• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.279-283
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• 2014

We report a case of primary gastric malignant melanoma that was diagnosed after curative resection but initially misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma. A 68-year-old woman was referred to our department for surgery for gastric adenocarcinoma presenting as a polypoid lesion with central ulceration located in the upper body of the stomach. The preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic biopsy. We performed laparoscopic total gastrectomy, and the final pathologic evaluation led to the diagnosis of primary gastric malignant melanoma without a primary lesion detected in the body. To the best of our knowledge, primary gastric malignant melanoma is extremely rare, and this is the first case reported in our country. According to the literature, it has aggressive biologic activity compared with adenocarcinoma, and curative resection is the only promising treatment strategy. In our case, the patient received an early diagnosis and underwent curative gastrectomy with radical lymphadenectomy, and no recurrence was noted for about two years.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10607-10611
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• 2015

Background: HER2 expression in the primary tumor and its lymph node metastases vary in gastric cancer, reflecting intratumoral heterogeneity. This finding also suggests that proliferation of a different clone in metastatic nodes is possible. In the current study, we aimed to determine the cause of discordance in HER-2 expression in the primary tumor and lymph node metastases for patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one patients with gastric cancer who had undergone radical gastrectomy and were found to have lymph node metastasis upon pathological examination were included. Histopathological samples were obtained from biopsies obtained during patient gastrectomies and lymph node dissection. HER2 status was evaluated by both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and silver in situ hybridization (SISH). Results: Sixty-four (79%) patients were SISH (-), while 17 (21%) were SISH (+) in the primary tumor. However, in metastatic lymph nodes, HER2 status was SISH positive in 5 (28.3%) of the 64 SISH (-) primary tumor specimens. One of the 17 SISH (+) primary tumors was SISH (-) in the metastatic lymph nodes. Thus, SISH results for HER2 in both primary tumors and lymph node metastases were comparable, showing a concordance of 92.5%. In total, six patients demonstrated discordance between the primary tumor and lymph node metastases. The prevalence of HER2 discordance was significantly higher for patients in the pN2 and N3 stages (p=0.007). Although discordant patients had worse survival rates than concordant patients, the differences were not significant (p>0.05).Conclusions: Our study indicates that the frequency of concordance in HER2 status, as determined by IHC or SISH, is high in primary tumors and their corresponding lymph node metastases for patients with gastric cancer. If there is a discrepancy in HER2 status, its evaluation by both IHC and SISH may be useful for detecting patients who would benefit from trastuzumab, and it would therefore help guide decision-making processes in administering treatment.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2008

Purpose: The early detection of gastric cancer and accuracy of preoperative staging has currently been on the increase due to the development of endoscopy and imaging techniques, but there are still many cases of advanced gastric cancer detected at the first diagnosis and there are also many cases of stage IV gastric cancer diagnosed after a postoperative pathological examination. Although the prognosis of stage IV gastric cancer is very poor, this study was performed to determine the value of the use of aggressive treatment determined after a clinical analysis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 150 patients that were diagnosed with stage IV gastric cancer among 1376 patients who underwent a laparotomy for gastric cancer from January 1994 to December 2006. Results: Of the 150 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who underwent a laparotomy, there were 104 men and 46 women. The mean patient age was 57.8 years (age range, 28~93 years). A subtotal gastrectomy or total gastrectomy was performed in 119 patients and 31 patients underwent an explorative laparotomy. The mean survival time of patients that underwent a gastrectomy and patients that did not undergo a gastrectomy was 722 days (range, 14~4,559 days) and 173 days (range, 16~374 days), respectively this result was statistically significant. When patients that underwent a gastrectomy were classified according to the TNM stage, the mean survival time of 33 patients with stage T4 disease was 534 days (range, 17~3,378 days) and the mean survival time of 63 patients with stage N3 disease was 521 days (range, 14~4,190 days), but there was no statistical significance. Chemotherapy was administered to 98 patients and 52 patients did not receive chemotherapy. The mean survival time of patients that received chemotherapy was 792 days (range, 36~4,559 days) and the mean survival time of patients that did not receive chemotherapy was 243 days (range, 14~2,413 days), with statistical significance. Conclusion: If there is no evidence of distant metastasis in stage IV gastric cancer, one can expect improvement of the survival rate by the use of aggressive treatment, including curative gastric resection with radical lymph node dissection and chemotherapy.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.60-63
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• 2001

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and the histopathological characteristics of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas in the stomach. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 22 patients who had been treated at Samsung Medical Center from Jan. 1995 to Sep. 2000 and who had been pathologically proven to have a MALT lymphoma. The factors we analyzed were operative procedure, tumor stage, and histopathological characteristics. Results: Of 3658 patients with a gastric malignancy, 22 patients proved to have a MALT lymphoma ($0.6\%$). There were 7 men and 15 women whose ages ranged from 25 years to 70 years (mean, 48.8 years). Forteen cases were located in the antrum, 4 ($18\%$) in the body and 4 ($18\%$) in the fundus or the high body. Nineteen of these patients were managed with total gastrectomy and splenectomy and 3 with radical subtotal gastrectomy. Histopathologically the tumor was limited to the mucosa in 3 patients ($1.36\%$), to the submucosa in 13 ($59.1\%$) and extended to the muscularis propria in 6 ($27.3\%$). Lymph node involvement was seen in 12 patients ($54.6\%$). There was no splenic or hepatic involvement. Bone marrow involvement was not seen in any patients. H. pylori was identified in 11 patients (50$\%$). During the mean follow-up period of 32.7 months, there were no reports of tumor recurrence or death. Conclusion: MALT lymphomas rarely disseminate by the time of diagnosis and rarely involve the bone marrow. Lymph node involvement is relatively high and a total gastrectomy is effective in managing patients with a MALT lymphoma.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2004

The Information Committee of the Korean Gastric Cancer Association sent questionnaires to 31 laparoscopic gastric surgeons about their personal experiences with laparoscopic gastric surgery from 2001 to 2003. Twenty-four surgeons responded to the questionnaires (response rate: $77.4\%$).The number of laparoscopic gastric surgeries from 2001 to 2003 was 1,130 and increased from 209 in 2001 to 593 in 2003. The number of operations for a gastric adenocarcinoma also increased from 87 cases in 2001 to 403 cases in 2003. Laparoscopic radical procedures, such as a laparoscopyassisted distal gastrectomy or total gastrectomy (LADG or LATG), have increased rapidly during this period. (55 cases in 2001, 150 cases in 2002, and 364 cases in 2003). Laparoscopic function-preserving gastrectomies were not performed until 2003, during which year one pylorus- preserving gastrectomy and six proximal gastrectomies were performed laparoscopically. A wedge resection for a gastric submucosal tumor was performed in 71 cases in 2001, 82 in 2002, and 103 in 2003. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) was performed in 39 cases in 2001, 55 in 2002, and 49 in 2003. As for personal indications for a LADG, 14 surgeons performed a LADG only for a T1 lesion, and 5 surgeons extended their indications to T2N0 lesions. In the near future, laparoscopic procedures for gastric cancer will be widely adopted in Korea if the medical-insurance obstacle is overcome and the long-term survival results are verified.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2011

A 54 year old man was referred to our hospital with gastric cancer. The patient had a history of splenectomy and a left nephrectomy as a result of a traffic accident 15 years earlier. The endoscopic findings were advanced gastric cancer at the lower body of the stomach. Abdominal ultrasonography (USG) and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a metastatic nodule in the S2 segment of the liver. Eventually, the clinical stage was determined to be cT2cN1cM1 and a radical distal gastrectomy, lateral segmentectomy of the liver were performed. The histopathology findings confirmed the diagnosis of intrahepatic splenosis, omental splenosis. Hepatic splenosis is not rare in patients with a history of splenic trauma or splenectomy. Nevertheless, this is the first report describing a patient with gastric cancer and intrahepatic splenosis that was misinterpreted as a liver metastatic nodule. Intra-operative USG guided fine needle aspiration should be considered to avoid unnecessary liver resections in patients with a suspicious hepatic metastasis.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1993.09a
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• pp.61-65
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• 1993

To find out the mechanisms of anticancer effect of ginseng, we performed prospective randomized study for the 39 patients with stomach cancer who had undergone radical subtotal or total gastrectomy and postoperative immunochemotherapy with PMF from July 1991 to November 1991 at Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital. The patients were randomly divided into study and control group: the study group was administered with powdered red ginseng of 5400mg daily dose for 12 months postoperatively, the control group was simply followed-up. There were no significant differences between study and control group in twelve months postoperative body weights, triceps skin fold, hemoglobin. albumin, total protein, PNI, total WEC and lymphocyte count, and T-cell percentage (p>0.05). The results of preoperative DNCB skin test of study group was (0) for 8 patients and (+) for 12 patiens. but after operation, it showed the tendency of decreasing (0) and (+) ratio and increasing tendency of (++) ratio (p<0.05), but those of control group showed no increasing tendency of the degree of positive DNCB skin test. From the above results, we could conclude that ginseng had anti - cancer effect by the way of immune mechanism and could be an adjunct to the patients with stomach cancer postoperatively.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 1981

The results of reconstruction of the lower esophagus with jejunum in a total of 24 cases of primary carcinoma of the lower third esophagus and gastroesophageal carcinoma were presented, and clinical values of substitution for the esophagus with jejunum were also discussed. They were operated in the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Hanyang University Hospital during the period of 9 years from 1972 to 1981. Surgical managements to lower esophageal reconstruction with jejunum were carded out with not the same procedure in all cases studied, but with three different procedure mentioned below/ In 13 cases of lower third esophagectomy with or without partial `8astrectomy of a total of 24 cases, interposition of jejunum between the esophagus and the stomach were performed after the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with mobilized jejunal loops and 8astro-JeJunostomy with side to side anastomosis. In 7 cases of lower third esophagectomy and total gastrectomy, the continuity of the esophagus were performed the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with mobilized jejunum. In 4 cases of unresectable gastro-esophageal carcinoma, bypass operation of the lower esophagus and the stomach were performed after the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with side to and anastomosis. After the bypass operation, it was observed that oral feeding to the patients was excellent. Following these consecutive series of 20 cases of radical operation for lower esophageal carcinomas and 4 cases of bypass operation for unresectable gastroesophageal carcinomas, no complication such as postoperative leakage and stenosis from anastomotic site or Infection In operating area and operative death were observed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.202-209
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• 1981

The results of reconstruction of the lower esophagus with jejunum in a total of 24 cases of primary carcinoma of the lower third esophagus and gastroesophageal carcinoma were presented, and clinical values of substitution for the esophagus with jejunum were also discussed. They were operated in the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Hanyang University Hospital during the period of 9 years from 1972 to 1981. Surgical managements to lower esophageal reconstruction with jejunum were carded out with not the same procedure in all cases studied, but with three different procedure mentioned below/ In 13 cases of lower third esophagectomy with or without partial `8astrectomy of a total of 24 cases, interposition of jejunum between the esophagus and the stomach were performed after the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with mobilized jejunal loops and 8astro-JeJunostomy with side to side anastomosis. In 7 cases of lower third esophagectomy and total gastrectomy, the continuity of the esophagus were performed the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with mobilized jejunum. In 4 cases of unresectable gastro-esophageal carcinoma, bypass operation of the lower esophagus and the stomach were performed after the fashion to esophagojejunostomy with side to and anastomosis. After the bypass operation, it was observed that oral feeding to the patients was excellent. Following these consecutive series of 20 cases of radical operation for lower esophageal carcinomas and 4 cases of bypass operation for unresectable gastroesophageal carcinomas, no complication such as postoperative leakage and stenosis from anastomotic site or Infection In operating area and operative death were observed.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.87-90
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• 2010

Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as tumor invasion confined to the mucosa or submucosa, regardless of the presence of regional lymph node metastasis. Lymph node metastasis is the most powerful and important prognostic factor for gastric cancer. Based on the risk of lymph node metastasis in EGC obtained from a large number of surgical cases in Japan, it was suggested that the criteria for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal resection (ESD) as local treatment for EGC might be extended. However, extending the indications for EMR and ESD remains controversial because the long-term outcomes of these procedures have not been fully documented, and there is a risk for lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, current diagnostic imaging techniques are unsatisfactory for accurately predicting metastasis to lymph nodes. Moreover, the long-term results of standard radical gastrectomy including minimally invasive procedures for stage IA have been increasing and have reached 99 to 100%. To determine the true efficacy of endoscopic resection of EGC, we need more evidence of long-term follow-up, standardization of techniques, and pathological interpretation.