Determinants of clinical outcomes of gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a sub-analysis of the PRODIGY study.

Background: In this post hoc analysis of the PRODIGY study, we aimed to investigate factors associated with survival outcomes and provide evidence for designing optimal perioperative treatment strategies for gastric cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 212 patients in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group of the PRODIGY study were included as the study population. The prognostic impact of clinicopathologic factors, including the initial radiological clinical stage (cStage) and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy pathological stage (ypStage), was analyzed.

Early diagnosis of Gaucher disease in Korean patients with unexplained splenomegaly: a multicenter observational study.

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of glucosylceramide in multiple organs. This study was performed to determine the detection rate of GD in a selected patient population with unexplained splenomegaly in Korea.

Methods: This was a multicenter, observational study conducted at 18 sites in Korea between December 2016 and February 2020.

Dose Modification of Etoposide plus Platinum in Elderly Patients with Extensive-Disease Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Elderly patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC) have a high risk of chemotherapy toxicity due to multiple comorbidities and poor performance status. Although dose modification is often used to avoid toxicity in elderly patients with ED-SCLC, there is little data on the effect of initial dose-reduced chemotherapy on survival outcomes.

Methods And Patients: We retrospectively reviewed 100 elderly patients (≥70 years) with ED-SCLC who received first-line etoposide plus platinum chemotherapy between January 2006 and December 2020.

PRODIGY: A Phase III Study of Neoadjuvant Docetaxel, Oxaliplatin, and S-1 Plus Surgery and Adjuvant S-1 Versus Surgery and Adjuvant S-1 for Resectable Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: Adjuvant chemotherapy after D2 gastrectomy is standard for resectable locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) in Asia. Based on positive findings for perioperative chemotherapy in European phase III studies, the phase III PRODIGY study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01515748) investigated whether neoadjuvant docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 (DOS) followed by surgery and adjuvant S-1 could improve outcomes versus standard treatment in Korean patients with resectable LAGC.

The prevalence and clinical characteristics of restless legs syndrome in patients with iron deficiency anemia in Korea.

Study Objectives: While the prevalence and clinical characteristics of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are known to vary according to ethnicity, a detailed evaluation of this condition among patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) has not yet been reported in an Asian population. We investigated the prevalence and clinical characteristics of RLS in patients with IDA in Korea compared with age- and sex-matched patients diagnosed with idiopathic RLS.

Methods: This prospective single-center study was performed at a regional university hospital.

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt for CNS Metastasis in Breast Cancer: Clinical Outcomes Based on Intrinsic Subtype.

Background: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is associated with a grave prognosis in breast cancer (BC) and can be controlled with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS). Information regarding LM and VPS based on intrinsic subtype is limited; thus, we investigated the clinical outcomes of BC treated with VPS.

Patients And Methods: The present retrospective study comprised 70 patients diagnosed with LM who received a VPS.

A retrospective analysis of etiology and outcomes of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in children and adults.

Backgruound: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but severe, life-threatening inflammatory condition if untreated. We aimed to investigate the etiologies, outcomes, and risk factors for death in children and adults with HLH.

Methods: The medical records of patients who met the HLH criteria of two regional university hospitals in Korea between January 2001 and December 2019 were retrospectively investigated.

Correction to: Comparison of the effects of adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy for resected biliary tract cancer.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Comparison of the effects of adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy for resected biliary tract cancer.

Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTC) have a poor prognosis even after curative resection because of frequent local and distant recurrences. Therefore, the importance of adjuvant therapy in BTC has been advocated to improve outcomes. However, the choice of adjuvant therapy is still controversial.

The prognostic factors influencing overall survival in uterine cervical cancer with brain metastasis.

Background/aims: The occurrence of brain metastasis (BM) has increased due to improved overall survival (OS) in uterine cervical cancer. However, research about prognostic factors and therapeutic guidelines for BM in uterine cervical cancer remains scarce due to the rarity of BM in this type of cancer. The present study evaluated the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors influencing OS in patients with BM from uterine cervical cancer.

Molecular Screening of Small Biopsy Samples Using Next-Generation Sequencing in Korean Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Korean Lung Cancer Consortium (KLCC-13-01).

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of cancer with poor prognosis. As individual cancers exhibit unique mutation patterns, identifying and characterizing gene mutations in NSCLC might help predict patient outcomes and guide treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical adequacy of molecular testing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) for small biopsy samples and characterize the mutational landscape of Korean patients with advanced NSCLC.

Clinical activity of fulvestrant in metastatic breast cancer previously treated with endocrine therapy and/or chemotherapy.

Background/aims: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical activity of fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with endocrine therapy and/or chemotherapy.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients with MBC treated at Samsung Medical Center between January 2009 and August 2016. Patients received fulvestrant 250 mg intramuscularly every 28 days (from January 2009 to November 2010) or 500 mg intramuscularly every 28 days (from December 2010 to August 2016).

Comparison of RECIST to immune-related response criteria in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

Purpose: Given that immune-related response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well evaluated, we assessed tumor response using the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors, version 1.1 (RECIST v1.1) and immune-related response criteria (irRC) to identify atypical responses in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with immunotherapeutic agents.

Isolated pachymeningeal metastasis from breast cancer: Clinical features and prognostic factors.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical features and prognoses of patients with isolated pachymeningeal metastasis (IPM) from breast cancer.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treated from January 2009 to August 2016. Eligibility criteria included diagnosis of pachymeningeal metastasis based on brain magnetic resonance imaging and histologic diagnosis of primary breast cancer.

The Clinical Impact of c-MET Over-Expression in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer (BTC).

: c-MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Activation of HGF-c-MET signaling involves cell invasiveness and evokes metastasis through direct involvement of tumor angiogenesis. However, the value of c-MET overexpression is still unknown in metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC).

Clinical significance of systemic chemotherapy after curative resection of metachronous pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The use of systemic chemotherapy after resection remains controversial in patients with resectable metachronous pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). This retrospective study compared systemic chemotherapy with observation alone after resection of pulmonary metastases from CRC.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2015, 91 patients with metachronous pulmonary metastases underwent curative surgical resection at five centers.

IRF4/MUM1 expression is associated with poor survival outcomes in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4)/multiple myeloma oncogene-1 (MUM1) is a member of the interferon regulatory factor family of transcriptional factors. Although IRF4/MUM1 expression is associated with aggressiveness of B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma, the prognostic value of IRF4/MUM1 expression in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is unclear. We analyzed a tissue array from 69 patients diagnosed with PTCL.

Analgesic effect of quetiapine in a mouse model of cancer-induced bone pain.

Background/aims: Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) is one of the most common pains in patients with advanced neoplasms. Because of treatment-associated side effects, more than half of cancer patients are reported to have inadequate and undermanaged pain control. New mechanism-based therapies must be developed to reduce cancer pain.

Efficacy of BRAF Inhibitors in Asian Metastatic Melanoma Patients: Potential Implications of Genomic Sequencing in BRAF-Mutated Melanoma.

Background: The BRAF inhibitors vemurafenib and dabrafenib are currently the standard treatment for metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600 mutations. However, given the rarity of noncutaneous melanoma, including acral and mucosal subtypes, the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors for this subset of patients has not been extensively investigated. Acquired resistance generally appears 6 to 8 months after treatment with a BRAF inhibitor, and the mechanism of resistance is not well established.

Two Cases of Hypophosphatemic Osteomalacia After Long-term Low Dose Adefovir Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B and Literature Review.

Adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) is a nucleotide used as long-term therapy of chronic hepatitis B. Many published reports have shown that long-term high-dose therapy with adefovir can be associated with proximal renal tubular dysfunction resulting in significant hypophosphatemia, renal insufficiency and osteomalacia. We have encountered two patients who developed evidence of hypophosphatemic osteomalacia while on long-term low-dose adefovir therapy for chronic hepatitis B.

Metachronous double primary cancer after diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Purpose: The pattern of double primary cancers after treatment for gastric cancer is important for a patient's survival.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 214 gastric cancer patients from October 1996 to November 2007 with regard to metachronous second primary cancers.

Results: Out of 5,778 patients with gastric cancer, metachronous second primary cancers occurred in 214 patients.