Cancer stem cells (CSC) or cancer stem cell-like cells (CSC-LCs) have been identified in many malignant tumors. CSCs are proposed to be related with drug resistance, tumor recurrence, and metastasis and are considered as a new target for cancer treatment; however, there are only a few reports on CSCs or CSC-LCs in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Different approaches have been reported for CSC identification, but there are no universal markers for CSC. We used two different approaches, the traditional side population (SP) approach, and the enzymatic (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1)) approach to identify CSC-LC population in two RCC cell lines, ACHN and KRC/Y. We found that ACHN and KRC/Y contain 1.4% and 1.7% SP cells, respectively. ACHN SP cells showed a higher sphere forming ability, drug resistance, and a slightly higher tumorigenic ability in NOD/SCID mice than Non-SP (NSP) cells, suggesting that cells with CSC-LC properties are included in ACHN SP cells. KRC/Y SP and NSP cells showed no difference in such properties. ALDH1 activity analysis revealed that ACHN SP cells expressed a higher level of activity than NSP cells (SP vs. NSP: 32.7% vs 14.6%). Analysis of ALDH1-positive ACHN cells revealed that they have a higher sphere forming ability, self-renewal ability, tumorigenicity and express higher mRNA levels of CSC-LC property-related genes (e.g., ABC transporter genes, self-replication genes, anti-apoptosis genes, and so forth) than ALDH1-negative cells. Drug treatment or exposure to hypoxic condition induced a 2- to 3-fold increase in number of ALDH1-positive cells. In conclusion, the results suggest that the ALDH1-positive cell population rather than SP cells show CSC-LC properties in a RCC cell line, ACHN.

In this Japanese cohort, an eyelid mass was the main clinical presentation of sebaceous carcinoma. Contrary to previous reports, T2a tumours smaller than 10 mm were associated with regional nodal metastases.

Multi-institutional studies on clinical hyperthermia of deep-seated tumours were undertaken using 8 MHz radiofrequency capacitive heating devices (Thermotron RF-8) at seven institutions. Each institute was designated to treat specific organs. This paper contains the accumulations of the results obtained at different institutions charged for different tumours. Deep-seated tumours in the lung, stomach, pancreas, liver, urinary bladder and rectum were treated. A total of 177 cases examined from January 1985 to December 1988 included 96 cases (54%) treated with radiotherapy plus hyperthermia, among which 14 cases were pre-operative. Of 177 cases, 81 (46%) were treated with chemotherapy plus hyperthermia. Complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) were obtained in 80% of the cases with lung cancer, 39% with stomach cancer, 56% with liver cancer, 35% with pancreas cancer, 71% with urinary bladder cancer, 100% with primary rectal cancer, and 47% with recurrent rectal cancer. Thermometry was performed using two techniques; one is direct measurement of intratumour temperature in lung and liver cancers, the other is indirect measurement of intracavitary temperature for stomach, pancreas, urinary bladder and rectal cancers. Intratumour temperatures were measured in 30 of the 43 tumours of the lung and liver. The maximum tumour temperature was greater than 42 degrees C in 23 (77%) of the 30 tumours. Intracavitary temperatures were measured in 133 (99%) of the 134 tumours of stomach, pancreas, urinary bladder and rectum. An intracavitary temperature greater than 42 degrees C was obtained in 98 (73.7%) of the 133 tumours. The contribution of hyperthermia in improving the quality of life of patients under terminal care was also investigated. It was indicated that hyperthermia was one of the most effective treatment techniques for advanced or inoperable cases. In this study local control rate (LCR) was mainly discussed because the period of follow-up was only 3 years. Side-effects were observed in 37 cases (21%); main side-effects were fatty induration, pain during treatment and burn. However, no side-effects were severe enough to interrupt therapy.

Background In a phase III clinical trial, CheckMate 025, treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) with nivolumab demonstrated superior efficacy over everolimus. However, as the clinical trial excluded patients with specific complications and poor performance status (PS), the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab in clinical practice, in which patients with various clinical complications are treated, is unclear. This study explored real-world nivolumab treatment in Japanese mRCC patients. Methods This is an interim analysis of a multicenter, non-interventional, medical record review study (minimum follow-up: 9 months). All eligible Japanese mRCC patients who first received nivolumab between February and October 2017 were included; data cut-off was April 2019. We analyzed nivolumab treatment patterns, efficacy (including overall survival, progression-free survival, objective response rate, and duration of response) and safety (including immune-related adverse events). Results Of 208 evaluable patients, 31.7% received nivolumab as fourth- or later line of treatment. At data cut-off, 26.9% of patients were continuing nivolumab treatment. The major reason for discontinuation was disease progression ( n = 100, 65.8%). Median overall survival was not reached; the 12-month survival rate was 75.6%. Median progression-free survival was 7.1 months, the objective response rate was 22.6%, and median duration of response was 13.3 months. Patients who were excluded or limited in number in CheckMate 025, such as those with non-clear cell RCC or poor PS, also received benefits from nivolumab treatment. Immune-related adverse events occurred in 27.4% of patients (grade ≥ 3, 10.1%). Conclusion Nivolumab was effective and well-tolerated in real-world Japanese mRCC patients. Trial registration UMIN000033312 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10147-020-01692-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.