• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2022

Complications experienced during lymphatic surgery have not been ubiquitously reported, and little has been described regarding how to prevent them. We present a review of complications reported during the surgical management of lymphedema and our experience with technical considerations to reduce morbidity from lymphatic surgery. A comprehensive search across different databases was conducted through November 2020. Based on the complications identified, we discussed the best approach for reducing the incidence of complications during lymphatic surgery based on our experience. The most common complications reported following lymphovenous anastomosis were re-exploration of the anastomosis, venous reflux, and surgical site infection. The most common complications using groin vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT), submental VLNT, lateral thoracic VLNT, and supraclavicular VLNT included delayed wound healing, seroma and hematoma formation, lymphatic fluid leakage, iatrogenic lymphedema, soft-tissue infection, venous congestion, marginal nerve pseudoparalysis, and partial flap loss. Regarding intra-abdominal lymph node flaps, incisional hernia, hematoma, lymphatic fluid leakage, and postoperative ileus were commonly reported. Following suction-assisted lipectomy, significant blood loss and transient paresthesia were frequently reported. The reported complications of excisional procedures included soft-tissue infections, seroma and hematoma formation, skin-graft loss, significant blood loss, and minor skin flap necrosis. Evidently, lymphedema continues to represent a challenging condition; however, thorough patient selection, compliance with physiotherapy, and an experienced surgeon with adequate understanding of the lymphatic system can help maximize the safety of lymphatic surgery.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the optimum radiotherapy technique for internal mammary node (IMN) irradiation after breast-conserving surgery. Materials and Methods: We selected ten cases of early stage partial mastectomy for plan comparison. Five of the patients were treated to the right-side breast and the rest of the patients were treated to the left-side breast. For each case, four different treatment plans were made to irradiate the entire breast, IMNs and supraclavicular lymph nodes (SCLs). The four planning techniques include a standard tangential field (STF), wide tangential field (WTF), partially wide tangential field (PWT) and a photon-electron mixed field (PEM). We prescribed a dose of 50.4 Gy to the SCL field at a 3 cm depth and isocenter of the breast field. Results: The dose distribution showed clear characteristics depending on the technique used. All of the techniques covered the breast tissue well. IMN coverage was also good, except for the STF, which was not intended to cover IMNs. For the cases of the left-side breasts, the volume of the heart that received more than 30 Gy was larger (in order) for the WTF, PWT, PEM and STF. For radiation pneumonitis normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), the PWT showed the best results followed by the STF. Conclusion: Despite the variety of patient body shapes, the PWT technique showed the best results for coverage of IMNs and for reducing the lung and heart dose.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.204-212
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the disease-free survival and risk factors of recurrence in early breast cancer patients who have undergone breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy. Materials and Methods: From March 1997 to December 2002, 77 breast cancer patients who underwent breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy were reviewed retrospectively. The median follow-up time was 58.4 months (range $43.8{\sim}129.4$ months) and the mean subject age was 41 years. The frequency distribution of the different T stages, based on the tumor characteristics was 38 (49.3%) for T1, 28 (36.3%) for T2, 3 for T3, 7 for T is and 1 for an unidentified sized tumor. In addition, 52 patients (67.5%) did not have axillary lymph metastasis, whereas 14 patients (18.1%) had $1{\sim}3$ lymph node metastases and 3 (0.03%) had more than 4 lymph node metastases. The resection margin was negative in 59 patients, close (${\leq}2\;mm$) in 15, and positive in 4. All patients received radiation therapy at the intact breast using tangential fields with a subsequent electron beam boost to the tumor bed at a total dose ranging from 59.4 Gy to 66.4 Gy. Patients with more than four positive axillary lymph nodes received radiation therapy ($41.4{\sim}60.4\;Gy$) at the axillary and supraclavicular area. Chemotherapy was administered in 59 patients and tamoxifen or fareston was administered in 29 patients. Results: The 5 year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 98.08% and 93.49%, respectively. Of the 77 patients, a total of 4 relapses (5.2%), including 1 isolated supraclavicular relapse, 1 supraclavicular relapse with synchronous multiple distant relapses, and 2 distant relapses were observed. No cases of local breast relapses were observed. Lymph node metastasis or number of metastatic lymph nodes was not found to be statistically related with a relapse (p=0.3289) nor disease-free survival (p=0.1430). Patients with positive margins had a significantly shorter disease-free survival period (p<0.0001) and higher relapse rates (p=0.0507). However, patients with close margins were at equal risk of relapse and disease-free survival as with negative margins (p=1.000). Patients younger than 40 years of age had higher relapse rates (9.3% vs. 0%) and lower disease-free survival periods, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.1255). The relapse rates for patients with tumors was 14% for tumor stage T2, compared to 0% for tumor stage T1 tumors (p=0.0284). A univariate analysis found that disease-free survival and relapse rates, T stage, positive resection margin and mutation of p53 were significant factors for clinical outcome. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown that breast conservation surgery and radiation therapy in early breast cancer patients has proven to be a safe treatment modality with a low relapse rate and high disease-free survival rate. The patients with a positive margin, T2 stage, and mutation of p53 are associated with statistically higher relapse rates and lower disease-free survival.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.275-278
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• 2006

We report the case of a 73-year-old man who had prostate cancer with bone metastases. Tc-99m HDP Whole body bone scan revealed multiple areas of increased bony uptake consistent with widespread bone metastases. F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) demonstrated mild F-18 FDG uptake in the lymph nodes of neck, abdomen, and pelvis. However, abnormal F-18 FDG uptake was not seen in the skeletal system. Biopsy and immunohistochemical stains of left supraclavicular mass showed metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma. Currently, there are a few reported cases of F-18 FDG PET/CT evaluation of bone metastases in prostate cancer. We discuss the discrepancy between F-18 FDG PET/CT and bone scan in the detection of osseous metastases of prostate cancer.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.89-93
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• 2023

We present three cases of patients with breast cancer and psoriasis who received radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery. One patient developed an extensive flare-up of psoriasis during chemotherapy. After discontinuing chemotherapy, she received conventional radiotherapy to the ipsilateral whole breast, axillary, and supraclavicular lymph nodes with 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions and boosted with 10 Gy in five fractions to the tumor bed. Two patients received hypofractionated whole-breast radiotherapy at a total dose of 40.05-42.4 Gy in 15-16 fractions. In all three cases, there was no flare-up of psoriatic events at least 6 months after the completion of radiotherapy. We hypothesized that there is a close relationship between psoriatic events and the extent of trauma rather than the daily dose of the fraction. Therefore, we confirmed that the effect of radiotherapy on psoriatic events is minimal if the radiation field size does not exceed that of the whole breast.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.261-267
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• 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the association between radiation pneumonitis and dose-volume histogram parameters and to provide practical guidelines to prevent radiation pneumonitis following radiotherapy administered for breast cancer including internal mammary lymph nodes. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with early breast cancer who underwent a partial mastectomy were involved in this study. The entire breast, supraclavicular lymph nodes, and internal mammary lymph nodes were irradiated with a dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions. Radiation pneumonitis was assessed by both radiological pulmonary change (RPC) and by evaluation of symptomatic radiation pneumonitis. Dose-volume histogram parameters were compared between patients with grade <2 RPC and those with grade ${\geq}$2 RPC. The parameters were the mean lung dose, V10 (percent lung volume receiving equal to and more than 10 Gy), V20, V30, V40, and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Results: Of the 20 patients, 9 (45%) developed grade 2 RPC and 11 (55%) did not develop RPC (grade 0). Only one patient developed grade 1 symptomatic radiation pneumonitis. Univariate analysis showed that among the dose-volume histogram parameters, NTCP was significantly different between the two RPC grade groups (p<0.05). Fisher's exact test indicated that an NTCP value of 45% was appropriate as an RPC threshold level. Conclusion: This study shows that NTCP can be used as a predictor of RPC after radiotherapy of the internal mammary lymph nodes in breast cancer. Clinically, it indicates that an RPC is likely to develop when the NTCP is greater than 45%.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 1999

Background and Purpose : Involvement of supraclavicular Iymph nodes (SCL) is considered distant metastasis for thoracic esophageal carcinoma in AJCC staging system revised in 1997. We investigated significance of SCL involvement compared to other regional Iymph node involvement. Materials and Methods : Two-hundred eighty-nine patients with unresectable esophageal carcinoma were treated with radiation therapy from June of 1979 through December 1992. Of these patients, 25 were identified having SCL involvement. Survival rate and relapse patterns were compared with that of mediastinal and perigastric Iymph node positive patients to evaluate prognostic significance of SCL involvement. Results : Median survival for patients with SCL involvement was 7 months and 2- and 5-year overall survival rates were 12.0$\%$ and 4.0$\%$ respectably. Corresponding features for regional node positive patients were 9 month, 17.0$\%$ and 3.8$\%$. There was no significant difference between two groups. There was also no difference in patterns of recurrence. Conclusions : Results of this analysis showed that SCL involvement should be staged as nodal disease in contrast to present classification of metastatic disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1177-1183
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• 1997

The relationship between neoplastic disease and thromboembolic disorders has been recognized since 1865, when Armand Trousseau first reported a high incidence of venous thrombosis in a series of patients with gastric carcinoma. The overall incidence of thromboembolic disease in patients with cancer has been reported to vary 1% to 15%. In a prospective study, Ambrus and associates reported that thrombosis and/or bleeding was the second most common cause of death in haspitalized cancer patients. We report a case who presented as a thromboembolic disease and subsequently confirmed to have an underlying lung malignancy. This 45 years old male patient visited our hospital with abdominal pain and distention of 3 days duration. Abdominal CT scan revealed multiple splenic and renal infarctions. On 20th haspital day, drowsy mental status was developed and hemorrhagic cerebral infarction was noted in brain CT scan. Chest CT scan revealed a 4cm sized spiculated mass on left lung apex and multiple paratracheal lymph adenopathy. With surgical biopsy of left supraclavicular lymph nodes, this patient was confirmed to have adenocarcinoma.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.247-251
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• 2007

A 38-year-old man who was diagnosed with malignant paraganglioma underwent computed tomography (CT) and I-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) san. CT showed extensive lymph node enlargement in right iliac area and retroperitoneum with severe hydronephrosis and mass on posterior bladder wall. However, I-131 MIBG scan didn't showed abnormal uptake. He also underwent F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emisson tomography/CT for localizing accurate tumor site. F-18 FDG PET/CT showed multiple metastases of left supraclavicular, hilar, mediastinal para-aortic, inguinal, right iliac lymph nodes, lung, vertebrae, and pelvis. There are a few reports showing that the F-18 FDG PET/CT is helpful for staging and localizing tumor site of patients who are diagnosed with negative on the MIBG scans. Thus, we report a case with paraganglioma which showed negative I-131 MIBG scan, but revealed multiple intense hypermetabolic foci in F-18 FDG PET/CT.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2011

Rhabdomyosarcomas are soft tissue sarcomas; while extremely rare in adults, they are one of the most common neoplasms in children and adolescents. Histologically, they can be classified into embryonal (ERMS), alveolar (ARMS), pleomorphic, and undifferentiated types. The ARMS type is very rare, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Common primary sites of ARMS are the trunk and extremities. We report on a case of paraaortic, supraclavicular, and axillary lymph node metastasis from paratesticular ARMS treated with VAC (vincristine, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide)/ IE(ifosfamide, etoposide) chemotherapy in a young adult. Administration of six cycles of chemotherapy with VAC/IE resulted in complete remission. The patient has maintained complete remission over the past 27 months.