We report here the case of a 75-year-old male patient who developed severe side effects after treatment with capecitabine (Xeloda®) that he received as adjuvant chemotherapy. He was suspected to have partial dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency. The patient underwent sigmoidectomy for sigmoid cancer and was treated with capecitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy. He was admitted to our hospital 14 days after the start of treatment with appetite loss, diarrhea, and a high body temperature. After admission, he developed severe neurotoxicity (Grade 4). We measured the DPD activity in peripheral mononuclear cells, which indicated partial DPD deficiency.

The administration of oral premedication drugs (OPDs) is increased before intravenous cancer chemotherapy to prevent adverse events such as hypersensitivity or nausea and vomiting. As intravenous chemotherapy regimens and OPDs are ordered separately in the electronic medical record system, the prescription or administration of OPDs may be missed. To overcome this problem, we developed a combination regimen ordering (CRO) system, in which OPDs were included in the intravenous chemotherapy regimen enabling simultaneous ordering. This system used the electronic medical record system HAPPY ACTIS by TOSHIBA Medical Information Systems Co. in our hospital. OPDs were prepared in an envelope labeled with a bar code to identify the patient, which was then used by the nursing staff to administer the medication. Between August 2011 and January 2014, CRO systems were used in 66 regimens for the treatment of the following cancers: 21 lung cancers, 14 breast cancers, 9 hematologic malignancies, 7 genitourinary cancers, 6 gastrointestinal cancers, 5 gynecological cancers, 3 head and neck cancers, and 1 dermatological malignancy. The OPDs administered were diphenhydramine, loxoprofen, chlorpheniramine, aprepitant, and ramosetron. Although we were unable to check OPDs in the oral drug administration histories, no errors in the administration of OPDs have been reported after the adoption of the CRO system. Therefore, our CRO system improved the safety and quality of patient care for cancer chemotherapy.

Age-related physiological changes affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in elderly individuals. Cancer treatment in the elderly requires a careful and multidisciplinary assessment of each patient prior to therapy initiation with respect to treatment decisions and dose optimization considerations, given the wide interpatient variability in this population. As renal function declines with age, renal function assessments are necessary when drugs increasing exposure in renal impairment will be administered to elderly patients. Serum creatinine is an insufficient marker for evaluating renal function in elderly patients because muscle mass decreases with age. Renal function should be assessed according to the index used for dosing recommendation at drug administration planning; in most of drugs, does adjustment is recommended according to the creatinine clearance (Ccr) calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault equation. Elderly patients are apparently more sensitive to cytotoxic agent-induced neutropenia and therefore should be monitored closely. Following the first cycle, a proper assessment of tolerability should be conducted before the second cycle; such assessments are required to discuss the appropriateness of the initiation dose and determine doses during the following cycles for each patient.

Of late, there has been rapid development of chemotherapeutic agents for treating metastatic colorectal cancers. However, the so-called "druglag" is a long-standingproblem; it refers to the drugapproval delays in Japan that occur after drugs have been developed and approved in Europe and the USA. Clinical trials for the drugTAS -102 were stopped in the USA, but the drugwas evaluated in phase I and II clinical trials in Japan. The Phase II trial for TAS-102 in Japan provided positive results, and it received approval in Japan first, ahead of the world. Data from the global phase III RECOURSE trial were presented in the ESMO-GI 2014, where the efficacy of TAS-102 was proved again. Herein, we present data about the efficacy and side effects of TAS-102 from each clinical trial.

Pemetrexedis a key drug in the first and second -line therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer. It exhibits an increased area under the plasma drug concentration-time curve, and it has a prolonged half -life when administered to patients with reduced renal function, resulting in a high frequency of neutropenia. Accordingly, pemetrexed is administered to these patients with caution. Herein, we retrospectively investigated the background characteristics of patients with a creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) of<45 mL/min, who experienced severe adverse events due to pemetrexed. Thirty-eight patients with a Ccr of <45 mL/min were administered pemetrexed. Of these patients, 13 (34%) developed severe adverse events (≥Grade 3) such as neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and nausea. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a Ccr of <30 mL/min (p= 0.033) and the concomitant use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (p=0.012) were significant risk factors for adverse events. Therefore, whenever possible, pemetrexed administration should be avoided in patients with a Ccr of <30 mL/ min and in those receiving concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Portal venous gas is a rare complication. We present a case of hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) and pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) in a patient treated with docetaxel for prostate cancer. An 80-year-old man with castration-resistant prostate cancer received 5 cycles of docetaxel. Diarrhea and vomiting appeared on the 4th day of the 5th cycle. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed HPVG and PCI. Since there were neither peritoneal irritation signs nor intestinal necrosis, we performed conservative management. The HPVG and PCI were no longer detected in the abdominal CT scan on the 18th day. Mucosal injury of the bowel wall by docetaxel might have caused HPVG and PCI. This case report is the first description of HPVG and PCI in a patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer in Japan.

Some cases of portal hypertension developing during the course of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy have been reported. However, there have been no reports of rupture of esophagogastric varices (EGV) in Japan. We present two cases of rupture of EGV during the course of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. One case was treated via balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration, and the other case was treated by using endoscopic variceal ligation and endoscopic injection sclerotherapy. On the basis of our results, we recommend careful monitoring for the occurrence of EGV during the course of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a key drug in the treatment of colorectal cancer; however, L-OHP-induced peripheral neuropathy becomes a dose-limiting factor for which withdrawal is the only effective option. In the present study, we attempted to treat L-OHP-induced peripheral neuropathy using the algorithm consisting of pregabalin, duloxetine, and oxycodone at Iwate Medical University Hospital. The first, second, and third stages of the algorithm consist of pregabalin, duloxetine, and oxycodone, respectively. We examined the usefulness and safety of the treatment algorithm for 27 patients with colorectal cancer by evaluating the side effects and degree of improvement of subjective symptoms. When discontinuation was necessary due to adverse events or invalid treatment during the 4-week study period, the patient was transitioned to the next stage. The response rates of the first, second, and third stages of the algorithm were 33% (9/27), 33% (6/18), and 17% (1/6), respectively, whereas the overall response rate was 59% (16/27). The side effect rates of the first, second, and third stages were 37% (10/27), 33% (6/18), and 83% (5/6), respectively. Somnolence was the most common side effect of these drugs. Thus, our treatment algorithm appears to be useful for L-OHP-induced peripheral neuropathy. However, pregabalin, duloxetine, and oxycodone should be administered with specific attention on the potential side effects.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy are at risk of carnitine deficiency, and carnitine supplementation has been demonstrated to improve cancer-related fatigue. We examined the changes in fatigue when cancer patients experiencing fatigue while undergoing chemotherapy were administered levocarnitine chloride.

A 63-year-old woman with colon cancer who was treated with capecitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy presented with vertigo on day 5, and dysarthria and dysphagia on day 7 of the treatment. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed high signal intensity in the corpus callosum and corona radiata. The patient was diagnosed with acute leukoencephalopathy, and the capecitabine treatment was discontinued. Her symptoms recovered immediately. On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that diffusion-weighted imaging is useful for the early detection and diagnosis of acute leukoencephalopathy.

A change in the sense of taste is a side effect of chemotherapy. Patients have an increased sensitivity to the bitter taste and a decreased sensitivity to the sweet, sour, and salty tastes, among other flavors. Therefore, sweet foods do not taste as sweet as they used to before chemotherapy. Kikkoman Corporation recommends 21 new recipes for cancer patients to reduce the impact of side effect on their appetite and to maintain their well-being.

The significance of nutritional management in patients with malignant tumors is under-recognized due to the lack of clear evidence of a direct link with survival rate. However, for cancer patients, with markedly reduced food intake continuing for≥7 days or intake of under 60% of estimated energy expenditure for≥10 days, as referred to in the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, rapid implementation of nutritional support constitutes a clinically appropriate intervention. With regard to route of administration, as with other conditions, enteral nutritional management is recommended if the gastrointestinal tract is available. The utility of enteral immunonutrition formulae containing eicosapentaenoic acid and other forms of nutritional management has also recently been reported and further studies are anticipated. However, the principles of nutritional management for cancer patients comprise not simply weight increase or improvement in nutritional markers but the maintenance of patient QOL in ways that include alleviation of symptoms and antitumor therapy side-effects, and decreased risk of infection. Administration routes such as percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy should therefore also be discussed from this perspective.

Appetite loss during cancer chemotherapy may lead to malnutrition and a decreased quality of life. To overcome this problem, evidence-based guidelines have been established for chemotherapy-induced emesis and mucositis. However, unsolved issues such as taste alimentation remain. Since the clinical picture of appetite loss is complex, individual management strategies depending on the type of the disease and treatment are required.