• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2009

Purpose: Early detection of recurrence is an important factor for long term survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Measurement of serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9, CT and PET/CT has been commonly used in the postoperative surveillance of colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic ability of PET/CT, tumor marker and CT for recurrence in colorectal cancer patients after treatment. Materials and Methods: F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging was performed in 189 colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgical resection and/or chemotherapy. Measurement of serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9 and CT imaging were performed within 2 months of PET/CT examination. Final diagnosis of recurrence was made by biopsy, radiologic studies or clinical follow-up for 6 months after each study. Results: Overall sensitivity, specificity of PET/CT was 94.7%, 91.1%, while those of serum CEA were 44.7% and 97.3%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were 94.2%, 90.4% for PET/CT and better than those of combined CEA and CA 19-9 measurement(52.1%, 88.5%) in 174 patients measured available both CEA and CA 19-9 data. In 115 patients with both tumor markers and CT images available, PET/CT showed similar sensitivity but higher specificity(92.9%, 91.3%) compared to combination of tumor markers and CT images(92.9%, 74.1%). Conclusion: PET/CT was superior for detection of recurred colorectal cancer patients compared with both CEA, CA 19-9, and even with combination of both tumor markers and CT. Therefore PET/CT could be used as a routine surveillance examination to detect recurrence or metastasis of colorectal cancer.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2023

Despite recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, clinical results remain dismal. Furthermore, there are no reliable biomarkers or alternatives beyond carbohydrate antigen 19-9. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may be a potential biomarker, but their therapeutic application is constrained by their rarity in peripheral venous blood. Theoretically, the portal vein can be a more appropriate location for the detection of CTCs, because the first venous drainage of pancreatic cancer is portal circulation. According to several studies, the number and detection rate of CTCs may be higher in the portal blood than in the peripheral blood. CTC counts in the portal blood are strongly correlated with several prognostic parameters such as hepatic metastasis, recurrence after surgery, and survival. The phenotypic and genotypic properties analyzed in the captured portal CTCs can assist us to comprehend tumor heterogeneity and predicting the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. The investigations to date are limited by small sample sizes and varied CTC detection techniques. Therefore, a large number of prospective studies are required to confirm portal CTCs as a valid biomarker in pancreatic cancer.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.56-66
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• 2022

Purpose: Nutritional problems after gastrectomy affect continuation of postoperative chemotherapy. There have been no studies limited to total gastrectomy, which is particularly prone to nutritional problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate the factors that predict the continuation of postoperative chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We included 101 patients who underwent curative total gastrectomy and postoperative chemotherapy at Hiroshima Memorial Hospital. The effects of 37 factors, including perioperative inflammatory, nutritional, and tumor status, on the persistence of postoperative chemotherapy were analyzed. Results: In univariate analysis of preoperative factors, age, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, platelet-to-neutrophil ratio, Onodera's prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlling nutritional status score, and nutritional risk screening (NRS-2002) score were significantly associated with the duration of postoperative chemotherapy. In multivariate analysis of preoperative factors, age (≥74 years) was an independent factor for a shorter duration of postoperative chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR], 5.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.19-12.96; P<0.01). In univariate analysis of factors before postoperative chemotherapy, intraoperative blood loss, perioperative weight loss rate, postoperative performance status, PNI, albumin-to-bilirubin index, and NRS-2002 score were significantly associated with the duration of postoperative chemotherapy. In multivariate analysis of factors before postoperative therapy, age (≥74 years) (HR, 5.75; 95% CI, 1.90-19.49; P<0.01) and PNI (<39) (HR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.26-8.56; P=0.02) were independent factors for a shorter duration of postoperative chemotherapy. Conclusions: Age and PNI are useful predictors of postoperative chemotherapy intolerance after total gastrectomy and may determine the treatment strategy and timing of chemotherapy initiation.