1: Nivolumab treatment for oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma: an open-label, multicentre, phase 2 trial
Science of the Month - July 2017
LANCET ONCOLOGY
18 (5):631-639; 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30181-X MAY 2017
Kudo Toshihiro, Hamamoto Yasuo, Kato Ken, Ura Takashi, Kojima Takashi, Tsushima Takahiro, Hironaka Shuichi, Hara Hiroki, Satoh Taroh, Iwasa Satoru, Muro Kei, Yasui Hirofumi, Minashi Keiko, Yamaguchi Kensei, Ohtsu Atsushi, Doki Yuichiro, Kitagawa Yuko
The immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (brand name: Opdivo) is a human anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits the binding of PD-1 and its ligand, thereby restoring and activating antigen-specific T cells that had been rendered unresponsive by cancer cells and exhibiting anti-tumor activity. This drug is revolutionizing cancer pharmacotherapy, and its high price has been a topic of discussion in the media. In the initial stages, there was much debate about which patient populations to target for clinical trials. However, immediately after the phase I results were announced in June 2012, we consulted with Dr. Takanori Kanai of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. We identified esophageal squamous cell carcinoma as a promising target for treatment, proposed it to the pharmaceutical company, and initiated a multicenter phase 2 trial in 2014. In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma for whom treatment options had been exhausted, we achieved the expected results with an objective response rate of 17%, a disease control rate of 42%, and a complete response (CR) rate of 2%. We also confirmed long-term responses in some patients, a characteristic of this drug. This trial has spurred the planning of further trials for esophageal cancer in various stages, both in Japan and internationally, creating momentum for significant advancements in its treatment.
Corresponding Author: Yasuo Hamamoto, Cancer Center, Keio University (74th class equivalent)
Principal Investigator: Yuko Kitagawa, Professor, Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Keio University (65th class)
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NATURE
545 (7653):187-+; 10.1038/nature22081 MAY 11 2017
Shimokawa Mariko, Ohta Yuki, Nishikori Shingo, Matano Mami, Takano Ai, Fujii Masayuki, Date Shoichi, Sugimoto Shinya, Kanai Takanori, Sato Toshiro
2: Impact of the Clinical Frailty Scale on Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
CIRCULATION
135 (21):2013-+; 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.025630 MAY 23 2017
Shimura Tetsuro, Yamamoto Masanori, Kano Seiji, Kagase Ai, Kagase Ai, Kodama Atsuko, Koyama Yutaka, Tsuchikane Etsuo, Suzuki Takahiko, Otsuka Toshiaki, Kohsaka Shun, Tada Norio, Yamanaka Futoshi, Naganuma Toru, Araki Motoharu, Shirai Shinichi, Watanabe Yusuke, Hayashida Kentaro
3: Identification of a Human Clonogenic Progenitor with Strict Monocyte Differentiation Potential: A Counterpart of Mouse cMoPs
IMMUNITY
46 (5):835-+; 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.04.019 MAY 16 2017
Kawamura Shunsuke, Onai Nobuyuki, Miya Fuyuki, Sato Taku, Tsunoda Tatsuhiko, Kurabayashi Kazutaka, Yotsumoto Satoshi, Kuroda Shoko, Takenaka Katsuto, Akashi Koichi, Ohteki Toshiaki
4: Neural Noise Hypothesis of Developmental Dyslexia
TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES
21 (6):434-448; 10.1016/j.tics.2017.03.008 JUN 2017
Hancock Roeland, Pugh Kenneth R., Hoeft Fumiko