• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권15호
• /
• pp.6059-6064
• /
• 2014

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in Malaysia. Nevertheless, there is little information on treatment and outcomes nationally. We aimed to determine the demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of colorectal cancer patients treated at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) as part of a larger project on survival and quality of life outcomes. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 1,212 patients undergoing treatment in UMMC between January 2001 and December 2010 were reviewed. A retrospective-prospective cohort study design was used. Research tools included the National Cancer Patient Registration form. Statistical analysis included means, standard deviations (SD), proportions, chi square, t-test/ANOVA. P-value significance was set at 0.05. Results: The male: female ratio was 1.2:1. The mean age was 62.1 (SD12.4) years. Patients were predominantly Chinese (67%), then Malays (18%), Indians (13%) and others (2%). Malays were younger than Chinese and Indians (mean age 57 versus 62 versus 62 years, p<0.001). More females (56%) had colon cancers compared to males (44%) (p=0.022). Malays (57%) had more rectal cancer compared to Chinese (45%) and Indians (49%) (p=0.004). Dukes' stage data weres available in 67%, with Dukes' C and D accounting for 64%. Stage was not affected by age, gender, ethnicity or tumor site. Treatment modalities included surgery alone (40%), surgery and chemo/radiotherapy 32%, chemo and radiotherapy (8%) and others (20%). Conclusions: Significant ethnic differences in age and site distribution, if verified in population-based settings, would support implementation of preventive measures targeting those with the greatest need, at the right age.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권2호
• /
• pp.639-643
• /
• 2013

Aim: Connexin 43 (Cx43) and E-cadherin are important biomarkers related with cancer. Their expression at protein and mRNA levels was here investigated in 50 primary lung carcinoma tissues and 20 samples of adjacent normal tissue of Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Protein and mRNA expression were evaluated by ABC immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Results: (1) The positive expression rates of Cx43 and E-cadherin protein were higher in the adjacent normal tissues than those in the primary lung carcinoma tissues; (2) the positive expression rates of Cx43 and E-cadherin protein decreased with NSCLC progression; (3) the expression of E-cadherin protein was not related with the pathological type of NSCLC; and (4) the relative quantity of the Cx43 or E-cadherin mRNA expression was correlated with the the histological type, clinical stage, cancer cell differentiation and the lymph node metastasis. Conclusion: The data suggested that the Cx43 and E-cadherin are reduced with NSCLC progression, and might be important biomarkers for judging the metastasis and prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권1호
• /
• pp.315-320
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the recurrence pattern and characteristics of patients based on the 2013 St. Gallen surrogate molecular subtypes after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in Chinese women. Methods: This retrospective analysis included 709 consecutive breast cancer patients undergoing BCS from 1999-2010 at our institution. Five different surrogate subtypes were created using combined expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. Locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were calculated. Results: The 5-year LRRFS, DMFS, and DFS rates were 90.5%, 88.2%, and 81.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that young age, node-positive disease, and HER2 enrichment were independent prognostic factors in LRRFS patients. There was also an independent prognostic role of lymph node-positive disease in DMFS and DFS patients. Patients with luminal A tumors had the most favorable prognosis, with LRRFS, DMFS, and DFS rates of 93.2%, 91.5%, and 87.4% at 5 years, respectively. Conversely, HER-2-enriched tumors exhibited the highest rate of locoregional recurrence (20.6%). Conclusion: Surrogate subtypes present with significant differences in RFS, DMFS, and LRRFS. Luminal A tumors have the best prognosis, whereas HER2-enriched tumors have the poorest.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권5호
• /
• pp.2415-2418
• /
• 2012

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of voriconazole in treating Chinese patients with hematological malignancies and invasive aspergillosis. Methods: From March 2007 to April 2012, patients with diagnoses confirmed by CT, GM test and/or PCR assays, were recruited into this study. Aspergillosis of all patients were treated with voriconazole 6 mg/kg intravenous infusion (iv) every 12 h for 1 day, followed by 4 mg/kg IV every 12 h for 10-15 days; Then, switch to oral administration that was 200mg every 12h for 4-12 weeks. Efficacy and safety were evaluated according to Practice Guideline of Infectious Diseases Society of America. Results: The overall response rate of 38 patients after voriconazole treatment was 81.6%. The median time to pyretolysis was 4.5 days. Treatment related side effects were mild and found in only 15.8% of cases. No treatment related deaths occurred. Conclusions: Voriconazole can considered to be a safe and effective front-line therapy to treat patients with hematological malignancies and invasive aspergillosis. Alternatively it could be used as a remedial treatment when other antifungal therapies are ineffective.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권9호
• /
• pp.5293-5299
• /
• 2013

Purpose: High levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMPs) have been reported in patients with lung cancer. This study was conducted to assess correlations between serum BMP-2 levels and prognostic outcome in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Blood samples from 84 patients with advanced NSCLC and 42 healthy controls were analyzed and quantitated for serum BMP-2 levels before and after two cycles of chemotherapy using a commercially available ELISA kit. Results: The median level of BMP-2 was 146.9 pg/ml in patients with NSCLC vs. 87.7 pg/ml in healthy controls (P<0.01). A significant correlation was observed between pretreatment serum BMP-2 level and ECOG PS, disease stage and number of organs with metastases (P<0.05). Serum BMP-2 level decreased significantly in patients who achieved objective response after two cycles of chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis showed that increased BMP-2 level and advanced clinical stage were significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Thes erum BMP-2 level is positively correlated with clinical stage, ECOG PS and metastatic burden and may serve as an independent negative predictor for prognosis. Decreased BMP-2 after chemotherapy could be a reliable marker for efficacy of treatment.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• 제43권4호
• /
• pp.676-683
• /
• 2019

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is widely used for strengthening the immune system and fighting fatigue, especially in people with deficiency syndrome. However, there is concern that the long-term application or a high dose of KRG can cause "fireness" (上火 in Chinese) because of its "dryness" (燥性 in Chinese). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a 4-week treatment with KRG in participants with deficiency syndrome. Methods: This was a 4-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 180 Chinese participants were randomly allocated to three groups: placebo control group, participants were given a placebo, 3.6 g/d; KRG 1.8 g and 3.6 g groups. The primary outcomes were the changes in fireness and safety evaluation (adverse events, laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram). The secondary outcomes were the efficacy of KRG on fatigue, which include the following: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scale and fatigue self-assessment scale. Results: Of the 180 patients, 174 completed the full study. After 4 weeks of KRG treatment, the Fire-heat symptoms score including Excess fire-heat score and Deficient fire-heat score showed no significant change as compared with placebo treatment, and no clinically significant changes in any safety parameter were observed. Based on the TCM syndrome score and fatigue self-assessment score, TCM symptoms and fatigue were greatly improved after treatment with KRG, which showed a dose- and time-dependent effect. The total effective rate was also significantly increased in the KRG groups. Conclusion: Our study revealed that KRG has a potent antifatigue effect without significant adverse effects in people with deficiency syndrome. Although a larger sample size and longer treatment may be required for a more definite conclusion, this clinical trial is the first to disprove the common conception of "fireness" related to KRG.

• 한국식품영양학회지
• /
• 제23권4호
• /
• pp.649-658
• /
• 2010

This study was performed to develop a nutrition education program model for foreign worker patients. Questionnaire and interview were carried out for collecting quantitative and qualitative information from subjects, respectively. All subjects were foreign worker patients who could speak Korean, composed of 75 Chinese, 4 Mongolians and 1 American, aged from 22 to 73 years old. Among the subjects, 36 subjects had gastrointestinal disease(GD), 16 had coronary heart disease(CHD), 6 had diabetes, 6 had liver disease(LD) and the others had various different diseases. List of recommended and restricted foods for foreign workers to prevent GD and CHD were obtained from interviews with the subjects. A nutrition education program model for foreign worker patients having GD and CHD were developed, and small group education method was recommended. The contents of the program include cause and common symptom and basic nutrition care for the patients, choice of foods and cooking methods, behavioral modification, importance of medication and list of foods recommended and restricted for the patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권11호
• /
• pp.5599-5603
• /
• 2012

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment; however, its use does not lead to a marked clinical response. Studies of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer showed that mutations of genes in the PIK3CA/AKT and RAS/RAF/MEK pathways, two major signalling cascades downstream of EGFR, might predict resistance to EGFR-targeted agents. Therefore, we examined the frequencies of mutations in these key EGFR pathway genes in Chinese breast cancer patients. Methods: We used a high-throughput mass-spectrometric based cancer gene mutation profiling platform to detect 22 mutations of the PIK3CA, AKT1, BRAF, EGFR, HRAS, and KRAS genes in 120 Chinese women with breast cancer. Results: Thirteen mutations were detected in 12 (10%) of the samples, all of which were invasive ductal carcinomas (two stage I, six stage II, three stage III, and one stage IV). These included one mutation (0.83%) in the EGFR gene (rs121913445-rs121913432), three (2.50%) in the KRAS gene (rs121913530, rs112445441), and nine (7.50%) in the PIK3CA gene (rs121913273, rs104886003, and rs121913279). No mutations were found in the AKT1, BRAF, and HRAS genes. Six (27.27%) of the 22 genotyping assays called mutations in at least one sample and three (50%) of the six assays queried were found to be mutated more than once. Conclusions: Mutations in the EGFR pathway occurred in a small fraction of Chinese breast cancers. However, therapeutics targeting these potential predictive markers should be investigated in depth, especially in Oriental populations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권4호
• /
• pp.1831-1835
• /
• 2014

Background: To investigate the relationship between extracellular matrix parameters and texture of prostatic lesions evaluated by transrectal real-time tissue elastography (TRTE). Methods: 120 patients suspicious for prostate cancer underwent TRTE. Targeted biopsies were carried out after 12-core systematic biopsy. Epithelia were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and Victoria blue and Ponceau S were used to stain elastic-collagen fibers, and picric acid-sirius red for visualization of collagen type I (Col1) and III (Col3). Smooth muscles were visualized by immunohistochemistry. All image analyses were performed in a blind manner using Image Pro Plus 6.0, and the area ratios of epithelium, elastic fibers, collagen fibers and Col1/Col3 were determined. Results: 42 patients with typical elastograms were included in the final data analysis. Significant differences were detected between the benign and malignant groups in the area ratios of epithelium (P = 0.01), smooth muscles and Col1/Col3 (P = 0.04, P = 0.02, respectively). There were no significant differences in the area ratios of epithelium, smooth muscle and elastic fibers between the stiff and soft lesion groups. The area ratio of Col1 was ($0.05{\pm}0.03$) in the stiff group, and ($0.02{\pm}0.01$) in the soft group (P= 0.00). However, the area ratio of Col3 was ($0.03{\pm}0.02$) in the stiff group, and ($0.05{\pm}0.04$) in the soft group (P = 0.16). Col1/Col3 in the stiff group ($1.99{\pm}1.59$) was greater than in the soft group ($0.71{\pm}0.64$) (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Tissue hardness of prostatic tumors was mainly dependent on the Col1 content, Col1/Col3 being higher in malignant than in benign lesions, so the prostate tissue texture can be used as a target for distinguishing between the two with TRTE.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권13호
• /
• pp.5395-5399
• /
• 2014

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal resection in a period of learning curve completed by surgeons with different experience and aptitudes with a view to making clear whether seniors had a better learning curve compared with juniors. Methods: From May 2010 to August 2012, the first twenty patients underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection completed by each surgeon were selected for analysis retrospectively. A total of 240 patients treated by 5 seniors and 7 juniors were divided into the senior group (n=100) and the junior group (n=140). The short-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery of the two groups were compared. Results: The mean numbers of lymph nodes harvested were $21.2{\pm}11.0$ in the senior group and $17.3{\pm}11.5$ in the junior group (p=0.010); The mean operative times were $187.9{\pm}60.0min$ as compared to $231.3{\pm}55.7min$ (p=0.006), and blood loss values were $177.0{\pm}100.7ml$ and $234.0{\pm}185ml$, respectively (p=0.001); Conversion rate in the senior group was obviously lower than in the junior group (10.0% vs 20.7%, p=0.027) and the mean time to passing of first flatus were $3.3{\pm}0.9$ and $3.8{\pm}0.9$ days (p=0.001). For low rectal cancer, the sphincter preserving rates were 68.7% and 35.3% (p=0.027). Conclusions: Seniors could perform laparoscopic colorectal resection with relatively better oncological outcomes and quicker recovery, and seniors could master the laparoscopic skill more easily and quickly. Seniors had a better learning curve for laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection compared to juniors.