• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.203-212
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• 2021

Purpose: The impact of the interval between previous endoscopy and diagnosis on the treatment modality or mortality of undifferentiated (UD)-type gastric cancer is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of endoscopic screening interval on the stage, cancer-related mortality, and treatment methods of UD-type gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of newly diagnosed patients with UD gastric cancer in 2013, in whom the interval between previous endoscopy and diagnosis could be determined. The patients were classified into different groups according to the period from the previous endoscopy to diagnosis (<12 months, 12-23 months, 24-35 months, ≥36 months, and no history of endoscopy), and the outcomes were compared between the groups. In addition, patients who underwent endoscopic and surgical treatment were reclassified based on the final treatment results. Results: The number of enrolled patients was 440, with males representing 64.1% of the study population; 11.8% of the participants reported that they had undergone endoscopy for the first time in their cancer diagnosis. The percentage of stage I cancer at diagnosis significantly decreased as the interval from the previous endoscopy to diagnosis increased (65.4%, 63.2%, 64.2%, 45.9%, and 35.2% for intervals of <12 months, 12-23 months, 24-35 months, ≥36 months, and no previous endoscopy, respectively, P<0.01). Cancer-related mortality was significantly lower for a 3-year interval of endoscopy (P<0.001). Conclusions: A 3-year interval of endoscopic screening reduces gastric-cancer-related mortality, particularly in cases of UD histology.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.368-378
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• 2021

Purpose: When patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) undergo non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection requiring gastrectomy (NC-ESD-RG), additional medical resources and expenses are required for surgery. To reduce this burden, predictive model for NC-ESD-RG is required. Materials and Methods: Data from 2,997 patients undergoing ESD for 3,127 forceps biopsy-proven differentiated-type EGCs (2,345 and 782 in training and validation sets, respectively) were reviewed. Using the training set, the logistic stepwise regression analysis determined the independent predictors of NC-ESD-RG (NC-ESD other than cases with lateral resection margin involvement or piecemeal resection as the only non-curative factor). Using these predictors, a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG was developed. Performance of the predictive model was examined internally with the validation set. Results: Rate of NC-ESD-RG was 17.3%. Independent pre-ESD predictors for NC-ESD-RG included moderately differentiated or papillary EGC, large tumor size, proximal tumor location, lesion at greater curvature, elevated or depressed morphology, and presence of ulcers. A risk-score was assigned to each predictor of NC-ESD-RG. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting NC-ESD-RG was 0.672 in both training and validation sets. A risk-score of 5 points was the optimal cut-off value for predicting NC-ESD-RG, and the overall accuracy was 72.7%. As the total risk score increased, the predicted risk for NC-ESD-RG increased from 3.8% to 72.6%. Conclusions: We developed and validated a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG based on pre-ESD variables. Our risk-scoring system can facilitate informed consent and decision-making for preoperative treatment selection between ESD and surgery in patients with EGC.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Reports
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.81-90
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• 2020

배경 및 목적: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) 제균 치료는 위암 발병률을 줄이는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 만성 위축성 위염, 장상피화생 및 이형성증이 있는 일반 집단에서도 위암의 발생 위험을 예방할 수 있는지에 대해서는 여전히 논란의 여지가 있다. 우리는 포괄적인 메타분석을 통해 이에 대한 연구를 수행해 보고자 한다. 방법: 2019년 12월까지 H. pylori 제균 치료가 위암에 미치는 영향을 평가한 논문들을 PubMed, KoreaMed, EMBASE 및 Cochrane Library에서 검색하였다. 전암성 병변(만성 위축성 위염/장상피화생/이형성증), 지역(아시아/비아시아) 및 추적관찰기간에 따라 하위 집단 분석을 수행하였다. 모든 데이터는 Review Manager 5.3으로 분석하였다. 결과: 본 연구에서는 총 6편의 전향적 무작위 연구가 최종 분석에 포함되었다. 전체 집단에서 H. pylori 제균 치료는 위암 발생 위험을 유의하게 감소시켰다(위험비[RR]=0.56; 95% 신뢰구간[CI]: 0.41-0.77, p<0.01). 또한, 하위 집단 분석을 보면, H. pylori 제균 치료는 아시아 지역과 10년 이상의 추적관찰을 시행한 집단에서 위암 발생 위험을 현저하게 감소시키는 것을 보여주었다(RR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.39-0.75, p<0.01 및 RR=0.51; 95% CI: 0.35-0.73, p<0.01). 그러나, 전암성 병변 유무에 따른 하위 집단 분석에서는 유의한 결과가 도출되지 않았다(전암성 병변이 있는 군, RR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.47-1.59, p=0.63; 전암성 병변이 없는 군, RR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.02-7.69, p=0.56). 결론: H. pylori 제균 치료는 일반 집단, 특히 아시아 지역에서 위암 발생 위험을 낮춘다. 제균 치료의 위암 예방 효과는 10년 이상 장기간 추적관찰 하였을 때 유의하다. 한편, 전암성 병변이 있는 일반 집단에서 위암 예방을 위해 H. pylori 제균 치료를 시행하는 것은 아직 근거가 명확하지 않아 권고하기 어렵다. 따라서 앞으로 이에 대한 더 많은 연구가 필요하다.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.120-134
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to identify prognostic factors for patients with distant lymph node-involved gastric cancer (GC) using a machine learning algorithm, a method that offers considerable advantages and new prospects for high-dimensional biomedical data exploration. Materials and Methods: This study employed 79 features of clinical pathology, laboratory tests, and therapeutic details from 289 GC patients whose distant lymphadenopathy was presented as the first episode of recurrence or metastasis. Outcomes were measured as any-cause death events and survival months after distant lymph node metastasis. A prediction model was built based on possible outcome predictors using a random survival forest algorithm and confirmed by 5×5 nested cross-validation. The effects of single variables were interpreted using partial dependence plots. A contour plot was used to visually represent survival prediction based on 2 predictive features. Results: The median survival time of patients with GC with distant nodal metastasis was 9.2 months. The optimal model incorporated the prealbumin level and the prothrombin time (PT), and yielded a prediction error of 0.353. The inclusion of other variables resulted in poorer model performance. Patients with higher serum prealbumin levels or shorter PTs had a significantly better prognosis. The predicted one-year survival rate was stratified and illustrated as a contour plot based on the combined effect the prealbumin level and the PT. Conclusions: Machine learning is useful for identifying the important determinants of cancer survival using high-dimensional datasets. The prealbumin level and the PT on distant lymph node metastasis are the 2 most crucial factors in predicting the subsequent survival time of advanced GC.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.604-615
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate cancer-specific survival (CSS) and associated risk factors in elderly gastric cancer (EGC) patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: EGC patients (≥ 70 yrs) who underwent curative gastrectomy between January 2013 and December 2017 at our hospital were included. Clinicopathologic characteristics and survival data were collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to extract the best cutoff point for body mass index (BMI). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the risk factors for CSS. RESULTS: In total, 290 EGC patients were included, with a median age of 74.7 yrs. The median follow-up time was 31 (1-77) mon. The postoperative 1-yr, 3-yr and 5-yr CSS rates were 93.7%, 75.9% and 65.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed risk factors for CSS, including age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.15), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (HR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.08-2.79), nutritional risk screening (NRS 2002) score ≥ 5 (HR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.49-3.75), and preoperative prognostic nutrition index score < 45 (HR = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.27-3.33). The ROC curve showed that the best BMI cutoff value was 20.6 kg/m². Multivariate analysis indicated that a BMI ≤ 20.6 kg/m² (HR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.36-3.87), ICU admission (HR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.17-3.30) and TNM stage (stage II: HR = 5.56; 95% CI, 1.59-19.43; stage III: HR = 16.20; 95% CI, 4.99-52.59) were significantly associated with CSS. CONCLUSIONS: Low BMI (≤ 20.6 kg/m²), ICU admission and advanced pathological TNM stages (II and III) are independent risk factors for CSS in EGC patients after curative gastrectomy. Nutrition support, better perioperative management and early diagnosis would be helpful for better survival.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.107-145
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• 2023

The first edition of 'A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer' was initiated by the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists and published 17 years ago. Since then, significant advances have been made in the pathologic diagnosis, molecular genetics, and management of gastric cancer (GC). To reflect those changes, a committee for publishing a second edition of the report was formed within the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists. This second edition consists of two parts: standard data elements and conditional data elements. The standard data elements contain the basic pathologic findings and items necessary to predict the prognosis of GC patients, and they are adequate for routine surgical pathology service. Other diagnostic and prognostic factors relevant to adjuvant therapy, including molecular biomarkers, are classified as conditional data elements to allow each pathologist to selectively choose items appropriate to the environment in their institution. We trust that the standardized pathology report will be helpful for GC diagnosis and facilitate large-scale multidisciplinary collaborative studies.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.355-364
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• 2023

Background: There are no clear guidelines to determine whether to perform D1 or D1+ lymph node dissection in early gastric cancer (EGC). This study aimed to develop a nomogram for estimating the risk of extraperigastric lymph node metastasis (LNM). Materials and Methods: Between 2009 and 2019, a total of 4,482 patients with pathologically confirmed T1 disease at 6 affiliated hospitals were included in this study. The basic clinicopathological characteristics of the positive and negative extraperigastric LNM groups were compared. The possible risk factors were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on these results, a risk prediction model was developed. A nomogram predicting extraperigastric LNM was used for internal validation. Results: Multivariate analyses showed that tumor size (cut-off value 3.0 cm, odds ratio [OR]=1.886, P=0.030), tumor depth (OR=1.853 for tumors with sm2 and sm3 invasion, P=0.010), cross-sectional location (OR=0.490 for tumors located on the greater curvature, P=0.0303), differentiation (OR=0.584 for differentiated tumors, P=0.0070), and lymphovascular invasion (OR=11.125, P<0.001) are possible risk factors for extraperigastric LNM. An equation for estimating the risk of extraperigastric LNM was derived from these risk factors. The equation was internally validated by comparing the actual metastatic rate with the predicted rate, which showed good agreement. Conclusions: A nomogram for estimating the risk of extraperigastric LNM in EGC was successfully developed. Although there are some limitations to applying this model because it was developed based on pathological data, it can be optimally adapted for patients who require curative gastrectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.574-583
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• 2023

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is among the most prevalent and fatal cancers worldwide. National cancer screening programs in countries with high incidences of this disease provide medical aid beneficiaries with free-of-charge screening involving upper endoscopy to detect early-stage GC. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused major disruptions to routine healthcare access. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis, overall incidence, and stage distribution of GC. Materials and Methods: We identified patients in our hospital cancer registry who were diagnosed with GC between January 2018 and December 2021 and compared the cancer stage at diagnosis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age and sex. The years 2018 and 2019 were defined as the "before COVID" period, and the years 2020 and 2021 as the "during COVID" period. Results: Overall, 10,875 patients were evaluated; 6,535 and 4,340 patients were diagnosed before and during the COVID-19 period, respectively. The number of diagnoses was lower during the COVID-19 pandemic (189 patients/month vs. 264 patients/month) than before it. Notably, the proportion of patients with stages 3 or 4 GC in 2021 was higher among men and patients aged ≥40 years. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall number of GC diagnoses decreased significantly in a single institute. Moreover, GCs were in more advanced stages at the time of diagnosis. Further studies are required to elucidate the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the delay in the detection of GC worldwide.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.172-184
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• 2024

Purpose: The original eCura system was designed to stratify the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) after endoscopic resection (ER) in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). We assessed the effectiveness of a modified eCura system for reflecting the characteristics of undifferentiated-type (UD)-EGC. Materials and Methods: Six hundred thirty-four patients who underwent non-curative ER for UD-EGC and received either additional surgery (radical surgery group; n=270) or no further treatment (no additional treatment group; n=364) from 18 institutions between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively included in this study. The eCuraU system assigned 1 point each for tumors >20 mm in size, ulceration, positive vertical margin, and submucosal invasion <500 ㎛; 2 points for submucosal invasion ≥500 ㎛; and 3 points for lymphovascular invasion. Results: LNM rates in the radical surgery group were 1.1%, 5.4%, and 13.3% for the low-(0-1 point), intermediate- (2-3 points), and high-risk (4-8 points), respectively (P-fortrend<0.001). The eCuraU system showed a significantly higher probability of identifying patients with LNM as high-risk than the eCura system (66.7% vs. 22.2%; McNemar P<0.001). In the no additional treatment group, overall survival (93.4%, 87.2%, and 67.6% at 5 years) and cancer-specific survival (99.6%, 98.9%, and 92.9% at 5 years) differed significantly among the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, respectively (both P<0.001). In the high-risk category, surgery outperformed no treatment in terms of overall mortality (hazard ratio, 3.26; P=0.015). Conclusions: The eCuraU system stratified the risk of LNM in patients with UD-EGC after ER. It is strongly recommended that high-risk patients undergo additional surgery.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.40-46
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• 2005

배경: 위장관 간질성 종양(GISTs)은 위장관계에 발생하는 간엽성 종양이다. 위장관 간질성 종양은 면역조직화학 검사에서 c-kit 단백 발현의 양성을 나타내며 그 임상적 경과는 매우 다양하다. 저자들은 위장관 간질성 종양의 임상병리학적 특성을 고찰하고 예후 인자를 평가하기 위하여 후향적 연구를 시행하였다. 대상 및 방법: 본 연구는 고려대학교 의과대학 외과학교실에서 1996년부터 2003년까지 위장관 간질성 종양으로 수술적 절제를 시행한 40명의 환자를 대상으로 하였다. 종양의 크기와 핵분열 정도에 따라 저위험도 집단(23예), 고위험도 집단(17예)으로 분류하였으며 두 군간 임상병리학적 특성, 면역조직화학 검사 결과 및 예후를 비교 분석하였다. 결과: 환자의 평균 연령은 $61.3\pm11.1$세이었으며 남녀비는 1:1,1이었다. 임상병리학적 소견으로는 수술 전 임상 증상이 있었던 경우와 수술 전에 조직학적으로 진단이 되었던 경우, 종양의 크기가 클수록, 핵분열이 많을수록, 종양의 성상이 궤양을 동반하거나 괴사를 보일 때, 고위험군에 포함되는 빈도가 높았다. 단변량 분석 결과, 종양의 크기, 핵분열 정도, 궤양 및 괴사 소견 그리고 내시경적 초음파 이상소견이 통계학적으로 의미가 있는 인자들로 나타났으며, 다변량 분석을 시행한 결과 핵분열 정도가 생존율에 영향을 미치는 독립적인 예후 인자로 나타났다. 관찰 기간 중 8예에서 재발하였으며 STI-571(imatinib mesylate, $Gleeveo^{R}$)을 사용한 4예는 현재까지 생존하고 있으며 사용하지 않은 4예 중 2예는 질환이 진행하는 양상을 나타내었고, 나머지 2P는 사망하였다. 결론: 위에서 기원한 위장관 간질성 종양에서 종양의 크기, 궤양 및 괴사 소견은 생존율에 영향을 주는 임상병리학적 소견이며, 핵분열 정도는 유용한 예후 인자라고 할 수 있다. STI-571은 재발 혹은 전이 환자에 있어 치료 효과를 나타내므로 술후 치료에 적용하는 것이 예후 향상에 기여하리라 생각된다.