• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9667-9672
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• 2014

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a malignant gastrointestinal cancer with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite severe side effects of chemotherapy, the use of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has emerged as a common clinical treatment. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the combined doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) therapy on murine pancreatic cancer Panc02 cells in vitro and in vivo and underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: A Panc02-bearing mouse model was established to determine whether doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) could effectively inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was evaluated using a standard LDH release assay. To evaluate the relevance of NK cells and CD8 T cells to the combination therapy-mediated anti-tumor effects, they were depleted in tumor-bearing mice by injecting anti-asialo-GM-1 antibodies or anti-CD8 antibodies, respectively. Finally, the influence of doxorubicin+interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) on the ligands of NK and T cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: The combination therapy group demonstrated a significant inhibition of growth of Panc02 in vivo, resulting from activated cytotoxicity of NK cells and CTLs. Depleting CD8 T cells or NK cells reduced the anticancer effects mediated by immunochemotherapy. Furthermore, the doxorubicin+IFN-a treatment increased the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and NKG2D ligands on Panc02 cells, suggesting that the combined therapy may be a potential strategy for enhancing immunogenicity of tumors. All these data indicate that the combination therapy using doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) may be a potential strategy for treating pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate preliminarily for development of the Korean medicine clinical practice guideline (CPG) for pancreatic cancer through the analysis of existing CPGs. Methods: Through searching the medical database such as Pubmed, SCOPUS, CNKI, Google Scholar, etc. The global CPGs within recent three years were collected and analyzed. In particular, recommendations related to the Korean medicine or Chinese medicine were made primarily in the Guidelines of Diagnosis and Therapy in Oncology with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Results: The six CPGs were mentioned in this study. The academic societies and organizations developing the CPGs were located in China, Japan, Europe and America. The contents of the CPGs were the clinical questions and statements, surgical therapy, adjuvant therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, palliative medicine, risk assessment, palliation and supportive care, follow-up and recurrence, Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging. In the Guidelines of Diagnosis and Therapy in Oncology with Traditional Chinese Medicine, the etiology, mechanisms, herbal drugs, Chinese medicine assessment, complication, syndrome differentiation (SD), Chinese medicine treatment were described. Conclusions: In order to develop the proper Korean medicine CPG for pancreatic cancer and to adapt the correct integrative treatment program on the pancreatic cancer, institutional arrangements for cooperation with Korean medical communities and standardization of SD should be performed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.6001-6006
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• 2015

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related death with median survival ranging from 3 to 6 months for metastatic disease. Palliative chemotherapy has been the backbone of treatment in advanced stage and has evolved over time. Data pertaining to the disease are scarce from our part of the world where treatment poses a significant challenge due to lack of resources. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients presenting with stage IV pancreatic carcinoma at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan between January 2008 and December 2012. Data were collected using a pre-designed, coded questionnaire looking at patient characteristics, treatment given and outcome. Results: 101 patients were found to be eligible. Mean age was $56.7{\pm}12.8years$, the male to female ratio was 2:1 and most patients had a good performance status. More than half of the tumors were located in the head (57%, n=58) and almost all were adenocarcinomas (95%, n=96). Some 58% (n=59) received first line chemotherapy of which 49% (n=29) received gemcitabine-based regimens and 39% (n=23) received FOLFIRINOX. The median progression free survival for gemcitabine based treatment was 2.9 months (IQR=1.6-5.6) as opposed to 7.3 months (IQR=4.5-9.2) for FOLFIRINOX (P=0.02). Median overall survival was 4.9 months (IQR=2.3-9.5) for first line gemcitabine based treatment and 10.5 months (IQR=7.0-13.2) for first line FOLFIRINOX therapy (P=0.002). Patients on FOLFIRINOX had better survival across all subgroups. Inpatient admissions and dose reductions were more frequent with FOLFIRINOX but the difference between the two regimens was not statistically significant. FOLFIRINOX could be successfully administered as outpatient therapy to a number of patients. Conclusions: FOLFIRINOX remains a suitable first line option in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer with good performance status even in a resource-poor country where diagnostic and supportive care facilities may be less than optimal and cost is a limitation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.753-759
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• 2012

Radixin, encoded by a gene on chromosome 11, plays important roles in cell motility, invasion and tumor progression. However, its function in pancreatic cancer remains elusive. In this study, radixin gene expression was suppressed with a lentivirus-mediated short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) method. We found that radixin shRNA caused down-regulation of radixin in PANC-1 cells, associated with inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, survival, adhesion and invasive potential in vitro. When radixin-silenced cells were implanted in nude mice, tumor growth and microvessel density were significantly inhibited as compared to blank control cells or nonsense shRNA control cells. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and E-cadherin were up-regulated in radixin-silenced PANC-1 cells. Our results suggest that radixin might play a critical role in pancreatic cancer progression, possibly through invvolvement of down-regulation of TSP-1 and E-cadherin expression.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2015

A 55-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for jaundice. Computed tomography (CT) scans showed a diffuse mass in the pancreas and peripancreatic area, with infiltration to of the whole pancreas, and overall reduced enhancement compared to normal pancreas. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed elevated mucosal lesion covered hyperemic mucosa at duodenal bulb and ulcerative lesion at body of stomach. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed an irregular mass with unclear boundaries was observed within the pancreas. Abrupt narrowing of mid to distal common bile duct was seen and the stricture was caused by compression of pancreatic mass. Plastic stent was inserted and clinical improvement was achieved including resolution of jaundice. The patient is currently being treated with combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone. We report a case of primary pancreatic lymphoma presenting with obstructive jaundice.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.171-175
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• 2022

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.980-982
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• 2012

Metastasis to the pancreas from extra-pancreatic primary cancers are rare; they commonly present as a manifestation of widespread disease and rarely as an isolated mass of the pancreas. Examinations showed a pancreatic tumor infiltrating the pancreas tail portion and an endoscopic ultrasound guided percutaneous biopsy proved that the lesion was metastatic from the lung carcinoma. Most metastatic cases of the pancreas tend to be discovered in patients with widely disseminated malignant disease. In addition, patients with pancreatic metastasis are often asymptomatic, the metastatic lesions are found incidentally, and are misdiagnosed as primary pancreatic tumors. This report that patient undergoing chemotherapy for a small cell lung cancer, who 1 year and 3 months later, accidentally diagnosed of solitary pancreas metastasis and confirmed histology by needle biopsy using endoscopic ultrasound.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.175-180
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• 2024

Therapeutic endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) procedures using the forward-viewing convex EUS (FV-EUS) have been reviewed based on the articles reported to date. The earliest reported procedure is the drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts using FV-EUS. However, the study on drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts focused on showing that drainage is possible with FV-EUS rather than leveraging its features. Subsequently, studies describing the characteristics of FV-EUS have been reported. By using FV-EUS in EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy, double punctures in the gastrointestinal tract can be avoided. In postoperative modified anatomical cases, using the endoscopic function of FV-EUS, procedures such as bile duct drainage from anastomosis, pancreatic duct drainage from the afferent limb, and abscess drainage from the digestive tract have been reported. When a perpendicular puncture to the gastrointestinal tract is required or when there is a need to insert the endoscope deep into the gastrointestinal tract, FV-EUS is considered among the options.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2017

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are rare pancreatic neoplasms comprising 1-2% of all pancreatic tumors and typically present high attenuating mass on arterial and venous phase images, due to their rich capillary network. A 70-year-old South Korean female visited our hospital presenting with jaundice and dark urine color. She had received an operation for treatment of small bowel perforation seven years ago. On physical examination, icteric sclera was observed but otherwise unremarkable. Laboratory tests were abnormal liver function test and suspected obstructive jaundice. Computed tomography revealed 4 cm sized cystic mass lesion with homogeneous low attenuation in the head of pancreas and distal common bile duct was compressed by the mass. During review of past medical records, we found that the mass was observed and measured about 1.7 cm seven years ago. To resolve obstructive jaundice, pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed and diagnosed with well differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma with intermediate grade.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.111-114
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• 2006

Pancreatic cancer often elicits intractable abdominal pain which has significant negative impact on the quality of life in patients. Various therapeutic modalities including celiac plexus block are being used to alleviate the pain. The anatomic location of the pancreas often hinders the spread of anesthetic or neurolytic solutions by obliterating the retrocrural space, thus making the classic retrocrural approach unsuccessful. The following case describes a patient with intractable abdominal pain originating from advanced pancreatic cancer, which could be managed successfully with thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy after retrocrural celiac plexus block had failed.