From the Beginning of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group to the Present and Next Steps.

The Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group (KGOG) was established in 2002 and is the only organization in Korea conducting multi-center clinical trials for gynecologic cancers. Since its re-establishment as a non-profit organization in 2021, KGOG has grown significantly, now including 207 gynecologic oncology specialists from 76 hospitals. This growth is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all those involved in the organization.

Safety and Clinical Outcomes of Two-Session Catheter-Directed Sclerotherapy Using Ethanol for Endometrioma.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and clinical outcome of two-session catheter-directed sclerotherapy (CDS) with 99% ethanol in patients with endometrioma.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was approved by the institutional review board with written informed consent obtained from all participants and was registered on clinicaltrial.gov.

Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Myomectomy versus Abdominal Myomectomy for Large Myomas Sized over 10 cm or Weighing 250 g.

Purpose: Here, we compared the operative and perioperative outcomes between robot-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy (RALM) and abdominal myomectomy (AM) in patients with large (>10 cm) or heavy myomas (>250 g).

Materials And Methods: We included 278 patients who underwent multi-port RALM (n=126) or AM (n=151) for large or heavy myomas in a tertiary care hospital between April 2019 and June 2020. The t-test, chi-square, Bonferroni's test, and multiple linear regression were used.

The Ve-resistance locus, a plant signaling intercept.

The Ve-resistance locus in tomato and potato affects both stress/defense and growth, consistent with a signaling intercept and a competitive regulatory mechanism. Acting in an antagonistic fashion, the two genes comprising the tomato Ve-resistance locus have been shown to influence both the defense/stress cascade, which causes wilt symptoms, and plant growth (Nazar et al. in Planta 247:1339-1350, 2018c); in contrast, both have been reported to elevate wilt resistance in potato or Arabidopsis.

Endometrial thickness cut-off value by transvaginal ultrasonography for screening of endometrial pathology in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Objective: To assess the clinical usefulness and diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic measurement of endometrial thickness (ET) in women with endometrial hyperplasia or cancer (EH+).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 29,995 consecutive women who underwent transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) for an incidental finding of a thickened endometrium at the health screening and promotion center at Asan Medical Center between 2006 and 2010. Among 959 patients with endometrial abnormalities, 92 patients were included in this study.

Prospective study of the efficacy and utility of TP53 mutations in circulating tumor DNA as a non-invasive biomarker of treatment response monitoring in patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

Objective: Somatic mutation () is a characteristic finding in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring as a biomarker for managing HGSOC.

Methods: were evaluated in patients who received primary treatment for suspected ovarian cancer at Asan Medical Center.

Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology International Workshop 2018.

The Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology International Workshop 2018 on gynecologic oncology was held in the Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea on the 24th to 25th August 2018. The workshop was an opportunity for Asian doctors to discuss the latest findings of gynecologic cancer, including cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, as well as the future of fertility-sparing treatments, minimally invasive/radical/debulking surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Clinical guidelines and position statement of Asian countries were presented by experts.

Clinical guideline for 9-valent HPV vaccine: Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology Guideline.

In 2016, 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been newly introduced in Korea, thus the need to develop recommendations for the vaccine has raised. Until we decide to develop a guideline, no further studies on the bi-valent or quadri-valent HPV vaccine have been announced. We searched and reviewed the literatures focused on the efficacy of 9-valent HPV vaccine, the ideal age of 3-dose schedule vaccination, the efficacy of 9-valent HPV vaccine in middle-aged women, the efficacy of the 2-dose schedule vaccination, the safety of 9-valent HPV vaccine, the possibility of additional 9-valent HPV vaccination, and cross-vaccination of 9-valent HPV vaccine.

Erratum: Correction of Acknowledgements.

[This corrects the article on p. 328 in vol. 61, PMID: 29780774.

Optimization to detect TP53 mutations in circulating cell-free tumor DNA from patients with serous epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: Circulating cell-free tumor DNA (cfDNA) is the DNA released by apoptotic and necrotic cells of the primary tumor into the blood during the period of tumor development. The cfDNA reflects the genetic and epigenetic alterations of the original tumor. TP53 mutations are a defining feature of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

An open-label, multicenter, phase I trial of a cremophor-free, polymeric micelle formulation of paclitaxel combined with carboplatin as a first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer: a Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group study (KGOG-3016).

Objective: This phase I study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Genexol-PM, when combined with carboplatin, as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Methods: This open-label, multicenter, phase I, dose-escalation study included 18 patients (median age: 59.0 years, range: 40-75 years) diagnosed with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Practice guidelines for management of uterine corpus cancer in Korea: a Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology Consensus Statement.

Clinical practice guidelines for gynecologic cancers have been developed by many organizations. Although these guidelines have much in common in terms of the practice of standard of care for uterine corpus cancer, practice guidelines that reflect the characteristics of patients and healthcare and insurance systems are needed for each country. The Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology (KSGO) published the first edition of practice guidelines for gynecologic cancer treatment in late 2006; the second edition was released in July 2010 as an evidence-based recommendation.

Phospholipase D1 Acts through Akt/TopBP1 and RB1 to Regulate the E2F1-Dependent Apoptotic Program in Cancer Cells.

The RB1/E2F1 signaling pathway is frequently deregulated in colorectal cancer and has been suggested to intersect with Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt pathways, but molecular evidence for this link is lacking. In this study, we demonstrate that phospholipase D1 (PLD1), a transcriptional target of β-catenin/TCF4, orchestrates functional interactions between these pathways during intestinal tumor development. Overexpression of PLD1 in intestinal epithelial cells protected cells from apoptosis induced by PLD1 ablation in the Apc mouse model of intestinal tumorigenesis.

Surgical manual of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group: classification of hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy.

The Surgery Treatment Modality Committee of the Korean Gynecologic Oncologic Group (KGOG) has determined to develop a surgical manual to facilitate clinical trials and to improve communication between investigators by standardizing and precisely describing operating procedures. The literature on anatomic terminology, identification of surgical components, and surgical techniques were reviewed and discussed in depth to develop a surgical manual for gynecologic oncology. The surgical procedures provided here represent the minimum requirements for participating in a clinical trial.

Pathologic findings at risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in germline BRCA mutation carriers with breast cancer: significance of bilateral RRSO at the optimal age in germline BRCA mutation carriers.

Objective: Most BRCA1/2 carriers do not undergo risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) by the recommended age. This study aimed to find the incidence of precursor lesions and cancer after RRSO.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed breast cancer patients identified as BRCA mutation carriers who underwent RRSO at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from 2010 to 2014.

Enhanced antioxidant and protective activities on retinal ganglion cells of carotenoids-overexpressing transgenic carrot.

Carotenoids are considered to act as antioxidants and protect humans from serious disorders such as skin degeneration and ageing, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and age-related diseases of the eye. In this study, these chemopreventive activities of a carotenoids-overexpressing transgenic carrot were evaluated. The results of DPPH, hydroxyl, and superoxide radical scavenging tests demonstrate that the acetone extract obtained from the taproots of the carrot plants exhibits significant antioxidant activity.

Site-specific perturbations of alpha-synuclein fibril structure by the Parkinson's disease associated mutations A53T and E46K.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is pathologically characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies (LBs) in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. These intracellular inclusions are largely composed of misfolded α-synuclein (AS), a neuronal protein that is abundant in the vertebrate brain. Point mutations in AS are associated with rare, early-onset forms of PD, although aggregation of the wild-type (WT) protein is observed in the more common sporadic forms of the disease.

Evaluation of the accuracy of serum human epididymis protein 4 in combination with CA125 for detecting ovarian cancer: a prospective case-control study in a Korean population.

Background: This study aimed to determine the serum concentrations of CA125 and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in patients with ovarian cancer, and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of these biomarkers for differentiating between patients with benign gynecological disease and those with ovarian cancer, when used alone and in combination in a Korean population.

Methods: We consecutively recruited 159 women with an adnexal mass, including 78 women with ovarian cancer. A total of 224 healthy women served as controls.

Production of serotonin by dual expression of tryptophan decarboxylase and tryptamine 5-hydroxylase in Escherichia coli.

A plant-specific biogenic amine, serotonin, was produced by heterologous expression of two key biosynthetic genes, tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H), in Escherichia coli. The native T5H, a cytochrome P450 enzyme, was unable to be functionally expressed in E. coli.

The efficacy and toxicity of belotecan (CKD-602), a camptothericin analogue topoisomerase I inhibitor, in patients with recurrent or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer.

This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of belotecan (CKD-602), a new camptothecin analogue topoisomerase i inhibitor, in patients with recurrent or refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Data from 63 patients who had been treated with intravenous belotecan (0.5 mg/m(2)/day), administered for 5 days every 3 weeks at a single institute in Seoul, Korea, were collected retrospectively.

Proliferation of CD4CD25Foxp3 regulatory T lymphocytes in ex vivo expanded ascitic fluid from primary and recurrent ovarian carcinoma.

Objective: Regulatory T lymphocytes evoke the immune tolerance by suppressing and inactivating cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The objective of this study was to compare the proportion of regulatory T lymphocytes, precisely defined as CD4(+)CD25(high+)Foxp3(+) T lymphocytes, in primary and recurrent ovarian carcinoma before and after ex vivo expansion of ascites with interleukin-2 (IL-2).

Methods: Ascitic fluid samples were obtained from 26 patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Unfavorable prognosis of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix: a retrospective matched case-control study.

Objectives: This study was a matched case-control study to analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics and the prognosis of patients with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in the uterine cervix.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-two patients were treated for small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNEC) at Asan Medical Center between January 1996 and June 2008. For a 1-to-2 matched case-control study, 64 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCC) whose clinical stage and age are consistent with the SCNEC group were selected.

Chemosensitivity of uterine cervical cancer demonstrated by the histoculture drug response assay.

Uterine cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the female population worldwide. In vitro chemosensitivity test is important to find effective drugs in uterine cervical cancer that requires the established chemotherapeutic strategies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the chemosensitivity of uterine cervical cancer using the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA).