Publications by authors named "Min-Wook Joo"

Postoperative imaging of musculoskeletal tumors poses a significant diagnostic challenge for radiologists. The complexity arises from the need to differentiate between expected postoperative changes, potential complications, and local recurrence. The choice of imaging modality depends on the type of primary tumor.

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Background/objectives: Since the initial approach towards the clinical presentation of soft-tissue masses is challenging for frontline physicians, some countries use clinical practice guidelines. Proper imaging work-up is crucial to differentiate between soft-tissue tumors. Recently, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been widely used.

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  • - Using SPECT/CT imaging, researchers found a strong link between maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and the grading of cartilaginous bone tumors, especially how the tumor's matrix influences SUVmax.
  • - The study analyzed data from 65 patients with central cartilaginous bone tumors from 2017 to 2022, documenting SUVmax and CT findings while comparing benign and malignant tumors through statistical methods.
  • - Results showed that higher SUVmax values correlating with lower Hounsfield units (HU) indicate a greater likelihood of low-to-intermediate chondrosarcomas exhibiting aggressive characteristics and a less calcified matrix.
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  • * The Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting in January 2024 gathered 300 experts from over 50 countries to reach global consensus on chondrosarcoma treatment and address challenges related to periprosthetic joint infection in cancer surgeries.
  • * The meeting aimed to not only resolve current controversies but also to encourage collaboration among specialists for future research that could improve patient outcomes worldwide.
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This study investigated the optimal design of a radio-frequency (RF) bone tumor ablation device to achieve uniform heating. In a previous study, we confirmed the feasibility of this device, which could heat all regions of the bone to 70 °C or higher and maintain this temperature for more than 30 min. However, the temperature in each part was non-uniform.

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  • * Researchers are exploring whether DNA methylation profiles differ between soft tissue sarcomas and normal tissues, among different subtypes of these tumors, and in relation to tumor grade, highlighting a need for further study in this area.
  • * A study was conducted with 85 patients treated for soft tissue sarcomas from 2019 to 2022, resulting in 39 tissue samples (34 from sarcomas and 5 from normal muscle) being analyzed for genomic differences that might aid in diagnosis and treatment strategies
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Chondrosarcomas are a heterogeneous group of cartilage-forming tumors. The tumor is graded on areas demonstrating the highest grade. A 71-year-old man underwent bone SPECT/CT to investigate a tumorous lesion on his right femur.

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Background: In bone sarcomas, chemotherapy has improved the prognosis with advances in diagnostic and surgical technologies, which has led to attempts to save limbs. As early detection and multidisciplinary treatment have improved the survival rate, curative surgery is considered for selected patients with metastatic bone carcinomas. Limb salvage procedures may vary in relation to the reconstruction method, which is accompanied by different complications.

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  • Extra-abdominal desmoid-type fibromatosis (EADTF) is a rare condition characterized by aggressive growth of fibroblasts, often leading to recurrence after surgical removal due to infiltration into surrounding tissues.
  • * Surgical excision is not typically the first choice for treatment anymore; instead, methods like active surveillance or systemic therapies are now preferred, especially for tumors not near vital structures.
  • * Current systemic treatment options include tyrosine kinase inhibitors, low-dose chemotherapy, and gamma-secretase inhibitors, while non-surgical methods such as radiation or cryoablation may be used for better local control.
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  • A study evaluated the effectiveness of SPECT/CT radiomics parameters to distinguish between enchondromas and atypical cartilaginous tumors (ACTs) in long bones, analyzing data from 49 patients.
  • Using LASSO regression for feature selection, two key radiomics features were identified: zone-length non-uniformity for zone (ZLNU) and coarseness for neighborhood grey-level difference.
  • The results indicated that higher ZLNU was a significant indicator for diagnosing ACTs, achieving sensitivity and specificity rates of 85.0% and 58.3% in training data, and 83.3% and 90.9% in test data.
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Background: Improvement in survival in patients with advanced cancer is accompanied by an increased probability of bone metastasis and related pathologic fractures (especially in the proximal femur). The few systems proposed and used to diagnose impending fractures owing to metastasis and to ultimately prevent future fractures have practical limitations; thus, novel screening tools are essential. A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis is a standard modality for staging and follow-up in patients with cancer, and radiologic assessments of the proximal femur are possible with CT-based digitally reconstructed radiographs.

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Osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures cause socioeconomic concerns, and medical system and policies appear insufficient to prepare for these issues in Korea, where the older adult population is rapidly increasing. Many countries around the world are already responding to osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures by adopting fracture liaison service (FLS), and such an attempt has only begun in Korea. In this article, we introduce the operation methods for institutions implementing FLS and characteristics of services, and activities of the FLS Committee for FLS implementation in the Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

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Enchondroma is the most common bone tumor in the hand. While standard surgical procedure is intra-lesional excision and bone grafting, there is a dispute between allogeneic bone, autogenous bone, and synthetic bone substitute grafting. Diverse adjuvant treatments have been introduced to reduce recurrence, but results are mixed with controversies.

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Objective: To compare the MRI findings between the localized- and diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumors (TSGCTs) of digits with pathology correlation.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with newly diagnosed TSGCTs of digits (22 localized and 6 diffuse types) who underwent preoperative MRI and surgical excision were included from Jan. 2015 to September 2021.

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Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) undergoes a sarcomatous transformation. Secondary malignancy in giant cell tumor (MGCT) is associated with radiotherapy and has a dismal prognosis. We reviewed medical records to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of MGCT patients.

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Background: While low-cost, small-scale, desktop three-dimensional (3D) printers are gaining popularity in the education sector, some studies have reported harmful emissions of particles and volatile organic compounds during the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process, posing a potential health risk. Sarcomas are rare tumors, constituting a group of diverse rare malignant tumors. While some genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of sarcomas, most cases are idiopathic and sporadic.

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Although differentiation between central chondroid tumors is important, their parallelism makes it a diagnostic conundrum for clinicians and radiologists. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of quantitative single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) in differentiating grade I chondrosarcomas from enchondromas. We reviewed SPECT/CT images of patients with enchondromas and grade I chondrosarcomas arising in the long bones.

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Background: Schwannomatosis is a late-onset tumor predisposition syndrome associated with the development of many different types of malignancies. A relevant genetic mechanism can be explained by three mutational events. The first-hit mutation is a germline mutation, and the SMARCB1 mutation on chromosome 22 is the most well-known genetic abnormality in patients with schwannomatosis.

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The oncologic risk of ionizing radiation is widely known. Sarcomas developing after radiotherapy have been reported, and they are a growing problem because rapid advancements in cancer management and screening have increased the number of long-term survivors. Although many patients have undergone radiation treatment in Asian countries, scarce reports on post-radiation sarcomas (PRSs) have been published.

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Background: To describe the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings of ganglion cysts with effusion in the flexor hallucis longus tendon sheath around the hallux to evaluate their origin.

Methods: Patients with recurrent or painful ganglion cysts around the hallux with effusion in the flexor hallucis longus tendon sheath who underwent surgical treatment at St. Vincent's Hospital from February 2007 to August 2016 were investigated.

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In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the combination of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for enhancing structural allogenic bone graft healing in rabbits. For these experiments segmental bone defects (1.5-2 cm) were generated on femoral diaphysis of New Zealand white rabbits and reconstructed via structural allogenic bone grafting and additional intramedullary nail fixation.

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Background: Among various reconstruction methods after wide excision for osteosarcoma, pasteurized autograft is often preferred. While the whole area of the tumor can be assessed for chemotherapy-induced necrosis, one of the important prognostic factors, in other reconstructive techniques, only a portion removed from a wide-resection specimen is available when using pasteurized autograft method. The assessment, therefore, may be unreliable.

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To develop a clinically effective bone regeneration strategy, we compared bone regeneration using allogeneic cancellous bone granule scaffolds loaded with autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) with or without autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Critical-sized segmental bone defects were made at the mid-shaft of both radiuses in 41 New Zealand White rabbits. Small-sized allogeneic cancellous bone granules (300-700 μm in diameter) loaded with BM-MSC were implanted on one side, and PRP was added.

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Pseudomyxoma peritonei is characterized by mucinous ascites originating from a mucin-producing neoplasm; however, even the definition is still under debate. Tumor deposits extend and ultimately engulf the entire cavity, causing death from cachexia due to limited intestinal movement. Here, we report a unique case of an 80-year-old woman with pseudomyxoma peritonei, which extended to the lower extremity mimicking infectious condition.

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Background: Elderly patients with osteosarcoma (OSA) are no longer uncommon; however, many questions remain regarding this population. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of OSA in an Asian population over the age of 40 years.

Methods: This was a multi-national, multi-institutional study by the Eastern Asian Musculoskeletal Oncology Group (EAMOG).

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