Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the number of resected pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) affects the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) patients at post-operative risk of recurrence. Methods: JGOG2043 was a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of three chemotherapeutic regimens as adjuvant therapy in EC patients with post-operative recurrent risk. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in JGOG2043. The number of resected and positive nodes and other clinicopathologic risk factors for survival were retrieved. Results: There were 83 patients in the group with less than 20 PLNs removed (group A), while 167 patients had 20 or more PLNs removed (group B). There was no significant difference in patients’ backgrounds between the two groups, and the rate of lymph node metastasis was not significantly different. There was a trend toward fewer pelvic recurrences in group B compared with group A (3.5% vs. 9.6%; p=0.050). Although Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the two groups (5-year overall survival [OS]=90.3% vs. 84.3%; p=0.199), multivariate analysis revealed that resection of 20 or more nodes is one of the independent prognostic factors (hazard ratio=0.49; 95% confidence interval=0.24–0.99; p=0.048), as well as surgical stage, high-risk histology, and advanced age for OS. Conclusion Resection of 20 or more PLNs was associated with improved pelvic control and better survival outcomes in EC patients at risk of recurrence who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone and were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the number of resected pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) affects the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) patients at post-operative risk of recurrence. Methods: JGOG2043 was a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of three chemotherapeutic regimens as adjuvant therapy in EC patients with post-operative recurrent risk. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in JGOG2043. The number of resected and positive nodes and other clinicopathologic risk factors for survival were retrieved. Results: There were 83 patients in the group with less than 20 PLNs removed (group A), while 167 patients had 20 or more PLNs removed (group B). There was no significant difference in patients’ backgrounds between the two groups, and the rate of lymph node metastasis was not significantly different. There was a trend toward fewer pelvic recurrences in group B compared with group A (3.5% vs. 9.6%; p=0.050). Although Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the two groups (5-year overall survival [OS]=90.3% vs. 84.3%; p=0.199), multivariate analysis revealed that resection of 20 or more nodes is one of the independent prognostic factors (hazard ratio=0.49; 95% confidence interval=0.24–0.99; p=0.048), as well as surgical stage, high-risk histology, and advanced age for OS. Conclusion Resection of 20 or more PLNs was associated with improved pelvic control and better survival outcomes in EC patients at risk of recurrence who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone and were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the number of resected pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) affects the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) patients at post-operative risk of recurrence. Methods: JGOG2043 was a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of three chemotherapeutic regimens as adjuvant therapy in EC patients with post-operative recurrent risk. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in JGOG2043. The number of resected and positive nodes and other clinicopathologic risk factors for survival were retrieved. Results: There were 83 patients in the group with less than 20 PLNs removed (group A), while 167 patients had 20 or more PLNs removed (group B). There was no significant difference in patients’ backgrounds between the two groups, and the rate of lymph node metastasis was not significantly different. There was a trend toward fewer pelvic recurrences in group B compared with group A (3.5% vs. 9.6%; p=0.050). Although Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the two groups (5-year overall survival [OS]=90.3% vs. 84.3%; p=0.199), multivariate analysis revealed that resection of 20 or more nodes is one of the independent prognostic factors (hazard ratio=0.49; 95% confidence interval=0.24–0.99; p=0.048), as well as surgical stage, high-risk histology, and advanced age for OS. Conclusion Resection of 20 or more PLNs was associated with improved pelvic control and better survival outcomes in EC patients at risk of recurrence who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone and were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Even within a hospital, the prognosis after a cardiac arrest is extremely poor if intervention starts only after the event; thus, early recognition and intervention is crucial to reduce inhospital cardiac arrests. This paper aims to assess the results of in-clinic surveys conducted for the implementation of the Rapid Response System (RRS) at our hospital and changes in awareness after awareness initiatives. Excluding the neonatal intensive care unit, all wards were targeted for implementation, with the creation of criteria for requesting the RRS and hospital-wide awareness initiatives. Four items were defined for the request criteria—namely, (1) respiration, (2) circulation, (3) state of consciousness, and (4) others (any concerns)—with a request being warranted if any one of these criteria was met. A pre-awareness survey revealed that respiratory rates were recorded only 6.9% of the time on average, indicating inadequate observation of respiratory rates across all wards. In response to this issue, we announced that respiratory status should be observed at least once a day, which resulted in the recording rate improving to 68.2% after 2 months. Survey results before and after the awareness initiatives among doctors and nurses showed a significant increase in RRS awareness. The percentage of nurses who answered “well aware” or “somewhat aware” increased from 34.8% to 77.6%, and from 63.4% to 88.0% among doctors. However, while the introduction of the RRS was relatively well-received by nurses struggling with on-site responses, some doctors questioned the necessity of the RRS. Upon implementation, it is important to make it known that it is a hospital-wide effort. Simplifying and thoroughly utilizing the request criteria can lead to early recognition of abnormalities. Since it is not easy to gain doctors’ understanding, it is necessary to listen to the needs and requests of each department and patiently continue awareness activities before implementation

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prognostic significance of para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PALX) and para-aortic lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer (EC) patients at risk of post-operative recurrence. Methods: Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) 2043 was a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in EC patients at risk for postoperative recurrence. A retrospective analysis included patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLX) alone or both PLX and PALX in JGOG2043. Data on positive lymph nodes and other clinicopathological risk factors were collected. Results: PLX and PALX were performed on 402 patients, while PLX alone was conducted on 250 patients. Evaluating the effect of PALX on survival was challenging through a comparison of the outcomes of the 2 cohorts since PALX was predominantly administered to higher-risk patients. Patients with 2 or more metastases in para-aortic nodes exhibited significantly poorer overall survival than those with no or 1 metastasis, respectively (p<0.001, p=0.031).Multivariate analysis revealed that 2 or more metastases in para-aortic nodes is independent risk factors for disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR]=1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.10–2.72; p=0.019) and are marginally significant for overall survival (HR=1.58; 95% CI=0.92–2.72; p=0.096) compared to no or a single metastasis. Conclusion The clinical relevance of PALX was challenging to evaluate in the JGOG2043 cohort; however, the presence of 2 or more para-aortic node metastases was identified as an independent unfavorable prognostic factor in EC patients at risk of recurrence.

Objective: Bevacizumab maintenance therapy following platinum-based combination chemotherapy for metastatic, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer is not recommended as standard therapy. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab maintenance therapy and the contribution of the platinum-free interval to the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. Methods: We retrospectively identified 115 patients with metastatic, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer treated with platinum-paclitaxel chemotherapy plus bevacizumab at 7 institutions between 2015 and 2020. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients who received bevacizumab maintenance therapy and those who did not. We also analyzed the adverse events associated with bevacizumab and survival time from the start of subsequent chemotherapy in both groups. Results: Following platinum-paclitaxel plus bevacizumab chemotherapy, 34 patients received bevacizumab maintenance therapy and 81 patients did not. Of the 115 patients, 56 received chemotherapy for subsequent relapse. Although bevacizumab maintenance therapy prolonged PFS (median of 16.0 months vs. 9.0 months, p=0.041), significant differences were not observed in OS (p=0.374). Furthermore, bevacizumab maintenance therapy did not prolong OS and PFS after the start of subsequent chemotherapy (p=0.663 and p=0.136, respectively). Bevacizumab maintenance therapy significantly increased hypertension (p=0.035) and proteinuria (p=0.005) but did not cause complications leading to death. Conclusion Bevacizumab single-maintenance therapy for advanced cervical cancer can be considered in selected cases, such as those with acceptable bevacizumab-related side effects. The outcomes of our study will likely contribute to decision-making regarding practical treatment strategies.

We evaluated the role of pharmacists in an interdisciplinary pain center using text mining analysis. We investigated 28 patients who visited an interdisciplinary pain center from May 2014 to July 2015. All patients were interviewed by a pharmacist. Further, we performed morphological analysis of medical records; classification of appearing words into “medicines/side effects,” “diagnosis/disease name,” “pain site,” “pain characteristics/concomitant symptoms,” “life/environment,” and “mental”; and correspondence analysis. The frequently appearing words “pain characteristics/concomitant symptoms” and “medicines/side effects” were used by 47.2% doctors and 35.3% pharmacists, respectively. In the correspondence analysis, doctors frequently referred to “pain characteristics/concomitant symptoms,” pharmacists frequently referred to “medicines/side effects,” and nurses frequently referred to “life/environment” and “pain site.” The fact that the three occupations used distinguishing phrases suggests that each is specialized in a distinct area. At an interdisciplinary pain center, we interviewed a nurse, a pharmacist, and a doctor, and shared information from various angles. The pharmacist focused on listening to the “medicines/side effects,” which is information related to his profession. Pharmacists contribute to medical care by recording information in medical records and sharing the information with other occupations. It is necessary to continue to provide information related to our specialized profession, respect each other, and provide high-quality medical care.

Background/Aims: The recovery room used after endoscopy has limited capacity, and an efficient flow of the endoscopy unit is desired. We investigated the duration of hospital stay after endoscopy and the risk factors for prolonged hospital stay among outpatients. Methods: We retrospectively studied consecutive patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy at the Toyoshima Endoscopy Clinic. We collected data on age, sex, body weight, midazolam and pethidine dosage, respiratory depression during endoscopy, and duration of hospital stay after endoscopy (scope out to check out). Risk factors for prolonged hospital stay (>100 minutes) were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: We enrolled 3,898 patients, including 3,517 (90.2%) patients tested under sedation and 381 (9.8%) patients tested without sedation. Overall, 442 (11.3%) patients had prolonged stay (>100 min). The mean time difference between sedation group and non-sedation group was 44.2 minutes for esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 39.1 minutes for colonoscopy. Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.025; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.014−1.036), female sex (OR, 1.657; 95% CI, 1.220−2.249), and midazolam dose (OR, 1.019; 95% CI, 1.013−1.026) were independently associated with prolonged hospital stay after esophagogastroduodenoscopy, with similar results for colonoscopy. Conclusions Old age, female sex, and midazolam dose were independent risk factors for prolonged hospital stay after endoscopy.