• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.74 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2013

A 43-year-old woman with breast cancer who was on neoadjuvant chemotherapy presented with cough, sputum and mild fever. High-resolution computed tomography showed diffuse ground glass opacities in bilateral lungs and subpleural patchy consolidations. Initially, she was thought to have pneumonia or interstitial lung diseases such as drug-induced pneumonitis and treated with antibiotics and steroids. She subsequently got breast cancer surgery because of disease progression, and concurrent thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed metastatic carcinoma of the lung from breast cancer. The diagnosis of suspected interstitial lung disease can be made without lung biopsy, but malignancy should always be considered and lung biopsy should be performed in the absence of a definitive clinical diagnosis.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.156-164
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• 2014

Cancer is the most dreaded disease in human and also major health problem worldwide. Despite its high occurrence, the exact molecular mechanisms of the development and progression are not fully understood. The existing cancer therapy based on allopathic medicine is expensive, exhibits side effects; and may also alter the normal functioning of genes. Thus, a non-toxic and effective mode of treatment is needed to control cancer development and progression. Some medicinal plants offer a safe, effective and affordable remedy to control the cancer progression. Nimbolide, a limnoid derived from the neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves and flowers of neem, is widely used in traditional medical practices for treating various human diseases. Nimbolide exhibits several pharmacological effects among which its anticancer activity is the most promising. The previous studies carried out over the decades have shown that nimbolide inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. This review highlights the current knowledge on the molecular targets that contribute to the observed anticancer activity of nimbolide related to induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest; and inhibition of signaling pathways related to cancer progression.

• Journal of Clinical Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.281-285
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• 2018

Columnar cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CCV-PTC) is a rare variant representing 0.15-0.2% of all PTCs. The CCV is aggressive, due to its rapid growth, high local recurrence rate, and frequent lung, brain and bone metastasis. Aggressive surgical and medical management are recommended for these neoplasias. The authors experienced a case of CCV-PTC in a 45-year-old man. We performed total thyroidectomy with neck dissection. The patient received radiation and radioactive iodine therapy. There were no recurrences or complications in the following 24 months after the operation. The patient will closely undergo continuous follow up. We present the clinical characteristics, pathology, treatment, and prognosis of the tumor with a review of the literature.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2022

Sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma (SSCC), a biphasic malignant tumor consisting of atypical squamous epithelial and mesenchymal elements mixed with epithelioid and spindle cells, is a variant of squamous cell carcinoma. Cutaneous SSCC is very rare and aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Here, we report a case of cutaneous SSCC with satellites and in-transit metastases. A 79-year-old woman presented with a protruding mass on the left temporal area sized 1.2×1.0 cm. The punch biopsy report indicated keratoacanthoma or well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The size of the tumor increased to 2.7×2.0 cm after 8 days. An excisional biopsy was performed with a 2 mm safety margin. The tumor was identified as SSCC with a clear resection margin. Reoperation was performed thrice with an increased safety margin of 10 mm; however, the cancer recurred along with satellites and in-transit metastases. Chemoradiotherapy was administered; however, the size of the tumor increased along with satellites and in-transit metastases. The patient expired 162 days after the initial excision. Complete excision and immediate multidisciplinary approach should be combined during the early stages due to the aggressiveness and poor prognosis of cutaneous SSCC with satellites and in-transit metastasis.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

Pancreatic cancer treatment has advanced. In particular, effective chemotherapy regimen development has fundamentally altered the therapeutic concept and strategy for pancreatic cancer treatment. Consequently, the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer has gradually improved. Conversion surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer may offer long-term survival or even a full recovery in some individuals. In contrast, metastatic pancreatic cancer has long been considered a surgical contraindication because aggressive surgical resection of the metastatic lesions does not prolong patient survival. Unexpectedly positive benefits of anticancer therapy in recent clinical experience were observed even with metastatic pancreatic cancer. To date, little evidence presented the success of surgical resection for metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment in such rare cases. However, hope and concern are growing that surgical intervention, even in patients with metastatic cancer, may result in favorable outcomes. Several studies suggested different surgical intervention effects depending on metastasis sites and patterns. Thus, this review summarizes the current status of surgery in the multidisciplinary treatment of oligometastatic pancreatic cancer and discusses future perspectives.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.1606-1612
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• 2021

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is a syndrome characterized by digital clubbing, periosteal bone formation, and synovial effusions. Secondary HOA is associated with intrathoracic malignancy in most cases; however, in rare cases, HOA can be caused by extrathoracic conditions. We report early ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and bone scintigraphy findings of HOA in a patient with breast cancer. Its ambiguous clinical and imaging findings that mimicked malignant conditions are particularly interesting and informative.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.271-281
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• 2021

Objective : Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved for treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the safety and efficacy of combined ICI and Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) treatment remain undefined. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed patients treated with ICIs with or without GKS at our institute to manage patients with brain metastases from NSCLC. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with brain metastases from NSCLC treated with ICIs between January 2015 and December 2017. Of 134 patients, 77 were assessable for brain responses and categorized into three groups as follows : group A, ICI alone (n=26); group B, ICI with concurrent GKS within 14 days (n=24); and group C, ICI with non-concurrent GKS (n=27). Results : The median follow-up duration after brain metastasis diagnosis was 19.1 months (range, 1-77). At the last follow-up, 53 patients (68.8%) died, 20 were alive, and four were lost to follow-up. The estimated median overall survival (OS) of all patients from the date of brain metastasis diagnosis was 20.0 months (95% confidence interval, 12.5-27.7) (10.0, 22.5, and 42.1 months in groups A, B, and C, respectively). The OS was shorter in group A than in group C (p=0.001). The intracranial disease progression-free survival (p=0.569), local progression-free survival (p=0.457), and complication rates did not significantly differ among the groups. Twelve patients showed leptomeningeal seeding (LMS) during follow-up. The 1-year LMS-free rate in treated with ICI alone group (69.1%) was significantly lower than that in treated with GKS before ICI treatment or within 14 days group (93.2%) (p=0.004). Conclusion : GKS with ICI showed no favorable OS outcome in treating brain metastasis from NSCLC. However, GKS with ICI did not increase the risk of complications. Furthermore, compared with ICI alone, GKS with ICI may be associated with a reduced incidence of LMS. Further understanding of the mechanism, which remains unknown, may help improve the quality of life of patients with brain metastasis.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.213-217
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• 2009

Solitary necrotic nodule (SNN) of the liver is a very uncommon benign lesion, and it is detected incidentally as a rule. It is important to differentiate SNN radiologically from various single hepatic nodules because SNN mimics hepatic metastasis, especially in staging work up of known primary malignancy. The reported imaging findings of SNN are well-defined nodule without enhancement or with subtle peripheral enhancement. There has been no report about the target-like SNN of the liver and about the imaging finding of 3T magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. We report a case of targetlike SNN of the liver, mimicking hepatic metastasis, with findings of various imaging modalities and try to find a cause of this nodule according to the pathologic and literature review.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.129-132
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• 2013

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is the second-most common skin cancer and represents 20% of all skin cancers. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma often spreads to the parotid gland through lymph nodes, but, direct invasion of an adjacent organ may also occur. We present the case of 78-year-old man with ulcerated mass on the right infra-auricular area. The histopathologic finding was squamous cell carcinoma. There was no evidence of distant metastasis, but the mass was found to invade the superficial lobe of the right parotid gland. The mass was widely excised and superficial parotidectomy was performed while preserving the facial nerve. The defect was covered by primary closure. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed. At 20 months after surgery, our patient had no facial palsy, local recurrence, or metastasis. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma involving the parotid gland is an aggressive, rapidly advancing lesion, which if not recognized and treated early will result in high morbidity and mortality. Squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland has shown that patients who receive adjuvant radiotherapy have a lower recurrence rate and a higher survival rate than patients treated with surgery alone. The role of elective neck dissection remains controversial.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

Gastric cancer (GC) has high mortality owing to its aggressive nature. Tumor angiogenesis plays an essential role in the growth, invasion, and metastatic spread of GC. The aim of this work was to review the angiogenic biomarkers related to the behavior of GC, documented in the literature. A search of the PubMed database was conducted with the MeSH terms: "Stomach neoplasms/blood [MeSH] or stomach neoplasms/blood supply [MeSH] and angiogenic proteins/blood [Major]". A total of 30 articles were initially collected, and 4 were subsequently excluded. Among the 26 articles collected, 16 examined the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), 4 studied endostatin, 3 investigated angiopoietin (Ang)-2, 2 studied the Ang-like protein 2 (ANGTPL2), and 1 each examined interleukin (IL)-12, IL-8, and hypoxia inducible factor. Regarding VEGF, 6 articles concluded that the protein was related to lymph node metastasis or distant metastases. Five articles concluded that VEGF levels were elevated in the presence of GC and decreased following tumor regression, suggesting that VEGF levels could be a predictor of recurrence. Four articles concluded that high VEGF levels were correlated with poor prognosis and lower survival rates. Ang-2 and ANGTPL2 were elevated in GC and associated with more aggressive disease. Endostatin was associated with intestinal GC. VEGF is the most extensively studied angiogenic factor. It is associated with the presence of neoplastic disease and lymph node metastasis. It appears to be a good biomarker for disease progression and remission, but not for diagnosis. The data regarding other biomarkers are inconclusive.