Publications by authors named "Joon Oh Park"
Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective in a subset of patients with metastatic solid tumors. However, the patients who would benefit most from ICIs in biliary tract cancer (BTC) are still controversial.
Materials And Methods: We molecularly characterized tissues and blood from 32 patients with metastatic BTC treated with the ICI pembrolizumab as second-line therapy.
Background: Patients with borderline resectable (BR) or locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) require complex management strategies. This study evaluated the prognostic significance of the perichemotherapy skeletal muscle index (SMI) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in patients with BRPC or LAPC treated with FOLFIRINOX.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 227 patients with BR or LAPC who received at least four cycles of chemotherapy between 2015 and 2020.
Background & Aims: Hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of gallbladder cancer (GBC), potentially by inhibiting gallbladder motility and inducing prolonged cholestasis. Although intermediate hyperglycemia (or prediabetes) is highly reversible, evidence is lacking about whether prediabetes persistence or remission is associated with an altered GBC risk.
Methods: This nationwide cohort study included 6058,662 adults without diabetes or cancer who underwent national health examinations twice in 2-year intervals between 2009 (S1) and 2011 (S2) and were followed-up until 2018.
Article Synopsis
- Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) have an immune system that doesn't respond well to standard PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, but adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy may enhance immune responses.
- A phase II study involving 162 patients evaluated the effects of adding bevacizumab to atezolizumab and standard chemotherapy (cisplatin and gemcitabine), focusing on progression-free survival (PFS) as the main outcome.
- Results showed that the PFS was slightly better for patients receiving bevacizumab (8.3 months) compared to placebo (7.9 months), but overall survival (OS) was similar in both groups, indicating a modest benefit in PFS without an impact on OS. *
Article Synopsis
- FGFR genomic alterations are found in 5-10% of human cancers, and erdafitinib has shown promise in treating various advanced solid tumors but its effectiveness in Asian patients was unclear.
- A phase IIa study was conducted to assess the efficacy of erdafitinib in Asian patients with FGFR-altered advanced cholangiocarcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and esophageal cancer by evaluating various response rates and survival metrics.
- Results indicated a 40.9% objective response rate in cholangiocarcinoma patients, while NSCLC did not show any objective responses; however, all patients experienced adverse effects, highlighting the need for further safety assessment.
Article Synopsis
- KRAS is a key proto-oncogene with mutations and amplifications linked to various cancers, yet KRAS amplification remains poorly understood and lacks targeted treatments beyond traditional chemotherapy.
- In a study involving 3895 cancer patients, KRAS amplification was found in 99 individuals (2.5%), with the highest rates in colorectal (2%), gastric (3.48%), and pancreatic (3.88%) cancers, but there was no relationship between KRAS amplification and tumor mutation burden (TMB).
- The research revealed that a significant portion of patients with KRAS amplification also had KRAS mutations, particularly in colorectal cancer, where over half of the affected patients had both amplification and mutations, indicating a complex interaction with other tumor suppress
Purpose: For the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), research on primary lesions with mesorectal fascia (MRF) involvement is lacking. This study analyzed the clinical outcomes and efficacy of dose-escalated neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) to patients with LARC involving MRF.
Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 301 patients who were diagnosed with LARC involving MRF and underwent NCRT followed by total mesorectal excision (TME).
Background And Aims: We compared the safety and efficacy of bintrafusp alfa (BA) in combination with gemcitabine+cisplatin (GemCis), to those of GemCis alone, in patients with biliary tract cancer.
Approach And Results: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive design phase 2/3 trial (NCT04066491) included adults who are treatment-naive with locally advanced/metastatic biliary tract cancer. Patients (N = 297) were randomized to receive an IV infusion of BA (2400 mg once/3 wk) plus GemCis (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 +cisplatin 25 mg/m 2 on days 1 and 8/3 wk; 8 cycles) (BA group, n = 148) or placebo+GemCis (placebo group, n = 149).
Background: In the preplanned interim analysis of the TOPAZ-1 study, durvalumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin significantly improved overall survival versus placebo plus gemcitabine-cisplatin in participants with advanced biliary tract cancer. We aimed to report updated overall survival and safety data from TOPAZ-1 with additional follow-up and data maturity beyond the interim analysis.
Methods: TOPAZ-1 was a phase 3, randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled, global study done at 105 sites in 17 countries.
Article Synopsis
- - Trastuzumab deruxtecan is a newly approved cancer treatment specifically for HER2-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer, and this study explored its effectiveness in treating other metastatic solid tumors with similar HER2 mutations.
- - Conducted as an open-label, phase 2 study across 29 centers in multiple regions, it involved 102 patients aged 18 and older who had previously received treatment for their cancer and continued to experience disease progression.
- - Results showed that the treatment led to a 29.4% objective response rate, indicating some level of effectiveness, and a median follow-up of nearly 9 months revealed information about its safety and anti-tumor activity.
This study aimed to investigate the diverse clinical manifestations and simple early biomarkers predicting mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). A total of 710 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled from 6,896 patients presenting to the ED between January 2022 and March 2022. During the study period, a total of 478 patients tested positive for COVID-19, among whom 222 (46.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To evaluate the efficacy and optimal timing of local treatment in patients with borderline resectable (BR) or locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) treated with upfront FOLFIRINOX.
Method: Between 2015 and 2020, 258 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were analysed. Treatment outcomes were compared between systemic treatment group (ST) and multimodality treatment groups (MT) using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test.
Article Synopsis
- * Out of 3,895 patients tested, 77 (2.0%) showed RAF1 aberrations, with the majority being single-nucleotide mutations, followed by amplifications and fusions, with bladder cancer being the most common tumor type.
- * The research highlights that patients with RAF1 aberrations had a higher occurrence of microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) tumors compared to those with wild-type cancers, suggesting a potential link between RAF1 alterations and specific tumor characteristics.
Article Synopsis
- Gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases and malignant ascites has a poor prognosis, partly due to the role of exosomes in promoting cancer progression and therapy resistance.
- Exosomes from malignant ascites in gastric cancer patients were found to enhance tumor invasiveness and blood vessel formation in experimental models.
- Modifying exosomes and targeting their contents could offer a promising approach to improve treatment outcomes in gastric cancer. *
Article Synopsis
- Individuals with diabetes and prediabetes have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, particularly if they are current smokers, as found in a study involving over 9.5 million adults in South Korea.
- The study tracked the pancreatic cancer diagnoses over nearly a decade and revealed that current smokers had significantly increased risk levels, while those who quit smoking matched the risk of never-smokers.
- Importantly, individuals with less than 20 pack-years of smoking history experienced similar cancer risk as non-smokers after quitting, highlighting the benefits of smoking cessation for reducing pancreatic cancer risk.
Background/aim: No standard treatment is currently recommended for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) after first-line therapy with gemcitabine plus cisplatin. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a pemetrexed and erlotinib combination in patients with BTC previously treated with gemcitabine.
Patients And Methods: This phase II, open-label, single-arm study enrolled patients with BTC who had previously failed gemcitabine-based first-line chemotherapy.
Purpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein expression or gene amplification is a significant predictive biomarker for identifying patients with cancer, who may benefit from -targeted therapy. The aim of this study was to survey the proportion of patients who had aberration and to investigate the correlation between amplification and HER2 overexpression in immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a real-world data.
Methods: We surveyed the incidence of aberration including mutation (single-nucleotide variant [SNV]), amplification (copy-number variation), and fusion by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 2,119 patients with cancer from Samsung Medical Center in South Korea.
Background: With a 15% incidence, KRAS is one of the most common mutations in biliary tract cancer (BTC) and is a poor prognostic factor. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as salvage therapy have modest activity in BTC.
Objectives: There are limited data on the efficacy of ICIs according to KRAS mutation in BTC.
Article Synopsis
- Biliary tract cancers are on the rise globally and have a poor prognosis, with standard treatment involving chemotherapy using gemcitabine and cisplatin; however, adding immune checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab could potentially improve outcomes.
- The KEYNOTE-966 study was a phase 3 clinical trial that randomly assigned patients with advanced biliary tract cancer to receive either pembrolizumab or a placebo along with gemcitabine and cisplatin at over 175 medical centers.
- The trial's primary focus was to assess overall survival, while the safety of the treatment regimens was evaluated, with a total of 1564 patients screened between October 2019 and June 2021.
Purpose: Although the incidence of young-onset digestive tract cancers is increasing worldwide, their risk factors remain largely unknown. We investigated the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and young-onset digestive tract cancers.
Patients And Methods: This nationwide cohort study included 5,265,590 individuals age 20-39 years who underwent national health screening under the Korean National Health Insurance Service between 2009 and 2012.
Combination treatment of T1-44, a PRMT5 inhibitor with Vactosertib, an inhibitor of TGF-β signaling, inhibits invasion and prolongs survival in a mouse model of pancreatic tumors.
Cell Death Dis
February 2023
Article Synopsis
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal cancer with a low 5-year survival rate, largely due to its heterogeneity and rapid spread.
- Recent studies indicate that the overexpression of Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in PDAC is linked to poorer patient prognosis, making it a target for anti-cancer therapy.
- The combination of the PRMT5 inhibitor T1-44 and the TGF-β1 signaling inhibitor Vactosertib has shown enhanced effectiveness by reducing tumor size and improving survival rates, while disrupting pathways related to cancer progression, particularly through the activation of the tumor suppressor Btg2.
Pancreaticobiliary tract cancer has a poor prognosis with unmet needs in a new target treatment. Some studies have reported that an enhancement of T-cell immunity is associated with a good prognosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the immunoprofile as a prognostic marker of pancreaticobiliary tract cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This randomized, open-label trial compared the efficacy and safety of adjuvant -paclitaxel + gemcitabine with those of gemcitabine for resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01964430).
Methods: We assigned 866 treatment-naive patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to -paclitaxel (125 mg/m) + gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m) or gemcitabine alone to one 30-40 infusion on days 1, 8, and 15 of six 28-day cycles.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed MET gene abnormalities in 2,239 advanced cancer patients who underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) between November 2019 and January 2021, focusing on their impact on treatment outcomes.
- Among the patients, the most common cancer types were colorectal, gastric, and sarcoma, with MET aberrations found in 212 patients, which included gene amplification and fusions.
- Results indicated that patients with MET gene amplification or fusion had worse overall survival and progression-free survival compared to those without these alterations, suggesting MET aberrations play a significant role in chemotherapy response.