Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology. Total of 33 key questions were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group and 40 statements were developed according to the systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed database. The level of evidence and the grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation proposition. Evidence level, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability was considered as the significant factors for recommendation. The working group reviewed recommendations and discussed for consensus. In the earlier part, general consideration discusses screening, diagnosis and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Flowchart is depicted with statements which is supported by meta-analysis and references. Since clinical trial and systematic review was not suitable for postoperative oncologic and nutritional follow-up, working group agreed to conduct a nationwide survey investigating the clinical practice of all tertiary or general hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this survey was to provide baseline information on follow up. Herein we present a multidisciplinary-evidence based gastric cancer guideline.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of angled cool-tip electrode for radiofrequency ablation of small superficial subcapsular liver tumors abutting abdominal wall, in order to traverse normal liver parenchyma, and thereby, obtain favorable configuration of ablation margin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed 15 small superficial subcapsular liver tumors abutting abdominal wall in 15 patients, treated with radiofrequency ablation from March 2013 to June 2015 using a cool-tip electrode manually modified to create 25-35° angle at the junction between exposed and insulated segments. The tumors were hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 13) and metastases (n = 2: cholangiocellular carcinoma and rectosigmoid cancer), with maximum diameter of 10-26 mm (mean, 15.68 ± 5.29 mm). Under ultrasonographic guidance, the electrode tip was advanced to the depth of the tumors' epicenter about 1 cm from the margin. The tip was re-directed to penetrate the tumor for radiofrequency ablation. Minimal ablation margin was measured at immediate post-treatment CT. Radiological images and medical records were evaluated for success rate, length of minimal ablation margin and complications. RESULTS: Technical success rate of obtaining complete necrosis of the tumors was 100%, with no procedure-related complication. Minimal ablation margin ranged from 3-12 mm (mean, 7.07 ± 2.23 mm). CT/MRI follow-up at 21-1022 days (mean, 519.47 ± 304.51 days) revealed no local recurrence, but distant recurrence in 9 patients. CONCLUSION: Using an angled cool-tip electrode for radiofrequency ablation of small superficial subcapsular tumors abutting abdominal wall may be a feasible technique for obtaining adequate ablation margin and lower complication rate.
Abdominal Wall ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Catheter Ablation* ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Electrodes* ; Feasibility Studies* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver* ; Medical Records ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The Korean Society of Radiation Oncologists (KOSRO) conducted the Patterns of Care Study (PCS) of radiotherapy (RT) for spine metastases in 2009. The current study was conducted to investigate current practice patterns and compare them with the results of the PCS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey questionnaire was composed of 10 questions regarding general information and seven questions for each of two clinical scenarios. RESULTS: Fifty-four members of the KOSRO answered at least one question on the web-based questionnaire. The yearly number of patients treated who underwent palliative spine RT was greater than 200 in 14 (25.9%), 51 to 100 in 13 (24.1%), and 31 to 50 in 11 respondents (20.4%). Scenario 1 described a patient presenting with cord compressive spine metastasis in multiple bones and liver metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer. Thirty gray (Gy) in 10 fractions was chosen by 35 respondents (64.8%). Scenario 2 described a case of a single spine metastasis without progression after targeted therapy. Thirty Gy in 10 fractions was chosen by 19 respondents (35.2%), and a single fraction or less than four fractions of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) were selected by 18 respondents (33.3%). When compared with the 2009 PCS, practice patterns of Korean radiation oncologists had not changed significantly over 5 years, except that SABR emerged as a new treatment modality in the selected population. CONCLUSION: The 2014 PCS demonstrated that multiple fraction RT is still preferred in a considerable proportion of Korean radiation oncologists.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Practice Patterns, Physicians' ; Radiotherapy ; Spine* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Korea; it is the second most common cancer in men and the third most common in women. The incidence rate in Korea has continuously increased since 1999 when the National Cancer Registry statistics began. Currently; there are several screening modalities; that have been recommended by expert societies, including fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy, computed tomographic colonography The annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) has been used in adults aged 50 and older as part of the National Cancer Screening Program in Korea since 2004. Although several study results from regional or national colorectal cancer screening programs in other countries have been reported, the National Cancer Screening Program in Korea has not yet been evaluated with evidence-based methods. Herein report the consensus statements on the National Screening Guideline for colorectal cancer developed by a multi-society expert committee in Korea, as follows: 1) We recommend annual or biennial FIT for screening for colorectal cancer in asymptomatic adults, beginning at 45 years of age and continuing until 80 years (recommendation B). 2) There is no evidence for the risks or benefits of FIT in adults older than 80 years (recommendation I). 3) Selective use of colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening is recommended, taking into consideration individual preference and the risk of colorectal cancer (recommendation C). 4) There is no evidence for the risks or benefits of double-contrast barium enema for colorectal cancer screening in asymptomatic adults (recommendation I). 5) There is no evidence for the risks or benefits of computed tomographic colonography for colorectal cancer screening in asymptomatic adults (recommendation I).
Adult ; Barium ; Colonography, Computed Tomographic ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Consensus ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Enema ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Occult Blood

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of a rat model on hindlimb ischemia induced by embolization from the administration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles or N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Unilateral hindlimb ischemia was induced by embolization with NBCA (n = 4), PVA (n = 4) or surgical excision (n = 4) in a total of 12 Sprague-Dawley rats. On days 0, 7 and 14, the time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) and enhanced MRI were obtained as scheduled by using a 3T-MR scanner. The clinical ischemic index, volume change and degree of muscle necrosis observed on the enhanced MRI in the ischemic hindlimb were being compared among three groups using the analysis of variance. Vascular patency on TOF-MRA was evaluated and correlated with angiographic findings when using an inter-rater agreement test. RESULTS: There was a technical success rate of 100% for both the embolization and surgery groups. The clinical ischemic index did not significantly differ. On day 7, the ratios of the muscular infarctions were 0.436, 0.173 and 0 at thigh levels and 0.503, 0.337 and 0 at calf levels for the NBCA, PVA and surgery groups, respectively. In addition, the embolization group presented increased volume and then decreased volume on days 7 and 14, respectively. The surgery group presented a gradual volume decrease. Good correlation was shown between the TOF-MRA and angiographic findings (kappa value of 0.795). CONCLUSION: The examined hindlimb ischemia model using embolization with NBCA and PVA particles in rats is a feasible model for further research, and muscle necrosis was evident as compared with the surgical model.
Animals ; *Disease Models, Animal ; Embolization, Therapeutic/*adverse effects ; Enbucrilate/administration & dosage/*toxicity ; Feasibility Studies ; Hindlimb/*blood supply ; Injections, Intra-Arterial ; Ischemia/*chemically induced/diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography/*methods ; Male ; Polyvinyl Alcohol/administration & dosage/*toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tissue Adhesives/administration & dosage/toxicity

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the mucosa-tracking technique is effective for improving precutting-related pancreatitis and the sustained failure of bile duct cannulation in precut papillotomy (PP) with the Iso-Tome (MTW Endoskopie). METHODS: From September 2004 to June 2006, PP was performed with the Iso-Tome if biliary cannulation failed by conventional methods for approximately 5 minutes. The pink intrapapillary mucosa (PIPM) exposed by PP was tracked and classified into four groups: fully exposed and oriented to the direction of the bile duct (group A) or the pancreatic duct (group B), partially exposed (group C), or unexposed (group D). The success rate of bile duct cannulation (SRBC), the procedure time required for successful bile duct cannulation (PTBC), and the complications in the first session were compared between the mucosa-exposed groups (MEGs; group A, B, and C) and the mucosa-unexposed group (MUEG; group D). RESULTS: A total of 59 patients (25 females, 34 males) with a mean age of 65.2 years were enrolled. The MEGs and MUEG comprised 52 (88.1%) and 7 (11.9%) patients, respectively. SRBC in the first session was 86.4% (51/59) in total and 92.3% (48/52) in the MEGs, compared to only 42.9% (3/7) in the MUEG (p=0.005). The mean PTBC in the MEGs and MUEG was 8.7 minutes and 16.3 minutes, respectively (p=0.23). Complications occurred in 6.8% of the patients (4/59; all pancreatitis); there were no differences between the MEGs (5.8%, 3/52) and MUEG (14.3%, 1/7; p=0.41). All four patients with pancreatitis were managed medically. CONCLUSIONS: The mucosa-tracking technique in PP with the Iso-Tome is a feasible and useful method of enhancing SRBC. PIPM is an important endoscopic landmark for successful PP.
Bile Ducts ; Catheterization ; Female ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatitis ; Track and Field

PURPOSE: Postsurgical adhesion formation is a significant clinical problem within every surgical specialty. Several adhesion barriers have been developed in the form of solution, membrane or film in an attempt to solve these problems. The purpose of the present study is to compare the efficacy of antiadhesive agents in the prevention of postsurgical adhesion formation in a standardized rat adhesion model. METHODS: We examined forty Sprague-Dawley rats, which is a cecal abrasion with partial peritonectomy model. Three treatment groups (Group I: Film-type Surgiwrap(R), Group II: Solution-type Guardix-sol(R), Group III: Membrane-type Interceed(R)), each consists of 10 rats, and a control group of 10 rats were used by saline. Ten days after surgery, the rats were killed, and the levels of adhesion were graded. Immunohistochemical staining for microvessel density (CD34, MVD) and macrophage (ED1) were performed in adhesion tissue. RESULTS: The peritoneum adhesion mean scores are as follows: control group: 2.2+/-0.78, Group I: 1.0+/-1.06, Group II: 0.9+/-0.99, Group III: 0.6+/-0.84. All treatment groups showed significantly less peritoneum adhesion (P=0.006), while there was no significant difference in each group. The intraperitoneal organs adhesion mean scores are as follows: control group: 2.8+/-0.91, Group I: 2.6+/-1.06, Group II: 1.4+/-0.84, Group III: 1.0+/-0.81. Group I had no significant difference about intraperitoneal organs adhesion with control group, but Group II and Group III showed less intraperitoneal organs adhesion. The mean numbers of microvessel density are as follows: control group: 42.5+/-4.83, Group I: 40.8+/-6.53, Group II: 30.9+/-6.15, Group III: 15.60+/-4.37, from which there was a significant difference between Group II and Group III with control group (P<0.001). The mean numbers of macrophage are as follows: control group: 223.3+/-33.12, Group I: 211.25+/-10.96, Group II: 171.60+/-23.96, Group III: 147.0+/-12.22, from which there was a significant difference between Group II and Group III with control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In our animal model, three different types of antiadhesive agents (Surgiwrap(R), Guardix-sol(R), Interceed(R)) were effective in adhesion prevention, but Surgiwrap(R) had less antiadhesive effect for intraperitoneal organs adhesion. Membrane-type Interceed(R) had a better effect for microvessel density (MVD) and macrophage than solution-type Guardix-sol(R).
Abdominal Wall ; Animals ; Macrophages ; Membranes ; Microvessels ; Models, Animal ; Peritoneum ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Lymphangioma is a benign vascular lesion that shows the characteristics of subepithelial tumor, which can proliferate in the lymphatic system. Only a few cases of multiple lymphangimas of the colon, the so called "colonic lymphanigomatosis", have been currently reported on the medical literature. Because lymphangioma is absolutely a benign tumor, it does not require any specific treatment, except for rare disease-related symptoms or complications such as anemia, intussusception and protein-losing enteropathy. Endoscopic resection for this tumor has sometimes been performed for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. We recently experienced a case of multiple colonic lymphangomas that arose in the ascending colon of a 46-year-old male patient and these lesions were found during performance of colonoscopy. The final diagnosis was confirmed by a pathologic examination of the specimen that was obtained via endoscopic resection. Follow-up colonoscopy at 1 year after the initial examination showed complete resolution of the previously noted lesions without any specific treatment. We report here on a very rare case of colonic lymphangiomatosis along with a brief review of the relevant literature.
Anemia ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intestine, Large ; Intussusception ; Lymphangioma ; Lymphatic System ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies

PURPOSE: The optimal interval at which to repeat prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement is controversial. We evaluated the probability of the serum PSA value increasing above specific cutoff values (4.0 ng/ml, 3.0 ng/ml, and 2.5 ng/ml) on annual follow-up visits in men with a lower baseline PSA than each cutoff value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2002 and 2006, a total of 14,459 men aged 40 to 79 years who underwent serum PSA determinations at least twice during health examinations at 11 medical centers were enrolled in this study. To reduce probable bias, we excluded men with pyuria, those with a baseline or follow-up PSA level of 10.0 ng/ml or more, and those with a history of medication with 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors. Serum PSA underwent logarithmic conversion to work out the normal distribution. The cumulative rate of freedom from increase in PSA above 4.0 ng/ml, 3.0 ng/ml, and 2.5 ng/ml was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method according to baseline PSA range and age. The significance level was 1%. RESULTS: The rate of increase in PSA was lower in men who had a baseline PSA value in the low range and whose age was in the 40s or 50s. However, the cumulative rate of freedom from increase in PSA decreased as the PSA cutoff value was lowered. The optimal screening interval for men in their 40s and 50s whose baseline serum PSA level was 1.0 ng/ml or lower was 3 years when the significance level for PSA rising above 4.0 ng/ml was 1%. It was 2 years and 1 year, respectively, when the cutoff value was lowered to 3.0 ng/ml or 2.5 ng/ml. An annual PSA screening interval was recommended in men older than their 60s. CONCLUSIONS: The PSA test interval should be individualized according to baseline PSA, age, and PSA cutoff value.
Aged ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cholestenone 5 alpha-Reductase ; Follow-Up Studies ; Freedom ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Pyuria