PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the differences of the clinicopathological features and survival rates in gastric cancer according to the sex of the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 5,784 cases of gastric cancer patients who underwent laparotomy at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital fmm Jan. 1986 to Dec. 1995. We have analyzed clinicopathologic features including tumor location, Bonmann type, depth of invasicm, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage, histologic differentiation and survival rates according to the sex of the patients. RESULTS: The mean age of female patients was 52.4 years, which is lower than that of male, 54.8 years. There were no differences in tumor location, Borrmann type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage of tumor between male and female. But there were some differences in histologic differentiation; well- and moderately differentiated cancers were more common in male and signet-ring cell cancers were more common in female. Female shows slightly better prognosis than male. But the prognosis of young female was poorer than that of young male. CONCLUSION: In gastric cancer patients, differences in histologic differentiation and more aggressive nature of the signet-ring cell cancer in female may affect the survival differences according to the sex.
Female* ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: The New Bethesda System terminology has opened a series of problems about the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion categories, particularly on their follow up. METHODS: We observe 12300 Pap smear examination, from jan 1995 to Dec 1999, in the Health promotion Center in a university hospital. Subjects were defined a the Health Promotion Center in a university hospital by electrical record and chart review. RESULTS: We find 48 cases of ASCUS and 33 cases of LSIL. When it is followed up by Pap smear, 34 cases of ASCUS are confirmed normal 19 cases(55.9%), benign cellular change 6 cases(17.6%), ASCUS 5 cases(14.7%), HSIL 4 cases(11.8%) and 27 cases of LSIL are confirmed normal 11 cases(40.7%), benign cellular change 3 cases(11.1%), ASCUS 3 cases(11.1%), LSIL 8 cases(29.6%), HSIL 2 cases(7.4%). 14 cases of ASCUS and 23 cases of LSIL are diagnosed by biopsy. Hostologic results of 14 cases of ASCUS are confirmed cervicitis 10 cases(71.4%), Moderate dysplasia 2 cases(14.3%), carcinoma in sute 2 cases(14.3%) and histologic results of 23 cases of LSIL are confirmed cervicitis 15 cases(65.2%), mild dysplasia 3 cases(13%), moderated dysplasia 3 cases(13%), sever dysplasia 1 cases(4.3%), carcinoma in situ 1 case(4.3%). Pap smear only was used for follow-up at family medicine clinic and 14 cases(29.2%), 4 cases(12.1%) are follow-up loss. CONCLUSION: After it is diagnosed ASCUS or LSIL Lesion of Pap smear in healthy care visitors, Follw-up loss is high in only follow-up Pap smear examination and follow-up results are presented more we severe lesions. To reduce follow-up loss, aggressive diagnosis and managements may be needed more than Pap smear follow-up examination.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Uterine Cervicitis

The status of metastasis to the regional lymph nodes has been considered to be a major prognostic factor of gastric cancer along with the depth of invasion. So far, the extent of lymph node metastasis has mainly been described by the anatomic location of the involved lymph node, which is an artificial classification. Therefore, a quantitative system such as the number or the ratio of involved lymph nodes emerges as a simple and objective assessment tool. This retrospective study evaluated the prognostic significance of the ratio of involved lymph nodes to resected lymph nodes as an indicator of the status of lymph node metastasis compared to the number of involved lymph nodes in gastric cancer. Five thousand two hundred seventeen consecutive cases of resectable gastric cancer treated at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital from 1986 to 1995, were reviewed. Among them, 170 cases with unreliable pathologic reports and 476 cases with less than 15 isolated lymph nodes were excluded to minimize the stage migration phenomenon and to increase the creditability of the ratio, so finally 4571 cases were evaluated. The distributions of the number of cases and the 5-year survival rates were analyzed in a two-dimensional matrix with the ratio of the number of involved to resected lymph nodes on one axis and either the number of involved lymph nodes or the number of resected lymph nodes on the other axis. The other clinicopathologic variables were also evaluated for their prognostic values. The overall 5-year survival rate was 62.4%. The mean number of resected lymph nodes was 4.1(15~168) and the mean number of involved lymph nodes was 5.7. The ratios of involved lymph nodes were evenly distributed in the two matrices and had significant prognostic value in both the involved lymph node matrix and resected lymph node matrix. Age, sex, type of operation, R-category, tumor location, Borrmann type, tumor size, histologic differentiation, Lauren`s classification, depth of invasion, number of involved lymph nodes, ratio of involved lymph nodes to resected lymph nodes, distant metastasis, perineural invasion, lymphatic invasion, and vascular invasion and prognostic significance in univariate analysis and multivariate analysis performed with the above factors revealed that R-category, depth of invasion, and ratio of involved lymph nodes to resected lymph nodes were the independent significant prognostic factors. In the situation where a radical lymph node dissection is performed as the standard operation for gastric cancer, the ratio of involved lymph nodes to resected lymph nodes has a more comprehensive and accurate prognostic value than the number of involved or resected lymph nodes, and it should be considered as an estimate of the nodal status in gastric cancer.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Classification ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Primary gastric lymphoma is a rare neoplasm that represents 1~4% of all gastric malignancies. The optimal treatment of primary gastric lymphoma remains controversial. This study was designed to examine the prognostic significance of various clinicopathologic factors in patients with gastric lymphoma and to evaluate the role of surgery in the treatment of gastric lymphoma. METHODS: Retrospective study of 71 cases of primary gastric lymphoma which had been undergone laparotomy at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital from Jan. 1982 to Dec. 1996 was performed. The authors reviewed clinicopathologic factors of patients and evaluated their prognostic significance. RESULTS: 1) The mean age of the patients was 50 years, and the most prevalent ages occurred in the 6th & the 7th decade. The ratio of males to females was 1.3:1. 2) The presenting symptoms and signs on admission were epigastric abdominal pain & discomfort, weight loss, anorexia, indigestion, and abdominal mass in decreasing order of frequency. 3) The diagnostic accuracy of the gastrofiberscopic biopsies was 67.1% preoperatively. 4) The most common pathologic type was diffuse histiocytic type (57.1%) in Rappaport classification, and diffuse large cell type (47.1%) in NCI Working formulation classification. 5) The distribution of stages according to modified TNM classification was 47.9% stage I, 36.6% stage II, 11.3% stage III, and 4.2% stage IV. 6) Overall, a potentially curative resection was performed in 92.9% of the cases. Treatment modalities included surgery (S), chemotherapy (CT), and radiotherapy (RT) in the following proportions: 33.8% only S, 53.5% S CT, 11.3% S RT, and 1.4% S CT RT. 7) The overall 5-year survival rate was 78.9%. The 5-year survival rates according to stage were 94.1% in stage I, 80.4% in stage II, 30.0% in stage III and 0% in stage IV.
Abdominal Pain ; Anorexia ; Biopsy ; Classification ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspepsia ; Female ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Lymphoma ; Male ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Survival Rate ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of adjuvant immunotherapy with Mesima (R) in advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 45 patients with stage III gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy were divided into three groups at random. The first group received Mesima. The second group received OK-432 and the third group received no immunotherapeutic agent at all. All three groups received adjuvant chemotherapy using 5-FU and mitomycin-C protocol. The numbers of total T lymphocytes were checked along with the T4 and T8 subpopulation and B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells preoperatively and 9 days, 3 months and 7 months postoperatively. The delayed-type cutaneous hypersensitivity were also checked preoperatively and 3 months and 7months postoperatively. RESULTS: All three groups showed initial decrease in the total T lymphocyte count and T4 lymphocyte count at 9 days postoperatively, which showed gradual increase over the 7 months postoperative period. The Mesima (R)-treated group and OK-432-treated group showed significantly better recovery rate at 7 months postoperatively than the control group. The number of T8 lymphocytes and NK cells also showed initial decrease and later recovery, but there was no significant difference between groups. The number of B lymphocytes showed gradual decrease over 7 months in the Mesima (R)-treated group and the control group, and initial decrease with later increase in the OK-432-treated group, again with no significant difference. The average numbers of positive antigens on delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity test were decreased initially with gradual increase, but there was no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSION: Mesima (R) can be considered as a candidate for safe and effective immunotherapeutic agent in patients with gastric cancer, but the actual benefit in increasing patient survival should be determined through a long term follow-up study.
Adenocarcinoma ; B-Lymphocytes ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunotherapy ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocyte Count ; Mitomycin ; Picibanil ; Postoperative Period ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; T-Lymphocytes

PUPOSE: Anastomosis site stricture is a common complication after a total gastrectomy. End-to-end anastomosis (EEA) stapler devices are preferred to a hand-sewn esophagojejunostomy these days. However, stapling devices have been reported not to reduce the incidence of esophagojejunostomy site stricture considerably. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Sep. 1998 to Dec. 2000, at Korea Gastic Cancer Center, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University, we experienced 228 total gastrectomies in which EEA stapling devices had been used. We investigated the correlation of the stricture with the size of the EEA stapling device, the type of esophagojejunal reconstruction, reflux esophagitis, and duration of stricture development. RESULTS: Among the 228 cases, as far as the patient's age was concerned, the 7th decade was the most common 64 cases, followed by the 5th decades. The Male-to-female ratio was 2.3 : 1. A loop esophagojejunostomy was used in 223 cases, and the Roux-en-Y method was used in 5 cases. The 32 patients with anastomosis site stricture were patients with loop esophagojejunal anastomosis. Anastomosis site stricture occurred in 14% (32/228) of the total gastrectomy cases, in15.9% (11/69) of the total gastrectomies involving stapler devices with a 25-mm diameter, and in 13.2% (21/159) of the total gastrectomies involving staper devices with a 28-mm diameter. There was no correlation between the incidence of stricture and EEA- stapling device size (P>0.05). Reflux esophagitis occurred in 56 of the 228 cases, with 7 of those 56 cases (12.5%) and 25 of the remaining 172 cases (14.5%) having strictures. There was no considerable difference in the stricture incidence rate according to the presence of reflux esophagitis (P>0.05). The onset of stricture development, occurred within 6 months in 16 cases, including 4 cases of reflux esophagitis, between 7 and 18 months in 14 cases, including 3 cases of reflux eshophagitis, and after 19 months in 2 cases. CONCLUSION: An esophagojejunostomy site stricture after a total gastrectomy was not correlated with the esophagojejunal reconstruction type, the size of the stapling device, or the presence of reflux esophagitis. General anastomosis technical factors (e.g., adequate blood supply, tension-free manner, adequate hemostasis) may be more important to prevent anastomosis site stricture after an esophagojejunostomy during a total gastrectomy.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Seoul

Ginseng has been used as a herb medicine and a vital-additive drug for a long time, and recently its compositions and its pharmacologic actions have been studied scientifically. Particularly, since the initial reports suggesting that ginseng has an anticancer effect, there have been many other studies of this anticancer effect and its mechanisms. The anticancer effect of ginseng is explainable by two mechanisms: the direct cancer-cell-killing effect and reinforcement of the immune function of the host. The authors performed long-term administration of ginseng to patients with gastric cancer who had undergone curative surgery, observed the subjective symptoms, immune status, and nutritional status, and thereby analyzed the clinical anticancer effect of ginseng. The authors randomly selected 39 patients from among the patients with curative operations for gastric cancer. We divided the patients into two groups: 20 patients formed the study group and were administered red ginseng powder with a dose of 5400 mg per day in the form of capsules for two years postoperatively, and 19 patients formed the control group on which only follow-up was done. All the patients received postoperative adjuvant immunochemotherapy. The authors compared the preoperative and postoperative changes in appetite, the body weight to height ratio, the triceps skinfold thickness, the serum protein, the albumin and transferrin levels, the percentage of lymphocytes and the T-cell percentage in peripheral blood to examine the effect of ginseng on the subjective symptoms, as well as on the immune and the nutritional status. Although our data does not show that the long-term administration of ginseng to gastric cancer patients with curative resections improved the nutritional status, it does suggest that it improved the patients' subjective symptoms and immune functions and prevented postoperative recurrences.
Appetite ; Body Weight ; Capsules ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Nutritional Status* ; Panax* ; Pharmacologic Actions ; Recurrence ; Skinfold Thickness ; Stomach Neoplasms ; T-Lymphocytes ; Transferrin

We report a case of advanced gastric cancer with Virchow's node and lung metastasis that responded remarkably to preoperative chemotherapy. A 47-year-old female patient was diagnosed as having incurable advanced gastric cancer with Virchow's node and multiple lung metastasis. Preoperative chemotherapy with Taxotere, CDDP and 5FU was carried out. After four courses of the regimen, the Virchow's node and the lung metastasis had disappeared, and a marked reduction of the gastric lesion was observed on the CT scan. Consequently, the patient underwent a total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. On histopathological examination, cancer cells were found to have infiltrated up to the muscle layer of the gastric wall, and 42 out of 60 resected lymph nodes were found to be metastatic. The patient received another two courses of chemotherapy after the operation
Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Fluorouracil* ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lung* ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer patients and to evaluate the survival and prognostic factors and effect of immunochemosurgery for gastric cancer patients. MATENRIALS AND METHODS: The clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed for 12,277 consecutive patients who underwent operation for gastric cancer from 1970 to 1999. We also evaluated the survival and prognostic factors for 9,262 consecutive patients from 1981 to 1996. The prognostic significance of treatment modality [surgery alone, surgery +chemotherapy, surgery+immunotherapy+chemotherapy (immunochemosurgery)] were evaluated in stage III gastric cancer. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate (5-YSR) of overall patients was 55.8%, and that of patients who received curative resection was 64.8%. The 5-YSRs according to TNM stage were 92.9% for Ia, 84.2% for Ib, 69.3% for II, 45.8% for IIIa, 29.6% for IIIb and 9.2% for IV. Regarding adjuvant treatment modality, significant survival difference was observed in stage III patients. The 5-year survival rates were 44.8% for immunochemosurgery group, 36.8% for surgery+chemotherapy group and 27.2% for surgery alone group. Curative resection, depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis were the most significant prognostic factors in gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Consequently, early detection and curative resection with radical lymph node dissection, followed by immunochemotherapy especially in patients with stage III gastric cancer should be recommended as a standard treatment principle for patients with gastric cancer.
Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to correlate the immunohistdegrees Chemical expressions of p53, p21 and bcl-2, with their loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and clinical significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 30 patients with gastric car cinomas were examined for immunohistdegrees Chemical staining and LOH study. Primary antibodies used in immunohistdegrees Chemical staining were mouse mondegrees Clonal antibody to human p53, p21/ WAF1 and bcl-2. For PCR-LOH assays, D6S271, D6S105, D18S386, TP53, D17S796, and D17S786 microsatellite markers were used. RESULTS: The expression rates of p53, p21 and bcl-2 were 76.7%, 80% and 3.3%, respectively. The expression of p21 was correlated with lymph node metastasis. LOH were found in 20.8% at D6S271, 42.3% at D6S105, 31.6% at D18S386, 39.1% at TP53, 40.9% at D17S796, and 50.0% at D17S786. No correlation was found between the immunohistdegrees Chemical expression and the LOH in these gene sites. CONCLUSION: p53 and p21 were detected in high rate, whereas bcl-2 expression rate was very low in gastric adendegrees Carcinoma. Of them, overexpression of p21 was correlated with the tumor progression. High incidence rate of LOH may play an important role in gastric carcinogenesis. These findings suggest that the effects on apoptosis and cell cycle by p53 and p21 were important in development and progression of gastric cancer.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Apoptosis* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Cycle ; Humans ; Incidence ; Loss of Heterozygosity* ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms