• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1347-1350
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer prognosis is influenced by several histopathology and clinical factors including expression of Ki67 which may have a predictive role in lymph node negative breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess Ki67 expression in breast cancers without axillary lymph node involvement and to evaluate its prognostic value with regard to disease-free survival. Materials and Methods: Subjects were selected from non-metastatic invasive breast cancer patients who were referred to the oncology department of Ghaem hospital during 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2008. Ki67 levels were measured using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared with clinicopathological features. The relation of Ki67 expression with disease-free survival was also analysed. Results: A total of 106 women with a mean age of 49 were examined. Some 94.3% were classified as having invasive ductal carcinomas and the mean tumour diameter at the time of diagnosis was 2.8 cm. Some 50.9% of cases were ER positive and 47.2% were PR positive. P53 expression was positive in 48.1% of the cases. According to the IHC results, only 8.5% of the patients were Her2/neu positive. Ki67 was positive in 66 (62.3%) with a significant relation to lower age (p=0.0229) and P53 positivity (p=0.005). After an average of 40-months follow up, 13 (12.3%) demonstrated recurrence, most commonly systemic. Of 13 cases with relapse, 10 patients (77%) were Ki67 positive. Conclusions: In our population Ki67 appeared to be an independent prognostic factor for three-year survival. However, we stress that a survival study with a bigger sample size would help to support this conclusion.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6285-6288
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is commonly diagnosed at late stages in countries with limited resources. In Morocco, breast cancer is ranked the first female cancer (36.1%) and screening methods could reduce the proportion presenting with a late diagnosis. Morocco is currently adopting a breast cancer screening program based on clinical examination at primary health facilities, diagnosis at secondary level and treatment at tertiary level. So far, there is no systematic information on the performance of the screening program for breast cancer in Morocco. The aim of this study was to analyze early performance indicators. Materials and Methods: A retrospective evaluative study conducted in Temara city. The target population was the entire female population aged between 45-70 years. The study was based on process and performance indicators collected at the individual level from the various health structures in Tamara between 2009 and 2011. Results: A total of 2,350 women participated in the screening program; the participation rate was 35.7%. Of these, 76.8% (1,806) were married and 5.2% (106) of this group had a family history of breast cancer. Of the women who attended screening, 9.3% (190) were found to have an abnormal physical examination findings. A total of 260 (12.7%) were referred for a specialist consultation. The positive predictive value of clinical breast examination versus mammography was 23.0%. Forty four (35.5%) of the lesions found on the mammograms were classified as BI-RADs 3; 4 or 5 category. Cancer was found in 4 (1.95%) of the total number of screened women and benign cases represented 0.58%. Conclusions: These first results of the programme are very encouraging, but there is a need to closely monitor performance and to improve programme procedures with the aim of increasing both the participation rate and the proportion of women eligible to attend screening.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4409-4413
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• 2016

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common of malignancy found in Thai women. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major cause. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection and association with abnormal cervical cytology in Thai women. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at the Gynecologic Clinic, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand. A total of 2,144 cases who underwent annual cervical cancer screening by co-testing (liquid based cytology and HPV testing, DNA versus mRNA) during the priod from July 2013 to June 2016 were recruited in this study. Results: Prevalence of positive high risk (HR) HPV DNA and mRNA test were 19.7 and 8.4%, respectively with a statistically significant difference. Majority of cases of abnormal cytology in this study were atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). In patients with ASC-US, positive HR HPV DNA was greater than in the mRNA group (10.1 and 4.5%, p<0.001). Nonetheless, there was no significant difference in participants with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). HPV mRNA test had slightly lower sensitivity but higher negative predictive value (NPV) than the DNA test to detect abnormal cytology during cervical cancer screening (p<0.001). Both HPV test (DNA and mRNA) had equally efficacy to detect high grade precancerous lesion or higher (CIN 2+). Conclusions: Prevalence of HR HPV DNA and mRNA were 19.7 and 8.4 percent, respectively. NPV of HPV mRNA was higher than DNA test. Both tests had equal efficacy to detect CIN 2+ with sensitivity and specificity of 63% vs 55.7% and 83% vs 92%, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2009

Purpose: Several radioactive agents were used for lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer. But recently, due to the change of local radiopharmaceutical licensing policy and discontinuation of supplies from manufacturer, we could not use many radiocolloids such as $^{99m}Tc$-Antimony Trisulfide Colloid, $^{99m}Tc$-Tin Colloid, $^{99m}Tc$-Human Serum Albumin. So it is necessary to use the substitution radiopharmaceutical. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the performance of substitution radiopharmaceutical ($^{99m}Tc$-Phytate) including the existing radiocolloids and to set up of the appropriate protocol in lymphoscintigraphy. Materials and Methods: For each radiocolloids ($^{99m}Tc$-Antimony Trisulfide Colloid (ASC), $^{99m}Tc$-Tin Colloid (TC), $^{99m}Tc$-Human Serum Albumin (HSA), $^{99m}Tc$-Phytate) were performed the particle size by Zeta Sizer (Nano-ZS) and we compared the radiolabeling time, procedure and acquisition time for each of the radiocolloids (total 200 patients). For the last time, we made an analysis of image for each of the radiocolloids with our previous report (SJ Jang et al, Korean Nucl Med Mol imaging Vol.41, No.6, Dec 2007). Results: The particle size of each radiocolloids showed A.S.C (50 nm), T.C (310 nm), H.S.A (10.8 nm), $^{99m}Tc$-Phytate (499 nm). The labeling and acquisition time for each of the radiocolloids showed no substantial difference. But there is difference of the labeling time for the A.S.C. because the ASC procedure need to boiling process. There were no significant differences among those radiocolloids (p>0.005) in the identification rate (IR), false negative rate (FNR), and negative predictive value (NPV). Conclusions: $^{99m}Tc$-labeled radiocolloids showed equivalent results in lymphoscintigraphy. Therefore, in this exam of each radiocolloids could be applied appropriate protocol in lymphoscintigraphy.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.113-118
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• 2011

The flash point is an important indicator of the flammability of a chemical. The minimum flash point behaviour (MFPB) is exhibited when the flash point of a mixture is below the flash points of the individual components. The identification of this behaviour is critical, because a hazardous situation results from taking the lowest component flash point value as the mixture flash point. In this study, the flash points for the n-butanol + n-decane and n-octane + n-propanol systems which exhibit MFPB, were measured by Tag open-cup apparatus. The experimental data were compared with the alues calculated by the Raoult's law, the van Laar equation and the Wilson equation. The calculated values based on the van Laar and Wilson equations were found to be better than those based on the Raoult's law. It was concluded that the van Laar and Wilson equations were more effective than the Raoult' law at describing the activity coefficients for non-ideal solution such as the n-butanol + n-decane and n-octane + n-propanol systems. The predictive curve of the flash point prediction model based on the Wilson equation described the experimentally-derived data more effectively than was the case when the prediction model was based upon the van Laar equation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.363-371
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• 1994

Background: DNA content analysis of human solid tumor is now widely performed by flow cytometric study. One of the most interesting and potentially important observation in this field is that proliferative activity(S-Phase fraction of cell cycle) may profoundly affect the prognosis. Method: S-Phase fraction(SPF) have been measured by flow cytometric method using tumor cells isolated from paraffin embedded tissue. To evaluate the prognostic significance, SPF of small lung cancer cell was assessed in 42 patients who died after receiving anticancer chemotherapy. Results: 1) Mean survival time of patients with small cell lung cancer was 190(${\pm}156$) days. Survival time were shortened, when TNM stage and PS scale were advanced. 2) Mean value of SPF of patients with small cell lung cancer was 27.4(${\pm}8.5$)%. SPF had nothing to do with advance of TNM stage and PS scale. 3) In each identical TNM stage, there were not statistic significance between SPF and survival times. 4) There was a tendency like that higher SPF, better chemotherapeutic response. Conclusion: We could not find statistic significance between SPF and survival times, but SPF was a good predictive factor for chemotherapeutic response.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.183-199
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of mother's perfectionism and parenting beliefs on her preschooler's social competence. The participants were 277 mothers residing in Daejeon, Korea. Basic descriptive statistics, Cronbach's ${\alpha}$, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression were used for statistical treatment. The results were as follows: First, a mother's perfectionism and parenting beliefs did not differ according to her educational level. One factor of perfectionism, 'holding high standards', alone showed significant difference between highschool graduates and graduate school graduates, the latter's scores being higher than the former's. There were no significant differences in preschooler's social competence by sex or age. However, a few sex and age differences were found in sub-factors of social competence. Girls scored higher than boys on 'showing affection', and 5 year olds scored lower on 'showing affection' and higher on 'leadership' than 3 years olds. Second, a mother's perfectionism and parenting beliefs were able to explain 22.8% of variance in preschooler's social competence, the former showing more predictive power than the latter. Each of the two factors of maternal perfectionism affected five factors of preschooler's social competence in a different manner. 'Holding high standards' of perfectionism positively influenced preschooler's social competence factors such as 'social capability', 'leadership', and 'showing affection', whereas maternal 'fear of failure' had a negative impact on 'showing affection', 'disturbing'(reversed), and 'instability'(reversed). These results were discussed in relation with changes in social atmosphere and value systems, changes in child-rearing behaviors, or the construct and concept of perfectionism itself, It was suggested that these results be utilized in developing parent education programs for preschoolers lacking social competence.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.288-293
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• 2020

Background: Pilomatrixoma is a benign tumor that originates from the hair follicle matrix. It usually presents as a hard, slow growing, solitary mass that can be easily misdiagnosed as other skin masses. The aim of this study was to clinically analyze a case series of pilomatrixoma in pediatric patients from Korea. Methods: A total of 165 pediatric patients from 2011 to 2018 with a histological diagnosis of pilomatrixoma were included. A retrospective review was performed using the electronic medical records, including patient demographics, number and location of the mass, clinical and imaging presentation, and postoperative outcomes. Results: There were 61 male and 104 female patients with 152 solitary and 13 multiple pilomatrixomas. Among solitary pilomatrixomas, the lesion commonly occurred in the head and neck (84.2%), followed by upper limbs (11.2%), lower limbs (3.3%), and trunk (1.3%). The pilomatrixoma lesion presented as the following types based on our clinical classification: mass (56.02%), pigmentation (25.31%), mixed (12.65%), ulceration (4.82%), and keloid-like (1.2%). Ultrasonography showed a high positive predictive value (95.56%). There were no specific complications observed except for two cases of recurrence. Conclusion: Pilomatrixoma has various clinical feature presentations and commonly occurs in the head and neck. Ultrasonography is a helpful diagnostic tool. Surgical removal of the lesion is the main treatment method with a low recurrence rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 2015

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether the expression of baseline phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) levels were prognostic in terms of stage and overall survival (OS) in newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, 130 patients were selected at the time of diagnosis oflung cancer (100 with NSCLC and 30 with SCLC), before the initialization of any chemo-radiotherapy. The median age was 67 (range 29-92). IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV stages were present in 3, 4, 19, 6, 25, 8, and 65 patients, respectively. After centrifugation, the levels of serum P and Mg were measured using the nephelometric method/ photometry and evaluated before any type of treatment. Results: Higher than normal levels of P were found in 127/130 patients, while only four patients had elevated Mg serum values. In terms of Spearman test, higher P serum values correlated with either stage (rho=- 0.334, p<0.001) or OS (rho=-0.212, p=0.016). Additionally, a significant negative correlation of Mg serum levels was found with stage of disease (rho=-0.135, P=0.042). On multivariate cox-regression survival analysis, only stage (p<0.01), performance status (p<0.01) and P serum (p=0.045) showed a significant prognostic value. Conclusions: Our study indicated that pre-treatment P serum levels in lung cancer patients are higher than the normal range. Moreover, P and Mg serum levels are predictive of stage of disease. Along with stage and performance status, the P serum levels had also a significant impact on survival. This information may be important for stratifying patients to specific treatment protocols or intensifying their therapies. However, larger series are now needed to confirm our results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6015-6020
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• 2014

Background: Isolation and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients suffering from a variety of different cancers have become hot biomarker topics. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of CTCs in pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: Initial literature was identified using Medline and EMBASE. The primary data were hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of survival outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and progression free survival/recurrence free survival (PFS/RFS). Results: A total of 9 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis, published between 2002 and 2013. The estimated pooled HR and 95%CI for OS for all studies was 1.64 (95%CI 1.39-1.94, p<0.00001) and the pooled HR and 95%CI for RFS/DFS was 2.36 (95%CI 1.41-3.96, p<0.00001). The HRs and 95%CIs for OS and RFS/DFS in patients before treatment were 1.93 (95%CI 1.26-2.96, p=0.003) and 1.82 (95%CI 1.22-2.72, p=0.003), respectively. In patients receiving treatment, the HRs and 95%CI for OS and RFS/DFS were 1.37 (95%CI 1.00-1.86, p=0.05) and 1.89 (95%CI 1.01-3.51, p=0.05), respectively. Moreover, the pooled HR and 95%CI for OS in the post-treatment group was 2.20 (95%CI 0.80-6.02, p=0.13) and the pooled HR for RFS/DFS was 8.36 (95%CI 3.22-21.67, p<0.0001). Conclusions: The meta-analysis provided strong evidence supporting the proposition that CTCs detected in peripheral blood have a fine predictive role in pancreatic patients especially on the time point of post-treatment.