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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.
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Purpose@#Despite the high prevalence of visual impairment caused by diabetic retinopathy and nutritional problems among older adults with diabetes, evidence regarding factors related to nutritional risk in this population is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the correlates of nutritional risk among older adults with diabetes, focusing on visual impairment. @*Methods@#This study was a secondary data analysis of the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans aged 65 years and above. The sample comprised 2,376 older adults with diabetes, and complex sample ANOVA and Rao–Scott chi-square tests were used to compare the groups according to visual impairment. Complex-sample logistic regression analyses were conducted to verify the association between visual impairment and nutritional risk. @*Results@#Older adults with diabetes, who also have severe visual impairment, are more likely to have nutritional risk status than those without impairment after controlling for covariates (odds ratio [OR] = 2.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16~5.13). Among the covariates, depression (OR = 3.58, 95% CI 2.60~4.94), dependent activities of daily living status (OR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.60~4.86), and experience of hospitalization during the past year (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.57~4.03) were strongly associated with nutritional risk. @*Conclusion@#Severe visual impairment increases the nutritional risk among older adults with diabetes. Therefore, it is essential to prevent visual impairment due to exacerbation of diabetes through appropriate management. Additionally, tailored nutritional interventions for visually impaired older adults with diabetes that consider visual characteristics are required.
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Purpose@#Several previous studies and case reports have reported ethanol-induced symptoms in patients receiving anticancer drugs containing ethanol. Most docetaxel formulations contain ethanol as a solvent. However, there are insufficient data on ethanol-induced symptoms when docetaxel-containing ethanol is administered. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and pattern of ethanol-induced symptoms during and after docetaxel administration. The secondary purpose was to explore the risk factors for ethanol-induced symptoms. @*Materials and Methods@#This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study. The participants filled out ethanol-induced symptom questionnaire on the day of chemotherapy and the following day. @*Results@#Data from 451 patients were analyzed. The overall occurrence rate of ethanol-induced symptoms was 44.3% (200/451 patients). The occurrence rate of facial flushing was highest at 19.7% (89/451 patients), followed by nausea in 18.2% (82/451 patients), and dizziness in 17.5% (79/451 patients). Although infrequent, unsteady walking and impaired balance occurred in 4.2% and 3.3% of patients, respectively. Female sex, presence of underlying disease, younger age, docetaxel dose, and docetaxel-containing ethanol amount were significantly associated with the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms. @*Conclusion@#The occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms was not low in patients receiving docetaxel-containing ethanol. Physicians need to pay more attention to the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms and prescribe ethanol-free or low-ethanol-containing formulations to high-risk patients.
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Background/Aims@#We evaluated the feasibility and long-term efficacy of the combination of cytarabine, idarubicin, and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for treating patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). @*Methods@#We included 87 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and a t(15;17) or promyelocytic leukemia/retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RARα) mutation. Patients received 12 mg/m2/day idarubicin intravenously for 3 days and 100 mg/m2/day cytarabine for 7 days, plus 45 mg/m2/day ATRA. Clinical outcomes included complete remission (CR), relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and the secondary malignancy incidence during a 20-year follow-up. @*Results@#The CR, 10-year RFS, and 10-year OS rates were 89.7%, 94.1%, and 73.8%, respectively, for all patients. The 10-year OS rate was 100% for patients that achieved CR. Subjects were classified according to the white blood cell (WBC) count in peripheral blood at diagnosis (low-risk, WBC < 10,000/mm3; high-risk, WBC ≥ 10,000/mm3). The low-risk group had significantly higher RFS and OS rates than the high-risk group, but the outcomes were not superior to the current standard treatment (arsenic trioxide plus ATRA). Toxicities were similar to those observed with anthracycline plus ATRA, and higher than those observed with arsenic trioxide plus ATRA. The secondary malignancy incidence after APL treatment was 2.7%, among the 75 patients that achieved CR, and 5.0% among the 40 patients that survived more than 5 years after the APL diagnosis. @*Conclusions@#Adding cytarabine to anthracycline plus ATRA was not inferior to anthracycline plus ATRA alone, but it was not comparable to arsenic trioxide plus ATRA. The probability of secondary malignancy was low.
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Purpose@#The aims of this study were to examine the rate of depression among older adults living alone and to identify factors associated with depression in older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Methods@#A secondary data analysis was performed using data from the 2020 Korea Community Health Survey. The study participants were 18,824 older adults aged 65 years and over living alone. The data of the complex sample design was analyzed with consideration for weights, stratification, and clustering. Complex sample multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with depression in older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Results@#The results showed that the rate of depression in older adults living alone was 6.3%. Older adults living alone with decreased physical activity, decreased hours of sleep, and an increased or similar frequency of meeting with friends or neighbors were found to be more likely to have depression. In terms of factors related to the practice of COVID-19 infection prevention and control rules, not disinfecting regularly and not wearing a mask indoors were related to depression.For health-related factors, fair or poor self-rated health status, not having breakfast every day, and feeling stressed were related to depression. @*Conclusion@#It is recommended to develop tailored interventions to prevent depression among older adults living alone by considering the factors related to their depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Background@#The risk of opioid-related aberrant behavior (OAB) in Korean cancer patients has not been previously evaluated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) in Korean cancer patients receiving opioid treatment. @*Methods@#Data were obtained from a multicenter, cross-sectional, nationwide observational study regarding breakthrough cancer pain. The study was conducted in 33 South Korean institutions from March 2016 to December 2017. Patients were eligible if they had cancer-related pain within the past 7 days, which was treated with strong opioids in the previous 7 days. @*Results@#We analyzed ORT results of 946 patients. Only one patient in each sex (0.2%) was classified as high risk for OAB. Moderate risk was observed in 18 males (3.3%) and in three females (0.7%). Scores above 0 were primarily derived from positive responses for personal or familial history of alcohol abuse (in men), or depression (in women). In patients with an ORT score of 1 or higher (n = 132, 14%), the score primarily represented positive responses for personal history of depression (in females), personal or family history of alcohol abuse (in males), or 16–45 years age range. These patients had more severe worst and average pain intensity (proportion of numeric rating scale ≥ 4: 20.5% vs. 11.4%, P < 0.001) and used rescue analgesics more frequently than patients with ORT scores of 0. The proportion of moderateor high-risk patients according to ORT was lower in patients receiving low doses of longacting opioids than in those receiving high doses (2.0% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.031). Moderate or high risk was more frequent when ORT was completed in an isolated room than in an open, busy place (2.7% vs. 0.6%, P = 0.089). @*Conclusions@#The score of ORT was very low in cancer patients receiving strong opioids for analgesia. Higher pain intensity may associate with positive response to one or more ORT item.
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Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare mesenchymal tumors that most commonly develop in the pleura; they rarely involve the diaphragm. MRI has not been widely used to evaluate SFTs of the thoracic cavity, though it may be highly useful in assessing local invasion, predicting malignant potential, and helping in the differential diagnosis. However, MRI findings of malignant SFTs of the diaphragmatic pleura have been described in only two cases. We report a rare case of a malignant solitary fibrous tumor of the diaphragmatic pleura in an 82-year-old man. We describe the clinical and characteristic imaging features, including computed tomography, conventional MRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging. Contrast-enhanced MRI is more accurate than is CT in identifying the origin of SFTs, predicting whether they ae benign or malignant, and assessing local invasion. This imaging modality proved helpful in deciding on the treatment strategy for these rare tumors.
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Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a high-grade soft tissue sarcoma that arises from mesenchymal tissue. Primary UPS of the small intestine is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Its presentation is usually nonspecific; however, it may occasionally present as intussusception with intermittent abdominal pain. It is a highly aggressive tumor with a propensity for early distant metastasis to the peritoneum, lymph nodes, other abdominal organs, lungs and brain. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of endobronchial metastasis from small intestine UPS. We report a rare case of UPS of the small intestine with endobronchial metastasis presenting as intussusception.
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Shock thyroid is a rare manifestation of the CT hypotension complex and can be diagnosed when thyroid and perithyroidal edemas are observed on CT during the onset of shock. Shock thyroid can be a useful CT sign for decompensated shock. This condition is reversible and recovers rapidly with adequate treatment. We present the case of an 84-year-old female with septic shock, exhibiting CT features consistent with a shock thyroid. We also reviewed the clinical and radiological findings reported in the literature. The present case emphasizes that shock thyroid can be an early indicator of impending hemodynamic instability and has important prognostic and therapeutic implications.
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Purpose@#This study investigated the difficulties in end-of-life care and end-of-life care competency in nurses who take care of cancer patients. @*Methods@#In the mixed method, a structured questionnaire on end-of-life care stress and competency was conducted on 115 nurses caring for cancer patients, and 19 were interviewed for qualitative research. For the collected quantitative data, descriptive statistics were used. For the qualitative study, the contents of the interview were summarized and systematized using the content analysis method to derive the main themes. @*Results@#The mean end-of-life care stress was 4.08 points (out of 5) and the mean end-of-life care competency was 3.43 points (out of 5). Four themes and 11 sub-themes for the difficulties in end-of-life care were identified, and the four themes are as follows: (1) regret over limited end-of-life nursing, (2) different aspects of persistent emotional distress, (3) overloaded duty at the end-of-life (4) conflicts encountered in decision-making for life-sustaining treatment. Four themes and eight sub-themes for end-of-life care competency were identified, and the four themes are as follows: (1) empathy and listening skills, (2) communication skills, (3) clinical nursing experience and education, (4) clinical nursing competency. @*Conclusion@#It was confirmed that nurses caring for cancer patients had a high level of end-of-life care stress, and it is necessary to develop a program to reduce difficulties in end-of-life care and increase end-of-life care competency.
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Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a high-grade soft tissue sarcoma that arises from mesenchymal tissue. Primary UPS of the small intestine is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Its presentation is usually nonspecific; however, it may occasionally present as intussusception with intermittent abdominal pain. It is a highly aggressive tumor with a propensity for early distant metastasis to the peritoneum, lymph nodes, other abdominal organs, lungs and brain. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of endobronchial metastasis from small intestine UPS. We report a rare case of UPS of the small intestine with endobronchial metastasis presenting as intussusception.
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Shock thyroid is a rare manifestation of the CT hypotension complex and can be diagnosed when thyroid and perithyroidal edemas are observed on CT during the onset of shock. Shock thyroid can be a useful CT sign for decompensated shock. This condition is reversible and recovers rapidly with adequate treatment. We present the case of an 84-year-old female with septic shock, exhibiting CT features consistent with a shock thyroid. We also reviewed the clinical and radiological findings reported in the literature. The present case emphasizes that shock thyroid can be an early indicator of impending hemodynamic instability and has important prognostic and therapeutic implications.
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Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) is one of the essential diagnostic procedures for pulmonary lesions. Its role is increasing in the era of CT screening for lung cancer and precision medicine. The Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology developed the first evidence-based clinical guideline for PTNB in Korea by adapting pre-existing guidelines. The guideline provides 39 recommendations for the following four main domains of 12 key questions: the indications for PTNB, pre-procedural evaluation, procedural technique of PTNB and its accuracy, and management of post-biopsy complications. We hope that these recommendations can improve the diagnostic accuracy and safety of PTNB in clinical practice and promote standardization of the procedure nationwide.
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Purpose@#This study investigated the difficulties in end-of-life care and end-of-life care competency in nurses who take care of cancer patients. @*Methods@#In the mixed method, a structured questionnaire on end-of-life care stress and competency was conducted on 115 nurses caring for cancer patients, and 19 were interviewed for qualitative research. For the collected quantitative data, descriptive statistics were used. For the qualitative study, the contents of the interview were summarized and systematized using the content analysis method to derive the main themes. @*Results@#The mean end-of-life care stress was 4.08 points (out of 5) and the mean end-of-life care competency was 3.43 points (out of 5). Four themes and 11 sub-themes for the difficulties in end-of-life care were identified, and the four themes are as follows: (1) regret over limited end-of-life nursing, (2) different aspects of persistent emotional distress, (3) overloaded duty at the end-of-life (4) conflicts encountered in decision-making for life-sustaining treatment. Four themes and eight sub-themes for end-of-life care competency were identified, and the four themes are as follows: (1) empathy and listening skills, (2) communication skills, (3) clinical nursing experience and education, (4) clinical nursing competency. @*Conclusion@#It was confirmed that nurses caring for cancer patients had a high level of end-of-life care stress, and it is necessary to develop a program to reduce difficulties in end-of-life care and increase end-of-life care competency.
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Cancer incidence has been increasing steadily and is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Gastric cancer is still most common malignancy in Korea. Cancer initiation and progression are multistep processes involving various growth factors and their ligands. Among these growth factors, we have studied hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is associated with cell proliferation and invasion, leading to cancer and metastasis, especially in gastric cancer. We explored the intercellular communication between HGF and other surface membrane receptors in gastric cancer cell lines. Using complimentary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray technology, we found new genes associated with HGF in the stomach cancer cell lines, NUGC-3 and MKN-28, and identified their function within the HGF pathway. The HGF/N-methyl-N’-nitroso-guanidine human osteosarcoma transforming gene (c-MET) axis interacts with several molecules including E-cadherin, urokinase plasminogen activator, KiSS-1, Jun B, and lipocalin-2. This pathway may affect cell invasion and metastasis or cell apoptosis and is therefore associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis in gastric cancer.
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Objective@#This study aimed to evaluate the clinical benefits and risks of CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle lung biopsies (PTNBs) in patients with a suspected pulmonary infection. @*Materials and Methods@#This study included 351 CT-guided PTNBs performed in 342 patients (mean age, 58.9 years [range,17–91 years]) with suspected pulmonary infection from January 2010 to December 2016. The proportion of biopsies that revealed the causative organism for pulmonary infection and that influenced patient’s treatment were measured. Multivariateanalyses were performed to identify factors associated with PTNB that revealed the causative organism or affected the treatment. Finally, the complication rate was measured. @*Results@#CT-guided PTNB revealed the causative organism in 32.5% of biopsies (114/351). The presence of necrotic components in the lesion (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–2.7; p = 0.028), suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2–3.5; p = 0.010), and fine needle aspiration (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1–5.8; p = 0.037) were factors associated with biopsies that revealed the causative organism. PTNB influenced patient’s treatment in 40.7% (143/351) of biopsies. The absence of leukocytosis (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0–3.7; p = 0.049), presence of a necrotic component in the lesion (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.5–3.8; p < 0.001), and suspected tuberculosis (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0–2.8; p = 0.040) were factors associated with biopsies that influenced the treatment. The overall complication rate of PTNB was 19% (65/351). @*Conclusion@#In patients with suspected pulmonary infection, approximately 30–40% of CT-guided PTNBs revealed the causative organism or affected the treatment. The complication rate of PTNB for suspected pulmonary infection was relatively low.
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Background/Aims@#For metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), various prognostic scoring systems have been developed. However, owing to the low prevalence of nonclear cell RCC, the three most commonly used tools were mainly developed based on patients with clear cell histology. Accordingly, this study applied three prognostic models to Korean non-clear cell RCC patients treated with first-line temsirolimus. @*Methods@#This study analyzed data for 74 patients with non-clear cell RCC who were treated with temsirolimus as the first-line therapy at eight medical centers between 2011 and 2016. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the different prognostic models were analyzed. @*Results@#Twenty-seven (36.5%), 24 (32.4%), and 44 patients (59.5%) were assigned to the poor prognosis groups of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC), and Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (ARCC) risk stratification models, respectively. All three prognostic models reliably discriminated the risk groups to predict progression-free survival and overall survival (p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for progression and survival was highest for the ARCC model (0.777; 0.734), followed by the IMDC (0.756; 0.724) and the MSKCC (0.742; 0.712) models. Furthermore, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting progression were highest with the ARCC model (sensitivity 63.6%, specificity 85.7%), followed by the MSKCC (sensitivity 58.2%, specificity 86.5%) and the IMDC models (sensitivity 56.4%, specificity 85.7%). @*Conclusions@#All three prognostic models accurately predicted the survival of the non-clear cell RCC patients treated with temsirolimus as the first-line therapy. Furthermore, the ARCC risk model performed better than the other risk models in predicting survival.
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OBJECTIVE: This study presents a preliminary report on the chest radiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia in Korea.MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of a multi-institutional collaboration coordinated by the Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology, we collected nine patients with COVID-19 infections who had undergone chest radiography and CT scans. We analyzed the radiographic and CT findings of COVID-19 pneumonia at baseline. Fisher's exact test was used to compare CT findings depending on the shape of pulmonary lesions.RESULTS: Three of the nine patients (33.3%) had parenchymal abnormalities detected by chest radiography, and most of the abnormalities were peripheral consolidations. Chest CT images showed bilateral involvement in eight of the nine patients, and a unilobar reversed halo sign in the other patient. In total, 77 pulmonary lesions were found, including patchy lesions (39%), large confluent lesions (13%), and small nodular lesions (48%). The peripheral and posterior lung fields were involved in 78% and 67% of the lesions, respectively. The lesions were typically ill-defined and were composed of mixed ground-glass opacities and consolidation or pure ground-glass opacities. Patchy to confluent lesions were primarily distributed in the lower lobes (p = 0.040) and along the pleura (p < 0.001), whereas nodular lesions were primarily distributed along the bronchovascular bundles (p = 0.006).CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pneumonia in Korea primarily manifested as pure to mixed ground-glass opacities with a patchy to confluent or nodular shape in the bilateral peripheral posterior lungs. A considerable proportion of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia had normal chest radiographs.
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OBJECTIVE: This study presents a preliminary report on the chest radiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia in Korea.MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of a multi-institutional collaboration coordinated by the Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology, we collected nine patients with COVID-19 infections who had undergone chest radiography and CT scans. We analyzed the radiographic and CT findings of COVID-19 pneumonia at baseline. Fisher's exact test was used to compare CT findings depending on the shape of pulmonary lesions.RESULTS: Three of the nine patients (33.3%) had parenchymal abnormalities detected by chest radiography, and most of the abnormalities were peripheral consolidations. Chest CT images showed bilateral involvement in eight of the nine patients, and a unilobar reversed halo sign in the other patient. In total, 77 pulmonary lesions were found, including patchy lesions (39%), large confluent lesions (13%), and small nodular lesions (48%). The peripheral and posterior lung fields were involved in 78% and 67% of the lesions, respectively. The lesions were typically ill-defined and were composed of mixed ground-glass opacities and consolidation or pure ground-glass opacities. Patchy to confluent lesions were primarily distributed in the lower lobes (p = 0.040) and along the pleura (p < 0.001), whereas nodular lesions were primarily distributed along the bronchovascular bundles (p = 0.006).CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pneumonia in Korea primarily manifested as pure to mixed ground-glass opacities with a patchy to confluent or nodular shape in the bilateral peripheral posterior lungs. A considerable proportion of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia had normal chest radiographs.
Subject(s)
Humans , Cooperative Behavior , Coronavirus , Korea , Lung , Pleura , Pneumonia , Radiography , Radiography, Thoracic , Thorax , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Purpose@#This study aimed at identifying the level of active aging in older adults and the influence of the individual and community levels of community capacity on active aging. @*Methods@#A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a stratified sample of 380 older adults living in 35 neighborhoods of five regions in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The structured questionnaire included the Korean version of instruments that measure active aging and community capacity at the individual level. Secondary data including metropolitan statistical information, a public data portal, and a city plan were used to acquire community-capacity factors at the community level. Data were analyzed with multilevel models. @*Results@#The overall active aging mean score was 3.00 ± 0.55 out of 5; the highest mean score was in the security domain (3.46 ± 0.65) and the lowest one was in the participation domain (2.71 ± 0.66). Individual factors associated with active aging included age, education, income, and community capacity at the individual level. At the community level, two community-capacity factors (senior leisure welfare facilities and cooperative unions) were significantly associated with active aging. In active aging, 6.4% and 4.1% of total variance could be explained by 35 neighborhoods, after considering individual and community level variables, respectively. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that community capacity is important for active aging among older adults. Appropriate strategies that consider both individual and community factors, such as contextual indicators of community capacity, are necessary to improve active aging.