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Article History

Received: 29 October 2018

Accepted: 15 February 2019

First Online: 25 February 2019

Compliance with Ethical Standards

: This study was approved by the Ethical Review Board of Osaka University Hospital and the Osaka University Research Ethics Committee (approved date/number; 25May2016/#14111 and 21Apr2017/#737).

: Shinzaburo Noguchi has received research grant for other study from AstraZeneca and honoraria from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sysmex, and has been an advisor for AstraZeneca and Novartis. Naofumi Kagara received honoraria from AstraZeneca and Novartis. Yasuto Naoi received honoraria and Sysmex and research grant for other study from AstraZeneca and Sysmex. Masafumi Shimoda received honoraria from Novartis, Chugai and Eisai. Kenzo Shimazu received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Sysmex and Kyowa Hakko Kirin. Seung Jin Kim received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Chugai, Eisai, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Pfizer, Takeda, Yakult, Taiho and Shimadzu Corporation. The other authors declare that they do not have a financial relationship with the organizations that sponsored the research.

: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.