Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is an emerging candidate biomarker for malignancies and may be useful for monitoring the disease status of gastric cancer.
We performed targeted deep sequencing of ...plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) by massively parallel sequencing in patients with tumours harbouring TP53 mutations. The quantitative values of TP53-ctDNA during the clinical course were compared with the tumour status.
Three out of ten patients with TP53 mutations in primary tumours showed detectable TP53 mutation levels in preoperative cfDNA. Although the cfDNA concentrations were not always reflective of the disease course, the ctDNA fraction correlated with the disease status.
ctDNA may serve as a useful biomarker to monitor gastric cancer progression and residual disease.
Abstract Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) frequently metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes, which is the most known prognostic factor. Screening methods to identify sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are ...therefore of great interest for the management of potential neck metastasis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical benefit of double SLN mapping with indocyanine green (ICG) and 99m-technetium–tin colloid (99m Tc–tin colloid) for sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS). Between 2007 and 2010, 16 patients diagnosed with OSCC were investigated by SLN biopsy using the double mapping method.99m Tc–tin colloid was injected into the peri-tumoural region on the preoperative day, and ICG was administered intraoperatively in the same position to assist in detecting nodes during surgery. Based on the gamma-ray signal and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence of ICG, SLNs were identified and thereafter assessed pathologically and genetically for cancer involvement. Radio-guided detection was successful for all patients. ICG mapping identified a relatively larger number of nodes, suggesting that several non-SLNs were potentially involved. The double mapping method assisted surgeons to explore SLNs. Since the ICG fluorescence was shielded by the subcutaneous fatty tissue and the muscle layer including platysma and sternocleidomastoid, it was necessary to retract the tissue away from nodes.
Abstract Background The optimal surgical approach for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has not yet been agreed. Here we investigated whether the distance from the ...esophagogastric junction (EGJ) to the distal end of the tumor was related to the distribution of involved abdominal lymph nodes in Siewert type II tumors. Methods A total of 288 patients with pT2-4 AEG Siewert II, treated by R0 surgical resection at 7 institutions in Japan, were retrospectively investigated. The distribution of involved abdominal nodes was correlated with the distance from the EGJ to the distal end of the tumor. Results In patients where the distance from the EGJ to the distal end of the tumor was ≤30 mm, the frequency of nodal involvement along the greater curvature or antrum was low (2.2%). In contrast, in patients where the distance was >50 mm, the incidence of this nodal involvement was 20.0%. In patients where the distance was 30–50 mm incidence was intermediate (8.0%). Multivariate analyses showed that the distance from the EGJ to the distal end of the tumor was significantly related to lymph node involvement along the greater curvature or antrum (odds ratio 3.7, 95% confidence interval 1.3–11, p = 0.006). Conclusions When the distance from the EGJ to the distal end of the tumor is ≤ 30 mm for Siewert II AEG, esophagectomy or proximal gastrectomy is sufficient from the point of view of abdominal lymphadenectomy. However, a total gastrectomy should be considered for abdominal lymphadenectomy when this distance is > 50 mm.
An abstract of a study by Wada et al aiming to detecting secondary C-KIT mutations in the peripheral blood of patients with imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor is presented. Secondary ...C-KIT mutations could be detected in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from peripheral blood samples. Contrary to cfDNA concentration, the fraction of ctDNA changed along with tumor status.
Summary
Obesity is reported to have adverse effects on semen quality and the endocrine system. In this study, we evaluated the effect of obesity on sperm retrieval outcome and reproductive hormone ...levels in Japanese men with non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA). This study is based on the clinical records of 217 men 172 with a 46,XY karyotype, 45 with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) with NOA who underwent microdissection testicular sperm extraction at Nagoya City University Hospital between January 2004 and December 2014. Body mass index (BMI) and serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), and total testosterone (TT) were measured in all patients. In a subset of patients, bioavailable testosterone (cBAT) also was calculated. Values were evaluated separately in patients with and without KS. Sperm retrieval rates (SRRs) in 46,XY men with a BMI <25 kg/m2 and ≥25 kg/m2 were 29.3% and 18.4%, respectively (p = 0.142), while SRRs in KS men with a BMI <25 kg/m2 and ≥25 kg/m2 were 25.0% and 35.3%, respectively (p = 0.460). TT level in men with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 was lower than that in men with a BMI <25 kg/m2, regardless of KS status. According to Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficients, TT and cBAT levels tended to have negative correlations with BMI; however, statistical significance was observed only for TT level in 46,XY men (r = 0.340, p < 0.001). LH and FSH levels were negatively correlated with BMI in KS men (r = −0.466, p = 0.001 and r = −0.647, p < 0.001, respectively), but not in 46,XY men. These results suggest that obesity may be irrelevant to sperm retrieval outcome in patients with NOA. The negative correlations between gonadotropins and BMI in patients with KS suggest an underlying suppressive effect on gonadotropin excretion, which is distinctive in obese patients with KS.
Summary
Some preoperative factors affecting the outcome of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro‐TESE) have been previously evaluated. However, other than Klinefelter syndrome (KS), no ...other chromosomal anomalies have been discussed in the context of sperm retrieval outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe chromosomal anomalies and their relationship with sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Of the 197 NOA patients whose clinical records were retrospectively reviewed, 144 (73.1%) had normal 46,XY karyotype, 40 (20.3%) had KS (47,XXY), and 13 (6.6%) had other chromosomal anomalies (autosomal in seven cases and sex‐chromosomal anomalies in six). Of the seven patients with autosomal anomalies, two had the reportedly normal variant 46,XY,inv(9)(p12;q13). Testicular volume and serum hormone levels (luteinizing hormone, follicle‐stimulating hormone, and total testosterone) of the patients with chromosomal anomalies other than KS were comparable to those of the patients with normal karyotype. The sperm retrieval rate of the patients with 46,XY karyotype, KS, or other chromosomal anomalies were 27.1%, 22.5%, and 15.4%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. However, among the samples collected from the 13 patients with chromosomal anomalies other than KS, only those from the two patients with the normal variant 46,XY,inv(9)(p12;q13) contained spermatozoa. Among our series of NOA patients, the incidence of autosomal anomalies was higher than that generally noted among neonates, which suggests that not only sex‐chromosomal anomalies but also autosomal anomalies may affect the development of NOA. Furthermore, our findings suggest that sperm retrieval outcome is more unfavorable in NOA patients with chromosomal anomalies than in NOA patients with 46,XY karyotype or KS, despite the use of micro‐TESE.
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