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Although usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like IP has been known as the most serious complication of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), its pathologic features and pathogenesis are poorly understood. We investigated biopsied and autopsied lung tissues from five patients who died of UIP-like IP associated with HPS (HPSIP). The salient histopathologic features of HPSIP observed were: (1) alveolar septa displaying florid proliferation of type-2 pneumocytes (2PCs) with characteristic foamy swelling/degeneration; (2) patchy fibrosis with lymphocytic and histiocytic infiltration centered around respiratory bronchioles, occasionally showing constrictive bronchiolitis; and (3) honeycomb change without predilection for the lower lobes or subpleural area. Those peculiar 2PCs were histochemically characterized by the over accumulation of phospholipid, immunohistochemically by a weak positivity for surfactant protein, and ultrastructurally by the presence of numerous giant lamellar bodies that compressed the nucleus with occasional cytoplasmic disruption, together suggesting a form of cellular degeneration with an over accumulation of surfactant (giant lamellar body degeneration). The present study strongly indicates that there is a basic defect in the formation/secretion process of surfactant by the 2PCs in HPS, which may well be the triggering factor for the HPSIP development. Other factors, such as macrophage dysfunction, may be working synergistically for further acceleration of the inflammatory process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although physical activity (PA) is recommended for patients with cancer, changes in PA across cancer diagnosis and treatment have not been objectively evaluated., Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment on PA levels., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using a Japanese claims database provided by DeSC Healthcare Inc, in which daily step count data, derived from smartphone pedometers, are linked to the claims data. In this study, we included patients newly diagnosed with cancer, along with those newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus for reference. We collected data between April 2014 and September 2021 and analyzed them. The observation period spanned from 6 months before diagnosis to 12 months after diagnosis. We applied a generalized additive mixed model with a cubic spline to describe changes in step counts before and after diagnosis., Results: We analyzed the step count data of 326 patients with malignant solid tumors and 1388 patients with diabetes. Patients with cancer exhibited a 9.6% (95% CI 7.1%-12.1%; P<.001) reduction in step counts from baseline at the start of the diagnosis month, which further deepened to 12.4% (95% CI 9.5%-15.2%; P<.001) at 3 months and persisted at 7.1% (95% CI 4.2%-10.0%; P<.001) at 12 months, all relative to baseline. Conversely, in patients with diabetes, step counts remained relatively stable after diagnosis, with a slight upward trend, resulting in a change of +0.6% (95% CI -0.6% to 1.9%; P=.31) from baseline at 3 months after diagnosis. At 12 months after diagnosis, step counts remained decreased in the nonendoscopic subdiaphragmatic surgery group, with an 18.0% (95% CI 9.1%-26.2%; P<.001) reduction, whereas step counts returned to baseline in the laparoscopic surgery group (+0.3%, 95% CI -6.3% to 7.5%; P=.93)., Conclusions: The analysis of objective pre- and postdiagnostic step count data provided fundamental information crucial for understanding changes in PA among patients with cancer. While cancer diagnosis and treatment reduced PA, the decline may have already started before diagnosis. The study findings may help tailor exercise recommendations based on lifelog data for patients with cancer in the future., (©Yoshihide Inayama, Ken Yamaguchi, Kayoko Mizuno, Sachiko Tanaka-Mizuno, Ayami Koike, Nozomi Higashiyama, Mana Taki, Koji Yamanoi, Ryusuke Murakami, Junzo Hamanishi, Satomi Yoshida, Masaki Mandai, Koji Kawakami. Originally published in JMIR Cancer (https://cancer.jmir.org), 20.01.2025.)

Background and Aim: Qualitative diagnosis of ulcerative colitis-associated neoplasia (UCAN) is crucial for surveillance colonoscopy in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Although the utility of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) in sporadic neoplasia diagnosis has been reported, its efficacy in UCAN remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of ME-NBI for qualitative diagnosis of UCAN., Methods: We generated 60 ME-NBI images (30 UCANs and 30 nonneoplasia lesions, including 10 polypoid and 20 nonpolypoid lesions) from patients with UC who underwent colonoscopy at our hospital between 2015 and 2023. Eleven endoscopists (seven experts and four trainees) independently assessed these images. Lesions were categorized into high- (≥ 80%), moderate- (50%-79%), and low- (< 50%) accuracy groups on the basis of the correct diagnostic rate., Results: Overall sensitivity, specificity, and correct diagnostic rates were 66.5%, 79.0%, and 71.8%, respectively. Experts tended to exhibit higher specificity than trainees (83% vs. 70%). Polypoid lesions showed higher sensitivity (92% vs. 54%) and lower specificity (61% vs. 88%) than nonpolypoid lesions. Overall, the kappa value was 0.411. In UCAN, 37%, 37%, and 24% were classified into the high-, moderate-, and low-accuracy groups, respectively. All endoscopists assessed one case of UCAN in the low-accuracy group as a nonneoplastic vessel with a surface pattern. Only two nonneoplasias were identified as having nonneoplastic vessel and surface patterns by all endoscopists., Conclusions: This study demonstrated the usefulness of ME-NBI for qualitative diagnosis, along with its limitations. A unique endoscopic diagnostic algorithm for UCAN, incorporating ME-NBI and other modalities, is necessary., (© 2025 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Improved cancer treatment outcomes have increased the demand for medical care that considers the quality of life of patients with cancer. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) help assess the quality of life because they involve direct evaluation of the patients. Recently, electronic PROs (ePROs) have been used in clinical cancer care settings in Europe and the United States. Electronic PROs positively affected communication between patients with cancer and healthcare providers, enhanced education, optimized self-management, contributed to healthcare economics, assisted in monitoring adverse events, and improved prognosis. However, challenges such as adherence, burden on healthcare providers, lack of personalized formats, low digital literacy, and implementation costs remain. Therefore, carefully selecting the items to be recorded by ePROs in alignment with specific objectives is essential. Additionally, developing systems using lifelogs-digital records of daily activities-and creating mechanisms that automatically encourage patient behavioral changes based on the reported data are crucial. This review delineates the advantages and challenges of ePROs according to their history and proposes the prospects of ePRO., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: K. Yamaguchi reports personal fees and other support from DUMSCO Inc. and personal fees from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Eisai Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and Merck & Co., Inc. outside the submitted work. M. Mandai reports support from DUMSCO, Inc. outside the submitted work. N Higashiyama reports personal fees from DUMSCO Inc. outside the submitted work. No competing interests have been reported by the other authors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Recent advances in cancer genome analysis and the practice of precision medicine have made it possible to identify fractions with rare genetic alterations. Among biliary tract cancers, EGFR-amplified cancers are known to be rare fractions across organs and have a poor prognosis. The use of anti-EGFR antibody for EGFR-amplified cancers has been promising; however, the evidence is not yet clear., Case: In this report, we describe the case of a 48-year-old man diagnosed with advanced gallbladder cancer. The patient was administered gemcitabine plus cisplatin, followed by S-1 monotherapy; however, disease progression was observed after two cycles of each regimen. Comprehensive genomic profiling test revealed EGFR-amplification, and the patient was treated with combination therapy with the anti-EGFR antibody necitumumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin. After two cycles of treatment, tumor size reduced, and the treatment response was evaluated as partial response. On Day 90, after five cycles of treatment, tumor progression was confirmed. In addition, after disease progression, liquid biopsy revealed acquired pathogenic gene alterations suggesting anti-EGFR antibody resistance., Conclusion: This report supports the clinical benefit of anti-EGFR antibodies for EGFR-amplified biliary tract cancers and the importance of genomic analysis in personalized therapy and drug resistance research., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cancer Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)