• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.140-147
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• 1994

Reconstruction of the pharynx and cervical esophagus presents a tremendous challenges to surgeons. Over the past 2 years[1990, Dec.-1993, Jun], the free jejunal graft has been performed in 17 cases in Korea Cancer Center Hospital.The indications of this procedures were almost malignant neoplasms involving neck and upper aero-digestive tract; Hypopharyngeal cancer[12 cases, including 2 recurrent cases], laryngeal cancer[2 cases], thyroid cancer[2 cases, including 1 recurrent case], cervical esophageal cancer[1 case]. There were fifteen men and two women, and the mean age was 59.6 years. The anastomosis site of jejunal artery were common carotid artery[16 cases] or external carotid artery[1 case] and that of jejunal vein were internal jegular [15 cases] or facial[1 case] and superior thyroid vein[1 case]. The length of jejunal graft was from 9 cm to 17 cm[mean 13 cm] and the mean ischemic time was 68 minutes. There was one hospital mortality which was irrelevant to procedures[variceal bleeding] and one graft failure[1/16]. Other postoperative complications were neck bleeding or hematoma[3 cases], abdominal wound infection or disruption[5 cases], anastomosis site leakage[1 case], pneumonia[2 cases], graft vein thrombosis[1 case], and food aspiration[1 case]. The function of conduit was excellent and ingestion of food was possible in nearly all cases. Postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy was also applicable without problem in 7 cases. During follow-up periods, the anastomosis site stenosis developed in four patients, and the tracheal stoma was narrowed in one case but easily overcome with dilation. In conclusion, we think that the free jejunal graft is one of the excellent reconstruction methods of upper digestive tract, especially after radical resection of malignant neoplasm in neck with a high success rate and low mortality and morbidity rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2171-2175
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• 2016

Trends in cancer incidence is a key tool to identify the pattern of cancer of any country. This retrospective study was performed to present the trends of change in cancer incidence in Nepal.The total number of cancer cases in males was 26,064 while the total number of females cancer cases was 29,867 throughout the 10 years from 2003 to 2012. The cancer incidence per 100,000 in males was 12.8 in 2003 and 25.8 people in 2012. Similarly, in females, the crude incidence rate was 15.1 in 2003 and 26.7 per 100,000 in 2012. Cancer incidence was low at early age but it was increased with age in both sexes in Nepal. Lung cancer was the most common cancer in males throughout, while it was the third most common cancer in females. Cervix uteri was the most common site of cancer in females throughout the 10 years, with a clear trend for increase in breast cancer within this time.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5169-5173
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• 2015

To determine the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus cisplatin (Taxol + DDP, TP therapy) for stage IIA esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to investigate the expression of RUNX3 in lymph node metastasis-negative esophageal cancer and its relationship with medical prognosis, a retrospective summary of clinical treatment of 143 cases of stage IIA esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients was made. The patients were divided into two groups, a surgery alone control group (52 patients) and a chemotherapy group that received postoperative TP therapy (91 patients). The disease-free and 5 year survival rates were compared between the groups and a multivariate analysis of prognostic factors was performed. The same analysis was performed for cases classified as RUNX3 positive and negative, with post-operative specimens assessed by immunohistochemistry. Although the disease-free and 5 year survival rates in control and chemotherapy groups did not significantly differ and there was no significance in RUNX3 negative cases, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in the chemotherapy group was shown to improve disease-free and 5 year survival rate compared to the control group in RUNX3 positive cases. On Cox regression multivariate analysis, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (P<0.01) was an independent prognostic factor for RUNX3 positive cases, suggesting that postoperative TP may be effective as adjuvant chemotherapy for stage IIA esophageal cancer patients with RUNX3 positive lesions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1833-1836
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• 2012

Objective: Promoter methylation, which can be regulated by MTHFR activity, is associated with silencing of genes. In this study we evaluated the methylation status (type) of the BRCA2 promoter in ovarian cancer patients carrying different genotypes of the MTHFR gene (A or C polymorphisms at position 1298). Methods: The methylation type of the BRCA2 promoter was evaluated using bisulfate-modified DNA in methylation-specific PCR and the MTHFRa1278c polymorphism was assessed by PCR-RFLP. Results: Analysis of the BRCA2 promoter methylation type of cases showed that 7 out of 60 cases (11.7%) were methylated while the remaining 53 (88.3%) were unmethylated. In methylated cases, one out of the 7 cases had a CC genotype and the remaining 6 methylated cases had an AC genotype. The AA genotype was absent. In unmethylated cases, 34, 18, and one out of these had AC, AA and CC genotype, respectively. Conclusion: There was no significant relationship between the methylation types of the BRCA2 promoter in different genotypes of MTHFRa1298c polymorphism in ovarian cancer; p=0.255. There was no significant relation between the methylation types of the BRCA2 promoter in different genotypes of the MTHFRa1298c polymorphism in ovarian cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3205-3211
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• 2013

Background: Bladder cancer is the second most incident malignancy among Lebanese men. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential risk factors associated with this observed high incidence. Methods: A case-control study (54 cases and 105 hospital-based controls) was conducted in two major hospitals in Beirut. Cases were randomly selected from patients diagnosed in the period of 2002-2008. Controls were conveniently selected from the same settings. Data were collected using interview questionnaire and blood analysis. Exposure data were collected using a structured face-to-face interview questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to determine N-acetyltransferase1 (NAT1) genotype by PCR-RFLP. Analyses revolved around univariate, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression, along with checks for effect modification. Results: The odds of having bladder cancer among smokers was 1.02 times significantly higher in cases vs. controls. The odds of exposure to occupational diesel or fuel combustion fumes were 4.1 times significantly higher in cases vs controls. The odds of prostate-related morbidity were 5.6 times significantly higher in cases vs controls. Cases and controls showed different clustering patterns of NAT1 alleles. No significant differences between cases and controls were found for consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, or artificial sweeteners. Conclusions: This is the first case-control study investigating bladder cancer risk factors in the Lebanese context. Results confirmed established risk factors in the literature, particularly smoking and occupational exposure to diesel. The herein observed associations should be used to develop appropriate prevention policies and intervention strategies, in order to control this alarming disease in Lebanon.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2020

Background/Objectives: To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents. Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. Conclusion: For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7189-7193
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• 2015

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Increasing life expectancy and aging population are important factors for increasing cancer incidences in developing countries. National programs are essential for prevention and control of cancer in any society. This study aimed to investigate cancer epidemiology and trends in the province of Hamadan, located in Northwest Iran. Materials and Methods: This analytical study was carried out based on cancer registry data from 2004 to 2009 in the province of Hamadan, analyzed using STATA (version 12) software for descriptive tests and Join point 4.1.1.1 software for analytical tests. Results: There were 7,767 registered cases of cancer during the 6 years studied. Of the total cases registered, 59.1% (4,592 cases) involved men and 40.9% (3,175 cases) occurred in women. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) increased from 72.9 to 132.0 in males and 48.2 to 115.0 in females during the 6 years of the study (p<0.001). The most common cancers were skin, stomach, breast, bladder, and leukemia. In women, teh most common were breast, skin, stomach, colorectal, and leukemia, in that order, and in men skin, stomach, bladder, leukemia, and prostate cancers. Conclusions: The cancer incidence is greater in men that women in this region but with increasing trends in both sexes. Planning regarding education in prevention of exposure to risk factors and control strategies is required to decrease the incident cases. Screening programs for common cancers in older age groups might be helpful to reduce the disease impact.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2004

It is important to recognize the pathognomonic cytologic findings of chordoma, because of overlapping cytologic features between chordoma, chondrshdosarcoma, myxofilbrillary ependymoma, and metastatic adenocarcinoma. We reviewed the cytomorphologic features of 5 cases of chordoma diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology at Korean Cancer Center Hospital from 1987 to 2003. Clinical and radiographic findings of each case were reviewed. Four males and one female (29-54 years) had tumors involving the sacrum. Pain was the presenting symptom in 4 cases. The three cases showed moderate to high cellularity. In all cases, typical physaliferous cells with or without cytoplasmic processes were noted. In two cases, the background was myxoid with single scattered cells. Cell clusters showing cord-like arrangement were occasionally seen. The single or clustered cells showed mild cellular pleomorphism with slightly increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. Mitotic figures were not seen. In our review, the recognition of physaliferous cells is the most important feature to diagnose chordoma and to differentiate it from other lesions mimicking chordoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2777-2782
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• 2013

The aim of the present study was to assess criterion validity and external reliability of a questionnaire on risk factors for breast cancer. Materials and Methods. Women with breast cancer diagnosis (the cases) (N=40) and matched individuals without cancer (the controls) (N=40) were asked to fill in a questionnaire twice: on a day of admission to hospital (Q1) and on a day before discharge (Q2), with a time interval of 4-6 days. The questionnaire included questions (N=150) on demographic and socioeconomic factors, diseases in the past, family history of cancer, woman's health, smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical activity, and work environment. Criterion validity of the questionnaire Q2 relative to reference questionnaire Q1 was assessed with the Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC); external reliability of the questionnaire was measured in terms of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 16. Results. The responses to most of the questions on socioeconomic factors, family history on cancer, female health, lifestyle risk factors (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity) correlated substantially in both the cases and the controls with SCC and ICC>0.7 (p<0.01). Statistically non significant relationships defined only between the responses on amount of beer the cases drank at the ages up to 25 years and 26-35 years as well as time of use of estrogen and estrogens-progestin during menopause by the cases. Moderate and substantial SCC and ICC were determined for different food items. Only the response of the cases on veal consumption did not correlate significantly. Conclusions. The questionnaire on breast cancer risk factors is valid and reliable for most of the questions included.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.817-819
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• 2013

Background: The present study was designed to comparatively assess alteration of biochemical parameters in bile duct cancer and gall stone disease. Materials and Methods: A hospital based case-control study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between $1^{st}$ January 2010 and $31^{st}$ December 2012. The variables collected were age, gender, serum total cholesterol, total bilirubin, AST, ALT, serum alkaline phosphatase, albumin and hemoglobin. One way ANOVA was used to examine the statistical significance of differences between groups. A post-hoc LSD test was applied for the comparison of means of control versus case groups. A p-value of <0.05 (two-tailed) was considered significant. Results: The mean age of cases and controls was $53.2{\pm}21.2$ years. The levels of serum cholesterol were higher in cases of cancer $192.5{\pm}21.5$ mg/dl in comparison to stone cases $168.7{\pm}16.1$ mg/dl (p value: 0.0001). The total bilirubin showed the marked difference in cases of cancer $7.6{\pm}3.2$ mg/dl in comparison to stone cases $2.5{\pm}0.8$ mg/dl of bile duct. There was discernible divergence in values of alkaline phosphatase in cases of cancer $251.5{\pm}20.1$ IU/l when compared to stone cases $173.2{\pm}12.6$ IU/l of bile duct. In contrast, there was no apparent deviation in values of aspartate transaminases and alanine transaminases in cases of cancer $59.1{\pm}8.9$ IU/l and $105.5{\pm}26.5$ IU/l when compared to stone cases $56.9{\pm}7.9$ IU/l and $84.5{\pm}13.5$ IU/l respectively. Conclusions: LFT analysis for pre-operative assessment was a good predictive marker in setting apart bile duct cancer and gall bladder stone.