• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.378-387
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of fatigue and distress on self-efficacy among breast cancer survivors and to provide a base for development of nursing intervention strategy to improve self-efficacy. Methods: A descriptive research design was used. The subjects were 158 patients who were either being treated or were receiving follow-up care at a university breast center in D City from May 30 to August 30, 2014. Structured questionnaires, Revised Piper Fatigue Scale, Distress Thermometer, and Self-Efficacy Scale for Self-Management of Breast Cancer were used to measure fatigue, distress, and self-efficacy. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regressions. Results: The mean scores of fatigue, distress, and self-efficacy were 3.83, 4.31, and 3.77, respectively. There were significant differences among participants in terms of educational background, current treatment methods, perceived health status, economic burden for fatigue and perceived health status for distress. Self-efficacy was impacted by age, educational background, marital status, average monthly income, perceived health status, and medical expenses. Fatigue, age, and the burden on medical expense had the most impact on self-efficacy, accounting for 17% of the variance. Conclusion: Fatigue should be managed to improve self-efficacy of breast cancer survivors. Therefore, nursing programs designed to decrease fatigue may be helpful.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.123-143
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• 2009

To investigate the reliability, validity of posttraumatic growth among Korean cancer caregiver, 295 participants were asked to complete a Korean posttraumatic growth inventory, translated from the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; J Trauma Stress 1996; 9: 455.471), together with the Caregiver burden scale, life style interruption scale, economic burden scale and positive adaptation scale, social support scale and questions about religious and demographic factors. Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 for the K-PTGI, indicating sufficient internal consistencies. Construct and Criterion validity were also supported. K-PTGI appeared to be a sound measure for the experience of posttraumatic growth in cancer caregivers and this study result will be able to contribute to facilitate future research.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2643-2646
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• 2012

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiological agent of cervical cancer, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Screening strategies for reducing the burden of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis are emerging as an effective means for cervical cancer control and prevention in developing countries. Our study, therefore, aimed to identify HPV infection status in North Indian women during random population screening. Methodology: Cervical/vaginal exfoliated cells and/or Pap smear specimens were collected from 890 women of North Indian ethnicity residing in Lucknow and adjoining areas, during random population screening from June 2009-March 2012. HPV viral loads in clinical specimens were determined by the Hybrid Capture (hc)-2 HPV DNA assay, and subsequently, positive/negative/borderline HPV status was calculated. Results: The HPV incidence in the present study was 11.7%. 751 out of a total of 890 women (84.4%) participating in our HPV screening program were HPV negative (HPV -), 104 (11.7%) tested positive (HPV +) while 35 (3.9%) showed borderline (HPV $^*$) infection status. Furthermore, in the HPV + subjects (N=104), 18 (17.3%) showed strong positivity. We observed that HPV positivity tends to increase with age in North Indian women; the higher the viral load with increasing age, higher is the susceptibility to HPV-mediated cervical cancer. Conclusions: HPV viral load/genotyping may help in identifying women at risk of developing cervical cancer. However, cost-effective HPV screening protocols with a wider population coverage are warranted so as to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in women worldwide in the vaccine-era.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.3007-3013
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• 2016

Background: Gastrointestinal cancers are common malignancies associated with high mortality rates. Healthcare systems are always faced with high costs of treatment of gastrointestinal cancers including stomach cancer. Identification and prioritization of these costs can help determine economic burden and then improve of health planning by policy-makers. This study was performed in 2015 in Kerman City aimed at estimating the direct hospital costs for patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 160 patients with stomach cancer admitted from 2011 to 2014 to Shafa Hospital were examined, the current stage of the disease and the patients' health status were identified, and the direct costs related to the type of treatment in the public and private sectors were calculated. SPSS-19 was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Of the patients studied, 103 (65%) were men and 57 (35%) were women. The mean age of patients was 65 years. Distribution into four stages of the disease was 5%, 20%, 30%, and 45%, respectively. Direct costs in four stages of the disease were calculated as 2191.07, 2642.93, 2877, and 2674.07 USD (63,045,879, 76,047,934, 82,783,019, and 76,943,800 IRR), respectively. The highest percentage of costs was related to surgery in Stage I and to medication in Stages II, III, and IV. According to the results of direct costs of treatment for stomach cancer in Kerman, the mean total cost of treating a patient in the public sector was estimated at 74,705,158 IRR, of which averages of 60,141,384 IRR and 14,563,774 IRR were the shares of insurance and patients, respectively. Conclusions: The high prevalence and diagnosis of disease in old age and at advanced stages of disease impose great costs on the patients and the health system. Early diagnosis through screening and selecting an appropriate treatment method might largely ameliorate the economic burden of the disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4461-4484
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• 2013

Cancer registration provides a firm basis for cancer control efforts and research into changing patterns of incidence, mortality, survival and prevalence is of obvious importance. Most of the countries of Asia have already published relevant data although the level of coverage and accuracy do vary a great deal both between and within countries. The present review concerns the relevant literature for the period 2008-2013, focusing on the types of research conducted and the conclusions that can be drawn with regard to what should be done in the future to translate the information available into effective intervention efforts to reduce the burden of disease. A major emphasis has been on determining variation in incidence and mortality/survival on the basis of ethnicity and socioeconomic as well as geographical background, as well as trends over time, either for cancer in general or specific organ sites. In addition a small number of papers focused on methodological, quality and cancer control issues, very pertinent to the future development of cancer registry based research.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3721-3729
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• 2014

Background: Cancer is becoming the most important public health burden around the globe. As per the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2008. The burden of cancer cases for India in the year 2020 is calculated to be 1,148,757 (male 534,353; female 614,404) compared to 979,786 in 2010. The pattern of cancer incidence is varying among geographical regions, esophageal cancer for example being high in China, lung cancer in USA, and gallbladder cancer in Chile. The question remains why? Is it due to the diversity in genome pool, food habits, risk factor association and role of genetic susceptibility or some other factors associated with it? In India, the North East (NE)-India region is seeing a marked increase in cancer incidence and deaths, with a very different cancer incidence pattern compared to mainland India. The genome pool of the region is also quite distinct from the rest of India. Northeastern tribes are quite distinct from other groups; they are more closely related to East Asians than to other Indians. In this paper an attempt was made to see whether there is any similarity among the pattern of cancer incidence cases for different sites of NE-India region to South or East-Asia. Materials and Methods: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Pearson Correlation coefficient test was assessed to evaluate the linkage of North-East India region to other regions. A p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The results clearly shows that there are similarities in occurrence of cancer incidence patterns for various cancer sites of NE-India with South and East-Asian regions, which may lead to the conclusion that there might be a genetic linkage between these regions.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.60-67
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• 2013

As chemotherapy and other sophisticated treatment strategies evolve and the number of survivors of long-term childhood cancer grows, the long-term complications of treatment and the cancer itself are becoming ever more important. One of the most important but often neglected complications is osteoporosis and increased risk of fracture during and after cancer treatment. Acquisition of optimal peak bone mass and strength during childhood and adolescence is critical to preventing osteoporosis later in life. However, most childhood cancer patients have multiple risk factors for bone mineral loss. Cancer itself, malnutrition, decreased physical activity during treatment, chemotherapeutic agents such as steroids, and radiotherapy cause bone mineral deficit. Furthermore, complications such as growth hormone deficiency and musculoskeletal deformity have negative effects on bone metabolism. Low bone mineral density is associated with fractures, skeletal deformity, pain, and substantial financial burden not only for childhood cancer survivors but also for public health care systems. Thus, it is important to monitor bone health in these patients and minimize their risk of developing osteoporosis and fragility fractures later in life.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2015

Background: Cancer has emerged as a major health problem globally as a consequence to the increased longevity of the population, changing the environment and life style. Chemoprevention is a new and promising strategy for reducing cancer burden. Recently, some natural products have been identified for their chemopreventive activity to reduce the cancer incidence. Ginseng is known for its potential to treat various ailments in human beings. The present study was designed to explore the anticancer and antioxidative potential of Panax ginseng against chemical-induced skin carcinogenesis in mammals. Methods: Skin tumors were induced in Swiss albino mice by a single topical application of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene ($100{\mu}g/100{\mu}L$ acetone) and, 2 wks later, promoted by repeated applications of croton oil (thrice in a wk in 1% acetone) till the end of the experiment (i.e., 16 wk). Hydroalcoholic ginseng root extract at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight/d was orally administered at the periinitiation, postinitiation, and peri-post-initiation stages. Results: Ginseng root extract treatment caused a significant reduction in tumor incidence, cumulative number of tumors, tumor yield, and tumor burden, as compared to the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-croton oil-treated control group. Further, biochemical assays revealed a significant enhancement in the levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, vitamin C, and total proteins but a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation levels in both the liver and skin with ginseng root extract treatment, as compared to carcinogen-treated control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that P. ginseng has the potential to become a pivotal chemopreventive agent that can reduce cancer in mammals.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2019

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancers have emerged as key predictive biomarkers in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, a few patients with wild-type EGFR also respond to EGFR TKIs. This study investigated the factors predicting successful EGFR TKI treatment in lung adenocarcinoma patients with wild-type EGFR. Methods: We examined 66 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma carrying wide-type EGFR who were treated with EGFR TKIs. The EGFR gene copy number was assessed by silver in situ hybridization (SISH). We evaluated the clinical factors and EGFR gene copy numbers that are associated with a favorable clinical response to EGFR TKIs. Results: The objective response rate was 12.1%, while the disease control rate was 40.9%. EGFR SISH analysis was feasible in 23 cases. Twelve patients tested EGFR SISH-positive, and 11 were EGFR SISH-negative, with no significant difference in tumor response and survival between EGFR SISH-positive and -negative patients. The overall median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 66 patients were 2.1 months and 9.7 months, respectively. Female sex and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0-1 were independent predictors of PFS. ECOG PS 0-1 and a low tumor burden of extrathoracic metastasis were independent predictors of good OS. Conclusion: Factors such as good PS, female sex, and low tumor burden may predict favorable outcomes following EGFR TKI therapy in patients with EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma. However, EGFR gene copy number was not predictive of survival.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.373-379
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• 2013

Background: Although caregiving to patients with terminal illness is known to be a stressful burden to family members, little attention has been focused on work-related problems. We aimed to investigate employment status and work-related difficulties of family caregivers of terminal cancer patients, comparing with the general population. Methods: Using structured questionnaires, we assessed family caregivers of 481 cancer patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill, from 11 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea. Results: Among 381 family caregivers of terminal cancer patients (response rate, 87.6%), 169 (43.9%) were not working before cancer diagnosis, but currently 233 (63.7%) were not working. Compared with the general population (36.5%), the percentage of not working among the family caregivers was higher (OR=2.39; 95%CI=1.73-3.29). A major reason for not working was to provide assistance to the patients (71.6%). 40.6% of those who continued working and 32.3% of those who not working family members reported extreme fatigue. Caregivers of old age, those who were female, those with a lower household income, and those caring for patients with a low performance status were not working at a more significant rate. Conclusion: Family caregivers of terminal cancer patients suffer job loss and severe work-related difficulties, probably due to caregiving itself and to fatigue. We need to develop supportive programs to overcome the burden of caregivers of the terminally ill.