Incidence and Survival of Pediatric Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Comparison between Adults and Children / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Pediatric-type sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), Ewing sarcoma (EWS), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), and desmoplastic small round-cell tumor (DSRCT) are rare in adults, with limited studies on their prognosis and optimal treatment strategies. We aimed to examine the outcome of children and adult patients with RMS, EWS, PNET, and DSRCT and relevant prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 220 pediatric-type sarcoma patients at a single institution between 1985 and 2011. Comparisons were made in order to examine differences in demographics, disease characteristics, and survival. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: A total of 220 consecutive patients were identified at our institute. Median age was 15.6 years (range, 0 to 81 years) and there were 108 children (49%) and 112 adult patients (51%). According to histological classification, 106 patients (48.2%) had RMS, 60 (27.3%) had EWS, 50 (22.7%) had PNET, and 4 (1.8%) had DSRCT. With a median follow-up period of 6.6 years, the estimated median overall survival (OS) of all patients was 75 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 27.2 to 122.8 months) and median event-free survival (EFS) for all patients was 11 months (95% CI, 8.8 to 13.2 months). No significant difference in OS and EFS was observed between adults and children. In multivariate analysis, distant metastasis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.617; 95% CI, 1.022 to 2.557; p=0.040) and no debulking surgery (HR, 1.443; 95% CI, 1.104 to 1.812; p=0.012) showed independent association with worse OS. CONCLUSION: Metastatic disease and no surgical treatment are poor prognostic factors for OS among pediatric-type sarcomas for both adults and children.

Brain Metastasis and Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis in Breast Cancer / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Brain metastasis is estimated to occur in 20 to 40% of cancer patients, and meningeal involvement has been reported in 5% to 8% of cancer patients. Even if the prognosis is grave, standard treatment modality of brain metastasis or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis has not been established. We evaluated the prognosis and the clinical features of the brain and leptomeningeal metastasis of the breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 43 patients who was diagnosed as brain parenchymal metastasis or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis clinically, radiologically and/or cytologically were included in this study. The median age was 44(range: 27-61) years. RESULTS: The median duration from brain metastasis to death was 181 days(range: 8~1599), and the median duration from leptomeningeal carcinomatosis to death was 39 days(range: 25~152). Age(p=0.7174) and number of brain metastatic lesion(p=0.4097) did not influence the survival, but the presence of other systemic metastatic lesion affected the survival(p 0.0224). When we compared the survival rates of patients according to treatment modality, the patients with systemic chemotherapy versus patients without systemic chemotherapy showed differences(p= 0.0009). Patients treated with whole brain radiation only versus patients with whole brain radiation and other systemic management also showed different survival rate(p=0.0009). But intrathecal chemotherapy had no effect on survival. Well differentiated, solitary lesions were treated by operation and/or gamma-knife surgery, and their effects were good. CONCLUSION: Prolongation of survival was suggested with whole brain radiotherapy combined with systemic treatment in brain or leptomeningeal metastasis. Further study is expected to confirm this finding.

The Effects of Mesima-Ex, the Immunomodulator in Curatively Resected Gastric Cancer / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The Mesima-Ex is a kind of biologic response modifier, which is extracted from a mushroom called Phellinus linteus. Mesima-Ex consists of various chemical compounds which include protein bound polysaccharide, mucoprotein, triterpenoid, and quinones. Mesima-Ex exerts its antitumor effects by augmenting host immune response without any toxic side effects. In vitro study, Mesima-Ex seems to potentiates antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and cell mediated cytotoxicity (CMI) against tumor cells. We initiated this study to verify antitumor effects of Mesima-Ex as an antineoplastic agent. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection with normal hepatic and renal function were eligible. They were divided into two groups by random number table. One group (N=30: Mesima-Ex group) received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-FU (500 mg/m2 weekly), adriamycin (40 mg/m2 every 3 weeks) and Mesima-Ex (6 cap daily per Os). Another group (N=37: control group) received 5-FU and adriamycin only without Mesima-Ex. NK (natural killer cell) activity, ADCC (antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity), CD4 , and CD8 cells were measured and an analysis of disease free survival rate of the two study groups was performed. RESULTS: Sixty seven patients were enrolled in this study. Their median age was 55 years old. NK activity (basal activity: 25%) was enhanced significantly at the 2nd, and 4th months in the Mesima-Ex group (28.9%, 43.4%, p0.05). There were no toxic side effects more than grade III from Mesima-Ex administration. The two year disease free survival rate was higher in the Mesima-Ex group than that of the control group (77% vs 58%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Mesima-Ex can be used safely as an immunomodulator with standard chemotherapeutic agents for purpose of adjuvant chemotherapy. Mesima-Ex was effective in augmenting host immune response in vitro. The Mesima-Ex group showed a higher two year disease free survival rate than that of the control group.

Multimodal Approaches in the Patients with Stage I, II non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Head and Neck / 대한치료방사선과학회지

PURPOSE: Traditionally the patients with early stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of he head and neck was treated with radiotherapy. But the results were not satisfactory due to distant relapse. Although combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy was tried with some improved results and chemotherapy alone was also tried in recent years, the choice of treatment for the patients with early stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck has not been defined. Therfore, in order to determine the optimum treatment method, we analysed retrospectively the outcomes of the patients with Ann Arbor stage I and II non-Hodgkin's lymphoma localized to the head and neck who were treated at Serverance Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 159 patients with stage I and II non-hodgkin's lymphoma localized to the head and neck were treated at our hospital from January, 1979 to December, 1992. Of these patients, 114 patients whose primary sites were Waldeyer's ring or nodal region, and received prescribed radiation dose and/or more than 2 cycles of chemotherapy, were selected to analyze the outcomes according to the treatment methods (radiotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, and combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy). RESULTS: Five year overall actuarial survival of the patients whose primary site was Waldeyer's ring was 62.5%, and that of the patients whose primary site was nodal region was 53.8%. There was no statistically significant difference between survivals of both groups. Initial response rate to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combined treatment was 92%, 83%, 94% respectively, and 5 year relapse free survival was 49.9%, 52.4%, 58.5% respectively (statistically no significant). In the patients with stage I, 3 year relapse free survival of chemotherapy alone group was 75% and superior to other treatment groups. In the patients with stage II, combined treatment group revealed the best result with 60.1% of 3 year relapse free survival. The effect of sequential schedule of each treatment method in the patients who were treated by combined modality was analyzed and the sequence of primary chemotherapy + radiotherapy + maintenance chemotherapy shoed the best result (3 year relapse free survival was 79.1%). There was no significant survival difference between BACOP regimen and CHOP regimen. Response to treatment was only one significant (p<0.005) prognostic factor on univariate analysis and age and mass size was marginally significant (p<0.01). On multivariate analysis, age (p=0.026) and mass size (p=0.013) were significant prognostic factor for the relapse free survival. CONCLUSION: In summary, the patients who have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck with stage I and mass size smaller that 10cm , can be treated by chemotherapy alone, but remainder should be treated by combined treatment method and the best combination schedule was the sequence of initial chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy.

The influence of pathologic grade on adenoid cystic carcinoma / 대한암학회지

No abstract available.

Phase II trial of 5-FU, etoposide, cisplatin (FEP) combination chemotherapy in unresectable non-small cell lung cancer / 대한암학회지

No abstract available.