• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.171-176
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• 2018

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tends to grow more rapidly and spread much faster than non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A concurrent combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy is suggested as the standard conventional treatment, but it is more challenging for elderly patients having pulmonary and cardiovascular comorbidities. Case presentation: Here we present a case of an 80-year-old male, current smoker diagnosed with SCLC in limited stage T3N0M0 (36mm right upper lobe, satellite nodule) in Dec, 2015. The standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy was not available for his comorbidities, which included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and angina pectoris. Furthermore, he and his family refused the recommended chemotherapy or radiotherapy exclusively. Alternatively, he received various non-conventional treatments including local radiofrequency hyperthermia, mistletoe, and Traditional Korean medicine including acupuncture, moxibustion and herbs since Jan. 2016. Despite the progression in primary tumor size, there have been no other distant relapse so far, and the patient has been in stable condition ever since. Conclusion: We suggest that a combination of various alternative treatments could be a candidate for elderly patients intolerable to conventional cytotoxic treatments.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2020

Background: Free-flap reconstruction for recurrent head and neck cancer may be challenging depending on the previous treatments, those are, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, including neck dissection or free tissue transfer. Specifically, the previous treatment could compromise the neck vessels, thereby making free-flap reconstruction more difficult. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between previous treatments and vascular compromise of the free flap. Methods: In this retrospective study, 124 free-flap reconstructions in 116 patients for recurrent head and neck cancer between 1993 and 2017 were investigated. The demographic characteristics, previous treatments, flap choices, infections, recipient vessels, and vascular crises were evaluated. Results: Of the 124 reconstruction cases, 10 had vascular crises. There were six revisions, totaling six flap failures. The success rate of free-flap reconstruction for recurrent cancer was 95.2%, which significantly differed from that for primary cancer (98.8%, p= 0.006). Moreover, in the recurrent cancer group, no correlation was found between previous treatments and vascular crises (p> 0.05). Increased rates of contralateral or uncommon anastomoses were found following neck dissection (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Previous neck dissection or radiotherapy could lead to scarring and tissue damage, which could in turn make microvascular reconstruction more challenging; however, the effect was not definite in this study. Approximately 60% of patients with previous neck dissection had compromised ipsilateral recipient vessels, which resulted in contralateral or uncommon anastomoses. In this study, free-flap reconstruction seems to be quite safe and preferable in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer based on the overall survival rate.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2009

Approximately 10 percent of advanced stomach cancer patients have internal bleeding in their stomach. It is crucial to treat internal bleeding since it severely deteriorates patient's condition, and disturbs process of chemotherapy. There are hemostatic agents and dressing, radiotherapy, endoscopic ligation and coagulation, surgical methods to treat bleeding. However, these methods cannot be executed in some cases in which patient is in terminal stage or not in desirable condition to take these treatments. We are going to introduce a case of advanced gastric cancer patient having stomach bleeding who made a choice to take oriental medical treatments. The patient was on third stage of stomach cancer, had 3200cc of blood transfusion for five times. After diagnosed as not being able to have resection, he started to oriental medical treatments to stop bleeding. From March 28, 2009 to April 16, 2009, we administer 120cc Bojungikgi-tang gamibang to the patient in 90minutes after each meal. During 19days of having Bojungikgi-tang gamibang, we observed that the patient needed significantly lower amount blood transfusion, to 640cc. The patient improves in performance, and was able to eat more. Despite of short period of observation, this case indicates that Bojungikgi-tang gamibang treatment to the patient could work as hemostat, further improved quality of patient's life.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.220-226
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• 1996

To investigate the effect of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on breast cancer cell growth, estrogen-dependent MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were cultured serum-free DMEM media containing 0.5$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml of differnet kinds of fatty acids; linoleic acid(LA), arachidonic acid(AA), eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid acid(DHA) and 1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5and 1.0ng/ml 17$\beta$-estradiol as well as 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/mi insulin and 1.25 mg/ml delipidized bovine serum albumin for 3 days. Cell growth monitored by MTT assay was lower in DHA and EPA treatments as compared to LA treatment, but not with AA treatment. Estrogen concentrations at which cell growth was initially stimulated were 0.1ng/ml for LA and DHA treatments and 0.2ng/ml for EPA and AA treatments, but the degree of stimulation was 25~30% lower in DHA and EPA treatments than in LA treatment. Fatty acid analysis showed that each fatty acid in culture medium was well incoporated into celluar lipid. Protein kinase C activity of cells was most elevated in LA treatment from 2 to 8 hours of culture followed by DHA, EPA, and AA treatments. It is concluded that inhibitions of n-3 DHA and EPA on breast cancer cell growth as compard with n-6 LA is mediated via changes in membrane fatty acid composition reducing estrogen sensitivity and increasing protein kinase C activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1086-1097
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• 2022

During the last decades, research and therapeutic methods in cancer treatment have been evolving. As the results, nowadays, cancer patients are receiving several types of treatments, ranging from chemotherapy and radiation therapy to surgery and immunotherapy. In fact, most cancer patients take a combination of current anti-cancer therapies to improve the efficacy of treatment. However, current strategies still cause some side effects to patients, such as pain and depression. Therefore, there is the need to discover better ways to eradicate cancer whilst minimizing side effects. Recently, immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade, is rising as an effective anti-cancer treatment. Unlike chemotherapy or radiation therapy, immunotherapy has few side effects and a higher tumor cell removal efficacy depend on cellular immunological mechanisms. Moreover, recent studies suggest that tissue immune responses are regulated by their microbiome composition. Each tissue has their specific microenvironment, which makes their microbiome composition different, particularly in the context of different types of cancer, such as breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, and skin. Herein, we review the current understanding of the relationship of immune responses and tissue microbiome in cancer in both animal and human studies. Moreover, we discuss the cancer-microbiome-immune axis in the context of cancer development and treatment. Finally, we speculate on strategies to control tissue microbiome alterations that may synergistically affect the immune system and impact cancer treatment outcomes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.820-827
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• 2017

The prevalence of breast cancer is very high in Korea. Although the patients receive standard treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, they frequently experience recurrence or metastasis of their tumors. In addition, many patients with breast cancer also suffer from side effect symptoms induced by these standard treatments. Therefore, increasing numbers of patients now want to undergo treatment with traditional Korean medicine (TKM) in addition to conventional treatment. We present a case of 46-year-old female with recurred breast cancer. She first received two kinds of chemotherapy and then underwent surgery. She then also received 4 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. At a follow-up examination, she was informed of recurrent lesions on the right anterior chest wall. She started to receive TKM treatments together with a new chemotherapy. After about one month, the size of the recurred tumor in right chest wall had decreased. Her symptoms, such as shoulder pain, chest pain, and nausea induced by conventional therapy, were also improved. We suggest that a combination of TKM and chemotherapy is a promising treatment for breast cancer.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.609-621
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• 2023

Purpose: Determination of optimal treatment strategies for HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in randomized trials is necessary despite difficulties in direct comparison between trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) and nivolumab as third or later-line treatments. Materials and Methods: This single-institution, retrospective study aimed to describe the real-world efficacy and safety of T-DXd and nivolumab as ≥ third line treatments for HER2-positive AGC between March 2016 and May 2022. Overall, 58 patients (median age, 64 years; 69% male) were eligible for the study (T-DXd group, n=20; nivolumab group, n=38). Results: Most patients exhibited a HER2 3+ status (72%) and presented metastatic disease at diagnosis (66%). The response rates of 41 patients with measurable lesions in the T-DXd and nivolumab groups were 50% and 15%, respectively. The T-DXd and nivolumab groups had a median progression-free survival of 4.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3, 7.0) and 2.3 months (95% CI, 1.5, 3.5), median overall survival (OS) of 10.8 months (95% CI, 6.9, 23.8) and 11.7 months (95% CI, 7.6, 17.1), and grade 3 or greater adverse event rates of 50% and 2%, respectively. Overall, 64% patients received subsequent treatment. Among 23 patients who received both regimens, the T-DXd-nivolumab and nivolumab-T-DXd groups had a median OS of 14.0 months (95% CI, 5.0, not reached) and 19.3 months (95% CI, 9.5, 25.1), respectively. Conclusions: T-DXd and nivolumab showed distinct efficacy and toxicity profiles as ≥ third line treatments for HER2-positive AGC. Considering the distinct features of each regimen, they may help clinicians personalize optimal treatment approaches for these patients.

• International journal of thyroidology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.88-91
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• 2018

After introducing tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as promising treatments for radioactive iodine refractory advanced thyroid cancer patients, we more often meet patients with TKI-related hormone and electrolyte imbalances in clinics. Hypocalcemia associated with TKI is associated with an imbalance in calcium-vitamin D metabolism. TKI-related hypothyroidism is related to the metabolic rate of thyroid hormones. The two side effects usually occur in the early stages of TKI treatment, and if the imbalance is corrected appropriately, the effects are minor, but in severe cases, the TKI should be discontinued. The authors reported a case of severe hypocalcemia and thyroid dysfunction after TKI treatment. A 56-year-old man suffered from symptomatic hypocalcemia during TKI treatment, which was resolved after he stopped taking the TKI medication. Although calcium and vitamin D replacement have increased, hypocalcemia was recurred and TKI treatments have been permanently stopped due to serious weight loss in grade 3. After the interruption, his calcium levels normalized.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2006

For discovering a new trend of cancer therapy in east and west medicine, we have investigated the journal of integrated traditional chinese and western medicine(ITCWM) from Jan. 2000 to Jun. 2006. The main treatment of cancer therapy in ITCWM was western treatments(chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery etc.). Traditional chinese medicine(TCM) was adjuvant treatments. But, it is said that TCM has some important roles in treating cancer at this journal.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.56-63
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• 2014

Cancer pain is one of the most serious undesirable and unsolved complications for the cancer patients. Despite significant improvements in the management of cancer pain through past decades, it is still perceived as insufficient. Effective management of pain starts on a comprehensive assessment to identify the origin and characteristics of the pain. Then, appropriate multidisciplinary medical and surgical interventions could provide optimal treatments. With intensive attentions, complete or partial pain relief with tolerable side effects of the medication will be obtained and it will improve the quality of life of cancer patients.