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department
department
Division / Advanced Biomedical Sciences
Department of Thoracic Surgery and Breast Surgery
Great Departments / Cancer Medicine
Website(Thoracic Surgery)

Website(Breast Surgery)
Staff
Professor SUZUKI Makoto (Thoracic Surgery)
smakoto(at mark)kumamoto-u.ac.jp
Associate Professor IKEDA Koei (Thoracic Surgery)
Assistant Professor TOMIGUCHI Mai (Breast Surgery)
Assistant Professor MATSUBARA Eri (Thoracic Surgery)
Research theme

(Thoracic Surgery)
① Research of gene mutations and polymorphisms involved in the development of lung cancer, in particular of multiple lung adenocarcinoma. With the development of high-resolution CT in recent years, the discovery of small lung adenocarcinoma in the peripheral lung showing lepidic growth has increased. Such lesions occur frequently in female, non-smoker, and oriental as compared with traditional lung cancer, in which EGFR gene mutations are frequently found. Any environmental and genetic factors are not well established involved in the development of lung adenocarcinoma in such cases. We have investigated the genetic background of lung adenocarcinoma in non-smokers, especially of multiple adenocarcinoma in peripheral lung showing lepidic growth.
② Clarification of recurrence risk factors in adjuvant chemotherapy group, the study of polymorphism and genetic mutations involved in anticancer drug sensitivity. Today, doing adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with postsurgical stage IB or more and postsurgical stage IA tumor diameter greater than 2cm of non-small cell lung cancer after radical surgery has become the standard (lung cancer guidelines; Grade B). A detailed analysis to predict the benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy is not enough. In our department, we have been researching the molecular recurrence risk markers to determine the indications for treatment in the future. We are also cooperating with the department of respiratory medicine to analyze genetic mutation and polymorphisms which contribute to calculate their chemosensitivity in unresectable lung cancer cases and postoperative recurrence cases, and conducting research in order to establish a tailor-made treatment of lung cancer in the future.


(Breast Surgery)
Breast cancer is the basis of clinical oncology, and our department conducts clinical and translational research for breast cancer to realize truly personalized medicine. On the clinical practice, in addition to standard of care for breast cancer, we offer new diagnostic tools such as stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy to detect nonpalpable small cancers, risk reduction surgery for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, and cancer genomic medicine for patients with advanced breast cancer. In clinical research, we design and conduct several clinical trials on systemic therapy for breast cancer and participate in several international registration trials for development of novel drugs. In translational research, we analyze the expression of various biological factors for breast cancer and investigate their clinical significance such as prognostic and/or predictive factors. In addition, we also detecting various genetic mutation in circulating DNA using liquid biopsy techniques and investigate their clinical significance for patients with breast cancer. In particular, we are promoting research for the clinical application of response-guided/residual disease-guided treatment, the most important treatment strategy in personalized treatment for primary breast cancer, to luminal A-like(endocrine sensitive and non-aggressive phenotype) breast cancer.