• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 1999

Purpose : This is a retrospective study to evaluate the response rate, acute toxicity, and survival rate of a combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy in limited disease small cell lung cancer, Materials and Methods : Firty-six patients with limited disease small-cell lung cancer who underwent combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy between October 1994 and April 1998 were evaluated. Six cycles of chemotherapy were planned either using a VIP regimen etoposide, ifosfamide, and cis-platin) or a EP regimen (etoposide and cis-platin). Thoracic radiation therapy was planned to deli- ver 44 Gy using 1 OMV X-ray, starting concurrently with chemotherapy. Response was evaluated 4 weeks after the completion of the planned chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and the prophylaetic cranial irradiation was planned only for the patients with complete responses. Acute toxicity was evaluated using the SWOG toxicity criteria, and the overall survival and disease-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier Method. Results : The median follow-up period was 16 months (range:2 to 41 months). Complete response was achieved En 30 (65$\%$) patients, of which 22 patients received prophylactic cranial irradiations. Acute toxicities over grade III were granulocytopenia in 23 (50$\%$), anemia in 17 (37$\%$), thrombo- cytopenia in nine (20$\%$), alopecia in nine (20$\%$), nausea/vomiting in five (11$\%$), and peripheral neuropathy in one (2$\%$). Chemotherapy was delayed in one patient, and the chemotherapy doses were reduced in 58 (24$\%$) out of the total 246 cycles. No radiation esophagitis over grade 111 was observed, while interruption during radiation therapy for a mean of 8.3 days occurred in 21 patients. The local recurrences were observed in 8 patients and local progressions were in 6 patients, and the distant metastases in 17 patients. Among these, four patients had both the local relapse and the distant metastasis. Brain was the most common metastatic site (10 patients), followed by the liver as the next common site (4 patients). The overall and progression-free survival rates were 79$\%$ and 55$\%$ in 1 year, and 45'/) and 32% in 2 years, respectively, and the median survival was 23 months. Conclusion : Relatively satisfactory local control and suwival rates were achieved after the combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy with mild to moderate acute morbidities in limited disease small cell lung cancer.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the treatment pattern of patients with neuropathic pain (NeP) in Korea through computerized database of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRAS) over three years' period from 2003 to 2005. The results showed that the numbers of treatment visits were the highest for diabetic neuropathy (DN), followed by postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in order. Top 3 specialties for treatment visits due to NeP conditions were neurology, neurosurgery and anesthesiology. While cost of a treatment visit was higher in anesthesiology and emergency clinics compared to other clinics, there was a tendency to increase costs for visits to clinics of rehabilitation medicine and family medicine over the three years. Cost of dental visits was relatively high for TN, atypical facial pain (AFP) and atypical odontalgia (AO). Surgeries frequently applied to patients with NeP were sympathetic plexus or ganglion block, block of peripheral branch of spinal nerve and cranial nerve or its peripheral branch block. Most common prescribed medication were anticonvulsants, anti-inflammatory analgesics and anti-psychotic drugs while anti-inflammatory analgesics were overwhelmingly frequently prescribed for AO and glossodynia. Based on the results of this study, NeP disorders more relevant to dentists were AO, TN and AFP, TN of which seems to be the most important in terms of patients' number and cost for treatment visits. This indicates that dentists, especially oral medicine specialists should actively participate in management of TN, AO and AFP and share relevant information with patients and community.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2001

Purpose : To evaluate the role of LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the management of meningiomas, we reviewed clinical response, image response, neurological deficits for patients treated at our institution. Methods and materials : Between February 1995 and December 1999, twenty-six patients were treated with SRS. Seven patients had undergone prior resection. Nineteen patients received SRS as the initial treatment. There were 7 male and 19 female patients. The median age was 51 years (range, $14\~67\;years$). At least one clinical symptom presented at the time of SRS in 17 patients and cranial neuropathy was seen in 7 patients. The median tumor volume was $4.7\;cm^3\;(range,\;0.7\~16.5\;m^3)$. The mean marginal dose was 15 Gy (range, $10\~20\;Gy$), delivered to the $80\%$ isodose surface (range, $46\~90\%$). The median clinical and imaging follow-up periods were 27 months (range, 1-71 months) and 25 months (range, $1\~52\;months$), respectively. Results : Of 14 patients who had clinical follow-up of one year or longer, thirteen patients $(93\%)$ were improved clinically at follow-up examination. Clinical symptom worsened in one patient at 4 months after SRS as a result of intratumoral edema, who underwent surgical resection at 7 months. OF 14 patients who had radiologic follow-up of one year or longer, tumor volume decreased in 7 patients $(50\%)$ at a median of 11 months (range, $6\~25\;months$), remained stable in 6 patients $(43\%)$, and increased in one patient $(7\%)$, who underwent surgical resection at 44 months. New radiation-induced neurological deficits developed in six patients $(23\%)$. Five patients $(19\%)$ had transient neurological deficits, completely resolved by conservative treatment including steroid therapy. Radiation-induced brain necrosis developed in one patient $(3.8\%)$ at 9 months after SRS who followed by surgical resection of tumor and necrotic tissue. Conclusions : LINAC-based SRS proves to be an effective and safe management strategy for small to moderate sized meningiomas, inoperable, residual, and recurrent, but long-term follow-up will be necessary to fully evaluate its efficacy. To reduce the radiation-induced neurological deficit for large size meningioma and/or in the proximity of critical and neural structure, more delicate treatment planning and optimal decision of radiation dose will be necessary.