• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1881-1895
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• 2015

Background: The vascular endothelial growth factor family has been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis. The prognostic value of each vascular endothelial growth factor family member, particular VEGF/VEGFR co-expression, in patients with non-small lung cancer remains controversial. Materials and Methods: Relevant literature was identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Studies evaluating expression of VEGFs and/or VEGFRs by immunohistochemistry or ELISA in lung cancer tissue were eligible for inclusion. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from individual study were pooled by using a fixed- or random-effect model, heterogeneity and publication bias analyses were also performed. Results: 74 studies covering 7,631 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Regarding pro-angiogenesis factors, the expression of VEGFA (HR=1.633, 95%CI: 1.490-1.791) and VEGFR1 (HR=1.924, 95%CI: 1.220-3.034) was associated separately with poor survival. Especially, VEGFA over-expression was an independent prognostic factor in adenocarcinoma (ADC) (HR=1.775, 95%CI: 1.384-2.275) and SCC (HR=2.919, 95%CI: 2.060-4.137). Co-expression of VEGFA/VEGFR2 (HR=2.011, 95%CI: 1.405-2.876) was also significantly associated with worse survival. For lymphangiogenesis factors, the expression of VEGFC (HR=1.611, 95%CI: 1.407-1.844) predicted a poor prognosis. Co-expression of VEGFC/VEGFR3 (HR=2.436, 95%CI: 1.468-4.043) emerged as a preferable prognostic marker. Conclusions: The expression of VEGFA (particularly in SCC and early stage NSCLC), VEGFC, VEGFR1 indicates separately an unfavorable prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Co-expression VEGFA/VEGFR2 is comparable with VEGFC/VEGFR3, both featuring sufficient discrimination value as preferable as prognostic biologic markers.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.200-208
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• 2005

Purpose: Palliative procedures or surgical interventions not only manage various symptoms of malignant gastrointestinal obstruction, but also improve the quality of life. We investigated the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of terminal cancer patients with palliative procedures for malignant gastrointestinal obstruction. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 48 terminal cancer patients with palliative procedures for malignant gastrointestinal obstruction at Sam Anyang hospital from May in 2002 to May in 2005. We excluded patients with palliative tumor resection. We analyzed prognostic factors in symtom-free survival and overall survival using Kaplan-Meier method, univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: There were 25 males (52%) and 23 females (48%), and median age of 48 patients was 65 years. The most common cause of malignant gastrointestinal obstruction was colorectal (26 patients, 55%), followed by stomach (10, 21%). Twenty patients (42%) received previous treatment (chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy) and 28 (58%) never received any. Eighteen of 20 had received chemotherapy. The most common symptom was pain (15 patients, 31%). Twenty three patients (48%) had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG) performance status of 1 or 2 score and 25 patients (52%) 3 or 4 score. The most common palliative procedure was colostomy and there was no mortality concerning the palliative procedures. By univariate and multivariate analysis, performance status was the only independent prognostic factor in overall survival and symptom-free survival. Overall survival was 150 days and symptom-free survival was 90 days. Conclusion:. We confirmed that perftatdormance status is significant independent prognostic factor in terminal cancer patients with palliative procedures for malignant gastrointestinal obstruction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.610-614
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• 2009

Background: Several trials have reported on whether adjuvant chemotherapy for resected stage IB non-small cell lung cancer is needed. The aim of our study was to investigate prognostic factors for recurrence to help identify patients who should receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Material and Method: We reviewed the cases of 48 stage IB non-small cell lung cancer patients between 1997 and 2006. Disease-free survival and overall survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed with the log rank test and multivariate analysis was done using Cox's proportional hazard model. Result: The median follow-up time was 48 months. The overall survival rate was 55.9%, and the disease-free survival rate was 48.6%. Of 8 variables, two factors, visceral pleural invasion and Iymphovascular invasion, were prognostic factors of disease-free survival (univariate analysis). Visceral pleural invasion was a significant prognostic factor in multivariate analysis, and overall survival in com-pared one or more variable such as visceral pleural invasion or, and lymphovascular invasion with the other variables. Conclusion: Visceral pleural invasion was identified as a poor prognostic factor and it may help select which patients will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in addition to more comprehensive follow-up.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2101-2107
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• 2012

Treatment responses of $N_0$ stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma were firstly analyzed comprehensively to evaluate long term outcomes of patients and identify prognostic factors. A total of 610 patients with $N_0$ NPC, undergoing definitive radiotherapy to their primary lesion and prophylactic radiation to upper neck, were reviewed retrospectively. Concomitant chemotherapy was administrated to 65 out of the 610. Survival rates of the patients were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Prognostic factors were identified by the Cox regression model. The study revealed the 5-year and 10-year overall, disease-free, disease-specific, local failure-free, regional failure-free, locoregional failure-free and distant metastasis-free survival rates to be 78.7% and 66.8%, 68.8% and 55.8%, 79.9% and 70.4%, 81.2% and 72.5%, 95.8% and 91.8%, 78.3% and 68.5%, 88.5% and 85.5%, respectively. There were 192 patients experiencing failure (31.5%) after radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Of these, local recurrence, regional relapse and distant metastases as the first event of failure occurred in 100 (100/610, 16.4%), 15(15/610, 2.5%) and 52 (52/610, 8.5%), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that T stage was the only independent prognostic factor for patients with $N_0$ NPC (P=0.000). Late T stage (P=0.000), male (P=0.039) and anemia (P=0.007) were independently unfavorable factors predicting disease-free survival. After treatment, satisfactory outcome wasgenerally achieved in patients with $N_0$ NPC. Local recurrence represented the predominant mode of treatment failure, while T stage was the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Late T stage, male gender, and anemia independently predicted lower possibility of the disease-free survival.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the peripheral blood lymphocyte count before surgery in those patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The study group was comprised of a series of 1,054 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy. The appropriate lymphocyte count cutoff value was determined. The prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The lymphocyte count cutoff value was 1,500/ul. The patients were classified into two groups: Group A had a lymphocyte count $\geq$ 1,500/ul (n=765) and Group B had a lymphocyte count <1,500/ul (n=289). There were statistically significant differences between the groups according to their age (P<0.001), the tumor stage (P=0.038) and the tumor size (P<0.001). The 5- and 10-year survival rates of Group A were 80.1% and 76.6%, respectively and those of Group B were 72.4% and 63.5%, respectively (P=0.002). When multivariate analysis was performed by the Cox proportional hazards model, the lymphocyte count was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion: Although the prognosis of patients with a high lymphocyte count was better than that of the patients with a low lymphocyte count, our results did not support using the preoperative peripheral blood lymphocyte count as an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.425-435
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• 1997

One-dimensional thermodynamic mixed layer model to stimulate variations of meteorological variables wish the planetary boundary layer has been developed In this study. This model consists of 2 prognostic equations, which can predict the variations of potential temperature and mixing ratio and several diagnostic equations. Physics within the surface and mixed layers has been considered seperately in the model. For the variations of the model, Its result has been analysed and compared with observated data over Ole Dukyang Bay for one day, July 23, 1992. The simulated height of mixed layer is comparable to the observation and the variations of temperature and mixing ratio in the mixed layer are also reasonably simulated. Those Imply that the model responds appropriately with given boundary conditions In sprite of Its simplilfied assumptions applied to the model and insufficient boundary and Initial conditions.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.143-151
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• 2012

Predicting the future condition of machine and assessing the remaining useful life are the center of prognostics. This paper contributes a new prognostic method based on grey model and survival probability. The first step of the method is building a normal condition model then determining the error indicator. In the second step, the survival probability value is obtained based on the error indicator. Finally, grey model coupled with one-step-ahead forecasting technique are employed in the last step. This work has developed a modified grey model in order to improve the accuracy of prediction. For evaluating the proposed method, real trending data of low methane compressor acquired from condition monitoring routine were employed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1197-1203
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• 2014

Background: Adenocarcinoma (ADC) is the most common histological type of lung cancer and its proportion is rising, especially in Asian non-smoking women. Recent studies suggest miR-25 may have diverse effects on the pathogenesis of different types of cancer. However, the role of miR-25 in lung cancer is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential clinical value of miR-25 in non-smoking women with lung ADC. Patients and Methods: Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the expression of miR-25 in 100 lung ADC tumor tissues and matched plasma samples and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyze the relationship between values. Associations of miR-25 expression with clinicopathological features were determined using the Student's t-test. To determine prognostic value, overall survival (OS) was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Expression of miR-25 in tissue was found to be associated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.021) and disease stage (P=0.012). Moreover, high miR-25 expression was also associated with poorer overall survival of women with lung ADC (P=0.008). Conclusion: Tissue miR-25 expression may be associated with tumor progression and have prognostic implications in female lung ADC patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.321-324
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• 2013

Background: Intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the most common cancer in Thailand, especially in the northeast region. Most extrahepatic CCA patients consult a doctor at a late stage. Surgery is still the best treatment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate survival rates and factors affecting survival in extrahepatic CCA patients following surgery at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 58 patients who were diagnosed and treated by surgical resection by the same surgeon at Srinagarind Hospital between 2005 and 2009. The patients were followed up until death or the end of the study (31 December, 2011). Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results: The total follow-up time was 1,215 person-months, and the mortality rate was 50 per 100 person-years. The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 62.1%, 21.7% and 10.8%, respectively. The median survival time after resection was 15 months. After adjusting for age, gender, lymph node metastasis and histological type, resection margin remained as a statistically significant prognostic factor for survival following surgery. A positive resection margin was associated with a 2.3-fold higher mortality rate than a negative margin. Conclusions: Resection margins are important prognostic factors affecting survival of extrahepatic CCA patients after surgery. A negative resection margin can reduce the mortality rate by 56%.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9405-9410
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• 2014

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic impact of peritoneal washing cytology in patients with endometrial and ovarian cancers. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified 86 individuals with ovarian carcinomas, ovarian borderline tumors and endometrial adenocarcinomas. The patients had been treated at Shahid Sadoughi Hospital and Ramazanzadeh Radiotherapy Center, Yazd, Iran between 2004 and 2012. Survival differences were determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox regression method. A p<0.05 value was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 36 patients with ovarian carcinomas, 4 with borderline ovarian tumors and 46 with endometrial carcinomas. The mean age of the patients was $53.8{\pm}15.2years$. In patients with ovarian carcinoma the overall survival in the negative cytology group was better than the patients with positive cytology although this difference failed to reach statistical significance (p=0.30). At 0 to 50 months the overall survival was better in patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma and negative cytology than the patients with positive cytology but then it decreased (p=0.85). At 15 to 60 months patients with FIGO 2009 stage IA-II endometrial andocarcinoma and negative peritoneal cytology had a superior survival rate compared to 1988 IIIA and positive cytology only, although this difference failed to reach statistical significance(p=0.94). Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model showed that stage and peritoneal cytology were predictors of death. Conclusions: Our results show good correlation of peritoneal cytology with prognosis in patients with ovarian carcinoma. In endometrial carcinoma it had prognostic importance. Additional research is warranted.