• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8079-8083
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• 2016

Metformin is an oral anti-hyperglycemic agent, which is the most commonly prescribed medication in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus. It is purportedly associated with a reduced risk for various cancers, mainly exerting anti-proliferation effects on various human cancer cell types, such as pancreas, prostate, breast, stomach and liver. This mini-review highlights the risk and benefit of metformin used for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) prevention and therapy. The results indicated metformin might be a quite promising strategy CCA prevention and treatment, one mechanism being inhibition of CCA tumor growth by cell cycle arrest in both in vitro and in vivo. The AMPK/mTORC1 pathway in intrahepatic CCA cells is targeted by metformin. Furthermore, metformin inhibited CCA tumor growth via the regulation of Drosha-mediated expression of multiple carcinogenic miRNAs. The use of metformin seems to be safe in patients with cirrhosis, and provides a survival benefit. Once hepatic malignancies are already established, metformin does not offer any therapeutic potential. Clinical trials and epidemiological studies of the benefit of metformin use for CCA should be conducted. To date, whether metformin as a prospective chemotherapeutic for CCA is still questionable and waits further atttention.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2004

Purpose: This research aims to assess the effect of a single session of group education of hospice program at Seoul National University Hospital for the advanced and terminal cancer patients and their family members. Methods: Response to questionnaires from 89 participants were evaluated using SAS and CHISQ analysis. The questionnaires included the following items: 1) the characteristics of participants; 2) the characteristics of patients; 3) the difficulties of patient care; 4) the satisfaction with the program Results: The participants consist of 33 patients (37.5%) and 56 family members (56.2%). Diagnosis included mainly stomach, lung, breast, and colon cancer. Participants of family members consisted of spouse, parent, children, daughter-in-law, and siblings (in decreasing order). The participants were interested in the medical information, nutrition, pain and symptom management, and psychosocial adaptation. They had difficulties in emotional problem, nutrition and symptom management. Even though it was a single session of group education, the level of satisfaction was high (95%). Conclusion: This research shows that even the single session of the group education for the advanced and terminal cancer patients and their family members is very helpful by giving them the necessary information. In order to develop comprehensive care-giving services, more specific informations, more opportunities to participate in such sessions and longer question-answer time is required.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of spinal-Z, derived from Peganum harmala seeds and Dracocephalum Kotschyi Boiss leaves, in patients with esophageal and stomach adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Methods: Sixty-one patients with malignancies of the upper gastrointestinal tract were randomly assigned to one of two groups (treatment or control) in a double-blind fashion. Six capsules of Spinal-Z were prescribed to the patients with the regimen of 600 mg/m2/day, and placebo to the control group, for six months. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to age, sex, duration of cancer, type of cancer and family history of cancer. There were significant differences in abdominal pain, heartburn, constipation and vomiting between the two groups, following spinal-Z therapy. Evaluation of drug side effects showed no difference in cough or other respiratory symptoms, itching, headache or dizziness between the two groups, both before and after treatment. Conclusion: This study indicates that Spinal-Z is safe and efficacious in the management of patients with upper gastrointestinal tract cancers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.193-200
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to identify how students majoring in nursing perceive causes of cancers and the effects of diet for preventing cancers. Data for the study were collected by 651 nursing students, who were registered in the second and third year in three technical colleges and third and fourth year in two universities. The Research instruments included items on general characteristics of subjects, items about the degree of perception of the frequency of cancer onset and items on the perception of mortality. risk factors. preventive diets, knowledge, and high risk factor for cancer in specific body areas. The findings of this study are as follows : 1. Almost all subjects(92.8%) reported that the frequency of cancer onset increases and that it is 93.9% for people over 40. Degree of perception about cancer mortality was low at 33.0%. 2. As far as the perception of risk factors for cancer onset was concerned, smoking, stress, heredity, family history, and alcohol were rated high, over 80.0%. Risk factor in. eluding virus, hormones. pesticides were rated as low. 3. As to the perception of risk factor for body area as associated with diet salted and scorched food were rated at 44.5% for stomach cancer, alcohol, 50.4% for liver cancer, smoking. 72.8% for lung cancer. pregnancy times. 25.3%, and marriage age, 23.0% for uterine cancer, and no delivery experience, 40.1% for breast cancer. 4. The knowledge score for cancer was between 12 and 36, with a mean score of 26.75(SD=4.13). There was a statistically significant difference between experience in raring for cancer patients during clinical practice and knowledge score(t=3.09. p=.002).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9905-9908
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• 2014

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most common chronic infectious agent in the stomach. Most importantly, it may lead to atrophy, metaplasia and cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of H. pylori infection and to detect early mucosal changes that may lead to malignant degeneration in children. Materials and Methods: Children who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included. Familial history of gastric cancer was noted. Endoscopic examinations were performed by a single pediatric gastroenterologist. A minimum of three biopsy samples were collected during endoscopy. The patients were accepted as H. pylori infected if results of biopsies and rapid urease test were both positive. Biopsies were evaluated for the presence and degree of chronic inflammation, the activity and severity of gastritis, glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. Results: A total of 750 children (388 boys, 362 girls) were evaluated in our study, with a mean age of 10.1 years. A total of 390 patients (52%) were found to be infected with H. pylori. Among the H. pylori infected patients, 289 (74%) were diagnosed to have chronic superficial gastritis, 24 (6.2%) had gastric atrophy. Most strikingly, intestinal metaplasia was observed in 11 children, all were in the H. pylori positive group. There was no difference in the mean of age, gender and socioeconomic class between H. pylori infected and non-infected groups. The frequency of gastric cancer in family members (4 in number) was higher in patients with H. pylori infection. No gastric cancer case was reported from the parents of non-infected children. The worst biopsy parameters (atropy and metaplasia) were improved after H. pylori eradication on control endoscopy. Conclusions: The current study shows a higher prevalence of familial history of gastric cancer in H. pylori infected children. Intestinal metaplasia was also higher in the infected children. Eradication of H. pylori infection for this risk group may prevent subsequent development of gastric cancer.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 2003

Purpose: The appropriate duration for effective hospice care is estimated about 3 months. However, the length of hospice care of many hospice patients is mostly less than 1 months. This is too short for effective hospice care. Therefore we investigated the reason by clinical considuations include the length of hospie care, duration from diagnosed as terminatlly ill to refer to hospice, the recogntion of hospice of doctors, patients and familis. Methods: This study was designed to retrospective cohot study. The data was obtaind from 50 hospice patients those who died in hospital from July to September in 2003. Results: Out of 50 patient, 30 were male(60%). The median age wes 60years in males and was 61 years in femailes. The most prevalant cancer was colorectal cancer(9 patients, 18%), followed by hepatoma(8 patients, 16%), and stomach cancer(7 patients, 14%). The most prevalent symptom was pain(37 patients 74%) and most prevalant reason of admission was also pain(30 patients, 60%). The most prevalent physician specialty was general internal medicine(21 doctors, 42%), followed by oncology(19 doctors, 38%). The median days form diagnosed terminally ill to refere to hospice was 47 days. The median lengths of hospice care was 23 days and the median admission days was 17. Conclusion: We found that lack of recognition of hospice of doctors, patients and families made the lengths of hospice care too short. If the patient and family go to hospice just after diagnosed as terminally ill, they could get more effective hospice care. To resolve these problems, it is needed education for them constantly.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.247-254
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• 2013

Purpose: In Korea, the entire population must enroll in the national health insurance system, and those who are classified as having a lower socioeconomic status are supported by the medical aid system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the medical insurance status of gastric cancer patients with their survival after gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: A total of 247 patients who underwent surgical treatment for gastric cancer between January 1999 and December 2010 at the Seoul Medical Center were evaluated. Based on their medical insurance status, the patients were classified into two groups: the national health insurance registered group (n=183), and the medical aid covered group (n=64). The survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The median postoperative duration of hospitalization was longer in the medical aid covered group and postoperative morbidity and mortality were higher in the medical aid group than in the national health insurance registered group (P<0.05). The overall 5-year survival rate was 43.9% in the medical aid covered group and 64.3% in the national health insurance registered group (P=0.001). Conclusions: The medical insurance status reflects the socioeconomic status of a patient and can influence the overall survival of gastric cancer patients. A more sophisticated analysis of the difference in the survival time between gastric cancer patients based on their socioeconomic status is necessary.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between health-related quality of life and oral health behavior and oral health status, and to provide the basic data for national oral health policy. Methods: The primary data of the 5th National Health Examination and Nutritional Survey(NHANES) in 2012 were used in this study. The subjects were 2,243 middle-aged people(40-59 years old), 827 persons were excluded for missing value or having diseases affecting quality of life(depression, stroke, cardiac infarction, angina, liver cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, other cancers, arthritis), and 1,416 data were finally analyzed. Results: In health-related quality of life by subjects' characteristics, there was significant difference in gender, age, education, family income, and employment status(p<0.01) except for current smoking. Oral health behavior didn't have significant relation to health-related quality of life, but better oral health status showed better health-related quality of life(p<0.01). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study suggested that there was close relationship between the oral health status and health-related quality of life in moddle aged people. Therefore, national oral health policy is needed for the oral health promotion with commitment of oral prophylaxis and care programs to the individual and community.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2002

Purpose : Death due to cancer has been continuously increasing, therefore cancer is the first in the cause of death now. A national policy for the elevation of medical costs in cancer patients is necessary, therefore, we searched for the medical costs and its related factors in terminal cancer patients for the effective reduction of the medical costs. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of 259 hospitalized terminal cancer patients who had died during the period of July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2002. History of cancer included type of cancer, type of past treatment, existence of metastasis. Clinical manifestation was examined and medical costs on last admission was categorized based on the account of charges of the department of patient affair on the last hospitalization. For analysis of factors related with medical costs, ANOVA was used. Results : Of the 259 patients, the number of male was 135 cases (52.1%), and the female, 124 cases (47.9%). The most frequent type of cancer was stomach (21.9%) cancer. Of the clinical manifestation, anorexia (87.6%) was the most frequent manifestation. Total medical costs was 740,628,045won, the mean costs was $285,968{\pm}3,070,272won$. The frequent category of medical costs was injection (32.0%), medical accommodation (27.9%), examination (14.0%), in order. The only factor related with mean medical costs was pain (P<0.05). Conclusion : If unnecessary injection of opioid analgesics is reduced, hospice care at home is activated and excessive examination is reduced In terminal cancer inpatients, it will be possible to reduce the medical costs in terminal cancer patients more effectively.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2004

Purpose: To examine informational needs of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was utilized. The sample was 198 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy for a diagnosis of stomach or lung cancer at a university hospital. A modified version of Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaire was applied. Results: Subjects reported highest informational needs in prognosis dimension, followed by the treatment dimension including side effects and alternative therapy. Information about medical tests and follow-up care after the treatment was also in great need. Dimensions of support for patients/family and sexuality were low in need. The degree of informational needs was negatively correlated with patient's age and number of children. Differences were found in informational needs according to the educational level employment status, and gender of the patients, while diagnosis and treatment options did not make differences in informational needs. Conclusion: Health care professionals need to perceive informational needs of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, and to provide them with information especially in the area of prognosis and treatment. Informational intervention would be effective when it is given with consideration of patient's characteristics.