• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.216-223
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• 2009

Background: There have been limited reports on the effectiveness of 5% lidocaine patches (L5Ps) for treating a few types of chronic pain. We utilized L5Ps for chronic pain patients with various diagnoses and who had incompletely responded to their current treatment regimen. This study aimed at describing the results of a retrospective review of an open-label L5P trial to assess L5Ps' effectiveness and safety for treating various chronic pain patients. Methods: The chronic pain patients with pain lasting longer than 6-month duration were offered a 2-week L5P treatment trial. The patients were maintained on their other analgesic regimens. The treatment effect was measured according to the change from the baseline visual analog scale (VAS) to the week 2 VAS. After a 2-week trial, the patients were asked if they perceived pain improvement with L5Ps by using a four-item Pain Relief Scale (1 = a lot of relief, 2 = slight relief, 3 = no change, 4 = worse pain). Results: In the combined patient population (n = 177), 2-week treatment with the L5Ps significantly improved the week 2 VAS (P = 0.000). Significant improvement in the VAS was reported by the chronic pain patients with postherpetic neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia, degenerative osteoarthritis at knee joint, and other maladies. A higher proportion of the chronic pain patients reported improving their pain by the L5Ps. Seven patients experienced mild or moderate patch-related adverse events. Conclusions: The L5P provided clinically meaningful pain relief in some refractory chronic pain patients without any severe adverse events.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9823-9829
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• 2014

Background: High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is recognized as an efficient component of therapy against pediatric osteosarcoma in combination with other drugs such as cisplatin (CDP), carboplatin (CBDCA), doxorubicin (ADM), etoposide (VP-16) and ifosfamide (IFO). Objectives: To demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the HD-MTX/CDP/DOX/VP-16/IFO [MTX(+)] protocol comparable to CDP/ADM/CBDCA/IFO [MTX(-)] for treating childhood osteosarcoma at Ramathibodi Hospital (1999-2014). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of osteosarcoma patients aged less than 18 years treated with two chemotherapeutic regimens between 1999 and 2014. A total of 45 patients received the MTX(-) and 21 the MTX(+) protocol. Results: Overall limb-salvage and amputation rate were 12.9% and 77.7%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis results for 3-year disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) regardless of treatment regimens were $43.4{\pm}6.0%$ and $53.2{\pm}6.1%$ respectively. The 3-year DFS and OS were improved significantly with the MTX(+) protocol compared to MTX(-) protocol (p=0.010 and p=0.009, log rank test) [$69.8{\pm}10.5%$, $79.8{\pm}9.1%$ for MTX(+) and $31.1{\pm}6.9%$, $42.2{\pm}7.4%$ for MTX(-) protocol, respectively]. Patients with metastatic osteosarcoma treated with the MTX(+) protocol had statistically significant higher 3-year DFS and OS than those treated with the MTX(-) protocol ($66.7{\pm}13.6%$ and $15.0{\pm}8.0%$ for 3-year DFS, p=0.010, $73.3{\pm}13.2%$ and $20{\pm}8.9%$ for 3-year OS, p=0.006, respectively). The independent risk factors for having inferior 3-year DFS and OS were poor histological response (tumor necrosis <90%) and treatment with the MTX(-) protocol. The multivariate analysis identified only the treatment with the MTX(-) protocol as an independent predictor of inferior OS with a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.53 (95% confidence interval of 1.2-10.41, p=0.022). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the tolerability, feasibility and efficacy of the HDMTX-based regimen improving the survival rate in pediatric osteosarcoma cases, in line with reports from developed countries.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2669-2673
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• 2012

Purpose: Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most malignant tumors of the alimentary system, with relatively high incidence rates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of two regimens for advanced pancreatic carcinoma: continuous transarterial infusion versus systemic venous chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil. Methods: Of the 48 patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma receiving chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil, 24 received the selective transarterial infusion, and 24 the systemic chemotherapy. For the continuous transarterial infusion group (experimental group), all patients received gemcitabine 1000 mg/$m^2$, given by 30-minute transarterial infusion, on day 1 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles, and a dose of 600 mg/$m^2$ 5-fluorouracil was infused on days 1~5 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles. For the systemic venous group (control group), gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil were infused through a peripheral vein, a dose of 1000 mg/$m^2$ gemcitabine being administrated over 30 min on days 1 and 8 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles, and a dose of 600 mg/$m^2$ 5-fluorouracil was infused on days 1~5 of a 4-week cycle for 2 cycles. The effectiveness and safety were evaluated after 2 cyclesaccording to WHO criteria. Results:The objective effective rate in transarterial group was 33.3% versus 25% in the systemic group, the difference not being significant (P=0.626). Clinical benefit rates(CBR) in the transarterial and systemic groups were 83.3% and 58.3%, respectively (P=0.014). The means and medians for survival time in transarterial group were higher than those of the systemic group (P < 0.005). at the same time, the adverse effects did not significantly differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Continuous transarterial infusion chemotherapy with gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil could improve clinical benefit rate and survival time of patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma, compared with systemic venous chemotherapy. Since adverse effects were limited in the transarterial group, the regimen of continuous transarterial infusion chemotherapy can be used more extensively in clinical practice. A CT and MRI conventional sequence can be used for efficacy evaluation after chemotherapy in pancreatic carcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7171-7177
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• 2013

Purpose: To compare the safety and efficacy of first-line chemotherapy regimen with or without doxorubicin in treating patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 56 patients histologically confirmed with STS who were treated at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute from July 2011 to June 2012.The basic element of first line chemotherapy contained epirubicin in group B and lacked epirubicin in group A. Response was assessed using RECIST criteria. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate progress free survival (PFS). Results: According to RECIST criteria, patients in group treated by chemotherapy without epirubicin, the objective response (OR) ratio was 6.5 % (CR0%+PR6.5%). Disease control rate (DCR=CR+PR+SD) was 25.8% with a median follow-up of 14.6 months, including 2 patients achieving a partial response (PR 6.5%) and a stable response (SD 19.4%) in 6. In group B with epirubicin based regimens, no patient had complete response, PR (28 %) was observed in 7 and SD (24 %) in 6. DCR was observed in 13 patients (52%). By Fisher's exact test, the DCR difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.046). In group A, median PFS was 3.0 months (95%CI:2.1-3.8), compared with 4.0 months (95% CI:3.03-4.97) in group B (p=0.0397 by log-rank test). Epirubicin based chemotherapy and ECOG performance status 0-1 were identified as favorable factors for progression in our cohort of patients. Differences of nonhematologic and hematologic toxicities were not statistically significant between the two groups, and the addition of epirobicin was not associated with cardiac toxicity (p=0.446). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that epirubicin-based chemotherapy is effective and well tolerated, and is superior to chemotherapy without epirubicin regarding efficacy. Therefore it is recommended that epirubicin-based chemotherapy should be considered as first line for patients with advanced STS.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.334-341
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• 2001

Objective : We have currently changed treatment strategies to methotrexate(MTX)-based preirradiation chemotherapy with subsequent planned radiation for the initial therapy of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of treating PCNSL with chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (CRT) or radiotherapy(RT) alone. Method and Material : This study involved 10 females and 3 males patients with a mean age of 54.2 years. All patients underwent surgery, open(8 cases) or stereotactic biopsy(5 cases) for histological diagnosis. Eleven tumors were diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Tumor volume change in the follow-up images and survival time were evaluated in patients treated with CRT and RT alone. In the beginning, two patients received ProMACE-Cytabom chemotherapeutic regimen, but did not complete the course and died of progressive tumor 8 and 9 months after diagnosis, respectively. One patient died at 6 months before chemotherapy. These three were excluded from the survival analysis. Five patients(RT group) completed full courses of cranial irradiation with or without boost. For the current combined modality treatment, high-dose MTXbased chemotherapy(systemic and intrathecal MTX, IV vincristine, and oral procarbazine) followed by whole brain irrdiation to 45Gy to tumor was introduced in 5 patients of CRT group. Result : A complete response was achieved in three of five who received RT only and in all of five who received CRT. All patients in CRT groups are in disease free status at a mean 23 months following therapy. The RT group patients refused any additional salvage therapy at tumor relapse and survived at mean 20 months from diagnosis. The Karnofsky performance status improved in eight of ten patients with treatment. The treatment toxicity included leukoencephalopathy in RT group and severe leukopenia, transient hepatitis, avascular necrosis of femoral head, hearing loss, and amenorrhea in CRT group, respectively. Conclusion : The combined modality therapy of MTX-based chemotherapy plus radiotherapy for PCNSL may enhance tumor response and improve patient survival. The patients who received CRT should be carefully followed up because of the higher risk of treatment-induced late neurotoxicity.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.667-675
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• 2017

Objective : Total resection without consecutive postoperative whole brain radiation therapy is indicated for patients with a single or two sites of brain metastasis, with close follow-up by serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study, we explored the effectiveness, usefulness, and safety of this follow-up regimen. Methods : From January 2006 to December 2015, a total of 109 patients (76 males, 33 females) underwent tumor resection as the first treatment for brain metastases (97 patients with single metastases, 12 with two metastases). The mean age was 59.8 years (range 27-80). The location of the 121 tumors in the 109 patients was supratentorial (n=98) and in the cerebellum (n=23). The origin of the primary cancers was lung (n=45), breast (n=17), gastrointestinal tract (n=18), hepatobiliary system (n=8), kidney (n=7), others (n=11), and unknown origin (n=3). The 121 tumors were totally resected. Follow-up involved regular clinical and MRI assessments. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after tumor resection were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methods based on clinical prognostic factors. Results : During the follow-up, MRI scans were done for 85 patients (78%) with 97 tumors. Fifty-six of the 97 tumors showed no recurrence without adjuvant local treatment, representing a numerical tumor recurrence-free rate of 57.7%. Mean and median RFS was 13.6 and 5.3 months, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed the cerebellar location of the tumor as the only statistically significant prognostic factor related to RFS (p=0.020). Mean and median OS was 15.2 and 8.1 months, respectively. There were no significant prognostic factors related to OS. The survival rate at one year was 8.2% (9 of 109). Conclusion : With close and regular clinical and image follow-up, initial postoperative observation without prompt postoperative radiation therapy can be applied in patients of brain metastasi(e)s when both the tumor(s) are completely resected.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.229-239
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate and examine the relationship between dietary habits, food intake patterns, and depression in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Korean Version was used to determine whether a participant was depressed or not. The dietary habits were assessed by the Min-Dietary Assessment (MDA) method, and food intake data were collected by the 24-hour recall method on two non-consecutive days, at least 7 days apart, and the average of the two days was used to estimate the usual dietary intake. The total MDA scores of the Depression Group was significantly lower than that of the No-Depression Group ($31.5{\pm}6.4$ vs $33.4{\pm}6.0$, p = 0.027). The intake of cereals/potatoes/sugar products, milk and milk products, plant protein, and calcium for the Depression Group were significantly lower compared to the No-Depression Group. The Depression Group had a significantly higher percentage of energy intakes from protein as well as the consumption of fish and shellfish compared to the No-Depression Group. There was a significant inverse relationship between milk and milk products consumption and the prevalence of depression [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 0.390 (0.177-0.857); p for trend = 0.016]. There were also significant positive relationships between the prevalence of depression and the consumption of the following: fish and shellfish [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 2.319 (1.128-4.770); p for trend = 0.009], animal protein (p for trend = 0.049), and the percentage of energy intakes from protein [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared with the lowest: 2.546(1.156-5.609); p for trend = 0.025]. Further studies are needed in order to investigate whether the intake of protein and of animal protein is indeed associated with depression in PCOS patients in Korea and the possible mechanisms thereof. The results of our study can be applicable for the development of effective nutrition counseling and education programs regarding PCOS patients with depression as part of their successful treatment regimen.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2014

To develop an effective skin whitening agent for cosmetics, we isolated cucurbitacin B from Cucumis sativus L. which has been used as traditional skin lighting regimen by the bioactivity-guided fractionation, and investigated the inhibitory effects of cucurbitacin B on melanogenesis. At a non-cytotoxic concentration, cucurbitacin B reduced melanin contents of B16F1 melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cucurbitacin B did not directly inhibit mushroom tyrosinase activity, but it inhibited intracellular tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Its inhibitory mechanism on melanin biosynthesis was further assessed, and we found that cucurbitacin B significantly decreased the protein level of tyrosinase, a major melanogenic enzymes and MITF, a master transcriptional factor of melanogenesis. In addition, cucurbitacin B increased the expression of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) which is known to function as tumor repressor and inhibits $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin pathway. Collectively, these results suggest that cucuritacin B from C. sativus could be used as an active ingredient for skin whitening.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 1987

Total 390 mice were irradiated with $2{\times}3cm$ abdominal field and $200{\times}5/wk$ regimen with orthovoltage x-ray machine. All animals were divided into 2 large groups, damage and recovery, and histopathologic changes were analyzed at various total dose level (1,000 cCy-5,000 cCy) and intervals (1 week-15 weeks). Almost acute changes such as decreased mitotic activity, villi shortening and focal erosion of mucosa recovered within 1-2 weeks in 1,000-3,000 cGy irradiated group but mild changes persisted in 4,000 and 5,000 cCy irradiated groups. Chronic delayed changes such as thickening of vessel wall with focal thrombosis, submucosal fibrosis, mucosal atrophy and chronic ulcer were observed from 2-3 week specimens in 4,000 and 5,000 cGy groups, These late changes recovered slightly, as increasing time intervals after irradiation but mild, persistant changes were observed throught all follow up period. These data suggest hat even 4,000 cCy is not completely safe for possible permanent damage and judicious modificiation of total dose, dose rate, fraction size, and field size should be considered for better results.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.198-207
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• 2014

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of total body irradiation (TBI), as a conditioning regimen prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT), in pediatric acute leukemia patients. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2011, 28 patients, aged less than 18 years, were treated with TBI-based conditioning for allo-SCT in our institution. Of the 28 patients, 21 patients were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, 75%) and 7 were diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML, 25%). TBI was completed 4 days or 1 day before stem cell infusion. Patients underwent radiation therapy with bilateral parallel opposing fields and 6-MV X-rays. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival outcomes. Results: The 2-year event-free survival and overall survival rates were 66% and 56%, respectively (71.4% and 60.0% in AML patients vs. 64.3% and 52.4% in ALL patients, respectively). Treatment related mortality rate were 25%. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease was a major complication; other complications included endocrine dysfunction and pulmonary complications. Common complications from TBI were nausea (89%) and cataracts (7.1%). Conclusion: The efficacy and toxicity data in this study of TBI-based conditioning to pediatric acute leukemia patients were comparable with previous studies. However, clinicians need to focus on the acute and chronic complications related to allo-SCT.