• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1851-1855
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• 2016

Tamoxifen is a pharmacological estrogen inhibitor that binds to the estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cells. However, it shows an estrogenic effect in other organs, which causes adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) enzyme encoded by the SULT1A1 gene is involved in estrogen metabolism. Previous research has suggested that the SULT1A1 copy number is linked with the plasma estradiol (E2) concentration. Here, a total of 34 premenopausal breast cancer patients, selected from the Thai Tamoxifen (TTAM) Project, were screened for their SULT1A1 copy number, plasma E2 concentration and ADRs. The mean age was $44.3{\pm}11.1years$, and they were subtyped as ER+/progesterone receptor (PR)+ (28 patients), ER+/PR- (5 patients) and ER-/PR- (1 patient). Three patients reported ADRs, which were irregular menstruation (2 patients) and vaginal discharge (1 patient). Most (33) patients had two SULT1A1 copies, with one patient having three copies. The median plasma E2 concentration was 1,575.6 (IQR 865.4) pg/ml. Patients with ADRs had significantly higher plasma E2 concentrations than those patients without ADRs (p = 0.014). The plasma E2 concentration was numerically higher in the patient with three SULT1A1 copies, but this lacked statistical significance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.849-852
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• 2013

Background: Cancer of the uterine cervix is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. Industrialized countries have dramatically reduced the incidence of mortality from cervical carcinoma in the last 50 years through aggressive screening programs utilizing pelvic examinations and Papanicolaou (Pap) smears but it still remains a major problem in the developing world. Objectives: This study was performed to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of Pap smear as a screening procedure among nurses in a tertiary hospital in north eastern India. Material and Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out with a questionnaire survey covering the socio demographic factors, knowledge, attitude and practices about Pap smear screening among 224 nurses in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur, India during December 2011. Results: Two hundred and twenty one participants (98.6%) had heard about cervical carcinoma but 18.3% lacked adequate knowledge regarding risk factors. Knowledge about the Pap smear was adequate in 88.8% of the respondents. Out of these, only 11.6% had Pap smear at least once previously. The most common reasons for non-participation in screening were lack of any symptoms (58.4%), lack of counselling (42.8%), physician does not request (29.9%) and fear of vaginal examination (20.5%). Conclusion: Although knowledge of Pap smear as a screening procedure for cervical cancer is high, practice is still low. The nurses who should be responsible for opportunistic screening of women they care for are not keen on getting screened themselves. If we can improve the practice of Pap smear screening in such experts, they should be able to readily provide appropriate and accurate information and motivate the general population to join screening programs.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.72-82
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate sexual behaviors and influencing factors affecting premenopausal women who have breast cancer and have undergone surgery. Methods: Seventy premenopausal women, ranging between 35~55 years of age, were included in this study. Sexual behaviors were evaluated using the WSBQ-F (Wilmoth Sexual Behaviors Questionnaire-Female). The in-depth interview was analyzed utilizing content analysis. Results: There were no significant differences regarding the type of surgery, age, time of marriage, education level, occupation, chemotherapy, use of Tamoxifen, and radiotherapy in the sexual activities of premenopausal women with breast cancer. However, quality-related information utilizing qualitative in-depth interviews, revealed 3 issues regarding sexual behaviors.. Participants reported physical discomfort such as vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, emotional changes such as decrease in sexual confidence, and interaction-related changes such as mandatory sexual life, sexual intimacy with one's partner, and being more active sexual behaviors. Conclusion: There were complex changes associated with sexual behavior after surgery for women with breast cancer which included various events related to stress regarding sexual behavior. Communication between women with breast cancer, their partners, and medical caregivers has a ability to maximize the sense of sexual wellbeing while minimizing the sexual crises.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 2018

Background: This study aimed to reveal the clinicopathologic features and causes of bleeding in older patients with postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) and to investigate the correlation between the ultrasonographic findings and etiology of PMB. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the causes and clinical characteristics of PMB in 498 patients who were diagnosed between January 2007 and December 2017. The population with PMB was divided into 2 groups according to age: Group A (n=204) included individuals more than 65 years of age and group B (n=294) included those less than 65 years of age. Clinical characteristics such as age, parity, underlying conditions, previous surgical history, and previous menopausal hormone therapy were compared between the groups. Cervical cytology testing and transvaginal ultrasonography were performed in all patients with PMB. Endometrial biopsy was performed in all cases of endometrial thickness ${\geq}5mm$. Results: We examined 498 patients with PMB. In group A, atrophic endometrium (n=125, 61.27%) was the most common cause of PMB. Twenty-three patients had gynecological malignancy (cervical cancer: n=12, 5.88%; endometrial cancer: n=8, 3.42%; ovarian cancer: n=3, 1.46%), and 30 patients had benign gynecological disease (endometrial polyp: n=10, 4.90%; submucosal myoma: n=6, 2.94%; uterine prolapse: n=7, 3.42%; cervical dysplasia; n=5, 2.45%; cervical polyp: n=2, 0.98%). Forty patients had endometrial thickness ${\geq}5mm$. Eight patients were diagnosed with endometrial cancer. All cases of endometrial cancer were diagnosed with endometrial thickness >10 mm. Conclusion: Atrophic endometrium was the most common cause of PMB in both groups, and approximately 12% of cases were associated with gynecological malignancy in older patients.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.189-225
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• 2021

The use of albendazole and mebendazole, i.e., benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintics, in treatment of parasitic infections, as well as cancers, is briefly reviewed. These drugs are known to block the microtubule systems of parasites and mammalian cells leading to inhibition of glucose uptake and transport and finally cell death. Eventually they exhibit ovicidal, larvicidal, and vermicidal effects on parasites, and tumoricidal effects on hosts. Albendazole and mebendazole are most frequently prescribed for treatment of intestinal nematode infections (ascariasis, hookworm infections, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and enterobiasis) and can also be used for intestinal tapeworm infections (taeniases and hymenolepiasis). However, these drugs also exhibit considerable therapeutic effects against tissue nematode/cestode infections (visceral, ocular, neural, and cutaneous larva migrans, anisakiasis, trichinosis, hepatic and intestinal capillariasis, angiostrongyliasis, gnathostomiasis, gongylonemiasis, thelaziasis, dracunculiasis, cerebral and subcutaneous cysticercosis, and echinococcosis). Albendazole is also used for treatment of filarial infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, loiasis, mansonellosis, and dirofilariasis) alone or in combination with other drugs, such as ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine. Albendazole was tried even for treatment of trematode (fascioliasis, clonorchiasis, opisthorchiasis, and intestinal fluke infections) and protozoan infections (giardiasis, vaginal trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and microsporidiosis). These drugs are generally safe with few side effects; however, when they are used for prolonged time (>14-28 days) or even only 1 time, liver toxicity and other side reactions may occur. In hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, possibly Ascaris lumbricoides, Wuchereria bancrofti, and Giardia sp., there are emerging issues of drug resistance. It is of particular note that albendazole and mebendazole have been repositioned as promising anti-cancer drugs. These drugs have been shown to be active in vitro and in vivo (animals) against liver, lung, ovary, prostate, colorectal, breast, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. Two clinical reports for albendazole and 2 case reports for mebendazole have revealed promising effects of these drugs in human patients having variable types of cancers. However, because of the toxicity of albendazole, for example, neutropenia due to myelosuppression, if high doses are used for a prolonged time, mebendazole is currently more popularly used than albendazole in anti-cancer clinical trials.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 1998

Although the success of the Papanicolaou test as a screening tool of cervical cancer is evident, there still exists $2{\sim}5%$ of discrepancy rate by both human and machine. To improve the qualilty of cervico-vaginal cytology, the authors compared cervicovaginal smear with cervical biopsy diagnoses, and analysed the causes of discrepancies. Among 30,922 cervicovaginal smears from June 1996 to April 1997 at our hospital, there were 271 cases of cervicovaginal smear with subsequent cervical punch or LEEP cone biopsies within several months. The biopsies and smears from a total of 98 discordant cases were reviewed. The discrepancy was attributed to sampling errors in 43 cases(43.9%), and to cytologic diagnosis in 49 cases(50.0%). Among these, 43 cases were interpretative errors(categories A;19, B;16 and C;8) whereas six cases were screening errors(categories B:2 and C:4). Among cervical biopsy cases, errors were present in four. As for 10% random rescreening, cytotechnologists reviewed 3,196 of 30,922 smears during the same period, There were 43 cases of screening error(categories A;27, B;16). Cytologic/histologic correlation was superior to 10% random rescreening of negative cases. The most effective method for quality improvement in cervicovaginal cytology was to implement both quality control(rescreening) and qualify assurance(cytologic/histologic correlation) programs.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 1992

Although there have been a few reports of cases in which cancer cells of extrauterine origin were observed in vaginal smears, such findings are relatively uncommon. We recently experienced a case of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma diagnosed by cervicovaginal smear in a 56-year-old woman in routine work-up of carcinoma peritonei. The cellular features were several scattered cellular clusters of adenocarcinoma cells in clear background without tumor diathesis. Psammoma body was not present. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma with multiple metastases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.914-917
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• 2008

Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube is exceedingly rare, accounting for 0.3 percent of female genital tract cancer. It is usually unilateral, but 20 percent of cases are bilateral. It occurs most commonly in women between 40 and 60 years old. Approximately 50 percent of the patients are nulliparous. Because of variable presenting symptoms and rarely incidence, preoperative diagnosis of fallopian tube carcinoma is seldom made. Evaluation and treatment are also essentially the same at that of ovarian carcinoma. We experienced a case of bilateral primary fallopian tube carcinoma in women presented with vaginal bleeding and pelvic mass, postoperatively pathologic examination of resected specimen after laparatomy and reported with brief review of literature.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.sup1
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• pp.110-112
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• 2008

Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies and which is predominant in postmenopausal women. Clinically many patients are hospitalized in early stage due to clinical sign and symptom such as vaginal bleeding and in this case, patient's prognosis is known to be good. However, considerable number of patients with advanced and relapsed disease reveal poor prognosis. Therefore, exact staging work up is essential for proper treatment as is primary lesion detection. $^{18}F-FDG-PET$ has been widely used for the evaluation of gynecologic malignancies such as cervical carcinoma and ovarian cancer. In contrast, FDG PET application to endometrial carcinoma is limited until now and there is no sufficient data to validate the usefulness of FDG PET for this disease yet. However, several studies showed promising results that FDG PET is sensitive and specific in detection of recurrent or metastatic lesions. Therefore further active investigation in this field can facilitate the use of FDG PET for endometrial carcinoma.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-28
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• 2015

Mitochondrial disorders are rare metabolic diseases. They often present during neonatal period but with nonspecific clinical features such as feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, and seizures. Mitochondrial defects have also known to be associated with neurological disorders, as well as cancers. We report the first case of neonatal mitochondrial respiratory chain defect with sarcoma botryoides confirmed by pathologic diagnosis, suggesting another possible link between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer.