• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.68-74
• /
• 2008

Medical verification of cancer diagnosis in insurance claims is a very important procedure in insurance administrations. Claims staffs are in need of medical experts' opinions about claim administration. This procedure is called medical claim review (MCR) and is composed of verification and advice. MCR verification evaluates the insured’s physical condition by medical records and compares it with product coverage. It is divided into assessment of living assurance benefit, verification of cancer, and assessment of the cause of death. Actually cancer verification of MCR is applicable to coding because the risk ratio in product development is usually coded data. There are some confusing neoplastic diseases in assessing the verification of cancer. This article reviews gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue tumors (MALToma) of the stomach. The second most common group of stromal or mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract is GIST. Nowadays there are many articles about the pathophysiology of GIST. However there are few confirmative theories except molecular cell biology of KIT mutation and some tyrosine kinase. Therefore, coding the GIST, which has previously been classified as an intermediate risk group according to NIH2001 criteria, for cancer verification of MCR is suitable for D37.1; neoplasm of uncertain or unknown behavior of digestive organs and the stomach. The gastrointestinal tract is the predominant site of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. B-cell lymphomas of the MALT type, now called extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT type in the REAL/WHO classification, are the most common primary gastric lymphomas worldwide. Its characteristics are as follows. First, it is different from traditional stomach cancers such as gastric adenocarcinoma. Second, the primary therapy of MALToma is the eradication of H. pylori by antibiotics and the remission rate is over 80%. Third, it has a different clinical course compared to traditional malignant lymphoma. Someone insisted that cancer verification is not possible for the above reasons. However, there have been findings on pathologic mechanism, and according to WHO classification, MALToma is classified into malignant B-cell lymphoma and it must be verified as malignancy in MCR.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.177-184
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of care and treatment outcomes in patients with primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) in a single institution. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 29 patients with PTL treated between April 1994 and February 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy (n = 17) or thyroidectomy (n = 12). Treatment modality and outcome were analyzed according to lymphoma grade. Results: The median follow-up was 43.2 months (range, 3.8 to 220.8 months). The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range, 21 to 83 years) and 24 (82.8%) patients were female. Twenty-five (86.2%) patients had PTL with stage IEA and IIEA. There were 8 (27.6%) patients with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and the remaining patients had high-grade lymphoma. Patients were treated with surgery (n = 2), chemotherapy (n = 7), radiotherapy (n = 3) alone, or a combination of these methods (n = 17). Treatment modalities evolved over time and a combination of modalities was preferred, especially for the treatment of high-grade lymphoma in recent years. There was no death or relapse among MALT lymphoma patients. Among high-grade lymphoma patients, 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) were 75.6% and 73.9%, respectively. Complete remission after initial treatment was the only significant prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.037) and PFS (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Patients with PTL showed a favorable outcome, especially with MALT lymphoma. Radiotherapy alone for MALT lymphoma and chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy for high-grade lymphoma can be effective treatment options for PTL.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.149-155
• /
• 1999

Objectives: To study the clinical features of the primary nasal/nasopharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and to evaluate the implication of immunophenotyping as a prognostic factor. Patients and Methods: From January 1990 to December 1997,41 patients(median age, 41 years) of primary nasal/nasopharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were studied. The clinical records and paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were reviewed retrospectively. The histologic features, immunophenotypic findings(pan-T, pan-B, CD3, CD56) and Epstein-Barr virus in situ hybridizatios were examined. The prognostic factors for clinical outcome were evaluated in these patients. According to Ann-Arbor system, there were 30 patiets(73%) with stage IE, 4(10%) with stage IIE, 3(7%) with stage IIIE, 4(10%) with stage IVE lymphoma. Among the patients with stage IE/IIE, 4 patients received local radiation alone, 4 received chemotherapy alone, 25 received combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy and 1 refused treatment. The patients with stage IIIE/IVE were given combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Results: Immunophenotyping were performed in 40 patients and staining results were as follows: 3(7%) patients with B cell, 17(42%) with T cell, 18(44%) with NK/T cell(CD56 positive), and two patients with unclassifiable result. Epstein-Barr(EB) virus in situ hybridization were performed in 28 patients and 23(82%) patients had positive EBV-encoded RNAs(EBERs). 21(55%) patients achieved a complete remission. There was no difference in complete remission between radiation alone and combination therapy. With median follow-up of 30 months, 5-years disease free survival of complete responders was 60% and 5-years overall survival rate was 36%. Multivariate analysis showed that better overall survival was related with absence of B symptoms, ECOG performance${\leq}1$ and non-NK cells. Conclusion: Most of all cases were positive for EBER. Since NK/T phenotype carried the worst prognosis, analysis for CD56 expression should be done. Further prospective studies were warranted to evaluate the role of chemotherapy in stage IE/IIE.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.8
• /
• pp.3333-3338
• /
• 2015

Background: This study was conducted to analyze positron emission tomography (PET) / computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performance with oropharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (ONHL).Materials and Methods: The complete image data of 30 ONHL cases were analyzed, all patients were performed PET / CT and MRI examination before the treatment, with the time interval of these two inspections not exceeding 14 days. The distribution, morphology, MRI signal characteristics, enhancement feature, standardized uptake value (SUV) max value and lymph node metastasis way of the lesions were analyzed. Results: Among the 30 cases, 23 cases were derived from the B-cell (76.7%), 5 cases were derived from the peripheral T cells (16.7%) and 2 cases were derived from the NK/T cells (6.7%). 19 cases exhibited the palatine tonsil involvement (63.3%). As for the lesion appearance, 10 cases appeared as mass, 8 cases were the diffused type and 12 cases were the mixed type. 25 cases exhibited the SUVmax value of PET / CT primary lesions as 11 or more (83.3%). MRI showed that all patients exhibited various degrees of parapharyngeal side-compressed narrowing, but MRI still exhibited the high-signal fat, and the oropharyngeal mucosa was intact. 25 cases were associated with the neck lymph node metastasis, among who 22 cases had no necrosis in the metastatic lymph nodes, while the rest 3 cases exhibited the central necrosis in the metastatic lymph nodes. Conclusions: PET / CT and MRI have important value in diagnosing and determining the lesion extent of ONHL.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.63-67
• /
• 2009

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We report here on a patient who displayed the synchronous occurrence of SMZL and early gastric cancer (EGC). The patient was a 74 year-old male with liver cirrhosis. An EGC in the gastric antrum was diagnosed and the preoperative abdomen computed tomography scan revealed splenomegaly and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy. We performed subtotal gastrectomy and the postoperative pathologic examination revealed adenocarcinoma limited to the gastric mucosa and SMZL in the lymph nodes. The patient recovered from the surgery without complications and is now awaiting chemotherapy. SMZL has an indolent clinical course with good long-term survival and so there is the possibility of the occurrence of a second primary malignancy. Rare cases of a second primary malignancy being diagnosed along with SMZL have been described in the literature. Patients with SMZL should be carefully followed after treatment to detect the possible occurance of a second primary malignancy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.6
• /
• pp.1613-1618
• /
• 2021

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a rare form of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and primary T-cell lymphoma of the cauda equina is extremely rare. We describe a case involving a 56-year-old female who presented with low back pain and radiating leg pain for 4 months. MRI of the lumbar spine revealed an elongated, multinodular intradural lesion of approximately 10 cm from the L4 body to the S2 body level with iso-signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging, heterogeneous iso- and high-signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging, and a heterogeneous intense enhancement on gadolinium contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging. A peripheral T-cell lymphoma of the cauda equina was diagnosed on the basis of immunohistochemical and T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangement analysis after intradural biopsy of the mass.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.310-319
• /
• 2015

Purpose: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is highly sensitive to radiotherapy (RT). However, the effectiveness of RT has not been well established. We reviewed our experiences to assess the role of RT for FL and analyze treatment results. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis was done on 29 patients who received first RT between January 2003 and August 2013. Of 23 early stage (stage I, II) patients, 16 received RT alone, four received chemotherapy followed by RT, two received RT postoperatively, and one received salvage RT for relapse after resection. Six advanced-stage (stage III, IV) patients received RT after chemotherapy: two received consolidation RT, three received salvage RT for residual lesions, and one received RT for progressive sites. Median RT dose was 30.6 Gy (range, 21.6 to 48.6 Gy). Median follow-up duration was 62 months (range, 6 to 141 months). Results: All patients showed complete response in the radiation field. Eight outfield relapses were reported. Seven patients received salvage treatment (three chemotherapy, four RT). Four patients showed excellent responses, especially to RT. Estimated 5-year and 10-year relapse-free survivals were 72% and 60%. In the RT-alone group, 5-year relapse-free survival was 74.5%. All advanced-stage patients were disease-free with 100% 5-year overall survival. Disease-specific death was noted in only one patient; four others died of other unrelated causes. No significant toxicity was reported. Conclusion: RT resulted in excellent treatment outcomes for all FL stages when used as a primary treatment modality for early stage or salvage-treatment modality for advanced-stage disease.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.30-35
• /
• 1995

Localized non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of head and neck are generally treated with radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy and the results of treatments are favorable, but the recurrences in the primary site or distant sites are a major contributor to failure, We experiened 19 cases of localized non-Hodgkin's lymphomas for 4-year period and retrogradely analized them. We treated patients with Ann Arbor stage I and low grade histology in Working formulation with radiation therapy and patients with Ann Arbor stage II, moderate to high grade histology or extensive tumor size with combination chemotherapy, The complete responses were occurred in 15 of 19 patients (radiation therapy, 5/6 (83.3%); chemotherapy 10/13(76.9%)). 3 relapses were occurred; 2 were in local relapses and 1 was in distant leptomeningeal relapse and the counter-therapeutic modalities were successful in 2 cases. Our results suggest that Ann Arbor stage is significant prognostic factor and appropriate staging with extensive methods is important to improve the results of treatment.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.5
• /
• pp.566-570
• /
• 2005

Primary pulmonary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) account for 0.4% of all types of lymphoma. Most cases are of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type, low grade B-cell lymphoma, but cases of the T-cell type are rare. The radiological findings frequently show hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy, but lung parenchymal involvement is uncommon. Here, a case of a patient, who presented with fever, generalized erythema, diffuse pulmonary infiltration and pleural effusion, diagnosed as a peripheral T-cell lymphoma, is reported.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.349-359
• /
• 1994

Purpose: The primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma(GI-NHL) is the most common extranodal NHL. Surgery with postoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy was tried with some success, but proper management guidelines have not been estabilished in localized GI-NHL due to its rarity and the lack of randomized trials. So we designed this study to evaluate treatment results and the lack of randomized trials. So we designed this study to evaluate treatment results and prognostic factors in localized GI-NHL, and to assess proper treatment mdality after surgical resection accordig to risk factors by survival analysis. Method: Seventy three patients who received surgical resection due to localized GI-NHL from Jan. 1916 to Apr. 1991 were reviewed in this study. Prognostic factors were analyzed by multivariate analysis program including postoperative treatment methods, and treatment results were compared according to prognostic factors and treatment modalities. Results: Overall 5-year survival rate was 62.3%, for all patients. The 5-year survival rate was 80.0% for patients with stage I GI-NHL and 45.7% for those with stage II. Chemotherapy or not, stage and residuum or not after surgical resection were significant independent prognositic factors. Postoperative adjuvant treatments showed significant survival benefit. In patients with high risk factors such as stage II or residuum after surgical resection, postoperative combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy showed better survival than those treated with single modality. Conclusions: Chemothrapy or not, stage, and residuum or not were important prognostic factors of patients with localized GI-NHL after surgical resection. Either chemotherapy or radiation therapy alone after surgical resection is recommanded for patients without high risk factors(stage II or residuum after surgical resection) but the postoperative combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy seems to be beneficial for patients with high risk factors.