Ryu Kanzaki

Despite marked development in cancer therapies during recent decades, the prognosis for advanced cancer remains poor. The conventional tumor-cell-centric view of cancer can only explain part of cancer progression, and thus a thorough understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial. Among cells within the TME, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are attracting attention as a target for cancer therapy. However, CAFs present a heterogeneous population of cells and more detailed classi

The results showed that (1) surgical resection of pulmonary metastasis from RCC has a favourable outcome in selected patients, (2) DFI and completeness of resection are prognostic markers for survival after pulmonary metastasectomy and (3) repeat lung resection for metastatic RCC is a safe procedure that provides satisfactory patient outcomes.

The present study demonstrated the high diagnostic performance of FDG-PET/CT in detecting recurrences in a large group of patients with NSCLC after potentially curative surgery. FDG-PET/CT is useful not only for diagnosis of recurrence but also for detection of other diseases.

There is little information on pulmonary metastasectomy of urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). In this study, we examined the long-term outcome and the factors associated with long-term survival after pulmonary metastasectomy of urinary tract TCC based on a 20-year single center experience. Between 1984 and 2005, 18 patients (12 men, six women) underwent pulmonary metastasectomy of the urinary tract TCC in our hospital. The clinicopathological and surgical data of these patients obt

Alterations to the tumor stromal microenvironment induced by chemotherapy could influence the behavior of cancer cells. In the tumor stromal microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role. Because the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl and its ligand Gas6 could be involved in promoting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we investigated the role of Gas6 secreted by CAFs during chemotherapy in NSCLC. In a murine model, we found that Gas6 expression by CAFs was upregulated

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rarely originates in extrahepatic liver tissue. Laparoscopic resection is widely used to treat HCC. This report presents a case of a patient with ectopic HCC arising in the left triangular ligament of the liver that was successfully treated by laparoscopic resection. A 59-year-old female presented with an elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (2,508 ng/ml). Dynamic computed tomography demonstrated a tumor measuring 20 mm in diameter below the left diaphragm

Preoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery for locally advanced thymoma can be performed with an acceptable degree of surgical risk. Such a strategy should be proactively considered, as it can lead to favourable long-term results.

Pulmonary metastasectomy (PM) is an established treatment that can provide improved long-term survival for patients with metastatic tumor(s) in the lung. In the current era, where treatment options other than PM such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), immunotherapy, and molecular-targeted therapy are available, thoracic surgeons should review the approach to the preoperative evaluation and the indications. Preoperative evaluation consists of history and physical examinations, physiol

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), which is a subtype of the nonpapillary adenocarcinoma of the thymus, is extremely rare. We report a patient with thymic carcinoma with ACC-like features presented with multiple bone and pulmonary metastases that underwent surgery. The present case firstly demonstrated that thymic carcinoma with ACC-like features could have metastatic potential.

Advanced age (≥70 years), male sex, low BMI (<18.5), postoperative complications and low preoperative % forced expiratory volume in 1 s (<80) were found to be the risk factors for postoperative non-cancer death after surgery in patients with stage I NSCLC.