No abstract available.
Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Skin*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate medical comorbidities and needs for medical and rehabilitation services of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in Korea. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. One hundred fifty-four adults with CP were enrolled in the study between February 2014 and December 2014. Information was obtained from participants regarding functional status, demographic and socioeconomic data, medical problems, and requirements for and utilization of medical and rehabilitation services. RESULTS: The participants included 93 males and 61 females with a mean age of 40.18±9.15 years. The medical check-up rate of adults with CP was lower than that of healthy adults and the total population with disabilities (53.2% vs. 58.6% vs. 70.4%). A quarter of the subjects failed to visit the hospital during the past year, and the main reason was the financial burden. Due to a cost burden and lack of knowledge, more than one-third of the subjects had unmet needs for rehabilitation services; the majority reported needs for rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy for pain management. CONCLUSION: The medical check-up rate was lower in the adults with CP, even though their medical comorbidities were not less than those of healthy people. Several non-medical reasons hindered them from receiving proper medical and rehabilitation services. Such barriers should be managed effectively.
Adult* ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Comorbidity ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Pain Management ; Prospective Studies ; Rehabilitation*

BACKGROUND: This prospective phase II study assessed the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of carboplatin, ifosfamide and etoposide for previously untreated patients with extensive-disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). METHODS: Patients with ED-SCLC received a combination chemotherapy with carboplatin AUC 6.0 on day 1, ifosfamide 1200 mg/m2 on day 1-3, and etoposide 100 mg/m2 on day 1-3. RESULTS: Forty-one patients received a median of six cycles of chemotherapy. A complete response was seen in 5 patients and a partial response was seen in 33 patients (overall response 95%). The median duration of the response was 5.1 months (95% CI; 3.4-6.8 months). The median time to progression and overall survival were 7.4 months (95% CI; 6.1-8.6 months) and 10.7 months (95% CI; 6.9-14.6 months), respectively, providing the one-year survival rate of 43.9%. Grade 3~4 anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 14%, 7% and 6% in a total of 212 cycles, respectively. Non-hematologic toxicities were generally mild and manageable. No treatment related death was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The combination chemotherapy of carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide showed an effective response rate and acceptable toxicity.
Anemia ; Area Under Curve ; Carboplatin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Etoposide* ; Humans ; Ifosfamide* ; Neutropenia ; Prospective Studies ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma* ; Survival Rate ; Thrombocytopenia

Background: Since April 2015, the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) has reimbursed breast cancer patients, approximately 50% of the cost of the breast reconstruction (BR) procedure. We aimed to investigate NHI reimbursement policy influence on the rate of immediate BR (IBR) following total mastectomy (TM). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed breast cancer data between April 2011 and June 2016. We divided patients who underwent IBR following TM for primary breast cancer into “uninsured” and “insured” groups using their NHI statuses at the time of surgery. Univariate analyses determined the insurance influence on the decision to undergo IBR. Results: Of 2,897 breast cancer patients, fewer uninsured patients (n = 625) underwent IBR compared with those insured (n = 325) (30.0% vs. 39.8%, P < 0.001). Uninsured patients were younger than those insured (median age [range], 43 [38–48] vs. 45 [40–50] years; P < 0.001).Pathologic breast cancer stage did not differ between the groups (P = 0.383). More insured patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.011), adjuvant radiotherapy (P < 0.001), and IBR with tissue expander insertion (P = 0.005) compared with those uninsured. Conclusion IBR rate in patients undergoing TM increased after NHI reimbursement.

Background: Since April 2015, the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) has reimbursed breast cancer patients, approximately 50% of the cost of the breast reconstruction (BR) procedure. We aimed to investigate NHI reimbursement policy influence on the rate of immediate BR (IBR) following total mastectomy (TM). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed breast cancer data between April 2011 and June 2016. We divided patients who underwent IBR following TM for primary breast cancer into “uninsured” and “insured” groups using their NHI statuses at the time of surgery. Univariate analyses determined the insurance influence on the decision to undergo IBR. Results: Of 2,897 breast cancer patients, fewer uninsured patients (n = 625) underwent IBR compared with those insured (n = 325) (30.0% vs. 39.8%, P < 0.001). Uninsured patients were younger than those insured (median age [range], 43 [38–48] vs. 45 [40–50] years; P < 0.001).Pathologic breast cancer stage did not differ between the groups (P = 0.383). More insured patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.011), adjuvant radiotherapy (P < 0.001), and IBR with tissue expander insertion (P = 0.005) compared with those uninsured. Conclusion IBR rate in patients undergoing TM increased after NHI reimbursement.