• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10937-10941
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• 2015

Pathogenesis of lung cancer is a complicated biological process including multiple genetic and epigenetic changes. Since cigarette smoking is confirmed as the most main risk factor of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the aim of this study was to determine whether tobacco exposure plays a role in gene methylation. Methylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene were detected using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in DNA from 167 newly diagnosed cases with NSCLC and corresponding 105 controls. A significant statistical association was found in the detection rate of the promoter methylation of RAR-${\beta}$ gene between NSCLC and controls ($x^2$=166.01; p<0.01), and hypermethylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene was significantly associated with smoking status (p=0.038, p<0.05). No relationship was found between RAR-${\beta}$ gene methylation and pathologic staging including clinical stage, cell type, gender and drinking (p>0.05), and the methylation of RAR-${\beta}$ gene rate of NSCLC was slightly higher in stages III+IV (80.0%) than in I+II (70.8%). Similar results were obtained for methylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene between squamous cell carcinoma (77.9%) and other cell type lung cancer (73.9%). These results showed that the frequency of methylation increased gradually with the development of clinical stage in smoking-associated lung cancer patients, and tobacco smoke may be play a potential role in RAR-${\beta}$ gene methylation in the early pathogenesis and process in lung cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma. Aberrant promoter methylation is considered to be a promising marker of previous carcinogen exposure and cancer risk.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.289-300
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• 2001

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes telomere repeats. It has been reported that activation of telomerase was associtated with immortalization, proliferative activity and carcinogenesis. Recently, telomerase activity has been extensively studied in many kinds of malignant tumors for clinical diagnostic and/or prognostic utilities. In neuroblastoma, breast carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, close relationship has been reported between high telomerase activity and lymph node metastasis, tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical implication of telomerase activity assay as an adjunctive factor in decision-making on neck node management, speedy pre-operative judging on histologic malignancy grading. Thus we performed semi-quantitative assay of telomerase activity using Telomerase PCR ELISA $kit^{(R)}$(Boeringer Manheim, Germany) and evaluated correlation between telomerase activity and tumor size, neck node metastasis, Anneroth malignancy score and influence of pre-operative chemotherapy on its activity in 27 cases of oral squamous cell carcinomas and 18 cases of normal oral epithelium. Also, correlation between telomerase activities and PCNA indices was evaluated. The results were obtained as follows: 1. The telomerase activities were detected in 24 specimens out of 27 oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens (88.9%) and in 5 specimens out of 18 normal oral epithelium specimens (27.8%). The mean value of telomerase activities was $0.9793{\pm}0.3428$ in 24 oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens and $0.4855{\pm}0.1117$ in 5 normal oral epithelium specimens. The positivity rate and mean value of telomerase activities in oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens were significantly higher than those of normal oral epithelium specimens (p<0.05). 2. There was no significant correlation between total Anneroth malignancy score and telomerase activity (p>0.05), but points of mitosis index and depth of invasion were significantly correlated with telomerase activities (p<0.05). 3. The positive immunohistochemical staining for PCNA(proliferating cell nuclear antigen) was observed in 26 specimens out of 27 oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens and mean value of PCNA indices of 26 specimens was $53.67{\pm}26.46$. PCNA indices were significantly correlated with telomerase activities (p<0.05). 4. The mean value of telomerase activities was significantly higher in pathologic T3/T4 group than in T1/T2 group (p<0.01). There was no significant difference of mean value of telomerase activities between pathologic neck node positive group and negative group (p> 0.05). Pre-operative chemotherapy significantly lowered the telomerase activities (p<0.05). The above results suggested telomerase activity could be used as diagnostic marker and adjunctive parameter for judging on histologic malignancy in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 1988

From Jan.1984 to Dec. 1986, 90 patients with lung cancer were treated at the Department of Radiation Therapy in Hanyang University Hospital. Histopathologically, 67 cases of them were the squamous cell carcinoma,7 cases were the adenocarcinoma, 4 cases were the large cell undiffe rentiated carcinoma and 12 cases were the small cell carcinoma. Among the 78 patients with non small cell carcinoma, 50 patients had received radiation dosage above 4000 cGy.40 patient had follow up from 17 months to 53 months. The complete response rate was $7.3\%$ and partial response rate was $68.3\%$. Overall survival at 1, 2 and 3 years were $47.5\%,\;23.5\%\;and\;6.3\%$ respectively. None was survived longer than 38 months. Median survival was 12.2 month for 40 patient and 9 month for stage III, M1 group and 9.5 month for stage III, MO group. In M1 patient no survival was seen after 2 years while in M0 patient $23.3\%$ survival was seen.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

The role of respiratory cytology is to detect and classify pulmonary disease, with an emphasis of neoplastic disease, so that proper therapy can be instituted. As in many branches of cytology, the recognition of malignancy in the cells obtained from the respiratory tract is more straightforward than identifying the type of tumor cell. It is important to accurately determine the true cytopathological cell type in cases of primary lung cancer and to know the accuracy of the diagnosis achieved by the cytological procedures. The well differentiated tumors have characteristic cytoplasmic and nuclear abnormalities that enable physicians to firmly categorize these lesions, as in squamous cell or adenocarcinoma, but some moderately and most poorly differentiated tumors show few distinctive features. This article reviews the malignant and reactive pulmonary cytologic findings and we also report on some of their pitfalls and the cytologic criteria.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 1994

Lung cancer is one of the most disastrous of all the current cancers in Korea. In 1990 it was projected that there would be 5, 500 new lung cancer patients in Korea and that 5, 000 would die of their disease. This is a mortality rate of 91 percent. We reviewed the surgically treated 153 bronchogenic cancer patients from January 1987 to December 1991 in St. Mary`s Hospital of Catholic University Medical College. There were 121 men and 32 women ranging in age from 18 to 83 years, with a mean of 56 years. Of the 153 patients, resection was possible in 138 patients and the resectability was 90.1 percent. Squamous cell carcinoma was present in 48 percent of patients, adenocarcinoma in 29 percent, adenosquamous carcinoma in 7 percent, large cell carcinoma in 6 percent, salivary gland tumor in 5 percent, and small cell carcinoma and carcinoid in 3 percent respectively. Postoperative cancer staging was grouped stage I 33 percent, stage II 21 percent, stage IIIa 35 percent, and stage IIIb 10 percent. Lobectomy was performed in 70 percent, pneumonectomy in 17 percent, and segmentectomy in 14 percent. Three and 5-year postoperative survival in resectable 138 patients were 47 and 29 percent respectively.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.148-154
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• 1982

The experience with operative treatment for peripheral situated solitary circumscribed lesions of the lung at the Department of Thorac. & Cardiovasc. Surg., Korea University Hospital during 8 years from March 1974, through April, 1982 was reviewed. Our criteria for Solitary pulmonary nodule were 1. Round or Ovoid shape 2. Surrounded by normal lung Parenchyme 3. Well circumscribed peripheral location 4. No other visible pulmonary diseases on chest X-ray except minimal atelectasis or pneumonitis 5. Largest diameter less than 8 cm Of the 55 patients reviewed, there were 69% of malignancy and 31% of benign pulmonary diseases. In malignancy 38 patients, there were 18 patients with squamous cell carcinoma, 8 patients with undifferentiated large cell carcinoma, 2 patients with undifferentiated small cell carcinoma, 10 patients with adenocarcinoma and patient with metastatic carcinoma. In benign pulmonary nodule 17 patients, here were 5 patients with tuberculoma, 5 patients with aspergilloma, 2 patients with A-V fistula, 1 patient with pulmonary blastoma, 1 patient with paragonimiasis, and 1 patient with lung abscess. Overall male to female occurrence ratio was 39:16, and most prevalent age incidence was 7th decades. Most frequent size distribution was 4-6 cm in diameter. All of benign diseases were cured by resection and 66% of malignancy performed operation and has 75% resectability.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.368-374
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• 1983

Combined type of primary lung cancer is a very rare form in clinical experience, which is 3 histologically different variants of bronchogenic carcinoma. These type had a well differentiated squamous carcinoma forming keratin pearls, well differentiated adenocarcinoma and pleomorphic undifferentiated cell carcinoma, usually small cell carcinoma. The patient, a male, 49-Y-0, was complaint coughing, mild dyspnea, blood tinged sputum and chest pain. Under diagnosis of lung cancer preoperatively, the right total pneumonectomy was performed with very difficulty such as arrhythmia, ventilation impairment during post operation course. The histology of specimen was disclose as 3 different histological type, combined lung cancer as squamoadenoundifferentiated carcinoma. The mediastinal nodes were freed from metastasis but the parietal pleural metastatic loci was found. The radio & chemotherapy were performed post-operatively. The patient had been experienced empyema at post-pneumonectomy space and then open drainage procedure and thoracoplasty had been added for treatment course. The patient is alive recently.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 1998

Background: Lung cancer continues to increase worldwide. Also, the proportion of female patients incease and adenocarcinoma is the predominant histological type among lung cancer in many western countries. So, we studied these current trends of lung cancer by clinical approach of recent patients from our department Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis on 212 subjects who were diagnosed with lung cancer at the department of chest medicine in National Medical Center between January 1990 and July 1996. The contents of analysis were patient's profile, clinical manifestation, smoking habits, accuracy of diagnostic methods, histological cell type, staging and treatment, etc. Results: The results were as follows. 1) The ratio of male to female was 5.2 : 1. The peak incidence of age was 7th decade(35.4%). 2) Chief complaints were cough, dyspnea and chest pain, etc. The most common duration of symptoms before the first admission was less than 3 months(57.7%). On the other side, duration more than 1 year represented 6.5%. The early diagnosed patients has been increased from the 1980s. 3) Smokers among the total patients were 77.2%. The proportion of smokers in sqamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma were 88.4%, 85.7% and 55.7%, respectively. Smoking history and histological cell type were correlated in squamous and small cell carcinoma. 4) Squamous cell carcinoma is still the predominant histological type (44.8%), but, adenocarcinoma increased more than the previous study(30.7%). The other histological types were small cell carcinoma(17.0%) and large cell carcinoma(3.8%) in order of their proportions. 5) The accuracy of diagnostic methods were as follows: sputum cytology 75.3%, bronchoscopic biopsy 65.7%, lymph node aspiration cytology 95.8%, percutaneous lung aspiration cytology 94.6% and open lung biopsy 100%. The general accuracies of diagnostic methods were improved than previous studies. 6) Performance status scales on admission were relatively good. After diagnosis, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were undertaken in 69.3% of the patients, and only 7.5% of the patients were operated. Conclusion: In our study, squamous cell carcinoma is still the predominant histological cell type, but, adenocarcinoma continues to increase. Because adenocarcinoma is less correlated with smoking habits, further evaluation of other carcinogens than smoking is requested. Screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer is important for good performance status scales in spite of advanced stages. But, we think that the prevention, for example, stop smokings is more important as because of no perfect treatment for lung cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.800-805
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• 1989

The roentgenologic appearance of carcinoma of the lung may vary considerably from case to case. And when it forms cavitary lesion, it is frequently confused with benign lesions and treated conservatively. Twenty-seven patients with cavitary bronchogenic carcinoma were treated in our St. Marys Hospital during the period 1984-1989. There were 24 males and 3 females. They ranged in age from 43 to 76 years. Symptoms of cough, blood-streaked sputum or pleuritic chest pain were present in all patients one month to 6 months before hospital admission and 7 patients among them were delayed in recognition of the malignancy from z month to 3 months. Of 27 malignancies with cavity, 22[81.5 %] were squamous cell ca., 3[11.1%] were large cell ca., and 2[7.4%] were adenoca. And of 22 squamous cell carcinomas, 5 were well differentiated, 13 were moderately and 4 were poorly. All lobes except Rt. middle lobe were involved [RUL 2 cases, RLL 13 cases, LUL 3 cases and LLL 9 cases]. We explored 16 patients and performed 7 lobectomy, 4 bi-lobectomy, 2 pneumonectomy and 3 08zC. Post-operative follow-up examination of the resected 13 patients indicated one and two year survival rates of 69.1 %[9/13 cases] and 37.5%[3/8 cases] respectively, and now 6 survivors whose post-operative periods were from 4 months to 37 months.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4639-4643
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• 2012

The burden of lung cancer in terms of mortality is the highest among all types of cancers globally. The present study aimed to evaluate lifestyle related habits, clinico-pathological profile and treatment details of lung cancer patients who were registered at Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC), Kerala, during the calendar year 2010. A retrospective evaluation was made from medical records to gather data from 281 registered lung cancer cases in 241 males and 40 females, with a male to female ratio of 6.03: 1. Approximately 89% of the cases were above 50 years of age. Among males about 91% of the cases were smokers and 62% of them had a chronic smoking habit. Adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, non-small cell carcinomas and small cell cancers accounted for 10.7, 13.9, 17.0 and 5.7% respectively. Out of 281 cases around 67% were diagnosed with distant metastasis and the remainder had regional lymph node involvement. However, no statistically significant difference was observed for secondary site of tumor according to gender. As majority of the cases reported at MCC were in an advanced stage of the disease, histology of the secondary site from supraclavicular lymph nodes or liver was taken for diagnosis. Initiation of population based screening for early detection of cancer, and primary and secondary prevention strategies for reducing the prevalence of tobacco consumption are high priorities to reduce the lung cancer burden in Kerala.