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Myxofibrosarcoma is a common sarcoma among older patients, with locally infiltrative behavior and a predilection for local postoperative recurrence. Some studies have reported the factors affecting prognosis, although only a few have mentioned the previous staging classification systems. This study investigated the clinical overview and prognosis of myxofibrosarcoma to determine the optimal treatment.This retrospective study analyzed the records of 349 patients with myxofibrosarcoma in the nationwide Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor Registry in Japan from 2006 to 2015. Clinical features, treatment options, and patient outcomes were investigated.Ultimately, 349 patients were identified. The overall survival rates were 93.1% at 2 years and 84.3% at 5 years. A multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The study identified four significant prognostic factors for survival: tumor size, depth, compartment status, and location. The prognostic score was calculated by summing the scores of all the factors. The overall survival rate was 69.3% at 5 years for the patients with prognostic scores of 6 or higher. Conversely, the patients with prognostic scores of 2 or lower had a survival rate of 95.6% at 5 years.Among myxofibrosarcomas, those larger than 5 cm, deep-seated, invaded into the external compartment, or in axial body parts were associated with a significantly worse prognosis. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy did not contribute significantly to a better prognosis. Previous staging classification systems are impractical for prognosis prediction. Therefore, new classifications are needed. Further research on new treatment methods for patients with a poor prognosis will be crucial in the future.

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) is morphologically characterized by well-differentiated liposarcomas associated with high-grade non-lipogenic sarcoma and molecularly characterized by the coamplification of MDM2 and CDK4(12q14-15). DDLPS is highly aggressive, and effective systemic chemotherapy has not been developed yet. In this study, we established a novel DDLPS cell line, NCC-DDLPS6-C1, as a potential tool for the development of novel therapies. NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cells were established from surgically resected tumor tissues of a patient with DDLPS. Amplification and overexpression of MDM2 and CDK4 were observed in NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cells. NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cells proliferated rapidly, invaded aggressively, and formed spheroids. Moreover, NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cells formed tumors in mice. These observations suggested that the malignant potentials that may reflect the original features of DDLPS were retained in the NCC-DDLPS6-C1. Anticancer drugs that significantly reduced the proliferation of NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cells were identified by drug library screening. Thus, NCC-DDLPS6-C1 may recapitulate the original genotypes and phenotypes, and we conclude that the NCC-DDLPS6-C1 cell line is a useful resource for the study of DDLPS.

Due to the wide variations in location, size, local invasiveness, and treatment options, the complications associated with surgery for giant cell tumor of bone have been sporadically reported. For quality assessment, fundamental data based on large-scale surveys of complications under a universal evaluation system is needed. The Dindo-Clavien classification is an evaluation system for complications based on severity and required intervention type and is suitable for the evaluation of surgery in a heterogeneous cohort.A multi-institutional retrospective survey of 141 patients who underwent surgery for giant cell tumor of bone in the extremity was performed. The incidence and risk factors of complications, type of intervention for complication control, and impact of complications on functional and oncological outcomes were analyzed using the Dindo-Clavien classification.Forty-six cases (32.6%) had one or more complications. Of them, 18 (12.8%), 11 (7.8%), and 17 (12.1%) cases were classified as Dindo-Clavien classification grade I, II, and III complications, respectively. There were no cases with grade IV or V complications. Progression in Campanacci grading (p = 0.04), resection (over curettage, p 0.0001), reconstruction with prosthesis (p = 0.0007), and prolonged operative duration (p = 0.0002) were significant risk factors for complications. Complications had a significant impact on function (p 0.0001). Differences in the impact of complication types and tumor location on function were confirmed. Complications had no impact on local recurrence and metastasis development.The Dindo-Clavien classification could provide fundamental information, under a uniform definition and classification system, on postoperative complications in patients with giant cell tumor of bone in terms of incidence, type of intervention for complication control, risk factors, and impact on functional outcome. The data are useful not only for preoperative evaluation for the risk of complications under specific conditions but also for quality assessment of surgery for giant cell tumor of bone.

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a small round cell sarcoma that is characterized by the unique gene translocation EWSR1-FLI1. It is the second most common primary bone and soft tissue malignancy in children and adolescents. It constitutes 10-15% of all bone sarcomas and is highly aggressive and rapidly recurring. Although intensive treatments have improved the clinical outcome of ES patients, 20-25% of them exhibit metastases during diagnosis. Thus, the prognoses of these patients remain poor. Cell lines are pivotal resources to investigate the molecular background of disease progression and to develop novel therapeutic modalities. In this study, we established and characterized a novel ES cell line, NCC-ES2-C1. The presence of the EWSR1-FLI1 fusion gene in these cells was confirmed in the NCC-ES2-C1 cells. Furthermore, these cells exhibited constant proliferation, and invasion, but did not form tumors in mice. We screened the anti-tumor effects of 214 anti-cancer drugs in NCC-ES2-C1 cells and found that the drugs which effectively reduced the proliferation of NCC-ES2-C1 cells. We concluded that NCC-ES2-C1 cells are a useful resource to study functions of the EWSR1-FLI1 fusion gene, investigate phenotypic changes caused by genes and proteins, and evaluate the anti-tumor effects of novel drugs.

In landmine detection by a hand-held ground penetrating radar (GPR) sensor, GPR signal is suffered from the unstable stand-off distance between the antenna and the rough ground surface. We propose in this letter a method to compensate the irregularity in the arrival time of the ground reflection in GPR and applied it to data sets acquired in minefields in Cambodia. Selecting the frequency with the highest power of the ground surface reflection, the phase of the received signal at the frequency is equalized to compensate the irregular reflection. We demonstrate that the ground reflection signal became uniform and confirmed the quality of the shape of the target can be improved.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a rare osteolytic intermediate bone tumor that harbors a pathogenic H3F3A gene mutation and exhibits characteristic histology. The standard curative treatment for GCTB is complete surgical resection, but it frequently results in local recurrence and, more rarely, metastasis. Therefore, effective multidisciplinary treatment is needed. Although patient-derived tumor cell lines are promising tools for preclinical and basic research, there are only four available cell lines for GCTB in public cell banks. Thus, the aim of this study was to establish a novel GCTB cell line. Using surgically resected tumor tissues from a patient with GCTB, we established a cell line named NCC-GCTB4-C1. The cells harbored the typical H3F3A gene mutation and exhibited constant proliferation and invasive capabilities. After characterizing NCC-GCTB4-C1 cell behaviors, we conducted high-throughput screening of 214 anti-tumor drugs and identified seven effective drugs. Comparing the results of high-throughput screening using NCC-GCTB4-C1 cell line with the results using NCC-GCTB1-C1, NCC-GCTB2-C1, and NCC-GCTB3-C1 cell lines that we previously established, four drugs were in common effective. This study showed potential drugs for the treatment of GCTB. These data indicate that NCC-GCTB4-C1 has the potential to be a powerful tool in preclinical and basic research on GCTB.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant primary bone tumor that occurs most frequently in the second decade of life but rarely in patients over 40 years of age. The most common primary sites of osteosarcoma are the distal femur followed by proximal tibia and proximal humerus, and involvement of the wrist is extremely rare. Moreover, dedifferentiated osteosarcoma is also a rare condition that progresses to high-grade osteosarcoma from low-grade osteosarcoma, usually central low-grade osteosarcoma or parosteal osteosarcoma that bears MDM2 and/or CDK4 gene amplifications. We herein report an extremely rare case of dedifferentiated osteosarcoma arising in the distal ulna of an adult over 40 years of age. The patient was a 46-year-old man with a 2-month history of pain in his left swollen wrist. The initial radiological findings suggested a benign bone tumor in the distal ulna, and the lesion was marginally excised at the nearby hospital. Although the pathological diagnosis at the nearby hospital suggested a benign cartilaginous tumor, the tumor recurred in an aggressive manner 8 months after the initial surgery. The patient was referred to our hospital, and an incisional biopsy showed a high-grade osteosarcoma. The primary tumor was retrospectively re-evaluated at our hospital and diagnosed as low-grade osteosarcoma. Since neoadjuvant chemotherapy failed to shrink the tumor, the patient had to undergo below the elbow amputation to cure the disease. Although the tumor was negative for MDM2 nor CDK4, the definitive diagnosis of dedifferentiated osteosarcoma was made according to the clinical course and the histological findings. Lung metastases were found 10 months after the amputation, which were successfully treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. The patient has been doing well with no evidence of disease for 1 year and 6 months. Surprisingly, the literature review revealed that many low-grade osteosarcomas of the distal ulna progressed to high-grade dedifferentiated osteosarcomas. One should bear in mind that the diagnosis and treatment for bone-forming tumors of the distal ulna should be made very carefully because, although rare, it is possible that the tumor may initially appear as a benign or low-grade malignant tumor and may progress to high-grade osteosarcoma.

The multilayer nature of airport pavement structures is susceptible to the generation of voids at the bonding parts of the structure, which is also called interlayer debonding. Observations have shown that the thickness of the resulting voids is usually at the scale of millimeters, which makes it difficult to inspect. The efficient and accurate characteristics of ground penetrating radar (GPR) make it suitable for large area inspections of airport pavement. In this study, a multistatic GPR system was used to inspect the interlayer debonding of a large area of an airport pavement. A special antenna arrangement can obtain common-midpoint (CMP) gathers during a common-offset survey. The presence of interlayer debonding affects the phase of the reflection signals, and the phase disturbance can be quantified by the wavelet transform. Therefore, we have developed an advanced approach that uses the average entropy of the wavelet transform parameters in CMP gathers to detect the interlayer debonding of airport pavement. The results demonstrate that the regions with high entropy correspond to regions where tiny voids exist. The new approach introduced in this study was then evaluated by a field-base experiment at an airport taxiway model. The results show that our approach can detect interlayer debonding of the pavement model accurately and efficiently. On-site coring results confirm the performance of our approach.

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) is a highly aggressive subtype of liposarcoma that is histologically a transition form between an atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma and a non-lipogenic sarcoma. DDLPS is genetically characterized by a complex karyotype with copy number variations and genomic complexity. DDLPS has a poor prognosis, a high local recurrence rate, and refractory behaviors for chemotherapy and radiation, which indicate a requirement for a novel therapeutic strategy for better clinical outcomes. We report here, a novel DDLPS cell line (NCC-DDLPS2-C1) developed from a tumor tissue. NCC-DDLPS2-C1 cells showed an amplified 12q13-15 region and exhibited constant growth, spheroid formation, and invasion. High-throughput drug screening revealed distinct sensitivity between monolayer- and three-dimensional cells. Romidepsin and trabectedin especially showed high anti-proliferative effects in both culture methods of NCC-DDLPS2-C1. Thus, the NCC-DDLPS2-C1 cell line may serve as a useful resource for DDLPS studies.

A monostatic/bistatic ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR) system using an optical electric field sensor (OEFS) as the bistatic receiving unit has been designed for target imaging and 2-D displacement estimation purposes. The designed system has the capability of acquiring the monostatic and bistatic SAR images simultaneously from different looking angles, enabling the displacement vector estimation of the illuminated area. The spatial baseline between the monostatic and bistatic receivers is selected according to the estimation precision analysis. Experimental results are presented to evaluate the performance of the designed system and the proposed method. The displacement estimation accuracies in x- and y- directions can reach up to millimeter level.

Pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLPS) is a rare subtype of liposarcoma, characterized by the presence of pleomorphic lipoblasts without definitive molecular aberrations; it accounts for less than 5% of all liposarcomas. PLPS is an aggressive cancer that exhibits frequent local recurrence and metastasis, with an overall 5-year survival rate of ~ 60%. Owing to the lack of effective treatment options in inoperable conditions and resistance to chemotherapeutics, novel therapies are required to treat PLPS. Although patient-derived cell lines are a critical tool for basic and pre-clinical research, only one PLPS cell line is reportedly available for analysis. A paucity of adequate cell line hinders the progress of research and treatments of PLPS. Thus, we aimed to establish and characterize a novel patient-derived cell line for PLPS. Using surgically resected tumor tissue from a 71-year-old male patient, we established the NCC-PLPS1-C1 cell line. The cells were maintained for more than 8 months and passaged ~ 40 times in the tissue culture condition. NCC-PLPS1-C1 cells were characterized by multiple genetic deletions and showed rapid growth, spheroid formation, and invasive potential. The NCC-PLPS1-C1 cells and the original tumor tissue shared similar kinase activity profiles for FES and PDGFR-β. NCC-PLPS1-C1 constantly proliferated, being suitable for the screening of anti-cancer drugs. A screen for the anti-proliferative effects of anti-cancer drugs on NCC-PLPS1-C1 cells showed a significant response for bortezomib, gemcitabine, romidepsin, topotecan, and vinblastine. In conclusion, NCC-PLPS1-C1 cells represent a useful tool for basic and pre-clinical studies related to PLPS, especially high-throughput drug screening.

Myxoid liposarcoma is a rare mesenchymal malignancy, which is characterized by a FUS-DDIT3 fusion known as chromosomal translocation t(12;16)(q13;p11) and arises in the fat tissue. Although surgery with radiation has been established as a standard treatment, myxoid liposarcoma shows frequent recurrence and poor prognosis, thus requiring new therapeutic approaches. Patient-derived cell lines represent a critical tool for basic and preclinical research. However, only two such myxoid liposarcoma cell lines have been reported, and they are not available in cell banks. The aim of this study was to establish and characterize a novel myxoid liposarcoma cell line. Using surgically resected tumor tissue from a 47-year-old male patient, we established the NCC-MLPS1-C1 cell line. NCC-MLPS1-C1 cells were characterized by FUS-DDIT3 fusion, slow growth, spheroid formation, and invasive capability. We screened the effect of anti-cancer agents on the proliferation of NCC-MLPS1-C1 cells. The cells displayed a remarkable response to multitarget kinase inhibitors of RET, PDGFR-β, VEGFR, or FGFR. NCC-MLPS1-C1 cells and the tumor tissue shared common profiles of kinase activity including identified drug targets, such as RET and PDGFR-β. We believe that NCC-MLPS1-C1 cells will represent a useful tool for basic and preclinical studies of myxoid liposarcoma.

Low-grade osteosarcomas, namely parosteal osteosarcoma (POS) and low-grade central osteosarcoma (LGCOS), occasionally dedifferentiate into high-grade malignancy, referred to as dedifferentiation in low-grade osteosarcoma (DLOS). This study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathologic features of DLOS, which are poorly described to date due to the extreme rarity of the disease.A total of 33 patients with DLOS were included. Clinical characteristics, including the diagnostic accuracy of tumor biopsy, multimodal treatments, and clinical course, were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate analysis was performed to identify prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS).The tumor subtypes comprised 10 cases (30.3%) of LGCOS and 23 cases (69.7%) of POS. The timing of dedifferentiation was synchronous in 25 (75.8%) and metachronous in 8 (24.2%) patients. The rates of preoperative diagnosis of DLOS were 40.0% and 65.4% for core needle biopsy and incisional biopsy, respectively. All patients underwent surgery and 25 patients received perioperative chemotherapy. Of the 13 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 11 exhibited a poor histological response. The 5-year OS and MFS rates were 88.1% and 77.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that local recurrence was associated with poor OS (P 0.01) and MFS (P 0.01). Perioperative chemotherapy did not affect OS or MFS.The diagnostic accuracy of tumor biopsy for DLOS was lower than that for bone sarcomas, as reported previously. In contrast to conventional osteosarcomas with high chemosensitivity, both histological responses and survival analysis revealed low efficacy of chemotherapy for DLOS.

Myxoid liposarcoma (MLPS) is a lipogenic sarcoma, characterized by myxoid appearance histology and the presence of the FUS-DDIT3 fusion gene. MLPS shows frequent recurrence and poor prognosis after standard treatments, such as surgery. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches for MLPS are needed. Development of novel treatments requires patient-derived cell lines to study the drug responses and their molecular backgrounds. Presently, only three cell lines of MLPS have been reported, and no line is available from public cell banks. Thus, this study aimed to establish and characterize novel MLPS cell lines. Using surgically resected tumor tissue from two patients with MLPS, two novel lines NCC-MLPS2-C1 and NCC-MLPS3-C1 were established. The presence of FUS-DDIT3 fusion, slow growth, spheroid formation, and invasive capability in these cell lines was confirmed. Growth retardation was monitored for 213 anti-cancer agents using NCC-MLPS2-C1 and NCC-MLPS3-C1 cells, and the results were integrated with the response to treatments in an MLPS cell line, NCC-MLPS1-C1, which was previously established in our laboratory. We found that romidepsin suppressed cell proliferation at considerably low concentrations in all three examined cell lines. NCC-MLPS2-C1 and NCC-MLPS3-C1 cell lines developed here represent a useful tool for basic and preclinical studies of MLPS.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a mesenchymal tumor arising from the synovium of tendon sheath and joints, characterized by translocation t(1;2)(p13;q37). Clinical behaviors of TGCT range from favorable to locally aggressive and further research is required to lead the identification of novel therapeutic avenues for TGCT. Patient-derived cell lines are an indispensable tool for interrogating molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of disease. However, only one TGCT cell line is currently available from cell banks, and a paucity of adequate patient-derived cells hinders basic and translational research. This study aimed to establish a novel cell line of TGCT. To this end, a novel cell line, NCC-TGCT1-C1 was established from the primary tumor tissue of a 40-year-old female patient with TGCT. The cells exhibited translocation t(1;2)(p13;q37), generating COL6A3-CSF1 fusion gene. The cells were maintained as a monolayer culture through more than 30 passages over 12 months. The cells exhibited continuous growth and the ability for spheroid formation and invasion. When used in a high-throughput assay to evaluate the anti-proliferative effects of 164 anticancer drugs, the cells responded strongly to a kinase inhibitor such as gefitinib, and mitoxantrone. Our results indicate that the novel TGCT cell line, designated NCC-TGCT1-C1, was successfully established and could be used to study TGCT development and the effects of anticancer agents.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a rare osteolytic bone tumor, accounting for approximately 5% of all primary bone tumors. GCTB is characterized by unique giant cells. It is also characterized by recurrent mutations in the histone tail of the histone variant H3.3, H3F3A, on chromosome 1, therapeutic implications of which have not been established yet. There are few effective standardized treatments for GCTB, and a novel therapy has long been required. Patient-derived cancer cells have facilitated the understanding of mechanisms underlying the etiology and progression of multiple cancers. Thus far, only 10 GCTB cell lines have been reported, and none of them are publicly available. The aim of this study was to develop an accessible patient-derived cell line of GCTB, which could be used as a screening tool for drug development. Here, we describe the establishment of a cell line, designated NCC-GCTB1-C1, from the primary tumor tissue of a male patient with GCTB on the right distal radius. NCC-GCTB1-C1 cells were maintained as a monolayer culture for over 23 passages for 7 months. These cells exhibited continuous growth, as well as spheroid formation and invasive ability. Using an oncology agent screen, we tested the effect of anticancer drugs on the proliferation of NCC-GCTB1-C1 cells. The cells displayed a remarkable response to romidepsin and vincristine. Thus, we established a novel GCTB cell line, NCC-GCTB1-C1, which could be a useful tool for studying GCTB tumorigenesis and the efficacy of anticancer drugs.