• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8405-8408
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• 2014

Background: This analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of temozolomide based chemotherapy in treating patients with glioma. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of temozolomide based regimens for patients with glioma were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rates (RRs) were calculated. Results: In temozolomide based regimens, 5 clinical studies including 152 patients with advanced glioma were considered eligible for inclusion. Four clinical studies included temozolomide. Systematic analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled CR was 21% (32/152), and PR was 21% (32/152). Grade 3/4 toxicity included neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. No grade 3 or 4 renal or liver toxicity was observed. No treatment related death occurred with temozolomide based treatment. Conclusion: This systematic analysis suggests that temozolomide based regimens are associated with mild response rate and acceptable toxicity for treatment of glioma patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.323-325
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• 2012

Pulmonary tumor embolism can be a cause of respiratory failure in patients with cancer even though it occurs rarely. We describe a 56-year-old man who underwent a pulmonary tumor embolectomy using cardiopulmonary bypass on beating heart combined with inferior vena cava embolectomy and right radical nephrectomy. Aggressive surgical treatment in this severe case is necessary not only to reduce the fatal outcome of pulmonary embolism in the short run, but also to improve the oncological prognosis in the long term.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.267-276
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• 2020

Purpose: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) risk calculator is useful in predicting postoperative adverse events. However, its accuracy in specific disorders is unclear. We validated the ACS NSQIP risk calculator in patients with gastric cancer undergoing curative laparoscopic surgery. Materials and Methods: We included 207 consecutive early gastric cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy between January 2018 and January 2019. The preoperative characteristics and risks of the patients were reviewed and entered into the ACS NSQIP calculator. The estimated risks of postoperative outcomes were compared with the observed outcomes using C-statistics and Brier scores. Results: Most of the patients underwent distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (74.4%). We did not observe any cases of mortality, venous thromboembolism, urinary tract infection, renal failure, or cardiac complications. The other outcomes assessed were complications such as pneumonia, surgical site infections, any complications requiring re-operation or hospital readmission, the rates of discharge to nursing homes/rehabilitation centers, and the length of stay. All C-statistics were <0 and the highest was for pneumonia (0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.71). Brier scores ranged from 0.01 for pneumonia to 0.155 for other complications. Overall, the risk calculator was inconsistent in predicting the outcomes. Conclusions: The ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator showed low predictive ability for postoperative adverse events after laparoscopic gastrectomy for patients with early gastric cancer. Further research to adjust the risk calculator for these patients may improve its predictive ability.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2017

Severe hypercalcemia is rarely encountered in children, even though serum calcium concentrations above 15-16 mg/dL could be life-threatening. We present a patient having severe hypercalcemia and azotemia. A 14-year-old boy with no significant past medical history was referred to our hospital with hypercalcemia and azotemia. Laboratory and imaging studies excluded hyperparathyroidism and solid tumor. Other laboratory findings including a peripheral blood profile were unremarkable. His hypercalcemia was not improved with massive hydration, diuretics, or even hemodialysis, but noticeably reversed with administration of calcitonin. A bone marrow biopsy performed to rule out the possibility of hematological malignancy revealed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His hypercalcemia and azotemia resolved shortly after initiation of induction chemotherapy. Results in this patient indicate that a hematological malignancy could present with severe hypercalcemia even though blast cells have not appeared in the peripheral blood. Therefore, extensive evaluation to determine the cause of hypercalcemia is necessary. Additionally, appropriate treatment, viz., hydration or administration of calcitonin is important to prevent complications of severe hypercalcemia, including renal failure and nephrocalcinosis.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.238-241
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• 1999

Intractable pain arising from disorders of the viscera and somatic structures within the pelvis and perineum often poses difficult problems for the pain pratitioner. The reason for this difficulty is that the region contains diverse anatomic structures with mixed somatic, visceral, and autonomic innervation affecting bladder and bowel control and sexual function. Clinically, sympathetic pain in the perineum has a distinctly vague, burning, and poorly localized quality and is frequently associated with the sensation of urgency. Although various approaches have been proposed for the management of intractable perineal pain, their efficacy and applications are limited. Historically, neurolytic blockade in this region has been focused mainly on somatic rather than sympathetic components. The efficacy of neurolytic ganglion impar block has been demonstrated in treating perineal pain without significant somatovisceral dysfunctions for patient with advanced cancer in 1990. The introduction of superior hypogastric plexus block in 1990 demonstrated its effectiveness in patients with cancer related pelvic pain. In our report, five patients had advanced cancer (rectal caner 3; cervix cancer 1; metastases to sacral portion of renal cell cancer 1). Localized perineal pain was present in all cases and was characterized as burning and urgent with 9~10/10 pain intensity. After neurolytic block of ganglion impar, patients experiened incomplete pain reduction (7~8/10), as determined by the VAS (visual analogue scale), and change in pain site. We then treated with superior hypogastric plexus block, which produced satisfactory pain relief (to less than 4/10), without complication.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6595-6597
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• 2015

Objective: To investigate short- and long-term treatment effects and side reactions of lobaplatin plus 5-Fu combined and concurrent radiotherapy in treating patients with inoperable middle-advanced stage esophageal cancer. Methods: Sixty patients with middle-advanced stage esophageal squamous cell cancer were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were administered lobaplatin (50 mg intravenously) for 2 h on day 1, and 5-Fu ($500mg/m^2$) injected intravenously from day 1 to 5 for 1 cycle, in an interval of 21 days for totally 4 cycles. At the same time, late-course accelerated hyperfractionated three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy was performed. Patients were firstly treated with conventional fractionated irradiation (1.8 Gy/d, 5 times/week, a total of 23 treatments, and DT41.4 Gy), and then treated with accelerated hyperfractionated irradiation (1.5 Gy, 2 times/d, a total of 27 Gy in 9 days, an entire course of 6-7 weeks, and DT 68.4Gy). Results: All patients completed treatment, including 10 complete response (CR), 41 partial response (PR), 7 stable disease (SD), and 2 progressive disease (PD). The total effective rate was 85.0% (51/60). Thirty-nine patients had an increased KPS score. One-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 85.3%, 57.5%, and 41.7%, respectively. The median survival time was 27 months. The adverse reactions included myelosuppression, which was mainly degree I and II. The occurrence rate of radiation esophagitis was 17.5%. No significant hepatic or renal toxicity was observed. Conclusion: Lobaplatin plus 5-Fu combined with concurrent radiotherapy is safe and effective in treating patients with middle-advanced stage esophageal cancer. However, this result warrants further evaluation by randomized clinical studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8495-8497
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• 2014

Purpose: To investigate whether it is safe to use leucogen tablets 60 mg three times per day (180 mg for a day) and whether this regimen could reduce the incidence of febrile neutropenia caused by chemotherapy. Methods: This prospectively designed study focused on the safety and effectiveness of leucogen tablets 60mg three times per day for a group of cancer patients during chemotherapy for mainly lung or gastric cancers. The tablets were administered from 5 days before until the termination of chemotherapy. Neutropenia and other healthcare encounters were defined as events and occurrence was estimated for comparison. Results: We identified 39 patients receiving leucogen tablets 60mg three times per day, including 11 with gastric, 12 with lung and 16 with other sites of cancer. The mean age was 65 (29-75) years and there were 27 male and 12 female patients. The mean duration of leucogen tablets intake was 59 days. Eighteen patients were treated with taxane-based, 4 with irinotecan-based and 17 with other chemotherapy. The incidence of febrile neutropenia was 0%. Twelve patients were found severe neutropenia (grade III/IV), and the duration of severe neutropenia (grade III/IV) was 5 days. Treatment-emergent adverse events were attributable to complications of myelosuppressive chemotherapy or the primary disease (i.e., alopecia, nausea, asthenia, neutropenia, and severe hepatic renal dysfunction). No chemotherapy was delayed and no treatment related death was observed. Conclusions: This study suggested that leucogen tablets 60mg three times per day (180mg for a day) are safe and could be effective for preventing febrile neutropenia in patients with chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1977-1980
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• 2015

Objective: The Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHLD), an inherited neoplastic syndrome predisposing to central nervous system hemangioblastoma (CNS), pheochromocytoma (PCC), renal cell carcinoma(RCC), retinal hemangioma (RA) and renal cysts, is caused by mutations or deletions of the VHL tumor-suppressor gene. To assess VHL genotype-phenotype correlations with function of pVHL a gene mutation analysis of members in a Chinese family with non-syndromic PCCs and individuals with apparently sporadic pheochromocytoma (ASP) was performed. Materials and Methods: DNA samples of 20 members from the Chinese family with non-syndromic PCCs and 41 patients with ASP were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing, confirmed by Taqman probe. Results: Three novel mutations (H125P, 623(^TTTGTtG) and R120T) were identified in the Chinese family and in 3 among 41 ASP patients. The mutations were all located in exon 2 of VHL gene encoding ${\beta}$-domain of pVHL. The tumor type in H125P carriers and R120T carriers was VHL type 2C. And 623(^TTTGTtG) carriers presented VHL type 2B or type 2C. Conclusions: VHL gene abnormalities were identified in the Chinese family with non-syndromic PCCs and patients with APS, resulting in dysfunction of pVHL. H125P and R120T could be associated with VHL type 2C, while 623(^TTTGTtG) might be linked with VHL type 2B or type 2C. Not only is the genetic analysis helpful for early diagnosis and treatment of patients with VHLD, it is also benefitial for research intoVHLD pathogenesis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.133-141
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• 2018

Anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin and doxorubicin are effectively used more than radiotherapy. Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic drug, used for treatment of various forms of cancer. However, it has side effects such as ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity increases tubular damage and renal dysfunction. Consequently, we investigated the beneficial effect of cynaroside on cisplatin-induced kidney injury using HK-2 cell (human proximal tubule cell line) and an animal model. Results indicated that $10{\mu}M$ cynaroside diminished cisplatin-induced apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-3 activation, cisplatin-induced upregulation of caspase-3/MST-1 pathway decreased by treatment of cynaroside in HK-2 cells. To confirm the effect of cynaroside on cisplatin-induced kidney injury in vivo, we used cisplatin exposure animal model (20 mg/kg, balb/c mice, i.p., once a day for 3 days). Renal dysfunction, tubular damage and neutrophilia induced by cisplatin injection were decreased by cynaroside (10 mg/kg, i.p., once a day for 3 days). Results indicated that cynaroside decreased cisplatin-induced kidney injury in vitro and in vivo, and it could be used for improving cisplatin-induced side effects. However, further experiments are required regarding toxicity by high dose cynaroside and caspase-3/MST-1-linked signal transduction in the animal model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6197-6201
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• 2012

Although enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been reported as an independent prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), little is known about the exact mechanism of EZH2 in promoting the genesis of RCC. However, several studies have shown that dysregulation of the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial role. Therefore, we determined whether EZH2 could affect ACHN human RCC cell proliferation and invasion via the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin pathway. In the present study, we investigated the effects of short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated EZH2 gene silencing on Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling in ACHN cells. EZH2-siRNA markedly inhibited the proliferation and invasion capabilities of ACHN, while also reducing the expression of EZH2, Wnt3a and ${\beta}$-catenin. In contrast, cellular expression of GSK-$3{\beta}$ (glycogen synthase kinase-$3{\beta}$), an inhibitor of the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin pathway, was conspicuously higher after transfection of EZH2 siRNA. These preliminary findings suggest EZH2 may promote proliferation and invasion of ACHN cells via action on the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway.