Systemic Inflammatory Response Following Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Can Affect Oncologic Outcomes in MSI-H/dMMR Rectal Cancer / 전남의대학술지

Systemic inflammatory response (SIR) is a crucial determinant of disease progression and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. This study investigated the prognostic relevance of changes in the platelet count on survival and the predictive value of changes in the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the pathological tumor response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) rectal cancer. From 2011 to 2022, data of 46 consecutive patients with MSI-H rectal cancer who were treated with preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital (Daegu, South Korea) were retrospectively analyzed. A 235 cut-off value was used to define whether PLR was high or low. Any change in the PLR or NLR was calculated on the basis of subtracting the pre-CRT PLR or NLR from the post-CRT values. Both pre-CRT and post-CRT values of the NLR and PLR were not significantly associated with clinical outcomes. Simple logistic regression analysis showed that a change in the PLR following CRT was not significantly associated with survival outcomes; however, patients who maintained a high change in the PLR following CRT showed significantly better pathologic T-stage. No statistically significant association was noted between changes in the platelet count and clinical outcomes of patients. The results suggested that changes in the PLR following CRT are associated with pathologic T-stage of the group. However, the SIR markers showed no prognostic values on the survival outcomes of the patients with MSI-H/mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Clinical Impact of Prognostic Nutrition Index for Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients with Peritoneal Metastases Treated Nivolumab Monotherapy / 전남의대학술지

Although nivolumab shows survival benefits for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), predictive biomarkers for nivolumab treatment in AGC remain unclear, especially in the case of peritoneal metastases. This study investigated the clinical significance of the prognostic nutrition index (PNI), reflecting the host nutritional status and immunity, in AGC patients undergoing nivolumab monotherapy. This study retrospectively analyzed 53 AGC patients who received nivolumab between October 2017 and February 2021. Among them, 35 patients with peritoneal metastases were reviewed to investigate the relationship between the PNI and oncological outcomes. The PNI was calculated as 10×serum albumin level (g/dl)+0.005×total lymphocyte count (per mm3 ) at the first administration of nivolumab. With a median follow-up duration of 2.0 (0.3-13.5) months, the median overall survival (OS) was 2.0 months. The overall response and disease-control rates were 0.0% and 20.0%, respectively. Among the 35 patients, 13 patients were identified as a high-PNI group. In the univariate analysis, the high-PNI group showed a significantly longer PFS and OS than the low-PNI group. In the multivariate analysis, the high-PNI was independently associated with a longer PFS (p=0.021) and OS (p=0.022). The PNI can be useful for predicting PFS and OS in AGC patients with peritoneal metastases. However, further studies are required to validate these results in AGC and new strategies are needed to improve the outcome for AGC patients with peritoneal metastases.

Clinical characteristics and survival of colorectal cancer patients in Korea stratified by age

Background/Aims@#This nationwide study was undertaken to determine differences in clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) according to age using big data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). @*Methods@#The NHIS data including quality assessment of CRC by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in Korea between 2011 and 2014 were analyzed. Based on age, patients were divided into three groups: not-old patients (< 65), young-old patients (65 to 74 years old) and old-old patients (≥ 75 years old). @*Results@#We included 71,513 CRC patients. The median follow-up duration was 3.2 years (range, 0.003 to 5.5). Male patients constituted 60%. The median age of patients was 65 years (range, 18 to 102). Colon was the cancer site in 59.8% of not-old patients, 62.9% of young-old patients, and 66.1% of old-old patients. Compared to not-old patients, young-old and old-old patients were more likely to be diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma and well/moderate differentiation or adequate differentiation (all p < 0.001). Old patients underwent more emergency operation (p < 0.001) and received less adjuvant therapy in stage I–III (p < 0.001). The probability of 3-year survival of young-old or old-old patients was worse than that for not-old patients (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46 to 1.64) (HR, 3.19; 95% CI, 3.03 to 3.37). @*Conclusions@#Old patients with CRC show different histology from younger patients. They are more frequently to have colon as primary lesion. They undergo less adjuvant therapy. Further studies and evidence-based guidelines for older patients with CRC are warranted to improve their outcome.

Clinical characteristics and survival of colorectal cancer patients in Korea stratified by age

Background/Aims@#This nationwide study was undertaken to determine differences in clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) according to age using big data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). @*Methods@#The NHIS data including quality assessment of CRC by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in Korea between 2011 and 2014 were analyzed. Based on age, patients were divided into three groups: not-old patients (< 65), young-old patients (65 to 74 years old) and old-old patients (≥ 75 years old). @*Results@#We included 71,513 CRC patients. The median follow-up duration was 3.2 years (range, 0.003 to 5.5). Male patients constituted 60%. The median age of patients was 65 years (range, 18 to 102). Colon was the cancer site in 59.8% of not-old patients, 62.9% of young-old patients, and 66.1% of old-old patients. Compared to not-old patients, young-old and old-old patients were more likely to be diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma and well/moderate differentiation or adequate differentiation (all p < 0.001). Old patients underwent more emergency operation (p < 0.001) and received less adjuvant therapy in stage I–III (p < 0.001). The probability of 3-year survival of young-old or old-old patients was worse than that for not-old patients (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46 to 1.64) (HR, 3.19; 95% CI, 3.03 to 3.37). @*Conclusions@#Old patients with CRC show different histology from younger patients. They are more frequently to have colon as primary lesion. They undergo less adjuvant therapy. Further studies and evidence-based guidelines for older patients with CRC are warranted to improve their outcome.

Comparison of three risk stratification models for non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients treated with temsirolimus as first-line therapy

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.

Immunogenicity and Optimal Timing of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination during Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastric and Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#Pneumococcal vaccination (13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine [PCV13]) is recommended to cancer patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy. However, the optimal time interval between vaccine administration and initiation of chemotherapy has been little studied in adult patients with solid malignancies. @*Materials and Methods@#We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether administering PCV13 on the first day of chemotherapy is non-inferior to vaccinating 2 weeks prior to chemotherapy initiation. Patients were randomly assigned to two study arms, and serum samples were collected at baseline and 4 weeks after vaccination to analyze the serologic response against Streptococcus pneumoniae using a multiplexed opsonophagocytic killingassay. @*Results@#Of the 92 patients who underwent randomization, 43 patients in arm A (vaccination 2 weeks before chemotherapy) and 44 patients in arm B (vaccination on the first day of chemotherapy) were analyzed. Immunogenicity was assessed by geometric mean and fold-increase of post-vaccination titers, seroprotection rates (percentage of patients with post-vaccination titers > 1:64), and seroconversion rates (percentage of patients with > 4-fold increase in post-vaccination titers). Serologic responses to PCV13 did not differ significantly between the two study arms according to all three types of assessments. @*Conclusion@#The overall antibody response to PCV13 is adequate in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer during adjuvant chemotherapy, and no significant difference was found when patients were vaccinated two weeks before or on the day of chemotherapy initiation.

Treatment Patterns and Changes in Quality of Life during First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy in Korean Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate chemotherapy patterns and changes in quality of life (QOL) during first-line palliative chemotherapy for Korean patients with unresectable or metastatic/recurrent gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thiswas a non-interventional, multi-center, prospective, observational study of 527 patients in Korea. QOL assessments were conducted using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaires (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-STO22 every 3 months over a 12-month period during first-line palliative chemotherapy. The specific chemotherapy regimens were selected by individual clinicians. RESULTS: Most patients (93.2%) received combination chemotherapy (mainly fluoropyrimidine plus platinum) as their first-line palliative chemotherapy. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8.2 and 14.8 months, respectively. Overall, “a little” changes (differences of 5-10 points from baseline)were observed in some of the functioning or symptom scales; none of the QOL scales showed either “moderate” or “very much” change (i.e., ≥ 11 point difference from baseline). When examining the best change in each QOL domain from baseline, scales related to some aspects of functioning, global health status/QOL, and most symptoms revealed significant improvements (p < 0.05). Throughout the course of first-line palliative chemotherapy, most patients' QOL was maintained to a similar degree, regardless of their actual response to chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: This observational study provides important information on the chemotherapy patterns and QOL changes in Korean patientswith advanced GC. Overall, first-line palliative chemotherapy was found to maintain QOL, and most parameters showed an improvement compared with the baseline at some point during the course.

Korean physicians' policies for postoperative surveillance of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We explored Korean physicians’ policies for surveillance of colorectal cancer (CRC) after curative surgery. METHODS: Web-based self-report questionnaires were developed. Invitations to participate were emailed to physicians who diagnosed and treated CRC from October 1 to November 15, 2015. The questionnaire consisted of the role doctors played in the surveillance, examination of surveillance, and duration of postoperative surveillance according to CRC stage or primary site of the cancer. RESULTS: Ninety-one physicians participated in the online survey, and 78 completed the survey. Sixty-seven participants (13%) answered “up to 5 years” for stage I surveillance duration; and 11 (13%) responded with a duration of > 5 years for stage I. A total of 61 (75%) responded with a surveillance duration of up to 5 years for stage II; and 19 (24%) responded with a duration of > 5 years for stage II. Sixty-seven (97%) and 61 (91%) physicians monitored patients with stage II/III every 3 or 6 months by laboratory examination and by abdominopelvic computed tomography scan for the first year, respectively. A total of 43 (53%) responded with a surveillance duration of up to 5 years for stage IV; and 46 (46%) responded with a duration of > 5 years for stage IV after curative resection. CONCLUSIONS: Korean physicians mostly followed up CRC using intensive postoperative surveillance. In preference to monitoring over a comparatively shorter period of time, the physicians tended to prefer monitoring patients post-operatively over a > 5 year period, particularly in cases of advanced-stage CRC.

The Predictive Value of Epstein-Barr Virus-Positivity in Patients Undergoing Gastrectomy Followed by Adjuvant Chemotherapy / 전남의대학술지

The present study evaluated the survival impact of standard adjuvant chemotherapy and prognostic differences between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) and EBV-negative gastric cancer (EBVnGC). A total of 276 patients were enrolled according to the following criteria: 1) pathologically diagnosed with primary gastric adenocarcinoma, 2) test results from EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization, 3) stage II/III according to the 7th edition of UICC/AJCC staging system for gastric cancer, and 4) postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Fifty-nine (21.4%) and 217 (78.6%) patients exhibited EBVaGC and EBVnGC, respectively, while 129 (46.7%) patients were classified as stage II and 147 (53.3%) as stage III. As for adjuvant chemotherapy, 87 (31.5%) patients received capecitabine and oxaliplatin, while 189 (68.5%) received S-1 monotherapy. With a median follow-up duration of 21.3 (6.4-89.0) months, the estimated 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 74.8% and 83.0%, respectively. In univariate analysis and multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazard model including age, gender, stage, Lauren classification, and the type of chemotherapy, EBV-positivity was not significantly associated with DFS (p-value= 0.630) regardless of the type of chemotherapy. Therefore, no association was found between EBV positivity and the survival outcomes in patients with curatively resected gastric cancer who received standard adjuvant chemotherapy.

Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) for preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (PCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), by comparing with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were treated with PCRT for LARC from 2015 January to 2016 December were retrospectively enrolled. Total doses of 45 Gy to 50.4 Gy with 3D-CRT or SIB-IMRT were administered concomitantly with 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin or capecitabine. Surgery was performed 8 weeks after PCRT. Between PCRT and surgery, one cycle of additional chemotherapy was administered. Pathologic tumor responses were compared between SIB-IMRT and 3D-CRT groups. Acute gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, and skin toxicities were compared between the two groups based on the RTOG toxicity criteria. RESULTS: SIB-IMRT was used in 53 patients, and 3D-CRT in 41 patients. After PCRT, no significant differences were noted in tumor responses, pathologic complete response (9% vs. 7%; p = 1.000), pathologic tumor regression Grade 3 or higher (85% vs. 71%; p = 0.096), and R0 resection (87% vs. 85%; p = 0.843). Grade 2 genitourinary toxicities were significantly lesser in the SIB-IMRT group (8% vs. 24%; p = 0.023), but gastrointestinal toxicities were not different across the two groups. CONCLUSION: SIB-IMRT showed lower GU toxicity and similar tumor responses when compared with 3D-CRT in PCRT for LARC.

Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) for preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (PCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), by comparing with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were treated with PCRT for LARC from 2015 January to 2016 December were retrospectively enrolled. Total doses of 45 Gy to 50.4 Gy with 3D-CRT or SIB-IMRT were administered concomitantly with 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin or capecitabine. Surgery was performed 8 weeks after PCRT. Between PCRT and surgery, one cycle of additional chemotherapy was administered. Pathologic tumor responses were compared between SIB-IMRT and 3D-CRT groups. Acute gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, and skin toxicities were compared between the two groups based on the RTOG toxicity criteria. RESULTS: SIB-IMRT was used in 53 patients, and 3D-CRT in 41 patients. After PCRT, no significant differences were noted in tumor responses, pathologic complete response (9% vs. 7%; p = 1.000), pathologic tumor regression Grade 3 or higher (85% vs. 71%; p = 0.096), and R0 resection (87% vs. 85%; p = 0.843). Grade 2 genitourinary toxicities were significantly lesser in the SIB-IMRT group (8% vs. 24%; p = 0.023), but gastrointestinal toxicities were not different across the two groups. CONCLUSION: SIB-IMRT showed lower GU toxicity and similar tumor responses when compared with 3D-CRT in PCRT for LARC.

Clinical Significance of p53 Protein Expression, Beta-catenin Expression and HER2 Expression for Epstein-Barr Virus-associated Gastric Cancer / 전남의대학술지

This study assessed the expression of the p53 protein, beta-catenin, and HER2 and their prognostic implications in patients with EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC). After reviewing 1318 consecutive cases of surgically resected or endoscopic submucosal dissected gastric cancers, 117 patients were identified as EBV-positive using EBV-encoded RNA in-situ hybridization. The immunohistochemistry results were interpreted as follows: strong p53 nuclear expression in at least 50% of tumor nuclei was interpreted as a positive result, strong beta-catenin expression in at least 10% of cytoplasmic nuclei was interpreted as a positive result, and moderate or strong complete or basolateral membrane staining in 10% of tumor cells was interpreted as a positive result for HER2. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 was performed on tumor tissue from 105 patients, among whom 25 (23.8%) tested positive. Meanwhile, beta-catenin expression was positive in 10 patients (17.5%) and HER2 expression was positive in 8 patients (6.8%). The positive expression of p53 was significantly associated with a high T stage (p=0.006). More patients with lymph node metastasis were p53-positive (p=0.013). In the univariate analysis, the p53-positive patients showed significantly decreased disease-free survival (DFS) when compared with the p53-negative patients (p=0.022), although the p53 status was only marginally associated with overall survival (OS) (p=0.080). However, p53 expression showed no prognostic significance on DFS in the multivariate analysis. Moreover, beta-catenin and HER2 showed no association with DFS and OS in the survival analysis. The current study found a significant correlation between p53 expression and tumor progression and lymph node metastases in patients with EBVaGC.

Clinical Significance of p53 Protein Expression, Beta-catenin Expression and HER2 Expression for Epstein-Barr Virus-associated Gastric Cancer / 전남의대학술지

This study assessed the expression of the p53 protein, beta-catenin, and HER2 and their prognostic implications in patients with EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC). After reviewing 1318 consecutive cases of surgically resected or endoscopic submucosal dissected gastric cancers, 117 patients were identified as EBV-positive using EBV-encoded RNA in-situ hybridization. The immunohistochemistry results were interpreted as follows: strong p53 nuclear expression in at least 50% of tumor nuclei was interpreted as a positive result, strong beta-catenin expression in at least 10% of cytoplasmic nuclei was interpreted as a positive result, and moderate or strong complete or basolateral membrane staining in 10% of tumor cells was interpreted as a positive result for HER2. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 was performed on tumor tissue from 105 patients, among whom 25 (23.8%) tested positive. Meanwhile, beta-catenin expression was positive in 10 patients (17.5%) and HER2 expression was positive in 8 patients (6.8%). The positive expression of p53 was significantly associated with a high T stage (p=0.006). More patients with lymph node metastasis were p53-positive (p=0.013). In the univariate analysis, the p53-positive patients showed significantly decreased disease-free survival (DFS) when compared with the p53-negative patients (p=0.022), although the p53 status was only marginally associated with overall survival (OS) (p=0.080). However, p53 expression showed no prognostic significance on DFS in the multivariate analysis. Moreover, beta-catenin and HER2 showed no association with DFS and OS in the survival analysis. The current study found a significant correlation between p53 expression and tumor progression and lymph node metastases in patients with EBVaGC.

Clinical Practices and Outcomes on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Management in South Korea: Comparison with Asia-Pacific Data of the Pan Australasian Chemotherapy Induced Emesis Burden of Illness Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: This study reported patient outcomes of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) prophylaxis for highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) regimens and evaluated its adherence to acute-phase CINV prophylaxis in the Korean population subset of the Pan Australasian Chemotherapy Induced Emesis burden of illness (PrACTICE) study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This subgroup analysis evaluated 158 Korean patients receiving HEC or MEC and compared the data (wherever possible) with that of 648 patients from the Asia-Pacific (AP) region. Study endpoints included evaluation of primary CINV prophylaxis and adherence to acute-phase CINV prophylaxis in cycle 1 (American Society of Clinical Oncology [ASCO] Quality Oncology Practice Initiative [QOPI]). RESULTS: In South Korea and the AP, a 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist (5HT₃-RA) prophylaxis for the acute phase was administered to 79/80 patients (98.8%) for HEC and 70/71 patients (98.6%) for MEC regimens (QOPI-1). Triple regimen (corticosteroid–5HT₃-RA–neurokinin 1-RA) was initiated in 46/80 patients (57.5%) for prophylaxis of acute CINV in cycle 1 of HEC (QOPI-3). Double regimen (corticosteroid–5HT₃-RA, with or within NK₁-RA) was initiated in 61/71 patients (83.1%) for control of acute CINV in cycle 1 of MEC a(QOPI-2). CONCLUSION: Active management of CINV is necessary in cycle 1 of HEC in South Korea, despite higher rates than the AP region. Adherence to the international guidelines for CINV prophylaxis requires attention in the acute phase in cycle 1 of the HEC regimen.

Clinical Significance of MET Gene Copy Number in Patients with Curatively Resected Gastric Cancer / 전남의대학술지

The present study analyzed the prognostic impact of MET gene copy number in patients with curatively resected gastric cancer who received a combination regimen of cisplatin and S-1. The MET gene copy number was analyzed by use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. From January 2006 to July 2010, 70 tumor samples from 74 patients enrolled in a pilot study were analyzed. According to a cutoff MET gene copy number of > or =2 copies, a high MET gene copy number was observed in 38 patients (54.3%). The characteristics of the 2 groups divided according to MET gene copy number were similar. With a median follow-up duration of 26.4 months (range, 2.6-73.2 months), the estimated 3-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 54.3% and 77.4%, respectively. No significant association was observed between the MET gene copy number and survival in a multivariate analysis. The MET gene copy number investigated in this study was not found to be associated with prognosis in patients with curatively resected gastric cancer.

Clinical Significance of MET Gene Copy Number in Patients with Curatively Resected Gastric Cancer / 전남의대학술지

The present study analyzed the prognostic impact of MET gene copy number in patients with curatively resected gastric cancer who received a combination regimen of cisplatin and S-1. The MET gene copy number was analyzed by use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. From January 2006 to July 2010, 70 tumor samples from 74 patients enrolled in a pilot study were analyzed. According to a cutoff MET gene copy number of > or =2 copies, a high MET gene copy number was observed in 38 patients (54.3%). The characteristics of the 2 groups divided according to MET gene copy number were similar. With a median follow-up duration of 26.4 months (range, 2.6-73.2 months), the estimated 3-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 54.3% and 77.4%, respectively. No significant association was observed between the MET gene copy number and survival in a multivariate analysis. The MET gene copy number investigated in this study was not found to be associated with prognosis in patients with curatively resected gastric cancer.

Current Trends in Studies of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Associated Gastric Carcinoma

EBV infection has been causally associated with incidence of many carcinomas. EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) has been classified as a unique gastric carcinoma subset, suggesting EBV infection is related to the development of gastric cancer. In this study, general trends of EBVaGC studies for last half-decades were reviewed in several perspectives of clinical significance, virological importance and etiological interests. Throughout this comprehensive reviewing, new study trends of EBV and EBVaGC for next half-decades were suggested.

A Randomized Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, Multicenter Trial of Azasetron versus Ondansetron to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety in the Prevention of Delayed Nausea and Vomiting Induced by Chemotherapy / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of azasetron compared to ondansetron in the prevention of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a multi-center, prospective, randomized, double-dummy, double-blind and parallel-group trial involving 12 institutions in Korea between May 2005 and December 2005. A total of 265 patients with moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy were included and randomly assigned to either the azasetron or ondansetron group. All patients received azasetron (10 mg intravenously) and dexamethasone (20 mg intravenously) on day 1 and dexamethasone (4 mg orally every 12 hours) on days 2-4. The azasetron group received azasetron (10 mg orally) with placebo of ondansetron (orally every 12 hours), and the ondansetron group received ondansetron (8 mg orally every 12 hours) with placebo of azasetron (orally) on days 2-6. RESULTS: Over days 2-6, the effective ratio of complete response in the azasetron and ondansetron groups was 45% and 54.5%, respectively (95% confidence interval, -21.4 to 2.5%). Thus, the non-inferiority of azasetron compared with ondansetron in delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting was not proven in the present study. All treatments were well tolerated and no unexpected drug-related adverse events were reported. The most common adverse events related to the treatment were constipation and hiccups, and there were no differences in the overall incidence of adverse events. CONCLUSION: In the present study, azasetron showed inferiority in the control of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting compared with ondansetron whereas safety profiles were similar between the two groups.

Clinical significance of nuclear factor kappaB and chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who received rituximab-based therapy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the expression of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the chemokine receptor (CXCR4) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who received rituximab-based therapy. METHODS: Seventy patients with DLBCL and treated with rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) were included, and immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of NF-kappaB (IkappaB kinase alpha, p50, and p100/p52) and CXCR4. To classify DLBCL cases as germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB, additional immunohistochemical expression of CD10, bcl-6, or MUM1 was used in this study. The expression was divided into two groups according to the intensity score (negative, 0 or 1+; positive, 2+ or 3+). RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 66 years (range, 17 to 87), and 58.6% were male. Twenty-seven patients (38.6%) had stage III or IV disease at diagnosis. Twenty-three patients (32.9%) were categorized as high or high-intermediate risk according to their International Prognostic Indexs (IPIs). The overall incidence of bone marrow involvement was 5.7%. Rates of positive NF-kappaB and CXCR4 expression were 84.2% and 88.6%, respectively. High NF-kappaB expression was associated with CXCR4 expression (p = 0.002), and 56 patients (80.0%) showed coexpression. However, the expression of NF-kappaB or CXCR4 was not associated with overall survival and EFS. On multivariate analysis that included age, gender, performance status, stage, and the IPI, no significant association between the grade of NF-kappaB or CXCR4 expression and survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that the tissue expression of NF-kappaB and CXCR4 may not be an independent prognostic marker in DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP.

Clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with mantle cell lymphoma in Korea: Study by the Consortium for Improving Survival of Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: We investigated the clinical features and treatment outcomes of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics and prognosis of 131 patients diagnosed with MCL between January 2004 and December 2009 at 15 medical centers in Korea; all patients received at least 1 chemotherapeutic regimen for MCL. RESULTS: The median age for the patients was 63 years (range, 26-78 years), and 77.9% were men. A total of 105 patients (80.1%) had stage III or IV MCL at diagnosis. Fifty-two patients (39.7%) were categorized with high- or high-intermediate risk MCL according to the International Prognostic Index (IPI). Eighteen patients (13.7%) were in the high-risk group according to the simplified MCL-IPI (MIPI). The overall incidence of extranodal involvement was 69.5%. The overall incidence of bone marrow and gastrointestinal involvements at diagnosis was 41.2% and 35.1%, respectively. Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone, and rituximab were used frequently as the first-line treatment (41.2%). With a median follow-up duration of 20.0 months (range, 0.2-77.0 months), the overall survival (OS) at 2 years was 64.7%, while the event-free survival (EFS) was 39.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that the simplified MIPI was significantly associated with OS. However, the use of a rituximab-containing regimen was not associated with OS and EFS. CONCLUSION: Similar to results from Western countries, the current study found that simplified MIPI was an important prognostic factor in Korean patients with MCL.