OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical factors and brain lesion locations related to the patterns of dysphagia in stroke patients in a rehabilitation hospital. METHODS: The medical records of 116 stroke patients who underwent a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) between January 2010 and January 2015 in a rehabilitation hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The swallowing-related parameters were assessed using a VFSS. The brain lesion locations were classified as the cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla, cerebellum, and others (subarachnoid or intraventricular hemorrhage). The ambulation ability was assessed using functional ambulation categories (FACs). The independence in the activities of daily living and the degree of cognitive impairment were assessed using the Korean versions of the modified Barthel index (K-MBI) and Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), respectively. After adjusting for the potential confounding factors in multivariate analysis, the odds ratios and confidence intervals of the stroke brain lesions were calculated and the clinical factors for predicting the VFSS findings were determined. RESULTS: Among the 116 patients, 35 (27%) had an impaired oral stage and 58 (50%) had aspiration. The impaired oral stage was associated significantly with the onset time, basal ganglia stroke, dietary and fluid intake methods at the time of the VFSS, symptoms of dysphagia, FACs, K-MBI, and K-MMSE. Aspiration was correlated with a pontine stroke, methods of dietary and fluid intakes at the time of the VFSS, symptoms of dysphagia, FACs, and K-MBI. Multivariate analysis showed that the pontine stroke and methods of dietary and fluid intake at the time of VFSS predicted aspiration after adjusting for the potential confounding factors. In subgroup analysis of the diet type, the liquid and semisolid aspirations were correlated with the dietary and fluid intake methods and pontine stroke, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with a pons lesion stroke, who are on a modified diet (fluid thickening and tube feeding), have higher risks of aspiration. This provides evidence for precise clinical reasoning in this specific patient group.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aspirations (Psychology) ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Cerebellum ; Cognition Disorders ; Deglutition Disorders ; Deglutition* ; Diet ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Mesencephalon ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Oral Stage ; Pons ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Thalamus ; Walking

Background : PTEN, located on chromosome 10q23.31, is a novel tumor suppressor gene. In the sporadic breast cancers, the incidence of the loss of heterozygosity of PTEN is approximately 10% to 40%, but the incidence of intragenic mutation of PTEN is less than 1%. To as- sess the role of the PTEN in the invasive ductal breast cancer, we studied the frequency of the loss of PTEN expression, its correlation with the commonly used prognostic factors of the breast cancer and with PTEN promoter hypermethylation status. Methods : Immunohistochemical staining with an anti-PTEN protein antibody was performed on the paraffin-embedded breast tissues from 129 women with a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma. Methylation specific PCR was performed to detect hypermethylation in the PTEN gene on the 28 cases with the loss of PTEN expression. Results : Sixty-two (48%) of 129 breast tumors had the loss of PTEN expression. The loss of PTEN expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis and stage, and there was a near-significant correlation with the tumor size. PTEN promoter hypermethylation was found in five (18%) out of 28 patients. Conclusion : These results suggest that the loss of PTEN expression might play a role in the progression of the breast cancer and that the aberrant promoter methylation is one of the silencing mechanisms of PTEN.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Incidence ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Lymph Nodes ; Methylation ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

PURPOSE: Leptin is a potent adipokine that plays a significant role in tumor development and the progression of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether leptin affects the response to tamoxifen treatment in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cells. METHODS: Leptin, leptin receptor (Ob-R), and activation of signaling pathways were studied by Western immunoblotting. The effects of leptin on tamoxifen-dependent growth inhibition were studied in MCF-7 and T-47D cells. RESULTS: Leptin was expressed in MCF-7 and T-47D and had a proliferative effect on MCF-7 cells. Leptin significantly inhibited the antiestrogenic effect of tamoxifen in both cells only under beta-estradiol (E2) (20 nM) conditions. In MCF-7, the inhibitory effect against tamoxifen was a result from the activation of the ERK1/2 and STAT3 signal transduction pathway. CONCLUSION: Leptin interferes with the effects of tamoxifen under E2 stimulated conditions in ER-positive breast cancer cells. These results imply that inhibition of leptin is expected to enhance the response to tamoxifen in ER-positive breast cancer cells, and, therefore, could be a promising way to overcome endocrine resistance.
Adipokines ; Blotting, Western ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; Estrogens ; Leptin ; MCF-7 Cells ; Receptors, Leptin ; Signal Transduction ; Tamoxifen

Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare event, occurring less than 1 : 30,000 pregnancies in natural conception cycles. With assisted reproduction techniques, however, this incidence increase to between 1 : 100 and 1 : 500. It is known to present with a variety of symptoms and signs after leading to a delay in establishing the correct diagnosis. Delay in diagnosing and surgery can jeopardize both maternal well-being and survival of the intrauterine fetus. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate surgery contribute to the favorable outcome for the mother and surviving infant. We experienced a case of heterotopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, which carried the intrauterine pregnancy to term delivery following rupture of the tubal pregnancy, with hypovolemic shock. So we report this case with review of literatures.
Diagnosis ; Embryo Transfer* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Fetus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic* ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Reproductive Techniques ; Rupture ; Shock

Purpose: We investigated the consistent efficacy and safety of eflapegrastim, a novel long-acting granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), in Koreans and Asians compared with the pooled population of two global phase 3 trials. Materials and Methods: Two phase 3 trials (ADVANCE and RECOVER) evaluated the efficacy and safety of fixed-dose eflapegrastim (13.2 mg/0.6 mL [3.6 mg G-CSF equivalent]) compared to pegfilgrastim (6 mg based on G-CSF) in breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant or adjuvant docetaxel/cyclophosphamide. The primary objective was to demonstrate non-inferiority of eflapegrastim compared to pegfilgrastim in mean duration of severe neutropenia (DSN) in cycle 1, in Korean and Asian subpopulations. Results: Among a total of 643 patients randomized to eflapegrastim (n=314) or pegfilgrastim (n=329), 54 Asians (29 to eflapegrastim and 25 to pegfilgrastim) including 28 Koreans (14 to both eflapegrastim and pegfilgrastim) were enrolled. The primary endpoint, DSN in cycle 1 in the eflapegrastim arm was non-inferior to the pegfilgrastim arm in Koreans and Asians. The DSN difference between the eflapegrastim and pegfilgrastim arms was consistent across populations: –0.120 days (95% confidence interval [CI], –0.227 to –0.016), –0.288 (95% CI, –0.714 to 0.143), and –0.267 (95% CI, –0.697 to 0.110) for pooled population, Koreans and Asians, respectively. There were few treatment-related adverse events that caused discontinuation of eflapegrastim (1.9%) or pegfilgrastim (1.5%) in total and no notable trends or differences across patient populations. Conclusion This study may suggest that eflapegrastim showed non-inferior efficacy and similar safety compared to pegfilgrastim in Koreans and Asians, consistently with those of pooled population.

PURPOSE: Although combining aromatase inhibitors (AI) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) is becoming more common, it is still not clear if GnRHa is as effective as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data of 66 premenopausal patients with hormone receptor– positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative recurrent and metastatic breast cancer who had been treated with AIs in combination with GnRHa or BSO between 2002 and 2015. RESULTS: The median patient age was 44 years. Overall, 24 (36%) received BSO and 42 (64%) received GnRHa. The clinical benefit rate was higher in the BSO group than in the GnRHa group (88% vs. 69%, p=0.092). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was longer in the BSO group, although statistical significance was not reached (17.2 months vs. 13.3 months, p=0.245). When propensity score matching was performed, the median PFS was 17.2 months for the BSO group and 8.2 months for the GnRHa group (p=0.137). Multivariate analyses revealed that the luminal B subtype (hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 2.60; p=0.022) and later-line treatment (≥ third line vs. first line; hazard ratio, 3.24; 95% CI, 1.59 to 6.59; p=0.001) were independent predictive factors for a shorter PFS. Incomplete ovarian suppression was observed in a subset of GnRHa-treated patients whose disease showed progression, with E2 levels higher than 21 pg/mL. CONCLUSION: Both BSO and GnRHa were found to be effective in our AI-treated premenopausal metastatic breast cancer patient cohort. However, further studies in larger populations are needed to determine if BSO is superior to GnRHa.
Aromatase Inhibitors* ; Aromatase* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Ovariectomy ; Phenobarbital ; Premenopause ; Propensity Score ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) chemotherapy beyond standard treatment for anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC). METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 158 MBC patients who underwent CMF chemotherapy in a palliative setting at two academic hospitals in Korea between 2002 and 2016. RESULTS: The median age of the 158 enrolled patients was 51 years (range, 30–77 years). The enrolled patients were treated with a median of 5 lines of systemic treatment (range, 2–11) before CMF therapy, and the median time from diagnosis of MBC to CMF administration was 36.0 months (range, 7.1–146.7 months). The median number of cycles of CMF treatment was 3 (range, 1–19), and the relative dose intensity was 90.4%. The toxicity profile was mild, with an observed 3.1% of grade 2 and 5.0% of grade 3/4 neutropenia. Among 147 patients (93.0%) whose response to CMF was evaluated, the response rate was 10.9% (16/147), with complete response (CR) in one and partial response (PR) in 15. In addition, the disease control rate (calculated as CR+PR+stable disease) was 44.2% (65/147). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7–3.6) and 9.4 months (95% CI, 7.1–11.6), respectively. CONCLUSION: CMF therapy is effective and tolerable as salvage treatment for heavily pretreated MBC.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cyclophosphamide* ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil* ; Humans ; Korea ; Methotrexate* ; Neutropenia ; Palliative Care* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Salvage Therapy

Primary gastric choriocarcinomas are very rare, and their prognosis is extremely poor. A 37-year-old woman presented with amenorrhea, vaginal spotting and severe nausea, which mimicked a pregnancy and gestational trophoblastic disease. The serum level of the beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) was significantly increased. An endoscopic biopsy of the stomach mass showed the features of a choriocarcinoma, with marked anaplasia and necrosis. Immunohistochemical staining for beta-hCG showed positive results in the choriocarcinoma. Chemotherapy for the choriocarcinoma was administered, but she died 8 months following diagnosis.
Adult ; Amenorrhea* ; Anaplasia ; Biopsy ; Choriocarcinoma* ; Chorion ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease ; Humans ; Metrorrhagia ; Nausea ; Necrosis ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Stomach

The occurrence of disseminated tuberculosis in combination with acute leukemia is rare. A 28 year old male undergoing induction chemotherapy for AML presented with fever of unknown origin. Upon the studies to make the diagnosis this case turned out to be disseminated tuberculosis including meningitis. The chest CT showed multiple enlarged mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The Brain CT showed noncommunicating obstructive hydrocephalus. Disseminated tuberculosis was pathologically proven by theliver, bone marrow and mediastinal lymph node biopsies. As clinical course improved, radiological lesions were completely resolved after antituberculosis therapy. It is important to consider disseminated tuberculosis for the etiology of FUO inpatient with AML who had suffered from long standing fever.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Fever ; Fever of Unknown Origin ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Inpatients ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male ; Meningitis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal*

Purpose: This single-arm phase II trial investigate the efficacy and safety of S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes were enrolled. Patients received S-1 (40-60 mg depending on patient’s body surface area, twice a day, day 1-14) and oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2, day 1) in 3 weeks cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor 1.1. Secondary endpoints included time-to-progression (TTP), duration-of-response (DoR), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. Results: A total of 87 patients were enrolled from 11 institutions in Korea. Hormone receptor was positive in 54 (62.1%) patients and six (6.9%) had human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive disease. Forty-eight patients (85.1%) had visceral metastasis and 74 (55.2%) had more than three sites of metastases. The ORR of SOX regimen was 38.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.9 to 50.0) with a median TTP of 6.0 months (95% CI, 5.1 to 6.9). Median DoR and OS were 10.3 months (95% CI, 5.5 to 15.1) and 19.4 (95% CI, not estimated) months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was reported in 28 patients (32.1%) and thrombocytopenia was observed in 23 patients (26.6%). Conclusion This phase II study showed that SOX regimen is a reasonable option in metastatic breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes.