• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.270-277
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was done to identify predictors of the fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness in the patients' mental adjustment to cancer. Cancer patients' characteristics like performance status, metastasis and duration of diagnosis with demographic factors, spiritual support and social support were used as predictors of a fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness. Methods: A total of 124 ambulatory cancer patients completed the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale and responded in a structured instrument about their characteristics, spiritual and social support. Results: The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that confidence in the supporter ($R^2=.114$, p=.000), duration of cancer diagnosis ($R^2=.041$, p=.000) and faith ($R^2=.030$, p=.000) were predictive of a fighting spirit ($R^2=.185$, p=.000); whereas, education ($R^2= .074$, p=.001), performance status ($R^2=.055$, p=.000), satisfaction with social support ($R^2=.046$, p=.000), and metastasis ($R^2=.037$, p=.000) were predictive of helplessness/hopelessness ($R^2=.202$, p=.000). Conclusion: Social support, spiritual support and disease related factors like metastasis, performance status, and duration of cancer diagnosis need to be considered in a psychosocial nursing intervention for a fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.135-143
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• 2002

Purpose: To explore what particular types of information were important to patients diagnosed with cancer. Methods: Seventy three patients with cancer at an outpatient clinic and hospitalized patients in W Christian Hospital Korea, responded. The structured questionnaire developed by the investigator based on previous studies. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between age and the score of informational need (r=-.307, p<.05). Level of education, and level of monthly income were related to level of informational need. The top three informational priorities according to the time since diagnosis were 'Self care during treatment', 'Health food and diet', 'Likelihood of recurrence', 'Follow up care' and 'Side effects'. The top three informational priorities for patients with breast cancer were 'Likelihood of recurrence', 'Metastasis possibility', 'Treatment options', and 'Side effects. For patients with stomach cancer, they were 'Follow up care', 'Healthy food and diet', 'Likelihood of recurrence', and 'Metastasis possibility', and for patients with colon/rectal cancer, they were 'Side effects', 'Healthy food and diet', 'Likelihood of recurrence', and 'Self care during treatment'. Conclusion: The assessment of information needs based on demographic factors and disease-related factors is critical in helping patients with cancer to manage their illness.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4001-4005
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• 2012

Backgrouds: The hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is composed of patched (PTCH) and smoothened (SMO), two transmembrane proteins, and downstream glioma-associated oncogene homolog (Gli) transcription factors. Hh signaling plays a pathological role in the occurrence and development of various cancers. Methods: To investigate the expression of SMO protein in colon cancer and its association with clinicopathological parameters and postoperative liver metastasis, immunohistochemistry was performed with paraffin-embedded specimens of 96 cases. Relationships between SMO protein expression and clinicopathological parameters, postoperative liver metastasis were analyzed. Results: IHC examination showed that SMO protein expression was significantly increased in colon cancer tissues compared to normal colon tissues (P = 0.042), positively related to lymph node metastases (P = 0.018) and higher T stages (P = 0.026). Postoperative live metastasis-free survival was significantly longer in the low SMO expression group than in those with high SMO expression ($48.7{\pm}8.02$ months vs $28.0{\pm}6.86$ months, P=0.036). Multivariate analysis showed SMO expression level to be an independent prognostic factor for postoperative live metastasis-free survival (95% confidence interval [CI] =1.46-2.82, P = 0.008). Conclusions: Our results suggest that in patients with colon cancer, the SMO expression level is an independent biomarker for postoperative liver metastasis, and SMO might play an important role in colon cancer progression.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.325-332
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• 2020

Methyl linderone (ML), a cyclo-pentenedione, was isolated from the fruit of Lindera erythrocarpa Makino (family Lauraceae). This plant has well-known anti-inflammatory effects; however, the anti-cancer effects of ML have not yet been reported. Thus, in the present study we investigated the effects of ML on the metastasis of human breast cancer cells. We used 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated MCF-7 cells as the cell model to study the effects of ML on invasion and migration. ML was found to reduce the invasion and migration rate of TPA-stimulated MCF-7 cells. Moreover, it inhibited two metastasis-related factors, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), at the mRNA and protein expression levels, in TPA-treated MCF-7 cells. The mechanism by which ML exerted these effects was through the inhibition of translocation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3), mediated via phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Taken together, our findings indicated that ML attenuated the TPA-stimulated invasion and migration of MCF-7 cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of ERK and its downstream factors, AP-1 and STAT3. Therefore, ML is a potential agent for the treatment of breast cancer metastasis.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2003

Purpose: The prognostic significance of peri-operative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 determination in patients with gastric cancer has been controversial. This study was performed to evaluate the significance of CEA and CA19-9 as clinical predictors of prognosis. Materials and Methods: The correlations between peri-operative serum CEA/CA19-9 levels and clinicopathologic factors were evaluated retrospectively in gastric cancer patients who had undergone curative surgery during the period from January 1995 to December 1998 at the Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine. Results: The positive rates for CEA and CA19-9 were $17.9\%$ and $18.4\%$, respectively. The CEA positivity was related to the depth of invasion (P=0.040), lymph-node metastasis (P=0.000), and stage (P=0.001). The CA19-9 positivity was significantly related to the depth of invasion (P=0.000), lymph-node status (P=0.000), and stage (P=0.000). The positive rate of combined assay of pre-operative CEA and CA19-9 was $30.0\%$ There were statistically significant correlations with stage, depth of invasion, or degree of lymphnode metastasis in the combined assay. The survival rates according to the positivity of CEA and to the positivity of CA19-9 were clearly different (P=0.000). Conclusion: It should be stressed that even a simple blood test prior to surgery could be useful in establishing the depth of invasion, the status of lymph-node involvement, and the prognosis. For improved survival, an aggressive lymphadenectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for patients with positive levels of pre-operative CA19- 9.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6287-6292
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• 2013

Background: Surgery is the only curative treatment for operable non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) and the importance of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage IB patients is unclear. Herein, we evaluated prognostic factors for survival and factors related with adjuvant treatment decisions for stage I and IIA NSCLC patients without lymph node metastasis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 302 patients who had undergone curative surgery for prognostic factors regarding survival and clinicopathological factors related to adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: Nearly 90% of the patients underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy with mediastinal lymph node resection. For the others, wedge resection were performed. The patients were diagnosed as stage IA in 35%, IB in 49% and IIA in 17%. Histopathological type (p=0.02), tumor diameter (p=0.01) and stage (p<0.001) were found to be related to adjuvant chemotherapy decisions, while operation type, lypmhovascular invasion (LVI), grade and the presence of recurrence were important factors in predicting overall survival (OS), and operation type, tumor size greater than 4 cm, T stage, LVI, and visceral pleural invasion were related with disease free survival (DFS). Multivariate analysis showed operation type (p<0.001, hazard ratio (HR):1.91) and the presence of recurrence (p<0.001, HR:0.007) were independent prognostic factors for OS, as well visceral pleural invasion (p=0.01, HR:0.57) and LVI (p=0.004, HR:0.57) for DFS. Conclusions: Although adjuvant chemotherapy is standard for early stage lymph node positive NSCLC, it has less clear importance in stage I and IIA patients without lymph node metastasis.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.75-87
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• 2003

Recently, the occurrence and death rates of cancer have increased rapidly. Metastasis and recurrence is the most important factor of death from cancer. So inhibition of recurrence and metastasis can increase the cure rate of cancer disease. At the basic chinese traditional medicine(TCM), there are a lot of theory related to neoplasm treatment. The metastasis and recurrence of neoplasm was the basis of yudu(餘毒) on remained neoplasm cell and stagnation of blood, thermotoxo, phlegm, asthenia of healthy enerngy and stagnation of vital energy. The principles therapy of neoplasm on metastasis and recurrence was based on knowledge of the method of support the healthy energy and strengthen the body resistance, promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis, clear away heat and toxic materials, dissipate phlegm and disperse the accumulation of evils. But the major clinical features of neoplasm was to be considered in developing a treatment plan include (1) distinguish between clinical and pathologic staging - acute and chronic, (2) classification of pathologic pattern, and (3) distingction of body situation : for examples asthenia - sthenia etc. It was most important to distinguish between supporting the healthy and eliminating the evil factors and to treat differently at the root and the branch cause of a neoplasm. This paper's results indicate that identification and effective use of THM can inhibite netastasis and recurrence and then it will help increasing survival rate. Also as BioTechnology(BT) has developed rapidly nowadays, as genes related to cancer have revealed. So it will give rise to the development of searching the mechanism of herb medicines which have inhibition effects of metastasis and recurrence.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4537-4542
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• 2015

OK-432, a Streptococcus-derived anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, has been applied in clinic for many years and achieved great progress in various cancers. In the present study, we investigated its anticancer effect on bladder cancer through tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). MTS assay validated OK-432 could inhibit proliferation in both T24 and EJ bladder cell lines. OK-432 also induced apoptosis of bladder cancer cells in vitro. Consequently, we demonstrated that OK-432 could suppress the bladder cancer cells migration and invasion by altering the EMT-related factors. Furthermore, using SD rat model, we revealed that OK-432 inhibited tumor growth, suppressed PCNA expression and inhibited metastasis in vivo. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that OK-432 inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis through inducing macrophages to secret cytokines in bladder cancer.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.11-15
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• 2015

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the features of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) recurred as distant metastases (DM). Materials and Method: We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed clinical records of 63 patients who were treated for PTC recurred as DM between 2000 and 2006. Univariate and multivariate analyses of various clinical factors were performed. Results: Male patients were 12, and female patients were 51. The 5- and 10-year survival rates for PTC recurred as DM were 85% and 73%, respectively. Size of tumor, multiplicity of tumor, lateral neck node metastasis, and RAI ablation therapy with other treatments such as surgery were associated with survival rate (p < 0.005) in univariate analysis. The lateral neck node metastasis[p =0.039, hazard ratio=2.2(95% CI. 1.18~3.24)] and multiple organ DM[p =0.041, hazard ratio=2.18(95% CI. 1.03~2.89)] were related to the survival in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: PTC recurred as DM is uncommon (2.2%). The size of tumor, the multiplicity of tumor, lateral neck node metastasis and RAI ablation therapy with other treatments for DM were revealed as associated factors for the survival. Evaluation of DM should be considered in patients with PTC during long-term follow-up.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7683-7688
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• 2015

Background: The study evaluated the patient, lifestyle and tumor profile in patients undergoing upfront surgery for sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Indian population. Materials and Methods: One hundred consecutive patients were included. Details related to their demographic profile, habits, signs and symptoms, tumor profile, further treatment and follow up were recorded. Results: The majority of the patients had colonic cancer (68%), advanced tumor stage 3 & 4 (46%), moderately differentiated tumors (70%) with absence of lymphatic invasion (60%) and metastasis (90%). Correlations between tumor location and abdominal pain (p-value 0.002), bleeding per rectum (p-value <0.001), difficulty in micturition (p-value 0.012) and constipation (p-value 0.007) were found to be statistically significant. Abdominal pain was more frequently reported in patients with metastasis (p-value 0.031). Loss of weight statistically correlated with absence of lymphatic invasion (p-value 0.047). Associations between tumor stage and alcohol intake (p-value 0.050) and non vegetarian diet (p-value 0.006); lymphatic invasion and intake of spicy food (p-value 0.040) and non vegetarian diet (p-value 0.001) and metastasis and alcohol intake (p-value 0.041) were also observed. Age and tumor grade were also correlated (p-value 0.020). Conclusions: Minimizing the adverse lifestyle factors can help in reducing the overall incidence of CRC in the Indian population.