• 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.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.381-386
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• 2013

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy cycles on the prognosis of patients with post-operative stomach cancer through retrospective analysis. Methods: A total of 128 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of epirubicin, cisplatin or oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil, according to a defined schedule, were divided into three groups according to the number of chemotherapy cycles: Group I (<6 cycles); Group II (6 cycles); and Group III (>6 cycles). Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 20.8% in Group I, 45.0% in Group II, and 42.9% in Group III, with a median follow-up of 43 months. The 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was 15.1% in Group I, 40% in Group II, and 40% in Group III. The OS and RFS in Groups II and III were significantly better than in Group I (OS, p = 0.002 and p=0.003; RFS, P<0.001 and P=0.002). There was no difference in OS (p = 0.970) or in RFS (p = 0.722) between Groups II and III. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis determined that the number of adjuvant chemotherapy cycles was an independent factor that influenced OS and RFS. Conclusion: Six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy gave encouraging outcomes in patients with resectable gastric cancer. Further prospective randomized controlled investigations are warranted in a multi-center setting.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.180-185
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• 2004

Recently, we experienced two advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients younger than 17 years of age. The first case was a 15-year, 2-month-old male who had suffered from epigastric soreness for 5 weeks. His grandfather died of gastric cancer at 39 years of age. Under the diagnosis of AGC, he underwent a total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. There was no evidence of distant metastasis. Pathologic examination revealed a 4.5$\times$4 cm, signet ring cell adenocarcinoma with subserosal invasion and with metastasis in 9 of 42 regional lymph nodes (T2bN2M0). The second case was a 17-year, 11-month-old male who had suffered from epigastric pain for 2 years without familial clustering. Under the diagnosis of AGC, he underwent a distal subtotal gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. There was no evidence of distant metastasis. Pathologic examination revealed a 3$\times$2 cm, signet ring cell adenocarcinoma with subserosal invasion and with metastasis in 9 of 45 regional lymph nodes (T2bN2M0). The two patients have been alive without recurrence for 27 months and 4 months, respectively. Even among teenagers, patients with abdominal complaints should be subjected to a thorough examination of the gastrointestinal tract.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2002

Purpose: Chylous ascites is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid within the peritoneal cavity due to trauma or to an obstruction on the lymphatic system. Postoperative chylous ascites is a rare complication of abdominal surgery. It is frequently reported after retroperitoneal dissections and results in high morbidity and mortality. However, there have been few report of such a complication following a radical gastrectomy. Therefore, we review the clinical analysis and treatment of chylous ascites based on our experience. Materials and Methods: From July 1992 to June 2001, we treated 13 cases of chylous ascites after operations for gastric cancer. We reviewed medical charts of those patients retrospectively. Results: The incidence of chylous ascites after operations for gastric cancer was $0.83\%$ (13/1552). The mean time from ingestion of a meal after the operation to the development of symptoms was 2 days (range: $1\∼6$ days). Conservative treatment by fasting, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and repeated paracentesis was successful in all patients. The mean time from diagnosis to complete resolution was 25 days (range: $2\∼105$ days). Conclusion: Chylous ascites should be considered in any patient with a typical milky color of drainage who has recently undergone radical gastrectomy. Treatment with fasting, TPN, and repeated paracentesis usually is successful.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.279-283
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• 2014

We report a case of primary gastric malignant melanoma that was diagnosed after curative resection but initially misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma. A 68-year-old woman was referred to our department for surgery for gastric adenocarcinoma presenting as a polypoid lesion with central ulceration located in the upper body of the stomach. The preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic biopsy. We performed laparoscopic total gastrectomy, and the final pathologic evaluation led to the diagnosis of primary gastric malignant melanoma without a primary lesion detected in the body. To the best of our knowledge, primary gastric malignant melanoma is extremely rare, and this is the first case reported in our country. According to the literature, it has aggressive biologic activity compared with adenocarcinoma, and curative resection is the only promising treatment strategy. In our case, the patient received an early diagnosis and underwent curative gastrectomy with radical lymphadenectomy, and no recurrence was noted for about two years.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.99-107
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• 2018

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory disorder characterized by specific pathological findings and elevated serum IgG4 level. IgG4-RD in the stomach is rare, and occasionally diagnosed as gastric subepithelial tumor (SET) by endoscopy or computed tomography scan. Two female patients in the age group of 40-50 years were diagnosed with 4 cm sized gastric SET. One underwent laparoscopic gastric wedge resection. Another one had a history of subtotal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with oral steroids administration. She underwent a completion total gastrectomy with splenectomy for the gastric SET and ITP. The pathology showed storiform fibrosis, and IgG4 was positive in immunohistochemistry (IHC) stain. IgG4-RD is known as a medical disease that could be treated with oral steroids. The difficulty in preoperative diagnosis of the disease occasionally causes unnecessary gastric resection. Thus, preoperative diagnostic methods for IgG4-RD such as deep biopsy with IHC stain or magnetic resonance imaging are needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2049-2053
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• 2016

Background: The LigaSure vessel sealing system has been proposed to save operation time and reduce intraoperative blood loss for various surgeries. However, its usage for gastric cancer is still controversial. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of LigaSure with conventional surgery in gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: Sources were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Google Scholar until February, 2015. All randomized controlled trials comparing LigaSure with conventional surgery in curative gastric cancer resection were selected. After data extraction, statistics were performed by Review Manager 5.1 software. Results: Three eligible randomized controlled trials were evaluated, with a total of 335 patients. The quality of the included trials was good, yet some methodological and clinical heterogeneity existed. There were no significant differences between the LigaSure and conventional groups in operative time (weighted mean difference [WMD], -22.95 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], [-59.75, 13.85]; P = 0.22), blood loss (WMD, -45.8 ml; 95% CI, [-134.5, 42.90]; P = 0.31), nor the incidence of surgical complications (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, [0.68, 2.05]; P = 0.54). But there was a longer duration of hospital stay in LigaSure group (WMD, 1.41 days; 95% CI, [0.14, 2.68]; P = 0.03). Conclusions: All available randomized evidence has been summarized. LigaSure does not confer significant advantage over conventional surgery for curative gastric cancer resection. The usefulness of the device may be limited in gastrectomy. But, more trials are needed for further assessment of the LigaSure system for gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10607-10611
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• 2015

Background: HER2 expression in the primary tumor and its lymph node metastases vary in gastric cancer, reflecting intratumoral heterogeneity. This finding also suggests that proliferation of a different clone in metastatic nodes is possible. In the current study, we aimed to determine the cause of discordance in HER-2 expression in the primary tumor and lymph node metastases for patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one patients with gastric cancer who had undergone radical gastrectomy and were found to have lymph node metastasis upon pathological examination were included. Histopathological samples were obtained from biopsies obtained during patient gastrectomies and lymph node dissection. HER2 status was evaluated by both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and silver in situ hybridization (SISH). Results: Sixty-four (79%) patients were SISH (-), while 17 (21%) were SISH (+) in the primary tumor. However, in metastatic lymph nodes, HER2 status was SISH positive in 5 (28.3%) of the 64 SISH (-) primary tumor specimens. One of the 17 SISH (+) primary tumors was SISH (-) in the metastatic lymph nodes. Thus, SISH results for HER2 in both primary tumors and lymph node metastases were comparable, showing a concordance of 92.5%. In total, six patients demonstrated discordance between the primary tumor and lymph node metastases. The prevalence of HER2 discordance was significantly higher for patients in the pN2 and N3 stages (p=0.007). Although discordant patients had worse survival rates than concordant patients, the differences were not significant (p>0.05).Conclusions: Our study indicates that the frequency of concordance in HER2 status, as determined by IHC or SISH, is high in primary tumors and their corresponding lymph node metastases for patients with gastric cancer. If there is a discrepancy in HER2 status, its evaluation by both IHC and SISH may be useful for detecting patients who would benefit from trastuzumab, and it would therefore help guide decision-making processes in administering treatment.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.342-353
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• 2017

Purpose: This study evaluated the changes in nutritional status based on quality of life (QoL) item-level analysis to determine whether individual QoL responses might facilitate personal clinical impact. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated QoL data obtained by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and Quality of Life Questionnaire-Stomach (QLQ-STO22) as well as metabolic-nutritional data obtained by bioelectrical impedance analysis and blood tests. Patients were assessed preoperatively and at the 5-year follow-up. QoL was analyzed at the level of the constituent items. The patients were categorized into vulnerable and non-vulnerable QoL groups for each scale based on their responses to the QoL items and changes in the metabolic-nutritional indices were compared. Results: Multiple shortcomings in the metabolic-nutritional indices were observed in the vulnerable groups for nausea/vomiting (waist-hip ratio, degree of obesity), dyspnea (hemoglobin, iron), constipation (body fat mass, percent body fat), dysphagia (body fat mass, percent body fat), reflux (body weight, hemoglobin), dry mouth (percent body fat, waist-hip ratio), and taste (body weight, total body water, soft lean mass, body fat mass). The shortcomings in a single index were observed in the vulnerable groups for emotional functioning and pain (EORTC QLQ-C30) and for eating restrictions (EORTC QLQ-STO22). Conclusions: Long-term postoperative QoL deterioration in emotional functioning, nausea/vomiting, pain, dyspnea, constipation, dysphagia, reflux, eating restrictions, dry mouth, and taste were associated with nutritional shortcomings. QoL item-level analysis, instead of scale-level analysis, may help to facilitate personalized treatment for individual QoL respondents.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.444-447
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• 2004

A 59 year-old male diagnosed as unstable angina underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery using in situ left internal mammary and right gastroepiploic artery grafts. During harvesting the right gastroepiploic artery, there was no abnormal finding in intraabdominal organs including stomach and liver. He was discharged at the 3rd postoperative day without complication. In case of using in situ right gastroepiploic artery, we recommend gastrofberscopic study at regular follow-up, The patient underwent the gastrofiberscopic study at postoperative 3rd month and diagnosed as advanced gastric cancer on the posterior wall of gastric fundus. At 5th postoperative month, total gastrectomy without intraoperative injury of the right gastroepiploic artery was performed at the department of general surgery. He was discharged at the 9th postoperative day. Follow-up coronary angiography performed at the 1st postoperative year demonstrated patent grafts including right gastroepiploic artery.