Efficacy of ferric carboxymaltose or darbepoetin alfa for chemotherapy-induced anemia in patients with esophagogastric or pancreaticobiliary cancer: a retrospective comparative study.

Background: Esophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancers are associated with chronic blood loss, poor nutrition, and surgical interventions that interfere with iron absorption. Patients with these cancers often have a higher incidence of chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) than patients with other malignancies.

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of intravenous iron or erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESA) for CIA treatment in patients with esophagogastric or pancreaticobiliary cancer.

Real-world outcomes of third-line immune checkpoint inhibitors versus irinotecan-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: a Korean, multicenter study (KCSG ST22-06).

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or irinotecan-based chemotherapy is frequently used after failure of second-line paclitaxel plus ramucirumab treatment for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This study aimed to compare the efficacy between ICI and irinotecan-based chemotherapy as third-line treatment in patients with AGC.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with AGC, whose third-line treatment started between July 2019 and June 2021 at 17 institutions in Korea.

Liquid Biopsy: An Emerging Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Predictive Tool in Gastric Cancer.

Liquid biopsy, a minimally invasive procedure that causes minimal pain and complication risks to patients, has been extensively studied for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, it facilitates comprehensive quantification and serial assessment of the whole-body tumor burden. Several biosources obtained through liquid biopsy have been studied as important biomarkers for establishing early diagnosis, monitoring minimal residual disease, and predicting the prognosis and response to treatment in patients with cancer.

MicroRNA 29a therapy for CEACAM6-expressing lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in tumor progression and hold great promise as therapeutic agents for multiple cancers. MicroRNA 29a (miR-29a) is a tumor suppressor miRNA that inhibits cancer cell growth and tumor progression in non-small cell lung cancer. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6), which plays an important role in lung cancer progression, has been identified as a target of miR-29a.

CREB-Regulated Transcriptional Coactivator 2 Proteome Landscape is Modulated by SREBF1.

cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) regulated transcriptional coactivator 2 (CRTC2) is a critical transcription factor that maintains glucose homeostasis by activating CREB. Energy homeostasis is maintained through multiple pathways; therefore, CRTC2 may interact with other transcription factors, particularly under metabolic stress. CRTC2 liver-specific KO mice were created, and the global proteome, phosphoproteome, and acetylome from liver tissue under high-fat diet conditions were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analysis.

Impaired BCAA catabolism in adipose tissues promotes age-associated metabolic derangement.

Adipose tissues are central in controlling metabolic homeostasis and failure in their preservation is associated with age-related metabolic disorders. The exact role of mature adipocytes in this phenomenon remains elusive. Here we describe the role of adipose branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism in this process.

A Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial to Compare Efficacy and Safety between Combination Therapy and Monotherapy in Elderly Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer (KCSG ST13-10).

Purpose: This study evaluated whether combination therapy is more effective than monotherapy in elderly patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer (MRGC) as first-line chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Elderly (≥ 70 years) chemo-naïve patients with MRGC were allocated to receive either combination therapy (group A: 5-fluorouracil [5-FU]/oxaliplatin, capecitabine/oxaliplatin, capecitabine/cisplatin, or S-1/cisplatin) or monotherapy (group B: 5-FU, capecitabine, or S-1). In group A, starting doses were 80% of standard doses, and they could be escalated to 100% at the discretion of the investigator.

Erratum: Korean Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer 2022: An Evidence-based, Multidisciplinary Approach.

This corrects the article on p. 3 in vol. 23, PMID: 36750993.

Involvement of a novel cAMP signaling mediator for beige adipogenesis.

Background: Exposure to cold temperature stimulates the sympathetic nervous system that activates β-adrenergic receptor signals in brown and beige adipocytes, leading to the induction of adaptive thermogenesis in mammals. Prominin-1 (PROM1) is a pentaspan transmembrane protein that is widely identified as a marker for stem cells, although the role of this protein as a regulator of many intracellular signaling cascades has been recently delineated. The main focus of the current study is to identify the previously unknown role of PROM1 in beige adipogenesis and adaptive thermogenesis.

Korean Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer 2022: An Evidence-based, Multidisciplinary Approach.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology.

Pembrolizumab-induced psoriatic arthritis treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in a patient with gastric cancer: A case report.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced rheumatic immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been infrequently reported, and the treatment of severe or refractory arthritis as irAEs has not been established yet.

Case Summary: The patient was a 67-year-old man with a history of well-controlled foot psoriasis who presented with polyarthralgia. He had received pembrolizumab for metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma 2 mo previously.

Clinical significance of the number of retrieved lymph nodes in early gastric cancer with submucosal invasion.

The prognosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) with submucosal invasion is favorable; however, several cases of recurrence have been reported even after curative gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate risk factors and evaluate the clinical significance of the number of retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) in EGC with submucosal invasion. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 443 patients with gastric cancer with submucosal invasion after curative gastrectomy for recurrent risk factors.

U-shaped association between body mass index and health-related quality of life impairment in Korean cancer survivors: a nationwide representative cross-sectional survey.

Purpose: Although obesity is an important risk factor for cancer incidence, the effect of body mass index (BMI) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after cancer treatment remains unknown. This population-based cross-sectional study assessed different levels of BMI as an important factor associated with impaired HRQoL in long-term cancer survivors.

Methods: The study enrolled 1104 cancer survivors from the fourth to seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES 2007-2018) who were alive at least 5 years after their cancer diagnoses.

Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as a second-line treatment in HER2-positive gastric cancer: subgroup analysis of a nationwide, real-world study in Korea (KCSG-ST19-16).

Background: A subgroup analysis of data from a nationwide study (KCSG-ST19-16) was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of second-line ramucirumab plus paclitaxel treatment in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced gastric or gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

Methods: The KCSG-ST19-16 study enrolled a total of 1063 patients from 56 hospitals in South Korea with advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma, who had received second-line treatment with ramucirumab plus paclitaxel. HER2 status was known for 994 (93.

A novel role of CRTC2 in promoting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Objective: Diet-induced obesity is often associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which instigates severe metabolic disorders, including cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and type 2 diabetes. We have shown that hepatic depletion of CREB regulated transcription co-activator (CRTC) 2 protects mice from the progression of diet-induced fatty liver phenotype, although the exact mechanism by which CRTC2 modulates this process is elusive to date. Here, we investigated the role of hepatic CRTC2 in the instigation of NAFLD in mammals.

Histologic Changes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer under Various Treatments: A Comparison of Histology and Mutation Status in Serial Samples.

Purpose: Histologic change is a resistant mechanism in lung cancer. The most common histological change is the switch from adenocarcinoma (AdenoCa) to small cell carcinoma (SCC) against to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). However, it is not clear whether other treatment modalities are involved in the histologic changes.

Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a nationwide real-world outcomes in Korea study (KCSG-ST19-16).

Background: Ramucirumab as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel is a second-line treatment option recommended for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. However, real-world data from large study cohorts focused on ramucirumab plus paclitaxel in gastric cancer are limited.

Methods: The study population comprised all patients with gastric or GEJ cancer who received ramucirumab plus paclitaxel in South Korea between 1 May 2018 and 31 December 2018.