OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of high dose cisplatin-cyclophosphamide combination chemotherapy on patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: A review of 63 patients previously diagnosed as primary epithelial ovarian cancer after initial operation and histology at Pusan National University Hospital from Jul. 1993 to Jun, 1997 was performed. Patients were received the combination chemotherapy including cisplatin 100mg/m2/day and cyclophosphamide 750mg/m2/day, repeated 6 cycles every 4 weeks. The mean age was 48 years old, and previous surgical procedures were total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with omentectomy. The patients were classified into FIGO stage and pathologic results. RESULTS: The clinical response rate was 100% in the FIGO stage Ic patients with PC combination chemotherapy, 100% in stage II, 53.5% in stage III, and 25% in stage IV. The overall response rate was 69.8%. The 3-year survival rate according to the treatment groups was 93.3% in stage Ic group, 60% in stage II, 50% in stage III and 0% in stage IV. The mean survival duration was 34.6 months. Hematologic toxicities in cisplatin-cyclophosphamide chemotherapy were neutropenia and anemia. Nausea and vomiting were the most common side effects and occurred in 96.8%. Most of the toxicities were grade 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: The combination chemotherapy with cisplatin-cyclophosphamide is relatively safe and effective method in the treatment of primary epithelial ovarian cancer.
Anemia ; Busan ; Cisplatin* ; Cyclophosphamide* ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Neutropenia ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between chromosome abnormalities and male or female reproductive dysfunction and to be convinced of the role of pericentric inversion of chromosome 9 (inv (9)) on human phenotypes. METHODS: Between Jan. 1995 and Dec. 2003, results of 1713 chromosomal analyses which were referred to our cytogenetic laboratory were analyzed. Study groups consisted of 658 cases of men and 18 cases of women with unexplained infertility, 65 cases of men and 109 cases of women with history of recurrent spontaneous abortion, 78 cases of women with primary amenorrhea, 61 cases of women with secondary amenorrhea and, 382 cases of men and 342 cases of women with no reproductive dysfunction (control group). The incidence of inv (9) among each group was compared with control group. RESULTS: Chromosomal abnormalities were found in 110 cases (16.7%), 2 cases (11.1%), 3 cases (4.6%), 15 cases (13.8%), 29 cases (37.2%) and 10 cases (16.4%) in each group. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in male infertility was higher than previous reports, and 10 cases of inv (9) were detected in male infertility group. In cases of women with infertility and secondary amenorrhea, we couldn't find the relevance between reproductive dysfunction and chromosomal abnormality. In cases of women with recurrent spontaneous abortion, 6 cases (5.5%) had autosomal translocation and 7 cases (6.42%) had inv (9). In cases with primary amenorrhea, most chromosomal abnormalities found were related to sex chromosome such as Turner's syndrome, similar to other investigations. Thirty three cases of inv (9) was detected among the whole 1713 chromosomal analyses (1.93%). In cases of male infertility, 10 cases (1.52%) had inv (9), not significantly different with male control group. But 7 cases (6.42%) of inv (9) in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion were significantly higher than female control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Because considerable proportion of patients with reproductive dysfunction had various cytogenetic abnormalities, the chromosomal analysis should be considered as a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of reproductive dysfunction such as infertility, recurrent spontaneous abortion, and amenorrhea. We also found that Inv (9) had a significantly increased incidence in female recurrent spontaneous abortion.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Amenorrhea ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; Cytogenetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Phenotype ; Pregnancy ; Sex Chromosomes ; Turner Syndrome

Ovarian cellular fibroma is an uncommon benign tumor and accounts for approximately 4% of all ovarian neoplasms. It mimics fibrosarcoma histologically because of its rich cellularity and high number of mitoses. Ovarian cellular fibroma with endometriosis was a rare case. We experienced a case of ovarian cellular fibroma in a 25-year-old woman underwent exploratory laparotomy for huge ovarian enlargement and report the case with brief review of literature.
Adult ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Fibroma* ; Fibrosarcoma ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Mitosis ; Ovarian Neoplasms

Approximately 5-30% of the ovarian cancers are metastatic malignancies. The prevalence of metastatic ovarian tumors varies with the incidence rates and spread patterns of primary malignancies. We evaluated the prevalence, pre- and postoperative characteristics of metastatic ovarian cancer in Korean women. We reviewed the records for 821 ovarian malignancies with pathological consultation from 1996- 2006 and recorded patient demographical, radiological, histopathological, and survival data. The study included 112 cases of histologically confirmed metastatic ovarian cancer. Metastatic ovarian cancer accounted for 13.6% of all ovarian malignancy, primarily arising from the gastrointestinal tract. The preoperative detection rate with imaging was 75%, and none of the radiological or serological features were useful for differential diagnosis. In multivariate analysis for prognostic variables, the only significant factor was the primary tumor site (p=0.004). Furthermore, extensive resection increased survival for some patients. The differential diagnosis of metastatic ovarian cancer can be problematic, so multiple diagnostic approaches are necessary. The extent of cytoreductive surgery for this type of tumor must be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Adenocarcinoma/*diagnosis/*secondary/surgery ; Adult ; CA-125 Antigen/blood ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*secondary/surgery ; Ovariectomy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Analysis

PURPOSE: Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is a relatively rare form of thyroid carcinoma that often presents at a more advanced stage of disease with a higher incidence of distant metastases because of its propensity for vascular invasion. However, FTC and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) have similar prognoses when they are matched for age and stage. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the useful prognostic factors and determine the optimal management of FTC. METHODS: This study was conducted on 216 patients with FTC who underwent thyroidectomy at our institutions between April 1986 and August 2006. The patients included 174 women and 42 men with a mean age of 41 (4~87) years, and patients underwent follow-up evaluation for a mean period of 114 (6~253) months. The potential risk factors for treatment outcome were calculated using multivariate analysis, and the prognostic accuracy of UICC/AJCC pTNM staging, AMES, AGES, MACIS, and Degroot classification for predicting survival were compared. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 13 (6.0%) patients developed locoregional recurrences and 8 patients (3.7%) showed distant metastases. In addition, cause specific mortality was seen in 8 patients (3.7%). The overall survival and cause-specific survival (CSS) rates at 10 years were 95.4% and 89.3%, respectively, and these cases were accurately predicted by the AMES and pTNM staging systems. The Cox proportional hazards revealed that gender (P=0.015), angioinvasion (P=0.013), invasion to adjacent structure (P=0.003), widely invasive carcinoma (P=0.028), and distant metastases at the time of presentation (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSION: The extent of surgery in cases of FTC should be individualized based on the clinicopathologic findings; Conservative surgery should be adequate for cases of minimally invasive FTC without angioinvasion, however total or near-total thyroidectomy should be conducted in cases of widely invasive and minimally invasive FTC with angioinvasion.
Adenocarcinoma, Follicular ; Carcinoma ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study of the effect of an organic solvent on the failure of ovarian function after exposure to 2-bromopropane for 7 years. METHODS: We conducted a study on 25 female workers in a manufactory who were exposed to 2-bromopropane in 1994. Some of them experienced premature ovarian failure. We have investigated their recoveries from ovarian function and checked LH, FSH, E2, BMD for 7 years of period. RESULTS: 16 among 25 workers experienced amenorrhea, but the rest of them did not report amenorrhea. In 10 out of the 16 amenorrhea patients, recovery from amenorrhea were seen, but 6 did not recover from amenorrhea. Through ovarian biopsy, it was observed in the amenorrhea patients that mature follicles were lost and only primordial follicles were present. Through HRT, gradual decrease in FSH and increase in E2. in the amenorrhea patients were found. Also, their BMD were decreased, but gradually increased with female hormone replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: The study confirms that the exposure to 2-bromopropane leads to the serious ovarian toxicity and ovarian failure as well. In such case, the failure of ovarian function, which is reversible change, can be recovered after long-term periods. A significant factor which affect ovarian failure and recovery from ovarian function is patient's age. In industrial environment, physical and psychological damage due to the use of and exposure to chemical materials will likely increase. Hence, more studies of industrial materials used in working conditions are needed.
Amenorrhea ; Biopsy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Menopause, Premature ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

We found a case of Ael for the first time in Korea. The patient was 28-year-old woman admitted for the delivery of her first baby. Patient's red cells were typed as O, while the serum typing was A. The red cells were agglutinated by anti-H, but not agglutinated by anti-A1 or anti-AB. Adsorption of anti-A by patient's RBC was confirmed on the adsorption-elution test. In the saliva, only H substance was demonstable. A substance was not demonstrated either in the serum or in the saliva. A transferase was not demonstrated in patient's serum. One of the patient's sister and her daughter, and the patient's son also had same Ael phenotype.
Adsorption ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Nuclear Family ; Phenotype ; Saliva ; Siblings ; Transferases

Asbestos is widely used in the textile, asbestos cement, construction products, friction material, paper products, insulation products, chemical and plastic products because of its heat resistance, flexibility, tensile strength, and texturability. It is now generally recognized that longterm and excessive inhalation of asbestos dust causes asbestosis, lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma and malignancies in other organs such as cancer of gastrointestinal tract, leukemia, lymphoma. Although eighty thousand tons of asbestos has been annually consumed since 1979 in korea, it has not been reported asbestos and lung cancer by asbestos dust so far, while a case of mesothelioma was officially diagnosis as a occupational disease at 1993. We experienced firstly a case of asbestosis and lung cancer caused simultanously by occupational asbestos exposure 11 years, which was confirmed by chest x-ray, pulmonary function test, chest CT and HRCT, bronchoalveolar lavage, and gallium scan. And so We present a case of asbestosis, pleural effusion and lung cancer with a review literature.
Asbestos* ; Asbestosis* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Diagnosis ; Dust ; Friction ; Gallium ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Hot Temperature ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymphoma ; Mesothelioma ; Occupational Diseases ; Plastics ; Pleural Effusion* ; Pliability ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Tensile Strength ; Textiles ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Slim patients or those with large breasts may be ineligible for breast reconstruction with an abdominal flap, as the volume of the flap may be insufficient. This study aimed to establish that abdominal tissue–based breast reconstruction can be well suited for Korean patients, despite their thin body habitus. METHODS: A total of 252 patients who underwent postmastectomy breast reconstruction with an abdominal flap from October 2006 to May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' age and body mass index were analyzed, and a correlation analysis was performed between the weight of the mastectomy specimen and that of the initial abdominal flap. RESULTS: The average weights of the mastectomy specimen and initial abdominal flap were 451.03 g and 644.95 g, respectively. The ratio of the weight of the mastectomy specimen to that of the initial flap was 0.71±0.23. There was a strong positive linear relationship between the weight of the mastectomy specimen and that of the initial flap (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.728). Thirty nulliparous patients had a final-to-initial flap weight ratio of 0.66±0.11. The 25 patients who underwent a contralateral procedure had a ratio of 0.96±0.30. The adjusted ratio of the final flap weight to the initial flap weight was 0.66±0.12. CONCLUSIONS: Breast weight had a strong positive relationship with abdominal flap weight in Koreans. Abdominal flaps provided sufficient soft tissue for breast reconstruction in most Korean patients, including nulliparous patients. However, when the mastectomy weight is estimated to be >700 g, a contralateral reduction procedure may be considered.
Body Mass Index ; Breast* ; Female ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Korea ; Mammaplasty* ; Mastectomy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Weights and Measures

Although parovarian cysts constitute 10-20% of all adnexal masses, malignant parovarian tumors are extremely rare. Due to the rarity of this lesion, there are controversies concerning the origin, clinical behavior, and prognosis of these tumors. Currently, it is suggested that these paovarian tumors should be treated similarly to their ovarian counterparts. We experienced one case of parovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma of borderline malignancy, and report this with a brief review of the literatures.
Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous* ; Female ; Parovarian Cyst ; Prognosis