• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3203-3211
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• 2015

This study identified the actual conditions for safe anticancer drug management among nurses and the relationship between level of awareness and performance of anticancer drug safety regulations in terms of preparation, administration, and disposal. The respondents were 236 nurses working with chemotherapy in wards and outpatient clinics in five hospitals in and near Seoul. Safety regulations provided for the anticancer drug the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA, 1999), as modified for an earlier study, were used. The results showed that the level of awareness and performance on the anticancer drug safety regulations indicate their preparation ($3.38{\pm}0.55$, $2.38{\pm}0.98$), administration ($3.52{\pm}0.46$, $3.17{\pm}0.70$), general handling and disposal ($3.33{\pm}0.54$, $2.42{\pm}0.90$) on a scale 0 to 5. Also, there were significant differences in job positions, work experience, type of preparation, and continuing education and a positive relationship between the level of awareness and nursing performance. Thus, nurses should receive continuing education on the handling of anticancer drugs to improve the level of performance following safety regulations.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.945-949
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• 2005

The objective of this study is to investigate the inhibitor effects of an traditional oriental herb, Sophora flavescens on the pancreatic & cardiac side effects of chemotherapy were studied by using Bl6-BL6 melanoma-injected C57BL6 mouse tumor model. In this study, the effects of an traditional oriental herb, Sophora flavescens, on the side effects of chemotherapy were studied using B16 melanoma-injected C57BL6 mouse tumor model. Anticancer drugs widely used in clinical situation. Sophora flavescen has significant effect on the reduction of the side effects of chemotherapy. Water extract of Sophora flavescens significantly inhibited cisplatin-induced increase of amylase (AMY) which is a good indicator of pancreatic toxicity. Sophora flavescens extract does not decrease the anti-tumor activity of cisplatin showing that it can selectively inhibit side effects of anticancer drugs preserving beneficial effect. Theses results suggest a possibility that Sophora flavescens extract can be used for cancer patients for the reduction of the side effects and improving the quality of life during chemotherapy of cancer patients.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2017

Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor, controls the expression of genes encoding cytoprotective proteins, including antioxidant enzymes that combat oxidative and electrophilic stress to maintain redox homeostasis. However, recent studies demonstrated that, in cancer, aberrant activation of Nrf2 by epigenetic alterations promotes high expression of cytoprotective proteins, which can decrease the efficacy of anticancer drugs used for chemotherapy. In this review, we summarize recent findings regarding the relationship between oxidative stress, Nrf2, epigenetic modification, and anticancer drug resistance, which should aid in development of new strategies to improve chemotherapeutic efficacy.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2009

To develop new anticancer agents, 3-allylthio-6-aminopyridazine derivatives were synthesized from maleic anhydrides or phthalic anhydrides by formation of a pyridazine nucleus, dichlorination, allylthiolation and amination. The pyridazine nuclei were obtained by condensing a hydrazine monohydrate with maleic anhydride. An allylthio group as a pharmacologically active group was introduced into one side of a pyridazine ring. Arylalkylamines with benzene or pyridine moieties or heterocycloalkylamines with heterocycle moieties such as morpholine, piperidine, or pyrrolidine were also introduced into the para-position of allylthio pyridazine. These new compounds showed antiproliferative activities against SK-Hep-1 human liver cancer cells in MTT assays. These compounds are thus promising candidates for chemotherapy of hepatocellular carcinomas. Two compounds, 20c and 22a, showed higher potencies for inhibiting growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells than did K6 ($ID_50$=1.08 mM). This suggests the potential anticancer activity of these two compounds.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2011

Backgrounds: Multidisciplinary approaches including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are currently being performed to target various cancers in Western Medicine. However, some cancers still remain difficult to battle, which has long attracted many scientists for the discovery of new agents to fight cancers. Ginseng is one of the herbs used in Oriental Medicine including Korea, China and Japan. We have further investigated ginseng for its anticancer effect. Objective: This is a comprehensive review summary of anticancer effect of ginseng and ginsenoids as a possible agent for future cancer treatment. Methods: Data were retrieved from two web sites; www.pubmed.com and www.riss.kr, and authorized texts concerning anticancer effects of ginseng. From collected data, information on anticancer effect of ginseng was thoroughly sorted, restructured, then assessed. Results: Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer belongs to Araliaceae Panax family, a perennial prairie plant with its root known as Ginseng Radix. Ginseng induces anticancer effect through cell cycle arrest, acceleration of apoptosis, anti-angiogenesis, and suppression of metastasis. Anticancer effect of ginseng may be due to single compound or multi-compound actions. Many studies report involvement of immune mechanisms of cytokines, Natural Killer (NK) cells, macrophages and some antibodies in enhancing anticancer effect of ginseng. In near future, possibility of applying these mechanisms into clinical trials is convinced. There were some important findings on saponin in ginsenoids in reviewing for this article; First, eradication of metastatic tumors were influenced by macrophage activation. Second, suppression of malignant melanoma cell metastasis to lung were induced by macrophage and NK cell activation in spleen with red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP). Third, final metabolites of M1, M4 had exerted anticancer effect of ginseng. Conclusion: Unknown anticancer mechanisms of ginseng have been studied for many years up until now. Ginseng is comprised of multiple bio-chemical compounds that create complex pharmaceutical interactions. Therefore, for its proper usage and safe prescription, studies on different types of ginseng and patients' susceptibility to ginseng according to their constitution and stages of the disease should be further pursued. More efforts are needed to understand the anticancer mechanisms of ginseng as well.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1290-1298
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• 2017

Intestinal microbiota is an important factor in the development of immune defense mechanisms in the human body. Treatments with anticancer agents, such as 5-Fluorouracil, Cisplatin, and Oxaliplatin, significantly change the temporal stability and environment of intestinal bacterial flora. The anticancer treatment chemotherapy often depresses the immune system and induces side effects, such as diarrhea. This study investigated the effects anticancer agents have on the intestinal microbial ecosystems of patients with gastric cancer. An exploration of the diversity and temporal stability of the dominant bacteria was undertaken using a DGGE with the 16S rDNA gene. Researchers collected stool samples from patients zero, two and eight weeks after the patients started chemotherapy. After the treatment with anticancer agents, the bacteria strains Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Lactobacillus gasseri, Parabacteroides distasonis and Enterobacter sp. increased. This study focused on the survival of the beneficial microorganisms Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the intestines of cancer patients. The administration of antigastric cancer agents significantly decreased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium populations and only moderately affected the main bacterial groups in the patients' intestinal ecosystems. The results showed the versatility of a cultivation independent-PCR DGGE analysis regarding the visual monitoring of ecological diversity and anticancer agent-induced changes in patients' complex intestinal microbial ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 1990

Now, many anticancer drugs are applying in the clinical side, but there is no conclusive effect of such a chemotherapy. Development ofnovel clinical useful anticancer drugs would be dependenton the screen-ing system and its test sample sources. So, it is necessary to outlinesome background on the tumor systems which have been used for screen-ing. This paper describes mainely on National Cancer Institute (NCI)program for anticancer screening systems, because the large number ofcompounds have been screened at NCI prograB and their relationship ofassesment between experimental animals and clinical Patients has beendiscussing and the uniform screefing protocols for various tumorsystens. At the end of this paper, some literatures of antitunor substances from various higher Plants at our laboratory are showed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.689-692
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• 2012

Objective: To investigate correlations between adenosine triphosphate chemotherapy response assay (ATP-CRA) and clinical outcomes after ATP-CRA-based chemotherapy for drug selection in patients receiving intravesical chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of superficial bladder cancer after surgery. Methods: The chemosensitivities of 12 anticancer drugs were evaluated, including 5-Fu ADM, and EPI, using ATP-CRA and primary tumor cell culture in 54 patients. In addition, a further 58 patients were treated according to clinical experience. Differences in post-chemotherapeutical effects between drug sensitivity assay and experience groups were compared. Results: The evaluable rate of the test was 96.3%, the clinical effective rate was 80.8%, the sensitivity rate was 97.6% (41/42), the specificity was 20%, the total predicting accuracy was 74.3%, the positive predictive value was 83.7% (41/49), the negative predictive value was 66.7% (2/3); in the drug sensitivity test group, the clinical effective rate was 80.8%, the experience group response rate was 63.8%, with a significant difference in clinical effects between the ATP-based sensitivity and experience groups (${\chi}^2$=7.0153, P<0.01). Conclusion: ATP-CRA is a stable, accurate and potentially practical chemosensitivity test providing a predictor of chemotherapeutic response in patients with superficial bladder cancer.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2023

Objectives: To report the reduction of adverse effects of chemotherapy and improvement in the quality of life in recurrent liver metastasis by Korean medicine treatments. Methods: In 2018, a 75-year-old male patient underwent surgery for primary cancer in the ampulla of Vater. In 2021, he was diagnosed with recurrent liver metastasis. Following the failure of tumor treatment with gemcitabine/cisplatin and the development of severe side effects, he decided to discontinue chemotherapy. Subsequently, with a significantly enlarged liver tumor, he resumed capecitabine/oxaliplatin treatment, alongside moxibustion, acupuncture, and herbal prescriptions from August 2021 to August 2023. The changes of chief complaints, abdominal CT, and laboratory findings were investigated. Results: After combined treatment of Korean traditional medicine and chemotherapy, the mass was decreased. Laboratory findings, and chief complaints of hand-foot syndrome, fatigue, abdominal distension, nausea and anorexia were improved. Conclustions: This case study suggests that Korean traditional medicine is effective in enhancing anticancer effects, suppressing the side effects of chemotherapy, and improving general conditions.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.375-385
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• 2010

Conventional cancer chemotherapy is seriously limited by tumor cells exhibiting multidrug resistance (MDR), which is caused by changes in the levels or activity of membrane transporters that mediate energy-dependent drug efflux and of proteins that affect drug metabolism and/or drug action. Cancer scientists and oncologists have worked together for some time to understand anticancer drug resistance and develop pharmacological strategies to overcome such resistance. Much focus has been on the reversal of the MDR phenotype by inhibition of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporters. ABC transporters are a family of transporter proteins that mediate drug resistance and low drug bioavailability by pumping various drugs out of cells at the expense of ATP hydrolysis. Many inhibitors of MDR transporters have been identified, and though some are currently undergoing clinical trials, none are in clinical use. Herein, we briefly review the status of MDR in human cancer, explore the pathways of MDR in chemotherapy, and outline recent advances in the design and development of MDR modulators.