• 대한두경부종양학회지
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.5-13
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• 1987

Cancer of the head and neck is an uncommon disease accounting for 5 % of all cancers. In an anatomic area so readily visible and palpable for examination without special and expensive diagnositic tools, it is unfortunate that many patients still present with advanced diseases. Since the prognosis is so intimately related to stage of disease, it is very important to detect the earliest stage of cancer with a complete head and neck examination. In the evaluation of cancer at any anatomic site, the description of the extent of the lesion is important. Not only does proper staging of the tumor lead to make decision of the most appropriate treatment, it also serves as a guide for the results of treatment. Proper staging demands a careful clinical assesment of the extent of the cancer. The current staging system for head and neck cancer uses the TNM system devised by American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End Result Reporting. T represent the primary tumor, N, regional nodal metastases, and M, distant metastases. The detection, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of eary cancer will result in improved survival.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제23권12호
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• pp.1126-1240
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• 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the fourth most common cancer among men in South Korea, where the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection is high in middle and old age. The current practice guidelines will provide useful and sensible advice for the clinical management of patients with HCC. A total of 49 experts in the fields of hepatology, oncology, surgery, radiology, and radiation oncology from the Korean Liver Cancer Association-National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guideline Revision Committee revised the 2018 Korean guidelines and developed new recommendations that integrate the most up-to-date research findings and expert opinions. These guidelines provide useful information and direction for all clinicians, trainees, and researchers in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.3819-3823
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• 2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The outcome of HCC depends mainly on its early diagnosis. To date, the performance of traditional biomarkers is unsatisfactory. Talins were firstly identified as cytoplasmic protein partners of integrins but Talin-1 appears to play a crucial role in cancer formation and progression. Our study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of serum Talin-1 (TLN1) compared to the most feasible traditional biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of HCC. Methods: TLN1 was detected using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 120 Egyptian subjects including 40 with HCC, 40 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 40 healthy controls (HC). Results: ROC curve analysis was used to create a predictive model for TLN1 relative to AFP in HCC diagnosis. Serum levels of TLN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma patients were significantly higher compared to the other groups (p<0.0001). The diagnostic accuracy of TLN1 was higher than that of AFP regarding sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value in diagnosis of HCC. Conclusions: The present study showed for the first time that Talin-1 (TLN1) is a potential diagnostic marker for HCC, with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to the traditional biomarker AFP.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.897-902
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• 2000

Objective : The study was to investigate Diagnosis and Treatment Based on an Overall Analysis of Signs and Symtoms(證治) of a patient on stomach cancer stage IV by means of the clinical symptoms. Methods : The observation of the clinical progress was carried out by conducting Diagnosis and Treatment Based on an Overall Analysis of Signs and Symtoms(證治) with the patient diagnosed stomach cancer stage IV. Results : Treatments such as the invigoration of qi(補氣), the flow of qi(行氣), and the relieving pain(止痛) was given because the patient showed the qi deficiency of the spleen and stomach(脾胃氣虛). There were moderate effects for anorexia, indigestion, nausea, and general weakness, but there was not any clear effect for alleviation of abdominal pain except the first period. Specially, compared with two hospitalization treatments in 1998, the third hospitalization treatment did not show any apparent improvement. It was believed that this caused by the patients bodily weakness because of deterioration of anemia from bleeding in the progress of cancer. Conclusion : Diagnosis and treatment based on an overall analysis of signs and symtoms(證治) of a patient on stomach cancer stage IV had moderate effects on the improvement of the patients condition, but in this case we had difficulty in long-term observation because of short hospitalizations or insufficient examination by an oriental-western combined medicine group.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.707-712
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• 2015

Background: To evaluate use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a logistic model including risk factors for lymph node metastasis for improved diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 176 patients with rectal cancer who underwent preoperative MRI. The longest lymph node diameter was measured and a cut-off value for positive lymph node metastasis was established based on a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A logistic model was constructed based on MRI findings and risk factors for lymph node metastasis extracted from logistic-regression analysis. The diagnostic capabilities of MRI alone and those of the logistic model were compared using the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve. Results: The cut-off value was a diameter of 5.47 mm. Diagnosis using MRI had an accuracy of 65.9%, sensitivity 73.5%, specificity 61.3%, positive predictive value (PPV) 62.9%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 72.2% [AUC: 0.6739 (95%CI: 0.6016-0.7388)]. Age (<59) (p=0.0163), pT (T3+T4) (p=0.0001), and BMI (<23.5) (p=0.0003) were extracted as independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Diagnosis using MRI with the logistic model had an accuracy of 75.0%, sensitivity 72.3%, specificity 77.4%, PPV 74.1%, and NPV 75.8% [AUC: 0.7853 (95%CI: 0.7098-0.8454)], showing a significantly improved diagnostic capacity using the logistic model (p=0.0002). Conclusions: A logistic model including risk factors for lymph node metastasis can improve the accuracy of MRI diagnosis of rectal cancer.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.252-258
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• 2014

Purpose: The macroscopic diagnosis of tumor invasion through the serosa during surgery is not always distinct in patients with gastric cancer. The prognostic impact of the difference between macroscopic findings and pathological diagnosis of serosal invasion is not fully elucidated and needs to be re-evaluated. Materials and Methods: A total of 370 patients with locally advanced pT2 to pT4a gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery were enrolled in this study. Among them, 155 patients with pT3 were divided into three groups according to the intraoperative macroscopic diagnosis of serosal invasion, as follows: serosa exposure (SE)(-) (no invasion, 72 patients), SE(${\pm}$) (ambiguous, 47 patients), and SE(+) (definite invasion, 36 patients), and the clinicopathological features, surgical outcomes, and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. Results: A comparison of the 5-year DFS between pT3_SE(-) and pT2 groups and between pT3_SE(+) and pT4a groups revealed that the differences were not statistically significant. In addition, in a subgroup analysis of pT3 patients, the 5-year DFS was 75.1% in SE(-), 68.5% in SE(${\pm}$), and 39.4% in SE(+) patients (P<0.05). In a multivariate analysis to evaluate risk factors for tumor recurrence, macroscopic diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], SE(-) : SE(${\pm}$) : SE(+)=1 : 1.01 : 2.45, P=0.019) and lymph node metastasis (HR, N0 : N1 : N2 : N3=1 : 1.45 : 2.20 : 9.82, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for recurrence. Conclusions: Gross inspection of serosal invasion by the surgeon had a strong impact on tumor recurrence in gastric cancer patients. Consequently, the gross appearance of serosal invasion should be considered as a factor for predicting patients' prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.2443-2446
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• 2013

Published data have shown that the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1) in plasma and pleural effusion might be usefulness for lung cancer diagnosis. Here, we performed a prospective study to investigate the utility of VEGF and sVEGFR-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for differential diagnosis of primary lung cancer. A total of 56 patients with solitary pulmonary massed by chest radiograph or CT screening were enrolled in this study. BALF and plasma samples were obtained from all patients and analyzed for VEGF and sVEGFR-1 using a commercially available sandwich ELISA kit. The results showed that the levels of VEGF in BALF were significantly higher in patients with a malignant pulmonary mass compared with patients with a benign mass (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference of sVEGFR-1 in BALF was found between malignant and non-malignant groups (P = 0.43). With a cut-off value of 214 pg/ml, VEGF showed a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% and 84.2%, respectively, in predicting the malignant nature of a solitary pulmonary mass. Our study suggests that VEGF is significantly increased in BALF among patients with lung cancer than in benign diseases. Measurement of VEGF in BALF might be helpful for differential diagnosis of primary lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.641-646
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• 2015

Breast cancer (BC) is potentially a traumatic stressor which may be associated with negative outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or positive changes, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aims to identify the core issues of BC related PTSD, PTG and psychological distress by interrogating the literature in BC survivors. We have also highlighted issues related to the assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of PTSD and PTG. The authors systematically reviewed studies published from 1985 to 2014 pertaining to PTSD, psychological distress and PTG in BC survivors with particular attention paid to incidence rates and causative factors. Multiple studies intimated that women with BC have evidence of PTSD at the initial stages of diagnosis, whereas PTG develops once patients undergo treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD/PTG is paramount from literature review but the previously mentioned relationship between PTSD and PTG in BC patients could not be verified. It is evident from the literature that a small percentage of BC patients experience PTSD, while the majority experience PTG after BC diagnosis and treatment. Future research should include prospective studies focusing on high-risk patients, causative factors and the development of psychological interventions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권20호
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• pp.8793-8796
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• 2014

Objective: To explore the influence of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level on therapeutic outcome and diagnosis/prognostic value in patients with cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer by biopsy were selected and treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted before treatment to assess VEGF levels, and its relationships with clinicopathological features and short-term therapeutic effects were analyzed. Results: The median VEGF level in 37 patients before treatment was 647.15 (393.35~1125.16) pg/mL. Serum VEGF levels in patients aged <50 years, in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIa~IVa, with lymph node metastasis and tumor size >4 cm were significantly increased (P<0.05). The complete remission (CR) rate was 48.7% (18/37), partial remission (PR) rate was 35.1% (13/37), stable disease (SD) rate was 13.5% (5/37) and progressive disease (PD) rate was 2.70% (1/37), so the objective remission rate (ORR) after treatment was 83.8% (31/37). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size and serum VEGF level before treatment were independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic outcome, and the higher the level of serum VEGF, the worse the prognosis when tumor size>4 cm. Some 56.8% of patients manifested with myelosuppression, 37.8% with leucopenia, 24.3% with thrombocytopenia, 5.41% with diarrhea, 46.0% with nausea and vomiting, 21.6% with hair loss and 8.11% with hepatic and renal injury during the treatment. Conclusions: Serum VEGF level may reflect the degree of malignancy of cervical cancer and predict therapeutic effect, which is of great importance to cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제51권
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• pp.6.1-6.9
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• 2021

Histopathology is a well-established standard diagnosis employed for the majority of malignancies, including breast cancer. Nevertheless, despite training and standardization, it is considered operator-dependent and errors are still a concern. Fractal dimension analysis is a computational image processing technique that allows assessing the degree of complexity in patterns. We aimed here at providing a robust and easily attainable method for introducing computer-assisted techniques to histopathology laboratories. Slides from two databases were used: A) Breast Cancer Histopathological; and B) Grand Challenge on Breast Cancer Histology. Set A contained 2480 images from 24 patients with benign alterations, and 5429 images from 58 patients with breast cancer. Set B comprised 100 images of each type: normal tissue, benign alterations, in situ carcinoma, and invasive carcinoma. All images were analyzed with the FracLac algorithm in the ImageJ computational environment to yield the box count fractal dimension (Db) results. Images on set A on 40x magnification were statistically different (p = 0.0003), whereas images on 400x did not present differences in their means. On set B, the mean Db values presented promising statistical differences when comparing. Normal and/or benign images to in situ and/or invasive carcinoma (all p < 0.0001). Interestingly, there was no difference when comparing normal tissue to benign alterations. These data corroborate with previous work in which fractal analysis allowed differentiating malignancies. Computer-aided diagnosis algorithms may beneficiate from using Db data; specific Db cut-off values may yield ~ 99% specificity in diagnosing breast cancer. Furthermore, the fact that it allows assessing tissue complexity, this tool may be used to understand the progression of the histological alterations in cancer.