This study investigated the trends of gastric cancer in Korea by adding the latest updated gastric cancer data from 2019. Gastric cancer incidence between 1999 and 2019 was reviewed using data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. The study period was divided into 3 periods: period I (1999–2005), period II (2006–2012), and period III (2013–2019). The incidence, mortality, tumor location, histology, stage, and treatment were analyzed.Between 1999 and 2019, 577,502 patients were newly diagnosed with gastric cancer in Korea, accounting for 33.2% of patients aged ≥70 years. The age-standardized incidence rate (per 100,000) significantly decreased from 2011 (43.0) to 2019 (29.6), with an annual percent change of −4.50. Additionally, the age-standardized mortality rate (per 100,000) markedly decreased from 1999 (23.9) to 2019 (6.7). The proportions of patients with cardia and fundus cancers remained consistent. The proportion of localized stage cases increased, while those of regional and distant stages decreased. The rate of surgical treatment increased in localized and regional stages from 2006 to 2019. The overall 5-year relative survival (5YRS) rate of gastric cancer (per 100,000) increased from 55.7% in period I to 77.0% in period III. From 2013 to 2019, the 5YRS rates of patients (per 100,000) who underwent surgical treatment were 100.6% and 70.5% in the localized and regional stages, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated several changes in the epidemiology of gastric cancer in Korea. This study provides information to help understand the current trends in gastric cancer in Korea.

No abstract available.
Complementary Therapies* ; Humans ; Korea*

BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign tumor in older men; the etiology of this disease remains poorly understood. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) both act as androgen via a single androgen receptor. Testosterone is converted to DHT by 5alpha-reductase in prostatic stromal cells. Progesterone has been reported to inhibit DHT conversion; howevwe, its effect on prostatic stromal cells remains to be elucidated. MATERILAS AND METHODS: In this experiment, we investigated the effect of progesterone on androgen receptor expression induced by DHT. We also tested the effect of progesterone on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, as well as prostate stromal cell proliferation using the cell count kit-8. RESULTS: Progesterone did not cause an increase of prostate stromal cell proliferation. The mRNA expression of the androgen receptor and COX-2 were not changed by progesterone; the expressions of androgen receptor and COX-2 proteins were decreased by progesterone in prostate stromal cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in prostate stromal cells, progesterone decreases androgen receptor protein expression, which results in decrement of COX-2 protein expression. This effect might be mediated by post-transcriptional regulation.
Cell Count ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Humans ; Male ; Progesterone* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Receptors, Androgen ; RNA, Messenger ; Stromal Cells* ; Testosterone

Purpose: This study aimed to report the projected cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2023 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden. Materials and Methods: Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2020 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2021 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against their respective years and then by multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the anticipated age-specific population for 2023. A joinpoint regression model was used to determine the year in which the linear trend changed significantly; we only used the data of the latest trend. Results: In total, 273,076 new cancer cases and 81,818 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2023. The most common cancer site is expected to be the lung, followed by the thyroid, breast, colon and rectum, and stomach. These five cancers are expected to represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. The most common type of cancer leading to death is expected to be lung cancer, followed by liver, colorectal, pancreatic, and gallbladder cancers. Conclusion The incidence rates for all types of cancer in Korea are estimated to gradually decrease. These up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluating cancer-control programs.

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2020. Materials and Methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2020, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2021. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea. Results: The number of new cancer diagnoses in 2020 decreased by 9,218 cases (3.6%) compared to 2019. In 2020, newly diagnosed cancer cases and deaths from cancer were reported as 247,952 (age-standardized rate [ASR], 262.2 per 100,000) and 82,204 (ASR, 69.9 per 100,000), respectively. The overall cancer incidence rates increased by 3.3% annually from 1999 to 2012, and decreased by 5.0% annually from 2012 to 2015, thereafter, followed by nonsignificant changes. Cancer mortality rates have been decreasing since 2002, with more rapid decline in recent years. The 5-year relative survival between 2016 and 2020 was 71.5%, which contributed to prevalent cases reaching over 2.2 million in 2020. Conclusion In 2020, the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients decreased due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, but the overall trend is on the rise. Cancer survival rates have improved over the past decades. As the number of cancer survivors increases, a comprehensive cancer control strategy should be implemented in line with the changing aspects of cancer statistics. The long-term impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on cancer statistics needs to be investigated in the future.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated regional disparities in the incidence of 8 major cancers at the municipal level in Korea during 1999-2018 and evaluated the presence or absence of hot spots of cancer clusters during 2014-2018. METHODS: The Korea National Cancer Incidence Database was used. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by gender and region at the municipal level for 4 periods of 5 years and 8 cancer types. Regional disparities were calculated as both absolute and relative measures. The possibility of clusters was examined using global Moran’s I with a spatial weight matrix based on adjacency or distance. RESULTS: Regional disparities varied depending on cancer type and gender during the 20-year study period. For men, the regional disparities of stomach, colon and rectum, lung, and liver cancer declined, and those of thyroid and prostate cancer recently decreased, despite an overall increasing incidence. For women, regional disparities in stomach, colon and rectum, lung, liver, and cervical cancer declined, that of thyroid cancer recently decreased, despite an overall increasing incidence, and that of breast cancer steadily increased. In 2014-2018, breast cancer (I, 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.70) showed a high probability of cancer clusters in women, and liver cancer (I, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.56) showed a high probability of cancer clusters in men. CONCLUSIONS Disparities in cancer incidence that were not seen at the national level were discovered at the municipal level. These results could provide important directions for planning and implementing local cancer policies.

Purpose: This study aimed to report the projected cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2024 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden. Materials and Methods: Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2021 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2022 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against their respective years and multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the anticipated age-specific population for 2024. A joinpoint regression model was used to determine the year in which the linear trend changed significantly; we only used the data of the latest trend for prediction. Results: In total, 292,221 new cancer cases and 83,770 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2024. The most common cancer site is expected to be the thyroid, followed by the colon and rectum, lung, breast, and stomach. These five cancers are expected to represent 55.7% of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. The most common type of cancer leading to death is expected to be lung cancer, followed by liver, colorectal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers. Conclusion The age-standardized incidence rates for female breast and prostate cancers are estimated to continue to increase. These up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluating cancer-control programs.

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2021. Materials and Methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2021, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2022. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea. Results: The number of new cancer diagnoses in 2021 increased by 27,002 cases (10.8%) compared to 2020. In 2021, newly diagnosed cancer cases and deaths from cancer were reported as 277,523 (age-standardized rate [ASR], 289.3 per 100,000) and 82,688 (ASR, 67.6 per 100,000), respectively. The overall cancer incidence rates increased by 3.3% annually from 1999 to 2012, and decreased by 5.3% from 2012 to 2015, thereafter, followed by non-significant changes. Cancer mortality rates have been decreasing since 2002, with more rapid decline in recent years (annual decrease of 2.8% from 2002 to 2013; 3.2% from 2013 to 2021). The 5-year relative survival between 2017 and 2021 was 72.1%, which contributed to prevalent cases reaching over 2.4 million in 2021. Conclusion In 2021, the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients increased as healthcare utilization recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019–related declines of 2020. Revised cancer registration guidelines expanded the registration scope, particularly for stomach and colorectal cancer. Survival rates have improved over the years, leading to a growing population of cancer survivors, necessitating a comprehensive cancer control strategy. The long-term impact of the pandemic on cancer statistics requires future investigation.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatments such as restriction of phosphate, phosphate binder use, and active vitamine D therapy have been widely used for hyperparathyroidism in ESRD patients, and surgical parathyroidectomy should be considered in patients with uncontrolled hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 24 ESRD patients with severe and uncontrolled hyperparathyroidism despite of medical treatment who undertook surgical parathyroidectomy in Severance hospital from 1990 to 1999. RESULTS: Sixteen patients had total parathyroidectomy with immediate autotransplant, 7 patients had subtotal parathyroidectomy and only 1 patient had minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. An excellent short-term control of hyperparathyroidism was achieved in all patients after parathyroidectomy. Preoperative bone and joint pain improved in 16 of 19 patients. Muscle weakness and pain improved in 11 of 17 patiens, malaise improved in 8 of 10 patients and pruritus improved in 10 of 13 patients. In addition, clinical laboratory finding improved after parathyroidectomy. No clinical differences were seen between 16 patients who undertook total parathyroidectomy with immediate autotransplant and 7 patients who undertook subtotal parathyroidectomy. Recurrence of hyperparathyroidism ocurred in 5 of 24 patients with 4 nodular hyperplasia and 1 diffuse hyperplasia in pathologic finding. The less degree of attenuated response of intact PTH levels immediately after operation was observed in 5 recurrent cases. CONCLUSION: Good results were obtained after parathyroidectomy. We believe that histologic subtype and the attenuated response of intact PTH after surgical parathyroidectomy could be possible predictors of the recurrent hyperparathyroidism.
Arthralgia ; Autografts ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism* ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; Hyperplasia ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Muscle Weakness ; Parathyroidectomy* ; Pruritus ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitamins

The use of quinolone for treatment of rickettsial diseases remains controversial. Recent clinical studies suggest that quinolone is not as effective as others in patients with rickettsial diseases including scrub typhus, although the mechanism is not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the mutation in gyrA associated with quinolone resistance. We prospectively enrolled scrub typhus patients, collected blood samples and clinical data from October, 2010 to November, 2011. Among the 21 patients enrolled, one initially received ciprofloxacin for 3 days but was switched to doxycycline due to clinical deterioration. We obtained the gyrA gene of Orientia tsutsugamushi from 21 samples (20 Boryong strain, 1 Kato strain) and sequenced the quinolone resistance-determining region. All of 21 samples had the Ser83Leu mutation in the gyrA gene, which is known to be associated with quinolone resistance. This suggests that quinolones may be avoided for the treatment of serious scrub typhus.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Bacterial Proteins/*genetics ; Ciprofloxacin/*therapeutic use ; DNA Gyrase/*genetics ; Doxycycline/therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Orientia tsutsugamushi/classification/enzymology/*genetics ; Phylogeny ; Prospective Studies ; Scrub Typhus/*drug therapy ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA