• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.998-1008
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• 2022

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the relationship between incidental abnormalities on thoracic computed tomography (CT) and mortality in a general screening population using a long-term follow-up analysis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the medical records and CT images of 840 participants (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 58.5 ± 6.7 years; 564 male) who underwent thoracic CT at a single health promotion center between 2007 and 2010. Two thoracic radiologists independently reviewed all CT images and evaluated any incidental abnormalities (interstitial lung abnormality [ILA], emphysema, coronary artery calcification [CAC], aortic valve [AV] calcification, and pulmonary nodules). Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank and z-tests was performed to assess the relationship between incidental CT abnormalities and all-cause mortality in the subsequent follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to further identify risk factors of all-cause mortality among the incidental CT abnormalities and clinical factors. Results: Among the 840 participants, 55 (6%), 171 (20%), 288 (34%), 396 (47%), and 97 (11%) had findings of ILA, emphysema, CAC, pulmonary nodule, and AV calcification, respectively, on initial CT. The participants were followed up for a mean period ± SD of 10.9 ± 1.4 years. All incidental CT abnormalities were associated with all-cause mortality in univariable analysis (p < 0.05). However, multivariable analysis further revealed fibrotic ILA as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.52 [95% confidence interval, 1.02-6.22], p = 0.046). ILA were also identified as an independent risk factor for lung cancer or respiratory disease-related deaths. Conclusion: Incidental abnormalities on screening thoracic CT were associated with increased mortality during the long-term follow-up. Among incidental CT abnormalities, fibrotic ILA were independently associated with increased mortality. Appropriate management and surveillance may be required for patients with fibrotic ILA on thoracic CT obtained for general screening purposes.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.729-737
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• 2020

Screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality by about 20% when compared to standard chest radiography. One of the problems arising from screening programs is that large amounts of CT image data must be interpreted by radiologists. To solve this problem, automated detection of pulmonary nodules is necessary; however, this is a challenging task because of the high number of false positive results. Here we demonstrate detection of pulmonary nodules using six off-the-shelf convolutional neural network (CNN) models after modification of the input/output layers and end-to-end training based on publicly databases for comparative evaluation. We used the well-known CNN models, LeNet-5, VGG-16, GoogLeNet Inception V3, ResNet-152, DensNet-201, and NASNet. Most of the CNN models provided superior results to those of obtained using customized CNN models. It is more desirable to modify the proven off-the-shelf network model than to customize the network model to detect the pulmonary nodules.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.137-147
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• 2024

Background/Aims: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is less prevalent in females than males, but it affects mortality in females. There may be sex differences in the clinical characteristics of COPD. Methods: We analyzed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset from 2007 to 2018. We compared the clinical characteristics and comorbidities in subjects with COPD according to sex. We adjusted the multivariate logistic regression of lung cancer prevalence according to COPD and sex by age and smoking amount. Results: Females with COPD tended to be older than males with COPD (64.1 ± 0.4 yr vs. 62.3 ± 0.2 yr, respectively, p < 0.001). Approximately 89% of males with COPD had a smoking history, while 86% of females with COPD were non-smokers (p < 0.001). Household income was lower (p < 0.001) and asthma and overall malignancy were more prevalent in females with COPD than males with COPD (25.5 vs. 11.6%, respectively, p < 0.001; (6.3 vs. 5.4%, respectively, p < 0.001). However, lung cancer was more common in males with COPD than females with COPD (0.9 vs. 0.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Lung cancer prevalence increased in males with moderate COPD compared to subjects without COPD (OR, 4.409; 95% CI, 1.741-9.419). Conclusions: Females with COPD had a lower smoking rate, household income, and lung cancer prevalence than males with COPD. More active COPD screening is needed for women of low socioeconomic status, even if they do not smoke.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5965-5972
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• 2013

PIN1 is one member of the parvulin PPIase family. By controlling Pro-directed phosphorylation, PIN1 plays an important role in cell transformation and oncogenesis. There are many polymorphisms in the PIN1 gene, including rs2233678 and rs2233679 affecting the PIN1 promoter. Recently, a number of case-control studies were conducted to investigate the association between PIN1 gene rs2233678 and rs2233679 polymorphism and cancer risk. However, published data are still conflicting. In this paper, we summarized data for 5,427 cancer cases and 5,469 controls from 9 studies and attempted to assess the susceptibility of PIN1 gene polymorphism to cancers by a synthetic meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the relationship. All analyses were performed using Stata software. Our results suggested that rs2233678 represented a protective factor in overall analysis (CC vs GG: OR= 0.697, 95%CI: 0.498-0.976; CG vs GG: OR=0.701, 95%CI: 0.572-0.858; Dominant model: OR= 0.707, 95%CI: 0.590-0.847; C allele vs G allele: OR=0.734, 95%CI: 0.623-0.867) and especially for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, lung cancer and breast cancer in Asians and Caucasians. The rs2233679 polymorphism was significantly associated with decreased cancer risk in overall analysis (CT vs CC: OR=0.893, 95%CI=0.812-0.981; Dominant model: OR=0.893, 95%CI=0.816-0.976; T allele vs C allele; OR=0.947, 95%CI=0.896-1.000) and especially in Asians. In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggested that -842G>C (rs2233678) and -667C>T (rs2233679) may contribute to genetic susceptibility for cancer risks. Further prospective research with larger numbers of worldwide participants is warranted to draw comprehensive and firm conclusions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.269-273
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• 2016

Presently, the world population of the elderly is growing. By improving health hygiene and welfare indicators, mortality and birth rates decrease and life expectancy increases, making the present century the century of elderly. Aging is one of the main risk factors for development of cancer, which itself is the second cause of death in old people. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of cancer in the elderly covered by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) insurance program and to obtain suitable programs for cancer screening and early detection, increase patient survival, improve elderly care and to reclaim the cost of treatment in comparison to the national and international statistics. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on all elderly patients diagnosed with malignancy based on their pathology reports. In this study, of the total 75,500 patients covered by IRIB insurance, 17.2% belonged to the elderly group, males accounting for 53.3%. The most common cancers in old men were prostatic cancer (61.3%), colon cancer (10.3%) cancer of the hematologic system, bladder cancer (9.6%), lung cancer (9.1%), thyroid cancer (3.9%) and brain tumors (1.3%). In the elderly women, the most common cancers were breast cancer (80.1%), colon cancer (5.1%), thyroid cancers (4.4%), bladder and hematologic system malignancies (3.6), lung cancer (2.9%) and brain tumors (0.7%). In addition, the prevalence of cancer was almost the same as national and international statistics. With the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer no difference was shown in prevalence of cancer between IRIB elderly patients and the other groups of cancer patients in Iran.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.5-10
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• 2016

Breast cancer, the second cause of cancer-related death after lung cancer and the most common cancer in women after skin cancer, is curable if detected in early stages of clinical presentation. Knowledge as to any age cut-off points which might have significance for prognostic groups is important in screening and treatment planning. Therefore, determining a change-point could improve resource allocation. This study aimed to determine if a change point for survival might exist in the age of breast cancer diagnosis. This study included 568 cases of breast cancer that were registered in Breast Cancer Research Center, Tehran, Iran, during the period 1986-2006 and were followed up to 2012. In the presence of curable cases of breast cancer, a change point in the age of breast cancer diagnosis was estimated using a mixture survival cure model. The data were analyzed using SPSS (versions 20) and R (version 2.15.0) software. The results revealed that a change point in the age of breast cancer diagnosis was at 50 years age. Based on our estimation, 35% of the patients diagnosed with breast cancer at age less than or equal to 50 years of age were cured while the figure was 57% for those diagnosed after 50 years of age. Those in the older age group had better survival compared to their younger counterparts during 12 years of follow up. Our results suggest that it is better to estimate change points in age for cancers which are curable in early stages using survival cure models, and that the cure rate would increase with timely screening for breast cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2019

A panel of chalcone-sulphonamide hybrids has been designed by tethering appropriate sulphonamide scaffold with substituted chalcones as a multi-target drug for anticancer screening. Chalcones were prepared by Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction of a substituted aldehyde with para aminoacetophenone. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated against selected five cancer cell lines, MCF-7 (Breast cancer), DU-145 (Human prostate Carcinoma), HCT-15 (Colon cancer), NCIH-522 (stage 2, adenocarcinoma; non-small cell lung cancer) and HT-3 (Human cervical cancer). Most of the synthesized chalcone-sulphonamide hybrids showed amended cytotoxic activity against various cancer cell lines which may be attributed to the linkage of sulphonamide with chalcone skeleton. The synthesized compounds were characterized by FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR and HR-LCMS and spectral study assert the structures of synthesized sulphonamide-chalcone hybrids.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.352-358
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• 2005

Microsatellites are short tandem repeated nucleotide sequences that are present throughout the human genome. Variations in the repeat number or a loss of heterozygosity around the microsatellites have been termed a microsatellite alteration (MA). A MA reflects the genetic instability caused by an impairment in the DNA mismatch repair system and is suggested to be a novel tumorigenic mechanism. A number of studies have reported that MA in the DNA extracted from the plasma occurs at varying frequencies among patients with a non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The genomic DNA from 9 subjects with a non-small cell lung cancer (squamous cell cancer 6, adenocarcinoma 2, non-small cell lung cancer1) and 9 age matched non-cancer control subjects (AMC: tuberculosis 3, other inflammatory lung disease 6) and 12 normal control subjects (NC) were extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes and plasma. Three microsatellite loci were amplified with the primers targeting the Gene Bank sequence D21S1245, D3S1300, and D3S1234. MA in the form of an allelic loss or a band shift was examined with 6% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. None (0/12) of the NC subjects less than 40 years of age showed a MA in any of the three markers, while 88.9%(8/9) of the AMC above 40 showed a MA in at least one of the three markers (p<0.05). Sixty percent(6/10) of the control subjects with a smoking history showed a MA in one of the three markers, while 9.1%(1/11) of the control subjects without smoking history showed a MA (p<0.05). However, not only did 66.7%(6/9) of lung cancer patients show a MA in at least one of the three markers but so did 88.9%(8/21) of the AMC patients (p>0.05). In conclusion, a MA in the D21S1245, D3S1300, and D3S1234 loci using DNA extracted from the plasma was detected in 66.7% of lung cancer while no MA was found in the young non-smoking control subjects. However, many of the non-cancer control subjects (aged smokers) also showed a MA, which compromised the specificity of the MA analysis as a screening test. Therefore, a further study with a larger sample size will be needed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.180-184
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• 2010

Slowly growing lung cancers are quite rare and the leading cause of length time bias and over-diagnosis bias in lung cancer screening. We report 6 cases of slowly growing lung cancer in a tertiary hospital between January 1999 and December 2008. The clinical characteristics of these 6 cases with slowly growing lung cancer were examined. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years (range, 49~72), and 5 patients (83%) were female. The most common histology type was adenocarcinoma (83%). After excluding two patients who showed no change in the tumor size, the median tumor doubling time was 189 months (range, 86~387). The proportion of patients with slowly growing lung cancer appears to be particularly large in women, especially among patients with adenocarcinoma. Our experience shows that slowly growly lung cancers are more heterogeneous and diverse.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.689-692
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• 2015

Background: Incorporation of molecular analysis of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene into routine clinical practice has shown great promise to provide personalized therapy of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the developed world. However, the genetic testing of EGFR mutations has not yet become routine clinical practice in territories remote from the central regions of Russia. Therefore, we aimed to study the frequency of major types of activating mutations of the EGFR gene in NSCLC patients residing in West Siberia. Materials and Methods: We examined EGFR mutations in exons 19 and 21 in 147 NSCLC patients (excluding squamous cell lung carcinomas) by real time polymerase chain reaction. Results: EGFR mutations were detected in 28 of the 147 (19%) patients. There were 19 (13%) cases with mutations in exon 19 and 9 cases (6%) in exon 21. Mutations were more frequently observed in women (42%, p=0.000) than in men (1%). A significantly higher incidence of EGFR mutations was observed in bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (28%, p=0.019) and in adenocarcinomas (21%, p=0.024) than in large cell carcinomas, mixed adenocarcinomas, and NOS (4%). The EGFR mutation rate was much higher in never-smokers than in smokers: 38% vs. 3% (p=0.000). The frequency of EGFR mutations in the Kemerovo and Tomsk regions was 19%. Conclusions: The incorporation of molecular analysis of the EGFR gene into routine clinical practice will allow clinicians to provide personalised therapy, resulting in a significant increase in survival rates and improvement in life quality of advanced NSCLC patients.