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Background White globe appearance (WGA) is a small white lesion with a globular shape identified during magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging. However, the association between WGA and synchronous multiple gastric cancer (SMGC) remains unclear. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric cancer (GC) between July 2013 and April 2015 at our institution were eligible for this study. We excluded patients with a history of gastric tumor or gastrectomy. Patients who had more than 2 GCs in their postoperative pathological evaluation were classified as SMGC-positive, and patients who had at least 1 WGA-positive GC were classified as WGA-positive patients. The primary outcome was a comparison of the prevalence of WGA in patients classified as SMGC-positive and SMGC-negative. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the following variables: WGA, age, sex, atrophy, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) status. Results There were 26 and 181 patients classified as SMGC-positive and SMGC-negative, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that WGA-positive classification (50% vs. 23%, P=0.008) and male sex (88% vs. 66%, P=0.02) were significant factors associated with SMGC classification, while age ≥65 years (81% vs. 81%, P>0.99), severe atrophy (46% vs. 46%, P>0.99), and H. pylori positivity (69% vs. 65%, P=0.8) were not. In the multivariate analysis, only WGA-positive classification (odds ratio 2.78, 95% confidence interval 1.16-6.67; P=0.02) was a significant independent risk factor for SMGC. Conclusions Our exploratory study showed the possibility of WGA as a predictive factor for SMGC. In cases of WGA-positive gastric cancer, careful examination might be needed to diagnose SMGC.

We investigate the phase transition of the four-dimensional single-component $\phi^4$ theory on the lattice using the tensor renormalization group method. We have examined the hopping parameter dependence of the bond energy and the vacuum condensation of the scalar field $\langle\phi\rangle$ at a finite quartic coupling $\lambda$ on large volumes up to $V=1024^4$ in order to detect the spontaneous breaking of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. Our results show that the system undergoes the weak first-order phase transition at a certain critical value of the hopping parameter. We also make a comparative study of the three-dimensional $\phi^4$ theory and find that the properties of the phase transition are consistent with the universality class of the three-dimensional Ising model., Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures

We analyze the chiral phase transition of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model in the cold and dense region on the lattice developing the Grassmann version of the anisotropic tensor renormalization group algorithm. The model is formulated with the Kogut--Susskind fermion action. We use the chiral condensate as an order parameter to investigate the restoration of the chiral symmetry. The first-order chiral phase transition is clearly observed in the dense region at vanishing temperature with $\mu/T\sim O(10^3)$ on a large volume of $V=1024^4$. We also present the results for the equation of state., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures

We investigate the metal-insulator transition of the (1+1)-dimensional Hubbard model in the path-integral formalism with the tensor renormalization group method. The critical chemical potential $\mu_{\rm c}$ and the critical exponent $\nu$ are determined from the $\mu$ dependence of the electron density in the thermodynamic limit. Our results for $\mu_{\rm c}$ and $\nu$ show consistency with an exact solution based on the Bethe ansatz. Our encouraging results indicate the applicability of the tensor renormalization group method to the analysis of higher-dimensional Hubbard models., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures

We investigate the phase transition of the four-dimensional Ising model with two types of tensor network scheme, one is the higher-order tensor renormalization group and the other is the anisotropic tensor renormalization group. The results for the internal energy and magnetization obtained by the former algorithm with the impure tensor method, enlarging the lattice volume up to $1024^4$, are consistent with the weak first-order phase transition. For the later algorithm, our implementation successfully reduces the execution time thanks to the parallel computation and the results provided by ATRG seems comparable to those with HOTRG., 7 pages, 10 figures, Proceedings of the 37th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2019), 16-22 June 2019, Wuhan, China

We apply the higher-order tensor renormalization group (HOTRG) to the four-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising model, which has been attracting interests in the context of the triviality of the scalar $\phi^4_{d=4}$ theory. We investigate the phase transition of this model with HOTRG enlarging the lattice size up to $1024^4$ with parallel computation. The results for the internal energy and the magnetization are consistent with the weak first-order phase transition., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures

Objectives Tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes can be efficiently activated in vivo by dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination. This trial assessed the clinical efficacy and toxicity of DC-based immunotherapy in patients with advanced breast carcinoma. Methods DC-based immunotherapy (DC vaccine alone or DC vaccine plus lymphokine-activated natural killer (NK) cell therapy) was administered to 26 patients with unresectable breast carcinoma refractory to standard treatment. After leukapheresis, DCs were generated from CD14 + monocytes by 6 day cultivation with GM-CSF and IL-4. DCs were then matured by OK-432 treatment and pulsed with cancer-associated antigens, such as WT1, MUC1, and HER2. DCs were administered 5–8 times intradermally at 14-day intervals. Results Twenty-six patients with performance status (PS) of 0 ( n = 4), 1 ( n = 14), 2 ( n = 4) and 3 ( n = 4), and a median age of 55.5 years were eligible for this study. Of the 26 patients, DC vaccine was administered in combination with chemotherapy in 50%. Best response by RECIST, 1 patient showed a complete response (CR), 14 had partial response (PR), and 17 had stable disease (SD). The response ratio was 15.4％. None of the patients experienced adverse events of grade 2 or higher during the treatment period. The median overall survival (OS) time was 552.9 days (95% CI; 402.6–703.3 days). Log-rank test analysis demonstrated that the better PS groups (i.e., 0, 1) had significantly better survival times compared to those in poorer PS groups (i.e., 2, 3) (MST, 709.6 days, 95% CI, 502.2–917.0; vs. 200.4 days, 95% CI, 0–410.7; P Conclusion DC vaccine-based immunotherapy demonstrates promising OS times and tolerable toxicities in the setting of breast carcinoma. A full risk/benefit analysis of DC-based vaccines in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma will be determined in a future phase II trial.

Background. The amount of dehydroascorbic acid contained within total ascorbic acid (oxidized as well as non-oxidized forms) in plasma, hereafter referred to as the dehydroascorbic acid fraction, may be a measure of oxidative stress during haemodialysis. In the present study, we determined this fraction in chronic haemodialysis patients. Methods. Using high performance liquid chromatography, dehydroascorbic acid and total ascorbic acid levels were measured in 80 maintenance haemodialysis patients for a period of >2 years as well as in 49 controls, to examine a possible association of these compounds with clinical parameters and/or drugs taken by the patients. Results. Dialysis patients who had an increased plasma urate level (P

Endogenous tumour necrosis factor (enTNF) acts as a resistant factor against cytotoxicity of heat by induction of manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), thereby scavenging reactive oxygen free radicals. On the other hand, it is also well known that heat shock proteins (HSPs), which are induced by heat-stress, behave as cytoprotecting factor against this stress. However, the relationship of these two resistant factors is not yet elucidated. In the present study we would therefore propose the possibility that enTNF enhances HSP72 expression. Heat-sensitive L-M (mouse tomourigenic fibroblast) cells, which normally do not express enTNF, were transfected with a nonsecretory-type human TNF expression vector to produce enTNF. Stable transfectants showed resistance to heat treatment and an increase of HSP72 expression. Conversely, when HeLa (human uterine cervical cancer) cells, which normally produce an appreciable amount of enTNF, were transfected with an antisense TNF mRNA expression vector to inhibit enTNF synthesis, their heat sensitivity was enhanced and HSP72 expression was reduced by half. In conclusion, these findings indicate that enTNF regulates heat-inducible HSP72 synthesis.

Endogenous tumor necrosis factor (enTNF) acts as a resistance factor against cytotoxicity caused by heat by inducing manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), thereby scavenging reactive oxygen free radicals. On the other hand, it is also well known that heat shock proteins (HSP) which are induced by heat stress behave as cytoprotective factor against this stress. However, the relationship of these two resistance factors is not elucidated yet. In the present study, we therefore proposed the possibility that enTNF enhances HSP72 expression. Heat-sensitive L-M (mouse tumorigenic fibroblast) cells, which normally do not express enTNF, were transfected with a nonsecretory-type human TNF-alpha expression vector to produce enTNF. Stable transfectants showed resistance to heat treatment and an increase of HSP72 expression. Conversely, when HeLa (human uterine cervical cancer) cells, which normally produce an appreciable amount of enTNF, were transfected with an antisense TNF-alpha mRNA expression vector to inhibit enTNF synthesis, their heat sensitivity was enhanced and HSP72 expression was reduced by half. Although enTNF caused no difference in the level of heat shock factor (HSF) 1 in these cells, enTNF expression correlated well with the binding activity of HSF-1 to a 32P-labeled synthetic oligonucleotide containing the human heat shock element (HSE). These results indicate that enTNF participates not only in intrinsic resistance against heat via induction of MnSOD but also via enhancement of the HSE-binding activity of HSF 1 followed by augmentation of HSP72 expression.

To elucidate the relationship between two distinct resistant factors, endogenous tumor necrosis factor (enTNF) and heat shock proteins (HSPs), against hyperthermia, we assessed whether enTNF enhances HSP72 expression. Although there was a variability in the sensitivity of pancreatic carcinoma cell lines to heat, enTNF and HSP72 expression as well as MnSOD activity correlated positively with heat resistance. When MIAPaCa-2 pancreatic carcinoma cells, which had the lowest enTNF expression and highest heat sensitivity, were transfected with a nonsecretory-human TNF gene (pTNF delta pro), intracellular manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity, HSP72 expression, and heat resistance were significantly increased. Furthermore, in these cells, enTNF expression correlated with the binding activity of heat shock factor 1 (HSF 1) to an oligonucleotide containing the human heat shock element. These results indicate that enTNF participates in the intrinsic resistance against heat via induction of MnSOD, enhances HSF1-binding activity, and augments of HSP72 expression. Therefore, inhibition of enTNF expression in pancreatic carcinoma cells would improve the efficacy of hyperthermia for pancreatic carcinoma.

Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most devastating neoplasms with regard to its resistance to conventional therapy. In a previous report, we found that endogenous tumor necrosis factor (enTNF) exerts an intracellular protective effect against exogenous TNF- and Adriamycin (ADM)-induced cytotoxicity by scavenging oxygen free radicals (OFR) with induced manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). We also know that glutathione S-transferase pi (GST-pi) and glutathione (GSH) also scavenge OFR. It remains unclear to what extent enTNF and MnSOD induced by enTNF regulate the sensitivity to ADM and exogenous TNF among different carcinoma cells. In this study, we examined the relationship between ADM and exogenous TNF sensitivity and en-TNF expression and MnSOD activity in four pancreatic carcinoma lines. We determined whether ADM and exogenous TNF sensitivity could be predicted by measuring enTNF expression and MnSOD activity in the carcinoma cells. The sensitivity to TNF and ADM varied with the cell lines, and TNF sensitivity correlated well with Adriamycin sensitivity. Moreover, enTNF expression and Mn-SOD activity correlated positively with resistance to ADM and exogenous TNF. When MIAPaCa-2 cells, which had the lowest enTNF expression and the highest sensitivity to exogenous TNF and ADM, were transfected with the nonsecretory-type human TNF gene (pTNF delta pro) to increase enTNF synthesis, their intracellular MnSOD activity and exogenous TNF and ADM resistance were increased. These findings suggest that MnSOD plays a critical role in scavenging OFR induced by ADM and exogenous TNF. enTNF is the most important factor that regulates the production of MnSOD. Therefore, it is plausible that inhibition of enTNF expression or MnSOD activity in pancreatic carcinoma would improve the efficacy of therapies for pancreatic carcinoma.

The effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interferon (IFN)-gamma on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) was investigated. ADCC activity was measured by the 51Cr release assay, using peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy subjects as effector cells and RPMI 4788 cells derived from human colon cancer as target cells. ADCC activity under sera from healty subjects remained low whether or not the effector cells were pretreated with TNF (100 U/ml, 16h). Under sera from UC patients, ADCC activity of 13.9%, compared to 9.6% when pretreatment was deleted. The effect of IFN pretreatment (100 U/ml, 16h) was also examined under sera from UC patients; in that experiment activity rose to 26.8%, in comparison to a 10.7% when IFN-gamma pretreatment was deleted. Finally, when the effector cells were pretreated with both TNF and IFN-gamma (100 U/ml of each, 16h) the ADCC activity under sera from UC patients was higher than when either TNF or IFN-gamma were used alone. These results suggest that TNF and IFN-gamma, by increasing ADCC activity in UC lesions, are involved in cell injury in the colonic epithelium. IFN-gamma appears to increase ADCC activity by increasing the number of high affinity monocyte Fc gamma RI receptors, while TNF increases ADCC activity by a different mechanism.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and various chemotherapeutic drugs show synergistic antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo, though the mechanism is not clear. Based on our previous finding that endogenous TNF (enTNF) acts as an intracellular resistance factor against exogenous TNF by scavenging oxygen free radicals (OFR) with induced manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), we examined the suppression of these resistance factors by chemotherapeutic drugs and the resulting increase in TNF cytotoxicity. Pretreatment of HeLa cells, which produce an appreciable amount of enTNF and show apparent TNF resistance, with TNF followed by adriamycin (ADM) resulted in an additive effect, whereas pretreatment with ADM followed by TNF resulted in a synergistic effect. After treatment of HeLa cells with ADM, the expression of enTNF was remarkably suppressed and MnSOD activity was decreased by one-half. These results indicate that suppression of the intracellular resistance factors, i.e., enTNF and MnSOD, by ADM plays an important role in the mechanism of the synergistic antitumor effect of TNF in combination with ADM.

We investigated the effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (TNF) on the lysosomal enzyme activity of various established cell lines in vitro. Incubation of 1 x 10(6) TNF-sensitive mouse tumorigenic fibroblasts (L-M cells) in the presence of TNF (100 U/ml) for 48 h increased the total (the sum of the enzyme activities in the lysosomes and the cytoplasm) acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase activities by 3.7- and 4.2-fold, respectively. The same increase was observed even when 1 U/ml of TNF was added to some cultures and no further augmentation occurred at 10 or 100 U/ml. Measurement of total and free enzyme activities showed that TNF stimulation not only enhanced the total intracellular enzyme activity but also accelerated the conversion into free (cytoplasmic) enzyme activity. Addition of a lysosomotropic agent (methylamine) suppressed both the enhancement of lysosomal enzyme activity and the cytotoxicity of TNF. A similar enhancement of lysosomal enzyme activities was also detected in various TNF-sensitive tumor cell lines, and a strong correlation (acid phosphatase: r = 0.836, beta-glucuronidase: r = 0.910) was observed between the enhancement of enzyme activity and sensitivity to TNF. No such increase was detected in TNF-resistant human diploid cells. These results show that TNF induces the activation and release of lysosomal enzymes in TNF-sensitive cells, and suggest that such events may play an important role in TNF-mediated cytotoxicity.

We previously reported that recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rhTNF) and hyperthermia had a synergistic effect against tumors, in vitro and in vivo. We have now investigated the mechanism of this synergy by measuring the lysosomal enzyme activity and hydroxyl radical production of L‐M cells treated with rhTNF and/or hyperthermia. A synergistic activation of lysosomal enzyme and the induction of hydroxyl radical production in L‐M cells treated with both rhTNF and hyperthermia was observed. A synergistic cytotoxic effect was observed when rhTNF and hyperthermia were combined, and was inhibited by the addition of a reactive oxygen scavenger, dimethyl sulfoxide or bipyridine. The results show that the augmenting effect of hyperthermia on lysosomal enzyme activation and induction of hydroxyl radical production by rhTNF plays an important role in the synergistic cytotoxic effect.

Based on findings that the cytotoxic effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are closely related to levels of intracellular oxygen radicals, and on the results of TNF gene transfection studies, the hypothesis was made that endogenous TNF (enTNF) acts as a protective factor against exogenous TNF by inducing inhibitors or scavengers of oxygen radicals. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated the intracellular levels of manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and glutathione (GSH) in L-M(pNTnF) cells carrying a TNF gene induced by dexametha- sone (DM). When L-M(pNTnF) cells were treated with DM they expressed enTNF, and acquired resistance to exogenous TNF. There was no change in the GSH concentration after enTNF induction, but a 1.9- to 3.9-fold increase in MnSOD levels was noted. Our findings suggest that enTNF exerts its protective function against the cytocidal effect of exogenous TNF by inducing MnSOD production.

High crystallized thin InSb epitaxial growth directly on Si substrate was investigated by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). Experimental results indicated that suppressing the desorption of hydrogen atoms which terminated the dangling bonds of Si wafer surface and incorporation of As around the interface between film and Si substrate were the most important to obtained high crystallized InSb film. It could be achieved by the irradiation of As4 cluster beam onto the Si wafer just before film growth. Obtained thin InSb film showed mirror like surface, and its thickness was 0.7 μm. Its electron mobility was 47,600 cm2/V-s, and FWHM of HR-XRD rocking curve was about 300 arcsec. This InSb film on Si wafer was applied to Hall element, and it passed ordinary reliability tests.

Background/Aim: Oxidative stress is known to be enhanced in hemodialysis patients, and one of its useful markers is plasma copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD). The increase in plasma Cu/Zn-SOD can be inhibited by orally administered lipid-soluble vitamin E. We examined the antioxidative effects of water-soluble vitamin C administered orally on Cu/Zn-SOD levels in hemodialysis patients. Methods: Vitamin C was orally administered to 16 maintenance hemodialysis patients before each dialysis session. Doses were increased from 200 to 1,000 mg over 3 months. The levels of plasma vitamin C and Cu/Zn-SOD and its mRNA expression in leukocytes were determined 1, 2, and 3 months after the start of vitamin C administration. Furthermore, the levels of oxidized and reduced forms of plasma vitamin C were determined before the start of vitamin C administration and before and after dialysis at 1,000-mg vitamin C doses. Results: Following oral administration, the plasma levels of vitamin C and its oxidized form were increased. However, significant changes in plasma Cu/Zn-SOD or its mRNA expression in leukocytes were not observed. Conclusion: In maintenance hemodialysis patients, vitamin C administration resulted in a significant increase in the postdialysis level of the oxidized form of vitamin C, which suggested an increase in antioxidant effect. However, water-soluble vitamin C did not significantly suppress Cu/Zn-SOD expression enhancement.

Objective: Combination therapy with irinotecan (CPT-11), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin is widely used for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. However, little is known about the safety of chemotherapy of malignancies in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We encountered a patient with colorectal carcinoma on HD. We decided to administer combination chemotherapy while monitoring the pharmacodynamics of the patient. Case Report: A 74-year-old male received regular HD 3 times a week because of type 1 diabetes mellitus. He was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer in November 2004. After sigmoidectomy, the patient received chemotherapy: a weekly schedule of CPT-11 (50 mg/m2) was administered followed by l-leucovorin (10 mg/m2) and 5-FU (400 mg/m2) just after HD. During the course, the plasma concentrations of both SN-38, an active metabolite of CPT-11, and 5-FU were not increased compared with those of patients with normal renal function. Our patient presented with grade III hematological toxicity that was easily recovered by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Conclusion: These data suggest that the dose-reduced Saltz regimen can be feasible for colorectal cancer patients receiving dialysis as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background/Aims: There is little or no controversy about the increased oxidative stress of hemodialysis (HD) patients. Several reports show that the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the major endogenous antioxidant enzymes, in plasma is elevated among HD patients. It is still unclear, however, whether this elevation is due to the promotion of SOD production or a decrease in renal excretion of SOD. This study was designed to investigate the cause of the SOD activation in HD patients, and we examined the expression of SOD mRNA levels in leukocytes of patients with chronic renal failure. Methods: The total plasma SOD activity was determined by the nitroblue tetrazolium method, plasma SOD contents by ELISA, and SOD mRNA levels in leukocytes by RT-PCR. Results: Our results demonstrated that contents and mRNA levels of Cu/Zn SOD in HD patients are 4.4 times and 2.0 times, respectively, as large as those in healthy controls. Furthermore, in contrast to nondialyzed chronic renal failure patients, we observed higher concentrations of Cu/Zn SOD in plasma and a more enhanced mRNA expression of Cu/Zn SOD in leukocytes of HD patients. Conclusion: Increased Cu/Zn SOD mRNA reflects enhanced antioxidant capacity of leukocytes and can be a promising oxidative stress marker in HD patients.

Background: The relationship between plasma SOD activity and remaining renal function in patients with renal insufficiency has been not elucidated. We attempted to investigate the degree of serum SOD activity among patients with various renal conditions. Methods: Using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, plasma SOD activities were evaluated in 28 patients who underwent HD before and after procedure and in 15 controls. The patients were classified according to the condition of renal function; group A (n = 15) included patients whose plasma creatinine clearance levels were less than 10 ml/min, and group B (n = 13) included those whose plasma creatinine clearance levels were 10 ml/min or more but less than 20 ml/min. Results: The plasma SOD activities of group A were significantly higher than those of group B (p < 0.005) and controls (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that in group A, the SOD activities in plasma before HD were significantly higher than those after HD (p < 0.001). However, in group B, there were no significant differences in the level of plasma SOD activities before and after HD. Conclusion: Production of superoxide anion is considered almost the similar in both groups, which suggests the SOD activity would depend on the degree of the remaining renal function of each patient.

Heat shock protein (HSP) and endogenous tumor necrosis factor (enTNF) both act as resistance factors against the cytotoxicity of various cellular stresses. To clarify the relationship between these two stress response systems, we investigated whether or not enTNF is capable of inducing HSP72. Without heating, no difference was found in HSP72 synthesis between enTNF-nonexpressing L-M cells and cells expressing L-R or L-M (pcDV-TNF). After initiation of heat treatment, however, a remarkable increase in HSP72 synthesis was noted in enTNF-expressing cells compared to enTNF-nonexpressing L-M cells. These findings indicated that enTNF augments heat-inducible HSP72 synthesis.

Fifteen patients with advanced solid tumors of various types were treated by the intratumoral administration of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rH-TNF). The treatment appeared to benefit the 4 cases of superficial tumors: there were 1 complete response, 1 partial response and 2 minor responses. In all 11 patients with deep-seated tumors, including 6 cases of pancreatic cancer, 4 of liver cell cancer and 1 of metastatic liver tumor, no tumor regression was observed, but progression stopped in all these tumors. Seven of the 11 with deep-seated tumors showed a decrease in tumor markers and/or the development of tumor necrosis. Fever, hypotension and fatigue were the main clinical side effects. No significant changes were found in hematologic, renal or liver parameters. These results suggest that administration of rH-TNF to the tumor site has the potential for controlling local tumor growth.

Background and objective: Tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can be activated in vivo by dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination. However, clinical responses to the immunotherapy with DC vaccination have only been observed in a minority of patients with solid cancer. In the current study, the clinical efficacy of the DC vaccine pulsed with the peptide derived from breast cancer-associated antigens has been evaluated in the patients with advanced, inoperable breast cancer. Patients and Methods: 21patients with advanced, inoperable breast cancer refractory to standard treatment were entered the study. DCs which were generated from CD14+ monocytes from leukapheresis by 6-day cultivation with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4, were matured by OK-432, a streptococcal agent, and were pulsed with the pancreatic cancer-associated antigens, such as WT1, MUC1. These DCs (1 × 107) were intradermally administered more than 5 times at 14-day intervals. Results: Of the 21 patients, complete response (CR) was observed in 0 (0%), partial response (PR) in 2 (9.6%), stable disease (SD) in 7 (33.3%), progressive disease (PD) in 12 (57.1%). Response rate was 9.6%. Tumor control rate was 42.9%. Mean survival time after DC therapy was 514days. Severe side effects of more than grade 3 which were assessed in accordance with NCI-Common Toxicity Criteria v.2.0, were not observed. Conclusions: It was strongly suggested that the DC vaccination pulsed with cancer associated-peptides was safety and effective in the patients with the inoperable breast cancer refractory to standard treatment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-154. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-154

The synergistic antitumor effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was investigated. G-CSF was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice inoculated with Meth-A cells at a dose of 2.5 micrograms/day for 5 consecutive days. When TNF (1 x 10(3) U) was administered intravenously to mice which had been pretreated with G-CSF, tumor growth showed a 74.1% inhibition 17 days after the tumor cell inoculation, compared to that of untreated mice. In this experiment, G-CSF significantly (P < 0.025) enhanced the antitumor effect of TNF. The in vitro cytotoxicity of TNF (10 U/ml) towards Meth-A cells was increased about 5.2-fold in the presence of neutrophils (E/T = 50) as compared to the cytotoxicity obtained with TNF alone. A combination of TNF and G-CSF (50 ng/ml) in the presence of neutrophils, resulted in a 2.1 times greater cytotoxicity against Meth-A cells as compared to that obtained without G-CSF. Significant augmenting effects of G-CSF on superoxide (O2-) production by TNF-stimulated neutrophils were observed. These observation suggest that the neutrophil plays an important role in the antitumor action of TNF on Meth-A cells, and that the antitumor effect of TNF is enhanced by combination with G-CSF.

Background and objective: Tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can be activated in vivo by dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination. However, clinical responses to the immunotherapy with DC vaccination have only been observed in a minority of patients with solid cancer. Combination with other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy may overcome immunoresistance of cancer cells. In the current study, the clinical efficacy of the DC vaccine pulsed with the peptide derived from colorectal cancer-associated antigens in combination with chemotherapy has been evaluated in the patients with advanced, inoperable colorectal cancer. Patients and Methods: Thirty-two patients with advanced, inoperable colorectal cancer refractory to standard treatment were entered the study. DCs which were generated from CD14+ monocytes from leukapheresis by 6-day cultivation with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4, were matured by OK-432, a streptococcal agent, and were pulsed with the pancreatic cancer-associated antigens, such as WT1, MUC1. These DCs (1 × 107) were intradermally administered 5 times at 14-day intervals. Results: Of the 32 patients, complete response (CR) was observed in 0 (0%), partial response (PR) in 7 (21.9%), stable disease (SD) in 12 (37.5%), progressive disease (PD) in 13 (40.6%). Response rate was 21.9%. Tumor control rate was 59.4%. Survival rate, quality of life, performance status were markedly increased. Severe side effects of more than grade 3 which were assessed in accordance with NCI-Common Toxicity Criteria v.2.0, were not observed. Conclusions: It was strongly suggested that the DC vaccination pulsed with cancer associated-peptides in combination with chemotherapy was safety and effective in the patients with the inoperable colorectal cancer refractory to standard treatment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4753.