• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7529-7534
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• 2015

Background: The epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays important roles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) susceptibility and functional polymorphism in the EGF (+61A/G) gene has been linked to increased risk of NSCLC. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the EGF +61A/G polymorphism in risk of NSCLC adenocarcinoma (ADC) occurrence and survival in an Indian population. Materials and Methods: This casecontrol study included 100 histopathologically confirmed NSCLC (ADC) patients and 100 healthy controls. EGF (A61G) was genotyped by AS-PCR to elucidate putative associations with clinical outcomes. The association of the polymorphism with the survival of NSCLC patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: It was found that EGF 61AG heterozygous and GG homozygous genotype is significantly associated with increased risk of NSCLC (ADC) occurrence compared to AA genotype, [OR 2.61 (1.31-5.18) and 3.25 (1.31-8.06), RR 1.51(1.15-2.0) and 1.72 (1.08-2.73) and RD 23.2 (6.90-39.5) and 28.53(7.0-50.1) for heterozygous AG (p=0.005) and homozygous GG (p=0.009)]. Patients homozygous for the G allele exhibited a significantly poor overall survival. The median survival time for patients with EGF 61 AA, AG, and GG genotypes was 10.5, 7.4, and 7.1 months (p=0.02), respectively. NSCLC (ADC) patients with GG + AG exhibited 7.3 months median survival compared to the AA genotype (p=0.009). Conclusions: The present study revealed that the EGF A61G genotype may be a novel independent prognostic marker to identify patients at higher risk of occurrence and an unfavourable clinical outcome.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6449-6453
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• 2014

Background: Prior studies showed a relationship between serum albumin and the albumin to globulin ratio with different types of cancer. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) for survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 240 lung adenocarcinoma patients. Biochemical parameters before chemotherapy were collected and survival status was obtained from the hospital registry. The AGR was calculated using the equation AGR=albumin/(total protein-albumin) and ranked from lowest to highest, the total number of patients being divided into three equal tertiles according to the AGR values. Furthermore, AGR was divided into two groups (low and high tertiles) for ROC curve analysis. Cox model analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of AGR and AGR tertiles. Results: The mean survival time for each tertile was: for the $1^{st}$ 9.8 months (95%CI:7.765-11.848), $2^{nd}$ 15.4 months (95%CI:12.685-18.186), and $3^{rd}$ 19.9 months (95%CI:16.495-23.455) (p<0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly higher survival rates with the third and high tertiles of AGR in comparison with the first and low tertiles, respectively. At multivariate analysis low levels of albumin and AGR, low tertile of AGR and high performance status remained an independent predictors of mortality. Conclusions: Low AGR was a significant predictor of long-term mortality in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Serum albumin measurement and calculation of AGR are easily accessible and cheap to use for predicting mortality in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3299-3304
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• 2014

Background: The aim of the present study was to analyze whether Homer1 is a potential prognostic marker for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Materials and Methods: The expression of Homer1 in ICC tissue was detected with immunohistochemistry and levels of protein in ICC and paratumor tissues were evaluated by Western blotting. Survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method was performed to assess prognostic significance. Results: Homer1 expression was high in 67.4% (58/86) of ICC samples, and there was significant difference between ICC and adjacent noncancerous tissues (p<0.001); high expression was associated with poor histologic differentiation (p=0.019), TNM stage (p=0.014), lymph node metastasis (p=0.040), and lymphatic invasion (p=0.025). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, a comparison of survival curves of low versus high expressors of Homer1 revealed a highly significant difference in OS (p=0.001) and DFS (p=0.006), indicating that high expression of Homer1 was linked with a worse prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that Homer1 expression was an independent risk factor predicting overall survival[Hazard ratio(HR), 7.52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.63-21.47; p=0.002] and disease-free survival (HR, 11.56; 95%CI, 5.17-25.96; p<0.001) in ICC. Conclusions: Homer1 promotes lymphatic invasion and associates with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of ICC. The current study shows that Homer1 may be an independent prognostic factor for ICC patients after curative resection, and it provides an important basis for screening/treating high-risk patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5331-5336
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• 2014

Background: Early onset breast cancer is associated with poor outcomes but variable results have been reported. It is a significant problem in Pakistani women but remains under reported. Breast conservation plays an important role in surgical management of this younger patient group. The objective of this study was to determine the outcome of breast conservative therapy in patients with early onset breast cancer in our population and compare it with their older counterparts. Materials and Methods: A review of patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent breast conservation surgery at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital from 1997 to 2009 was performed. Patients were divided into two groups i.e. Group I age ${\leq}40$ and Group II >40 years. A total of 401 patients with breast cancer were identified in Group I and 405 patients in Group II. Demographics, histopathological findings and receptor status of the two groups were compared. The Chi square test was used for categorical variables. Outcome was assessed on basis of 10 year locoregional recurrence free survival (LRRFS), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). For survival analysis Kaplan Meier curves were used and significance was determined using the Log rank test. Cox regression was applied for multivariate analysis. Results: Median follow up was 4.31 (0.1-15.5) years. Median age at presentation was 34.6 years (17-40) and 51.9 years (41-82) for the two groups. Groups were significantly different from each other with respect to grade, receptor status, tumor stage and use of neoadjuvant therapy. No significant difference was present between the two groups for estimated 10 year LRRFS (86% vs 95%) (p=0.1), DFS (70% vs 70%) (p=0.5) and OS (75% vs 63%) (p=0.1). On multivariate analysis, tumor stage was an independent predictor of LRRFS, DFS and OS. Conclusions: Early onset breast cancer is associated with a distinct biology but does not lead to poorer outcomes in our population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5155-5160
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• 2014

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of lobaplatin-transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radioactive $^{125}I$ seed implantation in treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 75 patients with primary HCC were enrolled in the study, among them 43 receiving lobaplatin-TACE (TACE group) and 32 lobaplatin-TACE combined with $^{125}I$ seed implantation (TACE+$^{125}I$ group). After treatment, the local remission rates and postoperative complications of two groups were compared using the Pearson Chi-square test. Overall survival in the two groups was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the differences were tested using Log-rank test. Results: There were 7 cases of complete response (CR), 13 of partial response (PR), 6 of stable disease (SD) and 17 of progressive disease (PD) in the TACE group, with 13 cases of CR, 9 of PR, 5 of SD and 5 of PD in the TACE+$^{125}I$ group. The disease control rates of TACE and TACE+$^{125}I$ group were 60.5% (26/43) and 84.4% (27/32), respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). The survival rates at 6, 12 and 18 months in the TACE group were 100.0%, 81.8% and 50.0%, respectively, and those in TACE+$^{125}I$ group were 100.0%, 93.8% and 65.6%. The mean survival times in the TACE and TACE+$^{125}I$ groups were 19.5 and 22.9 months, respectively. There was a significant difference in the overall survival rate between two groups (P < 0.05). No serious complications were encountered in either group. Conclusion: Lobaplatin-TACE combined with $^{125}I$ seed implantation is favorable and safe for treatment of primary HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1759-1767
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• 2016

Background: Uterine sarcoma is a group of rare gynecologic tumors with various natures, and different lines of treatment. Most have a poor treatment outcome. This study targeted clinical characteristics, treatment, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and prognostic factors in uterine sarcoma patients in one tertiary center for cancer care. Materials and Methods: Uterine sarcoma patients who were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital between January 1994 and December 2014 were identified. Clinico-pathological data were analyzed. Prognostic outcomes were examined by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. Results: We identified 46 uterine sarcoma patients: 25 carcinosarcoma (CS) (54.3%), 15 leiomyosarcoma (LMS) (32.6%), and 6 undifferentiated uterine sarcoma (UUS) (13.1%) cases. Mean age was $54.0{\pm}11.9years$ (range 25-82 years). Abnormal uterine bleeding was the most common presenting symptom (63.0%). Among 33 patients (71.7%) who had pre-operative tissue collected, diagnosis of malignancy was correct in 29 (87.9%). All patients received primary surgery and retroperitoneal lymph nodes were resected in 34 (73.9%). After surgery, 5 (10.9%) had gross residual tumors. Stage I disease was most commonly found (56.5%). Adjuvant treatment was given to 27 (58.7%), most commonly chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 16.0 months (range 0.8-187.4 months), recurrence was encountered in 22 patients (47.8%). Median time to recurrence was 5.8 months (range1.0-105.5 months). Distant metastasis was more common than local or locoregional failure. The 2-year PFS was 45.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.6%-59.7%) and the 2-year OS was 48.3% (95% CI, 33.3%-60.7%). Multivariable analyses found residual disease after surgery as a significant factor only for PFS. Conclusions: Uterine sarcoma is a rare tumor entity. Even with multimodalities of treatment, the prognosis is still poor. Successful cytoreductive surgery is a key factor for a good survival outcome.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.876-882
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• 2001

Objectives : Meningeal hemangiopericytoma is a rare tumor. Clinical and radiological features are similar to those of an ordinary meningioma. But its biological behavior is quite different from those of a meningioma as it brings profuse bleeding in the operation field, frequent recurrence and metastasis to other systemic organs even in the case of gross total resection. In order to find out the prognostic factors and to compare longterm outcome after various treatment modalities, the authors reviewed consecutive 20 operated cases of meningeal hemangiopericytoma to characterize their clinical features, surgical outcomes and effectiveness of the radiation therapy. Methods : Twenty patients with a hemangiopericytoma were treated between 1982 and 1999 in our department. They are composed of 13 patients of hemangiopericytoma and 7 patients who were initially diagnosed as angioblastic type meningioma and then confirmed as a hemangiopericytoma after review of their previous histopathology slides. The mean follow-up period was 99 months(1-256 months). The long-term outcomes after various treatment modalities were evaluated according to recurrence-free survival and image follow-up. Recurrence-free survival curves are compared between the patient groups according to the extent of removal and radiation therapy. Results : There were 10 cases of recurrence and 4 cases of distant metastases ; lung, liver and femur(2 cases) respectively. The 5-year recurrence rate was 37%, while the 10-year recurrence rose to 77%. There was also statistically significant difference of median recurrence-free survival between the completely-resected group(Simpson grade 1 or 2) and partially-resected group(Simpson grade 3 or 4 or 5) ; 137 months compared to 47 months, respectively(p=0.009). The median recurrence-free period after subtotal resection of tumor and postoperative radiotherapy was 47 months compared to 117 months of the patients who underwent gross total resection of tumor and did not receive radiotherapy. But radiation therapy alone did not show significant difference in recurrence-free survival. Marked tumor volume reduction and easy removal of tumors without bleeding were found in 2 recurred cases. Conclusion : The extent of tumor resection and presence of metastasis are the most important factors related to long-term outcome of the patients with hemangiopericytoma. Radiation therapy after the first operation did not have a role in extending the recurrence-free survival, but it affected favorably to decrease the size of residual mass and intraoperative bleeding during the second operation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2024

In this study, we aimed to identify the factors influencing post-fire mortality in Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) using Cox's proportional hazards model and analyze the impact of these factors. We monitored the mortality rate of fire-damaged pine trees for seven years after a forest fire. Our survival analysis revealed that the risk of mortality increased with higher values of the delta normalized difference vegetation index (dNDVI), delat normalized burn ratio (dNBR), bark scorch index (BSI), bark scorch height (BSH) and slope. Conversely, the risk of mortality decreased with higher elevation, greater diameter at breast height (DBH), and higher value of delta moisture stress index (dMSI) (p < 0.01). Verification of the proportional hazards assumption for each variable showed that all factors, except slope aspect, were suitable for the model and significantly influenced fire occurrence. Among the variables, BSI caused the greatest change in the survival curves (p < 0.0001). The environmental change factors determined through remote sensing also significantly influenced the survival rates (p < 0.0001). These results will be useful in establishing restoration plans considering the potential mortality risk of Korean red pine after a forest fire.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.190-203
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• 2023

Objective: We aimed to assess and validate the radiologic and clinical factors that were associated with recurrence and survival after curative surgery for heterogeneous targetoid primary liver malignancies in patients with chronic liver disease and to develop scoring systems for risk stratification. Materials and Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 197 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease who had a single targetoid primary liver malignancy (142 hepatocellular carcinomas, 37 cholangiocarcinomas, 17 combined hepatocellular carcinoma-cholangiocarcinomas, and one neuroendocrine carcinoma) identified on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and subsequently surgically removed between 2010 and 2017. Of these, 120 patients constituted the development cohort, and 77 patients from separate institution served as an external validation cohort. Factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified using a Cox proportional hazards analysis, and risk scores were developed. The discriminatory power of the risk scores in the external validation cohort was evaluated using the Harrell C-index. The Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate RFS and OS for the different risk-score groups. Results: In RFS model 1, which eliminated features exclusively accessible on the hepatobiliary phase (HBP), tumor size of 2-5 cm or > 5 cm, and thin-rim arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) were included. In RFS model 2, tumors with a size of > 5 cm, tumor in vein (TIV), and HBP hypointense nodules without APHE were included. The OS model included a tumor size of > 5 cm, thin-rim APHE, TIV, and tumor vascular involvement other than TIV. The risk scores of the models showed good discriminatory performance in the external validation set (C-index, 0.62-0.76). The scoring system categorized the patients into three risk groups: favorable, intermediate, and poor, each with a distinct survival outcome (all log-rank p < 0.05). Conclusion: Risk scores based on rim arterial enhancement pattern, tumor size, HBP findings, and radiologic vascular invasion status may help predict postoperative RFS and OS in patients with targetoid primary liver malignancies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7569-7576
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• 2013

Background: The purpose of this article is to present preliminary results of simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Fifty-eight patients who underwent simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy for NPC in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University between September 2004 and December 2009 were eligible. Acute and late toxicities were scored weekly according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) acute and late radiation morbidity scoring schemes. An especial focus was on evidence of post-radiation brain injury. Also quality of life was analysed according to the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) recommendations. Discrete variables were compared by ${\chi}^2$ test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rates and generate survival curves. Results: A total of 58 patients with a mean follow-up time of 36 months completed clinical trials.Fifty-seven patients (98.3) achieved complete remission in the primary sites and cervical lymph nodes, with only one patient (1.7%) showing partial remission.The most frequently observed acute toxicities during the concurrent chemoradiotherapy were mucositis and leucopenia. Four patients (6.9%) had RTOG grade 3 mucositis, whereas four patients (6.9%) had grade 3 leucopenia. No patient had grade 4 acute toxicity. Three (5.17%) of the patients exhibited injury to the brain on routine MRI examination, with a median observation of 32 months (range, 25-42months). All of them were RTOG grade 0. The 3-year overall, regional-free and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 85%, 94% and 91%, respectively. Conclusion: Simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy is feasible in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The results showed excellent local control and overall survival, with no significant increase the incidence of radiation brain injury or the extent of damage. A larger population of patients and a longer follow-up period are needed to evaluate ultimate tumor control and late toxicity.