Keio University · Medicine
Professor Hirofumi Kawakubo's research lab specializes in translational oncology, focusing on molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The lab investigates tumor suppressor genes such as BTG2, exploring their roles in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and cancer progression. A key research direction involves evaluating pathological response and prognostic classification in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, particularly DCF-based regimens in ESCC, to optimize treatment strategies. The lab integrates molecular pathology with clinical outcomes using real-world data to guide personalized cancer therapy.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The B-cell translocation gene-2 (BTG2) is present in the nuclei of epithelial cells in many tissues, including the mammary gland where its expression is regulated during glandular proliferation and differentiation in pregnancy. In immortalized mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells, BTG2 protein localized predominantly to the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively. The highly conserved domains (BTG boxes A, B, and C) were required for regulating localization, suppression of cyclin D1 and
Neoadjuvant DCF therapy showed a remarkable survival advantage in surgically resectable ESCC patients, especially in patients who were 75 years old or younger. The current real-world evidence will encourage recommendations for DCF as a standard regimen in neoadjuvant chemotherapy-based treatment strategy for ESCC.
It was found that postoperative recurrence in responders occurred in the regional field mostly as a solitary lesion without the distant failure, indicating that the residual tumor cells can be eliminated by additional chemoradiotherapy.
The prognostic value of classification using pStage and the pathological response was successfully validated using real-world data in Japan. This result would guide appropriate treatment for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by esophagectomy.
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