• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 1999

Purpose : Serum squamous cell (SCC) antigen levels were examined in uterine cervix cancer undergoing radiation therapy, and authors analyzed the relationship between SCC antigen levels and treatment results. Materials and Methods :This is a retrospective study of 181 conical carcinoma patients who received radiotherapy and examined serial serum SCC antigen from 1991 to 1997 at Soonchunhyang University Hospital. One hundred and eighteen patients underwent SCC antigen evaluation at diagnosis The relationship between the serum tumor marker level and disease free survival, recurrence pattern, and other prognostic factors were analyzed according to various statistical methods. Results : The Positivity rate (initial serum value above 2.5 ng/ml) was increased with FIGO stage (IB-IIA 57% to IV 91%) and more discriminative than cutoff value of 1.5 ng/ml. Five year disease free survival rates for the stage IB-IIA, IIB, III and IV were 79.2%, 68.7%, 33.4% and 0%, respectively. The 5-year disease free survival rate for patients with serum SCC antigen levels above 5.0 ng/ml was 34% versus 55~62% for patients with normal range (>1.5 ng/ml) or mildly elevated levels (1.5~5.0 ng/ml). Rising SCC antigen levels preceded the clinical detection of disease by a mean of 4.8 months (range 1 ~13 months). Negative linear correlation was observed between initial SCC antigen levels and relapse free survival (r=-0.226), and by multivariate analysis, initial SCC antigen level had a large impact on the relapse free survival. Conclusion : SCC antigen assay is a useful aid to predict the prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix and to detect recurrence.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2237-2243
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• 2015

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in Dukes C colon cancers post-curative resection. However, the evidence for a role with Dukes B lesions remains unproven despite frequent use for disease characterized by poor prognostic features. In view of limited Asia-specific data, this study aimed to determine survival outcomes and identify prognostic factors in a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A total of 116 subjects who underwent curative surgery with and without adjuvant chemotherapy for Duke B and C primary colon adenocarcinomas diagnosed from 2004-2009 were recruited and data were collected retrospectively. Five-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were analysed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. Prognostic factors were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression with both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The survival analysis demonstrated a 5-year OS of 74.0% for all patients, with 74.9% for Dukes C subjects receiving chemotherapy compared to 28.6% in those not receiving chemotherapy (p=0.001). For Dukes B disease, the 5-year survival rate was 82.6% compared to 75.0% for subjects receiving and not receiving chemotherapy, respectively (p=0.17). Independent prognostic factors identified included a CEA level more than 3.5 ng/ml (hazard ratio (HR)=4.78; p=0.008), serosal involvement (HR=3.75; p=0.028) and completion of chemotherapy (HR= 0.20; p=0.007). Conclusions: In a regional context, this study supports current evidence from the West that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in Dukes C colon cancers post curative surgery. However, although a clear benefit has yet to be proven for Dukes B disease, our results suggest survival improvement in selected cases.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.301-309
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• 2015

Purpose: To identify prognostic factors for disease progression and survival of patients with extracranial oligometastatic breast cancer (EOMBC), and to investigate the role of radiation therapy (RT) for metastatic lesions. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 50 patients who had been diagnosed with EOMBC following standard treatment for primary breast cancer initially, and received RT for metastatic lesions, with or without other systemic therapy between January 2004 and December 2008. EOMBC was defined as breast cancer with five or less metastases involving any organs except the brain. All patients had bone metastasis (BM) and seven patients had pulmonary, hepatic, or lymph node metastasis. Median RT dose applied to metastatic lesions was 30 Gy (range, 20 to 60 Gy). Results: The 5-year tumor local control (LC) and 3-year distant progression-free survival (DPFS) rate were 66.1% and 36.8%, respectively. High RT dose (${\geq}50Gy_{10}$) was significantly associated with improved LC. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 49%. Positive hormone receptor status, pathologic nodal stage of primary cancer, solitary BM, and whole-lesion RT (WLRT), defined as RT whose field encompassed entire extent of disease, were associated with better survival. On analysis for subgroup of solitary BM, high RT dose was significantly associated with improved LC and DPFS, shorter metastasis-to-RT interval (${\leq}1month$) with improved DPFS, and WLRT with improved DPFS and OS, respectively. Conclusion: High-dose RT in solitary BM status and WLRT have the potential to improve the progression-free survival and OS of patients with EOMBC.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.62-69
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• 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment outcome and prognostic factor of postoperative radiotherapy for extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Materials and Methods: Forty three patients with extremity STS were treated with conservative surgery and postoperative radiotherapy from January 1981 to December 2010 at Korea University Medical Center. Median total 60 Gy (range, 50 to 74.4 Gy) of radiation was delivered and 7 patients were treated with chemotherapy. Results: The median follow-up period was 70 months (range, 5 to 302 months). Twelve patients (27.9%) sustained relapse of their disease. Local recurrence occurred in 3 patients (7.0%) and distant metastases developed in 10 patients (23.3%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 69.2% and disease free survival was 67.9%. The 5-year local relapse-free survival was 90.7% and distant relapse-free survival was 73.3%. On univariate analysis, no significant prognostic factors were associated with development of local recurrence. Histologic grade (p = 0.005) and stage (p = 0.02) influenced the development of distant metastases. Histologic grade was unique significant prognostic factor for the OS on univariate and multivariate analysis. Severe acute treatment-related complications, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade 3 or 4, developed in 6 patients (14.0%) and severe late complications in 2 patients (4.7%). Conclusion: Conservative surgery with postoperative radiotherapy achieved a satisfactory rate of local control with acceptable complication rate in extremity STS. Most failures were distant metastases that correlate with tumor grade and stage. The majority of local recurrences developed within the field. Selective dose escalation of radiotherapy or development of effective systemic treatment might be considered.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.82-90
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• 2019

Purpose: To evaluate the results of hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFX) for early glottic cancer. Materials and Methods: Eighty-five patients with cT1-2N0M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the glottis who had undergone HFX, performed using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT, n = 66) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT, n = 19) were analyzed. For all patients, radiotherapy was administered at 60.75 Gy in 27 fractions. Forty-three patients received a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) of 2.3-2.5 Gy per tumor fraction. Results: The median follow-up duration was 29.9 months (range, 5.5 to 76.5 months). All patients achieved complete remission at a median of 50 days after the end of radiotherapy (range, 14 to 206 days). The 5-year rates for locoregional recurrence-free survival was 88.1%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 86.2%. T2 stage was a prognostic factor for locoregional recurrence-free survival after radiotherapy (p = 0.002). SIB for the tumor did not affect disease control and survival (p = 0.191 and p = 0.387, respectively). No patients experienced acute or chronic toxicities of ≥grade 3. IMRT significantly decreased the dose administered to the carotid artery as opposed to 3D CRT (V₃₅, p < 0.001; V₅₀, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients treated with HFX achieved acceptable locoregional disease control rates and overall survival rates compared with previous HFX studies. A fraction size of 2.25 Gy provided good disease control regardless of SIB administration.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.258-267
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• 2021

Purpose: As the rate of endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (EGC) has increased in patients with comorbid diseases, it is necessary to elucidate the efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for EGC in patients with comorbidities. This study aimed to analyze the clinical outcomes of ESD for EGC in patients with comorbidities. Materials and Methods: A total of 969 patients with 1,015 lesions who underwent ESD for EGC at Seoul National University Hospital between 2010 and 2014 were analyzed. The short- and long-term clinical outcomes were evaluated according to the comorbidity status. Results: Comorbidities were observed in 558 patients (57.6%). The comorbidity group had a higher proportion of patients using antithrombotic agents (29.5% vs. 0.9%; P<0.0001). Although procedure-related complications (bleeding and perforation) were not significantly different between the two groups, the length of hospital stay was significantly longer (1.8 vs. 1.4 days, P=0.023), while survival was significantly shorter in the comorbidity group (5-year overall survival rate: 90.5% vs. 97.2%, P<0.0001; 5-year disease-specific survival rate: 97.9% vs. 100%, P=0.018; 5-year disease-free survival rate: 83.4% vs. 89.2%, P=0.007). Conclusions: Gastric ESD can be performed in patients with comorbidities without increasing the risk of complications.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2015

Purpose: Although several clinical trials have proven the efficacy of adjuvant S-1 treatment in gastric cancers, it is still unclear which patients receive the most benefit. In this study, we prospectively recruited patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who had undergone curative resection followed by adjuvant S-1 administration to investigate which factors affect the outcomes. Materials and Methods: Between July 2010 and October 2011, we enrolled 49 patients who underwent curative resection for stage II or III gastric cancer and who subsequently received adjuvant S-1 treatment for 1 year. Results: Twenty-nine patients (59.2%) continued S-1 treatment for 1 year, and 12 patients (24.5%) experienced recurrent disease during the follow-up period. Patients with continuation of S-1 for 1 year had significantly increased rates of disease-free survival (P<0.001) and overall survival (P=0.001) relative to the patients who discontinued S-1 during year 1. Multivariate analysis indicated poor outcomes for patients with stage III disease and those who discontinued S-1 treatment. Excluding patients who discontinued S-1 due to cancer progression (n=7), adjuvant treatment with S-1 still demonstrated a significant difference in the disease-free survival rate between the patients who continued treatment and those who discontinued it (P=0.020). Conclusions: S-1 is tolerated as adjuvant treatment in gastric cancer patients. However, discontinuing S-1 treatment may be an unfavorable factor in the prevention of recurrence. S-1 adjuvant treatment should be continued for 1 year if possible through the proper management of toxicities.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2007

[ $\underline{Purpose}$ ]: This study was to evaluate the survival and pattern of failure after radiation therapy of sino-nasal cancer using partial attenuation filer and wedged beams and to help radiotherapy planning of sino-nasal cancer. $\underline{Materials\;and\;Methods}$: Between February 1992 and March 2003, 17 patients with sino-nasal cancers underwent radiation therapy using partial attenuation filter at Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung university. There were 9 male and 8 female patients. Patients' age ranged from 40 to 75 years (median 59 years). There were 10 patients of maxillary sinus cancer, 7 patiens of nasal cancer. The histologic type was squamous cell carcinoma in 11, adenoid cystic carcinoma in 4 and olfactory neuroblastoma in 2. The distribution of clinical stage by the AJCC system was 3 for stage II, 7 for III and 6 for IV. The five patients were treated with radiation alone and 12 patients were treated with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. The range of total radiation dose delivered to the primary tumor was from 44 to 76 Gy (median 60 Gy). The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 173 months with median of 78 months. $\underline{Results}$: The overall 2 year survival rate and disease free survival rate was 76.4%. The 5 year and 10 year survival rate were 76.4% and 45.6% and the 5 year and 10 year disease free survival rate was 70.6%. The 5 year disease free survival rate by treatment modality was 91.6% for postoperative radiation group and 20% for radiation alone group, statistical significance was found by treatment modality (p=0.006). There were no differences in survival by pathology and stage. There were local failure in 5 patients (29%) but no distant failure and no severe complication required surgical intervention. $\underline{Conclusion}$: Radiation therapy of sino-nasal cancer using partial attenuation filter was safe and effective. Combined modality with conservative surgery and radiation therapy was more advisable to achieve loco-regional control in sino-nasal cancer. Also we considered high precision radiation therapy with dose escalation and development of multi-modality treatment to improve local control and survival rate in advanced sino-nasal cancer.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.123-128
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• 2015

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor. Advances in combination chemotherapy and surgical technique have greatly improved the survival of patients with osteosarcoma. In Korea, improvements in osteosarcoma treatment have been made over the past two decades. The 5-year event-free survival rate of Korean children and adolescents with localized disease is 64.6%, comparable to that of American or European patients. This article provides an overview of current therapies for osteosarcoma in Korea.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2001

Purpose : This is a retrospective study to evaluate the results of radiation therapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Materials and Methods : From September 1989 to October 1996, 19 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma completed planned radiation therapy course. Stages were 1 in 2 patients, II in 6, III in 2 IV in 9 patients, respectively. Pathology was squamous cell carcinoma in 5 patients, undifferentiated cell carcinoma in 14 patients. Fourteen patients were treated with radiation therapy only. Five patients received chemotherapy. The follow-up period ranged from 5 months to 115 months with a median of 33 months. Follow-up was possible in all patients. Results : Responses to radiation therapy were complete response in 15 patients, partial response in 2, and no response in 2, respectively. Patterns of failure were as follows : locoregional recurrence in 6 patients and distant metastasis in 4 patients. The sites of distant metastasis were bone, liver and lung. Five year survival rate was $47.8\%$ and five year disease free survival rate was $48.1\%$. Stage, T-stage, N-stage, central nervous system involvement, pathology type, performance status, response, radiation dose, chemotherapy were not significant prognostic factors. Conclusion : 5-year survival rate was $47.8\%$ and 5-year disease free survival rate was $48.1\%$. The advances in radiation therapy techniques and chemotherapy are needed.