• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.122-126
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• 2016

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis occurs in approximately 5% of patients with cancer. The most common cancers involving the leptomeninges are breast, lung cancer and melanoma. However, gastric adenocarcinoma has been rarely reported with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The presenting manifestations are usually headache, visual disturbances and seizures. We report a case of leptomeningeal metastasis that presented as a gastric cancer. A 75-year old man was transferred to our hospital for further evaluation and treatment after being diagnosed with adenocarcinoma through endoscopic biopsy during a regular health examination. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed AGC, stage IA (cT1N0M0), while an endoscopic examination showed AGC, Borrmann type 2. The patient is currently under observation after undergoing radical subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy and subsequent administration of oral chemotherapeutic agents. As an abdominal CT response assessment performed after surgery revealed new metastasis to the liver, the patient received palliative chemotherapy as recurrence was suspected. After receiving chemotherapy in the order of DP (Cisplatin + Docetaxel), FOLFIRI (5-FU + Leucovorin + Irinotecan), an abdominal CT response assessment showed complete response. Since decreased mentality maintained throughout the follow up period based on outpatient clinic, brain MRI was performed and revealed multiple leptomeningeal metastasis. The Patient died 2 days after the diagnosis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.403-409
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• 2000

Objectives: Due to the heterogeneous receptor distribution and changes of receptor status over time, the biochemical measurement of estrogen receptor status of biopsy specimens is not sufficient to diagnose breast cancer. As a result, I-123 labeled estradiols have been applied for the diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to develop a suitable radioligand for imaging estrogen receptor-positive human breast tumors. Methods: Among the various estradiol derivatives, $17{\alpha}-[^{123}I]$iodovinyl estradiol ($[^{123}I]$IVE) has been prepared from $17{\alpha}$-ethynyl estradiol. Labeling of $E-17{\alpha}-[^{123}I]$iodovinyl estradiol (E-$[^{123}I]$IVE) was carried out using peracetic acid with $[^{123}I]NaI\;and\;Z-[^{123}I]IVE$ labelling was archived using chloamine-T/HCl solution with $[^{123}I]$NaI. Labeling yield was determined by silica thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and radiochemical purity was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biodistribution of E-$[^{123}I]$IVE was measured in immature female rats at 60 min, 120 min and 300 min after injection. Results: The labeling yield of two isomers was 92% and 94% ($E-[^{123}I]IVE\;and\;Z-[^{123}I]IVE$, respectively). The radiochemical purity was more than 98% after purification. The highest uptake was observed at 120 min in uterus (3.11% ID/g for E-$[^{123}I]$IVE). Conclusion: These results suggest the possibility of using E-$[^{123}I]$IVE as an imaging agent for the evaluation of the evaluation of the presence of estrogen receptor in patients with breast cancer.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2008

Purpose : Allergic proctocolitis is a major cause of bloody stool in early infancy. This study was aimed at ascertaining the clinical courses, sigmoidoscopic and histologic findings of allergic proctocolitis. We also analyzed the relationship between peripheral eosinophilia, the age at symptom onset, and sigmoidoscopic and histologic findings. Methods : We reviewed 25 infants retrospectively who had sigmoidoscopy and biopsy performed with a clinical diagnosis of allergic proctocolitis from April 2003 to April 2007. Results : The mean age at symptom onset was $15.2{\pm}13.2$ weeks. Fourteen infants (56.0%) were breast fed, one (4.0%) was formula fed, six (24.0%) were on combined formula, and four (16.0%) were on a weaning diet. Peripheral eosinophilia (${\geq}250/mm^3$) was seen in eighteen infants (75.0%), but total serum IgE was increased only in six (24.0%). Sigmoidoscopic findings were variable from normal (8.0%), erythema or edema (20.0%), lymphoid hyperplasia (8.0%), erosion (12.0%), hemorrhage and ulcer (4.0%) to lymphoid hyperplasia with erosion, hemorrhage, or ulcer (48.0%). Histologic findings showed focal infiltration of eosinophils in lamina propria (96.0%) and crypt epithelium (96.0%). In twenty four infants (96.0%), the number of eosinophils in mucosa was increased by a more than 60/10 high power field. There was a negative correlation between peripheral eosinophilia and the age at symptom onset. Among the twelve breast fed infants, bloody stool disappeared in ten (83.0%) with a maternal elimination diet of major food groups, but two improved spontaneously. Conclusion : Allergic proctocolitis should be considered as one of the major causes of bloody stool in healthy appearing infants. To confirm the diagnosis it is necessary to perform sigmoidoscopy and biopsy but histologic findings are more informative than sigmoidoscopic findings. Peripheral eosinophilia was prominent in the infants with an early onset of symptoms. Most infants experienced benign courses and recovered with the elimination of causative foods but did not need exclusive food restrictions.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.240-247
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• 1994

To evaluate the isolation rate of acid-fast bacilli on Ziehl-Neelsen stain from biopsy specimens of extrapulmonary tuberculosis proven by chronic granulomatous inflammation, 286 cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis were reviewed and the results are as follows: 1) Mean age was 27.3 years old and lymphatic tuberculosis was more prevalent in the female but others were more common in the male. 2) The most common site of extrapulmonary tuberculosis was pleura (103 cases;36%) followed by lymph nodes (87 cases;30.4%), gastrointestinal tract (27 cases;9.4%), skin and soft tissue (23 cases;8.0%), bone (19 cases; 6.6%), urinary tract (14 cases;4.6%), larynx (9 cases;3.2%) and breast (5 cases;1.8%) in order of frequencies. 3) Of 286 cases, 30.4% (87 cases) of the biopsy specimens showed acid fast bacilli on microscopy. The isolation rate according to the sites was slightly higher in breast and lymph nodes as 3 of 5 cases (60.0%) and 35 of 87 cases (40.2%) respectively, and followed by 3 of 9 cases (33.3%) in the larynx, 4 of 13 cases (30.8%) in the urinary tract, 5 of 19 cases (26.3%) in the bone, 7 of 27 cases (25.9%) in the gastrointestinal tract, 26 of 103 cases (25.2%) in the pleura, and 4 of 23 cases (17.4%) in the skin and soft tissue, in order of frequencics. 4) The prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis associated with pulmonary tuberculosis on chest X-ray was 85 of 286 cases (29.7%).

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2008

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of 3 ' -[F-18]fluoro-3 ' -deoxythymidine positron emission tomography(FLT-PET) for the detection of locally advanced breast cancer and to compare the degree of FLT and 2' -deoxy-2 ' -[F-18]fluoro-d-glucose(FDG) uptake in primary tumor, lymph nodes and other normal organs. Material & Methods: The study subjects consisted of 22 female patients (mean age; $42{\pm}6$ years) with biopsy-confirmed infiltrating ductal carcinoma between Aug 2005 and Nov 2006. We performed conventional imaging workup, FDG-PET and FLT PET/CT. Average tumor size measured by MRI was $7.2{\pm}3.4$ cm. With visual analysis, Tumor and Lymph node uptakes of FLT and FDG were determined by calculation of standardized uptake value (SUV) and tumor to background (TB) ratio. We compared FLT tumor uptake with FDG tumor uptake. We also investigated the correlation between FLT tumor uptake and FDG tumor uptake and the concordant rate with lymph node uptakes of FLT and FDG. FLT and FDG uptakes of bone marrow and liver were measured to compare the biodistribution of each other. Results: All tumor lesions were visually detected in both FLT-PET and FDG-PET. There was no significant correlation between maximal tumor size by MRI and SUVmax of FLT-PET or FDG-PET (p>0.05). SUVmax and $$SUV_{75} (average SUV within volume of interest using 75% isocontour) of FLT-PET were significantly lower than those of FDG-PET in primary tumor (SUVmax; $6.3{\pm}5.2\;vs\;8.3{\pm}4.9$, p=0.02 /$SUV_{75};\;5.3{\pm}4.3\;vs\;6.9{\pm}4.2$, p=0.02). There is significant moderate correlation between uptake of FLT and FDG in primary tumor (SUVmax; rho=0.450, p=0.04 / SUV75; rho=0.472, p=0.03). But, TB ratio of FLT-PET was higher than that of FDG-PET($11.7{\pm}7.7\;vs\;6.3{\pm}3.8$, p=0.001). The concordant rate between FLT and FDG uptake of lymph node was reasonably good (33/34). The FLT SUVs of liver and bone marrow were $4.2{\pm}1.2\;and\;8.3{\pm}4.9$. The FDG SUVs of liver and bone marrow were $1.8{\pm}0.4\;and\;1.6{\pm}0.4$. Conclusion: The uptakes of FLT were lower than those of FDG, but all patients of this study revealed good FLT uptakes of tumor and lymph node. Because FLT-PET revealed high TB ratio and concordant rate with lymph node uptakes of FDG-PET, FLT-PET could be a useful diagnostic tool in locally advanced breast cancer. But, physiological uptake and individual variation of FLT in bone marrow and liver will limit the diagnosis of bone and liver metastases.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2007

Purpose: Bone metastasis in breast cancer patients are usually assessed by conventional Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate whole-body bone scan, which has a high sensitivity but a poor specificity. However, positron emission tomography with $^{18}F-2-deoxyglucose$ (FDG-PET) can offer superior spatial resolution and improved specificity. FDG-PET/CT can offer more information to assess bone metastasis than PET alone, by giving a anatomical information of non-enhanced CT image. We attempted to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET/CT for detecting bone metastasis in breast cancer and to compare FDG-PET/CT results with bone scan findings. Materials and Methods: The study group comprised 157 women patients (range: $28{\sim}78$ years old, $mean{\pm}SD=49.5{\pm}8.5$) with biopsy-proven breast cancer who underwent bone scan and FDG-PET/CT within 1 week interval. The final diagnosis of bone metastasis was established by histopathological findings, radiological correlation, or clinical follow-up. Bone scan was acquired over 4 hours after administration of 740 MBq Tc-99m MDP. Bone scan image was interpreted as normal, low, intermediate or high probability for osseous metastasis. FDG PET/CT was performed after 6 hours fasting. 370 MBq F-18 FDG was administered intravenously 1 hour before imaging. PET data was obtained by 3D mode and CT data, used as transmission correction database, was acquired during shallow respiration. PET images were evaluated by visual interpretation, and quantification of FDG accumulation in bone lesion was performed by maximal SUV(SUVmax) and relative SUV(SUVrel). Results: Six patients(4.4%) showed metastatic bone lesions. Four(66.6%) of 6 patients with osseous metastasis was detected by bone scan and all 6 patients(100%) were detected by PET/CT. A total of 135 bone lesions found on either FDG-PET or bone scan were consist of 108 osseous metastatic lesion and 27 benign bone lesions. Osseous metastatic lesion had higher SUVmax and SUVrel compared to benign bone lesion($4.79{\pm}3.32$ vs $1.45{\pm}0.44$, p=0.000, $3.08{\pm}2.85$ vs $0.30{\pm}0.43$, p=0.000). Among 108 osseous metastatic lesions, 76 lesions showed as abnormal uptake on bone scan, and 76 lesions also showed as increased FDG uptake on PET/CT scan. There was good agreement between FDG uptake and abnormal bone scan finding (Kendall tau-b : 0.689, p=0.000). Lesion showed increased bone tracer uptake had higher SUVmax and SUVrel compared to lesion showed no abnormal bone scan finding ($6.03{\pm}3.12$ vs $1.09{\pm}1.49$, p=0.000, $4.76{\pm}3.31$ vs $1.29{\pm}0.92$, p=0.000). The order of frequency of osseous metastatic site was vertebra, pelvis, rib, skull, sternum, scapula, femur, clavicle, and humerus. Metastatic lesion on skull had highest SUVmax and metastatic lesion on rib had highest SUVrel. Osteosclerotic metastatic lesion had lowest SUVmax and SUVrel. Conclusion: These results suggest that FDG-PET/CT is more sensitive to detect breast cancer patients with osseous metastasis. CT scan must be reviewed cautiously skeleton with bone window, because osteosclerotic metastatic lesion did not showed abnormal FDG accumulation frequently.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.266-270
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• 1998

The management of malignant pleural effusion is a difficult problem. Tetracycline was probably the most commonly used sclerosing agent, but parenteral tetracycline is no longer available. This prospective study was designed to determine the efficacy of insufflated talc in producing plerodesisin patients with malignant pleural effusions. Fifteen patients managed between March 1995 and March 1997 underwent thoracoscopy and had 4 gm sterile asbestos-free talc insufflation throughout the pleural space. The mean interval between the procedure and last follow-up was 101 days(range: 25-233 days). The results of treatment were clinically and radiologically compared with pre-operative status. The results were as follows: 1. The patients were 6 men and 9 women with a mean age of 55.1 years(range: 31-74 years). The primary tumors were lung cancer in 10 patients, breast cancer in two, hepatoma in one, stomach cancer in one, and adenocarcinoma of unkown origin in one. 2. Cancer cell positive ratio was 36% in sputum cytology study and 100% in thoracoscopic biopsy. 3. Symptoms improved in 94% of patients treated by talc pleurodesis. 4. After 30 days of the procedure, there was radiologically no recurrence of plural fluid in 94% patients. 5. There were wound infection in one, respiratory failure in one. In conclusion, the insufflation of 4 gm sterile asbestos-free talc in the pleural space is an effective method to control malignant pleural effusions and patients selection is important factor for reexpansion the lung.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7635-7638
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• 2013

Background: Sperm-associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) has been recently proposed as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis of several human tumors, including ovarian, cervical and breast cancers. Its clinical value remains to be clarified for endometrial cancer (EC). In this study, we investigated the utility of serum SPAG9 levels in diagnosis of EC and its association with important clinicopathological parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at a tertiary women's referral center in Ankara, Turkey. Preoperative serum samples were collected from patients surgically treated for endometrial cancer between June 2012-April 2013. Similar aged women with a biopsy proven benign endometrium were used as controls. Serum SPAG9 levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and assessed for links with clinicopathological factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess power of SPAG9 levels for EC prediction. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 63 women with EC and 27 with benign endometrium were included in the study. Mean age in the EC group was $58.7{\pm}1.1$. Median SPAG9 levels in the EC and control groups were 18.3 (range, 12.7-53.8) and 14.1 (range, 4.3-65.3), respectively (p<0.001). A cut-off value of 17 ng/ml for SPAG9 predicted presence of malignant endometrium with 74% sensitivity and 83% specificity [Area under curve (AUC)=0.82, p<0.001]. SPAG9 levels did not demonstrate any significant association with histological type, FIGO stage, tumor grade, size, myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, cervical involvement, adnexal involvement, peritoneal cytology or lymph node status (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Testing for SPAG9 may be useful for early detection of EC in asymptomatic high-risk women. Its role in post-treatment follow-up and early detection of recurrence should be assessed in future trials.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.160-165
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• 2004

Successful treatment of multi-loculated pleural effusion or thoracic empyema requires effective drainage and definitive diagnosis of causative organism. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the management of thoracic empyema or multi-loculated pleural effusion after chest tube drainage treatment had failed. Material and Method: Between April 2000 and July 2002, 20 patients with thoracic empyema or multi-loculated pleural effusion that failed to chest tube drainage or other procedures who underwent an operation. All patients were assessed by chest-computed tomogram and underwent video assisted thoracoscopic drainage, debridement, biopsy and irrigation of pleural cavity. Result: In 18 cases (90%), underwent successful video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. In 2 cases, decortications by mini-thoracotomy were necessary. The ratio of sex was 4 : 1 (16 male: 4 female), mean age was 48.9 years old (range, 17∼72 years), mean duration of postoperative chest tube placement was 8.2 days (range, 4∼22 days), mean postoperative hospital stay was 15.2 days (range, 7∼33 days). Causative disease was tuberculosis, pneumonia, trauma and metastatic breast cancer, There were no major postoperative complications. Symptoms improved in all patients and were discharged with OPD follow up. Conclusion: In an early organizing phase of empyema or multi loculated pleural effusion, video-assisted thoracoscopic drainage and debridement are safe and suitable treatment.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.71-75
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• 2012

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent urological malignant tumor in adults and it occurs mostly between the fifth and the sixth decades of life. The male-female ratio is 3:1 and it is more common in smokers. It accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies; 90~95% of neoplasms of the kidney. The classic triad of presenting symptoms of RCC is hematuria, back pain and a mass in the flank. More than 50% of RCCs show metastasis to breast, lung and regional lymph nodes, and 15% present in the orofacialmaxillary region. This case is about a 66 year-old man who was treated for painless swelling in the left masseteric area. The mass was surgically excised and sent for biopsy. It was diagnosed as RCC and two weeks later nephronectomy of the left kidney was performed. Metastasis to other organs was detected and the patient received radiation therapy. In this case we were able to find the primary lesion by the metastatic lesion.