Background: Bulky or multiple lymph node (LN) metastases are associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer, and the size or number of LN metastases is not yet reflected in the staging system and therapeutic strategy. Although the therapeutic effects of surgical resection of bulky LNs before standard treatment have been reported in several retrospective studies, wellplanned randomized clinical studies are lacking. Therefore, the aim of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group (KGOG) 1047/DEBULK trial is to investigate whether the debulking surgery of bulky or multiple LNs prior to concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) improves the survival rate of patients with cervical cancer IIICr diagnosed by imaging tests. Methods The KGOG 1047/DEBULK trial is a phase III, multicenter, randomized clinical trial involving patients with bulky or multiple LN metastases in cervical cancer IIICr. This study will include patients with a short-axis diameter of a pelvic or para-aortic LN ≥2 cm or ≥3 LNs with a short-axis diameter ≥1 cm and for whom CCRT is planned. The treatment arms will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either receive CCRT (control arm) or undergo surgical debulking of bulky or multiple LNs before CCRT (experimental arm). CCRT consists of extended-field external beam radiotherapy/pelvic radiotherapy, brachytherapy and LN boost, and weekly chemotherapy with cisplatin (40 mg/m 2 ), 4–6 times administered intravenously.The primary endpoint will be 3-year progression-free survival rate. The secondary endpoints will be 3-year overall survival rate, treatment-related complications, and accuracy of radiological diagnosis of bulky or multiple LNs.

Background: Bulky or multiple lymph node (LN) metastases are associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer, and the size or number of LN metastases is not yet reflected in the staging system and therapeutic strategy. Although the therapeutic effects of surgical resection of bulky LNs before standard treatment have been reported in several retrospective studies, wellplanned randomized clinical studies are lacking. Therefore, the aim of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group (KGOG) 1047/DEBULK trial is to investigate whether the debulking surgery of bulky or multiple LNs prior to concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) improves the survival rate of patients with cervical cancer IIICr diagnosed by imaging tests. Methods The KGOG 1047/DEBULK trial is a phase III, multicenter, randomized clinical trial involving patients with bulky or multiple LN metastases in cervical cancer IIICr. This study will include patients with a short-axis diameter of a pelvic or para-aortic LN ≥2 cm or ≥3 LNs with a short-axis diameter ≥1 cm and for whom CCRT is planned. The treatment arms will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either receive CCRT (control arm) or undergo surgical debulking of bulky or multiple LNs before CCRT (experimental arm). CCRT consists of extended-field external beam radiotherapy/pelvic radiotherapy, brachytherapy and LN boost, and weekly chemotherapy with cisplatin (40 mg/m 2 ), 4–6 times administered intravenously.The primary endpoint will be 3-year progression-free survival rate. The secondary endpoints will be 3-year overall survival rate, treatment-related complications, and accuracy of radiological diagnosis of bulky or multiple LNs.

Background: Bulky or multiple lymph node (LN) metastases are associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer, and the size or number of LN metastases is not yet reflected in the staging system and therapeutic strategy. Although the therapeutic effects of surgical resection of bulky LNs before standard treatment have been reported in several retrospective studies, wellplanned randomized clinical studies are lacking. Therefore, the aim of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group (KGOG) 1047/DEBULK trial is to investigate whether the debulking surgery of bulky or multiple LNs prior to concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) improves the survival rate of patients with cervical cancer IIICr diagnosed by imaging tests. Methods The KGOG 1047/DEBULK trial is a phase III, multicenter, randomized clinical trial involving patients with bulky or multiple LN metastases in cervical cancer IIICr. This study will include patients with a short-axis diameter of a pelvic or para-aortic LN ≥2 cm or ≥3 LNs with a short-axis diameter ≥1 cm and for whom CCRT is planned. The treatment arms will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either receive CCRT (control arm) or undergo surgical debulking of bulky or multiple LNs before CCRT (experimental arm). CCRT consists of extended-field external beam radiotherapy/pelvic radiotherapy, brachytherapy and LN boost, and weekly chemotherapy with cisplatin (40 mg/m 2 ), 4–6 times administered intravenously.The primary endpoint will be 3-year progression-free survival rate. The secondary endpoints will be 3-year overall survival rate, treatment-related complications, and accuracy of radiological diagnosis of bulky or multiple LNs.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the emergency medical care system worldwide. We analyzed the changes in the management of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and compared the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras. Materials and Methods: From March to October of the COVID-19 era (2020), 83 consecutive patients with ICH were admitted to four comprehensive stroke centers. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients and compared the treatment workflow metrics, treatment modalities, and clinical outcomes with the patients admitted during the same period of pre-COVID-19 era (2017–2019). Results: Three hundred thirty-eight patients (83 in COVID-19 era and 255 in pre-COVID-19 era) were included in this study. Symptom onset/detection-to-door time [COVID-19; 56.0 min (34.0–106.0), pre-COVID-19; 40.0 min (27.0–98.0), p=0.016] and median door to-intensive treatment time differed between the two groups [COVID-19; 349.0 min (177.0–560.0), pre-COVID-19; 184.0 min (134.0–271.0), p<0.001]. Hematoma expansion was detected more significantly in the COVID-19 era (39.8% vs. 22.1%, p=0.002). At 3-month follow-up, clinical outcomes of patients were worse in the COVID-19 era (Good modified Rankin Scale; 33.7% in COVID-19, 46.7% in pre-COVID-19, p=0.039). Conclusion During the COVID-19 era, delays in management of ICH was associated with hematoma expansion and worse outcomes.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the emergency medical care system worldwide. We analyzed the changes in the management of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and compared the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras. Materials and Methods: From March to October of the COVID-19 era (2020), 83 consecutive patients with ICH were admitted to four comprehensive stroke centers. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients and compared the treatment workflow metrics, treatment modalities, and clinical outcomes with the patients admitted during the same period of pre-COVID-19 era (2017–2019). Results: Three hundred thirty-eight patients (83 in COVID-19 era and 255 in pre-COVID-19 era) were included in this study. Symptom onset/detection-to-door time [COVID-19; 56.0 min (34.0–106.0), pre-COVID-19; 40.0 min (27.0–98.0), p=0.016] and median door to-intensive treatment time differed between the two groups [COVID-19; 349.0 min (177.0–560.0), pre-COVID-19; 184.0 min (134.0–271.0), p<0.001]. Hematoma expansion was detected more significantly in the COVID-19 era (39.8% vs. 22.1%, p=0.002). At 3-month follow-up, clinical outcomes of patients were worse in the COVID-19 era (Good modified Rankin Scale; 33.7% in COVID-19, 46.7% in pre-COVID-19, p=0.039). Conclusion During the COVID-19 era, delays in management of ICH was associated with hematoma expansion and worse outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter study. PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate prognostic factors affecting postsurgical recovery of deltoid palsy due to cervical disc herniation (CDH). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Little information is available about prognostic factors affecting postsurgical recovery of deltoid palsy due to CDH. METHODS: Sixty-one patients with CDH causing deltoid palsy (less than grade 3) were included in this study: 35 soft discs and 26 hard discs. Average duration of preoperative deltoid palsy was 11.9 weeks. Thirty-two patients underwent single-level surgery, 22 two-level, four three-level, and three four-level. Patients with accompanying myelopathy, shoulder diseases, or peripheral neuropathy were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Deltoid palsy (2.4 grades vs. 4.5 grades, p<0.001) and radiculopathy (6.4 points vs. 2.1 points, p<0.001) significantly improved after surgery. Thirty-six of 61 patients (59%) achieved full recovery (grade 5) of deltoid palsy, with an average time of 8.4 weeks. Longer duration of preoperative deltoid palsy and more severe radiculopathy negatively affected the degree of improvement in deltoid palsy. Age, gender, number of surgery level, and disc type did not affect the degree of improvement of deltoid palsy. Contrary to our expectations, severity of preoperative deltoid palsy did not affect the degree of improvement. Due to the shorter duration of preoperative deltoid palsy, in the context of rapid referral, early surgical decompression resulted in significant recovery of more severe grades (grade 0 or 1) of deltoid palsy compared to grade 2 or 3 deltoid palsy. CONCLUSIONS: Early surgical decompression significantly improved deltoid palsy caused by CDH, irrespective of age, gender, number of surgery level, and disc type. However, longer duration of deltoid palsy and more severe intensity of preoperative radiating pain were associated with less improvement of deltoid palsy postoperatively.
Decompression, Surgical ; Humans ; Paralysis* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Radiculopathy ; Referral and Consultation ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder ; Spinal Cord Diseases

No abstract available.
Humans ; Mastocytosis

PURPOSE: Although surgical resection is the most effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), high recurrence after resection is a major challenging problem. We attempted to determine the optimal strategies for improving the long-term surgical outcome through the review of our 10 years' experience with surgically treating HCC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 497 patients who received curative resection at the Yonsei University Health System from January 1996 to August 2006. RESULTS: The 5 year disease-free rate and the overall survival rate after curative resection were 45.0% and 63.9%, respectively. Of the 497 patients, 491 (98.8%) were Child-Pugh A and 107 (56.3%) were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. The postoperative complication and mortality rates were 28.6% and 1.8%, respectively. Of the 243 recurrent patients, 184 (75.7%) were diagnosed with intrahepatic recurrence alone. Of these intrahepatic recurrent patients, 169 (91.9%) received active treatment, including transplantation (n=7), re-resection (n=12), local ablation therapy (n=18) and transarterial chemoembolization (n=132). Multivariate analysis revealed that perioperative transfusion, a satellite nodule, the pathologic TNM stage, the Edmondsons-Steiner grade, the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase levels and cirrhosis were associated with disease free survival, and perioperative transfusion, a satellite nodule, macroscopic vascular invasion, the Edmondsons-Steiner grade, the ALP and serum albumin levels and the platelet count were related with overall survival after resection. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term surgical outcome of HCC can be further improved by proper patient selection, delicately performed surgery and administering postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with a high risk of recurrence. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are needed to treat the recurrence
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Disease-Free Survival ; Early Diagnosis ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Patient Selection ; Platelet Count ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin ; Survival Rate ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Recent studies have reported improved perioperative and long-term outcomes for the initial postoperative results for patients with a huge HCC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes of patients with a huge HCC and we wanted to identify any subgroup that would likely benefit from hepatic resection. METHODS: From January 1996 to August 2006, 55 patients were diagnosed with a huge HCC (> or = 10cm in diameter). All the tumors were classified as either the expanding nodular type or the non- expanding nodular type. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 50.6 years and 39 patients were male. The most common cause of liver disease was hepatitis B virus. The mean size of tumor was 11.9 cm. Microscopic liver cirrhosis was present in 17 patients. Twenty-three patients had tumors of the expanding nodular type. Curative resection was performed in 50 patients. The 5-year diseasefree and overall survival rates after resection were 35.8% and 41.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that surgical margins of < or = 1.0, a non-curative resection, the non-expanding nodular type and microscopic vascular invasion were adverse prognostic factors for survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that the gross tumor classification (expanding nodular vs. nonexpanding nodular) was the only independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: Huge HCC is not a homogenous group and the gross tumor pattern may represent the biologic behavior of huge HCC. Because the outcome of surgical treatment is far better than that of non-surgical treatment, resection should be actively considered for patients with a huge HCC. An expanding nodular type tumor is the best candidate for surgical resection.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Intrahepatic recurrent HCC has been classified according to location, the time to recurrence and the pattern of presentation. The purpose of this study is to classify intrahepatic recurrent HCCs into subgroups that have relatively similar recurrent patterns and to identify the risk factors for each recurrent type. METHODS: A total of 353 patients were retrospectively studied. Intrahepatic recurrent HCC was classified into nodular recurrence (<4 nodules; type I), multinodular-diffuse recurrence (> or =4 nodules; type II) and infiltrative recurrence (type III). The cut-off time between early and late recurrence was chosen to be 12 months following hepatectomy. RESULTS: Among the 134 patients with only intrahepatic recurrence, 94 were type I, 27 were type II and 13 were type III. The median survival time following the recurrence of types I, II and III were 55, 16 and 8 months, respectively. As determined by multivariate analysis, perioperative transfusion and indocyanine green retention at 15 minutes (ICG R 15 >10%) were the independent risk factors for type I; an ICG R 15>10%, microvessel invasion and intrahepatic metastasis were the independent risk factors for type II; an ICG R 15>10% and microscopic portal vein invasion were the independent risk factors for type III. Multivariate analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients with IHR was associated with the recurrent types, the time to recurrence and the serum albumin level at the initial presentation. Following multivariate analysis, an ICG R 15>10% and intrahepatic metastasis were the independent risk factors for early type I recurrence; perioperative transfusion and a higher grade of hepatitis activity were the independent risk factors for late type I recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The recurrent types and the time to recurrence may help us to predict the cellular origin of intrahepatic recurrent HCC and the prognosis of the patients who suffer with intrahepatic recurrent HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Microvessels ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Portal Vein ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retention (Psychology) ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin