Practical outcome of adjuvant FOLFOX4 chemotherapy in elderly patients with stage III colon cancer: single-center study in Korea.

Objective: Elderly patients derive similar benefits from 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in Stage III colon cancer; however, conflicting data exist regarding additional benefit from oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) chemotherapy.

Methods: Single-center, retrospective analysis was performed to compare the safety and efficacy of adjuvant oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin-4 chemotherapy in older patients (age ≥65 years) with younger patients with Stage III colon cancer after surgical resection.

Results: Among 391 patients with Stage III colon cancer, 229 patients received adjuvant oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy (87 (43.

Lamivudine prophylaxis for hepatitis B virus carrier patients with breast cancer during adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of lamivudine prophylaxis on hepatic complications in HBsAg-positive patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy and to describe the temporal trend in HBV surveillance and prophylaxis during the last decade.

Methods: Patients with stage I-III curatively resected invasive breast cancer who received adjuvant and/or neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2000 and 2009 were eligible for this study. Patients with positive HBsAg and normal liver function were enrolled.

Safety, compliance, and predictive parameters for dosage modification in adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

This study was performed to investigate the compliance, safety, dosage modifications (dose reduction and/or schedule change [including permanent S-1 withdrawal]), and clinical parameters that predict S-1 dosage modification in gastric cancer patients receiving adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy. One hundred and forty-nine patients who underwent curative D2 surgery and received adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy were enrolled. S-1 was administered orally (40 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-28 every 6 weeks) for 1 year.

S-1 plus oxaliplatin versus capecitabine plus oxaliplatin for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a randomised, non-inferiority phase 3 trial.

Background: Capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CapeOX) is one of the reference doublet cytotoxic chemotherapy treatments for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of CapeOX with that of S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX), a promising alternative treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Methods: In this open-label, multicentre, randomised phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients (1:1) from 11 institutions in South Korea to receive either CapeOX (capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1) or SOX (S-1 40 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1).

Anemia and activities of daily living in the Korean urban elderly population: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA).

This study was planned to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of anemia and its impact on health-related quality of life and activities of daily living (ADL) in elderly Koreans. Of the 1,118 randomly sampled elderly Koreans aged 65 years or older living in Seongnam, Korea, on Aug. 1, 2005, we estimated the prevalence of anemia from 695 responders.

Different metastatic pattern according to the KRAS mutational status and site-specific discordance of KRAS status in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: We evaluated the association between a KRAS mutational status and various clinicopathologic features including the metastatic pattern in patients with metastatic or recurrent colorectal cancer (MRCRC). The concordance rates of the KRAS status between primary tumor sites and paired metastatic organs were also analyzed.

Methods: The KRAS mutational status in codons 12, 13, and 61 from formalin-fixed sections of both primary tumors and related metastases was determined by sequencing analysis.

Hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin: clinical features and risk factors in Koreans.

Background And Aim: Oxaliplatin hypersensitivity is a well-known adverse reaction but the prevalence varies and data for frequency and clinical features have not been reported for Korea. Here we evaluates the prevalence and risk factors for hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin after chemotherapy.

Methods: Clinical information on all patients treated with oxaliplatin was retrospectively reviewed in electronic medical records between August 2009 and July 2010 in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Multicenter phase II study of second-line bevacizumab plus doublet combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer progressed after upfront bevacizumab plus doublet combination chemotherapy.

Background: To investigate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab beyond first progression combined with doublet chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Methods: This multicenter phase II study included 76 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer progressed after first-line bevacizumab plus doublet chemotherapy. Study treatment consisted of second-line continuation of bevacizumab plus crossover standard doublet chemotherapy, consisting of FOLFOX, CapeOX, or FOLFIRI.

Neck control after definitive radiochemotherapy without planned neck dissection in node-positive head and neck cancers.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate neck control outcomes after definitive radiochemotherapy without planned neck dissection in node-positive head and neck cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of fifty patients with node-positive head and neck cancer who received definitive radiochemotherapy. Twelve patients subsequently underwent neck dissection for suspicious recurrent or persistent disease.

Adjuvant capecitabine and oxaliplatin for gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy (CLASSIC): a phase 3 open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: D2 gastrectomy is recommended in US and European guidelines, and is preferred in east Asia, for patients with resectable gastric cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy improves patient outcomes after surgery, but the benefits after a D2 resection have not been extensively investigated in large-scale trials. We investigated the effect on disease-free survival of adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine plus oxaliplatin after D2 gastrectomy compared with D2 gastrectomy only in patients with stage II-IIIB gastric cancer.

Clinical outcomes of leptomeningeal metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the modern chemotherapy era.

Background: We analyzed the patterns of treatment and clinical outcomes of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the modern chemotherapy era.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of NSCLC patients who were diagnosed with LM between 2003 and 2009 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Results: Of the 50 patients with cytologically proven LM, 25 were male (50%), 14 (28%) had an ECOG performance status (PS) ≥ 3, and the median age was 62.

Different characteristics and prognostic impact of deep-vein thrombosis / pulmonary embolism and intraabdominal venous thrombosis in colorectal cancer patients.

This study was performed to determine the incidence, risk factors, and prognostic implications of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Asian patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Differences in clinical characteristics and prognostic impact between extremity venous thrombosis (or deep-vein thrombosis; DVT)/pulmonary embolism (PE) and intra-abdominal venous thrombosis (IVT) were also evaluated. For this study, consecutive CRC patients (N = 2,006) were enrolled and analyses were conducted retrospectively.

Metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma presenting simultaneously with Cushing's and Conn's syndromes: a case report.

We report the first case of adrenocortical carcinoma secreting cortisol (Cushing's syndrome) and aldosterone (Conn's syndrome) with extensive distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. A 72-year-old male with exertional dyspnea sought evaluation at our institution. The pattern of tumor spread (lung, pleura, bone and adrenal gland) and respiratory symptoms secondary to the tumor led clinicians to diagnose the primary tumor site as lung cancer and the adrenal mass as a metastatic site.

Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in an elderly urban Korean population.

Research on the epidemiology of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is limited in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of MGUS in an elderly urban Korean population. A random sample of 1118 Korean elders was selected from residents aged 65 years or older living in Seongnam, Korea 1 year from August 2005.

Efficacy and safety of hepatic arterial infusion of fluorouracil with leucovorin as salvage treatment for refractory liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

Background/aims: Limited options remain for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) after failure of standard systemic chemotherapy. Readministration of chemotherapeutic agents by hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) has the rationale of providing higher concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents to hepatic metastases. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HAI of fluorouracil with leucovorin (HAI 5-FU/LV) for patients with liver metastases from CRC.

A phase II trial of erlotinib in combination with gemcitabine and capecitabine in previously untreated metastatic/recurrent pancreatic cancer: combined analysis with translational research.

Background: To confirm the efficacy and toxicity of Erlotinib in combination with Gemcitabine and Capecitabine when used as a first-line therapy in metastatic/recurrent pancreatic cancer (PC).

Methods: Locally advanced PC was excluded. Erlotinib was given at a dose of 100 mg daily from D1 to D28.

Survival benefit of gastrectomy ± metastasectomy in patients with metastatic gastric cancer receiving chemotherapy.

Background: This study was performed to investigate the role of surgery in patients with gastric cancer and distant metastases who had received systemic chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer and synchronous distant metastases who had received chemotherapy (n = 274) were categorized into 3 groups according to the surgical treatment rendered: complete gross resection of both primary and metastatic sites (group A; n = 42); debulking gastrectomy (group B; n = 47); and chemotherapy without debulking (group C; n = 185).

Results: The median overall survival of all patients was 11.

Cisplatin-Based Combination Chemotherapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Single Center Experience before the Sorafenib Era.

Purpose: Systemic chemotherapy is the only option for patients with unresectable/metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not candidates for local/regional treatment. However, the response to such treatment and survival are poor, especially in hepatitis B virus (HBV) endemic areas. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy and identify a subgroup of advanced HCC patients with favorable responses.

The role of carcinoembryonic antigen after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of CEA after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

Methods: This study involved 109 patients with rectal cancer who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy and curative resection. Preoperative serum CEA levels were measured twice, before chemoradiotherapy administration and 4 weeks after chemoradiotherapy.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma initially presented with abdominal cutaneous mass and hyperthyroidism.

A 63-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with a tender abdominal wall mass about 15 cm in diameter, which she had for 1 month. About 1 week earlier, the patient had also perceived a mass in the neck area. Computed tomography revealed huge thyroid and periumbilical masses.

Triple negativity and young age as prognostic factors in lymph node-negative invasive ductal carcinoma of 1 cm or less.

Background: Whether a systemic adjuvant treatment is needed is an area of controversy in patients with node-negative early breast cancer with tumor size of ≤1 cm, including T1mic.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical and pathology data of all consecutive patients with node-negative T1mic, T1a, and T1b invasive ductal carcinoma who received surgery between Jan 2000 and Dec 2006. The recurrence free survival (RFS) and risk factors for recurrence were identified.

Two consecutive cases of platinum-refractory pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma that showed dramatic responses to MAID (mesna, doxorubicin, ifosfamide and dacarbazine) chemotherapy.

When oncologists encounter patients with pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma, most cases have recurrent disease after surgery or metastatic disease. Previous studies have suggested that patients with pleomorphic carcinoma have extremely poor responses to chemotherapy regimens commonly used for non-small cell lung cancer and have a dismal prognosis. This report describes two consecutive patients with platinum-refractory pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma who received doxorubicin, ifosfamide plus dacarbazine chemotherapy.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment in Korean elderly cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Background: Growing evidence suggests that a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in older patients with cancer can detect unsuspected health problems, predict survival, and predict tolerance to chemotherapy. However, studies regarding CGA in cancer patients are scarce in Asia.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 elderly cancer patients who were candidates of systemic chemotherapy between July 2006 and March 2008.

Biomarker analysis in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with S-1 plus cisplatin chemotherapy: orotate phosphoribosyltransferase expression is associated with treatment outcomes.

This study was performed to analyze the impact of protein expression related to fluoropyrimidine and cisplatin metabolism (thymidylate synthase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, thymidine phosphorylase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase [OPRT], excision repair cross-complementation 1, Fanconi anemia complementation group D2, glutathione S-transferase P1, and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1) on treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic or relapsed gastric cancer (MRGC) receiving S-1/cisplatin chemotherapy. Protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Of the 43 patients who had received S-1 (80 mg/m2/day; days 1-14) and cisplatin (60 mg/m2; day 1) every 3 weeks and had available tissue blocks, IHC was successfully performed in 41 patients.

Individualized tumor response testing for prediction of response to Paclitaxel and Cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

The purpose of our study was to determine the most accurate analytic method to define in vitro chemosensitivity, using clinical response as reference standard in prospective clinical trial, and to assess accuracy of adenosine triphosphate-based chemotherapy response assay (ATP-CRA). Forty-eight patients with chemo-naïve, histologically confirmed, locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer were enrolled for the study and were treated with combination chemotherapy of paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) for maximum of six cycles after obtaining specimen for ATP-CRA. We performed the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis using patient responses by WHO criteria and ATP-CRA results to define the method with the highest accuracy.