• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3923-3926
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• 2015

Background: Lung cancer is a fatal malignancy with high mortality and short survival time. The aim of this study was to estimate survival rates of Iranian patients with lung cancer and its associate predictive factors. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 355 patients admitted to hospitals of West Azerbaijan in the year 2007. The patients were followed up by phone calls until the end of June 2014. The survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test for comparison. The Cox's proportional hazard model was used to investigate the effect of various variables on patient survival time, including age, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance, smoking status, tumor type, tumor stage, treatment, metastasis, and blood hemoglobin concentration. Results: Of the 355 patients under study, 240 died and 115 were censored. The mean and median survival time of patients was 13 and 4.8 months, respectively. According to the results of Kaplan-Meier method, 1, 2, and 3 years survival rates were 39%, 18%, and 0.07%, respectively. Based on Cox regression analysis, the risk of death was associated with ECOG group V (1.83, 95% CI: 1 Conclusions: The survival time of the patients with lung cancer is very short. While early diagnosis may improve the life expectancy effective treatment is not available.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2195-2199
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• 2014

Background: Despite being rare in incidence, malignant tumors of major salivary glands show diverse histological variation. There are limited data on major salivary gland tumor management and outcome from Pakistan. The objective of this study was to share our experience with management of malignant tumors of major salivary glands. Materials and Methods: Patients who received treatment at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Center from July 2002 to June 2011 with an underlying diagnosis of a major salivary gland malignancy were included. Patient characteristics and treatment modalities were assessed. Local, regional and distant failures were determined. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using Kaplan Meier curves and the Log rank test was used to determine statistical significance. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazard regression. Results: The parotid gland was the primary site of origin in 104 (80%) patients. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (43%) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (24%) were the most common histological types. Surgery followed by adjuvant radiation remained the mainstay treatment modality with 81 (62%) patients. Nineteen (15%) patients were treated with surgery alone and 30 (23%) patients with locally advanced surgically inoperable tumors received radiation only. Forty one (32%) patients failed the treatment (local 12, regional 11, locoregional 5, distant 13). The expected 5 year DFS and OS were 65% and 74% respectively. On multivariate analysis, grade was the only independent predictor of DFS and nodal involvement was the only independent predictor of overall survival. Conclusions: Employing existing standards of treatment, comparable survival can be achieved in Pakistani population with major salivary gland malignancies as elsehwere in the world.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3147-3152
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• 2015

Background: Phylloides tumors are rare breast neoplasms with a variable clinical course depending on the tumor category. Along with histologic features, the role of immunohistochemical staining has been studied in predicting their behavior. Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the role of CD 10 immunohistochemical staining in predicting survival, recurrence and metastasis in phylloides tumor. We also evaluated correlations of other clinicopathological features with overall and disease-free survival. Materials and Methods: CD10 expression was studied in 82 phylloides tumors divided into recurrent/metastatic and non-recurrent/non-metastatic cohorts. The Chi-square test was applied to determine the significance of differences in CD10 expression between outcome cohorts. Uni and multivariate survival analyses were also performed using log-rank test and Cox regression hazard models. Results: All 3 metastatic cases, 5 out of 6 (83.3%) recurrent cases and 37out of 73 (50.7%) non-recurrent and non-metastatic cases expressed significant (2+ or 3+) staining for CD10. This expression significantly varied between outcome cohorts (p<0.03). Tumor category and histological features including mitotic count and necrosis correlated significantly with recurrence and metastasis. A significant decrease in overall and disease free survival was seen with CD10 positivity, malignant category, increased mitoses and necrosis. Neither CD10 expression nor any other clinicopathologic feature proved to be an independent prognostic indicator in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: CD10 immunohistochemical staining can be used as a predictive tool for phylloides tumor but this expression should be interpreted in conjunction with tumor category.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2213-2218
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• 2012

Introduction: Worldwide, breast cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in women. However, the survival rate varies across regions at averages of 73%and 57% in the developed and developing countries, respectively. Objective: This study aimed to determine the survival rate of breast cancer among the women of Malaysia and characteristics of the survivors. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on secondary data obtained from the Breast Cancer Registry and medical records of breast cancer patients admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur from 2005 to 2009. Survival data were validated with National Birth and Death Registry. Statistical analysis applied logistic regression, the Cox proportional hazard model, the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test. Results: A total of 868 women were diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2005 and December 2009, comprising 58%, 25% and 17% Malays, Chinese and Indians, respectively. The overall survival rate was 43.5% (CI 0.573-0.597), with Chinese, Indians and Malays having 5 year survival rates of 48.2% (CI 0.444-0.520), 47.2% (CI 0.432-0.512) and 39.7% (CI 0.373-0.421), respectively (p<0.05). The survival rate was lower as the stages increased, with the late stages were mostly seen among the Malays (46%), followed by Chinese (36%) and Indians (34%). Size of tumor>3.0cm; lymph node involvement, ERPR, and HER 2 status, delayed presentation and involvement of both breasts were among other factors that were associated with poor survival. Conclusions: The overall survival rate of Malaysian women with breast cancer was lower than the western figures with Malays having the lowest because they presented at late stage, after a long duration of symptoms, had larger tumor size, and had more lymph nodes affected. There is an urgent need to conduct studies on why there is delay in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer women in Malaysia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10917-10922
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• 2015

Background: This study was conducted to determine DEPDC1 expression in hepatocelluar carcinomas (HCCs) and to reveal its potential role in diagnosis and prognosis of affected patients. Materials and Methods: DEPDC1 expression at the mRNA level was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 205 cases of HCC and paired adjacent normal liver tissues, and by semi-quantitative RT-PCR in 20 cases. Survival curves were obtained by using Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Independent predictors associated with regard to disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: High DEPDC1 mRNA levels were detected in 144 out of 205 cases (70.24%) of HCC, significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters, including tumor size (${\geq}4cm$), alpha-fetoprotein (${\geq}100ng/ml$), B-C of BCLC stage and recurrence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that HCC patients with high DEPDC1 expression had poor OS and DFS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high DEPDC1 expression was an independent predictor for OS (HR=1.651; 95% 95%CI, 1.041-2.617; p=0.033) and DFS (HR=1.583; 95%CI, 1.01-2.483; p=0.045). Conclusions: Our results indicate DEPDC1 might be a novel diagnostic marker and an independent prognostic predictor for HCC patients.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2018

We investigated the levels of microbial contaminants and microbial hazards during dried-laver processing. We analyzed 321 samples obtained from 18 dried-laver Pyropia spp. manufacturing facilities, including water, swab-, and processing samples as well as final products. The levels of microbial contaminants, including viable cell counts (VCC) and coliform bacteria, increased as processing progressed. The sanitary indicator bacterium, Escherichia coli, was not detected in the final products although VCC levels were high, generally exceeding 5 log CFU/g. We also investigated changes in microbial contaminants at each processing step. Both VCC and total coliform dramatically increased after 4 days of continuous processing, indicating that microbial contaminants originated, mainly, from cross contamination during processing.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.367-374
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of, and to assure the hygienic safety of, the kimbap production in the university foodservice facilities in accordance with the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) Program. The time-temperature relationship and the microbiological quality (specifically, total plate count and coliform bacteria count) were assessed to find the critical control point (CCP) during each of the production phases. The average of the daily longest duration time of the kimbap at the facilities was 23.4 hours in summer, while 29.6 hours in winter. In the purchasing phase of the raw materials, the microbiological quality of laver, fish paste, carrot and cucumber in summer was not at an acceptable level according to the standard set by the Natick research center, especially the number of TPC and the coliform level of laver was higher than the threshold level. In the refrigerator storage phase, the temperature of the carrot was 7.4$^{\circ}C$. This temperature is far exceeding the standard so that the microbiological counts was increased by the 2 log cycle during the average storage time of 17 hours or more. In the preparation phase, the temperature of the blanching is too low compared to the standard. In the holding phase before serving, its time-temperature relationship was out of the FDA food code standard both in winter and summer. In the sewing phase, the number of microbiological count was higher than the threshold level in summer while that in winter was up to standard. According to the Harrigan and McCance standard, the number of microbiological count of the utensils was higher than the threshold level in summer while that in winter was up to standard.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2020

Purpose: D-dimer levels are known to be associated with poor outcomes in patients with various cancers, but their significance at the end of life remains unclear. This study investigated D-dimer levels as a prognostic indicator for terminal cancer patients in the last hours of life. Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at a palliative care unit of a tertiary cancer center, using a database to analyze the records of patients treated from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018. In total, 67 terminal cancer patients with available data on D-dimer levels were included. Patients' demographic data, clinical information, and laboratory values, including D-dimer levels, were collected. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. A Cox proportional-hazards model was used to identify prognostic factors of poor survival. Results: The most common site of cancer was the lung (32.8%) and the median survival time was 5 days. Most laboratory results, particularly D-dimer levels, deviated from the normal range. Patients with high D-dimer levels had a significantly shorter survival time than those with low D-dimer levels (4 days vs. 7 days; P=0.012). In the Cox regression analysis, only a high D-dimer level was identified as a predictor of a poor prognosis (hazard ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.09~3.07). Conclusion: Our results suggest that at the very end of life, D-dimer levels may serve as a prognostic factor for survival in cancer patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2019

Purpose: We evaluated failure pattern and treatment outcomes of observational approach on regional lymph node (LN) in cutaneous melanoma of extremities and sought to find clinico-pathologic factors related to LN metastases. Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 73 patients with cutaneous melanoma of extremities between 2005 and 2016. If preoperative 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) findings were non-specific for regional LNs, surgical resection of primary tumors with adequate margins was performed without sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and/or complete lymph node dissection (CLND), irrespective of tumor thickness or size. In patients with suspicious or positive findings on PET/CT or CT, SLNB followed by CLND or CLND was performed at the discretion of the surgeon. We defined LN dissection (LND) as SLNB and/or CLND. Results: With a median follow-up of 38 months (range, 6 to 138 months), the dominant pattern of failure was regional failure (17 of total 23 events, 74%) in the observation group (n = 56). Pathologic LN metastases were significant factor for poor regional failure-free survival (hazard ration [HR] = 3.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-10.33; p = 0.044) and overall survival (HR = 3.62; 95% CI, 1.02-12.94; p = 0.047) in multivariate analysis. In subgroup analysis for cN0 patients according to the preoperative PET/CT findings, LND group showed the better trend of LRFFS (log rank test, p = 0.192) and RFFS (p = 0.310), although which is not statistically significant. Conclusion: Observational approach on regional LNs on the basis of the PET/CT in patients with cutaneous melanoma of extremities showed the dominant regional failure pattern compared to upfront LND approach. To reveal regional lymph node status, SLND for cN0 patients may of importance in managing cutaneous melanoma patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.325-331
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• 2018

Purpose: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare and heterogeneous cancer with over 50 known subtypes. It is difficult to understand the role of adjuvant treatment in STS. We aimed to determine the benefits of adjuvant treatment for a rare STS subset: non-extremity STS with moderate chemosensitivity. Materials and Methods: We reviewed medical records from Pusan National University Hospital and Kosin University Gospel Hospital, which had detailed pathological reports on patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2016. The most important inclusion criterion was resection with curative intent. We grouped STS by chemosensitivity based on reported data and analyzed non-extremity STS with moderate chemosensitivity. Results: We investigated 142 patients with 20 pathological subtypes of STS. Eighty-six patients had extremity STS and 56 had non-extremity STS. Thirty-eight of 56 patients were categorized as having moderate chemosensitivity. Seventeen of 38 patients (44.7%) received adjuvant radiotherapy and 14 (36.8%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. A log-rank test showed longer disease-free survival (DFS) in the adjuvant radiotherapy group than in the group treated without adjuvant radiotherapy (not reached vs. 1.468 years, p = 0.037). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, with covariates including age, stage, resection margin, adjuvant chemotherapy, and adjuvant radiotherapy, revealed that adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with longer DFS (odds ratio = 0.369, p = 0.045). Overall survival was not correlated with adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusion: Adjuvant radiotherapy may be associated with longer DFS in patients with non-extremity STS with moderate chemosensitivity.