INTRODUCTION: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has revolutionised treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). While effective, its high cost and toxicities, such as fatigue and nausea, pose challenges. METHOD: Medical records from the Joint Breast Cancer Registry in Singapore were used to study MBC patients treated with T-DXd (February 2021-June 2024). This study was conducted to address whether reducing dose intensity and density may have an adverse effect on treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty-seven MBC patients were treated with T-DXd, with a median age of 59 years. At the time of data cutoff, 32.1% of patients were still receiving T-DXd. Over half (54%) of the patients received treatment with an initial relative dose intensity (RDI) of <;85%. Overall median real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was 8.1 months. rwPFS was similar between RDI groups (<85%: 8.7 months, <85%: 8.1 months, P=0.62). However, human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2)-positive patients showed significantly better rwPFS outcomes compared to HER2-low patients (8.8 versus 2.5 months, P<0.001). Only 16% with central nervous system (CNS) involvement had CNS progressive disease on treatment. No significant progression-free survival (PFS) differences were found between patients with or without CNS disease, regardless of RDI groups. Five patients (5.7%) developed interstitial lung disease (ILD), with 3 (3.4%) having grade 3 events. Two required high-dose steroids and none were rechallenged after ILD. There were no fatalities. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that reduced dose intensity and density had no significant impact on rwPFS or treatment-related toxicities. Furthermore, only 5.7% of patients developed ILD. T-Dxd provided good control of CNS disease, with 82% of patients achieving CNS disease control.
Humans ; Female ; Breast Neoplasms/mortality* ; Middle Aged ; Trastuzumab/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Adult ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/adverse effects* ; Camptothecin/adverse effects* ; Immunoconjugates/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Progression-Free Survival ; Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Treatment Outcome ; Registries

Formaldehyde was classified as a Group I Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2006. While the IARC has stated that there is a lack of evidence that formaldehyde causes brain cancer, three meta-analyses have consistently reported a significantly higher risk of brain cancer in workers exposed to high levels of formaldehyde. Therefore, we report a case of a worker who was diagnosed with glioblastoma after being exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde while working with formaldehyde resin in the paper industry.

Formaldehyde was classified as a Group I Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2006. While the IARC has stated that there is a lack of evidence that formaldehyde causes brain cancer, three meta-analyses have consistently reported a significantly higher risk of brain cancer in workers exposed to high levels of formaldehyde. Therefore, we report a case of a worker who was diagnosed with glioblastoma after being exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde while working with formaldehyde resin in the paper industry.

Formaldehyde was classified as a Group I Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2006. While the IARC has stated that there is a lack of evidence that formaldehyde causes brain cancer, three meta-analyses have consistently reported a significantly higher risk of brain cancer in workers exposed to high levels of formaldehyde. Therefore, we report a case of a worker who was diagnosed with glioblastoma after being exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde while working with formaldehyde resin in the paper industry.

Objective: The Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease–Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) was developed to assess cognition in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the SCOPACog (K-SCOPA-Cog). Methods: We enrolled 129 PD patients with movement disorders from 31 clinics in South Korea. The original version of the SCOPA-Cog was translated into Korean using the translation-retranslation method. The test–retest method with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used to assess reliability. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Korean version (MOCA-K) and the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) were used to assess concurrent validity. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.797, and the ICC was 0.887. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation with the K-MMSE and MOCA-K scores (r = 0.546 and r = 0.683, respectively). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the K-SCOPA-Cog has good reliability and validity.

Purpose: Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.

Background: and PurposeImpulse-control disorder is an important nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that can lead to financial and social problems, and be related to a poor quality of life. A nationwide multicenter prospective study was performed with the aim of validating the Korean Version of the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (K-QUIP-RS). Methods: The K-QUIP-RS was constructed using forward and backward translation, and pretesting of the prefinal version. PD patients on stable medical condition were recruited from 27 movement-disorder clinics. Participants were assessed using the K-QUIP-RS and evaluated for parkinsonian motor and nonmotor statuses and for PD-related quality of life using a predefined evaluation battery. The test–retest reliability of the K-QUIP-RS was assessed over an interval of 10–14 days, and correlations between the KQUIP-RS and other clinical scales were analyzed. Results: This study enrolled 136 patients. The internal consistency of the K-QUIP-RS was indicated by a Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.846, as was the test–retest reliability by a Guttman split-half coefficient of 0.808. The total K-QUIP-RS score was positively correlated with the scores for depression and motivation items on the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale, and Rapid-Eye-Movement Sleep-Behavior-Disorders Questionnaire. The total K-QUIP-RS score was also correlated with the scores on part II of the UPDRS and the PD Quality of Life-39 questionnaire, and the dopaminergic medication dose. Conclusions The K-QUIP-RS appears to be a reliable assessment tool for impulse-control and related behavioral disturbances in the Korean PD population.

BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the clinimetric properties of the Korean version of Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2 (K-PDSS-2) and whether distinct subtypes of sleep disturbance can be empirically identified in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using the cross-culturally validated K-PDSS-2. METHODS: The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, scale precision, and convergent validity of K-PDSS-2 were assessed in a nationwide, multicenter study of 122 patients with PD. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to derive subgroups of patients who experienced similar patterns of sleep-related problems and nocturnal disabilities. RESULTS: The total K-PDSS-2 score was 11.67±9.87 (mean±standard deviation) at baseline and 12.61±11.17 at the retest. Cronbach's α coefficients of the total K-PDSS-2 scores at baseline and follow-up were 0.851 and 0.880, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients over the 2-week study period ranged from 0.672 to 0.848. The total K-PDSS-2 score was strongly correlated with health-related quality of life measures and other corresponding nonmotor scales. LCA revealed three distinct subtypes of sleep disturbance in the study patients: “less-troubled sleepers,”“PD-related nocturnal difficulties,” and “disturbed sleepers.” CONCLUSIONS K-PDSS-2 showed good clinimetric attributes in accordance with previous studies that employed the original version of the PDSS-2, therefore confirming the cross-cultural usefulness of the scale. This study has further documented the first application of an LCA approach for identifying subtypes of sleep disturbance in patients with PD.

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical features and epidemiology of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) from year 2006 to 2015 in Changwon city, Korea. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 69 patients diagnosed with SSSS from year 2006 to 2015. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by agar dilution method. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was phenotypically identified by oxacillin susceptibility testing and genotypically confirmed by the existence of the mecA gene. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 2.0 years (range 0.2–6 years). Three (4.3%), 53 (76.8%), and 13 (18.9%) patients showed the generalized type, the intermediate type, and the abortive type, respectively. Patients occurred throughout the year, but most patients occurred between July and October. MRSA was isolated from 54 of the 60 patients regardless of the clinical types. All patients recovered without any complications. CONCLUSIONS: There was a constant occurrence of SSSS patients caused by MRSA in Changwon area during 2006 and 2015. It is needed to constantly monitor the occurrence of patients with SSSS.
Agar ; Epidemiology ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Methods ; Oxacillin ; Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome ; Staphylococcus aureus

The voltage-gated Na channel subtype Nav1.7 is important for pain and itch in rodents and humans. We previously showed that a Nav1.7-targeting monoclonal antibody (SVmab) reduces Na currents and pain and itch responses in mice. Here, we investigated whether recombinant SVmab (rSVmab) binds to and blocks Nav1.7 similar to SVmab. ELISA tests revealed that SVmab was capable of binding to Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells, mouse DRG neurons, human nerve tissue, and the voltage-sensor domain II of Nav1.7. In contrast, rSVmab showed no or weak binding to Nav1.7 in these tests. Patch-clamp recordings showed that SVmab, but not rSVmab, markedly inhibited Na currents in Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells. Notably, electrical field stimulation increased the blocking activity of SVmab and rSVmab in Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells. SVmab was more effective than rSVmab in inhibiting paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia. SVmab also bound to human DRG neurons and inhibited their Na currents. Finally, potential reasons for the differential efficacy of SVmab and rSVmab and future directions are discussed.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; therapeutic use ; Biotin ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Ganglia, Spinal ; cytology ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Hybridomas ; chemistry ; Hyperalgesia ; drug therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ; metabolism ; NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ; chemistry ; immunology ; metabolism ; Neuralgia ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; drug effects ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; therapeutic use ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; drug effects ; physiology