Japanese journal of clinical oncology
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Sep 2007
Relative and combined performance of mammography and ultrasonography for breast cancer screening in the general population: a pilot study in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Breast cancer screening by mammography is thought to be effective in reducing breast cancer mortality while ultrasonography is not accepted as a population screening modality, although the latter has been suggested to be useful in detection of cancer in the dense breast, relatively more typical for a younger woman. ⋯ Combined screening with mammography and ultrasonography may be feasible. A larger study is required to evaluate relative performance of mammography and ultrasonography in detail by characteristics of examinees and their breasts.
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Sep 2007
Efficacy and safety of an irinotecan plus bolus 5-fluorouracil and L-leucovorin regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer in Japanese patients: experience in a single institution in Japan.
Short-term infusion of 5-fluorouracil with leucovorin in combination with irinotecan or oxaliplatin has been considered as standard treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. However, until infusion of 5-fluorouracil regimens and oxaliplatin was approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in Japan early in 2005, combination of irinotecan with bolus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin had been the standard treatment. This retrospective study evaluates the efficacy and safety of a modified irinotecan with bolus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin regimen in Japanese colorectal cancer patients. ⋯ A modified irinotecan plus bolus 5-fluorouracil/l-leucovorin regimen was an active and well-tolerated regimen in Japanese patients with advanced colorectal cancer, showing a different toxicity profile from Western patients.
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Aug 2007
Current status of the infrastructure and characteristics of radiation oncology in Korea.
An analysis of radiotherapy infrastructure in Korea was performed in 2006 to collect data on treatment devices, the work force and new patients for future development plans. ⋯ There is a shortage of human resources. The distribution of megavoltage units per million inhabitants over the country was inadequate; geographic disparities were noted. Furthermore, the necessity of quality assurance for recent high-technology radiation therapy is increasing.
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Jun 2007
Feasibility of oxaliplatin and infusional fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX4) for Japanese patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer.
A combination of oxaliplatin and infusional fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX4) is one of the standard regimens for palliative and adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. However, the feasibility of FOLFOX4 for Japanese patients has not been determined. We conducted this prospective study to evaluate the feasibility of FOLFOX4. ⋯ The completion rate of the first four cycles was as high as expected with manageable toxicity, although fatal pneumonitis developed in one case. FOLFOX4 is feasible for Japanese patients.
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Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. · Apr 2007
Comparative StudyClinical experience with transdermal and orally administered opioids in palliative care patients--a retrospective study.
Transdermal fentanyl is a widely used opioid for the treatment of cancer pain. Simplicity of use and high patient compliance are the main advantages of this opioid. However, based on our clinical experience, transdermal fentanyl is often not efficacious in terminally ill palliative care patients. We thus retrospectively examined the pain management and need for opioid switching in cancer patients admitted to our palliative care unit. ⋯ In the patient group switched to morphine, sufficient pain relief was achieved by lower equianalgesic morphine doses, compared with the doses at admission. In the patient group switched to hydromorphone, higher equianalgesic morphine doses were needed at discharge, considering an equianalgesic conversion ratio of morphine: hydromorphone = 7.5: 1. Patients with far advanced cancer often suffer from sweating and cachexia, which may have negative effects on the absorption of transdermal fentanyl. Opioid switching to oral morphine or hydromorphone was well tolerated and proved to be an efficacious option for cancer pain treatment.