• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.751-760
• /
• 2022

Objective: To show a decrease in tumor recurrence and improvement in quality of life in patients with recurrent cervical cancer. Method: A 58-year-old female patient diagnosed with recurrent cervical cancer in February 2021 was treated for 14 months with integrative cancer treatment (ICT) to decrease the tumor size and improve chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and nausea. The patient underwent chemotherapy or concomitant chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) with ICT. Radiologic outcomes were assessed by abdomen & pelvis computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) protocol. Clinical outcomes were assessed by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (NCI-CTCAE), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and a numeric rating scale (NRS). Result: During the 14 months of treatment, the size and metabolic activity of the recurrent tumor decreased and underwent partial remission based on RECIST. The NRS scores for CIPN and nausea were improved, and the ECOG score improved from grade 2 to 1. No serious side effects of grade 3 or higher were noted on the NCI-CTCAE test. Conclusion: This case suggests that ICT may have a synergetic effect with chemotherapy or radiotherapy for recurrent cervical cancer.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.594-601
• /
• 2023

Objective: To demonstrate an improvement in metastatic cancer pain and a decrease in tumor size in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer. Method: A 53-year-old female patient diagnosed with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in August 2022 underwent integrative cancer treatment (ICT) for two months to decrease the tumor size and improve back pain from bone metastasis. The patient underwent chemotherapy with ICT. Radiologic outcomes were assessed by chest, abdomen, and pelvis computed tomography based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) protocol. Clinical outcomes were assessed using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (NCI-CTCAE), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and a numeric rating scale (NRS). Result: During the two months of treatment, the NRS scores for back pain were improved, and the ECOG score improved from grade 2 to 1. The size and metabolic activity of the primary lung tumor decreased and underwent partial remission based on RECIST. No serious side effects of grade 3 or higher were noted on the NCI-CTCAE test. Conclusion: This case suggests that ICT may have a therapeutic effect for cancer pain and a synergetic effect with chemotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7171-7177
• /
• 2013

Purpose: To compare the safety and efficacy of first-line chemotherapy regimen with or without doxorubicin in treating patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 56 patients histologically confirmed with STS who were treated at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute from July 2011 to June 2012.The basic element of first line chemotherapy contained epirubicin in group B and lacked epirubicin in group A. Response was assessed using RECIST criteria. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate progress free survival (PFS). Results: According to RECIST criteria, patients in group treated by chemotherapy without epirubicin, the objective response (OR) ratio was 6.5 % (CR0%+PR6.5%). Disease control rate (DCR=CR+PR+SD) was 25.8% with a median follow-up of 14.6 months, including 2 patients achieving a partial response (PR 6.5%) and a stable response (SD 19.4%) in 6. In group B with epirubicin based regimens, no patient had complete response, PR (28 %) was observed in 7 and SD (24 %) in 6. DCR was observed in 13 patients (52%). By Fisher's exact test, the DCR difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.046). In group A, median PFS was 3.0 months (95%CI:2.1-3.8), compared with 4.0 months (95% CI:3.03-4.97) in group B (p=0.0397 by log-rank test). Epirubicin based chemotherapy and ECOG performance status 0-1 were identified as favorable factors for progression in our cohort of patients. Differences of nonhematologic and hematologic toxicities were not statistically significant between the two groups, and the addition of epirobicin was not associated with cardiac toxicity (p=0.446). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that epirubicin-based chemotherapy is effective and well tolerated, and is superior to chemotherapy without epirubicin regarding efficacy. Therefore it is recommended that epirubicin-based chemotherapy should be considered as first line for patients with advanced STS.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.8
• /
• pp.4037-4041
• /
• 2016

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer that is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage. Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is an effective palliative treatment for patients who are not eligible for curative treatment. The two main methods for performing TACE are conventional (c-TACE) or with drug eluting beads (DEB-TACE). We sought to compare survival rates and tumour response between patients undergoing c-TACE and DEB-TACE at our centre. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing either treatment was carried out from January 2009 to December 2014. Tumour response to the procedures was evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess and compare the overall survival in the two groups. Results: A total of 79 patients were analysed (34 had c-TACE, 45 had DEB-TACE) with a median follow-up of 11.8 months. A total of 20 patients in the c-TACE group (80%) and 12 patients in the DEB-TACE group (44%) died during the follow up period. The median survival durations in the c-TACE and DEB-TACE groups were $4.9{\pm}3.2$ months and $8.3{\pm}2.0$ months respectively (p=0.008). There was no statistically significant difference noted among the two groups with respect to mRECIST criteria. Conclusions: DEB-TACE demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival rates for patients with unresectable HCC when compared to c-TACE. It is a safe and promising approach and should potentially be considered as a standard of care in the management of unresectable HCC.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.13-19
• /
• 2008

Objectives To investigate the therapeutic effects of intravenous cultivated wild ginseng(Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) pharmacopuncture(CWGP) in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). Design Prospective case series. Setting This study was conducted at the East-West Cancer Center of Dunsan Oriental Hospital, Daejeon University. Patients Two non-small cell lung cancer patients. Intervention Two non-small cell lung cancer patients were injected CWGP(20mL/day) mixed with 0.9% normal saline(100mL) intravenously. Each patient received a total of 16 and 9 cycles, respectively. One cycle is composed of 14 days. Outcome Measures The effect of intravenous CWGP was measured by scanning with computed tomography(CT) after every 2 cycle and Positron emission tomography- computed tomography(PET/CT) after every 6 cycles. Response and progression was evaluated using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(RECIST) Committee classification of complete response(CR), partial response(PR), progressive disease(PD) and stable disease(SD). Results They were treated with intravenous CWGP for 8 and 5 months respectively. time later, each tumor remains stable disease(SD). Conclusion These cases may give us a possibility that intravenous CWGP offers potential benefits for non-small cell lung cancer patients.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.25-32
• /
• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the effect of Korean Medicine Treatment (KMT) on the advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC) patient. Method : One advanced gastric carcinoma patient was treated by Korean Medicine Treatment composed of pharmacopuncture, acupuncture and herbal medicine. At the same time, he received chemotherapy (S-1 and Cisplatin) and radiotherapy. The effect of KMT was measured by scanning with Computed tomography (CT) and Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Response was evaluated using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Committee classification. Result : The tumor was disappeared after the treatment during 13 months (Complete Response (CR)). As treatment was performed, chemoradiation therapy induced complication was alleviated. Conclusion : This case provides us a possibility that Korean Medicine Treatment offers potential benefits for advanced gastric carcinoma patient.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.4205-4208
• /
• 2013

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore change and significance of serum carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) before and after gefitinib therapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Forty patients with advanced NSCLCs in III~IV stages were selected as study objects given gefitinib therapy combined with routine local radiotherapy until tumor progression or intolerable toxicity. After treatment, all patients were divided into control and non-control groups according to the results of evaluation based on RECIST 1.1 (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors in 2009). Peripheral fasting blood from all patients was collected in the early morning and serum CEA was assessed by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) before and after treatment. Before treatment, patients were divided into high CEA group (CEA level > 50 ng/mL) and low CEA group (CEA level ${\leq}$ 50 ng/mL). Adverse reactions were noted and progression-free survival (PFS) in both groups was recorded after long-term follow-up that ended in December, 2012. Results: There was no difference between control and non-control groups in CEA level before treatment (P>0.05), whereas serum CEA decreased more markedly lower in the control group after treatment (P<0.01). All patients were divided into high CEA group (26) and low CEA group (14) according to serum CEA level. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in adverse reactions (P>0.05) but the rate in former group was lower. Additionally, survival rates at 9 and 12 months in high CEA group were clearly higher than in the low CEA group (P<0.01). Conclusions: Serum CEA level can serve as a biochemical index to evaluate the prognosis with gefitinib treatment for NSCLC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.8
• /
• pp.3111-3116
• /
• 2015

Background: This study was designed to investigate the value of CEA and CA199 in predicting the treatment response to palliative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: We studied 189 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received first-line chemotherapy, measured the serum CEA and CA199 levels, used RECIST1.1 as the gold standard and analyzed the value of CEA and CA199 levels changes in predicting the treatment efficacy of chemotherapy. Results: Among the 189 patients, 80 and 94 cases had increases of baseline CEA (${\geq}5ng/ml$) and CA199 levels (${\geq}27U/ml$), respectively. After two cycles of chemotherapy, 42.9% patients showed partial remission, 33.3% stable disease, and 23.8% progressive disease. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for CEA and CA199 reduction in predicting effective chemotherapy were 0.828 (95%CI 0.740-0.916) and 0.897 (95%CI 0.832-0.961). The AUCs for CEA and CA199 increase in predicting progression after chemotherapy were 0.923 (95%CI 0.865-0.980) and 0.896 (95%CI 0.834-0.959), respectively. Patients who exhibited a CEA decline ${\geq}24%$ and a CA199 decline ${\geq}29%$ had significantly longer PFS (log rank p=0.001, p<0.001). With the exception of patients who presented with abnormal levels after chemotherapy, changes of CEA and CA199 levels had limited value for evaluating the chemotherapy efficacy in patients with normal baseline tumor markers. Conclusions: Changes in serum CEA and CA199 levels can accurately predict the efficacy of first-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Patients with levels decreasing beyond the optimal critical values after chemotherapy have longer PFS.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.351-360
• /
• 2019

Purpose: To investigate noninvasive biomarkers for predicting treatment response in patients with locally advanced HCC who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRTx). Materials and Methods: Thirty patients (55.5 ± 10.2 years old, M:F = 24:6) who underwent CCRTx due to advanced HCC were enrolled. Contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained before and immediately after CCRTx. The third CEUS was obtained at one month after CCRTx was completed. Response was assessed at three months after CCRTx based on RECIST 1.1. Quantitative imaging biomarkers measured with CEUS and MRI were compared between groups. A cutoff value was calculated with ROC analysis. Overall survival (OS) was compared by the Breslow method. Results: Twenty-five patients were categorized into the non-progression group and five patients were categorized into the progression group. Peak enhancement of the first CEUS before CCRTx (PE1) was significantly lower in the non-progression group (median, 18.6%; IQR, 20.9%) than that in the progression group (median, 59.1%; IQR, 13.5%; P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in other quantitative biomarkers between the two groups. On ROC analysis, with a cutoff value of 42.6% in PE1, the non-progression group was diagnosed with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 100%. OS was also significantly longer in patients with PE1 < 42.6% (P = 0.014). Conclusion: Early treatment response and OS could be predicted by PE on CEUS before CCRTx in patients with HCC.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study was aimed to report a patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan in conjunction with gemcitabine. There were better survival-related outcomes compared to gemcitabine alone. Methods: The patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer received gemcitabine as palliative chemotherapy since June 2016 concurrent with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan since October 2016 to October 2017. To evaluate the effect of treatment, tumor markers (carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)), Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, and overall survival were checked. Adverse events were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0. Results: After 12 months with the combination treatment, levels of CA19-9 were decreased from 8747 to 265.7 ng/ml and CEA from 42.2 to 6.5 U/ml. Clinical partial response state was shown until May 2, 2017 and stable disease state was maintained from August 4, 2017. In March 2018, the patient got an operation including pancreatectomy and diagnosed with no evidence of disease state in September, 2018. In conclusion, it showed the overall survival of 29 months from June, 2016 to November, 2018. Serious adverse events were not identified. Conclusions: This study suggested that combined treatment with modified Bangam-tang and Gunchil-dan may show better outcome in patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer than gemcitabine alone.