• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.68-80
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• 2013

Lung cancer is considered to be the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. A technique commonly used consists of analyzing sputum images for detecting lung cancer cells. However, the analysis of sputum is time consuming and requires highly trained personnel to avoid errors. The manual screening of sputum samples has to be improved by using image processing techniques. In this paper we present a Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system for early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer based on the analysis of the sputum color image with the aim to attain a high accuracy rate and to reduce the time consumed to analyze such sputum samples. In order to form general diagnostic rules, we present a framework for segmentation and extraction of sputum cells in sputum images using respectively, a Bayesian classification method followed by region detection and feature extraction techniques to determine the shape of the nuclei inside the sputum cells. The final results will be used for a (CAD) system for early detection of lung cancer. We analyzed the performance of a Bayesian classification with respect to the color space representation and quantification. Our methods were validated via a series of experimentation conducted with a data set of 100 images. Our evaluation criteria were based on sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.495-503
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• 2008

Purpose: To date most research related to patients with breast cancer has discriminately investigated the status within or after the treatment although the patients demand holistic nursing care from the time of diagnosis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the trajectory of breast cancer diagnosis and patients' experiences in the pre-treatment period. Method: This qualitative study used qualitative thematic analysis. Nineteen Korean women who were diagnosed with breast cancer within the last 6 month participated in the study. Individualized interviews were conducted with each participant in a cancer center in K city. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the thematic analysis process. Results: The overriding theme was "the scattered life in an unforeseen swirl", which illustrates the participants' unexpected crisis with confusion and emotional distress. Two subthemes included "falling into an unavoidable journey", and "staggering in a muddle with urgency". The categories were "unexpected probability", "nagging nodularity", "ominous presentiment", "emotional upheaval", "bad thought intrusion", and "a sense of urgency". Conclusion: Patients in the pre-treatment period encountered utter emotional distress and a sense of urgency after being diagnosed breast cancer. Strategies to develop nursing care for patients in this period and nursing implications are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.6989-6999
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• 2014

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major healthcare problems worldwide and its processes of genesis include a sequence of molecular pathways from adenoma to carcinoma. The discovery of microRNAs, a subset of regulatory non-coding RNAs, has added new insights into CRC diagnosis and management. Together with several causes of colorectal neoplasia, aberrant expression of oncomiRs (oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs) in cancer cells was found to be indirectly result in up- or down-regulation of targeted mRNAs specific to tumor promoter or inhibitor genes. The study of miRNAs as CRC biomarkers utilizes expression profiling methods from traditional tissue samples along with newly introduced non-invasive samples of faeces and body fluids. In addition, miRNAs could be employed to predict chemo- and radio-therapy responses and be manipulated in order to alleviate CRC characteristics. The scope of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of scientific literature describing aberrantly expressed miRNAs, and consequently dysregulation of targeted mRNAs along with the potential role of miRNAs in CRC diagnosis and prognosis, as well as to summarize the recent findings on miRNA-based manipulation methods with the aim of advancing in anti-CRC therapies.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.59-62
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• 2002

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3593-3601
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• 2013

Background: For a number of reasons from cultural compatibility, to accessibility, to cost, traditional healers are a major source of health care in developing countries. In Malaysia, it's been estimated that upwards of 80% of the population consult traditional healers even if simultaneously seeking treatment from the Western medical system. Partially as a result of the widespread practice of visiting traditional healers, cancer diagnosis and treatment in Malaysia is often delayed or interrupted resulting in late presentation, advanced stage diagnosis, and a higher mortality rate than in Western countries. However, there is very little research on the role of traditional healers in cancer treatment in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was designed to identify the roles traditional healers play in cancer diagnosis and treatment, with an eye to alleviating the cancer burden through educational responses with four publics in mind-policy makers, Western medical personnel, traditional healers, and the general public. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 Malay traditional healers, 13 cancer survivors who had seen both traditional healers and Western doctors, and 12 cancer medical specialists. Results: Analysis of the data from these 39 participants revealed four roles traditional healers play in cancer treatment-medicinal healer, emotional comforter, spiritual guide, and palliative caregiver. Conclusions: Three roles (emotional, spiritual, palliative) can be seen as complementary to the allopathic system. Emotional and spiritual roles may augment the effectiveness of biomedical treatment. Cancer awareness and education programs need to position traditional healers as complementary, rather than an alternative to Western medical treatment; Validating the roles Traditional Healers can play in cancer treatment in MY through health promotion and education will contribute to alleviating the nation's cancer burden.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 2020

Background: The incidence of skin cancer, which is primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, has steadily increased in recent years. The authors of the present study sought to investigate changes in the epidemiology of skin cancer by conducting a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with skin cancer who received related care at a single medical institution. Methods: The present study included patients who were diagnosed with skin cancer and received treatment at Gyeongsang National University Hospital from 2008 to 2018. The site and type of skin cancer, the number of patients with skin cancer each year, the sex and sex ratio of the patients, and changes in patients' age at first diagnosis were examined through retrospective chart reviews. Results: The number of patients with skin cancer significantly increased, but statistically significant changes were not found in patients' sex, skin cancer sites, or the types of skin cancer. However, patients' age at the first diagnosis of skin cancer showed a statistically significant decrease starting in 2015. Conclusion: In this study, the number of patients with skin cancer increased over time. However, patients' age at first diagnosis has decreased since 2015. Therefore, younger patients should take care to prevent skin cancer, and further research on the causes of skin cancer in younger patients is needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2005

Objectives : To analyze medical expenses by cancer site and survival time among cancer patients in their last year of life. Method : The study subjects were 45,394 people that had died of cancers in 2002, were registered by the Korea Central Cancer Registry and received National Health Insurance benefit in the last year (360 days) of life. Personal identification data, general characteristics, dates of death and cancer incidence, and site of cancer were collected from the National Statistical Office and the Korea Central Cancer Registry, and merged with the data of the individual medical expenses of the Health Insurance Review Agency. Results : Average monthly cost curves were U-shaped with high costs near the time of diagnosis and death, and lower costs in between. Medical expenses in the last year of life were around 30.3, 16.7, 13.0, and 12.1 million won among leukemia, lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer patients, respectively. Digestive organ cancers including stomach, esophagus, liver, pancreas, and colorectal cancers had relatively low medical expenses. Medical expenses in the last year of life were inverse U-shaped with high expenses near one year of survival. Average monthly cost in the 12 months before death among the patients who had survived $10{\sim}15$ years were more than two-fold greater than the cost before diagnosis among those who had survived for less than one year. Conclusions : Leukemia was the most expensive cancer. It is possible that once diagnosed as cancer, medical expenses do not return to the level before diagnosis. Further research will be needed to understand the magnitude and change of the medical expenses among cancer patients with long term follow up data.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.59-66
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• 2021

Purposes: This study aimed to identify relevant factors that determine cancer surgery at a medium-sized general hospital where patients are diagnosed with cancer. Methodology: The study subjects were 1,530 patients diagnosed with cancer between November 2013 and October 2019 at a 400-bed general hospital located in the metropolitan area. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the patient characteristics, cancer types, and characteristics of treatment experience of the study subjects, in addition to the determinants of cancer surgery in the hospital. Findings: Among 1,530 cases diagnosed with cancer, 353 cases (23.1%) were operated at the hospital where the cancer diagnosis was made. As determinants of surgery after a fist-time diagnosis at a general hospital, the likelihood of having surgery at the hospital, for colorectal cancer patients compared to stomach cancer patients (Odds Ratio=2.38), bladder and kidney cancer patients (Odds Ratio=1.79). According to the results of an additional survey conducted, it was found that important determinants of decisions on a hospital to receive cancer surgery were the kindness of the staff including doctors and nurses, and the trust in the medical skills and technique of the doctor. Practical Implication: The management of general hospitals should take note of the fact that it is important to establish proactive strategies for hospital management including strengthening the rapport between patients and medical institutions based on the kindness of medical staff (doctors and nurses) and staff, in addition to promoting cancer adequacy evaluation results and introducing one-stop systems.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 2015

While mammography has been used for diagnosis of breast cancer in Kazakhstan for a long period, published data are very limited. Recently stress has been placed on increasing the accuracy by double reading of mammograms. Here we provide an overview of breast cancer screening in the different regions of Kazakhstan with data on the stages of cancers detected. A total 459,816 women aged 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 years were screened in 2012 and 379,903 in the first 9 months of 2013. Clear differences in levels of detection were noted between urban and rural residents, the latter demonstrating lower rates for both screening and cancer detection. Women aged 50 were more likely to undergo screening than their counterparts aged 60. While there were no clear relationships evident between screening rates and stage or numbers of breast cancers observed, this might be due to a number of complicating factors like geographical variation in risk factors as well as ethnicity. Future analyses should focus on the efficacy of mammography in Kazakhstan to reduce mortality.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.213-223
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• 2001

Breast cancer accounts for the higher proportion of cancer related deaths among women, and the incidence of this malignant disease is still increasing. The commonly used screening method is mammography. However, mammography has the drawback of low specificity in differentiating malignant and benign breast diseases. To overcome this low specificity of mammography, scintimammography using various radiopharmaceuticals such as Thallium-201, Tc-99m MIBI, Tc-99m tetrofosmin and Tc-99m MDP was introduced and now actively under the investigation. Several studios have shown that high sensitivity and specificity in detection of primary breast cancer and axillary lymph node metastases using these radiopharmaceuticals. Scintimammography may play important roles in the diagnosis of primary breast cancer, evaluation of the patients with high risk, determining axillary lymph node metastasis, evaluation of the response to chemotherapy, determining the extent of disease, and surveillance of local recurrence. In the future, we should investigate the prognostic role of scintimammography after treatment of breast cancer patients and cost-effectiveness of scintimammography in the detection of primary breast cancer.