Published papers

腹腔鏡下子宮筋腫核出術(laparoscopic myomectomy:LM)の際のデバイスとして、ランダム化比較試験で超音波凝固切開装置は電気メスと比較して出血量の減少、手術時間の短縮を有意に認めたとの報告がある。今回当院にてLMを施行した183例を、超音波凝固切開装置使用(A群:80例)、モノポーラ・クーパー使用(B群:103例)にわけ比較検討した。手術時間、出血量に関して2群間の平均値において統計学的有意差は認められず、デバイスの違いによる差は認められなかった。そこで我々は手術時間、出血量に及ぼす影響の強さについて年齢、BMI、摘出筋腫重量、摘出筋腫個数、筋腫最大径、デバイス(A群、B群)、術者の各種因子を用いて重回帰分析を行い、手術時間、出血量に影響を及ぼす因子について検討を行った。手術時間に関しては摘出筋腫個数が、出血量に関しては筋腫最大径が最も影響を与える因子となった。(著者抄録)

子宮体部原発の大細胞神経内分泌癌(large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma:LCNEC)は稀で予後不良な組織型である。当院で経験した子宮体部LCNEC 3例につき報告する。症例1〜3は51〜75歳。術前に症例1、2は神経内分泌腫瘍を、症例3は癌肉腫を疑い手術を施行し、症例1は不完全切除、症例2、3は完全切除であった。手術進行期は症例1がIVB期、症例2がIIIB期、症例3がIIIC2期で、組織型はいずれもLCNECであったが、症例3のみ一部肉腫様成分が混在した。術後に症例1はpaclitaxel+carboplatin療法を、症例2、3はirinotecan+cisplatin療法を施行し、症例1、2は1年以内に再発したが、症例3は52ヵ月無再発で経過している。子宮体部LCNECは予後不良だが、完全切除可能で他組織型が併存する症例は予後良好である可能性がある。(著者抄録)

Sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) is used in clinical practice for the treatment of cervical cancer. This study aimed to elucidate the appropriate sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping method and assess the safety and benefits of SNNS. We searched the PubMed, Ichushi, and Cochrane Library databases for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and studies on SLN in cervical cancer from January 2012 to December 2020. Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. We quantitatively analyzed the detection rate, sensitivity/specificity, and complications and reviewed information, including the survival data of SLN biopsy (SLNB) without pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND). The detection rate of SLN mapping in the unilateral pelvis was median 95.7% and 100% and in the bilateral pelvis was median 80.4% and 90% for technetium-99 m (Tc) with/without blue dye (Tc w/wo BD) and indocyanine green (ICG) alone, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of each tracer were high; the area under the curve of each tracer was 0.988 (Tc w/wo BD), 0.931 (BD w/wo Tc), 0.966 (ICG), and 0.977 (carbon nanoparticle). Morbidities including lymphedema, neurological symptoms and blood loss were associated with PLND. One RCT and five studies all showed SNNS without systematic PLND does not impair recurrence or survival in early-stage cervical cancer with a tumor size ≤ 2-4 cm. Both Tc w/wo BD and ICG are appropriate SLN tracers. SNNS can reduce the morbidities associated with PLND without affecting disease progression in early-stage cervical cancer.

Sox21, a high-mobility group box transcription factor, is expressed throughout the immature neural stem/progenitor population in ventricular zone but not in the cortical plate in embryonic mouse brain and its expression is restricted to the subventricular zone in the adult brain. In undifferentiated PC12 cells, endogenous Sox21 expression is detected but its expression ceases during the nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation. Overexpression of Sox21 results in a substantial repression of NGF-induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. Further, we biochemically identified a Sox21-associating protein, Y-box binding protein 1 which not only binds to Sox21 but also partially restores NGF-induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells inhibited by Sox21. These results suggest that Sox21 is a repressor of neuronal differentiation in the developing nervous system.

To address the role of cancer-stroma interactions, we performed gene expression profiling of both cancer and stroma, using matching samples of endometrial cancer (EC), and analyzed the relationship between the gene expression pattern and prognosis in EC. Sixty EC cases were included in this study (38 nonrecurrent and 22 recurrent). Cancer and stroma were separated by performing laser capture microdissection, and microarray analysis was performed separately on cancer and stromal cells. Genes related with progression-free survival (PFS) in cancer and stroma were analyzed using the Cox regression model, and we established a formula, based on the gene expression pattern of cancer and stroma, to predict recurrence using logistic regression. We estimated the accuracy of the formula using the 0.632 method. All cases were classified based on the 79 selected genes of cancer and stroma related to PFS, based on unsupervised clustering. A total of 143 genes in cancer, and 79 genes in stroma were significantly related with PFS. The estimated area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics curve in cancer and stroma to predict recurrence were 0.800 and 0.758, respectively. Based on the 79 genes of cancer, the 22 recurrent cases were divided into two groups, which generally correlated with the histological grade. In contrast, based on the 79 genes of stroma, the 22 recurrent cases displayed homogeneous gene expression, unrelated to the histological grade. We conclude that gene expression profiles of cancer and stroma can predict the recurrence of EC and stromal that gene expression does not depend on the cancer grade.

Cancer stroma is thought to play an important role in tumor behavior, including invasion or metastasis and response to therapy. Cancer stroma is generally thought either to be non-neoplastic cells, including tissue-marrow or bone-marrow-derived fibroblasts, or to originate in epithelial mesenchymal transition of cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the status of the p53 gene in both the cancer cells and the cancer stroma in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) to elucidate the origin of the stroma. Samples from 16 EOC patients were included in this study. Tumor cells and adjacent nontumor stromal cells were microdissected and DNA was extracted separately. We analyzed p53 sequences (exons 5-8) of both cancer and stromal tissues in all cases. Furthermore, we examined p53 protein expression in all cases. Mutations in p53 were detected in 9 of the 16 EOCs: in 8 of these cases, the mutations were detected only in cancer cells. In 1 case, the same mutation (R248Q) was detected in both cancer and stromal tissues, and p53 protein expression was detected in both the cancer cells and the cancer stroma. Most cancer stroma in EOC is thought to originate from non-neoplastic cells, but some parts of the cancer stroma might originate from cancer cells.