• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.215-220
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the rate, patterns, and risk factors associated with tumor recurrence in patients with T1N0 gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 8,753 patients with pathological T1N0M0 gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy between 1994 and 2014 at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine were examined. Results: Among the 8,753 patients, 95 patients (1.1%) experienced tumor recurrence; this included 31 remnant, 27 hematogenous, 9 lymph nodal, 5 peritoneal, and 23 multiple-site recurrences. When patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of tumor recurrence, the following characteristics were higher in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group: older age (${\geq}65years$), male gender, undifferentiated histology, submucosal invasion, and venous invasion. In multivariate analysis, older age, male gender, tumor depth (sm2 and sm3 invasion), and venous invasion were independent risk factors for tumor recurrence. The recurrence rates were 0.7% in patients with less than two risk factors, 1.7% in those with two risk factors, 3.0% in those with three risk factors, and 6.3% in those with four risk factors (P<0.001). Conclusions: Although tumor recurrence is rare in pT1N0M0 gastric cancer, some patients with certain risk factors demonstrate an increased rate of tumor recurrence. Careful follow-up is required for patients with three or four risk factors.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2004

Purpose: There is no established treatment-related prognostic factor for gastric cancer except a curative tumor resection. This study was done to clarify the prognostic value of early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) in patients with serosa-positive gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the postoperative survival data of 209 patients with serosapositive gastric cancer treated by surgery and chemotherapy. The survival period for patients was calculated from the date of resection until cancer-related death or the last date of follow-up; Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted and compared by using the log-rank test. A multivariate analysis was done by using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Statistically significant differences in survival rates were noted based on gender, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, stage, location of tumor, macroscopic type, extent of gastric resection, curability of surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy. Five-year survival rates of patients who received EPIC and systemic chemotherapy were 49 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively (P=0.009). A multivariate analysis revealed that invasion of an adjacent organ, lymph node metastasis, total gastrectomy, and palliative surgery were poor independent prognostic factors. Also, EPIC had a marginal prognostic value (P=0.056). Conclusion: Perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy can possibly be one of the independent prognostic indicators in case of serosa-positive gastric cancer. (J Korean Gastric Cancer Assoc 2004;4:89-94)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3141-3145
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• 2015

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one the common lethal cancers in Iran. Detection of GC in the early stages would assesses to improve the survival of patients. In this study, we attempt to evaluate the accuracy of EUS in detection depth of invasion of GC among Iranian Patients. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective study of patients with pathologically confirmed GC. They underwent EUS before initiating the treatment. The accuracy of EUS and agreement between the two methods was evaluated by comparing pre treatment EUS finding with post operative histopathological results. Results: The overall accuracy of EUS for T and N staging was 67.9% and 75.47, respectively. Underestimation and overestimation was seen in 22 (14.2%) and 40 (25.6%) respectively. The EUS was more accurate in large tumors and the tumors located in the middle and lower parts of the stomach. The EUS was more sensitive in T3 staging. The values of weighted Kappa from the T and N staging were 0.53 and 0.66, respectively. Conclusions: EUS is a useful modality for evaluating the depth of invasion of GC. The accuracy of EUS was higher if the tumor was located in the lower parts of the stomach and the size of the tumor was more than 3 cm. Therefore, judgments made upon other criteria evaluated in this study need to be reconsidered.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5709-5714
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• 2015

Aim: To assess the treatment outcome in patients with malignant skin melanoma and prognostic factors for distant metastases (DM), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 113 patients with malignant skin melanoma (60 females, 53 males, average age-55 years) who were treated surgically. Primary treatment consisted of local excision. In 12 cases, it was accompanied by lymph node excision. In 93 (82%) cases, radicalization was necessary, which was either local only (19 cases) or accompanied by lymph node surgery/biopsy (74 cases). Possible prognostic factors such as Clark's stage and Breslow's depth of invasion, ulceration, average tumor dimensions, lymph nodes metastases (pN+), gender, tumor location and primary excision margins were considered. Results: In 51 (45%) cases, treatment failure occurred. The 5-year DM rate was 47%, the 5-year DFS was 38%, and the 5-year OS was 56%. In the univariate analysis, the important factors with respect to at least one endpoint included Clark's stage, Breslow's depth of invasion, ulceration, average tumor dimensions, lymph nodes metastases, gender and primary tumor localization. The presence of metastasic nodes was the most important prognostic factor, with a 5-year DM rates of 30% for pN(-) and 76% for pN(+) and a 5-year DFS and OS of 56% and 76% for pN(-) and 13% and 24% for pN(+), respectively. The average tumor dimension was independently significant for DFS and OS, with 5-year rates of 69% and 80% for ${\leq}1cm$, 28% and 53% for 1-2 cm, and 18% and 30% for >2 cm, respectively. Tumor location was also significant for DM and OS, with 5-year rates of 69% vs 33% and 41% vs 66% for trunk vs other locations, respectively. Conclusions: The natural course of a malignant skin melanoma treated radically is disadvantageous, with unsuccessful outcome in nearly half of the cases. Common clinical factors, such as Clark's tumor stage, Breslow's depth of invasion and the presence of metastatic nodes, have high prognostic significance. The size and location of the primary lesion may be considered independent prognostic factors. The most important negative prognostic factor is the presence of metastatic regional lymph nodes. Only one quarter of patients with metastases in lymph nodes survive 5 years from primary surgery.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.99-107
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• 2020

Objectives: We accessed the various clinico-histopathological factors, and their association with occult metastasis (OM) in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Materials and Methods: One hundred-nine patients with OTSCC were divided into the elective neck dissection (END) group and the watchful waiting (WW) group. Age, sex, T-stage, depth of invasion and differentiation were evaluated to determine the correlation between clinico-histopathological factors and OM. For immunohistochemical analysis, paraffin-embedded blocks of 41 OTSCC specimens were examined with antibodies (VEGF-c, c-Met, and ROR1). Results: The group with tumor thickness of oral tongue cancer ≥3 mm had higher incidence of OM than those with a thickness of <3 mm. The depth of invasion was statistically correlated with OM (P=0.022). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that high expression of VEGF-c (P=0.043), c-Met (P=0.009), and ROR-1 (P=0.003) were statistically correlated with OM. Conclusion: The analysis of these clinico-histopathological and immunohistochemical factors can help to determine neck dissection in clinically negative (cN0) patients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2003

Purpose: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is widely accepted as a useful tumor marker for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinomas. On rare occasions, however, an abnormal elevation of serum AFP also has been reported in an adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. We evaluated the influence of preoperative abnormal elevation of serum AFP (AFP positivity) on the prognosis of resectable gastric cancers. Materials and Methods: 812 gastric cancer patients, who were investigated for serum AFP before their operations and who underwent gastric resections with D2 or more extended lymph node dissection, were enrolled in the study. The survival rates were calculated by using the Kaplan-Meier method and were compared by using the log-rank test. A multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Fifty patients ($6.2\%$) were AFP positive (10.1. 4322.6 ng/ml). The survival rate of the AFP positive group was significantly lower than that of the AFP negative group ( $46.6\%\;vs.\;67.0\%$; P=0.0002). The depth of tumor invasion, the degree of regional lymph node metastasis, distant metastases, the TNM stage, the gross type, differentiation, the extent of gastric resection, and the curability of the surgery also significantly influenced survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that the depth of tumor invasion, the degree of regional lymph node metastasis, the curability of the surgery, and AFP positivity were independent prognostic indicators. Conclusion: Preoperative serum AFP can be used as an independent prognostic factor of resectable gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3183-3186
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• 2013

Purpose: The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual for esophageal cancer (EC) categorizes N stage according to the number of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs), irrespective of the site. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of subcarinal LN metastasis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 507 consecutive patients with ESCC was conducted. Potential clinicopathological factors that could influence subcarinal LN metastasis were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed to evaluate the prognostic parameters for survival. Results: The frequency of subcarinal LN metastasis was 22.9% (116/507). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor length (>3cm vs ${\leq}3cm$; P=0.027), tumor location (lower vs upper/middle; P=0.009), vessel involvement (Yes vs No; P=0.001) and depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.012) were associated with 2.085-, 1.810-, 2.535- and 2.201- fold increases, respectively, for risk of subcarinal LN metastasis. Multivariate analyses showed that differentiation (poor vs well/moderate; P=0.001), subcarinal LN metastasis (yes vs no; P=0.033), depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.014) and N staging (N1-3 vs N0; P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors. In addition, patients with subcarinal LN metastasis had a significantly lower 5-year cumulative survival rate than those without (26.7% vs 60.9%; P<0.001). Conclusions: Subcarinal LN metastasis is a predictive factor for long-term survival in patients with ESCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1053-1057
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• 2012

Objective: Identifying cancer-related genes or proteins is critical in preventing and controlling colorectal cancer (CRC). This study was to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) in CRC. Methods: Protein expression of ATF1 was detected using immunohistochemistry in 66 CRC tissues. Clinicopathological association of ATF1 in CRC was analyzed with chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. The prognostic value of ATF1 in CRC is estimated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression models. Results: The ATF1 protein expression was significantly lower in tumor tissues than corresponding normal tissues (51.5% and 71.1%, respectively, P = 0.038). No correlation was found between ATF1 expression and the investigated clinicopathological parameters, including gender, age, depth of invasion, lymph node status, metastasis, pathological stage, vascular tumoral emboli, peritumoral deposits, chemotherapy and original tumor site (all with P > 0.05). Patients with higher ATF1 expression levels have a significantly higher survival rate than that with lower expression (P = 0.026 for overall survival, P = 0.008 for progress free survival). Multivariate Cox regression model revealed that ATF1 expression and depth of invasion were the predictors of the overall survival (P = 0.008 and P = 0.028) and progress free survival (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005) in CRC. Conclusions: Higher ATF1 expression is a predictor of a favorable outcome for the overall survival and progress free survival in CRC.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2002

Purpose: The prognosis of stage IV gastric cancer is very grave. However, some of these patients survive long periods after surgery. This study was undertaken to investigate various clinico-pathological profiles related to the prognosis for these long-term survivors. Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty-five patients with stage IV gastric cancer who underwent a gastric resection from 1992 to 1997 at Hanyang University Hospital were evaluated. Thirty-three patients who survived more than 5 years after surgery were designated as long-term survivors (LTS); on the other hand, one hundred twenty-two patients who died within 5 years after surgery were named as short-term survivors (STS). Results: The rate of the patients with T4, preoperative serum level of CA19-9 greater than 37 U/g protein, and peritoneal dissemination was lower for the LTS than in for the STS (P=0.002, P=0.045, and P=0.0000, respectively). Tumors were smaller (7.3 cm vs. 8.9 cm, P=0.030) and metastatic lymph node were fewer (19.7 vs. 28.8, P=0.019) for the LTS than for the STS. Curative surgery ($\76\%\;vs.\;\46\%$, P=0.002) and a subtotal gastrectomy ($\76\%\;vs.\;46\%$, P=0.026) were performed more frequently for the LTS than for the STS. From a univariate survival analysis, depth of invasion, distant metastasis, extent of gastric resection, postoperative chemotherapy, and curability were statistically significant factors. From a multivariate survival analysis, curability, depth of invasion, and extent of gastric resection were independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: If feasible, we have to exert our efforts to achieve curative surgery although the tumor is considered to be a stage IV gastric cancer. Thereafter, multi-modality treatments including chemotherapy can be considered to improve the prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8653-8658
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• 2016

Background: Heparanase is believed to be involved in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer with high heparanase expression remain unclear. Aim : The purpose of this study was to comprehensively and quantitatively summarize available evidence for the use of heparanase mRNA and protein expression to evaluate the clinicopathological associations in gastric cancer in Asian patients by meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Relevant articles listed in MEDLINE, CNKI and the Cochrane Library databases up to MARCH 2015 were searched by use of several keywords in electronic databases. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the impact of heparanase mRNA and protein on clinicopathological parameters in gastric cancer. Combined ORs with 95%CIs were calculated by Revman 5.0, and publication bias testing was performed by stata12.0. Results: A total of 27 studies which included 3,891 gastric cancer patients were combined in the final analysis. When stratifying the studies by the pathological variables of heparanase mRNA expression, the depth of invasion (633 patients) (OR=4.96; 95% CI=2.38-1.37; P<0.0001), lymph node metastasis (639 patients) (OR=6.22; 95%CI=2.70-14.34, P<0.0001), and lymph node metastasis (383 patients) (OR=6.85; 95% CI=2.04-23.04; P=0.002) were all significant. When stratifying the studies by the pathological variables of heparanase protein expression, this was the case for depth of invasion (1250 patients) (OR=2.76; 95% CI=1.52-5.03; P=0.0009), lymph node metastasis (1178 patients) (OR=4.79 ; 95% CI=3.37-6.80, P<0.00001), tumor size (727 patients) (OR=2.06 ; 95% CI=1.31-3.23; P=0.002) (OR=2.61; 95% CI=2.09-3.27; P=0.000), and TNM stage (1233 patients) (OR=6.85; 95% CI=2.04-23.04; P=0.002). Egger's tests suggested publication bias for depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymph node metastasis and tumor size of heparanase mRNA and protein expression. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that higher heparanase expression in gastric cancer is associated with clinicopathologic features of depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage at mRNA and protein levels, and of tumor size only at the protein level. Egger's tests suggested publication bias for these clinicopathologic features of heparanase mRNA and protein expression, and which may be caused by shortage of relevant studies. As a result, although abundant reports showed heparanase may be associated with clinicopathologic features in gastric cancer, this meta-analysis indicates that more strict studies were needed to evaluate its clinicopathologic significance.