• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.37 no.12
• /
• pp.1036-1039
• /
• 2004

Most tumors of the tracheobronchial tree are malignant, and benign tumors are less than 10%. Especially, the incidence of primary neurogenic tumors of the lung has been estimated to be less than 2 percent of primary lung cancer, and majority of these tumors are originated from Schwann cells. These tumors can be presented either as a solitary benign neoplasm or as a malignant form, which is rare. We present two cases of bronchial Schwan noma managed by means of lobectomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.582-588
• /
• 1985

We have observed 165 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax from Aug. 1978 to May. 1985 at the department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Keimyung University. The ratio of male to female cases were 8.2:1 in male predominance, and the incidence was highest in the adolescence between 21 to 30 year of age. There were 85 patients of primary spontaneous pneumothorax and 80 patients of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. The etiologic factors of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax were tuberculous origin in 50 cases, chronic bronchitis with emphysematous bullae or blebs in 17 cases, asthma in 10 cases and lung cancer in 3 cases. Closed thoracotomy was performed for reexpansion of collapsed lung in 153 cases, bed rest in 3 cases, needle aspiration in 5 cases and open thoracotomy in 14 cases. Closed thoracotomy was the main therapeutic approach of choice in the great majority of spontaneous pneumothorax with recurrence rate of 21.6%. However, open thoracotomy was undertaken in patients with continuous air leakage, recurrent episodes, bilateral pneumothorax and large visible apical blebs or bullae.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.293-303
• /
• 2005

Objectives: Yearly, annual report of cancer patients in Korea is released by National Cancer Center. But, this report is focused in all of the patients in nation. So, there is needed to modify and analyze this report to be used properly for local resident. In Ulleung island, local county and Ulleung medical center don't have cancer occurrence data of local resident until now. The aim of this analysis is to know characteristics and data of cancer patients occurrence in Ulleung island for 10 years. Methods: We are offered data of cancer patients occurrence in Ulleung island for 10 years from National Cancer Center. This data was composed of sex, address (only town level), diagnosed date, diagnosis. So, we analyze this data and compare to Korea data for same duration. Results: There were 268 patients for 10 years (1993-2002). Man were 175 about 65% and women were 93 about 35%. There were 163 in Ulleungeup about 60%, 39 in Seomyun about 14.5% and 48 in Bukmyun about 18%. There were 19 patients in unknown residence. After 1998, above 30 patients were occurred, but before 1998, below 27 patients were occurred. Diagnosed date was concentrated in June, 33 patients were occurred about 12%, but least occurred month was December. Most occurred age were from 60 to 69, there were 80 patients about 30%. Most occurred cancer was gastric cancer, there were 54 patients about 20%. Hepatic cancer was second and third was lung cancer. In man, most occurred cancers were gastric cancer and hepatic cancer, both was 38 patients. In woman, gastric cancer and uterine cervix cancer were occurred mostly. After 2001, in Korea most occurred female cancer was breast, but in Ulleung island, most occurred cancer was stomach. Conclusions: Researcher should demand and analyze cancer data from National Cancer Center that cancer management project in local county and public health education of cancer could focus on local resident because annually released cancer data from National Cancer Center focus on a nation. In Ulleung island, cancer incidence was more than incidence in Korea and breast cancer was occurred less than in Korea. So, more study should be needed to confirm why more cancer were occurred than Korea and breast cancer was less occurred.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.45-56
• /
• 1998

Background: Lung cancer continues to increase worldwide. Also, the proportion of female patients incease and adenocarcinoma is the predominant histological type among lung cancer in many western countries. So, we studied these current trends of lung cancer by clinical approach of recent patients from our department Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis on 212 subjects who were diagnosed with lung cancer at the department of chest medicine in National Medical Center between January 1990 and July 1996. The contents of analysis were patient's profile, clinical manifestation, smoking habits, accuracy of diagnostic methods, histological cell type, staging and treatment, etc. Results: The results were as follows. 1) The ratio of male to female was 5.2 : 1. The peak incidence of age was 7th decade(35.4%). 2) Chief complaints were cough, dyspnea and chest pain, etc. The most common duration of symptoms before the first admission was less than 3 months(57.7%). On the other side, duration more than 1 year represented 6.5%. The early diagnosed patients has been increased from the 1980s. 3) Smokers among the total patients were 77.2%. The proportion of smokers in sqamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma were 88.4%, 85.7% and 55.7%, respectively. Smoking history and histological cell type were correlated in squamous and small cell carcinoma. 4) Squamous cell carcinoma is still the predominant histological type (44.8%), but, adenocarcinoma increased more than the previous study(30.7%). The other histological types were small cell carcinoma(17.0%) and large cell carcinoma(3.8%) in order of their proportions. 5) The accuracy of diagnostic methods were as follows: sputum cytology 75.3%, bronchoscopic biopsy 65.7%, lymph node aspiration cytology 95.8%, percutaneous lung aspiration cytology 94.6% and open lung biopsy 100%. The general accuracies of diagnostic methods were improved than previous studies. 6) Performance status scales on admission were relatively good. After diagnosis, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were undertaken in 69.3% of the patients, and only 7.5% of the patients were operated. Conclusion: In our study, squamous cell carcinoma is still the predominant histological cell type, but, adenocarcinoma continues to increase. Because adenocarcinoma is less correlated with smoking habits, further evaluation of other carcinogens than smoking is requested. Screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer is important for good performance status scales in spite of advanced stages. But, we think that the prevention, for example, stop smokings is more important as because of no perfect treatment for lung cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.73-80
• /
• 1990

A total of 129 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary lung cancer were treated at Dep. of Thoracic k Cardiovascular Surgery, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between July, 1981 and Dec., 1988. Particular emphasis was given in this review to the 72 patients that underwent surgical resection of their primary lung lesion. Factors such as histology, type of resection, sex, age, staging, and degree of dissemination were considered possible influences on survival. The age group of fifty k sixty decade occupied 55.8 %, and the youngest being 24 years and oldest 78 years. The incidence ratio of male to female was 3,2:1. The subjective symptoms of the patients were coughing [72.6%], chest pain [48.2%] and hemoptysis [35.6%], which were due to primary local influence. The confirmed diagnostic procedures were bronchoscopic biopsy, sputum cytology needle aspiration biopsy, open lung biopsy, anterior mediastinotomy & lymph node biopsy. By pathologic classifications, the squamous cell carcinoma was the most prevalent, 67 cases [51.9 %], and the adenocarcinoma in 36 cases [27.9%], undifferentiated small cell carcinoma in 13 cases [10.1 %], undifferentiated large cell carcinoma in 9 cases [6.9%], bronchioloalveolar carcinoma was 4 cases [3.1%]. The lymph node dissection with pneumonectomy [42 cases], lobectomy [14 cases] and pneumonectomy [6 cases], lobectomy [9 cases] without lymph node dissection were performed. The post operative TNM Staging[AJC] in 72 cases were Stage I in 24 cases, Stage II in 27 cases, and Stage III in 21 cases. Overall resectable was possible in 72 cases [55.8 %], and the operation mortality was 5.6 % [4 cases].

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.908-913
• /
• 1997

From May 1988 to December 1995, 77 patients underwent surgical re ection for primary non-small cell lung cancer at GNUH, and were evaluated clinically. There were 65 males and 12 females(M:P=5.4:1), and the peak incidence of age was 6th decade of life(44.5%). The major symptoms were cough, hemoptysis and chest pain due to anatomical effects of the mass. Histopathologically, squamous cell carcinoma was 81.8%, adenocarcinoma 14.3%, and adenosquamous carcinoma 3.9% . There was no significant difference in survival among three groups. The pneumonectomy was performed in 26 cases(33.8%), lobectomy 30 cases(38.9%), bilobectomy 9 cases(11.7%), and overall resectability was 84.4%. The postoperative official stagings were as follows ; 26 patients of stage I(34%), 14 patients of stage II(18%), 22 patients of stage IIIa(29%), 14 patients of stage IIIb(18%), and one patients of stage IV(1%). In all cases, 3 year survival rate are showed stage 183%, stage II 26%, stage IIIa 17%, and stage IIIb 0%.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.141-152
• /
• 2023

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological results for the association between occupational exposure as a firefighter and cancer as part of the broader evidence synthesis work of the IARC Monographs program. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies of firefighters followed for cancer incidence and mortality. Studies were evaluated for the influence of key biases on results. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the association between ever-employment and duration of employment as a firefighter and risk of 12 selected cancers. The impact of bias was explored in sensitivity analyses. Results: Among the 16 included cancer incidence studies, the estimated meta-rate ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity statistic (I²) for ever-employment as a career firefighter compared mostly to general populations were 1.58 (1.14-2.20, 8%) for mesothelioma, 1.16 (1.08-1.26, 0%) for bladder cancer, 1.21 (1.12-1.32, 81%) for prostate cancer, 1.37 (1.03-1.82, 56%) for testicular cancer, 1.19 (1.07-1.32, 37%) for colon cancer, 1.36 (1.15-1.62, 83%) for melanoma, 1.12 (1.01-1.25, 0%) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.28 (1.02-1.61, 40%) for thyroid cancer, and 1.09 (0.92-1.29, 55%) for kidney cancer. Ever-employment as a firefighter was not positively associated with lung, nervous system, or stomach cancer. Results for mesothelioma and bladder cancer exhibited low heterogeneity and were largely robust across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: There is epidemiological evidence to support a causal relationship between occupational exposure as a firefighter and certain cancers. Challenges persist in the body of evidence related to the quality of exposure assessment, confounding, and medical surveillance bias.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
• /
• 1984.09a
• /
• pp.27-36
• /
• 1984

It was previously reported that red ginseng extract inhibited carcinogenesis by urethan, DMBA and aflatoxin $B_1E (Cancer Detection and Prevention, 6: 515-525, 1983). In an attempt to investigate the mechanism of the anticarcinogenic effect of ginseng, we assayed natural killer (N.K) activity in mice treated with urethan and benzo(a)pyrene. In our experiment newly born Swiss Webster mice, less than 24 hrs. old, were given a single subcutaneous injection of lmg of ure-than and 40ug of benzo(a)pyrene. The mice had been administered with ginseng since weaning, and sacrificed at various intervals. Major organs were examined both, with the naked eye and microscopically. N.K. activity of spleen cells was analyzed in a 12-hour $^{51}Cr^-release$ assay against YAC-1 cells. Administration of ginseng resulted in an increase of N.K. activity by $18\%$ at 4 weeks, $20\%$ (P < 0.05) at 6, $29\%$ (P < 0.05) at 12, and $13\%$ at 24 following a single injection of urethan. At the same time, significantly lower incidences of lung adenoma were noted at 6 weeks $(50\%)$ and 12 weeks $(27\%)$ following the administration of ginseng to urethan-injected mice. This result indicates that the enhancement of N.K. activity by ginseng makes a contribution to its anticarcinogenic effect. On the hand, N.K. activity was suppressed by benzo(a)pyrene during the time span of this experiment and it almost returned to the level of controls following the adminsitration of ginseng. However, the lung adenoma induced by benzo(a)pyrene began to occur at 48 weeks in which N.K. activity had naturally declined to a very low level in all experimental mice, and administration of ginseng did not decrease the incidence. In explanation of this result, we might propose that the recovery of the N.K. activity by ginseng had little effect on the incidence of lung adenoma because of the long latent period of carcinogenesis by benzo(a)pyrene. In conclusion, these results suggest that the anticarcinogenic effect of ginseng in urethan-treated mice may be related to the augmentation of N.K. activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.731-736
• /
• 2015

Background: Little is known about the news coverage of cancer risk factors in Korea. This study aimed to examine how the news media encompasses a wide array of content regarding cancer risk factors and related cancer sites, and investigate whether news coverage of cancer risk factors is congruent with the actual prevalence of the disease. Materials and Methods: A content analysis was conducted on 1,138 news stories covered during a 5-year period between 2008 and 2012. The news stories were selected from nationally representative media in Korea. Information was collected about cancer risk factors and cancer sites. Results: Of various cancer risk factors, occupational and environmental exposures appeared most frequently in the news. Breast cancer was mentioned the most in relation to cancer sites. Breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer were overrepresented in the media in comparison to incidence and mortality cases, whereas lung, thyroid, liver, and stomach cancer were underrepresented. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this research is the first investigation dealing with news coverage about cancer risk factors in Korea. The study findings show occupational and environmental exposures are emphasized more than personal lifestyle factors; further, more prevalent cancers in developed countries have greater media coverage, not reflecting the realities of the disease. The findings may help health journalists and other health storytellers to develop effective ways to communicate cancer risk factors.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.221-226
• /
• 2019

Background: Accurate mediastinal lymph node staging is vital for the optimal therapy and prognostication of patients with lung cancer. This study aimed to determine the preoperative risk factors for pN2 disease, as well as its incidence and long-term outcomes, in patients with clinical N0-1 non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who were treated surgically for primary non-small cell lung cancer from November 2005 to December 2014. Patients staged as clinical N0-1 via chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)-CT were divided into two groups (pN0-1 and pN2) and compared. Results: In a univariate analysis, the significant preoperative risk factors for pN2 included a large tumor size (p=0.083), high maximum standard uptake value on PET (p<0.001), and central location of the tumor (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, central location of the tumor (p<0.001) remained a significant preoperative risk factor for pN2 status. The 5-year overall survival rates were 75% and 22.9% in the pN0-1 and pN2 groups, respectively, and 50% and 78.2% in the patients with centrally located and peripherally located tumors, respectively. In a Cox proportional hazard model, central location of the tumor increased the risk of death by 3.4-fold (p<0.001). Conclusion: More invasive procedures should be considered when preoperative risk factors are identified in order to improve the efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic plans and, consequently, the patient's prognosis.