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Background: This study investigated the characteristics of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) dynamics when androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI), or vintage agent (bicalutamide) was used for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC)., Patients and Methods: A total of 213 mHSPC patients from each of the ARSI and bicalutamide groups treated between 2015 and 2022 were selected from multiple institutions using propensity score-matched analysis to align backgrounds. PSA progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. PSA level at 3 months, PSA nadir level, and time to PSA nadir were examined to analyze of PSA kinetics., Results: ARSI treatment significantly improved PSA PFS compared to bicalutamide (P = 0.0063), although no significant difference in OS was seen (P = 0.3134). No significant differences were observed between treatment groups in median PSA levels at 3 months (1.47 vs 0.52 ng/ml, P = 0.3042) or PSA nadir levels (0.263 vs 0.1345 ng/ml, P = 0.1228). Bicalutamide treatment demonstrated longer time to nadir than ARSI in progression-free cases (median: 243 vs 213.5 days, P = 0.0003). Survival tree analysis found that PSA nadir ≤ 1.5 ng/ml and time to nadir ≥ 145 days were the optimal cut-offs for best stratifying OS with bicalutamide, while PSA nadir ≤ 0.45 ng/ml and time to nadir ≥ 70 days were optimal with ARSI., Conclusion: No significant differences in PSA response was seen between groups; however, distinct optimal cut-offs were demonstrated for PSA nadir and time to nadir. The present findings will be useful for optimal PSA monitoring for mHSPC patients and for early identification of poor-prognosis populations., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethical approval: The protocol for this research project has been approved by a suitably constituted ethics committee of the institution, and it conforms to the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chiba University Hospital (M10238) and Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital (RIN750-2571)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Radical cystectomy in women generally includes the removal of the uterus, ovaries, and anterior vaginal wall, but the criteria for reproductive organ sparing are not clear., Methods: A total of 2674 patients with bladder cancer were retrospectively reviewed, having undergone cystectomy at this nationwide multicenter from January 2013 to December 2019. We evaluated the incidence of malignancy in reproductive organs in a cohort of 417 women and analyzed the clinicopathological features of reproductive organ involvement. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival were reported using Kaplan-Meier survival curves., Results: Median follow-up was 36.9 months. Of the 417 patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, 325 underwent hysterectomy, and 92 had a spared uterus and anterior wall of the vagina. Twenty-nine (8.9%) patients exhibited reproductive organ involvement; this consisted of 22 (6.8%) uteri, 16 (4.9%) vaginas, and two (0.6%) ovaries. Incidental primary reproductive malignancies were found in only two (0.6%) patients. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival were significantly shorter in patients with reproductive organ involvement than in those without. Patients with reproductive organ involvement were more likely to have tumors with ≥ cT3 or sub-localization at the posterior/trigone/bladder neck., Conclusions: The risk of reproductive organ involvement cannot be ignored in women undergoing radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, therefore, the eligibility criteria for reproductive organ preservation should be considered carefully., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethical approval: This study was approved by the institutional review board of Kagawa University. The reference number is 2021-140. Informed consent: The opt-out method was used to obtain consent from the participants using posters and/or websites., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japan Society of Clinical Oncology.)

Objectives: This study aims to develop a prognostic model that estimates the post-operative risk of cancer-specific mortality in patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy (RC)., Methods: We analyzed the data from patients with bladder cancer who had undergone radical cystectomy without receiving adjuvant chemotherapy across 36 institutions in the Japan Urological Oncology Group. The data were randomly split into training (N = 1348) and validation sets (N = 674) in a 2:1 ratio. Twenty-five variables were analyzed, and a multivariable Cox regression model predicting cancer-specific mortality was developed and validated. Prognostic scores were categorized into good and poor prognostic groups based on the upper tertile. The performance of the model was compared against the CheckMate 274 risk classification as a reference, which is used for determining the indication of adjuvant nivolumab therapy., Results: The final model incorporated eight variables. In the validation set, it outperformed the CheckMate 274 risk classification with superior time-dependent area under the curves (5-year: 0.81 vs. 0.67) and was well-calibrated. Furthermore, our model reclassified 27.8% of patients categorized as high-risk by the CheckMate 274 risk classification into the good prognosis group., Conclusions: We developed and validated a prognostic model for patients with bladder cancer who underwent RC. This model will be beneficial in identifying patients with poor prognosis and those who are potential candidates for clinical trials of adjuvant therapy., (© 2024 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NIVO+IPI) has a long-term response rate of 30% for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). However, 20% of patients develop primary resistant disease (PRD) to NIVO+IPI and show poor survival outcomes. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of PRD as a second-line treatment in patients with mRCC. The data used in this multi-institutional, retrospective cohort were collected between August 2015 and January 2023. In total, 189 patients with mRCC were treated with NIVO+IPI and then with a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Associations between PRD and progression-free survival of second-line treatment (PFS), progression-free survival 2 (PFS2), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. The median age at NIVO+IPI initiation was 67 years in the male-dominant population (n = 140, 74.1%), and most patients had clear cell histology (n = 140, 74.1%). PRD was recorded in 42 (22.2%) of 189 patients during NIVO+IPI therapy. Patients who experienced PRD showed poor PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.788; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.176-2.718; p = 0.007), PFS2 (HR, 4.127; 95% CI, 2.649-6.431; p < 0.001), and OS (HR, 3.330; 95% CI, 2.040-5.437; p < 0.001). Before starting second-line therapy, patients with PRD tended to have a poor performance status compared with non-PRD patients and a higher IMDC risk. Second-line drug therapy was not associated with treatment outcomes in patients with PRD. PRD in patients with mRCC receiving NIVO+IPI as first-line treatment was associated with poor clinical course, even with second-line therapy., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Objectives: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is shown to have a tendency for late recurrence, occurring 5 or more years after curative surgery. Imaging diagnosis is required for follow-up, and there is no definitive answer as to how long this should continue. Some patients discontinue follow-up visits at their own discretion. How best to predict late recurrence and loss to follow-up (LF) remains unclear., Patients and Methods: This study targeted patients diagnosed with non-metastatic RCC who underwent either radical or partial nephrectomy at Chiba University Hospital between 1988 and 2021. Follow-up for patients with RCC is typically lifelong. We used random survival forests (RSFs), a machine learning-based survival analysis method, to predict late recurrence and LF. For verification of prediction accuracy, we applied the time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (t-AUC). To analyse the risks of late recurrence and LF, SurvSHAP(t) and partial dependence plots were used., Results: We analysed 1051 cases in this study. Median follow-up was 58.5 (range: 0-376) months. The predictive accuracy of recurrence using RSF was t-AUC 0.806, 0.761, 0.674 and 0.566 at 60, 120, 180 and 240 months postoperatively, respectively. The recurrence risk impact showed a time-dependent increase up to approximately 50 months postoperatively. Beyond 50 months, there were no distinct risk factors characteristic of late recurrence. The predictive accuracy of LF using RSF was t-AUC 0.542, 0.699, 0.685, 0.628 and 0.674 at 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 months postoperatively, respectively. The risk of LF increased with advancing age beyond 70 years., Conclusion: It is difficult to identify factors that predict late recurrence. For long-term follow-up observation, it is essential to pay particular attention to patients with RCC aged 70 years and above. Establishing frameworks to facilitate collaboration with local hospitals near patients' residences and providing care within the community is necessary., Competing Interests: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). BJUI Compass published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of BJU International Company.)

Objectives: To determine the effects of prophylactic urethrectomy (PU) on oncological and perioperative outcomes in patients with bladder cancer (BC) undergoing radical cystectomy (RC)., Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data on 1976 evaluable patients with BC who underwent RC. Patients were drawn from 36 institutions within the Japanese Urological Oncology Group. Oncological outcomes were compared using restricted mean survival times (RMSTs) based on inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves for non-urinary tract recurrence-free survival (NUTRFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Interaction terms within IPTW-adjusted Cox regression models were examined to assess the heterogeneity of treatment effect based on the risk of urethral recurrence (UR). The association between PU, estimated blood loss (EBL), and the incidence of severe postoperative surgical complications (SPSCs) (Clavien-Dindo grade 3 or higher) was analyzed., Results: Of 1976 patients, 1448 (73.3%) received PU. IPTW adjustment was used to balance baseline characteristics between the treatment groups. Within the 107-month window of patient monitoring, PU showed no survival benefits (NUTRFS difference: 0.2 months [95% confidence interval: -6.8 to 7.3]; CSS, 1.2 [-4.9 to 7.3]; OS, 0 [-6.5 to 6.5]). No significant interactions were observed with factors associated with UR, and PU was associated with unfavorable perioperative outcomes (EBL, 1179 mL vs. 983 mL; SPSC, 14.6% vs. 7.0%)., Conclusions: This study showed that (1) PU was not associated with survival in patients with BC undergoing RC, regardless of UR-associated factors, and (2) PU was associated with unfavorable perioperative outcomes., (© 2024 The Japanese Urological Association.)

A scoring system to discriminate between uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis is beneficial to determine the optimal treatment for acute appendicitis. We developed a scoring system to discriminate between uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis and assessed the clinical usefulness of the scoring system using external validation. A total of 299 patients with acute appendicitis were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred and ninety-nine patients were assigned to the model development group, while the other 100 patients were assigned to an external validation group. A scoring system for complicated appendicitis was created using a final multivariate logistic regression model with six independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the scoring system was 0.882 (95% confidence interval: 0.835-0.929). The cutoff point of the scoring system was 12, and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.9% and 86.2%, respectively. In the external validation group, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the scoring system was 0.868 (95% confidence interval 0.794-0.942), and there was no significant difference between the groups in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (P = 0.750). Our newly developed scoring system may contribute to prompt determination of the optimal treatment for acute appendicitis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To analyse the impact of histological discordance of subtypes (subtypes or divergent differentiation [DD]) in specimens from transurethral resection (TUR) and radical cystectomy (RC) on the outcome of the patients with bladder cancer receiving RC., Patients and Methods: We analysed data for 2570 patients from a Japanese nationwide cohort with bladder cancer treated with RC between January 2013 and December 2019 at 36 institutions. The non-urinary tract recurrence-free survival (NUTR-FS) and overall survival (OS) stratified by TUR or RC specimen histology were determined. We also elucidated the predictive factors for OS in patients with subtype/DD bladder cancer., Results: At median follow-up of 36.9 months, 835 (32.4%) patients had NUTR, and 691 (26.9%) died. No statistically significant disparities in OS or NUTR-FS were observed when TUR specimens were classified as pure-urothelial carcinoma (UC), subtypes, DD, or non-UC. Among 2449 patients diagnosed with pure-UC or subtype/DD in their TUR specimens, there was discordance between the pathological diagnosis in TUR and RC specimens. Histological subtypes in RC specimens had a significant prognostic impact. When we focused on 345 patients with subtype/DD in TUR specimens, a multivariate Cox regression analysis identified pre-RC neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and pathological stage as independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.016 and P = 0.001, respectively). The presence of sarcomatoid subtype in TUR specimens and lymphovascular invasion in RC specimens had a marginal effect (P = 0.069 and P = 0.056, respectively)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of subtype/DD in RC specimens but not in TUR specimens indicated a poor prognosis. In patients with subtype/DD in TUR specimens, pre-RC neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and pathological stage were independent prognostic factors for OS., (© 2024 BJU International.)

Combination therapy of nivolumab and ipilimumab (NIVO + IPI) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has shown efficacy, but approximately 20% of patients experience disease progression in the early stages of treatment. No useful biomarkers have been reported to date. Therefore, it is desirable to identify biomarkers to predict treatment responses in advance. We examined the tumor microenvironment (TME)-related gene expression in mRCC patients treated with NIVO + IPI, between the response and non-response groups, using tumor tissues, before administering NIVO + IPI. In TME-related genes, TNFSF9 expression was identified as a candidate for the predictive biomarker. Its expression discriminated between the response and non-response groups with 88.89% sensitivity and 87.50% specificity (AUC = 0.9444). We further analyzed the roles of TNFSF9 in TME using bioinformatics from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. An adaptive immune response was activated in the TNFSF9 -high-expression tumors. Indeed, T follicular helper cells, plasma B cells, and tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells were increased in the tumors, which indicates the promotion of humoral immunity due to enhanced T-B interactions. However, as the number of regulatory T cells (Treg) increased in the tumors, the percentage of dysfunctional T cells also increased. This suggests that not only PD-1 but also CTLA-4 inhibition may have suppressed Treg activation and improved the therapeutic effect in the TNFSF9 high-expression tumors. Therefore, TNFSF9 may predict the therapeutic efficacy of NIVO + IPI for mRCC and allow more appropriate patient selection., Competing Interests: Chia-Ling Wu and Yi-Hua Jan were employed by ACT Genomics, Co. Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is specifically expressed in many malignancies, contributes to the transport of essential amino acids, such as leucine, and regulates the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. We investigated the expression profile and functional role of LAT1 in prostate cancer using JPH203, a specific inhibitor of LAT1. LAT1 was highly expressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells, including C4-2 and PC-3 cells, but its expression level was low in castration-sensitive LNCaP cells. JPH203 significantly inhibited [ 14 C] leucine uptake in CRPC cells but had no effect in LNCaP cells. JPH203 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRPC cells but not of LNCaP cells. In C4-2 cells, Cluster of differentiation (CD) 24 was identified by RNA sequencing as a novel downstream target of JPH203. CD24 was downregulated in a JPH203 concentration-dependent manner and suppressed activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Furthermore, an in vivo study showed that JPH203 inhibited the proliferation of C4-2 cells in a castration environment. The results of this study indicate that JPH203 may exert its antitumor effect in CRPC cells via mTOR and CD24., (© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

The prognostic significance of unconventional histology (UH) subtypes including intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P), ductal adenocarcinoma, and cribriform pattern has been investigated for prostate cancer (PCa). However, little is known about magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and the oncological impact of tumor localization in localized PCa with UH. Clinical data of 211 patients with acinar adenocarcinoma (conventional histology [CH]) and 82 patients with UH who underwent robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) were reviewed. Patients with UH are more likely to be older and have higher Gleason grade group, higher Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) v2.1 score, and larger tumor volume (TV) than those with CH. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of UH as an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ration (HR) 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.79, P = 0.0073). No significant difference in PFS was seen regarding tumor localization (transition zone [TZ] or peripheral zone [PZ]) in patients with UH (P = 0.8949), whereas PZ cancer showed shorter PFS in patients with CH (P = 0.0174). PCa with UH was associated with higher progression than PCa with CH among resection margin (RM)-negative cases (P < 0.0001). Further, increased PI-RADS v2.1 score did not correlate with larger TV in UH (P = 0.991), whereas a significant difference in TV was observed in CH (P < 0.0001). The prognostic significance of UH tumor was independent of tumor localization, and shorter PFS was observed even in RM-negative cases, indicating an aggressive subtype with micro-metastatic potential. Furthermore, UH tumors are more likely to harbor a large TV despite PI-RADS v2.1 score ≤ 3. These findings will help optimal perioperative management for PCa with UH., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma often occurs in older adults, who often also have urinary dysfunction. The residual urine volume is an important indicator of urinary dysfunction. However, the impact of the residual urine volume on intravesical recurrence remains unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the data of 372 patients at high or very high risk of cancer progression according to the Japanese Urological Association classification who had undergone transurethral resection of a bladder tumor. In univariate analysis, postoperative absence of intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) induction was an independent risk factor for intravesical recurrence (hazard ratio 1.94, absence versus presence, p = 0.0019). The incidence of intravesical recurrence did not significantly differ between the mild, intermediate, and severe residual urine groups in the total cohort. Among the BCG-treated cohort, the three groups showed similar trends. Among the non-BCG-treated cohort, although the patients with more than 100 ml of residual urine tended to have more intravesical recurrence than patients with a smaller residual urine volume, this difference did not reach statistical significance. BCG treatment is recommended for patients at high risk of bladder carcinoma. Patients with a large residual urine volume without BCG treatment may be at high risk of intravesical recurrence., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Review Board, Chiba University issued approval 2554. Informed consent was obtained by the opt-out method. The need for patient consent was waived because this study was a retrospective review of medical practice covered by health insurance. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: This research was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (grant number 22K09494 to TS). Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Murakami et al.)

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prognostic outcomes in mRCC patients receiving second-line TKI following first-line IO combination therapy., Methods: This study retrospectively included 243 mRCC patients receiving second-line TKI after first-line IO combination therapy: nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 189, IO-IO group) and either pembrolizumab plus axitinib or avelumab plus axitinib (n = 54, IO-TKI group). Oncological outcomes between the two groups were compared, and prognostication systems were developed for these patients., Results: In the IO-IO and IO-TKI groups, the objective response rates to second-line TKI were 34.4% and 25.9% (p = 0.26), the median PFS periods were 9.7 and 7.1 months (p = 0.79), and the median OS periods after the introduction of second-line TKI were 23.1 and 33.5 months (p = 0.93), respectively. Among the several factors examined, non-CCRCC, high CRP, and low albumin levels were identified as independent predictors of both poor PFS and OS by multivariate analyses. It was possible to precisely classify the patients into 3 risk groups regarding both PFS and OS according to the positive numbers of the independent prognostic factors. Furthermore, the c-indices of this study were superior to those of previous systems as follows: 0.75, 0.64, and 0.61 for PFS prediction and 0.76, 0.70, and 0.65 for OS prediction by the present, IMDC, and MSKCC systems, respectively., Conclusions: There were no significant differences in the prognostic outcomes after introducing second-line TKI between the IO-IO and IO-TKI groups, and the histopathology, CRP and albumin levels had independent impacts on the prognosis in mRCC patients receiving second-line TKI, irrespective of first-line IO combination therapies., (© 2024 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors and enfortumab vedotin have opened new avenues for sequential treatment strategies for locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC). In the pre-enfortumab vedotin era, many patients could not receive third-line treatment owing to rapid disease progression and poor general status. This study aimed to analyze real-world sequential treatment practices for la/mUC in Japan, with a focus on patients who do not receive third-line treatment., Methods: We analyzed data for 1023 la/mUC patients diagnosed between January 2020 and December 2021 at 54 institutions from a Japanese nationwide cohort., Results: At the median follow-up of 28.5 months, the median overall survival from first-line initiation for 905 patients who received systemic anticancer treatment was 19.1 months. Among them, 81% and 32% received second- and third-line treatment. Notably, 52% had their treatment terminated before the opportunity for third-line treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that low performance status (≥1), elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (≥3), and low body mass index (<21 kg/m 2 ) at the start of first-line treatment were independent risk factors for not proceeding to third-line treatment (p = 0.0024, 0.0069, and 0.0058, respectively). In this cohort, 33% had one of these factors, 36% had two, and 15% had all three., Conclusions: This study highlights the high frequency of factors associated with poor tolerance to anticancer treatment in la/mUC patients. The findings suggest the need to establish optimal sequential treatment strategies, maximizing efficacy within time and tolerance constraints, while concurrently providing strong supportive care, considering immunological and nutritional aspects., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Urology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Urological Association.)

Objective: To determine whether Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressings containing ionic silver are superior to film dressings for preventing superficial surgical site infections (SSI) in patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery., Background: Multiple clinical trials have assessed the effectiveness of silver-containing wound dressings; however, systematic reviews failed to find any advantages of these dressings and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to indicate that they prevented wound infections. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressings for preventing superficial SSIs in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery., Methods: Patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery were randomly assigned to receive either Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber (study group) or film dressings (control group). The primary end point was superficial SSI within 30 days after surgery (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry ID: 000043081)., Results: A total of 865 patients (427 study group, 438 control group) were qualified for primary end-point analysis. The overall rate of superficial SSIs was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (6.8% vs 11.4%, P = 0.019). There was no significant difference in superficial SSI rates between the groups in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal surgery; however, the rate was significantly lower in the study group in patients undergoing lower gastrointestinal surgery ( P = 0.042). Multivariate analysis identified Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressings as an independent factor for reducing superficial SSIs (odds ratio, 0.602; 95% confidence interval, 0.367-0.986; P = 0.044)., Conclusions: Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressings can reduce superficial SSIs compared to film dressings in patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery, especially lower gastrointestinal surgery., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1, SLC7A5) is an amino acid transporter expressed in various carcinomas, and it is postulated to play an important role in the proliferation of cancer cells through the uptake of essential amino acids. Cabazitaxel is a widely used anticancer drug for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC); however, its effectiveness is lost when cancer cells acquire drug resistance. In this study, we investigated the expression of LAT1 and the effects of a LAT1-specific inhibitor, JPH203, in cabazitaxel-resistant prostate cancer cells. LAT1 was more highly expressed in the cabazitaxel-resistant strains than in the normal strains. Administration of JPH203 inhibited the growth, migration, and invasive ability of cabazitaxel-resistant strains in vitro. Phosphoproteomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to comprehensively investigate changes in phosphorylation due to JPH203 administration revealed that cell cycle-related pathways were affected by JPH203, and that JPH203 significantly reduced the kinase activity of cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 2. Moreover, JPH203 inhibited the proliferation of cabazitaxel-resistant cells in vivo. Taken together, the present study results suggest that LAT1 might be a valuable therapeutic target in cabazitaxel-resistant prostate cancer., (© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Background/aim: The prognostic significance of androgen receptor amplification (AR amp) in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) was studied in Japanese patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)., Patients and Methods: A total of 120 serum samples were obtained from 38 patients with CRPC. Serum cfDNA was purified and the AR copy number was determined. Factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were statistically investigated., Results: The number of patients administered enzalutamide (Enza)/abiraterone (Abi)/docetaxel (DTX) was 33/25/11, respectively. The median PSA was 16.5 ng/ml. Thirty patients (79%) had bone metastases and three patients (7.9%) had lung metastases. The median follow-up was 655 days. The median initial AR copy number was 1.27 (1.10-11.50); an AR copy number of 1.27 or higher was defined as an AR-amp. Regarding PFS, the presence of AR-amp, Gleason score (GS), and ALP were significant factors in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, AR amplification was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio=7.7, p=0.0035). For OS, PSA and AR-amp were significant factors. In multivariate analysis, AR-amp (hazard ratio=4.65, p=0.0188) was the only independent prognostic factor., Conclusion: AR-amp was associated with high nadir PSA and low iPSA/PSA ratio. AR-amp was significantly associated with poor prognosis in Japanese patients with CRPC., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Ampullary adenomas are premalignant lesions. However, biliary obstruction causing jaundice is rare. Duodenal intussusception secondary to an ampullary adenoma rarely occurs because of the fixed position of the duodenum in the retroperitoneum. Herein, we have described a rare case of ampullary adenoma with jaundice caused by duodenal intussusception., Case Presentation: A 40-year-old woman presenting with vomiting and yellowish discoloration of the skin was admitted to another hospital. The patient had experienced recurrent epigastric pain and vomiting for the past 18 months. Blood test results showed elevated levels of bilirubin (3.9 mg/dL), and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a 60-mm hypovascular mass in the third part of the duodenum and a left lateral shift of the dilated common bile duct. The patient was referred to our hospital for further evaluation. She recovered from hyperbilirubinemia spontaneously (levels of bilirubin, 1.0 mg/dL), and the CT showed a tumor shift from the third part of the duodenum to the second part and improvement of the dilated common bile duct. Hypotonic duodenography revealed a tumor that moved easily from the second to the third portion of the patient's position. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a large papillary tumor occupying the second part of the duodenum, which was diagnosed as an adenoma through biopsy. The possibility of malignancy could not be negated owing to the presence of jaundice and an elevated carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level (76.0 U/mL). Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. The resected specimen showed a 60 × 40 × 40-mm pedunculated ampullary mass with submucosal elongation. The pathological examination indicated that the ampullary tumor was a high-grade intestinal adenoma. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 26 days postoperatively., Conclusions: This report describes a rare case of a patient with an ampullary adenoma presenting with jaundice resulting from duodenal intussusception. Owing to the possibility of a postoperative cancer diagnosis which may have caused the biliary obstruction and the difficulty in making an accurate preoperative diagnosis, it is imperative to choose the appropriate surgical procedure such as a pancreaticoduodenectomy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Itaconic acid is a promising biochemical building block that can be used in polymer synthesis. Itaconic acid is currently produced in industry by the natural producer fungus Aspergillus terreus using glucose as a main carbon source. Most research for itaconic acid production using lignocellulosic-based carbon sources was carried out by A. terreus. Engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum strain which can grow in presence of fermentation inhibitors without effect on growth, was used for production of itaconic acid using sweet sorghum juice and bagasse sugar lysate (BSL). BSL contains many inhibitors unlike sorghum juice. C. glutamicum could grow in the media containing both types of lignocellulose-based carbon sources without showing any growth inhibition, however, sorghum juice was better in itaconic acid production than BSL. Different constructed strains of C. glutamicum were used for itaconic acid production, however, C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 pCH-Tad1 opt Adi1 opt strain expressing Adi1/Tad1 genes (trans-pathway) from Ustilago maydis proved to be better in itaconic acid production giving final titer of 8.4 and 4.02 g/L using sweet sorghum juice and BSL as the sole carbon sources by fed-batch fermentation. Our study is the first for production of itaconic acid using sweet sorghum juice and BSL. The present study also proved that C. glutamicum can be used for enhancing itaconic acid production using lignocellulosic-based carbon sources., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the prognostic value of Prostate imaging-reporting and data system (PI-RADS) v2.1 scoring system in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP)., Patients and Methods: Clinical data of 294 patients who received RP between 2006 and 2018 were reviewed and multiple parameters including PI-RADS v2.1 score were employed to identify predictive factors for biochemical recurrence (BCR). Tumor volume was calculated from prostatectomy specimens., Results: Median age at operation and initial PSA level were 67 years old and 7.68 ng/ml, respectively. 44.9 and 24.8% of patients were diagnosed with PI-RADS score 4 and 5 prior to biopsies, respectively. BCR was observed in 17% of patients and median observation period was 63.43 months. After multivariate analysis, PI-RADS v2.1 score 5 [hazard ratio (HR)=2.24, p=0.0124] was an independent predictive factor of BCR in addition to clinical T stage (≥2c) (HR=2.32, p=0.0093) and biopsy Gleason score (≥8) (HR=2.81, p=0.0007). Furthermore, PI-RADS score 5 significantly stratified the prognosis in D'Amico intermediate- and high-risk groups (p=0.0174 and p=0.0013, respectively). We established novel risk classifications including PI-RADS v2.1 score and found that prognostic capabilities were improved as compared to the D'Amico classification., Conclusion: The PI-RADS v2.1 score exhibited significant prognostic value in patients with localized prostate cancer following RP. Risk classifications based on PI-RADS v2.1 score might provide better ability for predicting oncological outcomes as compared to the D'Amico classification system., (Copyright © 2023 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) based on the serum albumin level and the lymphocyte count has been investigated as a prognostic factor in patients with malignant tumors. However, it has been poorly studied in prostate cancer (PCa), and little is known about its clinical utility., Methods: Clinical data of 353 patients with de novo, metastatic, hormone-sensitive PCa (mHSPC) who received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) were obtained from multiple institutions between 2000 and 2019. The impacts of the pretreatment PNI level on treatment response and survival, together with clinical parameters, were examined. The Mann-Whitney U test, Cox proportional hazards models, and Kaplan-Meier methods were used to evaluate significance., Results: The median age and initial prostate-specific antigen level were 73 and 266.18 ng/mL, respectively. Patients with a low PNI had shorter progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, low PNI was an independent prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.0027, HR = 1.65), as well as advanced age (p = 0.049, HR = 1.38), the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade group (GG) 5 (p = 0.0027, HR = 1.69), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p < 0.0001, HR = 2.08). A propensity score-matching analysis showed that the PNI level remained a significant prognostic biomarker for PFS (p = 0.0263), CSS (p = 0.0006), and OS (p = 0.0015). Furthermore, a novel risk classification using PNI, LDH, and the ISUP GG was established to stratify patients' prognosis. An increase in the number of risk factors was significantly correlated with poor outcomes., Conclusions: A low pretreatment PNI might be an effective biomarker of poor treatment response and survival in patients with mHSPC undergoing ADT., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Immuno-oncology (IO) combination therapy is utilized as a first-line systemic treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma. However, evidence supporting the use of cabozantinib after IO combination therapy is lacking. We retrospectively analyzed patients who received second-line cabozantinib after IO combination therapy using the Japanese Urological Oncology Group (JUOG) database. In total, 254 patients were enrolled in the JUOG global study, and 118 patients who received second-line cabozantinib comprised the study cohort. The objective response rate, disease control rate, second-line cabozantinib progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival from second-line for overall were 32%, 75%, 10.5 months, and not reached, respectively, for first-line IO-IO therapy were 37%, 77%, 11.1 months, and not reached, respectively, versus 24%, 71%, 8.3 months, and not reached, respectively, for first-line IO-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. In univariate and multivariate analyses, discontinuation of first-line treatment because of progressive disease and liver metastasis were independent risk factors for PFS. All-grade adverse events occurred in 72% of patients, and grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 28% of patients. Second line-cabozantinib after first-line IO combination therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma was expected to be effective after either IO-IO or IO-TKI treatment and feasible in real-world practice., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background/aim: Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD)-assisted transurethral resection of a bladder tumor (PDD-TURBT) in a patient receiving 5-aminolevulinic acid improved the detection of micro- and flat lesions of the bladder. This study used real-world data in Japan to examine the diagnostic accuracy of PDD-assisted targeted biopsies and white-light (WL) random biopsies and reevaluated the necessity of random biopsies., Patients and Methods: A total of 133 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer who underwent TURBT from April 2020 to March 2022 were included in the study. Biopsy specimens obtained from 407 flat lesions or normal-like lesions, excluding biopsies from elevated lesions and TUR specimens, were used to analyze diagnostic accuracy in PDD and WL findings., Results: The respective sensitivities, specificities, and negative predictive values of PDD vs. WL findings were 81.4% vs. 54.0% (p=0.0039), 70.4% vs. 81.4% (p=0.0012), and 96.4% vs. 90.6% (p=0.0144), indicating that PDD was useful for a diagnosis of exclusion. Combining the PDD and WL findings improved the detection of malignant flat lesions. Ten (PDD-positive and WL-negative) specimens from 9 patients were diagnosed as malignant. The results of PDD-assisted targeted biopsy provided an accurate assessment of the risk classification for recurrence and progression of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) as defined by the Japanese Urological Association (JUA) guidelines., Conclusion: For NMIBC treatment, a more accurate diagnosis is important for postoperative treatment decisions. PDD-assisted targeted biopsy may be necessary and sufficient for diagnosis of flat lesions in patients with bladder cancer for treatment decision making based on JUA risk classification., (Copyright © 2023 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

An improved reading agreement rate has been reported in version 2.1 (v2.1) of the Prostate Imaging and Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) compared with earlier versions. To determine the predictive efficacy of bi-parametric MRI (bp-MRI) for biochemical recurrence (BCR), our study assessed PI-RADS v2.1 score and tumor location in Japanese prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 299 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy at Chiba University Hospital between 2006 and 2018. The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level before surgery was 7.6 ng/mL. Preoperative PI-RADS v2.1 categories were 1-2, 3, 4, and 5 in 35, 56, 138, and 70 patients, respectively. Tumor location on preoperative MRI was 107 in the transition zone (TZ) and 192 in the peripheral zone (PZ). BCR-free survival was significantly shorter in the PZ group (p = 0.001). In the total prostatectomy specimens, preoperative PI-RADS category 5, radiological tumor location, pathological seminal vesicle invasion, and Grade Group ≥ 3 were independent prognostic factors of BCR. These four risk factors have significant potential to stratify patients and predict prognosis. Radiological tumor location and PI-RADS v2.1 category using bp-MRI may enable prediction of BCR following radical prostatectomy., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (intraductal carcinoma) and significant cancer (SC) in patients with small tumor volume (<0.5 cm 3 ) in prostatectomy specimens., Methods: Data from 639 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy between April 2006 and December 2017 at Chiba University Hospital and 2 affiliated institutions were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor volume in prostatectomy specimens was measured, and with a tumor volume of less than 0.5 cm 3 , the presence of intraductal carcinoma and SC was examined. SC was defined as one that did not meet the definition of pathological insignificant cancer (organ-confined cancer, Grade Group 1, tumor volume < 0.5 cm 3 ). The number of patients who met four active surveillance (AS) protocols was also examined., Results: A total of 83 patients with tumor volume < 0.5 cm 3 were identified in this study population (SC: 43 patients [52%], intraductal carcinoma: 5 patients [6%]). The median follow-up was 34.6 months (range: 18-57 months). Four (5%) developed biochemical recurrence. The number of positive biopsy cores ≥ 2 was an independent predictor of SC in patients with tumor volume < 0.5 cm 3 (hazard ratio: 4.39; 95% confidence interval: 1.67-11.56; p = 0.003). In tumor volume < 0.5 cm 3 , tumor volume was significantly correlated with the International Society of Urological Pathology Grade Group (1 vs. 4-5, p = 0.002) and the presence of intraductal carcinoma (p = 0.004). In intraductal carcinoma-positive cases, four of five patients (80%) had the predictor of SC, which was two or more positive biopsy cores. Of the four AS protocols, the criteria for Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance were met most frequently in 46 cases (55%) of tumor volume less than 0.5 cm 3 if targeted biopsy by magnetic resonance imaging was available., Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that intraductal carcinoma was present even in cases with small tumor volumes. Grade Group and intraductal carcinoma showed a positive correlation with tumor volume., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Machine learning technology is expected to support diagnosis and prognosis prediction in medicine. We used machine learning to construct a new prognostic prediction model for prostate cancer patients based on longitudinal data obtained from age at diagnosis, peripheral blood and urine tests of 340 prostate cancer patients. Random survival forest (RSF) and survival tree were used for machine learning. In the time-series prognostic prediction model for metastatic prostate cancer patients, the RSF model showed better prediction accuracy than the conventional Cox proportional hazards model for almost all time periods of progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Based on the RSF model, we created a clinically applicable prognostic prediction model using survival trees for OS and CSS by combining the values of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) before starting treatment and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at 120 days after treatment. Machine learning provides useful information for predicting the prognosis of metastatic prostate cancer prior to treatment intervention by considering the nonlinear and combined impacts of multiple features. The addition of data after the start of treatment would allow for more precise prognostic risk assessment of patients and would be beneficial for subsequent treatment selection., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Male infertility is partially caused by an inappropriate lifestyle and comorbidities. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence of these factors and the effects of lifestyle modifications as part of male preconception care., Methods: Four hundred and two male partners of couples seeking conception with abnormal parameters upon the first semen analysis were enrolled. They were advised to modify their inappropriate lifestyle as male preconception care. Afterward, their general and male reproductive health was examined. Semen quality was compared before and after the promotion., Results: Smoking, chronic alcohol use, and genital heat stress were found in 22.6%, 47.0%, and 75.1% of patients, respectively. Palpable varicoceles, hypogonadism, obesity (body mass index ≧30 kg/m 2 ), hypertension, zinc deficiency, hyperlipidemia, liver dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus were found in 25.9%, 17.0%, 7.0%, 14.9%, 16.2%, 37.0%, 26.9% and 3.4% of the participants, respectively; 98.8% of the patients had at least one factor. After the promotion, semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation were improved significantly. Improvement was found in those with palpable varicocele or hypogonadism but not in those with night work shift, abstinence (>3 days), erectile dysfunction, hypertension, obesity, zinc deficiency, or diabetes mellitus., Conclusions: Comorbidities and inappropriate lifestyle choices were common among men with infertility. The promotion of lifestyle modifications as part of male preconception care could improve semen quality without urologic intervention., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The L-type amino acid transporter (LAT) family contains four members, LAT1~4, which are important amino acid transporters. They mainly transport specific amino acids through cell membranes, provide nutrients to cells, and are involved in a variety of metabolic pathways. They regulate the mTOR signaling pathway which has been found to be strongly linked to cancer in recent years. However, in the field of prostate cancer (PCa), the LAT family is still in the nascent stage of research, and the importance of LATs in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer is still unknown. Therefore, this article aims to report the role of LATs in prostate cancer and their clinical significance and application. LATs promote the progression of prostate cancer by increasing amino acid uptake, activating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and downstream signals, mediating castration-resistance, promoting tumor angiogenesis, and enhancing chemotherapy resistance. The importance of LATs as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for prostate cancer was emphasized and the latest research results were introduced. In addition, we introduced selective LAT1 inhibitors, including JPH203 and OKY034, which showed excellent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of various tumor cells. This is the future direction of amino acid transporter targeting therapy drugs.

Some researchers have found that preoperative pyuria is a risk factor for recurrence after transurethral resection of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. However, to our knowledge, none have clarified the risks associated with pyuria according to bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment status. We retrospectively selected patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer according to Japanese Urological Association guidelines. Pyuria was defined as ≥10 white blood cells per high-powered field. We analyzed recurrence-free rates (RFS) in 424 patients who had and had not undergone BCG treatment. The median duration of follow-up was 45.2 months. According to multivariate analysis, postoperative intravesical BCG induction and preoperative pyuria were independent risk factors for intravesical recurrence in the whole study cohort. We found no significant risk factors for recurrence in the BCG-treated group ( n = 179). In the non-BCG-treated group ( n = 245), patients with pyuria were much more frequently female and more often had T1 disease than patients without pyuria. According to univariate and multivariate analysis, preoperative pyuria is an independent risk factor for intravesical recurrence. There was no significant difference in the severity of pyuria between the BCG and non-BCG-treated groups. Aggressive BCG treatment may need to be considered in patients with high-risk NMIBC and pyuria.

Objective: To investigate the involvement of pretreatment C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the prognosis of patients who underwent intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)., Methods: The clinicopathological data of 1709 patients with NMIBC who underwent initial intravesical BCG therapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the outcome of intravesical BCG therapy in a multicenter study conducted by the Japan Urological Oncology Group. The prognoses of these patients were analyzed to determine whether the biomarkers (CRP and NLR) could predict the efficacy of intravesical BCG therapy. Patients were divided into two groups according to the pretreatment CRP and NLR, with cutoff values defined as CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl and NLR ≥ 2.5, based on several previous reports., Results: In the univariable analysis, CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl was significantly associated with intravesical recurrence, cancer-specific survival, and bladder cancer (BC) progression, while NLR ≥ 2.5 was not significantly associated with patient prognosis. In the multivariable analysis, CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl was significantly associated with intravesical recurrence and BC progression. The concordance index was used to examine the accuracy in predicting recurrence and progression events. While CRP was slightly, though not statistically significant, inferior to the European Association of Urology risk classification, the combination of them showed improved predictive accuracy., Conclusion: This study suggests that CRP can be a prognostic factor after intravesical BCG therapy and may provide useful data for determining treatment and follow-up strategies for patients with NMIBC., (© 2022 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop. Here we performed molecular genetic analyses of the 'SUGARY FETERITA' (SUF) variety, which shows typical sugary endosperm traits (e.g., wrinkled seeds, accumulation of soluble sugars, and distorted starch). Positional mapping indicated that the corresponding gene was located on the long arm of chromosome 7. Within the candidate region of 3.4 Mb, a sorghum ortholog for maize Su1 ( SbSu ) encoding a starch debranching enzyme ISA1 was found. Sequencing analysis of SbSu in SUF uncovered nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region, containing substitutions of highly conserved amino acids. Complementation of the rice sugary-1 ( osisa1 ) mutant line with the SbSu gene recovered the sugary endosperm phenotype. Additionally, analyzing mutants obtained from an EMS-induced mutant panel revealed novel alleles with phenotypes showing less severe wrinkles and higher Brix scores. These results suggested that SbSu was the corresponding gene for the sugary endosperm. Expression profiles of starch synthesis genes during the grain-filling stage demonstrated that a loss-of-function of SbSu affects the expression of most starch synthesis genes and revealed the fine-tuned gene regulation in the starch synthetic pathway in sorghum. Haplotype analysis using 187 diverse accessions from a sorghum panel revealed the haplotype of SUF showing severe phenotype had not been used among the landraces and modern varieties. Thus, weak alleles (showing sweet and less severe wrinkles), such as in the abovementioned EMS-induced mutants, are more valuable for grain sorghum breeding. Our study suggests that more moderate alleles ( e.g. produced by genome editing) should be beneficial for improving grain sorghum., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hashimoto, Okada, Araki-Nakamura, Ohmae-Shinohara, Miura, Kawaguchi, Ogino, Kasuga and Sazuka.)

Amino acid transporters are responsible for the uptake of amino acids, critical for cell proliferation. L-type amino acid transporters play a major role in the uptake of essential amino acids. L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) exerts its functional properties by forming a dimer with 4F2hc. Utilizing this cancer-specificity, research on diagnostic imaging and therapeutic agents for malignant tumors targeting LAT1 progresses in various fields. In hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, the up-regulation of L-type amino acid transporter 3 (LAT3) through the androgen receptor (AR) has been identified. On the other hand, in castration-resistant prostate cancer, the negative regulation of LAT1 through AR has been determined. Furthermore, 4F2hc: a binding partner of LAT1, was identified as the specific downstream target of Androgen Receptor Splice Variant 7: AR-V7. LAT1 has been suggested to contribute to acquiring castration resistance in prostate cancer, making LAT1 a completely different therapeutic target from anti-androgens and taxanes. Increased expression of LAT1 has also been found in renal and bladder cancers, suggesting a contribution to acquiring malignancy and progression. In Japan, clinical trials of LAT1 inhibitors for solid tumors are in progress, and clinical applications are now underway. This article will summarize the relationship between LAT1 and urological malignancies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The author has no conflict of interest to declare in this work., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

(1) Objective: Our study investigated the prognostic value of tumor volume and location in prostate cancer patients who received radical prostatectomy (RP). (2) Methods: The prognostic significance of tumor volume and location, together with other clinical factors, was studied using 557 patients who received RP. (3) Results: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve identified the optimal cutoff value of tumor volume as 2.8 cc for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR). Cox regression analysis revealed that a tumor in the posterior area (p = 0.031), peripheral zone (p = 0.0472), and tumor volume ≥ 2.8 cc (p < 0.0001) were predictive factors in univariate analysis. After multivariate analysis, tumor volume ≥ 2.8 cc (p = 0.0225) was an independent predictive factor for BCR. Among them, a novel risk model was established using tumor volume and location in the posterior area and peripheral zone. The progression-free survival (PFS) of patients who met the three criteria (unfavorable group) was significantly worse than other groups (p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that the unfavorable risk was an independent prognostic factor for BCR. The prognostic significance of our risk model was observed in low- to intermediate-risk patients, although it was not observed in high-risk patients. (4) Conclusion: Tumor volume (≥2.8 cc) and localization (posterior/peripheral zone) may be a novel prognostic factor in patients undergoing RP.

Background: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy is one of the standard therapies for untreated renal cell carcinoma patients with an International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium intermediate/poor risk. We have previously reported the 1-year analysis results of the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy in the real-world setting in Japan. Here, we report the effectiveness of nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy and of second-line therapy, using 2-year analysis., Methods: This retrospective observational study enrolled Japanese patients with previously untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma who initiated nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy between August 2018 and January 2019. Data were collected from patients' medical records at baseline and at 3 months, 1 year and 2 years after the last enrollment., Results: Of the 45 patients enrolled, 10 patients (22.2%) each had non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥2 at baseline. Median follow-up period was 24.0 months; objective response rate was 41.5%, with 6 patients achieving complete response; median progression-free survival was 17.8 months and 24-month progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 41.6 and 59.1%, respectively. Second-line therapy achieved an objective response rate of 20%; median progression-free survival was 9.8 months. Median progression-free survival 2 was 26.4 months., Conclusions: The effectiveness of nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy at 2-year analysis in the real-world setting in Japan was comparable to that reported in CheckMate 214. The current analysis also demonstrated the effectiveness of second-line therapy after nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: Late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is observed in some postoperative patients. In addition, some of these patients are lost to long-term postoperative follow-up. We reviewed the treatment results and prognosis of postoperative patients with RCC at Chiba University Hospital, with the aim of clarifying the proportion and background of patients lost to follow-up., Methods: This retrospective study included 1176 RCC patients who underwent radical or/and partial nephrectomy. Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and lost follow-up free survival (LFFS) were evaluated and the risk factors for LFFS identified., Results: The median RFS for stage II and II cases was 188.3 and 104.0 months, respectively. Even in stage I, recurrence was observed in about 20% of patients 20 years after surgery. The Kaplan-Meier curve for LFFS showed a linear descent over time, with 50% of patients lost to follow-up within 25 years. Older age (≥ 62 years), histological type (clear cell RCC), and no recurrence were significant risk factors for lost follow-up., Conclusions: Long-term follow-up is necessary after RCC surgery because late recurrence cases are not uncommon. We believe that lifelong follow-up with imaging studies is recommended for postoperative RCC patients. Early detection of recurrence in postoperative patients is a very important issue, and it may be worthwhile for improving the prognosis of postoperative patients to focus on patients lost to follow-up who may have been overlooked., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japan Society of Clinical Oncology.)

A 70-year-old woman underwent a partial mastectomy with preoperative diagnosis of phyllodes tumor. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed noninvasive ductal carcinoma of up to 20 mm in the phyllodes tumor. We note the possibility of a situation in which a phyllodes tumor is accompanied by cancer, and detailed pathological examination is necessary.

Background: Bio-based aromatic compounds are of great interest to the industry, as commercial production of aromatic compounds depends exclusively on the unsustainable use of fossil resources or extraction from plant resources. γ-amino acid 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-AHBA) serves as a precursor for thermostable bioplastics., Results: Under aerobic conditions, a recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum strain KT01 expressing griH and griI genes derived from Streptomyces griseus produced 3,4-AHBA with large amounts of amino acids as by-products. The specific productivity of 3,4-AHBA increased with decreasing levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) and was eightfold higher under oxygen limitation (DO = 0 ppm) than under aerobic conditions (DO ≥ 2.6 ppm). Metabolic profiles during 3,4-AHBA production were compared at three different DO levels (0, 2.6, and 5.3 ppm) using the DO-stat method. Results of the metabolome analysis revealed metabolic shifts in both the central metabolic pathway and amino acid metabolism at a DO of < 33% saturated oxygen. Based on this metabolome analysis, metabolic pathways were rationally designed for oxygen limitation. An ldh deletion mutant, with the loss of lactate dehydrogenase, exhibited 3.7-fold higher specific productivity of 3,4-AHBA at DO = 0 ppm as compared to the parent strain KT01 and produced 5.6 g/L 3,4-AHBA in a glucose fed-batch culture., Conclusions: Our results revealed changes in the metabolic state in response to DO concentration and provided insights into oxygen supply during fermentation and the rational design of metabolic pathways for improved production of related amino acids and their derivatives., (© 2021. The Author(s).)