• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2008

Background: The presence of infiltrated mediastinal lymph nodes is a crucial factor for the prognosis of lung cancer. The aim of our study is to investigate the pattern of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that spreads to the mediastinal lymph nodes, in relation to the primary tumor site, in patients who underwent major lung resection with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. Material and Method: We retrospectively. studies 293 consecutive patients [mean age $63.0{\pm}8.3$ years (range $37{\sim}88$) and 220 males (75.1%)] who underwent major lung resection due to non-small cell lung cancer from January 1998 to December 2005. The primary tumor and lymph node status was classified according to the international TNM staging system reported by Mountain. The histologic type of the tumors was determined according to the WHO classification. Fisher's exact test was used; otherwise the chi-square test of independence was employed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Result: Lobectomy was carried out in 180 patients, bilobectomy in 50, sleeve lobectomy in 10 and pnemonectomy in 53. The pathologic report revealed 124 adenocarcinomas, 138 squamous-cell tumors, 14 adenosquamous tumors, 1 carcinoid tumor, 8 large cell carcinomas, 1 carcinosarcoma, 2 mucoepidermoid carcinomas and 5 undifferentiated tumors. The TNM stage was IA in 51 patients, IB in 98, IIB in 41, IIIA in 71, IIIB in 61 and IV in 6. 25.9 % of the 79 patients had N2 tumor. Most common infiltrated mediastinal lymph node was level No.4 in the right upper lobe, level No. 4 and 5 in the left upper lobe and level No. 7 in the other lobes, but no statistically significant difference was observed. Thirty-six patients (12.3%) presented with skip metastasis to the mediastinum. Conclusion: Mediastinal lymph node dissection is necessary for accurately determining the pTNM stage. It seems that there is no definite way that non-small cell lung cancer spreads to the lymphatics, in relation to the location of the primary cancer. Further, skip metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes was present in 12.3% of our patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 2005

Purpose : Reports on the outcome of curative radiotherapy for the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are rarely encountered in the literature. in this study, we report our experience of a clinical trial where fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) was used in treating a primary HCC. Materials and Methods : A retrospective analysis was peformed on 20 patients who had been histologically diagnosed as HCC and treated by fractionated SRT. The long diameter of tumor measured by CT was $2\~6.5$ cm (average: 3.8 cm). A single dose of radiation used in fractionated SRT was S or 10 Gy: each dose was prescribed based on the planning target volume and normalized to $85\~99\%$ isocenter dose. Patients were treated $3\~5$ times per week for 2 weeks, with each receiving a total dose of 50 Gy (the median dose: 50 Gy). The follow up period was $\~55$ months (the median follow up period: 23 months). Results : The response rate was $50\%$ (12 patients), with 4 patients showing complete response ($20%$), 8 patients showing partial response ($40\%$), and 8 patients showing stable disease ($40\%$). The 1-year and 2-year survival rates were $70.0\%$ and $43.1\%$, respectively, and the median survival time was 20 months. The 1-year and 2-year disease free survival rates were $65\%$ and $32.5\%$, respectively, and the median disease-free survival rate was 19 months. Some acute complications of the treatment were noted as follows: dyspepsia in 12 patients ($60\%$), nausea/emesis in 8 patients ($40\%$), and transient liver function impairment in 6 patients ($30\%$). However, there was no treatment related death. Conclusion : The study indicates that fractionated SRT is a relatively safe and effective method for treating primary HCC. Thus, fractionated SRT may be suggested as a local treatment for HCC of small lesion and containing a single lesion, when the patients are inoperable or operation is refused by the patients. We thought that fractionated SRT is a challenging treatment modality for the HCC.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.368-380
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• 2002

Purpose: Liver transplantation (LT), one of the therapeutic options of primary liver cancer has been suffering from recurrence caused by metastasis in 8-54% of patients. This study was performed to investigate whether FDG-PET is useful for detecting hidden metastasis in LT candidates. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients (male:female=23:3, mean age 55.7 years) underwent FDG-PET. Their previous conventional diagnostic studies (CDS) like abdomen US and CT, chest x-ray and CT, and bone scan were negative (n=22) or equivocal (n=4) for metastasis. Positive FDG-PET findings were confirmed by biopsy or clinical follow-up. Results: Among 4 patients with equivocal metastatic lesions on CDS, 3 had 6 hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET, which were confirmed as metastasis and subsequently LTs were cancelled. Of these, 5 lesions were initially negative on CDS. Remained 1 patient underwent LT with a negative FDG-PET result. Among 22 patients without metastasis on CDS, 5 had 7 hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET. One of these patients proved to have 2 metastatic lesions, and LT was cancelled. The other 4 patients had S hypermetabolic lesions on FDG-PET, which were confirmed as benign lesions, and 3 patients of them underwent LT. In summary, FDG-PET was useful in avoiding 4 unwarranted LT by detecting unsuspected metastatic lesions on CDS. A total of 17 patients underwent LT. In comparison with pathology, the sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET for detecting viable primary liver cancer were 55.6% (5/9) and 87.5% (7/8), respectively. Conclusion: FDG-PET can detect additional hidden metastasis and contribute to reducing unwarranted LT in the patients with primary liver cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.578-584
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• 2006

A primary choriocarcinoma of the lung is extremely rare, and difficult to distinguish from a metastatic choriocarcinoma considering that the lung is also one of the most frequent sites of metastasis. We report a 28-year-old woman patient who was initially misdiagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and was operated on under the impression of an unidentified malignancy of the lung, which was finally proven to be a choriocarcinoma of the lung. A pelvic examination by a gynecologist, pelvic magnetic resonance imaging and whole body fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography was performed in order to rule out a metastatic choriocarcinoma of the lung. After a curative operation, her serum ${\beta}$-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) level, which was highly elevated in the initial evaluation, had decreased dramatically to the normal range. She is currently being followed up regularly without any evidence of recurrence or elevation of her ${\beta}$-HCG level.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.395-399
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• 2001

Primary spinal epidural lymphoma(SEL), i.e. occurring in the absence of any detectable extraspinal lymphoproliferative disorder, is an unusual cause of spinal cord compression. The authors report a 48-year-old, diabetic woman presented with back pain followed by acute paraparesis and voiding difficulty. She had been treated with acupunctures on her back before admission, and complete blood count showed leukocytosis with neutrophilia and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR). Thoracic spine magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) revealed an epidural mass extending from T5 to T8 with compression of the spinal cord. Emergency decompressive laminectomy was performed with a tentative diagnosis of spinal epidural abscess, but a B-cell lymphoma was final pathologic diagnosis. Further staging showed no other sites of lymphoma, and the spinal lesion was treated by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The authors stress that primary SEL can mimic spinal epidural abscess(SEA) in the diabetic patient and should be a diagnostic consideration in patients with a syndrome of acute spinal cord compression manifested by a prodrome of back pain and neuroimaging consistent with an epidural compressive lesion, especially in a diabetic.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2013

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to find and categorize the various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of spinal metastases that correlate with the type of primary cancer. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance images of 30 patients with 169 spinal metastatic lesions from lung cancer (n = 56), breast cancer (n = 29), colorectal cancer (n = 20), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 17), and stomach cancer (n = 47). The size, location, extent of invasion, signal intensity, margin, enhancement pattern, and osteoblastic or osteolytic characteristics of each metastatic tumor were analyzed. Results: The metastatic lesions from HCC were larger than those from the other primary tumors (P < 0.05) except for colorectal cancer (P = 0.268). Well-defined metastatic tumor margins were more frequently seen in lung cancer and breast cancer (P < 0.01). All but HCC showed a tendency to invade the vertebral body rather than the posterior elements (P < 0.02). Colorectal cancer and HCC showed a tendency toward extraosseous invasion without statistical significance. HCC showed a characteristic enhancement pattern of 'worms-in-a-bag'. Rim enhancement with a sclerotic center was only seen in spinal metastases from stomach cancer. Conclusion: Despite many overlapping imaging features, spinal metastases of various primary tumors display some characteristic MRI findings that can help identify the primary cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 1999

Background and Objectives : Classical singers are capable of masking abnormalities due to their high level of training and may present with apparent technical deficits rather than with obvious dysfunction. Therefore, some variations from expected normal laryngeal behavior may be present in trained classical singers. Consequently it is important for otolaryngologist to obtain a baseline assessment of their laryngeal function. Materials and Methods : Acoustic measurement including strobovideolaryngoscopy from 50 classically trained singers was done for this study, which was compared with the data from 20 untrained adults. Results and Conclusion : This study showed that 50-healthy asymptomatic classical singers revealed an incidence of 50% abnormal strobovideolaryngoscopic findings, but their acoustic data was within normal limit despite the abnormal laryngeal findings. Therefore the author recommends that the classical singers need objective voice analysis and their baseline data should be used for the accurate diagnosis of the cause of voice dysfunction In classical singer whose baseline laryngeal behavior may be unusual.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.13-17
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• 2006

다양한 연구에 따르면, 고려인삼은 허약한 체질, 숙취, 폐경과 월경불순, 초기 당뇨병, 영양실조, 빈혈 및 단백질 부족, 간기능 악화, 각종 독성물질에 기인한 중독, 피로, 추위, 스트레스, 산후조리, 체력쇠퇴 등에 효능이 있음이 알려져 있다. 특히 고려인삼은 혈관 기능을 효과적으로 조절함으로 고혈압, 뇌졸중, 심근경색, 동맥경화, 관절염, 당뇨, 비만 등의 질환을 효과적으로 치료하거나 예방할 수 있는 효능이 있음이 최근 연구에 의하여 밝혀지고 있다. 그러나 고려인삼 약리효능의 표적분자(target molecule)나 생화학적 작용기전(biochemical mechanism)이 세포 및 분자 수준에서 규명되지 못하여 고려인삼이 의약품으로 인정받지 못하고 건강식품으로 분류되고 있어 소비가 한인 흑인 히스패닉 시장에 한정되고 있고, 최근에는 타 경쟁국 인삼에 비해 수출 경쟁력이 약화되고 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 고려인삼 추출물과 효능성분이 혈관내피세포 기능조절에 미치는 효능 및 작용기전을 규명하여 고려인삼이 호발성 혈관질환에 대한 예방 및 치료 효능이 있음을 분자 및 유전자 수준에서 확인하고자 하였다.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.222-226
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• 1996

The increasing incidence of multiple primary carcinomas occuring in the upper aerodigestive tract is well documented, with the accepted incidence being as high as 20-30%. The fiberoptic endoscopy has also enabled visualization of areas previously inaccessible without general anesthesia. A prospective panendoscopic examination of the upper aerodigestive tract was peformed on 104 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head & neck in our hospital between 1989 and 1994. Five second primary cancers (4.8% ：2 stomach, 2 esophagus, 1 lung cancers) were detected endoscopically. These finding should reinforce the belief that head & neck cancer is a panmucosal disease of the aerodigestive tract that silent second primary cancers are not uncommon. So every effort should be done to detect second primary cancers in head & neck squamous cell carcinomas. Panendoscopy has proved valuable in achieving that.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.64-70
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• 1998

Primary osteoarthritis of the ankle without history of trauma is rare. We are reporting the use of a low tibial osteotomy on 2 ankles in one patient. The osteotomy is designed to correct the varus tilt and anterior opening of the distal tibial joint surface where it has been shown by weight-bearing radiographs. Follow-up at 8 months the result showed to be excellent, by Takakura's scoring system. We experienced that slight overcorrection of deformity by low tibial osteotomy is effective in treating intermediate-stage primary osteoarthritis of the ankle.