Rapidly Growing, High-Risk Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor of the Stomach: A Case Report

An increase in the volume of endoscopic procedures performed in recent times has led to increasing detection rates of asymptomatic gastrointestinal subepithelial tumors. However, accurate diagnosis and risk assessment of these tumors preoperatively is challenging. A 70-year-old man patient visited the emergency department for evaluation of melena. Emergency endoscopy revealed an ulcerated subepithelial tumor (8 cm in size) in the gastric cardia and fundus. Computed tomography and upper endoscopy performed at another hospital 6 months earlier were reviewed; the mass showed a significant increase in size (from 2 cm to 8 cm). The patient underwent surgical resection of the mass and was diagnosed with a high-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). In this article, we describe a rare case of a rapidly growing GIST at a rate significantly greater than commonly reported rates.

Regional Lymph Node Dissection as an Additional Treatment Option to Endoscopic Resection for Expanded Indications in Gastric Cancer:a Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose@#Expanded indications for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in early gastric cancer (EGC) remain controversial due to the potential risk of undertreatment after adequate lymph node dissection (LND). Regional LND (RLND) is a novel technique used for limited lymphadenectomy to avoid gastrectomy. This study established the safety and effectiveness of RNLD as an additional treatment option after ESD for expanded indications. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 69 patients who met the expanded indications for ESD were prospectively enrolled from 2014 to 2017. The tumors were localized using intraoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) before RLND. All patients underwent RLND first, followed by conventional radical gastrectomy with LND. The locations of the preoperative and intraoperative EGD were compared. Pathologic findings of the primary lesion and the RLND status were analyzed. @*Results@#The concordance rates of tumor location between the preoperative and intraoperative EGD were 79.7%, 76.8%, and 63.8% according to the longitudinal, circumferential, and regional locations, respectively. Of the 4 patients (5.7%) with metastatic LNs, 3 were pathologically classified as beyond the expanded indication for ESD and 1 had a single LN metastasis in the regional lymph node. @*Conclusions@#RLND is a safe additional option for the treatment of EGC in patients meeting expanded indications after ESD.

Current Status of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong Province: Early Experiences after Public Medical Insurance Coverage in 2019

Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the current status of bariatric and metabolic surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province and to describe the early experiences after public medical insurance coverage in 2019. @*Materials and Methods@#Between January 2019 and August 2019, 64 cases of bariatric and metabolic surgery were performed in patients with morbid obesity or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. We prospectively collected and analyzed data regarding the patients’ demographics and comorbidities, surgical results, and early complications. The patient information before and after the insurance coverage was also compared. @*Results@#The number of surgeries in 9 years has been caught up only in the last 8 months after insurance coverage (58 vs. 64 patients). The mean body mass index was 37.7±5.8 kg/m2 (range, 22.7-52.1 kg/m2). The most frequently performed surgery was sleeve gastrectomy (53 cases, 82.8%), followed by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (9 cases, 14.1%), and adjustable gastric banding (2 cases, 3.1%). Postoperative complications occurred in 6 patients (9.4%), and there was no mortality. The mean operation time (225.3±85.4 vs. 156.1±61.8 min, P＜0.001) and postoperative stay (5.9±4.5 vs. 4.3±2.0 days, P=0.013) after the insurance coverage were significantly shorter than those before the insurance coverage. @*Conclusion@#We could assess the patients who had bariatric and metabolic surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province after public medical insurance coverage in 2019.

Regional Lymph Node Dissection as an Additional Treatment Option to Endoscopic Resection for Expanded Indications in Gastric Cancer:a Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose@#Expanded indications for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in early gastric cancer (EGC) remain controversial due to the potential risk of undertreatment after adequate lymph node dissection (LND). Regional LND (RLND) is a novel technique used for limited lymphadenectomy to avoid gastrectomy. This study established the safety and effectiveness of RNLD as an additional treatment option after ESD for expanded indications. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 69 patients who met the expanded indications for ESD were prospectively enrolled from 2014 to 2017. The tumors were localized using intraoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) before RLND. All patients underwent RLND first, followed by conventional radical gastrectomy with LND. The locations of the preoperative and intraoperative EGD were compared. Pathologic findings of the primary lesion and the RLND status were analyzed. @*Results@#The concordance rates of tumor location between the preoperative and intraoperative EGD were 79.7%, 76.8%, and 63.8% according to the longitudinal, circumferential, and regional locations, respectively. Of the 4 patients (5.7%) with metastatic LNs, 3 were pathologically classified as beyond the expanded indication for ESD and 1 had a single LN metastasis in the regional lymph node. @*Conclusions@#RLND is a safe additional option for the treatment of EGC in patients meeting expanded indications after ESD.

Genetic Characterization of Molecular Targets in Korean Patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

PURPOSE@#Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) frequently harbor activating gene mutations in either KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor A (PDGFRA) and are highly responsive to several selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In this study, a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay with an Oncomine Focus Assay (OFA) panel was used for the genetic characterization of molecular targets in 30 Korean patients with GIST.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#Using the OFA that enables rapid and simultaneous detection of hotspots, single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertion and deletions (Indels), copy number variants (CNVs), and gene fusions across 52 genes relevant to solid tumors, targeted NGS was performed using genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of 30 GISTs.@*RESULTS@#Forty-three hotspot/other likely pathogenic variants (33 SNVs, 8 Indels, and 2 amplifications) in 16 genes were identified in 26 of the 30 GISTs. KIT variants were most frequent (44%, 19/43), followed by 6 variants in PIK3CA, 3 in PDGFRA, 2 each in JAK1 and EGFR, and 1 each in AKT1, ALK, CCND1, CTNNB1, FGFR3, FGFR4, GNA11, GNAQ, JAK3, MET, and SMO. Based on the mutation types, majority of the variants carried missense mutations (60%, 26/43), followed by 8 frameshifts, 6 nonsense, 1 stop-loss, and 2 amplifications.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our study confirmed the advantage of using targeted NGS with a cancer gene panel to efficiently identify mutations associated with GISTs. These findings may provide a molecular genetic basis for developing new drugs targeting these gene mutations for GIST therapy.

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Program and National Health Insurance System in Korea

Since the first laparoscopic bariatric surgery in Korea introduced in January 2003, the number of metabolic and bariatric surgery has been steadily increasing. According to the report from National Health Insurance big data analysis, the prevalence of morbid and super obesity has greatly increased and metabolic and bariatric surgery also increased in the last 10 years. As the incidence of morbid obesity is more frequent in people of poor socioeconomic status, the need for a reimbursement by the government seemed to be necessary. Finally, the national health insurance system decided to financially cover metabolic and bariatric surgery from January 2019. In order to improve the safety and qualify of metabolic and bariatric surgery, the Korean Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (KSMBS) introduced surgeon's and institution's accreditation system. The authors intend to introduce comprehensive overview of accreditation system of bariatric surgery and discuss the contents of national health insurance for metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Current Status of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Daejeon/Chungcheong Area

PURPOSE: The aim of our study is to investigate the current status of metabolic and bariatric surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province and examine the role and necessity of the community research society. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 58 patients who underwent bariatric and metabolic surgery from January 2010 to June 2018 were included. Patients' demographics and comorbidities, operation type and early complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean age was 36.9±11.4 (range, 18–64) years, and mean preoperative body mass index was 39.2±6.9 (range, 24.6–56.1) kg/m². The most frequently performed operation was sleeve gastrectomy (48 cases, 82.8%), followed by adjustable gastric banding (8 cases, 13.8%) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (2 cases, 3.4%). Postoperative complications were reported in two patients; however, no mortality was reported. CONCLUSION: We investigated the patients who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery in Daejeon Chungcheong province. Our research society will continue to ensure safe operation and proper management of morbidly obese patients in our community.

Comparison Surgical Outcomes between Laparoscopic and Conventional Distal Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer in Obese Patients

PURPOSE: In this study, we explored the safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy in obese gastric cancer patients compared with conventional open gastrectomy based on early surgical outcomes. METHODS: A total of 462 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for early gastric adenocarcinoma from January 2000 to December 2014 were enrolled. Two obesity cohorts were defined according to a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 kg/m² versus ≥30 kg/m². Those cohorts were further divided into the laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) and open distal gastrectomy (ODG) groups, and clinicopathologic characteristics were compared with early surgical results. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in clinicopathologic characteristics between the LDG and ODG groups in the BMI ≥25 or BMI ≥30 cohorts. For the overall complication rate, fewer complications were observed in the LDG than ODG group in both cohorts. Among the overall complications, significant differences were observed in the minor complication rates (Clavien-Dindo I or II), but no significant difference was observed in the rate of Clavien-Dindo III or higher complications. For risk factor analysis of postoperative complications, open distal gastrectomy, age >60 years, and BMI ≥30 were independent risk factors for postoperative morbidity among all obese patients. CONCLUSION: LDG may be a better procedure to improve surgical outcomes in patients with obesity undergoing surgery for early gastric cancer in terms of less excessive blood loss, shorter operation time, and lower complication rates.

Comparative Study of Endoscopic Thyroidectomy: Total Thyroidectomy versus Near Total Thyroidectomy / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the surgical outcomes of endoscopic total and near-total thyroidectomies in patients with thyroid cancer. METHODS: Between February 2000 and January 2009, among 387 patients who underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy in our hospital, we evaluated 50 patients who underwent endoscopic total or near-total thyroidectomy. Thirtyfive and 15 patients underwent endoscopic total thyroidectomy and near-total thyroidectomy, respectively. We analyzed the patients' clinicopathologic characteristics and post-operative complications between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean size of tumors was 1.08 cm (range, 0.1 ~3.5 cm) and the mean operative time was 192 minutes. Forty-nine tumors were papillary cancers and 1 tumor was a follicular cancer. Two patients in the endoscopic total thyroidectomy group underwent re-operation because of bleeding. In the near-total thyroidectomy group, one patient had transient hypocalcemia and one patient had temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. In the total thyroidectomy group, nine patients had transient hypocalcemia and one patient had temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. There was no statistical difference in the post-operative complicationrates between the two groups (P=0.254 for hypocalcemia and P=0.470 for injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve). CONCLUSION: Based on our experience, endoscopic total thyroidectomy is a safe and feasible alternative to endoscopic near-total thyroidectomy.