OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of Eurolung risk models in a Japanese population and assess their utility as predictive indicators for the prognosis. METHODS Between 2007 and 2014, 612 anatomic lung resections were performed among 694 lung cancer patients in our institution. We analysed the cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality and compared them with the predicted results. We also investigated the association between the Eurolung aggregate risk scores and the long-term outcomes using the Kaplan–Meier method and a multivariable analysis. RESULTS The percentage of cardiopulmonary complications was lower than that predicted by Eurolung 1 (22.4% vs 24.6%). The mortality rate was significantly lower than predicted by Eurolung 2 (0.7% vs 3.0%). The morbidity rate was stratified by Aggregate Eurolung 1. The stratification of the mortality rate by the Eurolung 2 aggregate score was also in line with the increase in score, although the observed number of deaths was quite small (4 cases). The 5-year overall survival was clearly separated according to the stratified Aggregate Eurolung 1 and 2 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). Besides pathological stage, both the Aggregate Eurolung 1 (score 0–7 vs 8–20) and 2 (score 0–8 vs 9–19) scores were shown to be independently associated with overall survival on multivariable. CONCLUSIONS Eurolung risk models cannot be directly applied to the patients in our institution. However, Eurolung aggregate risk scores were helpful not only for stratifying morbidity and mortality after anatomic lung resection but also for predicting the long-term outcomes.

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Objective: In 2013, 15 childhood cancer hub hospitals in Japan were designated to provide quality medical treatment and care. The present study assessed hospital accessibility by investigating travel times and distances from patient residences. Methods: A total of 37,309 residence/hospital pairs were generated using the addresses of 15 hub hospitals that were designated in 2019 and local government offices in 2014. Using the Google Directions Application Programming Interface (API), travel times and distances were calculated on the assumption that each patient would arrive by driving to the hospitals by 10 am on Wednesday, November 6, 2019. Thus, after identifying the nearest hospital for each residence and deriving adjusted estimated travel times (AETT), the data were summarized according to the regional block using weighted population descriptive statistics for children under 15 years of age in 2015. The cumulative distribution functions of the weighted mean of AETT were also plotted. Results: Childhood cancer patients could access the nearest hub hospital by traveling approximately 1.78 hours (AETT, range: 0.1 to 41.8) and 91.86 km (range: 1.0 to 1438.0). Moreover, a total of 94.5% of patients had the nearest hub hospital within their own regional block. The cumulative distribution functions of AETT indicated that many children in three blocks with multiple hub hospitals have shorter travel times and better hospital accessibility than those in other blocks. Conclusions: Although feasibility is ultimately dependent on each patient’s condition and situation, child cancer patients on average can likely complete hospital visits from home and return within a single day. However, this is likely not the case for children who live at considerable distances from hub hospitals. We found regional differences in travel times and distances, depending on whether a given block contained multiple hub hospitals.

Lessons Learned The 3‐year disease‐free survival rate of the twice‐daily regimen was not inferior to that of the conventional three‐times‐daily regimen, and the twice‐daily regimen did not lead to an increase in adverse events. The effectiveness of the twice‐daily regimen highlights an increased number of treatment options for patients. This will facilitate personalized medicine, particularly for elderly or frail patients who may experience more severe side effects from the combination therapy. Background Tegafur‐uracil (UFT)/leucovorin calcium (LV) is an adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for colorectal cancer. We conducted a multicenter randomized trial to assess the noninferiority of a twice‐daily compared with a three‐times‐daily UFT/LV regimen for stage II/III colorectal cancer in an adjuvant setting. Methods Patients were randomly assigned to group A (three doses of UFT [300 mg/m2 per day]/LV [75 mg per day]) or B (two doses of UFT [300 mg/m2 per day]/LV [50 mg per day]). The primary endpoint was 3‐year disease‐free survival. Results In total, 386 patients were enrolled between July 28, 2011, and September 27, 2013. The 3‐year disease‐free survival rates of group A (n = 194) and B (n = 192) were 79.4% and 81.4% (95% confidence interval, 72.6–84.4–74.5–85.9), respectively. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events in group A and B were diarrhea (3.9% vs. 7.3%), neutropenia (2.9% vs. 1.6%), increase in aspartate aminotransferase (4.0% vs. 3.9%), increase in alanine aminotransferase (6.2% vs. 6.8%), nausea (1.7% vs. 3.4%), and fatigue (1.1% vs. 2.3%). Conclusion Group B outcomes were not inferior to group A outcomes, and adverse events did not increase.