Recent development of dignostic tools such as video-endoscopy, chromoscopy, magnifying endoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasonography has made it possible to do the accurate staging of colorectal cancer. Dysplasia confined to mucosa or upper one-third of submucosa of rectal wall can be treated with mucosal resection or local resection for cure. The involvement of perirectal lymph node by cancers can be confirmed by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNA). Positron emission tomography is useful for the detection of recurrent and metastatic tumor after surgical resection. Colonoscopy is cost-effective for the screening of cancer, however, But the virtual colonoscopy with MR or CT can play the role of colonoscopy without risk. Stool DNA test is a promising tool. In addition to traditional diagnostic tools such as colonoscopy, CT and pathology, emerging knowledge from molecular biology of cancer gives information on predicts the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Colonography, Computed Tomographic ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Diagnosis* ; DNA ; Endoscopy ; Endosonography ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mass Screening ; Molecular Biology ; Mucous Membrane ; Pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prognosis

Colorecal cancer undergo relatively long preneoplastic processes before being invasive. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) has been a useful tool to detect the advanced colorectal cancers with cost-effectiveness. However, the patient’s compliance to FOBT was poor because of low sensitivity and annual sampling. The sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy have the ten-year preventive effect for the advanced cancer. Recently the DNA stool test for detection of mutations has showed excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has several adventages such as collection of samples and automated analysis. Virtual colonoscopy, especially CT colonograpy, can be a viable option for the colorecal cancer screening. In November 2001, the Korean Society of Coloproctology (KSCP) and the Natinal Cancer Center (NCC) developed the guidelines on screening and surveillance for early detection of colorectal cancers in Korea. Average-risk men and women should start colonoscopic examination with a 10-year interval at the age of 50. Individuals with increased risk such as those with a family or personal history of colorectal cancer or colorectal adenomas, or family history of familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer should consult their surveillance to the specialty-physicians. The ideal screening tools may change by age.
Adenoma ; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; Colonography, Computed Tomographic ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Compliance ; DNA ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Occult Blood ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sigmoidoscopy

No abstract available.
Rectovaginal Fistula*

No abstract available.
Rectal Fistula*

No abstract available.
Abscess* ; Multivariate Analysis* ; Recurrence*

No abstract available.
Colorectal Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

BACKGROUND: Soluble IL-2R, soluble CD8 and TNF-alpha are elevated in sera of some patients with hematological malignancies, and a marked elevation of these cytokines could be used to assess disease activity and prognosis in this malignancy group. METHODS: The serum levels of sIL-2R, sCD8 and TNF-alpha were assessed in 28 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 32 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and 39 cases of healthy control subjects to define clinical usefulness as prognostic markers by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: In MDS patients, serum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher as compared with controls, and a more pronounced increase of serum sIL-2R levels was found in patients with RAEB RAEB-t and CMML as compared with RA and RARS. Serum sCD8 levels were higher as compared with controls, but not related with FAB classification. In patients with leukemic conversion. sCD8 levels tended to be higher as compared with patients with non-conversion. The sIL-2R levels of AML patients were significantly higher than controls, and a significant correlation was detected between the levels of sIL-2R and WBC counts. Higher sIL-2R levels( >2000 U/ml) tended to affect both complete remission rate and survival. Serum sCD8 levels were higher than controls, but not related to FAB classification. No differences of serum TNF-alpha levels were detected as compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: From these results, this study indicates that serum sIL-2R and sCD8 are significantly increased in some patients with MDS and AML, and increased levels of serum sIL-2R and sCD8 may be useful for predicting prognosis of these patients.
Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts ; Classification ; Cytokines ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

The influence of age and menopausal status at diagnosis on the prognosis of patients with primary breast cancer remains controversial. Some studies have found that younger patients have worse clinical outcomes than older patients, others have reported that younger patients have a more favorable outcome, and others have found no relation with age. We analyzed the effects of menopausal status in the survival of patients with operable breast cancer and estimated the correlations between the menopausal status and other established prognostic factors. We reviewed the records of the patients who had been operated on at the Department of Surgery, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University during the past 10 years (1985~1996). The results were as follows: 1) The peak age group was the fifth decade (27%), and all of patients, except one, were females. 2) The most common symptom was a palpable breast mass with or without pain (88%). 3) Most patients (72.8%) visited within 6 months of the first appearance of a symptom, and the most frequent tumor size was 2~5 cm in diameter (58.9%). 4) Most of the primary tumors were located in the upper outer quadrant (61%); tumors located in the lower outer quadrant were rare (3%). 5) The most common TNM stage group was stage II (54.1%), and there was no difference of distribution between the premenopause and the postmenopause groups. 6) The common pathologic cancer types were infiltrating ductal cancer (73.8%), medullary cancer (9.3%), mucinous cancer (8.3%). 7) Axillary lymph-node metastasis was present in 58 cases (62.4%). 8) The overall five-year survival rate for all patients was 43.9%. 9) The five-year survival rates of the 38 premenopausal patients and the 38 postmenopausal patients were 42.4% and 35.8%, respectively, but there was no statically significant difference between the two groups. 10) Menopausal status did not significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor location, lymph-node metastasis or TNM stage. In conclusion, the menopausal status may be not correlated with the prognosis in breast cancer However, the effect of menopausal status on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer needs to be investigated for a large papulation of breast cancer patients.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Mucins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

Two cases of acute digitalis poisoning were presented. The first patient was 20-year-old male with asymptomatic ventricular septal defect (maladie de Roger) who attempted suicide by ingestion of degitalis leaf about 6.0 g (60 tablets). He developed severe epigastric pain and vomiting one hour after ingestion. Syncopal attack was developed once for a few minutes and recovered. Electrocardiogram revealed 2:1 A-V block. By conservative management he was recovered. The second patient was 2-year-old, healthy baby who ingested digoxin about 2.5 mg(10 tablets) by accident. He developed severe vomiting and electrocardiogram revealed 1degrees, 2degreesand 3degrees A-V block in series. He was recovered by conservative management without sequele.
Child, Preschool ; Digitalis* ; Digoxin ; Eating ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Male ; Poisoning* ; Suicide, Attempted ; Vomiting ; Young Adult