• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2009

Purpose: Early detection of recurrence is an important factor for long term survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Measurement of serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9, CT and PET/CT has been commonly used in the postoperative surveillance of colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic ability of PET/CT, tumor marker and CT for recurrence in colorectal cancer patients after treatment. Materials and Methods: F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging was performed in 189 colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgical resection and/or chemotherapy. Measurement of serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9 and CT imaging were performed within 2 months of PET/CT examination. Final diagnosis of recurrence was made by biopsy, radiologic studies or clinical follow-up for 6 months after each study. Results: Overall sensitivity, specificity of PET/CT was 94.7%, 91.1%, while those of serum CEA were 44.7% and 97.3%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were 94.2%, 90.4% for PET/CT and better than those of combined CEA and CA 19-9 measurement(52.1%, 88.5%) in 174 patients measured available both CEA and CA 19-9 data. In 115 patients with both tumor markers and CT images available, PET/CT showed similar sensitivity but higher specificity(92.9%, 91.3%) compared to combination of tumor markers and CT images(92.9%, 74.1%). Conclusion: PET/CT was superior for detection of recurred colorectal cancer patients compared with both CEA, CA 19-9, and even with combination of both tumor markers and CT. Therefore PET/CT could be used as a routine surveillance examination to detect recurrence or metastasis of colorectal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7633-7640
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• 2015

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide and it is responsible for most cases of cervical uterine cancer. Although HPV infections of the cervix do not always progress to cancer, 90% of cervical cancer cases have been found to be associated with high risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection. HPV DNA testing is widely used, along with Papanicolaou (Pap) testing, to screen for cervical abnormalities. However, there are no data on the prevalence of genotype-specific HPV infections assessed by measuring HPV E6/E7 mRNA in women representative of the Chinese population across a broad age range. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we compared the results with the CervicGen HPV RT-qDx assay, which detects 16 HR-HPV genotypes (Alpha-9: HPV 16, 31, 33, 35, 52, and 58; Alpha-7: HPV 18, 39, 45, 51, 59, and 68; and Alpha-5, 6: HPV 53, 56, 66, and 69), and the REBA HPV-ID assay, which detects 32 HPV genotypes based on the reverse blot hybridization assay (REBA) for the detection of oncogenic HPV infection according to cytological diagnosis. We also investigated the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection with a total of 324 liquid-based cytology samples collected in western Shandong province, East China. Results: The overall HPV prevalences determined by HPV DNA and HPV E6/E7 mRNA assays in this study were 79.9% (259/324) and 55.6% (180/324), respectively. Although the positivity of HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression was significantly lower than HPV DNA positivity, the HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay showed greater specificity than the HPV DNA assay (88.6% vs. 48.1%) in normal cytology samples. The prevalence of Alpha-9 (HPV 16, 31, 33, 35, 52, and 58) HPV infection among these women accounted for up to 80.3% and 76.1% of the high-grade lesions detected in the HPV mRNA and DNA tests, respectively. The HR-HPV genotype distribution, based on HPV DNA and E6/E7 mRNA expression by age group in patients with cytologically confirmed lesions, was highest in women aged 40 to 49 years (35.9% for cytologically confirmed cases, Pearson correlation r value=0.993, p<0.001) for high-grade lesions. Among the oncogenic HR-HPV genotypes for all age groups, there was little difference in the distribution of HPV genotypes between the HPV DNA (HPV -16, 53, 18, 58, and 33) and HPV E6/E7 mRNA (HPV -16, 53, 33, 58, and 18) assays. HPV 16 was the most common HPV genotype among women with high-grade lesions. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay can be a sensitive and specific tool for the screening and investigation of cervical cancer. Furthermore, it may provide useful information regarding the necessity for early cervical cancer screenings and the development of additional effective HPV vaccines, such as one for HPV 53 and 58. Additionally, gaining knowledge of HPV distribution may also inform us about ecological changes in HPV after the vaccination.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3931-3936
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• 2013

Background: Iran is a country with very high incidences of stomach cancer, especially in Northern parts. Here we assessed prognostic value of serum screening biomarkers among people >50 years old for early detection of precancerous lesions in a hot spot for gastric carcinoma in Guilan Province, North Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted on 1,390 residents of Lashtenasha city with the mean age (SD) of 61.8 (9.02) years old (50.8% females) to assess the association of gastrin and the pepsinogen (PG) I/II ratio with premalignant gastric lesions. Blood samples were taken for CBC, blood group, and serologic exams (PGI, PGII, and gastrin 17) from each subject. Expert gastroenterologists performed upper GI endoscopy and ROC curves were generated to determine appropriate cutoff points. Results: Mean values of PGI, PGII, PGI/PGII and gastrin were significantly different between patients with and without atrophy or metaplasia (P<0.05). To diagnose atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, a significantly higher AUC was observed for the PGI/PGII ratio (70 and 72%, respectively) compared to the PGI (56, 55%), PGII (63, 64%) and gastrin (59, 61%) (all p<0.001). Conclusions: Biomarker tests such as the PGI/II ratio can be used in the screening and diagnosis of subjects at high gastric cancer risk in our region.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.193-199
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic features, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors of gastric cancer based on 14 years' experience in a single medical center, and to compare treatment outcomes with a previous study. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied 2,327 patients who were operated on for gastric cancer between 1993 and 2006 at Korea University Hospital. Results: The resection rate was 92.8% and curative resection was achieved for 1,960 (90.8%) patients. The 5-year survival rate was 70.0% for all patients undergoing resection and 79.2% for patients undergoing curative resection. The 5-year survival rate was 1.5% for unresected cases. Age, tumor size, location of the tumor, gross tumor type, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, tumor stage, combined resection, complications, histology, and type of operation each had prognostic significance on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, lymph node involvement, depth of invasion, venous invasion, and age were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: The 5-year survival rate for patients who underwent curative resection was 79.2%. Depth of invasion, lymph node involvement, venous invasion, and age were independent prognostic factors. The fact that tumor stage is the most important prognostic factor after curative resection, increases the importance of early detection.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.45
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• pp.285.1-285.10
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• 2018

Background: Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is a feasible treatment option for high-risk prostate cancer (PCa). While patients may achieve undetectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after RARP, the risk of disease progression is relatively high. We investigated metastasis-free survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) outcomes and prognosticators in such patients. Methods: In a single-center cohort of 342 patients with high-risk PCa (clinical stage ${\geq}T3$, biopsy Gleason score ${\geq}8$, and/or PSA levels ${\geq}20ng/mL$) treated with RARP and pelvic lymph node dissection between August 2005 and June 2011, we identified 251 (73.4%) patients (median age, 66.5 years; interquartile range [IQR], 63.0-71.0 years) who achieved undetectable PSA levels (< 0.01 ng/mL) postoperatively. Survival outcomes were evaluated for the entire study sample and in groups stratified according to the time to biochemical recurrence dichotomized at 60 months. Results: During the median follow-up of 75.9 months (IQR, 59.4-85.8 months), metastasis occurred in 38 (15.1%) patients, most often to the bones, followed by the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. The 5-year metastasis-free, cancer-specific, and OS rates were 87.1%, 94.8%, and 94.3%, respectively. Multivariate Cox-regression analysis revealed time to recurrence as an independent predictor of metastasis (P < 0.001). Time to metastasis was an independent predictor of OS (P = 0.003). Metastasis-free and CSS rates were significantly lower among patients with recurrence within 60 months of RARP (log-rank P < 0.001). Conclusion: RARP confers acceptable oncological outcomes for high-risk PCa. Close monitoring beyond 5 years is warranted for early detection of disease progression and for timely adjuvant therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6721-6726
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• 2013

Background: Changes in DNA methylation patterns are believed to be early events in hepatocarcinogenesis. A better understanding of methylation states and how they correlate with disease progression will aid in finding potential strategies for early detection of HCC. The aim of our study was to analyze the methylation frequency of tumor suppressor genes, P14, P15, and P73, and a mismatch repair gene (O6MGMT) in HCV related chronic liver disease and HCC to identify candidate epigenetic biomarkers for HCC prediction. Materials and Methods: 516 Egyptian patients with HCV-related liver disease were recruited from Kasr Alaini multidisciplinary HCC clinic from April 2010 to January 2012. Subjects were divided into 4 different clinically defined groups - HCC group (n=208), liver cirrhosis group (n=108), chronic hepatitis C group (n=100), and control group (n=100) - to analyze the methylation status of the target genes in patient plasma using EpiTect Methyl qPCR Array technology. Methylation was considered to be hypermethylated if >10% and/or intermediately methylated if >60%. Results: In our series, a significant difference in the hypermethylation status of all studied genes was noted within the different stages of chronic liver disease and ultimately HCC. Hypermethylation of the P14 gene was detected in 100/208 (48.1%), 52/108 (48.1%), 16/100 (16%) and 8/100 (8%) among HCC, liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and control groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between the studied groups (p-value 0.008). We also detected P15 hypermethylation in 92/208 (44.2%), 36/108 (33.3%), 20/100 (20%) and 4/100 (4%), respectively (p-value 0.006). In addition, hypermethylation of P73 was detected in 136/208 (65.4%), 72/108 (66.7%), 32/100 (32%) and 4/100 (4%) (p-value <0.001). Also, we detected O6MGMT hypermethylation in 84/208 (40.4%), 60/108 (55.3%), 20/100 (20%) and 4/100 (4%), respectively (p value <0.001. Conclusions: The epigenetic changes observed in this study indicate that HCC tumors exhibit specific DNA methylation signatures with potential clinical applications in diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, methylation frequency could be used to monitor whether a patient with chronic hepatitis C is likely to progress to liver cirrhosis or even HCC. We can conclude that methylation processes are not just early events in hepatocarcinogenesis but accumulate with progression to cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2008

In the recent years, increasing interests are being focused on the rational functionalization of the CNTs by some creative methods. However, the considerable toxicity of CNT is still a controversialissue and limits its biological application. To improve the biocompatibility of CNT, in this work we prepared CNT-$TiO_2$ nanocomposites with CNT and organic titanium precursors. Our observations demonstratethat the modified interface could accelerate the heterogeneous electron transfer rates and thusenhance the relevant detection sensitivity, suggesting its potential application as the new strategy for the development of the biocompatible and multi-signal responsive biosensors for the early diagnosis of cancers.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.146-150
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• 1999

With the improved cure rates for childhood malignant conditions in the past decade, late effects of cancer therapy must be recognized to minimize their impact on the quality of life in long-term survivors. Chemoradiation therapy is a major part of pediatric oncology treatment and is implicated in causing tooth agenesis, microdontia, root shortening, early apical closure, and coronal hypocalcification. Dental development may be affected by illness, trauma, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy at any point prior to complete maturation. Treatment given during the first 3.5 years of life was more likely to affect the dental lamina and crown formation and result in a small tooth. Dental treatment affected by chemoradiation damage to developing teeth includes orthodontic tooth movement, prosthetic abutment consideration, periodontal health, space maintenance, requirement for home fluoride regimens to protect hypomineralized teeth, and enodontic procedures. Dental abnormalities are common in patients treated for cancer, and these children require aggressive dental follow-up. Meticulous surveillance may facilitate detection of abnormalities, enabling the dental practitioner to intervene earlier in promoting a more aggressive regimen of oral care, thus reducing the morbidity associated with dental sequelae of oncotherapy, specifically periodontal disease and malocclusion. In this case, we report microdontia of all permanent second premolar and second molar in an 8 year old boy treated with chemotherapeutic agents during period of active dental development(14 months to 38 months of age).

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2003

Objectives : The objectives of this study were to examine the difference in attitude toward health-specific locus-of-control and medical care among western medical students, oriental Medical students, and non-medical school students. Methods : The subjects of this study were 667 students who agreed to respond the questionnaire :212 western medical school students, 190 oriental medical school students, and 205 non-medical school students. The health-specific locus of control was measured by the structured questionnaire developed by Lau and Ware. The attitude toward western and oriental medicine was also measured by the questionnaire. Results : Western medical students and non-medical school students were more likely than oriental medical students to place high value on 'the provider control over health' and 'the general threat to health' scales (F=20.47, F=19.98). But oriental medical school students ranked 'the self control of health' scale as more important than any other locus of control scale (F=19.34). The health specific locus of control was also different from the grade. When trte grade was increased, 'the provider control over health' scale was slowly decreased, especially in western medical students and non medical school students. However, the 'general threat to health' scale was increased in oriental medical students. Western medical school students expressed more positive attitude toward western medicine. Oriental medical school students put a higher score on oriental medicine. Nevertheless, as the grade was increased, the positive attitude toward oriental medicine slightly decreased in oriental medical school students. Conclusions : There is a difference in health-specific locus of control and attitude toward medicine among western medical students, oriental medical students, and non-medical students. The locus of control and attitude of medical students towards medicine may affect both how they behave towards patients and how they help shape future public policy. Therefore, interdisciplinary educational initiatives may be the best way to handle this issue.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.506-512
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• 1985

We have experienced 120 non-small cell primary carcinomas of the lung between June, 1974 and December, 1984, at Seoul National University Hospital. They were 107 males and 13 females. 95% of all were ranged from 40 years to 69 years of age with 56 years of mean age. They were composed of 70 [66.7%] squamous cell ca., 20 [19%] adenoca., 6 [5.7%] undifferentiated large cell ca., 4 [3.8%] undifferentiated small cell ca., and 5 [4.8%] mixed adenosquamous cell ca. 41 [36%] and 35 [30.7%] patients have received pneumonectomies and lobectomies with a 66.7% resectability rate. Of the 36 stage I and 21 stage II patients, 56 were resectable but only 20 [31.7%] of the 63 stage III patients were resectable. This informed us the significance of the stage of the disease at the time of operation. The actuarial survival rate in 70 patients was as follow: 1, 3, 5 year survival rate of the patients in stage I were 80%, 80%, and 60% respectively. Both 1, 3 year survival rate of patients in stage II were 84%. But 1, 2, 3 year survival rate of patients in stage III were 40%, 11%, and 5% respectively. By dividing the patients in stage III into resectable group and nonresectable one, both 1, 2 year survival rate of the former were 37% and those of the latter were 42% and 7%. According to the cell type of the cancer, 1, 3, 5 year survival rate of the squamous cell ca. were 63%, 40%, and 26% respectively. 1, 3 year survival rate of the adenoca. were 43% and 34%. Hospital death were only 2 cases with a 1.7% operative mortality rate. We had acceptable long-term survival rate and have convinced the necessity and hope of the early detection and resection of the lung carcinoma.