• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.37-50
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• 2016

Ovarian cancer is the tenth most common cancer in Korean female, and the third most common cancer of female reproductive organ after breast cancer and uterine cervical cancer. In spite of develop of conventional treatment, high modality of ovarian cancer comes from difficulty of an early diagnosis. Recent studies revealed that combining conventional and integrative medical treatment can reduce the adverse effect of surgical operation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Also it can improve survival rate, quality of life. However there isn't still a systemic clinical protocol for ovarian cancer in Korean medicine. This study will be helpful to establish clinical practice guidelines of Korean Medicine for ovarian cancer. And further studies on integrative ovarian cancer treatment are needed to build the clinical practice guidelines of ovarian cancer.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study is to report effects and potential of Integrative Cancer Treatment (ICT) on metastatic pancreatic cancer patient. Methods: A 79-year-old pancreatic cancer patient diagnosed with metastasis on liver visited the Daejeon Korean medicine hospital of Daejeon university East West Cancer Center (EWCC) on May 2021. The patient has been received chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus abraxane) and concurrently treated with ICT since May 2021. The clinical outcomes were measured by computed tomography, laboratory findings including tumor markers (CEA, CA19-9) and numeric rating scales (NRS). Laboratory analysis and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE), version 5.0 were used to evaluate the safety of ICT. Results: After treatment, constipation was relieved from NRS 5-6 to 2, both leg numbness was improved from NRS 9 to 2. Tumor size was generally decreased accompanying by reducing the levels of tumor markers. There were no severe adverse events induced by ICT based on NCI CTCAE version 5.0. Conclusion: This case study suggests that ICT in combination with chemotherapy may help in the treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.88-91
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• 2016

Pancreatic cancer is the lethal disease and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer has remained largely unchanged over the past years. Borderline advanced pancreatic cancer is a biological different from resectable pancreatic cancer due to higher risk of early recurrence because of artery/vein abutment. Therefore this unique subset of pancreatic cancer has a controversial issue with regard to their treatment policy. Some institutes managed borderline advanced pancreatic cancer by up-front neoadhuvant chemotherapy because neoadjuvant chemotherapy provide the opportunity to treat early micro-metastasis with unfavorable tumor biology. But, some institutes try aggressive up-front surgical procedures to provide a chance of long-term survival in highly selected patients. Therefore this unique subset of pancreatic cancer has a controversial issue with regard to their treatment policy. This review address recent treatment trend for patients with borderline advanced pancreatic cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.503-510
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• 2016

Background: Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is a crisis situation which effects women's lives physically, socially and spiritually. Investigating women's perceptions of this disease is crucially important for treatment decisions. We therefore determined social perceptions and interpretations of women diagnosed with breast cancer during therapy and in the post-treatment period. Materials and Methods: In the study, focus group and in-depth interviews were made with women still undergoing or having completed breast cancer treatment. Some 25 women were included in the research. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the qualitative data obtained after the focus group and in-depth interviews. Results: Some of the women demonstrated positive perceptions towards accepting the disease, whereas others had emotions such as rebellion and anger. The loss of a breast is important with different interpretations. Conclusions: Women's acceptance or rebellion against the disease varies within their social interpretations after the treatment, as at the stage of diagnosis/treatment. All stages of breast cancer negatively affect the social life of the affected individual as much as her body. Nurses assume crucial roles in coping with these negative effects. Thus, it is necessary to know, and sociologically interpret, what is indicated by the information on what the negative effects concerning the disease are and how they are interpreted.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6657-6663
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• 2014

Background: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of sexual problems of Turkish patients receiving gynecologic cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional convenience sample of 168 women completed the Index of Female Sexual Function (IFSF) and a Patient Identification Form in a hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Mean IFSF scores of the patients were low ($15.7{\pm}5.72$, out of a possible 45), indicating high rates of sexual problems. Results: Women frequently reported problems with dyspareunia (97.1%), vaginal dryness (97.6%), decreased sexual desire (91.1%), and difficulties of sexual arousal (92.9%) related with the cancer treatment process. They reported increased sexual problems following the period of treatment as compared to before treatment (p<0.05). Sexual dysfunction was associated with low educational and income levels, advanced age, TAH-BSO-LND surgery (total abdominal hysterectomy-bilateral salphingoopherectomylymph node dissection), experiencing side effects of chemotherapy, receiving chemotherapy in addition to surgery and radiotherapy (CT+RT+Surgery), and having a large number of chemotherapy cycles (p<0.05). Conclusions: Patients hoped for and expected counseling from healthcare professionals about their sexual functioning in relation to cancer treatments. Nurses and physicians can help to improve the overall quality of life for gynecologic cancer patients through sexual counseling.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study is to report improvement of symptoms after lobectomy of male breast cancer lung metastasis treated with Korean Medicine based Integrative Cancer Treatment (ICT). Methods: A male left breast cancer patient diagnosed with metastasis on lung at July 2019. After Video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) left lower lobe (LLL) lobectomy and En bloc wedge resection the patient visited the Daejeon korean medicine hospital of Daejeon university East West Cancer Center (EWCC) to treat operation-site (op-site) pain, dysphagia, anorexia with Korean Medicine Treatment. The patient was treated with Korean Medicine based ICT for an approximately 20 days. The clinical outcomes were measured by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (NCI-CTCAE), Numeral rating scale (NRS) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). The safety of treatment was verified by blood tests. Results: After treatment, op-site pain was improved from NRS 9 to 6, dysphagia and anorexia were relieved from NRS 9 to 2. And ECOG score of the patient was improved from grade 2 to 1. Conclusion: This case study suggests that Korean Medicine based ICT may help to improve post operative sequelae in metastatic lung cancer patient.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1675-1682
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• 2012

Aim: The study aim was to determine the frequency with which women decline clinicians' treatment recommendations and variations in this frequency by age, cancer and service descriptors. Design: The study included 36,775 women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer in 1998-2005 and attending Australian and New Zealand breast surgeons. Rate ratios for declining treatment were examined by descriptor, using bilateral and multiple logistic regression analyses. Proportional hazards regression was used in exploratory analyses of associations with breast cancer death. Results: 3.4% of women declined a recommended treatment of some type, ranging from 2.6% for women under 40 years to 5.8% for those aged 80 years or more, and with parallel increases by age presenting for declining radiotherapy (p<0.001) and axillary surgery (p=0.006). Multiple regression confirmed that common predictors of declining various treatments included low surgeon case load, treatment outside major city centres, and older age. Histological features suggesting a favourable prognosis were often predictive of declining various treatments, although reverse findings also applied with women with positive nodal status being more likely to decline a mastectomy and those with larger tumours more likely to decline chemotherapy. While survival analyses lacked statistical power due to small numbers, higher risks of breast cancer death were suggested, after adjusting for age and conventional clinical risk factors, (1) for women not receiving breast surgery for unstated reasons (RR=2.29; p<0.001); and (2) although not approaching statistical significance $p{\geq}0.200$), for women declining radiotherapy (RR=1.22), a systemic therapy (RR1.11), and more specifically, chemotherapy (RR=1.41). Conclusions: Women have the right to choose their treatments but reasons for declining recommendations require further study to ensure that choices are well informed and clinical outcomes are optimized.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 1999

Large bowel cancer shows the 4-5th frequency in cancers that occurs in Korea. The western medicine cures the Large bowel cancer by radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. While, Oriental medicine cures the Large bowel cancer by Herb-drugs, acupuncture, moxa and et al. With just one way of treating Large bowel cancer can't be effective remedy. Because each medicine has a strength and weakness, it is effective treatment when two medicine combines and supplement each other. We got the following result about a trend of oriental and western combination treatment for Large bowel cancer through studding records. 1. In Large bowel cancer, colon cancer is referred hematochezia(腸風下血), rectal cancer is refereed enterotoxin(腸毒), and anal cancer is accumulation of pathogens in yin(結陰). 2. The western medicine treats Large bowel cancer patient with surgery first. They need on assembly treatment such as chemical, radiation and immune treatment. In oriental medicine, they treats Large bowel cancer patients with differentiation of symptom and signs and treatment(辨證施治) for example, insufficiency of spleen and stomach(脾胃虛弱), collapse of the spleen-ql(脾氣下陷), stagnation of blood stasis and toxic agent(瘀毒內結), reinforcing both qi and blood(脾血下陷), stagnation of damp-phlegm(痰濕凝結) and cure for them by acupuncture and moxa too. 3. In combination with oriental and western medical treatment princple of Large bowel cancer by each stage is as follows. First stage is cured with radical surgery and herb-drugs without chemotherapy. The intermediate and terminal stage patients is used radiation before surgery, or after palliative surgery cour with chemotherapy, radiation and Herb-drugs. In terminal stage patients, unable for surgery, is used combination between chemotherapy, palliative radiation and Herb-drugs. 4. After radiation surgery, the terminal stage patients who have extensively lymph node metastasis or local contraindication is able to undergo combination of Herb-durgs and chemotherapy. 5. The cure-effect with oriental and western medicine combination treatment was better than that just with oriental or western medical treatment. 6. The merits of oriental and western medicine combination treatment lengthen one's life and diminish the bad effect of chemotherapy and complete radiation treatment, prevent from relapsing, maintain the balance in their environment of body and improve immunity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2989-2993
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• 2016

The commonest cancer in Egyptian females occurs in the breast cfDNA is a non-invasive marker for tumor detetion and prognostic assessment in many types of cancer including breast cancer. This study aimed to assess the role of cfDNA and its fragmentation pattern in breast cancer prognosis and treatment response. Forty female patients with malignant breast tumors and a comparable group of healthy blood donors were enrolled prospectively. cfDNA levels and fragmentation patterns were investigated after cfDNA extraction, gel electrophoresis and gel analysis. The percentage of breast cancer patients positive for cfDNA (92.5%) was significantly higher than that of controls (55%). Also, mean concentration of cfDNA was significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.05). Most Her-2 positive patients had long cfDNA fragments, this being significant as compared to Her-2 negative patients (P<0.05). Metastasis was also positively linked to significantly higher cfDNA (P<0.05) and the mean cfDNA integrity index was significantly higher in non-responders compared to treatment responders (P<0.05). In conclusion, both qualitative and quantitative aspects of cfDNA and its different fragments in breast cancer patients could be related to prognosis, metastasis and treatment response. Long cfDNA fragments could be particularly useful for prediction purposes.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

Pancreatic cancer treatment has advanced. In particular, effective chemotherapy regimen development has fundamentally altered the therapeutic concept and strategy for pancreatic cancer treatment. Consequently, the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer has gradually improved. Conversion surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer may offer long-term survival or even a full recovery in some individuals. In contrast, metastatic pancreatic cancer has long been considered a surgical contraindication because aggressive surgical resection of the metastatic lesions does not prolong patient survival. Unexpectedly positive benefits of anticancer therapy in recent clinical experience were observed even with metastatic pancreatic cancer. To date, little evidence presented the success of surgical resection for metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment in such rare cases. However, hope and concern are growing that surgical intervention, even in patients with metastatic cancer, may result in favorable outcomes. Several studies suggested different surgical intervention effects depending on metastasis sites and patterns. Thus, this review summarizes the current status of surgery in the multidisciplinary treatment of oligometastatic pancreatic cancer and discusses future perspectives.