Impact of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, Glasgow Prognostic Score, and postoperative decrease in psoas muscle index on recurrence after curative gastrectomy.

Aim : We investigated whether preoperative or postoperative inflammatory markers and psoas muscle index (PMI), and their change after surgery, could predict postoperative recurrence in gastric cancer (GC). Methods : Thirty-five patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for pStage II and III GC were retrospectively reviewed. The relationship between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), and PMI, as well as postoperative recurrence, was analyzed presurgery and at 6 months after surgery. Results : In the preoperative data, there was a significant association between postoperative recurrence and high NLR, low total protein, low albumin, low PNI, and high GPS. In the data from 6 months after surgery, there was a significant association between postoperative recurrence and high NLR, high C-reactive protein, and high GPS. The reduction in PMI at 6 months after surgery relative to preoperative data was significantly greater in the cases with recurrence than in those without recurrence. No patients whose PMI increased compared with presurgery had recurrence. Conclusions : The postoperative reduction in PMI at 6 months after surgery relative to presurgery could be a predictive marker of recurrence after curative gastrectomy for patients with pStage II and III GC. J. Med. Invest. 68 : 119-124, February, 2021.

The regulatory effect of tamoxifen on fibronectin expression in estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells.

We investigated the regulatory effect of tamoxifen (TAM) on fibronectin (FN) expression in estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. in vitro, MCF-7 cells were cultured with 17beta-estradiol (E2) and/or TAM. In the animal experiment in vivo, MCF-7 tumors were grown in ovariectomized athymic mice by implanting a sustained release E2 pellet. The E2 pellets were removed after 3 weeks of E2 treatment. Animals were then divided into four groups: 1) an E2 (0.72 mg/pellet) pellet [E2(+)]; 2) an E2 and a TAM (5 mg/pellet) pellet [E2(+)TAM]; 3) no treatment [E2(-)] and 4) a TAM pellet [E2(-)TAM]. Following each treatment for 4 weeks, all animals were sacrificed and tumors were removed. Specimens, cells (in vitro) or tumors (in vivo), were homogenized and assayed for FN by Western blots. In the in vitro experiment, FN expression in MCF-7 cells decreased by incubating with 10(-9) M E2 and increased with 10(-6) M TAM. The effect of TAM increasing FN expression was inhibited by incubation accompanied with 10(-9) M E2 or 1 microg/ml transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) neutralizing antibody. In the in vivo animal experiment FN expression in the tumors of E2(+) mice was lower than that of E2(-) mice. However, TAM increased FN expression in the tumors regardless of E2 pellet. These results suggest that TAM increases FN expression of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells and that these regulatory effects of TAM on FN expression are partly mediated by TAM-induced TGF-beta.

Inhibitory effects of OK-432 (Picibanil) on cellular proliferation and adhesive capacity of breast carcinoma cells.

We investigated the potent inhibitory effects of OK-432 (Picibanil) on both cellular adhesion and cell proliferation of estrogen-dependent (MCF-7) or estrogen-independent (MDA-MB-231) breast carcinoma cells. Cellular proliferation of both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells was markedly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, when the carcinoma cells were exposed to OK-432. Cell attachment assay demonstrated that incubation with OK-432 for 24 h reduced integrin-mediated cellular adhesion of both cell types. However, fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis revealed that incubation with OK-432 for 24 h did not decrease the cell surface expressions of any integrins. These results suggest that the binding avidity of integrins is reduced by OK-432 without alteration of the integrin expression. We conclude that OK-432 inhibits integrin-mediated cellular adhesion as well as cell proliferation of breast carcinoma cells regardless of estrogen-dependence, and that these actions of OK-432 contribute to prevention or inhibition of breast carcinoma invasion and metastasis.

[A case of pancreatic tail cancer with peritoneal carcinosis treated with gemcitabine hydrochloride].

This paper reports a case of pancreatic tail cancer with peritoneal carcinosis that showed a good response to gemcitabine hydrochloride. A 52-year-old man, who had undergone a gastrojejunostomy for pancreatic tail cancer with peritoneal carcinosis, was referred to our hospital for anticancer therapy. Laboratory data on admission disclosed hypoalbuminemia and a high level of serum CA19-9 (156 IU/ml). These findings indicated that the patient was in a cancer cachexic condition. Gemcitabine hydrochloride treatment (1,000 mg/m2/week x 3/4 weeks) was started. Ascites disappeared after 2 courses of treatment, and the tumor was reduced (62% of the reduction rate) after 5 courses of treatment. Furthermore, the serum CA19-9 level and serum albumin value returned to normal, and performance status was improved to grade 1. The patient has been well for 15 months after the diagnosis of pancreatic tail cancer with peritoneal carcinosis. Gemcitabine hydrochloride may have not only reduced the tumor volume and improved cancer cachexic condition, but also prolonged the survival time in this case.