Hydrofluoric acid(HF) burn is characterized by progressive tissue necrosis and severe pain. A 31 year old employee in the semiconductor industry came in contact with the 50% aqueous HF through a pin hole in the thumb of his protective gloves. About 2 hours after exposure, h noted deep, severe burning, excruciating pain and svtelling of right thumb. Thereafter, clark bluish eclematous necrotic patches were visible through the nail plate and on the distal end of right thumb. Pain was not effectively relieved by digital nerve block.
Adult ; Burns* ; Gloves, Protective ; Humans ; Hydrofluoric Acid* ; Necrosis ; Nerve Block ; Semiconductors ; Thumb

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this clinical study were 1) to assess 5-year survival rates in 195 patients with locally invasive cervical cancer(stage Ia-IIb) treated by surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy+surgery and postoperative radiation in selected cases, 2) to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting the survival rate, and 3) to get helpful information for the better treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 195 patients. They were diagnosed and operated on during the period of Jan. 1988 - Dec. 1993 in Dept. of OB/Gyn, Pusan Paik Hospital, Inje Medical School. The 5-year survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and prognostic factors were assessed using Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rates for FIGO stages Ia, Ib, IIa, and IIb were 100, 86.1, 76.9, and 81.1%, respectively. Factors that affect the 5-year survival rates were clinical stage(P=0.0001), cell type(small cell vs other, P=0.0001), depth of invasion(< or = 5 mm vs >5 mm, P=0.0013), tumor size(< or = 3 cm vs >3cm, P=0.0035), and lymph node metastasis(0 vs 1 vs more than 2, P=0.0001). There was no difference in 5-year survival rates between without neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and with neoadjuvant chemotherapy group which had poor prognostic factors. The predicted recurrence rate of the postoperative radiation group showed a lower 5-year survival rate than the no postoperative radiation group(P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the factors affecting the prognosis were FIGO stage, cell type, depth of invasion, tumor size, and lymph node metastasis, and speculated that the survival rates could be improved by using neoadjuvant chemotherapy for more advanced locally invasive cases properly.
Busan ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Schools, Medical ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop search filters able to retrieve the South Korean scientific output and relating the fields of public health, preventive medicine, and physical education, activity, fitness, exercise and sport in MEDLINE between 2000 and 2007. METHODS: The search filters were constructed and applied in MEDLINE accessed through PubMed according to the affiliation and subject. The language and place of publication were identified and the evaluation of the geographical filter performance was done. RESULTS: The search format was successfully elaborated and applied, and the articles originated, published in Korea and/or abroad focusing on the fields of public health, preventive medicine, physical education, activity, fitness, exercise and sport, added to MEDLINE between 2000 and 2007 were retrieved. Publications in six languages originated in South Korea were detected. CONCLUSIONS: A geographic search filter determined the South Korean research output, and combined with additional filters focused on specific areas. The dynamics of the scientific output followed an increased evolution in all categories. Articles were written mainly in English/Korean. Further research is recommended on developing search strategies in order to retrieve precise and reliable information.
Humans ; Korea ; Physical Education and Training ; Preventive Medicine/*methods ; Public Health/*methods ; *Sports

PURPOSE: Generally, young age onset malignancies show worse prognosis. But is "young age onset" a single prognostic factor for breast cancer, has been controversial. The incidence of breast cancer according to age is different by region and races. This study purposed to know the incidence of breast cancer in younger or 35 year old (below Young age group) and its clinical characteristics, prognosis, and difference with older age onset breast cancer. METHODS: A retrospective study of consecutive 545 breast cancer patients who had been treated by our hospital from 1990 to 1999, was carried out. We investigated the ratio of 35 year old or younger breast cancer patients, age of menarche, TNM stage, histologic grades, hormone receptor status, survival rates. And compared it with counter age (>35) group's. The significances of differences were evaluated using Student's-t test or chi-square test by variable type. Analysis were performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: Younger age group patients were 62 (11.3%) among them, showed earlier menarche, worse histologic differentiation, and lower mammographic detection rate than counter group (p<0.05). There were no difference in TNM stage distribution, hormone receptor expression status according to age group (p>0.05). Young age group's 5 year overall and disease free survival rates were 83+/-5% and 58+/-8%, both were lower than counter group's 89+/-2% and 74+/-3% (p<0.05). Also age adjusted overall and disease free survival rates were worse than counter age group's. CONCLUSION:Younger age group shows worse survival rates, have poor prognostic factors and show early relapsing rate than older age group. So we can consider "young age onset" as a poor prognostic factor in breast cancer.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Continental Population Groups ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Menarche ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Bone lesions in multiple myeloma (MM) are related to an uncoupling of bone resorption and formation. This study was to evaluate the potential clinical value of biochemical markers of bone formation in patients with MM. METHODS: Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and osteocalcin (OC) were measured in 217 sera from 77 patients with MM, 1 patient with plasma cell leukemia, and 12 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS); 30 age- and sex-matched controls were also enrolled. RESULTS: Serum OC, but not serum BAP, was lower in MM and MGUS patients than in controls. Serum BAP decreased significantly as the tumor burden increased (P=0.035), but serum OC did not decrease. On the other hand, serum OC increased significantly in patients in an advanced stage according to the new international staging system (P=0.036), whereas serum BAP did not exhibit such a change. Serum OC and BAP showed positive correlations with albumin; serum OC also showed positive correlations with beta2-microglobulin and creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Serum BAP, rather than serum OC, appears to be helpful in monitoring MM. The clinical usefulness of serum BAP may be enhanced in MM patients with renal impairment.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Biomarkers* ; Bone Resorption ; Creatinine ; Hand ; Humans ; Leukemia, Plasma Cell ; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis* ; Tumor Burden

PURPOSE: It is very important to detect hematogenous spread of cancer cells early in breast cancer patients in order to properly determine the prognosis and adjuvant therapy. In this study, we attempted to detect Cytokeratin-20 (CK-20) as a mRNA marker of cancer cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). METHODS: We obtained peripheral blood and bone marrow from 41 breast cancer patients who had been treated by Korea University Hospital. Using the RT-PCR method, we detected the CK-20 and compared the positive detection rate and concordance rate between two sources. Furthermore, we analysed the correlation with other known prognostic and predictive factors. RESULTS: The CK-20 detection rate was 36.5% in peripheral blood and in bone marrow. The concordance rate between both sources was 56%. In CK-20 detection, there was no significant correlation seen between peripheral blood and bone marrow (p>0.05). Additionally, there were no statistically significant correlations found between the other predictive factors (ER, PR, p53 protein expression, nm23 protein expression). Six cases who were CK-20 positive and were detected in both (peripheral blood, bone marrow) source showed advanced stage and axillary lymph node metastasis (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The detection of CK-20 in peripheral blood and bone marrow correlated with stage and axillary nodal status. Therefore, this may suggest poor clinical prognosis if CK-20is detected in both sources in a breast cancer patient. The RT-PCR assay for detection of CK-20 is a very sensitive method, however the standardization and quality control of the RT-PCR method are important and multi-center trials are required.
Bone Marrow* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Keratin-20* ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; Prognosis ; Quality Control ; RNA, Messenger

PURPOSE: This study was designed to elucidate the biology of cancer metastasis and differences in the biologic status between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes of invasive breast cancer by comparing the well known prognostic factors p53 gene mutation, p53 protein expression and the MIB-1 index. An additional goal was to investigate the p53 mutational pattern of breast cancer patients. METHODS: We used the PCR-SSCP method to detect p53 gene mutation and immunohistochemical staining to establish p53 protein expression and the MIB-1 labelling index in 25 primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes from breast cancer patients. We then made a comparison the between primary tumors and the metastatic lymph nodes. RESULTS: The results indicated a correlation between histologic grade and p53 gene mutation as well as p53 protein expression, but showed no correlation to MIB-1 labelling index. The concordance rates of p53 gene mutation and p53 protein expression between the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes were 72% and 100%, respectively.Three cases showed a different mutated exon number between the primary tumors and the metastatic lymph nodes. Some cases showed p53 gene mutation only in the primary tumors, but while other cases only in the metastatic lymph nodes. The MIB-1 labelling index increased with tumor grade. The p53 altered group show a higher mean MIB-1 index than the non altered group's in both the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: p53 gene mutation is not consistent with p53 protein expression and there are some differences in p53 gene mutation between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes in breast cancer. Therefore, metastatic tumor have different characteristics from those of primary tumors. In breast cancer, metastasis is regulated not only by an up- regulating mechanism but also by a down-regulating mechanism.
Biology ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Exons ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Neoplasm Metastasis

PURPOSE: This study was designed to elucidate the biology of cancer metastasis and differences in the biologic status between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes of invasive breast cancer by comparing the well known prognostic factors p53 gene mutation, p53 protein expression and the MIB-1 index. An additional goal was to investigate the p53 mutational pattern of breast cancer patients. METHODS: We used the PCR-SSCP method to detect p53 gene mutation and immunohistochemical staining to establish p53 protein expression and the MIB-1 labelling index in 25 primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes from breast cancer patients. We then made a comparison the between primary tumors and the metastatic lymph nodes. RESULTS: The results indicated a correlation between histologic grade and p53 gene mutation as well as p53 protein expression, but showed no correlation to MIB-1 labelling index. The concordance rates of p53 gene mutation and p53 protein expression between the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes were 72% and 100%, respectively.Three cases showed a different mutated exon number between the primary tumors and the metastatic lymph nodes. Some cases showed p53 gene mutation only in the primary tumors, but while other cases only in the metastatic lymph nodes. The MIB-1 labelling index increased with tumor grade. The p53 altered group show a higher mean MIB-1 index than the non altered group's in both the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: p53 gene mutation is not consistent with p53 protein expression and there are some differences in p53 gene mutation between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes in breast cancer. Therefore, metastatic tumor have different characteristics from those of primary tumors. In breast cancer, metastasis is regulated not only by an up- regulating mechanism but also by a down-regulating mechanism.
Biology ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Exons ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Neoplasm Metastasis

PURPOSE: Obesity has been shown to have important effects related to breast cancer. But there have been few data available on the distribution of body mass index (BMI) among Korean breast cancer patients and on the effects of this distribution on patient prognosis. Therefore we investigated the BMI distribution of Korean breast cancer patient's and its relationship with other tumor markers, in order to elucidate the relationship between BMI and patient prognosis. METHODS: We measured the BMI of 266 Korean adult women with breast carcinoma.and divided the subjects into the following subgroups according to BMI; low body weight (BMI<20), normal body weight (BMI; 20~25) and over weight (BMI> or25). We compared this distribution with that of the general Korean women's population. and investigated the correlation with other prognostic factors and tumor markers. The 5 year overall and disease free survival rates were evaluated for both the total breast cancer patients and the adjuvant hormone treated breast cancer patients, according to BMI subgroup, using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Mean BMI for the breast patients was 23.4+/-3.1, and did not differ from that of the general Korean adult women's population ('1994 National Nutrition Survey Report).BMI increased with increasing age and was highest in the 60~69 yr age group. BMI was correlated with tumor size and stage. The survival rates were low in the high BMI group among both total and adjuvant hormone treated breast cancer patients, but in neither was any statistical difference found between BMI subgroups. CONCLUSION: Korean breast cancer patients are not obese as the general population and their BMI increases with increasing age and menopausal status. There was a tendency for higher BMI to be associated with poorer prognosis, although not to a statistically significant degree.
Adult ; Body Mass Index* ; Body Weight ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; Biomarkers, Tumor

PURPOSE: Obesity has been shown to have important effects related to breast cancer. But there have been few data available on the distribution of body mass index (BMI) among Korean breast cancer patients and on the effects of this distribution on patient prognosis. Therefore we investigated the BMI distribution of Korean breast cancer patient's and its relationship with other tumor markers, in order to elucidate the relationship between BMI and patient prognosis. METHODS: We measured the BMI of 266 Korean adult women with breast carcinoma.and divided the subjects into the following subgroups according to BMI; low body weight (BMI<20), normal body weight (BMI; 20~25) and over weight (BMI>or=25). We compared this distribution with that of the general Korean women's population. and investigated the correlation with other prognostic factors and tumor markers. The 5 year overall and disease free survival rates were evaluated for both the total breast cancer patients and the adjuvant hormone treated breast cancer patients, according to BMI subgroup, using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Mean BMI for the breast patients was 23.4+/-3.1, and did not differ from that of the general Korean adult women's population ('1994 National Nutrition Survey Report). BMI increased with increasing age and was highest in the 60~69 yr age group. BMI was correlated with tumor size and stage. The survival rates were low in the high BMI group among both total and adjuvant hormone treated breast cancer patients, but in neither was any statistical difference found between BMI subgroups. CONCLUSION: Korean breast cancer patients are not obese as the general population and their BMI increases with increasing age and menopausal status. There was a tendency for higher BMI to be associated with poorer prognosis, although not to a statistically significant degree.
Adult ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Body Mass Index* ; Body Weight ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate