OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there is an association between improvement of computed tomography imaging results prior to interval debulking with survival in patients treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: The clinical and outcome data of all advanced ovarian, primary peritoneal and tubal carcinoma patients who after diagnosis had neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent interval debulking during the period 2000-2010, were abstracted. Results of computed tomography imaging at diagnosis and prior to interval debulking were compared. Two parameters were assessed: the change of the size and number of abnormal findings and the change in the amount of ascites. CA-125 level response was also calculated. An assessment of progression free survival and of survival by the Kaplan-Meier method was made according to the change in computed tomography imaging results and according to response of CA-125 levels. RESULTS: The median progression free survival and the median survival of the 37 study group patients were 7.9 and 49.2 months respectively. No significant difference in progression free survival and survival was observed between patients with marked improvement in the computed tomography results and those with less desirable results (7.93 vs. 7.23 months respectively, p=0.89; 45.8% vs. 52.5% months respectively, p=0.95). There were also no statistically significant difference according to CA-125 level response. CONCLUSION: It seems that neither improvement in imaging results nor CA-125 level response can predict the survival of ovarian carcinoma patients prior to interval debulking after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Ascites ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans

PURPOSE: We analyzed the clinical outcome of osteosarcoma developed in distal radius and the effect of delayed treatment on prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with distal radius osteosarcoma were analysed. We categorized patients into two groups of standard treatment or non-standard treatment. The patients of standard treatment group are all stage IIB and non-standard treatment group includes five stage IIB and one stage III. RESULTS: Five-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates of standard treatment group were 100% and 83%. Five-year overall survival rate of non-standard treatment group was 44%. Between two group, there are differences in age, tumor size, surgery type, symptom duration. CONCLUSION: Distal radius osteosarcoma have good prognosis than other extremity osteosarcoma. Survival rate of non-standard treatment group were lower than standard treatment group. Although the prognosis of non standard treatment group is poorer, the duration till death was longer than that of other sites with similar condition. Further multi-institutional study should be needed.
Disease-Free Survival ; Extremities ; Humans ; Osteosarcoma ; Prognosis ; Radius ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Hepatic resection and liver transplantation are considered a curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria. In this study, we examine the outcome of hepatic resection for HCC within the Milan criteria, and determine the effectiveness of hepatic resection as the primary treatment for HCC within the Milan criteria in Child-Pugh class A. METHODS: 110 patients underwent curative surgical resection for HCC in Child-Pugh class A between August 1991 and June 2008. Fifty-six patients met Milan criteria (Group M) and the remaining 54 did not (Group N). RESULTS: Overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 92.6%, 72.5% and 54.6% versus 70.4%, 43.1%, and 28.7% in Group M and Group N, respectively (P=0.0043). The corresponding disease-free survival rates were 81.5%, 69.7%, and 38.2% versus 46.0%, 32.9%, and 26.9% in Group M and Group N (P=0.0012). HCC recurred in 25 patients in Group M (44.6%) and 35 patients in Group N (64.8%)(P=0.034). Outcomes of hepatic resection in Group M were significantly better compared to Group N. CONCLUSION: Hepatic resection can achieve a comparable 5-year overall survival & disease-free survival to that reported for liver transplantation. Hepatic resection should be considered as the standard therapy for HCC within the Milan criteria in Child-Pugh class A patients.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; Survival Rate

Authors analyzed the results of treatment in 49 cases of medulloblastoma who had been operated upon at the Seoul National University Hospital from January 1972 to June 1987. There were 2 cases(4%) of postoperative mortality(death within postoperative one month) and 13 cases of late moratlity. The 3-year overall survival rate was 49.3% and 3-year disease-free survival rate was 48.5%. The risk period of recurrence was about 2 years after surgery. The 3-year survival rate was significantly better in "grow total resection" group, "radiation dose more than 50 Gy" group, and group II(23 cases operated after July 1982) (p<0.05). The rate of posterior fossa recurrence was lower in "gross total resection" group for the patients who received posterior fossa irradiation of more than 50 Gy.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma ; Prognosis* ; Recurrence ; Seoul ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo detect KLF17 expression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and to evaluate its effect on the prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.

METHODSImmunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of KLF17 in CRC and matched pericarcinous tissue,and the relationship between KLF17 expression and disease-free survival (DFS) was analyzed.

RESULTSOf 73 CRC patients, KLF17 expression was positive in 32 patients and negative in 41 patients. KLF17 expression rate was significantly lower in CRC tissue than in pericarcinous tissue (χ(2)=12.418, P=0.001). The DFS of KLF17-positive stage III colon cancer patients was (56.3±7.2) months (95% CI: 42-70 months), which was significantly longer than that [(32.3±5.5) months (95% CI: 22-43 months)] of KLF17-negative patients (P=0.039).

CONCLUSIONKLF17 expression decreases in CRC tissue, and a positivie KLF17 expression predicts a better prognosis in stage III CRC patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of continuous low-dose temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy for recurrent and TMZ-refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and to study the relationship between its efficacy and microvessel density within the tumor. METHODS: Thirty patients who had recurrent GBM following Stupp's regimen received TMZ daily at 50 mg/m2/day until tumor progression between 2007 and 2013. The median duration of continuous low-dose TMZ administration was 8 weeks (range, 2-64). RESULTS: The median progression-free survival (PFS) of continuous low-dose TMZ therapy was 2 months (range, 0.5-16). At 6 months, PFS was 20%. The median overall survival (OS) from the start of this therapy to death was 6 months (95% CI : 5.1-6.9). Microvessel density of recurrent tumor tissues obtained by reoperation of 17 patients was 22.7+/-24.1/mm2 (mean+/-standard deviation), and this was lower than that of the initial tumor (61.4+/-32.7/mm2) (p-value=0.001). It suggests that standard TMZ-chemoradiotherapy reduces the microvessel density within GBM and that recurrences develop in tumor cells with low metabolic burden. The efficacy of continuous low-dose TMZ could not be expected in recurrent GBM cells in poor angiogenic environments. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of continuous low-dose TMZ chemotherapy is marginal. This study suggests the need to develop further treatment strategies for recurrent and TMZ-refractory GBM.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Glioblastoma* ; Humans ; Microvessels* ; Recurrence ; Reoperation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients according to BRCA1/2 mutation status (mutation, variant of uncertain significance [VUS], or wild type). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 116 patients whose BRCA1/2 genetic test results were available for mutation type and clinical features, including progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and response rate. These characteristics were compared according to BRCA1/2 mutation status. RESULTS: Thirty-seven (37/116, 31.9%) BRCA1/2mutations were identified (BRCA1, 30; BRCA2, 7). Mutation of c.3627_3628insA (p.Leu1209_Glu1210?fs) in BRCA1 was observed in five patients (5/37, 13.5%). Twenty-five patients had BRCA1/2 VUSs (25/116, 21.6%). Personal histories of breast cancer were observed in 48.6% of patients with BRCA1/2 mutation (18/37), 16.0% of patients with BRCA1/2 VUS (4/25), and 7.4% of patients with BRCA wild type (4/54) (p < 0.001). Patients with BRCA1/2 mutation showed longer OS than those with BRCA1/2 wild type (p=0.005). No significant differences were detected in PFS, OS, or response rates between patients with BRCA1/2 VUS and BRCA1/2 mutation (p=0.772, p=0.459, and p=0.898, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patientswith BRCA1/2 mutation had longer OS than thosewith BRCA1/2wild type. Patients with BRCA1/2 mutation and BRCA1/2 VUS displayed similar prognoses.
Breast Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Prognosis

Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the last treatment areas to be influenced by the 'personalized medicine' bandwagon. Some anti-angiogenic agents, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown efficacy in early stages of development for the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer. As a result of vigorous clinical trials, bevacizumab, cediranib, pazopanib, olaparib, and rucaparib, either used alone or in adjunct to conventional cytotoxic agents, have all been shown to improve progression-free survival in first-line/maintenance, platinum-resistant or sensitive recurrent settings. A biomarker for bevacizumab is currently elusive. Olaparib is the first drug approved for the treatment of high-grade serous tumors and requires routine testing for BRCA mutation. Trial results of PARP inhibitors in the homologous recombination-deficient (non BRCA mutation) population are awaited and the introduction of these agents into the clinic will require robust methods of detecting homologous recombination-deficiency. Second-generation studies combining anti-angiogenic agents with PARP inhibitors are in progress and early results in the recurrent setting are encouraging. Trials with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab produced prolonged responses in a small set of ovarian cancer cases and need further exploration, for example in combination with anti-angiogenic agents. The application of targeted agents and immunologics, alone or in combination, to induce a survival advantage in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer should be continued.
Bevacizumab ; Cytotoxins ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Immunotherapy* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

Ganglioneuromas are benign tumors. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice with very good prognosis. However, neuroblastomatous malignant transformation of ganglioneuromas was previously reported. We report a patient with spinal neuroblastoma recurrent from a ganglioneuroblastoma after disease free survival of 13 years. This is one of the rare examples of spinal neuroblastoma and to our knowledge the second case report with malignant transformation from a ganglioneuroblastoma or a ganglioneuroma. The present case is the only report in the literature with further genetic investigations.
Disease-Free Survival ; Ganglioneuroblastoma* ; Ganglioneuroma ; Humans ; Neuroblastoma* ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is used for curative or palliative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is neither well known how much TACE induces tumor necrosis histologically, nor whether preoperative TACE has benefit for resectable HCC. The purpose of this study is to measure the degree of tumor necrosis induced by one session of TACE and to evaluate the effect of preoperative TACE for resectable HCC. METHODS: Between January 1999 and January 2004, 20 HCC patients with one session of preoperative TACE (TACE group) and 36 HCC patients with only preoperative hepatic angiography, without TACE (angiography group) were enrolled. RESULTS: In TACE group, 12 patients had tumor necrosis of 100%, 5 patients having between 80% and 99%, and 3 patients less than 50%. The mean tumor necrosis rate of HCC less than 5 cm in diameter were 84.7%, while 90.5% in larger size (>5 cm in diameter) of HCC (p>0.05). The mean tumor necrosis rate of the recurred patients in TACE group and in angiography group was 98.75 and 17.5% (p=0.02), respectively. Disease free survival time of the recurred patients in TACE and in angiography group was 16.75 and 20.25 months, respectively (p=0.77). CONCLUSIONS: The tumor size was not related with the degree of tumor necrosis and no relevant factors could be found. Although the mean tumor necrosis was greater in TACE group than in angiography group, the disease free survival time was not different between the two groups.
Angiography ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Palliative Care