BackgroundBased on several phase III studies, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are essential and promising drugs for the treatment of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, in patients previously treated with ICI, the efficacy and safety of rechallenging the same or another type of ICI inhibitor remain unclear. Moreover, clinical data about the efficacy of switching the administration of anti‐programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) antibodies (e.g. nivolumab, pembrolizumab) and anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) antibodies (e.g. atezolizumab) as ICI rechallenge are limited. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of such treatment strategy in NSCLC patients.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 17 patients with advanced or recurrent NSCLC who received both anti‐PD‐1 and anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies during their clinical courses.ResultsAmong the 17 patients, one (5.9%) and nine (52.9%) achieved partial response and stable disease, respectively, after ICI rechallenge. The median progression‐free survival of ICI rechallenge in these patients was 4.0 (range: 0.4–8.0) months, and the median overall survival from the start of the initial ICI was 31.0 (range: 7.6–46.8) months. Of the 10 patients who developed immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) during the first ICI treatment, five presented with these events after the readministration of ICI. Among them, four experienced relapsed irAEs and two patients had pneumonitis, which is a grade 3 or higher irAE. Almost all irAEs during the rechallenge treatment were manageable.ConclusionsSwitching the administration of anti‐PD‐1 and anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies as ICI rechallenge could be a treatment option for some NSCLC patients.Key points• Significant findings of the studyIn this study, switching the administration of anti‐PD‐1 and anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies as ICI rechallenge could be an effective and safe treatment option for some patients with advanced or recurrent NSCLC.• What this study addsSwitching the administration of ICI may increase the efficacy of readministration. However, the mechanism is unknown. Thus, further accumulation of cases is required, and extensive investigations must be conducted to elucidate the mechanism and benefits of such treatment.
Vascular anatomy of the pancreaticoduodenal region has been the subject of numerous studies. However, several essential areas of confusion remain in interpretation of the vascular configuration. We note and discuss three key points in relation to this confusion: (1) a missing vascular arcade, (2) a rearrangement of the arcade by collateral and/or transverse vessels, and (3) a solitary vessel without an accompanying comites vein or artery. In addition, we consider that different interpretations as well as varying reported incidences depend on different "thresholds" when observations are made. Consideration of new aspects of vascular anatomy of the pancreaticoduodenal region is required for further improvement of surgical procedures. In terms of the selection of lymph node resection procedure, we discuss mainly the inferior arterial origin. Special attention should be paid to the ligation of inferior arteries because of the high incidence of the common trunk formation of the upper jejunal and inferior pancreaticoduodenal arteries. With regard to duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection for benign tumors, our observations are introduced in view of either arterial or venous configuration. First, a communicating artery between the anterior and posterior arterial arcades is noted because of its possible critical role in blood supply to the papilla of Vater. Second, a venous drainage route from the duodenum to the retroperitoneal space in "normal" specimens is described.
A stoma prolapse is one of the late complications and often occurs when the stoma is made in an emergency situation. This complication is not lethal, but causes irritable stoma, skin trouble, and difficulty in stoma care. We herein report the case of a 48-year-old female with an end colostomy that was created as an emergency operation 4 months before. On admission, her colostomy protruded approximately 20 cm from the skin with marked redness, swelling, and erosion; it was impossible to treat manually. We repaired the prolapse successfully in a simple procedure with a Proximate Linear Cutter 100. Briefly, under mild sedation, the instrument was diagonally inserted into the prolapsed stoma and applied twice on both sides. Then, the base of each divided tissue was stapled and cut with the same device. Finally, the prolapse was completely repaired without major bleeding and severe pain. We have applied this novel technique successfully in 5 further cases, and there have been no complications or recurrences. This technique can be performed without spinal or general anesthesia and seems to be a very useful procedure for patients with prolapse of a stoma.
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