor prognosis especially in patients with clinically muscle-invasive disease.

This study aimed to determine the antiemetic efficacy and safety of a combination of palonosetron, aprepitant, and dexamethasone in patients with testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) receiving 5-day cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. An open-label, single-arm, multicenter study was performed in patients with TGCT who were scheduled to receive 5-day cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. The antiemetic therapy consisted of palonosetron 0.75 mg on day 1, aprepitant 125 mg on day 1 and 80 mg on days 2 to 5, and dexamethasone 9.9 mg on day 1 and 6.6 mg on days 2 to 8. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) rate, which was defined as no vomiting and no rescue medication, in the overall period (0 to 216 h) in the first chemotherapy course. Incidence and severity of nausea were assessed based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and a subjective rating scale completed by patients. Thirty patients were included in the analysis. CR was achieved in 90.0 % of the patients in the first chemotherapy course, and high CR rates were also observed in the second and third courses (82.1 and 78.3 %, respectively). The incidence of nausea peaked on days 4 to 6 in about 50 % of the patients. The reported adverse drug reactions were hiccups (13.3 %), anorexia (3.3 %), and stomach pain (3.3 %). None of these were unexpected and none were grade 3 or 4. The combination antiemetic therapy examined in this study was highly effective and well-tolerated in patients with TGCT receiving 5-day cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether nadir prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and time to PSA nadir (TTN) are independent prognostic factors equivalent to the pretreatment factors in the data of the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer registry, which is a large, multicenter, population-based database of patients undergoing primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT). A total of 10,958 patients treated with PADT were enrolled into the present study. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used to evaluate the associations of PSA nadir level and TTN with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), adjusting for the pretreatment factors adopted in the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (J-CAPRA) score. Of the 10,958 patients, 3,451 (31.5 %) had lymph node and/or distant metastases. The median PSA level was 27.0 ng/ml before treatment, and the nadir PSA level in 6,983 patients (63.7 %) reached below 0.2 ng/ml. Disease progression occurred in 4,736 cases, and 2,163 patients died during a mean follow-up period of 3.86 years. Nadir PSA level and TTN were independent prognostic factors, similar to the pretreatment factors adopted in the J-CAPRA score. The probabilities of PFS and OS showed significant differences among the groups categorized by the combination of nadir PSA level and TTN in all J-CAPRA risk stratifications. The present study demonstrated that nadir PSA level and TTN are strong predictors in patients undergoing PADT in a large-scale prospective cohort study.

Background The introduction of multimodal therapy has improved the survival rate of bilateral Wilms tumors (BWT); however, the results are still not satisfactory in terms of the renal preservation. To establish a new treatment strategy for BWT, we reviewed the results of the cases registered in the Japan Wilms Tumor Study Group (JWiTS). Procedure This analysis concerned patients with synchronous BWT registered in the JWiTS between 1996 and 2011. In these patients, the management of BWT included initial tumor resection or biopsy followed by chemotherapy. The details of the treatments and outcomes were analyzed. Results Among the 355 cases registered in the JWiTS database, 31 (8.7%) had BWT. They were 16 males and 15 females with a mean age of 15.5 months. Preoperative chemotherapy was performed in 24 cases. Bilateral nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) was achieved in 10 of 28 cases (36%). All of the cases were of favorable nephroblastoma without anaplasia, and a WT1 mutation was detected in 21 of the 27 cases (78%) examined. The 5-year overall survival was 92.6%; however, 10 children (40%) developed impaired renal function and three of them developed renal failure. Conclusions The long-term survival rates for patients with synchronous BWT have improved. However, more than half of patients receive nephrectomy. The protocol should be changed to improve the rate of preservation of the renal parenchyma. Preoperative chemotherapy should be performed to shrink the tumors in every case, and subsequent NSS should be carried out after a central imaging evaluation. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:1184–1189. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Objectives To elucidate whether the disease characteristics and prognosis of stage IV prostate cancer treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy differ between young and elderly patients. Methods A total of 3006 patients identified from the database of the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer were included in the analysis according to the following entry criteria: age of 75 years or less and stage IV disease. These patients were stratified into three groups: young (aged ≤55 years); middle-aged (aged ≧56 and ≤65 years); and elderly (aged ≧66 and ≤75 years). Their prognoses were analyzed both within age groups and according to whether or not there was metastasis. Results The proportion of lymph node metastasis was significantly higher in the young group than in the elderly group (P = 0.007), and there were no significant differences in other factors among age groups. The overall survival rate at 5 years in the young group was significantly worse than that in the middle-aged and elderly groups (26.6%, 59.7% and 55.3%, respectively) in patients with stage IV disease with metastasis, although there was no difference among age groups in patients with stage IV disease without metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age was an independent strong prognostic factor in stage IV disease with metastasis. Conclusions Young men with metastatic prostate cancer have a poor prognosis. Young age is an independent prognostic factor in stage IV metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy.

e16549 Background: Although a positive family history is known to increase the risk of morbidity of prostate cancer, little is known about the prognoses with hormone therapy of individuals with familial prostate cancer. Thus, in this study we aimed to determine the associations between hormone therapy and outcomes of a cohort of men with familial prostate cancer from a large community-based multi-institutional Japan-wide registry. Methods: Data of patients with prostate cancer who had received hormone therapy were extracted from a nationwide community-based database established by the Japan Study Group for Prostate Cancer. Family history of prostate cancer was available for 15,873 of these patients, who thus comprised the study cohort. Prognostic variables, including progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival, were compared between men with familial and men with sporadic prostate cancer. Results: A positive family history was identified in 247 patients (1.6%). Patients with a positive family history were younger than those without; however, other clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses were comparable. In subgroup analysis, family history was identified as a significant favorable prognostic factor for progression-free survival among patients treated by castration, as was overall survival among patients with PSA level at diagnosis less than 100 ng/mL and those with low or intermediate J-CAPRA risk. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that familial prostate cancer has an early-onset feature or is diagnosed earlier than sporadic prostate cancer. However, with hormone therapy the prognoses of individuals with familial prostate cancer are comparable to those of individuals with sporadic prostate cancer.

5033 Background: To develop a new treatment modality, we conducted a phase III randomized trial of personalized peptide vaccination (PPV) for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -A24 positive patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who failed docetaxel chemotherapy. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive PPV or placebo. Four of 12 warehouse peptides selected based on preexisting peptide-specific immunoglobulin G levels or the corresponding placebo were subcutaneously injected 6 doses weekly followed the maximum of 30 doses bi-weekly until disease progression. The primary end point was overall survival (OS), and secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and immune responses. Results: From August 2013 to April 2016, 310 patients were randomly assigned (207 to PPV and 103 to placebo), and 306 patients were analyzed by the full analysis set (204 to PPV and 102 to placebo). Baseline characteristics were balanced between groups. Estimated median OS was 16.1 months (95% CI, 13 to 18.2) with PPV and 16.9 months (95% CI, 13.1 to 20.4) with placebo (HR, 1.04; 95%CI, 0.79 to 1.37; P = 0.77). Median PFS was also not significantly different among them. Median Grade ≥ 3 adverse events were observed in 41% in both groups. The analysis of treatment arm effects among various subgroups revealed a lower HR for OS in favor of the PPV arm in patients with a < 64% neutrophil proportion (HR, 0.55; 95%CI, 0.33 to 0.93), with a significant interaction test ( P = 0.003). Conclusions: PPV did not prolong either OS or PFS in HLA-A24 positive patients with CRPC progressing after docetaxel chemotherapy. Clinical trial information: 0000113088.

Purpose To determine the influence of maximal androgen blockade (MAB) and non-MAB hormonal therapy with an luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog on overall survival of prostate cancer patients in the Japan Study Group of Prostate Cancer (J-CaP) registry according to risk, as assessed using the novel J-CAPRA risk instrument. To undertake a multivariate analysis combining J-CAPRA risk score, type of hormonal therapy and comorbidities, in order to assess their impact on overall survival. Methods The J-CaP database includes men in Japan diagnosed with any stage of prostate cancer between 2001 and 2003 and treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT), as monotherapy or in combination. A total of 26,272 men were enrolled and of these 19,265 were treated with PADT. This analysis was undertaken using the latest data set (30 April, 2010) including a total of 15,727 patients who received PADT and had follow-up data for periods ranging from 0 to 9.2 years. Results MAB for prostate cancer patients with intermediate- or high-risk disease has a significant benefit in terms of overall survival compared with LHRH analog monotherapy or surgical castration alone. Better results may be achieved in older (≥75 years) patients. Patient comorbidities are an important factor in determining overall survival, notably in older patients, and should be considered when selecting therapy. Conclusions Based on large-scale registry data, this report is the first to analyze the outcomes of MAB therapy in patients with prostate cancer at a wide range of disease stages. MAB therapy may provide significant survival benefits in intermediate- and high-risk patients.

This report summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place at the Sixth Joint Meeting of J-CaP and CaPSURE held in San Francisco, USA, in August 2012. The J-CaP and CaPSURE Joint Initiative was established in 2007 with the objective of analyzing, reviewing, comparing and contrasting data for prostate cancer patients from Japan and the USA within the two important large-scale, longitudinal, observational databases-J-CaP and CaPSURE. Since this initial collaboration between teams in the USA and Japan, the initiative has now expanded to include representatives of other Asian countries, several of whom have either established or are planning their own national prostate cancer databases. Several key topics were considered at this Sixth Joint Meeting including the current status of the J-CaP and CaPSURE databases and opportunities for collaboration with the more recently developed Asian prostate cancer databases. The latest comparative data from J-CaP and CaPSURE regarding outcomes following androgen deprivation therapy and combined androgen blockade were also reviewed. The possibility of a global chemoprevention trial to investigate the influence of soy isoflavones on prostate cancer incidence was considered. In addition, the ongoing debate regarding the role of screening and the use of active surveillance as a treatment option in the USA was discussed. The collaborators agreed that sharing of data and treatment practices on a global scale would undoubtedly benefit the clinical management of prostate cancer patients worldwide. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

The objectives of this study were to estimate and cross-nationally compare the medical costs shared by payers and patients and the distributions of medical costs by cost category.We estimated the medical costs covered from definitive diagnosis to completion of treatments of early-stage breast cancer and follow-up, assuming almost identical medical care provided in Japan, the UK, and Germany. The analysis was performed from the payer's perspective. Medical costs were calculated by multiplying the unit costs by the number of units consumed, based on assumption case scenarios. The medical costs incurred by payers or patients were estimated according to the cost-sharing and the cost-bearing systems in each country.The total medical costs in Japan were much lower than those in the UK and Germany, and these differences were mainly caused by the low costs of surgery and radiotherapy in Japan. For the base-case scenario, the co-payment in Japan (€ 3,486) was found to be 6.4-fold higher than that in Germany (€ 548). The payers in the European countries paid 2.9-fold more than those in Japan (€ ∼25,000 vs. € 8,627).Our results will be useful for policy makers in considering how to share medical costs and how to allocate limited resources.Ziel dieser Studie war es, die von den Kassen und Patienten geteilten Kosten sowie die Aufteilung der medizinischen Kosten auf verschiedene Kostenkategorien zu schätzen und länderübergreifend zu vergleichen.Wir schätzten die medizinischen Kosten, die von der definitiven Diagnose bis zur Vollendung der Behandlung von Brustkrebs sowie der Nachbeobachtung abgedeckt werden müssen, unter der Annahme, dass die medizinische Versorgung in Japan, Großbritannien und Deutschland ungefähr gleich ist. Die Analyse wurde aus der Sicht der Kassen durchgeführt. Die medizinischen Kosten wurden kalkuliert, indem basierend auf theoretischen Fallszenarien die Einheitskosten mit der Anzahl der verbrauchten Einheiten multipliziert wurden. Die medizinischen Kosten, die von den Kassen oder Patienten zu tragen waren, wurden entsprechend den Kostenteilungs- und Kostenträgersystemen in jedem Land ermittelt.Die medizinischen Gesamtkosten waren in Japan wesentlich geringer als die in Großbritannien und Deutschland; diese Unterschiede beruhten zum großen Teil auf den geringen Kosten für Operationen und Radiotherapien in Japan. Für das Basisfallszenario wurde in Japan (3486 €) eine 6,4-fach höhere Zuzahlung als in Deutschland (548 €) ermittelt. Die Kassen der europäischen Länder zahlten 2,9-mal mehr als die in Japan (∼25 000 € vs. 8627 €).Unsere Ergebnisse werden für Entscheidungsträger bei ihren Überlegungen zur Verteilung der medizinischen Kosten und der Zuweisung von begrenzten Ressourcen nützlich sein.

Objectives The Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment was developed as a risk stratification instrument for patients undergoing primary androgen deprivation therapy. However, there have been no studies to validate the accuracy of the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment in predicting clinical outcomes. We examined whether the clinical outcomes of patients treated with combined androgen blockade could be stratified using the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment. Methods A total of 319 patients with prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist plus bicalutamide were included in this analysis. Progression-free survival, cause-specific survival and overall survival were compared among patients divided according to the prostate-specific antigen level at diagnosis, Gleason score on biopsy specimens, tumor–nodes–metastasis classification and Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score. Results The median age of the patients was 75 years, and the median prostate-specific antigen at diagnosis was 25.4 ng/mL. A total of 102 patients (32.0%) had lymph node and/or distant metastases. On univariate analysis, the factors adopted in the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment points were significant predictors of progression-free survival. On multivariate analysis, clinical T stage and M stage were significant predictors of progression-free survival. The probabilities of progression-free survival and cause-specific survival were significantly different among the groups categorized according to the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment risk strata. The probability of overall survival in the low-risk group was higher than in the other groups. Conclusions The progression-free survival, cause-specific survival and overall survival of prostate cancer patients treated by combined androgen blockade with bicalutamide were stratified by the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment. The Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score is clinically useful as a predictor of the prognosis of prostate cancer treated with combined androgen blockade.

Background Wilms tumor (WT) has a survival rate of 90% following multimodality therapy. Nevertheless, there are some groups of patients with event-free survival rates less than 75%. In addition to clinical prognostic factors, loss of heterozygosity at 1p and/or 16q has been used to determine treatment intensity. However, the incidence of this abnormality is low, and new biomarkers are still needed. Procedure We analyzed methylation status of three tumor suppressor genes; Ras-association domain family 1 protein, isoform A (RASSF1A), DCR2, and CASP8, in 84 WTs using conventional methylation-specific PCR (cMSP), and the results were correlated with outcome. Furthermore, we analyzed the methylation status of RASSF1A by quantitative MSP (qMSP) in 171 WTs, and evaluated clinical and genetic differences between the methylated and unmethylated tumors. Results RASSF1A was the most frequently methylated gene identified by cMSP, and associated with a poor outcome. Patients with a RASSF1A-methylated tumor had shorter overall and event-free survival periods (P = 0.043 and 0.018, respectively), when a cut-off value of 7% by qMSP was used. The methylation was more frequent in tumors of older children than younger children (P

Objective We aimed to survey treatment modalities for the patients with Stage II/III urothelial cancer in Japan. Methods We used the multi-institutional national database of the Japanese Urological Association from 348 Japanese institutions, in which a total of 3707 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and 1538 with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma were registered in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Primary treatment was classified as surgery alone, surgery with chemotherapy, surgery with radiation, radiation alone, chemotherapy alone, combination of radiation and chemotherapy and observation. Overall and cancer-specific survivals were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival in the subgroups was analyzed using the log-rank test. Results In Stage II/III bladder cancer patients, 49.7% of those were treated with radical operation and 22.3% received observation only. A total 97.2% of Stage II/III upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma patients treated with radical surgery. A total 30.4% of Stage II/III bladder cancer patients received chemotherapy. Majority of the patients received cisplatin-based regimen, however, regimens of chemotherapy was rich in variety up to 13 regimens. Chemotherapy regimens for the patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma were also various up to eight regimens. Overall and cancer-specific survivals were statistically significantly stratified according to the clinical stage. The upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma patients diagnosed with clinical stage T3 had significantly poor prognosis compared with those diagnosed with clinical stage T2. Conclusions This study demonstrated the variety of treatments used for Japanese patients with Stage II/III urothelial cancer. Treatment standardization for these entities may be necessary.

The prophylactic effect of postoperative interferon on recurrence and distant metastasis in stage II or III renal cell carcinoma is unclear. In most studies, interferon has been administered for 6 months or less. Therefore, we performed a clinical study of the efficacy of 1-year postoperative administration of natural interferon α, which is generally used in Japan. The subjects were patients diagnosed with stage II or III renal cell carcinoma who underwent radical nephrectomy. The subjects were randomly allocated to receive an intramuscular injection of natural interferon α (3 million to 6 million units) 3 times a week for 1 year or to receive follow-up observation until recurrence or metastasis occurred. Chest and abdominal CT were performed once yearly for all patients. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. From September 2001 to August 2006, a total of 107 patients were registered, but 7 subsequently withdrew from the study. Therefore, 100 patients were included in the analysis. The primary endpoint of progression-free survival did not differ significantly between the groups that received natural interferon α or follow-up observation (p = 0.456, log-rank test). However, peak hazards of progression in the interferon group were delayed for about 6–10 months compared with the observation group. Progression-free survival showed no improvement after administration of natural interferon α to patients with stage II or III renal cell carcinoma for 1 year after radical nephrectomy. The peak hazards of progression might be delayed by about 6 months by interferon administration.

Our previous case‐control study suggested that equol, a metabolite of isoflavone, has a preventive effect on prostate cancer. To examine the prostate cancer risk based on isoflavone intake and equol production, we carried out a phase II, randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial of oral isoflavone (60 mg ⁄day) for 12 months. The inclusion criteria were Japanese men between 50 and 75 years of age, a serum prostate-specific antigen level of 2.5‐ 10.0 ng ⁄mL, and a single, negative prostate biopsy within 12 months prior to enrollment. The study included 158 men in eight Japanese centers. Their median age was 66.0 years, and the numbers of equol producers and non-producers were 76 (48%) and 82 (52%), respectively. The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, and the scheduled intake of tablets was completed by 153 patients (96.8%). The prostate-specific antigen value showed no significant difference before and after treatment. Of the 89 patients evaluated by central pathological review, the incidence of biopsy-detectable prostate cancer in the isoflavone and placebo groups showed no significant difference (21.4% vs 34.0%, P = 0.140). However, for the 53 patients aged 65 years or more, the incidence of cancer in the isoflavone group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group (28.0% vs 57.1%, P = 0.031). These results support the value of isoflavone for prostate cancer risk reduction. A large-scale phase III randomized study of isoflavone tablets in men with different hereditary factors and living environments is warranted. Registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) for clinical trials in Japan (C000000446). (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 125‐130)

The objective of this study was to estimate the cost of antiemetic therapy for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in daily practice in Japan. This was a retrospective observational study using medical records. Eligible patients were those with bladder or testicular cancer receiving platinum-containing highly emetogenic chemotherapy. The incidence of CINV on days 1–5 in single-day chemotherapy and on days 1–9 in multiple-day chemotherapy, and the costs of antiemetic therapy directly associated with the administration of antiemetics were estimated. The analysis of costs was performed from a hospital perspective. A total of 54 patients or 169 chemotherapy courses were included. In all chemotherapy courses 5-HT3 receptor antagonists were used on the day(s) that platinum-containing agents were administered and frequently used on subsequent days. In contrast, the use of corticosteroids was infrequent. Acute CINV in single-day chemotherapy was well controlled, but the incidences of delayed CINV in single-day chemotherapy and CINV in multiple-day chemotherapy were relatively high. The costs for antiemetic therapy were $484.65 in courses with CINV and $318.56 in courses without CINV, and the difference was approximately $170 per chemotherapy course, which was considered to be mainly imputable to the prevalence of CINV. The cost of antiemetic therapy for CINV is substantial in Japan as well as in other countries, and it is suggested that the onset of CINV is a possible cost driver. The improvements in antiemetic therapy may contribute not only to improved patient well-being but also to a reduction of economic burden.

Objectives: Our aim was to clarify the risk factors of cancer death in order to reduce mortality from T1 bladder cancer. Methods: The Japan registration database (1999–2001) was used for the analysis. Data were collected at least 3 years after the initial diagnosis. Cause-specific survival using a Kaplan–Meier survival estimation with the log–rank method was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model was also carried out. The 1997 TNM classification was used for pathological staging, and the 1973 WHO classification was used for pathological grading. Results: There were 76 cancer deaths among a total of 1919 clinical T1 cases. Regardless of the subsequent treatment strategies, non-papillary tumor appearance, non-peduncular tumor stalk, multiple tumors, a tumor size greater than 3 cm, positive urinary cytology and pathological grade 3 were found to be statistically significant in cancer death by univariate analysis. By multivariate analysis, non-papillary tumor appearance, positive urinary cytology and a tumor size greater than 3 cm were confirmed as significant risk factors. Cancer death cases were found in 47.4% of worst-grade 2 tumors, and in 67.1% of predominantly grade 1 or 2 tumors. Conclusion: Non-papillary tumor appearance, positive urinary cytology and a tumor size greater than 3 cm should be included to enable the assessment of risk criteria in cancer death from T1 bladder cancer.

The exposure rate of screening for prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in Japan is still very low compared with that in the USA or western Europe. The mortality rate of prostate cancer will increase in the future and in 2020 it will be 2.8-fold higher than in 2000. Therefore, there is an urgent need to determine the best available countermeasures to decrease the rate of prostate cancer death. PSA screening, which can reduce the risk of death as a result of prostate cancer, should be offered to all men at risk of developing prostate cancer with fact sheets showing updated benefits and drawbacks of screening for prostate cancer.

Objective: Bacillus Calmette-GuErin (BCG) is used as the gold standard for prevention of recurrence after transurethral resection of bladder tumor of non muscle invasive bladder cancer. However, in some cases the outcome is not optimal. In order to assess the possible impact of different variables on outcome, the present clinical evaluation of initially failed cases was performed. Patients and Methods: A total of 68 patients treated with BCG were evaluated. All suffered recurrence. Their original urothelial carcinomas were: G1/G2/G3 = 13/41/14, and Ta/T1 = 30/38. Thirteen high-risk T1G3 cases were included. Intravesical chemotherapy pretreatment was given to 10 cases. Results: The overall progression-free survival rates at 3, 5 and 10 years were 83.3, 80.9, and 72.0% respectively, with cancer-specific survival rates of 98.3, 89.0 and 89.0%. High-risk T1G3 patients were confirmed to have higher progression rates (p = 0.03, log-rank test). Total cystectomy was performed in 5 of 13 T1G3 patients, one died during the follow-up. Additional BCG treatments were performed for 8 patients, and all of them remain alive at the present time. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the response to BCG is definitely influenced by high-risk category, so that early selection of total cystectomy may improve the prognosis with T1G3 patients. However, it was also suggested that more than 1 course of BCG is a feasible option in some cases with a tendency for a worse outcome when pretreated with anti-cancer drugs.

Objective: To characterize the clinical outcome in a large contemporary series of Japanese patients with newly diagnosed Ta, T1 non-muscle invasive bladder cancer who underwent transurethral bladder tumor resection with or without intravesical chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy. Methods: We developed a database incorporating newly diagnosed non-muscle invasive bladder cancer data and outcomes from a Japanese bladder cancer registry between 1999 and 2001 and identified a study population of 3237 consecutive patients who had complete data based on pathological features. Median patient age was 69.9 years. Results: The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall recurrence-free survival rates were 77.0%, 61.3%, and 52.8%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, the multiplicity of bladder tumors, tumor size greater than 3 cm, pathological stage T1, tumor grade G3, and the absence of adjuvant intravesical instillation were independent risk factors for tumor recurrence. Overall, 1710 patients (52.8%) received intravesical instillation; chemotherapy in 1314 (76.8%) and BCG treatment in 396 (23.2%). In patients treated with intravesical chemotherapy in which an anthracycline chemo-agent was used in 90.5% of the cases, multivariate analyses demonstrated that male gender, multiple bladder tumors, a tumor size greater than 3 cm, and pathological stage T1 were associated with tumor recurrence. Conclusions: The accumulation and analysis of data from the Japanese National Bladder Cancer Registry made it possible to determine the clinical characteristics, management trends, and survival rates for the period studied. Further study with a dataset created from longer follow-up data would be warranted to analyze tumor progression and disease survival.