Effect of Adjuvant Chemotherapy on Elderly Stage II High-Risk Colorectal Cancer Patients

Purpose@#Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) is recommended for patients with stage II colorectal cancer with adverse features. However, the effect of adjuvant treatment in elderly patients with high-risk stage II colorectal cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the oncologic outcomes in elderly high-risk stage II colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative resection with or without AC. @*Methods@#Patients aged over 70 years having stage II colorectal adenocarcinoma with at least 1 adverse feature who underwent radical surgery between 2008 and 2017 at a single center were included. We compared recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) between patients who received more than 80% of the planned AC cycle (the AC+ group) and those who did not receive it (the AC− group). @*Results@#The AC+ and AC– group contained 46 patients and 50 patients, respectively. The log-rank test revealed no significant intergroup differences in RFS (P = 0.083) and OS (P = 0.122). In the subgroup of 27 patients with more than 2 adverse features, the AC+ group (n = 16) showed better RFS (P = 0.006) and OS (P = 0.025) than the AC− group. In this subgroup, AC was the only significant factor affecting RFS in the multivariate analysis (P = 0.023). AC was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.033) in the univariate analysis, but not in the multivariate analysis (P = 0.332). @*Conclusion@#Among elderly patients with stage II high-risk colorectal cancer, the AC+ group did not show better RFS or OS than the AC− group. However, selected patients with more than 2 adverse features might benefit from AC.

Characteristics of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer according to HER2 2+/ Low or 3+/High Classification by Immunohistochemistry Assay: Study of 205 Cases Treated in a Single Center

Purpose@#To investigate the characteristics of HER2-positive breast cancer according to HER2 low (2+) or high (3+) classification using immunohistochemistry (IHC). @*Methods@#Data were collected from 205 HER2-positive breast cancer patients in the final assay, regardless of IHC or in situ hybridization (ISH). We thus classified patients into two groups: HER2 2+/low and HER2 3+/high based on the IHC assay. We subsequently compared the clinical and pathological characteristics between groups. @*Results@#The median patient age was 49 years in the HER2 2+/low group and 53 years in the HER2 3+/high group. We observed a significantly lower Allred score for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) (0-6) (p<0.001), less lymphatic invasion (LI), (p=0.010), neural invasion (p=0.041), higher Ki-67 (p=0.001), and lower Bcl-2 (p<0.001) in the HER2 3+/high group than in the HER2 2+/low group. Lymph node recurrence was more frequently observed in the HER2 2+/low group than in HER2 3+/high group (p=0.005). Disease-free survival (DFS) was better in the HER2 3+/high group than in the HER2 2+/low group (p=0.028), but there were no significant differences in overall survival between the groups (p=0.233). @*Conclusion@#The HER2 3+/high group was associated with lower ER and PR expression, less LI, higher Ki-67, and lower Bcl-2 than that in HER2 2+/low group in HER2-positive breast cancer. Furthermore, compared to the HER2 2+/low group, the HER2 3+/high group had an improved DFS.

Prognostic Factors Affecting Disease-Free Survival and Overall Survival in T4 Colon Cancer

Purpose@#It is known that as the T stage of a carcinoma progresses, the prognosis becomes poorer. However, there are few studies about factors that affect the prognosis of T4 advanced colon cancer. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in T4 colon cancer. @*Methods@#Patients diagnosed with stage T4 on histopathology after undergoing curative surgery for colon cancer between March 2009 and March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed for factors related to postoperative survival. Primary outcomes were DFS and OS. @*Results@#Eighty-two patients were included in the study. DFS and OS of the pathologic (p) T4b group were not inferior to that of the pT4a group. Multivariate analysis showed that differentiation (hazard ratio [HR], 4.994; P = 0.005), and laparoscopic surgery (HR, 0.323; P = 0.008) were significant prognostic factors for DFS, while differentiation (HR, 7.904; P ≤ 0.001) and chemotherapy (HR, 0.344; P = 0.038) were significant prognostic factors for OS. @*Conclusion@#Tumor differentiation, laparoscopic surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy were found to be significant prognostic factors in patients with T4 colon cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy and curative resections by laparoscopy might improve the prognosis in these patients.

Characteristics of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer according to HER2 2+/ Low or 3+/High Classification by Immunohistochemistry Assay: Study of 205 Cases Treated in a Single Center

Purpose@#To investigate the characteristics of HER2-positive breast cancer according to HER2 low (2+) or high (3+) classification using immunohistochemistry (IHC). @*Methods@#Data were collected from 205 HER2-positive breast cancer patients in the final assay, regardless of IHC or in situ hybridization (ISH). We thus classified patients into two groups: HER2 2+/low and HER2 3+/high based on the IHC assay. We subsequently compared the clinical and pathological characteristics between groups. @*Results@#The median patient age was 49 years in the HER2 2+/low group and 53 years in the HER2 3+/high group. We observed a significantly lower Allred score for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) (0-6) (p<0.001), less lymphatic invasion (LI), (p=0.010), neural invasion (p=0.041), higher Ki-67 (p=0.001), and lower Bcl-2 (p<0.001) in the HER2 3+/high group than in the HER2 2+/low group. Lymph node recurrence was more frequently observed in the HER2 2+/low group than in HER2 3+/high group (p=0.005). Disease-free survival (DFS) was better in the HER2 3+/high group than in the HER2 2+/low group (p=0.028), but there were no significant differences in overall survival between the groups (p=0.233). @*Conclusion@#The HER2 3+/high group was associated with lower ER and PR expression, less LI, higher Ki-67, and lower Bcl-2 than that in HER2 2+/low group in HER2-positive breast cancer. Furthermore, compared to the HER2 2+/low group, the HER2 3+/high group had an improved DFS.

Prognostic Factors Affecting Disease-Free Survival and Overall Survival in T4 Colon Cancer

Purpose@#It is known that as the T stage of a carcinoma progresses, the prognosis becomes poorer. However, there are few studies about factors that affect the prognosis of T4 advanced colon cancer. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in T4 colon cancer. @*Methods@#Patients diagnosed with stage T4 on histopathology after undergoing curative surgery for colon cancer between March 2009 and March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed for factors related to postoperative survival. Primary outcomes were DFS and OS. @*Results@#Eighty-two patients were included in the study. DFS and OS of the pathologic (p) T4b group were not inferior to that of the pT4a group. Multivariate analysis showed that differentiation (hazard ratio [HR], 4.994; P = 0.005), and laparoscopic surgery (HR, 0.323; P = 0.008) were significant prognostic factors for DFS, while differentiation (HR, 7.904; P ≤ 0.001) and chemotherapy (HR, 0.344; P = 0.038) were significant prognostic factors for OS. @*Conclusion@#Tumor differentiation, laparoscopic surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy were found to be significant prognostic factors in patients with T4 colon cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy and curative resections by laparoscopy might improve the prognosis in these patients.

A Multi-Center Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Toxicity of Nanoxel®-M in Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose@#Nanoxel®-M is a low-molecular-weight, non-toxic, biodegradable, docetaxel-loaded methoxy-poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (D,L-lactide) (mPEG-PDLLA) micellar formulation. We conducted a multicenter trial to evaluate the safety and toxicity of Nanoxel®-M and the quality of life (QoL) of Korean breast cancer patients treated with this formulation. @*Methods@#Patients received adjuvant Nanoxel®-M with a schedule comprising four alternating cycles of doxorubicin with cyclophosphamide, followed by either Nanoxel®-M or Nanoxel®-M with cyclophosphamide after surgery for early breast cancer. We analyzed hematological and non-hematological toxicity profiles and alterations in patient QoL using the Korean version of the European organization for research and treatment of cancer core 30-item quality of life questionnaire. Fifty-five operable breast cancer patients with stage II or III disease were enrolled from four centers in Korea. @*Results@#Regarding safety and toxicity profiles, grade 3/4 toxicity presented as anemia in 0.5%, neutropenia in 61.8%, febrile neutropenia in 4.5%, mucositis in 1.4%, and edema in 0.5% of patients during 220 total cycles. However, all-grade thrombocytopenia was not observed among hematological toxicities. No grade 3/4 nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hand foot syndrome, dyspnea, allergic reaction, edema, or peripheral neuropathy were observed. Furthermore, no vehicle-related hypersensitivity reactions occurred when using Nanoxel®-M. @*Conclusion@#Our findings indicate that Nanoxel®-M could be used to treat operable breast cancer patients, compare favorably with docetaxel in terms of hypersensitivity reactions and the incidence of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy, and is associated with a similar incidence of febrile neutropenia.

Unmodifiable Clinicopathological Risk Factors of Shoulder Tip or Subcostal Pain after Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Purpose@#Appendectomy, which comprises most benign intra-abdominal surgeries, is currently assisted by laparoscopy in most cases. However, many patients complain of postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain after laparoscopic surgery. In some cases, the pain lasts even several weeks after surgery. This study aimed to analyze unmodifiable clinicopathological factors of patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and to minimize preoperative and postoperative discomfort. @*Methods@#Patients admitted for laparoscopic appendectomy for acute appendicitis with an American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) grades I and II, and ages 12~70 years were enrolled in the study. Postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and analyzed with the clinicopathological factors of the patients, including age, sex, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and abdominal circumference (AC) difference. @*Results@#Of the 124 patients, 40 complained of postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain with a VAS score of ≥4. The risk of the postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain increased in women (p=0.001). From a univariate analysis, the risk of postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain increased with lower height, weight and BMI (p=0.002, p=0.001, p=0.012) and with greater AC difference (p=0.012). However, a multivariate analysis showed that lower weight was the only risk factor of postoperative pain (p=0.005). @*Conclusion@#The risk of postoperative shoulder or subcostal pain after laparoscopic appendectomy was significantly increased with lower weight.

Comparative Study for Clinical Outcomes of Triple-Positive and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Long-term Results in 161 Patients Followed in a Single Center

Purpose@#Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer. However, we have often experienced that triple positive breast cancer (TPBC) shows more aggressive clinical features than TNBC. In this retrospective study, we aimed to examine the differences in clinical courses between TNBC and TPBC. @*Methods@#Using medical records and clinical data, we selected patients with breast cancer who met the criteria for the two groups, TNBC and TPBC, based on the expression or absence of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2). We then compared these groups with respect to clinical and pathological variables, such as patient age at diagnosis, TNM stage, number of tumors, involvement of resection margin, operation methods, histologic grade (HG), nuclear grade (NG), and lymphatic invasion (LI). We also compared the disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) outcomes between the groups. @*Results@#Seventy patients with TNBC and 91 with TPBC were identified among a total of 628 patients. In univariate analysis, TPBC was significantly more frequently associated with lower HG (p=0.001), lower NG (p=0.003), LI (p=0.001), and a Ki-67 index ≤20% (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, a lower Ki-67 index (p=0.031) and LI (p=0.022) were identified as significant and independent factors contributing to DFS. In a survival analysis over time, the TPBC showed a worse OS than TNBC 5 years post-treatment for breast cancer. Consequently, the TPBC group had definite worse 10-year DFS (p=0.012) and showed relatively lower OS rate (p=0.058), than the TNBC group. @*Conclusion@#Our results demonstrate considerable differences in long-term post-treatment survival of patients with TPBC and TNBC. Further studies to determine the proper management of both types of breast cancer and an accurate prognostic evaluation method are warranted.

Prognostic Factors and Management for Left Colonic Perforation: Can Hartmann’s Procedure Be Preventable?

Purpose@#To identify factors significantly associated with the mortality of patients with left colonic perforation, and to compare the outcome of Hartmann’s procedure (HP) and primary repair (PR) or primary anastomosis (PA) in patients with left colonic perforation without factors associated with mortality. @*Methods@#This retrospective study included patients who underwent surgery for left colonic perforation from January 2009 to February 2018. Preoperative factors related to postoperative mortality, including vital signs, laboratory findings, and intraoperative findings, were analyzed by type of operation. The chi-square, Fisher exact, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to analyze the data. @*Results@#Ninety-one patients were included (36 men, 55 women), and 15 (16.5%) died postoperatively. Prognostic factors were age, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, bleeding tendency, acute kidney injury, hemodynamic instability, and the existence of feculent ascites. Leukopenia and longer operative time were independent risk factors for mortality. Seventy-nine patients did not have leukopenia and 30 of these patients who underwent PR without diversion were excluded from the subanalysis. HP was performed in 30 patients, and PR with diversion and PA with or without diversion were performed in 19. Compared to the other operative methods, HP had no advantage in reducing hospital mortality (P=0.458) and morbidity. @*Conclusion@#Leukopenia could be an objective prognostic factor for left colonic perforation. Although HP is the gold standard for septic left colonic perforation, it did not improve the hospital mortality of the patients without leukopenia. For such patients, PR or PA may be suggested as an alternative option for left colonic perforation.

Organ-Specific Recurrence or Metastatic Pattern of Breast Cancer according to Biological Subtypes and Clinical Characteristics

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate organ-specific recurrence or the metastatic pattern of breast cancer according to biological subtypes and clinical characteristics. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 168 patients with recurrent breast cancer who were diagnosed between January 1, 2000 and April 30, 2017. Four biological subtypes were classified according to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67 expression: luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). To analyze recurrence patterns according to biological subtypes, we accessed clinical variables including age at diagnosis, TNM stage, type of surgery in the breast and axilla, histologic grade, nuclear grade, lymphatic, vascular, and neural invasion, Ki-67 expression and recurrence to distant organs. RESULTS: The biological subtypes of recurrent breast cancer comprised the following luminal A (n=33, 19.6%), luminal B (n=95, 56.5%), HER2 enriched (n=19, 11.3%), and TNBC (n=21, 12.5%). Luminal A (7.7%) and B (6.5%) subtypes were associated with the increased rate of local recurrence compared to HER2-enriched (2.4%) and TNBC subtypes (1.8%) (p=0.005). The bone (53.6%) was the most common metastatic organ, followed by the lung (34.5%), liver (29.8%), brain (17.9%), and other visceral organ (7.7%). Bone metastasis was commonly observed in individuals with luminal B (63.2%), HER2-enriched (57.9%), and luminal A (42.4%) subtypes (p=0.005). Most liver metastases occur in individuals with luminal B (40.0%) and HER2-enriched subtypes (31.6%) (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Luminal B subtype was commonly observed in individuals with recurrent breast cancer, and the bone is the most common target organ for breast cancer metastasis, followed by the lungs and liver.

Perioperative Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Ratio Is a Prognostic Indicator in Patients With Stage II Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ratio could be used as a determinant for adjuvant therapy after curative surgery in stage II colorectal cancer. METHODS: Data for 119 patients with stage II colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery between 2010 and 2013 were collected. The perioperative CEA ratio was defined as the postoperative/preoperative serum CEA level, and the patients were grouped according to their perioperative CEA ratios: high ratio (≥0.5) and low ratio ( < 0.5). Overall survival rates were calculated, and their prognostic significances were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall survival rates of the high and the low perioperative CEA groups were 68.2% and 86.8%, respectively (P = 0.033). In patients with normal preoperative CEA levels ( < 5 ng/mL), the high perioperative CEA ratio group showed a worse survival rate than the low perioperative CEA ratio group (71.7% vs. 100.0%, P = 0.007). In patients with high preoperative CEA levels (≥5 ng/mL), the high perioperative CEA ratio group showed a worse survival rate than the low perioperative CEA ratio group (33.3% vs. 75.0%, P = 0.036). In the multivariate analysis, perioperative CEA ratio (P = 0.046), age (P = 0.034), and venous invasion (P = 0.015) were independent prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSION: The perioperative CEA ratio is a prognostic indicator for stage II colorectal cancer. Patients with normal preoperative serum CEA levels might also be considered for adjuvant therapy if their perioperative CEA ratios are higher than 0.5.

Predictive Factors Affecting the Clinical Course of Patients With Diverticulitis: Who Needs Hospital Management?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine the predictable factors that affect the clinical course, especially the hospital stay, the operation performed, and to determine factors that will be helpful in deciding whether in-hospital or outpatient treatment is appropriate. METHODS: We retrospectively collected medical data for patients who had been diagnosed with acute diverticulitis at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital between January and December 2016. In total, 117 patients were enrolled in this study. We examined clinical factors, including age, sex, body mass index, pain, body temperature, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, nil per os (NPO) time, hospital duration, computed tomography (CT) findings, location of diverticulitis, operation performed, and presence of comorbidity (e.g., hypertension and diabetes mellitus). RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, the statistically significant factor related with hospital duration was the presence of perforation on the CT scan (P 7) (P = 0.011). Operations were mainly performed in patients with left-sided colonic diverticulitis (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: We suggest a perforation finding on the CT scan, a severe pain score at least above 7 on a numeric rating pain scale, and a left-sided lesion are absolute indications for in-hospital management.

Prognostic Value of Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Expression in Low Proliferative Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Breast Cancer

PURPOSE: Approximately two-thirds of breast cancer are estrogen-dependent cancers, which express estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR). We investigated the prognostic value of ER/PR expression in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative and low proliferative (Ki-67 ≤20%) breast cancer. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 252 breast cancer data records, identified as ER/PR-positive, low Ki-67 proliferation index (≤20%) and HER2-negative. The data were divided into two subgroups: a strong luminal subgroup and a weak luminal subgroup, according to hormonal receptor expression status. Outcome measures included age at diagnosis, tumor size, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, ER, PR, Bcl-2, recurrent or metastatic characteristics, disease-free survival and overall survival, of each subgroup. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in TNM stage or tumor numbers between the two subgroups. The strong luminal subgroup was associated with a higher Bcl-2 expression (p<0.001). The weak luminal subgroup was associated with more frequent neural invasion (p=0.051) and lung (p=0.031), liver (p=0.031) and brain (p=0.033) metastases, than the strong luminal subgroup. Disease-free survival was significantly longer in the strong luminal subgroup than weak luminal subgroup (p=0.015). Overall survival was also significantly improved in the strong luminal subgroup relative to the weak luminal subgroup (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: The weak luminal subgroup showed worse prognosis than the strong luminal subgroup, among ER/PR-positive HER2-negative low proliferative breast cancer patients. Weak ER or PR expression, can be considered a poor prognostic factor in ER/PR-positive HER2-negative low proliferative breast cancer.

Prognostic Significance of a Micropapillary Pattern in Pure Mucinous Carcinoma of the Breast: Comparative Analysis with Micropapillary Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Mucinous carcinoma of the breast is an indolent tumors with a favorable prognosis; however, micropapillary features tend to lead to aggressive behavior. Thus, mucinous carcinoma and micropapillary carcinoma exhibit contrasting biologic behaviors. Here, we review invasive mucinous carcinoma with a focus on micropapillary features and correlations with clinicopathological factors. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with invasive breast cancer with mucinous or micropapillary features were enrolled in the study. Of 36 pure mucinous carcinomas, 17 (47.2%) had micropapillary features and were termed mucinous carcinoma with micropapillary features (MUMPC), and 19 (52.8%) had no micropapillary features and were termed mucinous carcinoma without micropapillary features. MUMPC were compared with 15 invasive micropapillary carcinomas (IMPC) and 13 invasive ductal and micropapillary carcinomas (IDMPC). RESULTS: The clinicopathological factors of pure mucinous carcinoma and MUMPC were not significantly different. In contrast to IMPC and IDMPC, MUMPC had a low nuclear grade, lower mitotic rate, higher expression of hormone receptors, negative human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, lower Ki-67 proliferating index, and less frequent lymph node metastasis (p < .05). According to univariate analyses, progesterone receptor, HER2, T-stage, and lymph node metastasis were significant risk factors for overall survival; however, only T-stage remained significant in a multivariate analysis (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to IMPC and IDMPC, the micropapillary pattern in mucinous carcinoma does not contribute to aggressive behavior. However, further analysis of a larger series of patients is required to clarify the prognostic significance of micropapillary patterns in mucinous carcinoma of the breast.

Risk Factors of a Pulmonary Thromboembolism After Colorectal Surgery

PURPOSE: Previous studies have revealed that predictors and risk factors of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) are malignancy, immobilization, diabetes, and obesity in the postoperative patients. However, in patients undergoing colorectal cancer, studies of PTE have not been enough. Thus, we investigated the risk factors of PTE related to colorectal surgery. METHODS: From January 2009 to October 2014, 312 patients received colorectal surgery without other organ resection. The postoperative patients with PTE were 14 (4.5%), and they were classified by sex, age, and stage as a 1:3 paired match to the control group. A multiple logistic regression was performed to identify which factors were associated with PTE. RESULTS: One patient was in stage I, 3 in stage II, 9 in stage III, and 1 in stage IV. In the binary logistic regression analysis, history of diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 6.498; P = 0.031) and being overweight (odds ratio, 10.018; P = 0.014) were independent risk factors for PTE in patients undergoing colorectal cancer. CONCLUSION: A history of diabetes mellitus and being overweight were independent risk factors of PTE after colorectal cancer.

Comparative Study of a Single-Incision Laparoscopic and a Conventional Laparoscopic Appendectomy for the Treatment of Acute Appendicitis

PURPOSE: For the treatment of acute appendicitis, a conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) has been widely performed. Recently, the use of single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is increasing because it is believed to have advantages over conventional laparoscopic surgery. In this study, we compared SILS and a conventional LA. METHODS: We analyzed the 217 patients who received laparoscopy-assisted appendectomies between August 2010 and April 2012 at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital. One hundred-twelve patients underwent SILS, and 105 patients underwent LA. For the two groups, we compared the operation times, postoperative laboratory results, postoperative pain, hospital stay, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The patients' demographics, including body mass index, were not significantly different between the two groups. There were 6 perforated appendicitis cases in the SILS group and 5 cases in the LA group. The mean operative time in the SILS group was 65.88 +/- 22.74 minutes whereas that in the LA group was 61.70 +/- 22.27 minutes (P = 0.276). There were no significant differences in the mean hospital stays, use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and wound infections between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Postoperative pain, complications and hospital stay showed no statistically significant differences between the SILS and the LA groups. However, our SILS method uses a single trocar and two latex tubes, so cost savings and reduced interference during surgery are expected.

Feasibility of Laparoscopic D2 Lymph Node Dissection in Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: There is still debate regarding the suitability of extension of laparoscopic gastrectomy to advanced gastric cancer. Due to the development of new instruments and techniques, several studies are being conducted to extend the range of laparoscopic gastrectomy. This study was conducted to investigate the appropriateness of laparoscopic D2 lymph node dissection for the treatment of gastric cancer from an oncology perspective. METHODS: A total of 109 patients, 50 of whom had undergone laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) and 59 patients who underwent open distal gastrectomy (ODG), that were operated on by a single surgeon in the surgery department of Sanggye Paik Hospital from April 2009 to May 2011 were analyzed. All patients underwent D2 lymph node dissection. The clinical characteristics of patients, surgical outcomes and clinicopathologic findings were then compared and analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the operation time between the two groups (252.70+/-40.81 vs. 252.20+/-45.22, p=0.698). The day 1 post operation hemoglobin was higher in the LADG group than the ODG group (12.52+/-1.53 vs. 10.54+/-1.57, p=0.011). There were nosignificant differences in resection margin (6.89+/-2.25 vs. 7.20+/-3.42, p=0.254, 4.05+/-2.57 vs. 3.68+/-2.74, p=0.254) or total number of harvested lymph nodes (30.36+/-10.67 vs. 35.44+/-12.56, p=0.508) between groups. CONCLUSION: In stomach cancer surgery, both ODG and LADG can be used to conduct lymph node dissection. Therefore, if the stability and feasibility of LADG is confirmed by prospective studies at multiple centers, laparoscopic gastrectomy may be extended to advanced gastric cancer as well.

Analysis of the Potent Prognostic Factors in Luminal-Type Breast Cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Luminal-type breast cancer has a good prognosis compared to other types, such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and triple negative types. Luminal-type breast cancer is classified into luminal A and B, according to the proliferation index. We investigated the clinicopathological factors that affect the prognosis of the luminal-type subgroups. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and the pathologic reports of 159 luminal-type breast cancer patients who were treated between February 2005 and November 2007. We divided luminal-type breast cancer into luminal A and B, according to Ki-67 (cutoff value, 14%) and analyzed the clinicopathologic factors, such as age at diagnosis, intensity score of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, histologic grade, and Bcl-2. Moreover, we compared the disease-free survival (DFS) of each group. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, age (p=0.004), tumor size (p=0.010), lymph node metastasis (p=0.001), and Bcl-2 (p=0.002) were statistically significant factors in luminal-type breast cancer. In the multivariate analysis, lymph node (p=0.049) and Bcl-2 (p=0.034) were significant relevant factors in luminal-type breast cancer. In the subgroup analysis, the increased Bcl-2 (cutoff value, 33%) was related with a longer DFS in the luminal B group (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: In our study, luminal A breast cancer showed a longer DFS than luminal B breast cancer, further, Bcl-2 may be a potent prognostic factor in luminal-type breast cancer.

Comparison of Parathyroid Gland Preservation Rates between Open and Endoscopic Total Thyroidectomy for Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: Incidental parathyroidectomy is the most common and unexpected consequence of a total thyroidectomy. It can cause hypocalcemia symptoms such as muscle cramping and even seizures. We conducted this study to compare several factors including the preservation rate of parathyroid glands during both a bilateral axillo-breast approach endoscopic thyroidectomy (BABA) and a conventional open thyroidectomy (CT) for papillary thyroid carcinomas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 299 papillary thyroid cancer patients who had a total thyroidectomy between January 2008 and December 2011. We grouped the patients into two groups: BABA (n=70) and CT (n=229). We analyzed age, tumor size, operation time, the number of preserved and removed parathyroid glands, amount and duration of seroma drainage, pain score, hypocalcemia symptoms, and serum total calcium level in both the BABA and CT groups. RESULTS: We observed a younger age (under 45 years old) (P=0.000), smaller tumor size (P=0.000), longer operation time (P=0.000), larger amount of drainage (P=0.000), longer duration of drainage (P=0.007), and larger pain score (P=0.000) in the BABA group. Of the 70 patients that received an endoscopic thyroidectomy, we preserved all four parathyroid glands in 56 patients (78.6%). Of the 229 patients that received an open thyroidectomy, we preserved all four parathyroid glands in 141 patients (61.6%, P=0.004). CONCLUSION: BABA results in more extensive tissue damage over a longer period of time than CT. However, BABA was an excellent method for preserving parathyroid glands when compared with CT for thyroid carcinoma. Thus, it seems to be feasible performing BABA when it matches the indications.