ABSTRACT
Purpose@#The treatment of male breast cancer (MBC) has been extrapolated from female breast cancer (FBC) because of its rarity despite their different clinicopathologic characteristics. We aimed to investigate the distribution of intrinsic subtypes based on immunohistochemistry, their clinical impact, and treatment pattern in clinical practice through a multicenter study in Korea. @*Materials and Methods@#We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 248 MBC patients from 18 institutions across the country from January 1995 to July 2016. @*Results@#The median age of MBC patients was 63 years (range, 25 to 102 years). Among 148 intrinsic subtype classified patients, 61 (41.2%), 44 (29.7%), 29 (19.5%), and 14 (9.5%) were luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively. Luminal A subtype showed trends for superior survival compared to other subtypes. Most hormone receptor-positive patients (166 patients, 82.6%) received adjuvant endocrine treatment. Five-year completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with superior disease-free survival (DFS) in patients classified with an intrinsic subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04 to 0.49; p=0.002) and in all patients (HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.54; p=0.003). @*Conclusion@#Distribution of subtypes of MBC was similar to FBC and luminal type A was most common. Overall survival tended to be improved for luminal A subtype, although there was no statistical significance. Completion of adjuvant endocrine treatment was associated with prolonged DFS in intrinsic subtype classified patients. MBC patients tended to receive less treatment. MBC patients should receive standard treatment according to guidelines as FBC patients.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#This study was conducted to investigate the trend of domestic medical travel from non-Seoul areas to Seoul for initial breast cancer treatment, and identify factors associated with medical travel in breast cancer patients. @*Methods@#A nationwide retrospective cohort study was performed using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment data of South Korea. Patients were classified according to the regions in which they underwent breast biopsy (Seoul vs.metropolitan cities vs. other regions). Frequencies of biopsy, diagnosis, treatment, and domestic medical travel were analyzed according to regions, and factors associated with medical travel were investigated. @*Results@#A total of 150,709 breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2017 were included. The total rate of medical travel from non-Seoul regions to Seoul had increased from 14.2% (1,161 of 8,150) in 2010 to 19.8% (2,762 of 13,964) in 2017. Approximately a quarter of patients from other regions traveled to Seoul, and over 40% of patients from Chungbuk, Gyeongbuk, and Jeju regions traveled to Seoul for initial treatment in 2017. The difference in the annual frequencies of upfront surgery between Seoul and non-Seoul regions increased over time. Younger age and regions other than metropolitan cities were significantly related to medical travel. Patients covered by medical aid or past medical histories were significantly less likely to travel to Seoul for initial breast cancer treatment. @*Conclusion@#Medical travel to Seoul for upfront breast cancer surgery is increasing. Policies for appropriate healthcare delivery need to be established in the near future.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Frequent neutropenia hinders uninterrupted palbociclib treatment in patients with hormone receptor (HR)–positive breast cancer. We compared the efficacy outcomes in multicenter cohorts of patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) receiving palbociclib following conventional dose modification or limited modified schemes for afebrile grade 3 neutropenia. @*Materials and Methods@#Patients with HR-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative mBC (n=434) receiving palbociclib with letrozole as first-line therapy were analyzed and classified based on neutropenia grade and afebrile grade 3 neutropenia management as follows: group 1 (maintained palbociclib dose, limited scheme), group 2 (dose delay or reduction, conventional scheme), group 3 (no afebrile grade 3 neutropenia event), and group 4 (grade 4 neutropenia event). The primary and secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) between groups 1 and 2 and PFS, overall survival, and safety profiles among all groups. @*Results@#During follow-up (median 23.7 months), group 1 (2-year PFS, 67.9%) showed significantly longer PFS than did group 2 (2-year PFS, 55.3%; p=0.036), maintained across all subgroups, and upon adjustment of the factors. Febrile neutropenia occurred in one and two patients of group 1 and group 2, respectively, without mortality. @*Conclusion@#Limited dose modification for palbociclib-related grade 3 neutropenia may lead to longer PFS, without increasing toxicity, than the conventional dose scheme.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#The objectives of this study were to describe the needs and knowledge for hospice palliative care, to identify the caregiving burden among cancer caregivers, and to determine factors that influence the needs for hospice palliative care. @*Methods@#This study was designed with a descriptive correlation study with structured questionnaires. Data were collected from 162 caregivers of patients with cancer from September 2018 to March 2019 in a university-affiliated hospital in Seoul, Korea. Cancer patients’ needs, knowledge of hospice palliative care, and caregiving burden were measured. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. @*Results@#The mean needs score was 90.32±17.12, the correct answers rate of knowledge items was 47.5%, and the mean score of caregiving burden was 32.53±13.94. In the regression model, knowledge, caregiving burden, age, and relationship with the patient were identified as the influencing factors of the needs of caregivers (F=6.98, p<. 001) and showed a variance of 16%. @*Conclusion@#This study highlights the unmet needs for early palliative care. Policies and social support should be established to alleviate the caregiving burden, enhance knowledge, and reduce the need for hospice palliative care. These factors are essential not only for caregivers but also for patients with cancer.
ABSTRACT
This single-institute, retrospective cohort study enrolled patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan between August 2017 and January 2021 from four previous studies. Of 31 patients, 4 (12.9%) had interstitial lung disease (ILD). The dominant pattern observed on computed tomography was organizing pneumonia (100%), comprising subpleural consolidations in the lung periphery. However, no dominant distribution was observed in radiological lesions of the lungs. Of all the tested patients, lower lobe predominance was noted in 2 (50.0%) patients, upper lobe predominance in 1 (25.0%) patient, and diffused lobe distribution in 1 (25.0%) patient. All events were confined to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 1 or 2 (100%). None of the patients died. Despite the small number of cases investigated, the incidence of trastuzumab deruxtecan-induced ILD in the Korean population was comparable to that previously reported.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#In hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+ HER2–MBC), the mainstay treatment options include cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and everolimus (EVE) in combination with endocrine treatment. This study aims to compare the outcomes of the following treatment sequences: CDK4/6i followed by EVE and EVE followed by CDK4/6i. @*Materials and Methods@#Data from HR+ HER2– MBC patients treated between January 2014 and November 2020 with both CDK4/6i and EVE were retrospectively analyzed. @*Results@#Among the 88 patients included in the study, 51 received CDK4/6i before EVE (C→E group), and 37 received EVE before CDK4/6i (E→C group) with endocrine treatment. More patients in the E→C group had endocrine resistance (13.7% vs. 40.5%), experienced palliative chemotherapy (7.8% vs. 40.5%), and were heavily treated (treated as ≥ 3rd line, 5.9% vs. 40.5%). Median overall survival was 46.8 months in the C→E group and 38.9 months in the E→C group (p=0.151). Median composite progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the time from the start of the preceding regimen to disease progression on the following regimen or death, was 24.8 months in the C→E group vs. 21.8 months in the E→C group (p=0.681). Median PFS2/PFS1 ratio did not differ significantly between groups (0.5 in the C→E group, 0.6 in the E→C group; p=0.775). Ten patients (11.4%) discontinued EVE, and two patients (2.3%) discontinued CDK4/6i during treatment. @*Conclusion@#Although the CDK4/6i-based regimen should be considered as an earlier line of treatment, CDK4/6i- and EVE-based treatments can be valid options in circumstances where the other treatment had been already given.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#The tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) expression in breast cancer is a positive prognostic marker for certain breast cancer subtypes. We evaluated the efficacy of dual antihuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) blockade in HER2-positive breast cancer and hypothesized that high TILs tumors are associated with better outcomes. @*Methods@#A total of 176 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab (TCHP) between December 2015 and December 2018 were reviewed. They were grouped based on a cut-off value of the stromal TILs grade (≤ 20% TILs, > 20% TILs). @*Results@#In total, 107 patients (60.8%) achieved pathological complete response (pCR).Hormone receptor (HR)-negativity (p = 0.001) and a high TILs grade (p = 0.022) were independent predictors of pCR. Among the HR-negative patients, high TILs tumors were significantly associated with pCR (p = 0.035). @*Conclusion@#HR status and the TILs grade are significantly correlated with pCR in dual anti-HER2 neoadjuvant therapy. The evaluation of the TILs at baseline may be beneficial for predicting pCR in HER2-positive breast cancer.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#YoungPEARL (KCSG-BR15-10) trial demonstrated a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit for premenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HR+/HER2–) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) for palbociclib plus exemestane with ovarian function suppression compared to capecitabine. However, the number of tamoxifen-sensitive premenopausal patients was small because most recurrences occurred early during adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET), with tamoxifen being the only drug used; hence, the data for these patients were limited. Here we present a subgroup analysis according to tamoxifen sensitivity from the YoungPEARL study. Materials and Methods Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive palbociclib+ET (oral exemestane 25 mg/day for 28 days, palbociclib 125 mg/day for 21 days, plus leuprolide 3.75 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks) or chemotherapy (oral capecitabine 1,250 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days every 3 weeks). Tamoxifen resistance was defined as: relapse while on adjuvant tamoxifen, relapse within 12 months of completing adjuvant tamoxifen, or progression while on first-line tamoxifen within 6 months for MBC. @*Results@#In total, 184 patients were randomized and 178 were included in the modified intention-to-treat population. PFS improvement in the palbociclib+ET group was observed in tamoxifen-sensitive patients (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.12 to 1.19). Furthermore, palbociclib+ET prolonged median PFS compared with capecitabine in tamoxifen-sensitive (20.5 months vs. 12.6 months) and tamoxifen-resistant (20.1 months vs. 14.5 months) patients. Palbociclib+ET demonstrated a higher rate of objective response, disease control, and clinical benefit in tamoxifen-sensitive patients. Conclusion This post hoc exploratory analysis suggests that palbociclib+ET is a promising therapeutic option for premenopausal HR+/HER2– MBC patients irrespective of tamoxifen sensitivity.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#The tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) expression in breast cancer is a positive prognostic marker for certain breast cancer subtypes. We evaluated the efficacy of dual antihuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) blockade in HER2-positive breast cancer and hypothesized that high TILs tumors are associated with better outcomes. @*Methods@#A total of 176 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab (TCHP) between December 2015 and December 2018 were reviewed. They were grouped based on a cut-off value of the stromal TILs grade (≤ 20% TILs, > 20% TILs). @*Results@#In total, 107 patients (60.8%) achieved pathological complete response (pCR).Hormone receptor (HR)-negativity (p = 0.001) and a high TILs grade (p = 0.022) were independent predictors of pCR. Among the HR-negative patients, high TILs tumors were significantly associated with pCR (p = 0.035). @*Conclusion@#HR status and the TILs grade are significantly correlated with pCR in dual anti-HER2 neoadjuvant therapy. The evaluation of the TILs at baseline may be beneficial for predicting pCR in HER2-positive breast cancer.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#YoungPEARL (KCSG-BR15-10) trial demonstrated a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit for premenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HR+/HER2–) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) for palbociclib plus exemestane with ovarian function suppression compared to capecitabine. However, the number of tamoxifen-sensitive premenopausal patients was small because most recurrences occurred early during adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET), with tamoxifen being the only drug used; hence, the data for these patients were limited. Here we present a subgroup analysis according to tamoxifen sensitivity from the YoungPEARL study. Materials and Methods Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive palbociclib+ET (oral exemestane 25 mg/day for 28 days, palbociclib 125 mg/day for 21 days, plus leuprolide 3.75 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks) or chemotherapy (oral capecitabine 1,250 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days every 3 weeks). Tamoxifen resistance was defined as: relapse while on adjuvant tamoxifen, relapse within 12 months of completing adjuvant tamoxifen, or progression while on first-line tamoxifen within 6 months for MBC. @*Results@#In total, 184 patients were randomized and 178 were included in the modified intention-to-treat population. PFS improvement in the palbociclib+ET group was observed in tamoxifen-sensitive patients (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.12 to 1.19). Furthermore, palbociclib+ET prolonged median PFS compared with capecitabine in tamoxifen-sensitive (20.5 months vs. 12.6 months) and tamoxifen-resistant (20.1 months vs. 14.5 months) patients. Palbociclib+ET demonstrated a higher rate of objective response, disease control, and clinical benefit in tamoxifen-sensitive patients. Conclusion This post hoc exploratory analysis suggests that palbociclib+ET is a promising therapeutic option for premenopausal HR+/HER2– MBC patients irrespective of tamoxifen sensitivity.
ABSTRACT
While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.
ABSTRACT
While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.
ABSTRACT
Background@#Although international guidelines recommend palliative care approaches for many serious illnesses, the palliative needs of patients with serious illnesses other than cancer are often unmet, mainly due to insufficient prognosis-related discussion. We investigated physicians' and the general public's respective attitudes toward prognostic disclosure for several serious illnesses. @*Methods@#We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 928 physicians, sourced from 12 hospitals and the Korean Medical Association, and 1,005 members of the general public, sourced from all 17 administrative divisions in Korea. @*Results@#For most illnesses, most physicians (adjusted proportions – end-organ failure, 99.0%; incurable genetic or neurologic disease, 98.5%; acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS], 98.4%; stroke or Parkinson's disease, 96.0%; and dementia, 89.6%) and members of the general public (end-organ failure, 92.0%; incurable genetic or neurologic disease, 92.5%; AIDS, 91.5%; stroke or Parkinson's disease, 92.1%; and dementia, 86.9%) wanted to be informed if they had a terminal prognosis. For physicians and the general public, the primary factor to consider when disclosing terminal status was “the patient's right to know his/her condition” (31.0%). Yet, the general public was less likely to prefer prognostic disclosure than physicians. Particularly, when their family members were patients, more than 10% of the general public did not want patients to be informed of their terminal prognosis. For the general public, the main reason for not disclosing prognosis was “psychological burden such as anxiety and depression” (35.8%), while for the physicians it was “disclosure would have no beneficial effect” (42.4%). @*Conclusion@#Most Physicians and the general public agreed that disclosure of a terminal prognosis respects patient autonomy for several serious illnesses. The low response rate of physicians might limit the generalizability of the results.
ABSTRACT
While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.
ABSTRACT
Background@#Although international guidelines recommend palliative care approaches for many serious illnesses, the palliative needs of patients with serious illnesses other than cancer are often unmet, mainly due to insufficient prognosis-related discussion. We investigated physicians' and the general public's respective attitudes toward prognostic disclosure for several serious illnesses. @*Methods@#We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 928 physicians, sourced from 12 hospitals and the Korean Medical Association, and 1,005 members of the general public, sourced from all 17 administrative divisions in Korea. @*Results@#For most illnesses, most physicians (adjusted proportions – end-organ failure, 99.0%; incurable genetic or neurologic disease, 98.5%; acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS], 98.4%; stroke or Parkinson's disease, 96.0%; and dementia, 89.6%) and members of the general public (end-organ failure, 92.0%; incurable genetic or neurologic disease, 92.5%; AIDS, 91.5%; stroke or Parkinson's disease, 92.1%; and dementia, 86.9%) wanted to be informed if they had a terminal prognosis. For physicians and the general public, the primary factor to consider when disclosing terminal status was “the patient's right to know his/her condition” (31.0%). Yet, the general public was less likely to prefer prognostic disclosure than physicians. Particularly, when their family members were patients, more than 10% of the general public did not want patients to be informed of their terminal prognosis. For the general public, the main reason for not disclosing prognosis was “psychological burden such as anxiety and depression” (35.8%), while for the physicians it was “disclosure would have no beneficial effect” (42.4%). @*Conclusion@#Most Physicians and the general public agreed that disclosure of a terminal prognosis respects patient autonomy for several serious illnesses. The low response rate of physicians might limit the generalizability of the results.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We investigated whether irinotecan plus capecitabine improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with capecitabine alone in patients with human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) negative and anthracycline and taxane pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 221 patients were randomly assigned to irinotecan (80 mg/m2, days 1 and 8) and capecitabine (1,000 mg/m2 twice a day, days 1-14) or capecitabine alone (1,250 mg/m2 twice a day, days 1-14) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was PFS. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in PFS between the combination and monotherapy arm (median, 6.4 months vs. 4.7 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 1.11; p=0.84). In patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC, n=90), the combination significantly improved PFS (median, 4.7 months vs. 2.5 months; HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.91; p=0.02). Objective response rate was numerically higher in the combination arm, though it failed to reach statistical significance (44.4% vs. 33.3%, p=0.30). Overall survival did not differ between arms (median, 20.4 months vs. 24.0 months; p=0.63). While grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was more common in the combination arm (39.6% vs. 9.0%), hand-foot syndrome was more often observed in capecitabine arm. Quality of life measurements in global health status was similar. However, patients in the combination arm showed significantly worse symptom scales especially in nausea/vomiting and diarrhea. CONCLUSION: Irinotecan plus capecitabine did not prove clinically superior to single-agent capecitabine in anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated HER2 negative MBC patients. Toxicity profiles of the two groups differed but were manageable. The role of added irinotecan in patients with TNBC remains to be elucidated.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arm , Breast Neoplasms , Breast , Capecitabine , Diarrhea , Disease-Free Survival , Epidermal Growth Factor , Global Health , Hand-Foot Syndrome , Neutropenia , Quality of Life , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms , Weights and MeasuresABSTRACT
The approval number of Institutional Review Board (IRB) was wrong in the article.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: With the emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, profiling a wide range of genomic alterations has become a possibility resulting in improved implementation of targeted cancer therapy. In Asian populations, the prevalence and spectrum of clinically actionable genetic alterations has not yet been determined because of a lack of studies examining high-throughput cancer genomic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To address this issue, 1,071 tumor samples were collected from five major cancer institutes in Korea and analyzed using targeted NGS at a centralized laboratory. Samples were either fresh frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) and the quality and yield of extracted genomic DNA was assessed. In order to estimate the effect of sample condition on the quality of sequencing results, tissue preparation method, specimen type (resected or biopsied) and tissue storage time were compared. RESULTS: We detected 7,360 non-synonymous point mutations, 1,164 small insertions and deletions, 3,173 copy number alterations, and 462 structural variants. Fifty-four percent of tumors had one or more clinically relevant genetic mutation. The distribution of actionable variants was variable among different genes. Fresh frozen tissues, surgically resected specimens, and recently obtained specimens generated superior sequencing results over FFPE tissues, biopsied specimens, and tissues with long storage duration. CONCLUSION: In order to overcome, challenges involved in bringing NGS testing into routine clinical use, a centralized laboratory model was designed that could improve the NGS workflows, provide appropriate turnaround times and control costs with goal of enabling precision medicine.
Subject(s)
Humans , Academies and Institutes , Asian People , DNA , Korea , Methods , Paraffin , Point Mutation , Precision Medicine , PrevalenceABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the association between Oncotype DX (ODX) recurrence score and traditional prognostic factors. We also developed a nomogram to predict subgroups with low ODX recurrence scores (less than 25) and to avoid additional chemotherapy treatments for those patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical variables were retrospectively retrieved and analyzed from a series of 485 T1-3N0-1miM0 hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2‒negative breast cancer patients with available ODX test results at Asan Medical Center from 2010 to 2016. One hundred twenty-seven patients (26%) had positive axillary lymph node micrometastases, and 408 (84%) had ODX recurrence scores of ≤25. Logistic regression was performed to build a nomogram for predicting a low-risk subgroup of the ODX assay. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that estrogen receptor (ER) score, progesterone receptor (PR) score, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and Ki-67 had a statistically significant association with the low-risk subgroup. With these variables, we developed a nomogram to predict the low-risk subgroup with ODX recurrence scores of ≤25. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85 to 0.96). When applied to the validation group the nomogram was accurate with an area under the curve = 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.95). CONCLUSION: The low ODX recurrence score subgroup can be predicted by a nomogram incorporating five traditional prognostic factors: ER, PR, histologic grade, LVI, and Ki-67. Our nomogram, which predicts a low-risk ODX recurrence score, will be a useful tool to help select patients who may or may not need additional ODX testing.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Humans , Breast Neoplasms , Breast , Drug Therapy , Epidermal Growth Factor , Estrogens , Logistic Models , Lymph Nodes , Multivariate Analysis , Neoplasm Micrometastasis , Nomograms , Prognosis , Receptors, Progesterone , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , ROC CurveABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It is difficult to decide whether to inform the child of the incurable illness. We investigated attitudes of the general population and physicians toward prognosis disclosure to children and associated factors in Korea. METHODS: Physicians working in one of 13 university hospitals or the National Cancer Center and members of the general public responded to the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the age appropriate for informing children about the prognosis and the reason why children should not be informed. This survey was conducted as part of research to identify perceptions of physicians and general public on the end-of-life care in Korea. RESULTS: A total of 928 physicians and 1,241 members of the general public in Korea completed the questionnaire. Whereas 92.7% of physicians said that children should be informed of their incurable illness, only 50.7% of the general population agreed. Physicians were also more likely to think that younger children should know about their poor prognosis compared with the general population. Physicians who opposed incurable illness disclosure suggested that children might not understand the situation, whereas the general public was primarily concerned that disclosure would exacerbate the disease. Physicians who were women or religious were more likely to want to inform children of their poor prognosis. In the general population, gender, education, comorbidity, and caregiver experience were related to attitude toward poor prognosis disclosure to children. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that physicians and the general public in Korea differ in their perceptions about informing children of poor prognosis.