• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.409-412
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• 2013

Curcumin (Cum) has been reported to have potential chemo-preventive and chemotherapeutic activity through influencing various processes, inducing cell cycle arrest, differentiation and apoptosis in a series of cancers. However, the poor solubility of Cum limits its further applications in the treatment of cancer. We have previously reported Cum-loaded nanoparticles (Cum-NPs) prepared with amphilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-polycaprolactone (mPEG-PCL) block copolymers. The current study demonstrated superior antitumor efficacy of Cum-NPs over free Cum in the treatment of lung cancer. In vivo evaluation further demonstrated superior anticancer effects of Cum-NPs by delaying tumor growth compared to free Cum in an established A549 transplanted mice model. Moreover, Cum-NPs showed little toxicity to normal tissues including bone marrow, liver and kidney at a therapeutic dose. These results suggest that Cum-NPs are effective to inhibit the growth of human lung cancer with little toxicity to normal tissues, and could provide a clinically useful therapeutic regimen. They thus merit more research to evaluate the feasibility of clinical application.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.186-192
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• 2019

Background: Diabetes is associated with cancer risk in the aging population. Observational studies have indicated the beneficial effects of metformin against breast cancer, making studies on the anticancer potential of antidiabetic drugs worthwhile. This study investigated cancer incidence in patients on antidiabetic monotherapy. Methods: Using National Health Insurance Service data (2002-2013), a retrospective cohort study that included type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients was conducted. Study subjects were enrolled if they were ${\geq}30$ years old, on monotherapy for diabetes, and cancer-free. They were followed up for cancer occurrence or death, until December 31st, 2013. A Cox proportional hazard model analysis was conducted between metformin and sulfonylurea (including meglitinide) users, to determine cancer risk, with adjustment for age, gender, comorbidity index, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and T2DM duration. Results: The number of antidiabetic monotherapy-treated T2DM patients without a history of cancer was 9,554 (metformin, n = 5,825; sulfonylurea, n = 3,225; others, n = 504). During the follow-up period (mean, 2.04; IQR, 3.18 years), the cancer incidence rate was 5.48/100 and 5.45/100 patient-years for metformin and sulfonylurea, respectively. The hazard ratio (HR) for risk of cancer incidence in the metformin group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.83; p < 0.0001), compared with sulfonylurea. Additionally, the HRs for risks of lung, liver, and stomach cancer were respectively 0.46 (95% CI, 0.31-0.66; p < 0.0001), 0.41 (95% CI, 0.31-0.54; p < 0.0001), and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.35-0.73; p = 0.0003). Conclusion: Antidiabetic therapy with metformin reduces cancer risk by 26%, specifically for lung, liver, and stomach cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.244-248
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• 2009

Primary myelofibrosis is characterized by replacement of bone marrow with fibrotic tissue and the development of extramedullary hematopoiesis. Extramedullary hematopoiesis primarily involves the spleen and liver, but can also occur in the lungs. We report the case of an 80-year-old male who was admitted for evaluation of a lung mass and persistent thrombocytopenia. A percutaneous needle aspiration from the mass in the right lower lung showed myelopoietic cells with fatty tissue. A bone marrow biopsy revealed a hypercellular marrow with an increased number of atypical megakaryocytes. The final diagnosis was a prefibrotic stage of primary myelofibrosis leading to extramedullary hematopoiesis in the lung.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.4 s.55
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• pp.765-783
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• 1996

This study surveyed and measured the level and structure of cancer deaths and their trends over time for offering the fundamental data of e cancer prevention and control in Pusan city in the future. Authors conducted the study of descriptive epidemiology using materials derived from the computerized data of total 3,722 certified cancer deaths in Pusan city from January 1 to December 31, 1993 registered on the National Statistical Once, the Republic of Korea. The obtained results were as follows: 1. According to the total registered cases of deaths(16,331 cases) in Pusan city during 1993, cancer(3,722 cases) and cerebrovascular disease(2,118 cases) were the first and second cause of deaths as 23.1% and 16.9%, respectively. These pattern showed the change between cancer (14.7%) and cerebrovascular disease(18.5%) in order of frequency in comparison to 1982. Also, the total number of cancer deaths was increased in comparison to 1982. The rate of death certification by physicians was 87.1% of all registered deaths, which was increased to 6.8% in comparison to 1982(80.3%). 2. Crude death rate and cancer specific death rate was 4.06 per 1,000 populations and 93.8 per 100,000 populations(male:117.8, female:70.0), respectively. The former was similar to that of 1982, but the latter was increased to 1.6 times as that of 1982. 3. Age-adjusted cancer specific death rate by standardization with whole country population was 111.9(male:141.5, female:106.7) per 100,000 populations, higher than not age-adjusted cancer specific death rate(93.8), and the sex difference was statistically significant with male predominance (p<0.05). 4. Cancer specific death rate by age was generally increased with age and most of cancer deaths(male:91.8%, female:88.5%) occurred since 40 years old. 5. The major cancer(cancer specific death rate per 100,000 populations) in male was liver(30.6) followed by stomach(25.6), lung(21.9), and GB and EHBD(5.7), in female stomach(15.7), liver(9.9), lung(7.3), and uterus(6.9). The relative frequency of the leading three cancer among total cancer deaths marked 66.3% in male and 47.l% in female, and decreased in comparison to 1982(male:72.2%, female:54.5%). 6. The total ratio of male to female cancer specific death rate showed 1.68 to 1 with male predominance. And the ratio was above 2.0 in larynx, oral cavity & pharynx, esophagus, liver, lung, bladder cancer and the ratio was $1.0\sim1.9$ in stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and EHBD, brain, rectum and anus cancer, leukemia, but the ratio was reversed in thyroid and colon cancer. In conclusion, cancer was the first cause of deaths. The proportion of lung cancer was increased, that of stomach & uterine cancer was decreased relatively, and liver cancer was constantly higher proportion. In the future, it is necessary to conduct the further investigations on the cancer risk factors considering areal specificity.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 1981

Bone scans with $^{99m}Tc-MDP$ (methylene diphosphonate) were obtained and analysed in 574 patients with biopsy-proven malignancy, who visited Seoul National University Hospital from April, 1979 to June, 1931. Clinical staging was done in all patients without bone scan information and compared with bone scan to determine the predictive value of bone scanning. 1. Primary site of the maligancies were lung in 152, breast in 97, stomach in 43, colon in 15, esophagus in 9, liver and pancreas in 11, kidney in 14, bladder in 27, prostate in 22, thyroid in 20, skin in 11, bone in 9, head and neck in 36, ovary and uterus in 17, hematopoietic and lymphoretic ular system in 33, nervous system in 10, and others in 9 cases. Primary site was not defined in 39 cases. 2. Bone scans were positive in 186 cases (32.4%), which, included 48 cases (31.6%) of lung cancer, 27 cases (27.8%) of breast cancer, 12 cases(28%) of stomach cancer, 6 cases(40%) of colon cancer, 6 cases(43%) of kidney tumor, 4 cases(15%) of bladder cancer, 14 cases(64%) of prostate cancer, 3 cases(15%) of thyroid cancer and 66 other cases. 3. Bone scans were suspicious in 64 cases (11.2%) which included 29 cases (19.1%) of lung cancer, 10 cases (10.3%) of breast cancer, 4 cases (9.3%) of stomach cancer, one case (7%) of colon cancer, 3 cases(11%) of bladder cancer, 2 cases(10%) of thyroid cancer and 15 other cases. 4. Out of 121 cases with early stage of malignancy (which included 20 cases of lung cancer in stage I, II, 38 cases of breast cancer, 13 cases of stomach cancer, 8 cases of kidney tumor, 14 cases of thyroid cancer in stage $I{\sim}III$, and 6 cases of colon cancer, 14 cases of bladder cancer, 8 cases of prostate cancer in stage $A{\sim}C$, bone scans were positive in 5 cases (4.1%) which included 3 cases of lung cancer one case of breast cancer and one case of prostate cancer, and considered as further advanced stage. Out of 121 cases with early stage of malgnancy, bone scans were suspicious in 21 cases (17.4%) which inlcuded 9 cases of lung cancer, 4 cases of breast cancer, 2 cases of stomach cancer, one case of colon cancer, 3 cases of bladder cancer, and 2 cases of thyroid cancer. From these results, we concluded bone scan was useful in detecting bone metastasis in patients of early stage of malignancy, determining prognosis and establishing therapentic plan.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2009

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several human diseases as multi-copy members in the human genome. Their gene expression profiling could provide us with important insights into the pathogenic relationship between HERVs and cancer. In this study, we have evaluated the genomic structure and quantitatively determined the expression patterns in the env gene of a variety of HERV family members located on six specific loci by the RetroTector 10 program, as well as real-time RT-PCR amplification. The env gene transcripts evidenced significant differences in the human tumor/normal adjacent tissues (colon, liver, uterus, lung and testis). As compared to the adjacent normal tissues, high levels of expression were noted in testis tumor tissues for HERV-K, in liver and lung tumor tissues for HERV-R, in liver, lung, and testis tumor tissues for HERV-H, and in colon and liver tumor tissues for HERV-P. These data warrant further studies with larger groups of patients to develop biomarkers for specific human cancers.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2015

In this study, the reduction of dose and risk was evaluated from using automatic mA control in 4D CT scan of patients whose organ movement was considered for gated radiotherapy. The organ doses, CTDI, effective doses from 4D CT with and without using automatic mA control were evaluated using CT-Expo program for each 10 patients of liver and lung cancer, and the risk of exposure induced death and loss of life expectancy were evaluated using PCXMC program. It was founded that there were 26.8%, and 15.5% dose reduction in organ doses and CTDI for liver and lung cancer patients and 16.5% and 19.8% risk reduction in liver and lung cancer patients. The organ doses and effective doses were evaluated for the parameter of each patient used in CT scans, and risks considering age and gender could be evaluated. It was founded that there were 21.2% dose reduction and 18.2% risk reduction in 4D CT scan using AEC for liver and lung cancer patients.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.266-273
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• 2002

The dose dependence of the severity of radiation-induced thymic lymphoma in C57BL/6J mice was studied. Mice were exposed to fractionated irradiation at the total doses of 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 Gy (four irradiations at 8-day intervals) starting from 33 days after birth. Pathological and histological changes of each mouse were observed after periodical sacrifice at day 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300 after the first irradiation. The severity of cancers were classified into 4 stages by clinical signs with respect to the enlargement of the thymus, spleen, liver, the progression of the cancer in the thymus, and the metastasis to the spleen, liver, lung and the lymphatic nodes. Among the 490 mice observed, 146 mice had thymic lymphoma. A clear dose-effect relationship was observed as well as the dose-response relationship. Also, periodical observation showed that thymic lymphoma was first induced in mice sacrificed at day 100 (130days old), and metastasize in the order of spleen, lung, liver and then the lymphatic nodes. The results suggest that radiation may be involved not only as a tumor initiator but also as a tumor promoter, and a tumor progression-enhancing agent.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.231-238
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• 2000

Objective : To estimate the burden of diseases in Korea especially caused by major cancers using the YLL(years of life lost due to premature death) measurement. Methods : First, we determined the parameters: such as age-specific standard life expectancy, age on death, sex, cause of death by analyzing the national death certificate data and life table collected during 1996 provided by the National Statistical Office. Secondly, we estimated the age group-specific YLL by employing standard expected years of life lost(SEYLL). Thirdly, final burden of disease due to premature death was estimated by using YLLs measurement which developed by global burden of disease study group. Results : The burden of premature death by cancer for male was attributed mainly to liver cancer(514.5 person-year), stomach cancer(436.4 person-year), and lung cancer(367.7 person-year). Each of these cancers was responsible for the loss of over 100 person-year based on our YLL measurement. The burden of premature death by cancer for female was attributed mainly to liver cancer(135.1 person-year), stomach cancer(252.1 person-year), and lung cancer(121.8 person-year). Each of these cancers was responsible for the loss of over 100 person year based on our YLL measurement. Conclusion : We found the YLL method employed in this study was appropriate to quantify the burden of premature death. Thereby, it would provide a rational bases to plan a national health policy regarding premature death caused by cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3605-3616
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• 2015

Cancer is basically a class of disorder marked by uncontrolled proliferation of cells which have the potential to interfere with different systems of body like digestive, central nervous and circulatory systems by releasing hormones. Tumors that reside only in a specified location and show restricted growth are commonly characterized as benign tumors. When tumor cells grow and effectively spread to other body parts and potentially invade and damage healthy tissues they show various degrees of malignancy. Cancer may be caused by different factors like gene mutations, carcinogens and some medical factors that harm the immune system of the body. Symptoms of cancer are relatively varied and classified according to location, progression pattern and size of tumors as well. Different diagnostic tests are used for evaluation that depends on the type of cancer. Cancer management and chemo protocols also depend on the progression and site where it develops. Cancers like breast, lung, liver, colorectal, prostate, head and neck carcinoma are most commonly diagnosed in Pakistan. This review briefly describes the three most common cancers prevailing in Pakistan and their management evaluation.