• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.232-236
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• 2008

Purpose: Laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer was introduced in the past decade because it was considered less invasive than open surgery, and this results in less postoperative pain, faster recovery and an improved quality of life. Several studies have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of this procedure. We examined the outcome of performing laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer over the last two year. Materials and Methods: From April 2004 to December 2006, 329 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma underwent a laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. The data was retrospectively reviewed in terms of the clinicopathologic findings, the perioperative outcomes and the complications. Results: The total patient group was comprised 196 men (59.6%) and 133 women (40.4%). The mean BMI was 23.6 and the mean tumor size was 2.7 cm. The mean number of harvested lymph node was 22.7, and this was 18.6 before 30 cases and 23.1 after 30 cases, and the difference was significant (P=0.02). The mean operation time was 180.9 min, and this was than 287.9 min before 30 cases and 170.2 min after 30 cases. After 30 cases, there was a significant improvement of the operation time (P<0.01). The mean incision length after 30 cases was shorter than that before 30 cases (P<0.01). Postoperative complications occurred in 24 (7.3%) of 329 patients and there was no conversion to open surgery. Conclusion: Even though the LADG was accompanied by a difficult learning curve, we successfully performed 329 LADG procedures over the past 2 years and we believe that LADG is a safe, feasible operation for treating most early gastric cancers (EGC).

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.256-261
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• 2008

Purpose: Intra-abdominal fluid collection is one of the risk factors associated with postoperative morbidity or mortality for patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients with postoperative intra-abdominal fluid collection and to identify the indications for inserting a percutaneous drain (PCD) in patients with intra-abdominal fluid collection. Materials and Methods: Among the 1,277 patients who underwent operations for gastric cancer at Seoul National University Hospital between April 2005 and July 2006, the data of 117 patients with an intra-abdominal fluid collection were reviewed. Results: The number of patients' with pathologic stage I, II, III and IV disease was 42 (36.8%), 23 (20.2%), 16 (14%) and 33 (28.9%), respectively. Forty-three patients (36.3%) underwent PCD insertion and the other 43 patients received conservative management. A univariate analysis of multiple clinical variables revealed that age, gender, diabetes, liver disease, lymph node dissection, the pathologic stage and the body mass index (BMI, $kg/m^2$) were not significantly associated with PCD insertion (P>0.05). However, the univariate analysis showed that two characteristics were associated with a significantly high incidence of PCD insertion: a diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection greater than 4 cm and infectious signs such as leukocytosis, fever and bacteremia. Conclusion: About two thirds of the intra-abdominal fluid collections after surgery for gastric cancer were managed with only conservative method without other morbidities of mortality. Surgeons should consider performing PCD insertion if the largest diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection is over 4 cm or if infectious signs are seen.

• Journal of Gynecologic Oncology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.100.1-100.13
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• 2018

Objective: To investigate survival outcomes in endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) patients with single vs. multiple positive pelvic lymph nodes. Methods: We performed a retrospective evaluation of all consecutive patients with histologically proven International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC1 EEC who underwent primary surgical treatment between 2004 and 2014 at seven Italian gynecologic oncology referral centers. Patients with pre- or intra-operative evidence of extra-uterine disease (including the presence of bulky nodes) and patients with stage IIIC2 disease were excluded, in order to obtain a homogeneous population. Results: Overall 140 patients met the inclusion criteria. The presence of >1 metastatic pelvic node was significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrence and mortality, compared to only 1 metastatic node, at both univariate (recurrence: hazard ratio [HR]=2.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.2-3.99; p=0.01; mortality: HR=2.8; 95% CI=1.24-6.29; p=0.01) and multivariable analysis (recurrence: HR=1.91; 95% CI=1.02-3.56; p=0.04; mortality: HR=2.62; 95% CI=1.13-6.05; p=0.02) and it was the only independent predictor of prognosis in this subset of patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were significantly longer in patients with only 1 metastatic node compared to those with more than 1 metastatic node (p=0.008 and 0.009, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of multiple metastatic nodes in stage IIIC1 EEC represents an independent predictor of worse survival, compared to only one positive node. Our data suggest that EEC patients may be categorized according to the number of positive nodes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.447-454
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• 2022

In this study, we confirmed the effect of HK shiitake mushroom mycelium (HKSMM) on immune enhancement in Balb/c mice. Experimental animals were divided into five groups: negative control (NC), positive control (PC; 1,000 mg/100 g; AHCC), T1 (500 mg/100 g; HKSMM), T2 (1,000 mg/100 g; HKSMM), and T3 (2,000 mg/100 g; HKSMM), and dissection was performed at four and six weeks. COX-2 and iNOS concentrations were significantly lower in the six-week experimental group than in the control group, and the NO results were also similar. Results of the confirmation of the factors related to the NF-κB (p-p65 and p-IκBα) and MAPK (pERK, pJNK, and p38) signaling pathways revealed that the HKSMM-fed experimental group significantly decreased compared with the control group. A comparative analysis of the number and size of white pulp in the spleen tissue showed that those of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that HKSMM has both immune-enhancing and anti-inflammatory effects in Balb/c mice, indicating that it can be used as a health functional food ingredient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.182-188
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• 2003

Background: Although ramicotomy (division of the rami communicantes of the thoracic sympathetic ganglia) is a selective and physiological surgical method for essential hyperhidrosis, it has some problems such as higher recurrence rates and the different surgical results among the patients and between left and right sides in the same individual. As one of the factors that are related to the differences in surgical result and recurrences, we investigated the anatomical variations of the rami communicantes. The purpose of this study is to help develop new surgical methods to decrease surgical differences among the patients or between the left and right sides of the same individual and recurrence rates in the clinical application of ramicotomy. Material and Method: We dissected 118 thoracic sympathetic chains in 59 adult Korean cadavers (male: 33, female: 26) to examine the anatomical variations of the rami communicantes from the second to the fourth thoracic sympathetic ganglia that have major components innervating to the hands. After the dissection of bilateral thoracic sympathetic chains, we compared the anatomy of left and right sides and examined the anatomical variations of rami communicantes. Result: The number and variation of communicating rami connecting the spinal nerves and the second sympathetic thoracic ganglion were much larger than lower levels. There was considerably less variability in the anatomy of the rami communicantes at successive levels. Among the 59 cadavers dissected, only 14.3% (9/59) had similar anatomy of thoracic sympathetic chains at both sides. As the components related to the essential palmar hyperhidrosis, intrathoracic nerve of Kuntz from the second thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the first intercostal nerve or brachial plexus were observed in 55.9% (66/118). The incidence of descending rami communicates from the second thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the third intercostal nerve and from the third thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the fourth intercostal nerve were 49.2% (58/118) and 28.0% (33/118). And the incidence of ascending rami communicates from the third thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the second intercostal nerve and from the fourth thoracic sympathetic ganglion to the third intercostal nerve were 6.8% (8/118) and 3.4% (4/118), respectively. Conclusion: Based on the various anatomical evidences of the rami communicantes from this study, only the ramicotomy at the third sympathetic ganglion level is insufficient for the treatment of the essential palmar hyperhidrosis to decrease the difference of surgical results and recurrences. When one is planning to perform the ramicotomy for the essential palmar hyperhidrosis, it is advantageous to divide the intrathoracic nerve of Kuntz on the second rib and the descending or ascending rami communicantes on the third and the fourth ribs as well as all the communicating rami from the third sympathetic ganglion.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2008

Purpose: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG), which retains pyloric ring and gastric function, has been accepted as a function-preserving procedure for early gastric cancer for the prevention of postgastrectomy syndrome. This study was compared laparoscopy-assisted pylorus-preerving gastrectomy (LAPPG) with laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I reconstruction (LADGB I). Materials and Methods: Between November 2006 and September 2007, 39 patients with early gastric cancer underwent laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy in the Department of Surgery at Korea Cancer Center Hospital. 9 of these patients underwent LAPPG and 18 underwent LADGBI. When LAPPG was underwent, we preserved the pyloric branch, hepatic branch, and celiac branch of the vagus nerve, the infrapyloric artery, and the right gastric artery and performed D1+$\beta$ lymphadenectomy to the exclusion of suprapyloric lymph node dissection. The distal stomach was resected while retaining a $2.5{\sim}3.0\;cm$ pyloric cuff and maintaining a $3.0{\sim}4.0\;cm$ distal margin for the resection. Results: The mean age for patients who underwent LAPPG and LADGBI were $59.9{\pm}9.4$ year-old and $64.1{\pm}10.0$ year-old, respectively. The sex ratio was 1.3 : 1.0 (male 5, female 4) in the LAPPG group and 2.6 : 1.0 (male 13, female 5) in the LADGBI group. Mean total number of dissected lymph nodes ($28.3{\pm}11.9$ versus $28.1{\pm}8.9$), operation time ($269.0{\pm}34.4$ versus $236.3{\pm}39.6$ minutes), estimated blood loss ($191.1{\pm}85.7$ versus $218.3{\pm}150.6\;ml$), time to first flatus ($3.6{\pm}0.9$ versus $3.5{\pm}0.8$ days), time to start of diet ($5.1{\pm}0.9$ versus $5.1{\pm}1.7$ days), and postoperative hospital stay ($10.1{\pm}4.0$ versus $9.2{\pm}3.0$ days) were not found significant differences (P>0.05). The postoperative complications were 1 patient with gastric stasis and 1 patient with wound seroma in LAPPG group and 1 patient with left lateral segment infarct of liver in the LADGB I group. Conclusion: Patients treated by LAPPG showed a comparable quality of surgical operation compared with those treated by LADGBI. LAPPG has an important role in the surgical management of early gastric cancer in terms of quality of postoperative life. Randomized controlled studies should be undertaken to analyze the optimal survival and long-term outcomes of this operative procedure.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.301-306
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• 2008

Purpose: Recently, a number of patients needed total thyroidectomy and high dose radioiodine therapy (HD-RAI) get increased more. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether pathological staging (PS) and serum thyroglobulin (sTG) level could replace the diagnostic I-123 scan for the determination of therapeutic dose of HD-RAI in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Materials and Methods: Fifty eight patients (M:F=13;45, age $44.5{\pm}11.5\;yrs$) who underwent total thyroidectomy and central or regional lymph node dissection due to differentiated thyroid cancer were enrolled. Diagnostic scan of I-123 and sTG assay were also performed on off state of thyroid hormone. The therapeutic doses of I-131 (TD) were determined by the extent of uptakes on diagnostic I-123 scan as a gold standard. PS was graded by the criteria recommended in 6th edition of AJCC cancer staging manual except consideration of age. For comparison of the determination of therapeutic doses, PS and sTG were compared with the results of I-123 scan. Results: All patients were underwent HD-RAI. Among them, five patients (8.6%) were treated with 100 mCi of I-131, fourty three (74.1%) with 150 mCi, six (10.3%) with 180 mCi, three (5.2%) with 200 mCi, and one (1.7%) with 250 mCi, respectively. On the assessment of PS, average TDs were $154{\pm}25\;mCi$ in stage I (n=9), $175{\pm}50\;mCi$ in stage II (n=4), $149{\pm}21\;mCi$ in stage III (n=38), and $161{\pm}20\;mCi$ in stage IV (n=7). The statistical significance was not shown between PS and TD (p=0.169). Among fifty two patients who had available sTG, 25 patients (48.1%) having below 2 ng/mL of sTG were treated with $149{\pm}26\;mCi$ of I-131, 9 patients (17.3%) having $2{\leq}\;sTG\;<5\;ng/mL$ with $156{\pm}17\;mCi$, 5 patients (9.6%) having $5{\leq}\;sTG\;<10\;ng/mL$ with $156{\pm}13\;mCi$, 7 patients (13.5%) having $10{\leq}sTG\;<50\;ng/mL$ with $147{\pm}24\;mCi$, and 6 patients (11.5%) having above 50 ng/mL with $175{\pm}42\;mCi$. The statistical significance between sTG level and TD (p=0.252) was not shown. Conclusion: In conclusion, PS and sTG could not replace the determination of TD using I-123 scan for first HD-RAI in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.