Quality of life outcomes in terminal cancer patients attending regional cancer centers in South Korea: protocol for a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Patients with cancer experience physical, mental, and social pain that affects themselves and their families. The increasing cancer incidence and advances in treatment have increased the number of cancer survivors in Korea, and there is an influx of patients in Seoul and other metropolitan areas, leading to shortages of continuous care and comprehensive life support facilities. Patients must travel long distances for treatment, which poses logistical and quality-of-life challenges.

Predictive Value of the nProfiler 1 Assay for the Efficacy of Adjuvant S-1-Based Doublet Chemotherapy in Stage III Gastric Cancer: A Post-Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Phase III Trial.

Purpose: The nProfiler 1 Stomach Cancer Assay (nProfiler1), designed to predict responses to fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy, measures the expression of four gastric cancer target genes (GZMB, WARS, SFRP4, and CDX1). The randomized phase III POST trial aimed to compare the efficacies of two adjuvant S-1-based doublet chemotherapies: S-1 plus cisplatin (SP) and S-1 plus docetaxel (DS). This study aimed to validate the nProfiler1 assay using a distinct cohort from the POST trial.

Safety of the Herbal Medicine SH003 in Patients With Solid Cancer: A Multi-Center, Single-Arm, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Phase I Study.

Background: SH003, a novel herbal medicine comprising Huang-Qi, Dang-Gui, and Gua-Lou-Gen, has historical roots in traditional medicine with reported anticancer properties. The need to explore safe and effective treatments in oncology underlines the importance of this study.

Methods: This phase I trial, conducted at Ajou University Hospital and Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Korea, adopted a single-arm, open-label, dose-escalation design.

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Predictive Biomarker for Clinical Outcomes With Margetuximab and Pembrolizumab in Pretreated HER2-Positive Gastric/ Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To assess the ability of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based testing to identify patients with HER2 (encoded by ERBB2)-positive gastric/gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) who progressed on or after trastuzumab-containing treatments were treated with combination therapy of anti-HER2 and anti-PD-1 agents.

Methods: ctDNA analysis was performed retrospectively using plasma samples collected at study entry from 86 patients participating in the phase 1/2 CP-MGAH22-05 study (NCT02689284).

Results: Objective response rate (ORR) was significantly higher in evaluable ERBB2 amplification-positive vs - negative patients based on ctDNA analysis at study entry (37% vs 6%, respectively; P = .

Long-term Survival, Tolerability, and Safety of First-Line Bevacizumab and FOLFIRI in Combination With Ginsenoside-Modified Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Containing Curcumin in Patients With Unresectable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant disease and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Previous studies showed improved bioavailability and cytotoxicity of ginsenoside-modified nanostructured lipid carrier containing curcumin (G-NLC) in human colon cancer cell lines. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability with long-term survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer with unresectable metastases after treatment with first-line bevacizumab/FOLFIRI (folinic acid, bolus/continuous fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in combination with a dietary supplement of G-NLC.

A urethral clear cell carcinoma case successfully treated with organ preservation surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation.

Urethral clear cell carcinoma is an aggressive tumor rarely observed in the urinary tract. To date, the diagnostic workup of such cases has not yet been standardized, and there has been no established standard treatment approach. The present study reports a rare case of urethral clear cell carcinoma successfully treated with organ preservation strategies and adjuvant chemoradiation with the goal of organ preservation.

Nivolumab plus chemotherapy versus placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative, untreated, unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (ATTRACTION-4): a randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

Background: The additive or synergistic sustained antitumour effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy has previously been reported. We investigated the efficacy of nivolumab plus oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy versus placebo plus oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy as first-line therapy for patients with HER2-negative, unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer.

Methods: We did a randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2-3 trial (ATTRACTION-4) at 130 centres (hospitals, cancer centres, and medical centres) across Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Efficacy and Safety of Trastuzumab Biosimilar (CT-P6) Compared With Reference Trastuzumab in Patients With HER2-positive Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis.

Objectives: Treatment with trastuzumab and chemotherapy significantly improves the outcome in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC). CT-P6 (trastuzumab-pkrb; Herzuma) is a trastuzumab biosimilar approved for the treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of CT-P6 and reference trastuzumab as first-line treatment for HER2-positive AGC.

Short-course radiotherapy and chemotherapy for conversion surgery in patients with unresectable metastatic rectal cancer: a preliminary case series study.

Purpose: Curative treatment is challenging in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and unresectable metastases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of short-course radiotherapy (RT) followed by systemic chemotherapy for patients with rectal cancer with mesorectal fascia (MRF) involvement and unresectable distant metastases.

Methods: The study included consecutive patients diagnosed as having metastatic mid-to-low rectal cancer treated with short-course RT followed by systemic chemotherapy for conversion radical or palliative surgery between 2014 and 2019 at Gil Medical Center.

Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a nationwide real-world outcomes in Korea study (KCSG-ST19-16).

Background: Ramucirumab as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel is a second-line treatment option recommended for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. However, real-world data from large study cohorts focused on ramucirumab plus paclitaxel in gastric cancer are limited.

Methods: The study population comprised all patients with gastric or GEJ cancer who received ramucirumab plus paclitaxel in South Korea between 1 May 2018 and 31 December 2018.

Resistance and aerobic exercise intervention during chemotherapy in patients with metastatic cancer: a pilot study in South Korea.

Background: We investigated the feasibility and safety of an exercise intervention in patients with metastatic solid cancer.

Methods: Patients scheduled to receive first-line chemotherapy for metastatic cancer with a life expectancy of ≥4 months, no brain metastases, and no high risk of fracture were recruited to participate in a 12-week, combined resistance and aerobic exercise program consisting of supervised, hospital-based (2×/week) and home-based training (3×/week) during palliative chemotherapy. Feasibility and safety of the exercise intervention were the primary outcomes.

Modified FOLFIRINOX versus S-1 as second-line chemotherapy in gemcitabine-failed metastatic pancreatic cancer patients: A randomised controlled trial (MPACA-3).

Background: The efficacy of modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) as a second-line chemotherapy treatment for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPAC), remains unclear. This multi-center randomised phase III trial aimed to elucidate the efficacy of mFOLFIRINOX as a second-line chemotherapy treatment for mPAC patients with good performance status.

Patients And Methods: Eighty mPAC patients (age, 19-75 years) refractory to first-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy were randomly selected to receive mFOLFIRINOX or S-1.

Significance of descriptive symptoms and signs and clinical parameters as predictors of neuropathic cancer pain.

Purpose: Evaluation of symptoms and signs for the management of neuropathic cancer pain (NCP) is challenging. This study aimed to identify clinical predictors of NCP and symptoms and signs most relevant of those in Korean patients.

Methods: This nationwide, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study included 2,003 cancer patients aged ≥20 years who reported a visual analog scale (VAS) score ≥1 for pain and provided informed consent for participation.

Predictive Roles of HER2 Gene Amplification and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio on Survival in HER2-Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer Treated With Trastuzumab-Based Chemotherapy.

Objectives: Trastuzumab is used as an agent against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC). The aim of this study was to determine how HER2 gene amplification and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could predict long-term survival in AGC patients that underwent trastuzumab-based chemotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 112 patients between 28 and 91 years old (median of 66 y) with AGC treated with first-line trastuzumab-based chemotherapy.

A data-driven approach to a chemotherapy recommendation model based on deep learning for patients with colorectal cancer in Korea.

Background: Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) have recently attracted attention as a method for minimizing medical errors. Existing CDSSs are limited in that they do not reflect actual data. To overcome this limitation, we propose a CDSS based on deep learning.

Margetuximab plus pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated, HER2-positive gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma (CP-MGAH22-05): a single-arm, phase 1b-2 trial.

Background: Margetuximab, a novel, investigational, Fc-engineered, anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, is designed to more effectively potentiate innate immunity than trastuzumab. We aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and antitumour activity of margetuximab plus pembrolizumab (an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody) in previously treated patients with HER2-positive gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: CP-MGAH22-05 was a single-arm, open-label, phase 1b-2 dose-escalation and cohort expansion study done at 11 academic centres in the USA and Canada and 15 centres in southeast Asia (Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore) that enrolled men and women aged 18 years or older with histologically proven, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, HER2-positive, PD-L1-unselected gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, who had progressed after at least one previous line of therapy with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in the locally advanced unresectable or metastatic setting.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy assisted by nanotechnology: a possible combinational treatment for brain tumor and central nerve regeneration.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) intrinsically possess unique features that not only help in their migration towards the tumor-rich environment but they also secrete versatile types of secretomes to induce nerve regeneration and analgesic effects at inflammatory sites. As a matter of course, engineering MSCs to enhance their intrinsic abilities is growing in interest in the oncology and regenerative field. However, the concern of possible tumorigenesis of genetically modified MSCs prompted the development of non-viral transfected MSCs armed with nanotechnology for more effective cancer and regenerative treatment.

Early experience with Watson for oncology in Korean patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Watson for oncology (WFO) is a cognitive computing system providing decision support. We evaluated the concordance rates between the treatment options determined by WFO and those determined by a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Methods: We reviewed the medical charts of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer who visited the MDT at a single tertiary medical center from November 2016 to April 2017.

Concordance Rate between Clinicians and Watson for Oncology among Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer: Early, Real-World Experience in Korea.

Backgrounds/aims: Watson for Oncology (WFO) is a cognitive technology that processes medical information by analyzing the latest evidence and guidelines. However, studies of the concordance rate between WFO and clinicians for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) are lacking.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 65 patients with AGC who consulted WFO and the Gachon Gil Medical Center multidisciplinary team (GMDT) in 2016 and 2017.

Intraoperative Frozen Cytology of Central Nervous System Neoplasms: An Ancillary Tool for Frozen Diagnosis.

Background: Pathologic diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms is made by comparing light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and molecular cytogenetic findings with clinicoradiologic observations. Intraoperative frozen cytology smears can improve the diagnostic accuracy for CNS neoplasms. Here, we evaluate the diagnostic value of cytology in frozen diagnoses of CNS neoplasms.

Mutual Destruction of Deep Lung Tumor Tissues by Nanodrug-Conjugated Stealth Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Lung cancer is a highly malignant tumor, and targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs to deep lung tumor tissue remains a challenge in drug design. Here, it is demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells armed with nanodrugs are highly targeted and mutually destructive with malignant lung cancer cells and successfully eradicate lung tumors tissues. Using this approach, the current clinical dose of anti-cancer drugs for the treatment of malignant lung tumors can be decreased by more than 100-fold without triggering immunotoxicity.

Efficacy and tolerability of ramucirumab monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel in gastric cancer patients from the Expanded Access Program Cohort by the Korean Cancer Study Group (KCSG).

Background: Ramucirumab improves survival in gastric cancer patients. The efficacy and safety of ramucirumab outside of a clinical trial were evaluated using an expanded access program (EAP).

Methods: Advanced gastric cancer patients treated with ramucirumab in combination with paclitaxel or with ramucirumab monotherapy in a Korean EAP were evaluated.

Multicenter, cross-sectional observational study of the impact of neuropathic pain on quality of life in cancer patients.

Purpose: Neuropathic cancer pain (NCP) is a common and potentially debilitating symptom in cancer patients. We investigated the prevalence of NCP, as well as its management and association with QOL.

Methods: Cancer patients with pain ≥1 on the visual analogue scale (VAS) were surveyed with the Douleur Neuropathique (DN4) questionnaire, the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), and the EuroQOL five dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire.