• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.137-140
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• 2010

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) constitute the most common primary mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract and characteristically express c-kit (CD117). GISTs are the most common non-epithelial tumor of the GI tract and frequently originate from the stomach and small bowel. Specifically, the synchronous occurrence of a GIST with other epithelial tumors is rarely reported. Recently, we discovered one case of a concurrent gastric cancer and a small bowel GIST that was initially suspected to be peritoneal seeding from gastric cancer. The patient was initially admitted with epigastric pain. Gastric cancer with peritoneal seeding was suspected after an evaluation. Following a laparoscopic examination, a distal gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection and small-intestine segmental resection was performed. The final pathologic diagnosis was early gastric cancer and high-risk small bowel GIST. The patient refused adjuvant therapy for the GIST, and currently shows no other marked indisposition. He has been disease-free for 14 months.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.983-991
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among quality of life, family coherence, family hardiness, and family resources of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient. Method: Data was collected by questionnaires from 137 families with a cancer patient at a General Hospital and Government Cancer Hospital. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The score of quality of life showed a significant positive correlation with the score of the level of family sense of coherence, family hardiness, and family resources. The most powerful predictor of quality of life was sense of coherence and the variance was 30%. A combination of sense of coherence and family resources account for 34 % of the variance in quality of life of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient. Conclusion: The results showed that family sense of coherence, hardiness, and family resources were significant influencing factors on the quality of life of the family care-giver caring for a cancer patient.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.240-245
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• 2007

It is important to treat cancer-related pain in cancer patients to ensure the life quality of the patient, as well as to improve their life span. It has been estimated that at least 5% of cancer patients have pain refractory to medical treatment. Therefore, the need for epidural or intrathecal analgesia with opioids and local anesthetics is indicated if systemic treatment has failed. Intrathecal catheter placement and implantation of the injection port for administration of opioids and local anesthetics may improve pain relief in patients who are unresponsive to epidural routes. Although intrathecal implantation has several complications, similar infection rates have been reported between intrathecal and epidural administration. In addition, intrathecal administration showed better outcomes, including improved pain control, lowered daily doses, and an improvement in the level of drowsiness experienced when compared to epidural administration. We report here a case in which a terminal cancer patient was treated using an intrathecal catheter and subcutaneous port. The patient had cancer-related pain that could not be controlled by epidural opioid administration. Based on the results presented here, we suggest that intrathecal implantation is a feasible long term pain management method for intractable cancer pain patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.444-454
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• 2021

Objectives: High natural killer cell activity (NKA) is associated with a clinically favorable status in patients with cancer. This study explores whether traditional Korean medicine (TKM) improves NKA in patients with cancer. Methods: We report three clinical cases involving patients with cancer who underwent NKA tests while they received TKM treatment, including acupuncture, moxibustion, wild ginseng pharmacopuncture, and Korean herbal medicines. We analyzed the treatment process and NKA test results of each patient. Results: The NKA of all three patients presented with an increasing tendency during the treatment process. Patient 1, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, received inpatient treatment 3 times between September 16, 2017 and February 27, 2019. The NKA increased from 7.2 pg/mL to 571.7 pg/mL. Patient 2, who had thyroid cancer, was hospitalized 4 times between July 23, 2019 and August 27, 2020. The NKA improved from 317.4 pg/mL to 2000 pg/mL. Patient 3, who had liver cancer, received inpatient treatment 4 times between May 27, 2016 and January 10, 2017. The NKA increased from 22.2 pg/mL to 459.5 pg/mL. The chief complaints of these patients also were alleviated. Conclusions: TKM may be an effective treatment for accelerating NKA. Further research is needed to establish evidence that TKM stimulates NKA.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.39-41
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• 2015

We report a case of long term survival on trastuzumab based treatment. A 51-year-old man with dyspepsia received esophagogastroduodenoscopy on another hospital and was transferred for further evaluation under the impression of advanced gastric cancer, Borrmann type III, antrum, lesser curvature. After further studies in our hospital, the patient was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer, adenocarcinoma, moderately differentiated with pancreas invasion and lymph node metastasis. Though he was recommended with chemotherapy, he refused and left for oriental herbal medicine. After 4 months, the patient was admitted through emergency room for hematemesis. Diagnosed with gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric cancer in the antrum, he underwent the placement of pyloric metal stent insertion. Immunohistochemical staining showed HER2-positive finding, and he was treated with palliative chemotherapy of trastuzumab, capecitabine, and cisplatin, 16 times during 11 months. The patient showed neutropenia after the therapy, so cisplatin was left out, and he received combination chemotherapy of trastuzumab and capecitabine, 34 times during 25 months. Response evaluation showed no remarkable change in extent of primary stomach cancer, lymph node metastasis, and regression of metastasis site, and the patient is continuing chemotherapy.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2009

Advanced gastric cancer is the most common type of all cancers in Korea, which account for approximately 18.1% of all incident cancers, and mortality from advanced gastric cancer is estimated at nearly 15.6% of death that caused by all cancer. In the conventional medicine, treatments of advanced gastric cancer include chemotherapy such like FOLFOX. In this case report, we introduce a case of advanced gastric cancer with greater omentum, thyroid, supraclavicular lymph node metastasis who had received chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was stopped because of weight loss and neurologic symptom such like cognitive disorder. The patient visited $M{\cdot\mu}$ Integrative cancer center in 2008, and was treated by Sojeukjungwon-san and allergen removed Rhus verniciflua stokes(aRVS). There was no evidence of brain metastasis. The patient showed improvement of cognitive disorder and gained weight. Further case study will be needed in order to determine the effects of Sojeukjungwon-san and allergen removed Rhus verniciflua stokes(aRVS) for the quality of life of advanced gastric cancer patients after chemotherapy.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.911-925
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report a case of a patient with advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis treated with chemotherapy and Korean medicine Methods: A patient with advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis was treated with Xeloda/cisplatin since April 2019. The cycle was repeated every three weeks for a total of 11 times. At the same time, the patient was treated with Korean medicine. The tumor size was measured by computed tomography (CT) and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Adverse events were evaluated by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE), version 5.0. Results: After treatment with Xeloda/cisplatin and Korean medicine for nine months, the extent of the proximal portion of the primary tumor and the size and number of multiple nodules around the stomach decreased and the cancer cells with peritoneal metastasis disappeared. The symptoms of discomfort and physical activity were gradually improved. As a result, the patient underwent conversion surgery. Conclusions: This case study suggests that the combination of chemotherapy and Korean medicine may contribute to the reduction in tumor size as well as the improvement in the quality of life.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2012

Objective : This study was aimed to report a patient accompanied by alcoholic derogation acute abdominal pain treated with oriental medicine combined with conventional treatment. Methods : A 36 year old female patient complained of acute abdominal pain for one year from Apr. 2009. She had treated at local general hospital. But the symptom was not reduced. Instead, it was aggravated on Jul. 2010. The main symptoms were left flank pain, chest discomfort, nausea and anorexia. The patient was treated by oriental medicine (herbal medicine (Chunggan-plus), acupuncture, moxibustion, etc) combined with conventional medicine from Jul. 10th, 2010 to Jul. 17th, 2010. We observed the patient with evaluation of laboratory test and imaging scan. Results : Most of the symptoms of the patient were improved. Especially, the abdominal pain were disappeared from grade 3 to grade 0. No side effects were noted during treatment. Conclusion : This results suggest that the oriental medicine combined with western medicine may effective to treat alcoholic derogation acute abdominal pain.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 2010

Objectives : Quality of life(QoL) in patients with lung cancer usually goes down after pneumoectomy, and the pain is the most common cause. Uncontrolled postoperative pain can restrict the movements of shoulders resulting in frozen shoulder. This case report is to report the effect of herb medicine, Ohjuksan on a 49-year-old female lung cancer patient with shoulder pain after lobectomy. Methods : The patient was treated with Ohjuksan for 10 days. The patient's symptoms were assessed by range of motion(ROM) of shoulder, Visual analogue scale(VAS) of shoulder pain and abdominal diagnosis. Results & Conclusions : The patient showed improvement of ROM, VAS and abdominal diagnosis. As the shoulder pain is relieved from VAS6 to VAS3, ROM of abduction, adduction and internal rotation were increased. Also discomfort of abdomen was disapeared to a certain degree. This suggests that herb medicine, Ohjuksan is effective for treating postoperative pain of shoulder for a Lung cancer patient.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4401-4404
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• 2016

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of malnutrition in gynecologic cancer patients using the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) questionnaire. Materials and Methods: A total of 97 gynecologic cancer patients who never had any treatment but were planned for surgery were enrolled. The patients were asked to complete the scored PG-SGA form before the treatment was started. Attending physicians were also asked to complete other information in the PG-SGA form. Total scores were calculated and the patients were classified into 3 nutritional status levels. Results: Mean age was 54 years. Postoperative diagnoses were endometrial cancer in 42 cases (43.2%), ovarian cancer in 29 cases (29.9%), and cervical cancer in 26 cases (26.8%). Mean PG-SGA score was 5.2+4.7. Malnutrition (PG-SGA B and C) was found in 52 patients (53.6%, 95% CI 43.7% - 63.2%). Preoperative BMI, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and cancer stage were not significantly associated with nutritional status. Malnutrition was significantly more common among patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, compared to other types of cancer (79.3% vs. 42.6%, p 0.004). Conclusions: Prevalence of malnutrition among gynecologic cancer patients was 53.5%, according to the scored PG-SGA. Malnutrition was significantly more common among patients with ovarian cancer.