• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.250-255
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• 2022

In 2010, the World Health Organization classified mucin-producing bile duct tumors of the liver into two distinct entities; mucinous cystic neoplasm of the liver (MCN-L) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct. We present the case of a patient with MCN-L having a uniquely pedunculated shape. A 32-year-old woman was referred to our institution with a diagnosis of biliary cystic neoplasm. She had undergone left salpingo-oophorectomy for ovarian cancer 15 years ago. Imaging studies showed an 8 cm-sized well defined, multiloculated cystic lesion suggesting a mucinous cystic neoplasm. The cystic mass was pedunculated at the liver capsule and pathologically diagnosed as MCN-L. The mass was resected with partial hepatectomy. The patient recovered uneventfully. She was discharged 7 days postoperatively. The patient has been doing well for 6 months after the operation. The patient will be followed up annually because of the favorable postresection prognosis of MCN-L.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.302-307
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• 2020

Background: This study evaluated the usefulness of judgment of central lymph node (LN) metastasis by surgeon's palpation in papillary thyroid cancer. Methods: This study included 127 patients who underwent thyroidectomy and central compartment node dissection between October 2014 and February 2015. The criterion for suspicious LNs was hardness. Results: Of the 20.5% (28/127) of suspicious for metastatic LNs according to surgeon determination, 92.8% (26/28) were confirmed to be metastatic in the final pathological examinations. Metastatic LNs were found in 38 (38.3%) of 99 patients without suspicious LNs, 29 of whom (76.3%) had micrometastases. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the determination of LN metastasis by a surgeon were 40.6%, 96.8%, 92.9%, and 61.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Determination of central LN metastasis by a surgeon's palpation may be useful to evaluate LNs owing to the high specificity and positive predictive values, especially in macrometastasis or high-risk LN disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.373-376
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• 2015

Background: EVA1A (eva-1 homolog A) is a novel gene that regulates programmed cell death through autophagy and apoptosis. Our objective was to investigate the expression profiles and potential role of EVA1A in normal and neoplastic human pancreatic tissues. Materials and Methods: The expression pattern of EVA1A in normal pancreatic tissue was examined by indirect immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Protein levels in paraffin-embedded specimens from normal and diseased pancreatic and matched non-tumor tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: EVA1A colocalized with glucagon but not with insulin, demonstrating production in islet alpha cells. Itwas strongly expressed in chronic pancreatitis, moderately or weakly expressed in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm in pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma, and absent in normal pancreatic acinar cells. Although the tissue architecture was deformed, EVA1A was absent in the alpha cells of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, mucinous cystadenomas, solid papillary tumors and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Conclusions: EVA1A protein is specifically expressed in islet alpha cells, suggesting it may play an important role in regulating alpha-cell function. The ectopic expression of EVA1A in pancreatic neoplasms may contribute to their pathogenesis and warrants further investigation.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.29-33
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• 2017

Verrucous carcinoma was first described by Ackerman who reported a case of verrucous carcinoma of the oral cavity. While it is primarily occurred in oral cavity, larynx is the second most affected site, accounting for nearly 35% of cases. It is a rare variant of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and comprises 1% to 4% of all laryngeal carcinomas. It is characterized by locally invasive, slow growth and the surface shows papillary fronds with prominent hyperkeratosis. Because of the benign appearance and difficulty of the tissue diagnosis, it is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The primary treatment modality is surgery and the extent of surgical resection may be guided by T stage. We experienced a case of verrucous carcinoma of larynx in a patient with hoarseness lasted for about 2 years and had difficult to diagnosis and treatment. Therefore we report this case with a brief review of literature.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

Thyroid cancer refers to various cancers arising from thyroid gland. Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) include papillary, follicular, and Hurthle cell carcinomas and represent cancers retain normal thyroid functions such as iodine uptake. Radioactive iodine (RAI) is generally used for upfront treatment of metastatic DTCs, but RAI refractory DTCs remain to be clinical challenges. Sorafenib and lenvatinib were approved for the treatment of RAI refractory DTCs and more recently, genomics-based targeted therapies have been developed for NTRK and RET gene fusion-positive DTCs. Poorly differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancers (ATCs) are extremely challenging diseases with aggressive courses. BRAF/MEK inhibition has been proven to be highly effective in BRAF V600E mutation-positive ATCs and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising activities. Medullary thyroid cancers, which arise from parafollicular cells of thyroid, represent a unique subset of thyroid cancer and mainly driven by RET mutation. In addition to vandetanib and cabozantinib, highly specific RET inhibitors such as selpercatinib and pralsetinib have demonstrated impressive activity and are in clinical use.

• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.61 no.12
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• pp.697-701
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• 2018

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical completeness in endoscopic total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection via unilateral axillo-breast approach (UABA) compared with bilateral axillo-breast (BABA) and open approach (OA) by means of the radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) ratio and thyroglobulin (Tg) of remnant thyroid. Subjects and Method From July 2010 to March 2013, 82 patients who had underwent total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection and postoperative radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation for papillary thyroid carcinoma were enrolled. Of these patients, 27 patients underwent UABA, 24 patients BABA, and 31 patients OA. Clinicopathologic data, surgical outcome, stimulated Tg and RAIU ratio on the first postoperative RAI ablation scan were compared among 3 groups. Results Patients in the endoscopic surgery groups (UABA, BABA) were younger than those in the OA groups. Invasiveness such as operation time, postoperative pain, and drain amount in UABA was less than that in BABA and severer than that in OA. Other variables regarding clinicopathologic and surgical data were not significantly different. Stimulated Tg and RAIU ratio did not show significant differences among 3 groups (p=0.659 and p=0.664). Conclusion The completeness of UABA was comparable with that of BABA and OA. The UABA may be a safe option for patients who need endoscopic thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2020

Background/Objectives: To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents. Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. Conclusion: For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.119-123
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• 2016

Thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine neoplasia, consists of four main types of carcinomas: papillary, follicular, and anaplastic, all with thyroid follicular origin, and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) related to para-follicular cells. Cronic diseases such as diverse cancers may be associated with cachexia, especially at advanced stage. Cancer-induced cachexia is associated with diminished quality of life, functional performance, reduced response to antitumor therapy, and increased morbidity and mortality. Myostatin (Mst) is one of the outstanding molecules in the skeletal muscle loss process in cancer and it may be released by both skeletal muscle and cachexia-inducing tumors. Recently changes in serum levels of Mst have been identified as an important factor of cancer-induced cachexia. The goal of this study was to assessserum Mst levels in MTC patients. In this descriptive and case-control study, 90 participants were selected, comprising 45 MTC patients (20 males, $29{\pm}13.9years$, 25 females, $29{\pm}14.5years$) and 45 control individuals (25 males, $23.1{\pm}11.6years$, 20 females, $31.5{\pm}14.4years$). Serum Mst was determined using an ELISA kit and body mass index (BMI) was calculated by weight and height measurements. The Kolmogorov Simonov test showed a normal distribution for log transformed Mst serum levels in both case and control groups. Geometric means were 5.9 and 8.2 ng/ml respectively, and a significant difference was found according to the independent t-test results (P<0.01). There was also a significant difference mean of Mst between females in control and MTC groups, but not for the males. Pearson correlation test showed no correlation between age and BMI with Mst serum levels. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that Mst serum levels may have a potential ability for early diagnosis of cachexia in MTC patients, especially in females.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8613-8616
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• 2014

Background: The diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules involves ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB). We especially aimed to evaluate the contribution and the place of US-FNAB in preoperative evaluation of the malignant cases and draw attention to discordant cases diagnosed with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Materials and Methods: A total of 276 cases were retrospectively reviewed who were subsequently diagnosed with a malignancy and who underwent US-FNAB. Results: Some 45 were found to have previously undergone the US-FNAB procedure. Of the patients in whom the surgical specimen was diagnosed with a malignancy, 21 (46.7%) were diagnosed as malignant or suspicious for malignancy, and 24 (53.3%) were concluded as benign or insufficient for diagnosis. Patients with the diagnosis of PTMC outnumbering the others was a striking finding (11 cases, 24%). Conclusions: We suggest performing repeat aspiration biopsy considering sampling errors in cases where inconsistency exists between clinical findings and cytological results in thyroid nodules smaller than 10 mm in diameter and with suspicious findings on ultrasonography.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.164-168
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• 1997

Multiple primary tumors in the head and neck are not uncommon, however those in the thyroid and the larynx are known to be very rare. In most cases of multiple primary tumors involving the thyroid and the larynx, lesions are observed usually simultaneously and thyroid tumors are found incidentally during the laryngeal tumor surgery. In rare cases, thyroid tumors are found metachronously after radiation therapy of laryngeal cancer. The authors recently experienced a case of multiple primary tumor involving the thyroid and the larynx, in which thyroid papillary carcinoma was the index tumor and the laryngeal squamous carcinoma was the meatachronous second tumor. Both tumors showed aggressive local extension and regional nodal meatastasis with tumor collision in the same node. The patient died of recurrent or of residual squamous carcinoma shortly after main surgical treatment index thyroid cancer.