A Prospective Cohort Study Exploring the Effect of Lenvatinib Planned Drug Holidays in Treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Background: Although lenvatinib is the preferred treatment for unresectable radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC), this agent exerts considerable toxicities, which can lead to frequent dose interruptions and modifications. The adoption of planned drug holidays has been recently suggested as one means of minimizing or avoiding these severe adverse events. Our retrospective study demonstrated that planned drug holidays appear to be a promising strategy for continuing of lenvatinib. However, the benefits of planned drug holidays in a prospective study have yet to be clarified. Here, we investigated the impact of planned drug holidays on clinical outcomes in patients treated with lenvatinib in the COLLECT study. Methods: In COLLECT, a prospective observational study, patients with RR-DTC were treated with lenvatinib in a real-world clinical setting. Lenvatinib was administered orally at a dose of 24 mg daily. Dose modification for toxicities was permitted. Furthermore, planned drug holidays were allowed to avoid severe or intolerable toxicities. The present post hoc analysis focused on evaluating the impact of planned drug holidays on clinical outcomes, including overall survival (OS), time to treatment failure (TTF), time to failure strategy (TFS), and progression-free survival (PFS), in patients in the COLLECT study who were treated with lenvatinib. Results: In total, 262 patients were included. Of the 253 patients evaluable for efficacy, 73 undertook a planned drug holiday at the discretion of the attending physician. OS, TTF, TFS, and PFS were significantly longer in patients who used a planned drug holiday than in those who did not. The planned drug holiday group demonstrated notable clinical outcomes, with a 1-year OS of 95.8% and a 1-year PFS of 94.5%. Moreover, planned drug holidays demonstrated a clinically meaningful advantage in clinical outcomes. The planned drug holiday group had a significantly longer duration of administration at a dose of ≥10 mg. Conclusions: Planned drug holidays for lenvatinib were associated with significantly improved clinical outcomes compared to daily oral administration. Further investigation of the optimal treatment schedule for lenvatinib is warranted. Clinical Trial Registration: UMIN000022243.

A phase II Japanese trial of 90-minute rituximab infusion for untreated B-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: This phase II clinical trial evaluated feasibility and tolerability of 90-minute rituximab infusion and a concentration of 4 mg/mL rituximab infusion in Japanese patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. METHODS: Treatment was rituximab with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone. In cycle 1, rituximab at a dose of 375 mg/m2 (4 mg/mL) was administered at the standard infusion rate stipulated in the package insert. On confirmed tolerance of rituximab, patients received 90-minute infusion in second and subsequent cycles. The primary endpoint was incidence of grade 3 or higher infusion-related reactions during 90-minute rituximab infusion in cycle 2 of rituximab with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone. RESULTS: All 32 patients (median age 61.5 years, 16 males, 24 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) completed the prescribed six or eight cycles of treatment. One patient withdrew consent after cycle 1, and another developed grade 2 erythema and continued receiving 4 mg/mL at the standard infusion rate for cycle 2. The remaining 30 patients received 90-minute rituximab infusion; 28 (93.3%) completed cycle 2 at the scheduled infusion rate and dosage. No grade 3 or higher infusion-related reactions were associated with a concentration of 4 mg/mL rituximab dose or 90-min rituximab infusion in cycle 2. The most common infusion-related reaction symptoms were pruritus, hypertension and oropharyngeal discomfort. During the study, toxicities and adverse events were as expected, with no new safety signals. CONCLUSION: High-concentration dosing (4 mg/mL) and 90-minute infusion of rituximab are feasible and tolerable in Japanese patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: JapicCTI-173 663.

A prospective analysis of two studies that used the 5-mm interval slices and 5-mm margin-free method for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast-conserving surgery without radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy is one of standard treatments for early breast cancer. However, it is regarded as an option to treat elderly patients with small hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with breast-conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy. We conducted two sequential prospective studies to examine the feasibility of breast-conserving surgery without radiotherapy since 2002 and present the results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Primary female breast cancer patients who fulfilled the strict eligibility criteria were prospectively enrolled in two sequential studies named WORTH 1 and 2. The surgical materials were sliced in 5-mm intervals and all slices were examined microscopically. Postoperative radiotherapy was not allowed, but tamoxifen or anastrozole was administered for 5 years. Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR)-free survival was the primary outcome. RESULTS: The data of the two studies were combined (N = 321). The median follow-up period for IBTR was 94 months (4-192 months). Only three patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5- and 10-year IBTR-free rates were 97.0% and 90.5%, respectively. The age at operation and PR status affected IBTR rates independently. When we calculated IBTR-free rates of patients who were 65 years of age or older at the time of surgery and had PR-positive tumors, the 5- and 10-year IBTR rates were both 98.4%. CONCLUSIONS:  Our "5-mm-thick slice and 5-mm free-margin" method may be effective to select patients who can be treated by breast-conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy.

One-year incidence of venous thromboembolism, bleeding, and death in patients with solid tumors newly initiating cancer treatment: Results from the Cancer-VTE Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Although many publications have reported the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer from Western countries, to date, no prospective East Asian studies have been published, and potential racial differences remain unclear. The multicenter, prospective, observational Cancer-VTE Registry aimed to clarify the incidence of VTE and bleeding and identify risk factors in Japanese patients with solid tumors after one year of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with colorectal, lung, stomach, pancreatic, breast, or gynecologic cancer were enrolled after VTE screening and before starting cancer treatment. The follow-up period was one year. The main outcomes were the incidences of symptomatic VTE, bleeding events (major or clinically relevant non-major), and all-cause death, evaluated according to VTE presence/absence at baseline. Multivariate analyses were conducted to identify risk factors for events. RESULTS: Among 9630 patients, the one-year cumulative incidences of symptomatic VTE, bleeding events, and all-cause death were 0.5%, 1.4%, and 12.2%, respectively. The majority of VTEs identified at baseline were asymptomatic distal deep vein thromboses; however, affected patients had higher event rates during the follow-up period. The most important independent risk factor for developing symptomatic VTE, bleeding events, and death during the follow-up period was the presence of symptomatic or asymptomatic VTE at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: These data have revealed the incidence of symptomatic VTE in Japanese patients with solid tumors during one year of follow-up. The presence of any VTE before initiating cancer treatment was an independent risk factor for symptomatic VTE, bleeding events, and death during subsequent treatment.

Final report on plasma ctDNA T790M monitoring during EGFR-TKI treatment in patients with EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer (JP-CLEAR trial).

Osimertinib is active against T790M-positive epidermal growth factor receptor mutant non-small cell lung cancer. We enrolled 122 sensitive epidermal growth factor receptor mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients who were planned to receive or were receiving first-/second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors without disease progression and monitored plasma T790M every 1-2 months using the cobas® EGFR Mutation Test v2. We previously reported the concordance between T790M status in plasma and tissue. This is the final report on the sensitivity of plasma T790M and the efficacy of sequential osimertinib. The sensitivity was 21.1% (95% confidence interval: 6.1-45.6%). The best overall response was 25.0% (95% confidence interval: 9.8-46.7) in the plasma T790M-positive group and 28.6% (95% confidence interval: 8.4-58.1) in the plasma T790M-negative but tissue T790M-positive group. Median progression-free survival was 7.9 months (95% confidence interval: 4.7-17.5) for the former and 4.4 months (95% confidence interval: 3.0-N.E.) for the latter, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.74).

Efficacy and safety of first-line osimertinib treatment and postprogression patterns of care in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor activating mutation-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (Reiwa study): study protocol of a multicentre, real-world observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is widely used as the first-line treatment for EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, most cases ultimately acquire resistance to osimertinib, and no effective treatment has been currently established for cases having progressive disease (PD) with osimertinib. In clinical practice, EGFR-TKI therapy could be continued beyond response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (RECIST)-defined PD cases when they are clinically stable. Currently, the progression pattern of osimertinib and criteria for identifying patients who might benefit from osimertinib beyond PD are unknown. In addition, the efficacy and safety of osimertinib as the first-line treatment in real-world clinical practice remain unclear in Japan. This multicentre study was designed to evaluate the real-world data on first-line osimertinib and its post-treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study enrols patients with EGFR mutation-positive, advanced or recurrent NSCLC who received EGFR-TKI as the first-line therapy after 1 September 2018, from October 2019 to August 2020, and those started on osimertinib will be followed up until August 2022. We will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the first-line osimertinib treatment, adherence to it, progression patterns on RECIST PD and subsequent treatment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: All participating patients will provide written informed consent before entering the study. The protocol, amendments and patients' informed consent forms will be approved before study commencement by the institutional review board or independent ethics committee at each participation site (Lead Ethics Committee; Japan Red Cross Medical Center (26 April 2019, order number 976)). Patients will be anonymised before registration into the study and their anonymised data will be collected from the case report form. The results of this study will be presented at the national and international conferences and submitted for publication. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000038683.

Association Between Kidney Function Decline and Baseline TNFR Levels or Change Ratio in TNFR by Febuxostat Chiefly in Non-diabetic CKD Patients With Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia.

Background: The levels of circulating tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) 1 and 2 help predict the future decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) chiefly in patients with diabetes. It has been recently reported that the change ratio in TNFR1 by SGLT2 inhibitor treatment is also related with future GFR decline in patients with diabetes. The aims of this study are to investigate the association between baseline TNFR levels and early change in TNFR levels by the non-purine selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor, febuxostat, and future eGFR decline chiefly in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients without diabetes. Methods: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the FEATHER study on patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and CKD stage 3, who were randomly assigned febuxostat 40 mg/day or matched placebo. This analysis included 426 patients in whom baseline stored samples were available. Serum TNFR levels at baseline were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Those levels were also measured using 12-week stored samples from 197 randomly selected patients. Results: Compared with placebo, short-term febuxostat treatment significantly decreased the median percent change from baseline in serum uric acid (-45.05, 95% CI -48.90 to -41.24 mg/dL), TNFR1 (1.10, 95% CI-2.25 to 4.40), and TNFR2 (1.66, 95% CI -1.72 to 4.93), but not TNFR levels. Over a median follow-up of 105 weeks, 30 patients (7.0%) experienced 30% eGFR decline from baseline. In the Cox multivariate model, high levels of baseline TNFR predicted a 30% eGFR decline, even after adjusting for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, uric acid, and presence or absence of febuxostat treatment and diabetes, in addition to baseline albumin to creatinine ratio and eGFR. Conclusion: Early change in circulating TNFR levels failed to predict future eGFR decline; however, regardless of febuxostat treatment, the elevated baseline level of TNFR was a strong predictor of 30% eGFR decline even in chiefly non-diabetic CKD patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia.

Impact of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning in older patients with HER2-positive breast cancer: a sub-study in the RESPECT trial.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether postoperative adjuvant trastuzumab plus chemotherapy negatively affected cognitive functioning during the post-chemotherapy period compared with trastuzumab monotherapy in older patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. METHODS: In the randomized RESPECT trial, women aged between 70 and 80 years with HER2-positive, stage I to IIIA invasive breast cancer who underwent curative operation were randomly assigned to receive either 1-year trastuzumab monotherapy or 1-year trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test at enrollment and 1 and 3 years after initiation of the protocol treatment. The primary outcome was change in the MMSE total score from baseline. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of suspected mild cognitive impairment (MMSE total score < 28) and suspected dementia (MMSE total score < 24). RESULTS: The analytical population consisted of 29 and 26 patients in the trastuzumab monotherapy and trastuzumab plus chemotherapy groups, respectively. The group differences in mean changes of the MMSE total score were 0.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.3 to 1.6) at 1 year and 0.9 (95% CI - 1.0 to 2.8) at 3 years (P = 0.136 for the group difference pooling the two visits). The prevalence of suspected mild cognitive impairment at 3 years was 41.7% in the trastuzumab monotherapy group and 28.6% in the trastuzumab plus chemotherapy group (P = 0.548). CONCLUSION: This randomized sub-study did not show worse cognitive functioning during the post-chemotherapy period with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy than with trastuzumab monotherapy in older patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01104935 (first posted April 16, 2010).

Patient-reported outcomes following neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, external beam radiation, and adjuvant continuous/intermittent endocrine therapy for locally advanced prostate cancer: A randomized phase III trial.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated patient-reported outcomes (PRO) during neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) followed by either adjuvant continuous ADT (CADT) or intermittent ADT (IADT) for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer (Pca). METHODS: A multicenter, randomized phase III trial enrolled 303 patients with locally advanced Pca. The patients were treated with 6 months (M) of ADT followed by 72 Gy of EBRT, and were randomly assigned to CADT or IADT after 14 M. The PROs were evaluated at sic points: baseline, 6 M, 8 M, 14 M, 20 M, and 38 M using FACT-P questionnaires and EPIC urinary, bowel, and sexual bother subscales. RESULTS: The FACT-P total scores were significantly better (p < 0.05) in IADT versus CADT at 20 M (121.6 vs.115.4) and at 38 M (119.9 vs. 115.2). The physical well-being scores (PWB) were significantly better (p < 0.05) in IADT versus CADT at 38 M (25.4 vs. 24.0). The functional scores were significantly better in IADT than those in CADT at 14 M (20.2 vs18.7, p < 0.05) and at 20 M (21.0 vs.18.9, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The PRO was significantly favorable in IADT on FACT-P total score at 20 M and 38 M, PWB and functional scores at 38 M.

Health-Related Quality of Life With Trastuzumab Monotherapy Versus Trastuzumab Plus Standard Chemotherapy as Adjuvant Therapy in Older Patients With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: We report findings on quality of life (QoL) in the RESPECT trial, which compared adjuvant trastuzumab monotherapy with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in older patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients age 70-80 years with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive surgically treated breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive trastuzumab (T) or trastuzumab plus chemotherapy (T + C). QoL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire, and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence at baseline and after 2, 12, and 36 months. Comparisons were based on individual changes from baseline and were performed by Fisher's test or mixed-model repeated-measures. RESULTS: Among 275 patients in the parent study, 231 (84%) (average age: 74 years) were included in the analysis. At 2, 12, and 36 months, 198, 177, and 178 patients completed surveys, and the mean FACT-G scores at each survey point were 78.9, 80.4, 82.7, and 79.1 in group T and 79.5, 74.5, 78.4, and 78.5 in group T + C. Compared with group T + C, the proportion of patients showing QoL deterioration (≥ 5 points decrease from baseline in FACT-G) was significantly lower at 2 months (31% v 48%; P = .016) and 12 months (19% v 38%; P = .009). In group T, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (P = .003) and the proportion of severe sensory peripheral neuropathy (P = .001) were significantly lower at 2 months, and Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence scores were significantly higher (P = .024, .042) at 12 months. At 36 months, there were no significant differences in any QoL items. CONCLUSION: Detrimental effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on global QoL, morale, and activity capacity lasted for at least 12 months but were not observed at 36 months.

A Correlation Analysis Between Metabolism-related Genes and Treatment Response to S-1 as First-line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: The SELECT BC-EURECA Study.

INTRODUCTION: The previous randomized phase 3 trial (SELECT BC) showed that S-1 as a first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is non-inferior to taxane with respect to overall survival. This study aimed to identify the usefulness of metabolism-related genes as predictive biomarkers for the response to S-1 compared with taxane using tumor tissue samples from the previous trial.   PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this SELECT BC-EURECA study, 147 patients with human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-negative MBC who received either S-1 or taxane were evaluated. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were collected, and 14 genes involved in the pyrimidine metabolic pathway, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2, Ki67, and beta-tubulin were measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in microdissected tumor specimens. The expression of each gene was categorized as low, intermediate, and high by tertile values.   RESULTS: Interaction tests to identify biomarkers for the response to S-1 compared with taxane, revealed the following as the top 3 biomarkers: RRM1 (P value = 0.24), GGH (P value = 0.25), and MTHFR (P value = 0.28). In the S-1 group, lower GGH and higher MTHFR expression were significantly correlated with better time to treatment failure. In the taxane group, there was no gene that was identified as a significant indicator of treatment failure. CONCLUSION: This biomarker analysis from SELECT BC did not identify any predictive biomarkers for the response to S-1 compared with taxane. Future studies with larger sample size and information on not only mRNA, but also protein and DNA for broad functional analyses are needed.

A follow-up study of a randomized controlled study evaluating safety and efficacy of leuprorelin acetate every-3-month depot for 2 versus 3 or more years with tamoxifen for 5 years as adjuvant treatment in premenopausal patients with endocrine-responsive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previously, we conducted the 5-year open-label, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of leuprorelin adjuvant therapy in post-operative premenopausal patients with endocrine-responsive breast cancer, which was a pilot study to investigate the optimal duration of leuprorelin treatment. Since, however, long-term outcomes became required for the adjuvant endocrine therapy, we performed this follow-up observation study. METHODS: Follow-up observation study was performed up to 10th year after randomization, continuing RCT to evaluate the efficacy and safety of leuprorelin every 3 months for ≥ 3 versus 2 years, with daily tamoxifen for 5 years. Primary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and 2-year landmark DFS. RESULTS: Eligible patients (N = 222) were randomly assigned to receive leuprorelin for either 2 years (N = 112) or ≥ 3 years (N = 110) with tamoxifen. Leuprorelin treatment for ≥ 3 years versus 2 years provided no significant difference in DFS (HR 0.944, 95% CI 0.486-1.8392) or 2-year landmark DFS (N = 99 and 102 in 2-year and ≥ 3-year groups, HR 0.834, 0.397-1.753). In small, higher-risk subgroup (n = 17); however, 2-year landmark DFS in ≥ 3-year group was significantly longer (HR 0.095, 0.011-0.850) than that in 2-year group. The incidence of bone-related adverse events was around 5% in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant leuprorelin treatment for ≥ 3 years with tamoxifen only showed similar efficacy and safety profiles to those for 2 years in analyses among all patients but suggested greater benefit in higher-risk patients. No new safety signal was identified for long-term leuprorelin treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable. This was an observational study.

Adjuvant S-1 plus endocrine therapy for oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, primary breast cancer: a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Oral fluoropyrimidines, such as S-1, have been shown to have a role in controlling disease progression in metastatic breast cancer. We examined adjuvant treatment with S-1 in patients with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive and HER2-negative primary breast cancer. METHODS: We did a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial in 139 sites (137 hospitals and two clinics). Eligible patients were women aged 20-75 years with histologically diagnosed stage I to IIIB invasive breast cancer (intermediate to high risk of recurrence). Patients were temporarily registered at participating institutions and biopsy or surgical samples were collected and sent for central pathological assessment. Patients received 5 years of standard adjuvant endocrine therapy (selective oestrogen receptor modulators with or without ovarian suppression and aromatase inhibitors) with or without 1 year of S-1. Oral S-1 80-120 mg/day was administered twice a day for 14 days with 7 days off. Randomisation (1:1) using the minimisation method was done with six stratification factors (age, axillary lymph node metastasis at surgery or sentinel lymph node biopsy, preoperative or postoperative (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) chemotherapy, preoperative endocrine therapy, proportion of ER-positive cells, and study site). The primary endpoint was invasive disease-free survival, in the full analysis set (all randomly assigned patients, excluding those with significant protocol deviations). The safety analysis set consisted of all patients who received at least one dose of study treatment. Here, we report the results from the interim analysis at the data cutoff date Jan 31, 2019. This trial is registered with Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCTs051180057, and the University hospital Medical Information Network, UMIN000003969. FINDINGS: Between Feb 1, 2012, and Feb 1, 2016, 1930 patients were enrolled in the full analysis set, 957 (50%) received endocrine therapy plus S-1 and 973 (50%) received endocrine therapy alone. Median follow-up was 52·2 months (IQR 42·1-58·9). 155 (16%) patients in the endocrine therapy alone group and in 101 (11%) patients in the endocrine therapy plus S-1 group had invasive disease-free survival events (hazard ratio 0·63, 95% CI 0·49-0·81, p=0·0003). As the primary endpoint was met at interim analysis, the trial was terminated early. The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events were decreased neutrophil count (72 [8%] of 954 patients in the endocrine therapy plus S-1 group vs seven [1%] of 970 patients in the endocrine therapy alone group), diarrhoea (18 [2%] vs none), decreased white blood cells (15 [2%] vs two [<1%]), and fatigue (six [<1%] vs none). Serious adverse events were reported in nine (1%) of 970 patients in the endocrine therapy alone group and 25 (3%) of 954 patients in the endocrine therapy plus S-1 group. There was one (<1%) possible treatment-related death in the endocrine therapy plus S-1 group due to suspected pulmonary artery thrombosis. INTERPRETATION: These data suggest that this combination of S-1 with endocrine therapy could be a potential treatment option for this intermediate and high-risk group of patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative primary breast cancer. FUNDING: Public Health Research Foundation (Japan), Taiho Pharmaceutical.

Effect of a Multifactorial Intervention on Fracture in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Subanalysis of the J-DOIT3 Study.

AIMS: To evaluate the effects of an intensified multifactorial intervention and patient characteristics on the incidence of fractures comorbid with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Fracture events were identified and analyzed among adverse events reported in the J-DOIT3 study, a multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel-group trial that was conducted in Japan, in which patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive conventional therapy for glucose, blood pressure, and lipids (targets: HbA1c < 6.9%, blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg, LDL-cholesterol <120mg/dL) or intensive therapy (HbA1c < 6.2%, blood pressure <120/75 mm Hg, LDL-cholesterol <80mg/dL) (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT00300976). RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of fractures did not differ between those receiving conventional therapy and those receiving intensive therapy (hazard ratio (HR) 1.15; 95% CI, 0.91-1.47; P = 0.241). Among the potential risk factors, only history of smoking at baseline was significantly associated with the incidence of fractures in men (HR 1.96; 95% CI, 1.04-3.07; P = 0.038). In contrast, the incidence of fractures in women was associated with the FRAX score [%/10 years] at baseline (HR 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07; P < 0.001) and administration of pioglitazone at 1 year after randomization (HR 1.59; 95% CI, 1.06-2.38; P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Intensified multifactorial intervention may be implemented without increasing the fracture risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. The fracture risk is elevated in those with a history of smoking in men, whereas it is predicted by the FRAX score and is independently elevated with administration of pioglitazone in women.

Renal prognoses by different target hemoglobin levels achieved by epoetin beta pegol dosing to chronic kidney disease patients with hyporesponsive anemia to erythropoiesis-stimulating agent: a multicenter open-label randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: There is no evidence regarding appropriate target hemoglobin levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)-hyporesponsiveness. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled study in non-dialysis dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) patients with ESA-hyporesponsiveness, comparing results of intensive versus conservative treatment to maintain hemoglobin levels. METHODS: This was a multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel-group study conducted at 89 institutions. Among NDD-CKD patients, those with ESA-hyporesponsive renal anemia were randomly assigned to an intensive treatment group, to which epoetin beta pegol was administered with target hemoglobin level of 11 g/dL or higher, or conservative treatment group, in which the hemoglobin levels at enrollment (within ± 1 g/dL) were maintained. The primary endpoint was the time to the first kidney composite event defined as (1) transition to renal replacement therapy (dialysis or renal transplantation); (2) reduction of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to less than 6.0 mL/min/1.73 m2; or (3) reduction of eGFR by 30% or more. Secondary endpoints were kidney function (change rate in eGFR), cardiovascular (CV) events, and safety. RESULTS: Between August 2012 and December 2015, 385 patients were registered, and 362 patients who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled. There was no significant difference in kidney survival or in CV events between the two groups. However, the incidences of the 3 types of kidney composite events tended to differ. CONCLUSIONS: In NDD-CKD patients with ESA-hyporesponsive renal anemia, the aggressive administration of ESA did not clearly extend kidney survival or result in a significant difference in the incidence of CV events.

A phase II Japanese trial of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab for previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: Fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR) is the standard regimen for fit patients with untreated CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, this combination is unavailable in Japan because rituximab is not approved for CLL. We investigated the efficacy and safety of FCR in this single-arm, multicenter study designed as a bridging study to the CLL8 study by the German CLL Study Group. METHODS: The study enrolled previously untreated patients with CLL of Binet stage B or C with active disease. Patients with a Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score of ≤6 and creatinine clearance of ≥70 ml/min were eligible. Patients received 6 cycles of FCR every 28 days and were followed for up to 1 year. RESULTS: Seven patients were enrolled. The best overall response rate according to the 1996 NCI-WG Guidelines, the primary endpoint of the study, was 71.4% (95% confidence interval, 29.0-96.3%), with one patient achieving complete response. No deaths or progression occurred during follow-up. The main adverse event was hematotoxicity. CD4-positive T-cell count decreased in all patients; most patients showed no reduction in serum immunoglobulin G. CONCLUSION: Although the number of patients was limited, FCR appears to be effective with manageable toxicity for treatment-naïve fit Japanese patients with CD20-positive CLL. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: JapicCTI-132285.

Relationships between pathological factors and long-term outcomes in patients enrolled in two prospective randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of oral tegafur-uracil with CMF (N·SAS-BC 01 trial and CUBC trial).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacies of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) and tegafur-uracil (UFT) as adjuvant therapy in patients with resected stage I-IIIA breast cancer by immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based subtype and to determine the relationships between clinicopathological factors and long-term outcomes. METHODS: A pooled analysis of the randomized controlled N·SAS-BC 01 and CUBC studies was conducted. Expression of hormone receptors (HRs; estrogen and progesterone receptors), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki67were assessed by IHC. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and nuclear/histological grades were determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and hazard ratios were determined by Cox model adjusted for baseline tumor size and nodal status. RESULTS: A total of 689 patients (342 CMF and 347 UFT) were included in the analyses with a median follow-up of 11.1 years. There was no significant difference in RFS or OS between the two cohorts (RFS: 0.96 [95% confidence interval: 0.71-1.30], log-rank test p = 0.80; OS: 0.93 [0.64-1.35], p = 0.70). There was no difference in RFS or OS between the two cohorts for HR+/HER2- and HR+/HER2+ subtypes. RFS was significantly longer in patients treated with UFT compared with CMF in patients with HR-/HER2+ subtype (0.30 [0.10-0.88], p = 0.03). A high TILs level was associated with a better OS compared with low TILs level (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: This long-term follow-up study showed that RFS and OS were similar in patients with luminal-type breast cancer treated with CMF and UFT.

Effectiveness of HPV vaccination against the development of high-grade cervical lesions in young Japanese women.

BACKGROUND: Although more than 10 years have passed since HPV vaccination was implemented, first as an interim programme (Emergent vaccine promotion programme) in November 2010, followed by incorporating into the National Immunization Programme in April, 2013 and suspended in June 2013, limited studies have investigated the HPV vaccine effectiveness against high-grade cervical lesions in Japan. METHODS: We collected the matched data of the results of cervical biopsy and history of vaccination from the Japan Cancer Society database. The subjects were women aged 20 to 29 years screened for cervical cancer between April, 2015 and March, 2017, and with information on HPV vaccination status. We estimated the relative risk of developing high-grade cervical lesions in vaccinated subjects using Poisson regression as compared to unvaccinated subjects. RESULTS: Among the 34,281 women screened, 3770 (11.0%) were vaccinated. The prevalence of CIN2+ was statistically significantly lower in the vaccinated women as compared to the unvaccinated women (Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) =76%; RR = 0.24, 95% CI:0.10-0.60). High VE against CIN3+ was also observed (91%; RR = 0.09, 95% CI:0.00-0.42). CONCLUSION: Women aged 20-29 years who received at least one dose of HPV vaccine had a significantly lower risk of high-grade cervical lesions than those not vaccinated. In Japan, HPV vaccination should be resumed in order to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.

[Secular trends of breast cancer detection rate in Japan: Age, period, birth cohort, and region effects from 2004 to 2015].

Objective　The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of age, period, birth cohort, and regional differences in the detection of breast cancer using screening data.Method　Data from the Japan Cancer Society's breast cancer screening program, collected from 21 prefectural branches between 2004 to 2015, were used to generate age-specific estimates of cancer detection for women aged between 40 to 79 years. We used Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analyses based on the cohort table to describe the simultaneous effects of age, period, and cohort on breast cancer detection rates to understand the population dynamics underlying the detection patterns. We also incorporated region as a random effect to examine regional characteristics.Results　The age effect showed bimodality in the late 40s and late 50s. The period effect decreased from 2004 to 2007 and remained constant thereafter. The cohort effect showed that the detection rate for women born between 1943 and 1958 was high. Furthermore, we found regional differences in the breast cancer detection rate: Miyazaki, Fukui, Tochigi, and Hokkaido prefectures showed higher detection rates, while Kagoshima and Chiba prefecture had lower rates.Conclusion　Age effect has the strongest influence on the secular trend of breast cancer detection, and there is a regional difference in the detection rate. The present study that used screening data presented similar results to those of previous studies. The National Cancer Registry, based on the Cancer Registry Act of 2016, reports accurate national data. Similar to the National Cancer Registry data, analysis using screening data has immediacy and could be used for disease prevention.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Trastuzumab With or Without Chemotherapy for HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer in Older Patients.

PURPOSE: Adjuvant trastuzumab monotherapy has not been compared with trastuzumab + chemotherapy. We investigated the relative value of trastuzumab monotherapy for older patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This study was an open-label, randomized controlled study with a treatment selection design in which a noninferiority criterion was predefined. Patients aged 70-80 years with surgically treated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive invasive breast cancer received trastuzumab monotherapy or trastuzumab + chemotherapy. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS) with assessment of prespecified hazard ratio (HR), relapse-free survival (RFS), adverse events (AEs), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and restricted mean survival time (RMST). RESULTS: The study involved 275 patients (mean age, 73.5 years) who were followed up for a mean of 4.1 years (range, 0.3-8.0 years). The percentages of patients by cancer stage were as follows: I (pT > 0.5 cm), 43.6%; IIA, 41.7%; IIB, 13.5%; and IIIA, 1.1%. Three-year DFS was 89.5% with trastuzumab monotherapy versus 93.8% with trastuzumab + chemotherapy (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.72 to 2.58; P = .51). At 3 years, RMST differed by -0.39 months between arms (95% CI, -1.71 to 0.93; P = .56). Three-year RFS was 92.4% with trastuzumab monotherapy versus 95.3% with trastuzumab + chemotherapy (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.63 to 2.79; P = .53). Common AEs were anorexia (7.4% v 44.3%; P < .0001) and alopecia (2.2% v 71.7%; P < .0001), and grade 3/4 nonhematologic AEs occurred in 11.9% versus 29.8% (P = .0003) for trastuzumab monotherapy versus trastuzumab + chemotherapy, respectively. Clinically meaningful HRQoL deterioration rate showed significant differences at 2 months (31% for trastuzumab monotherapy v 48% for trastuzumab + chemotherapy; P = .016) and at 1 year (19% v 38%; P = .009). CONCLUSION: The primary objective of noninferiority for trastuzumab monotherapy was not met. However, the observed loss of survival without chemotherapy was < 1 month at 3 years. Therefore, and in light of the lower toxicity and more favorable HRQoL profile, trastuzumab monotherapy can be considered an adjuvant therapy option for selected older patients.