Pain from cancer is a major problem of managing the oral cancer patients in terminal stage. Overall, pain is reported by about 50% of patients at all stages of cancer and by over 70% with advanced neoplasms. Unrelieved pain can be incapaciting and preclude a satisfying quality of life. But, pain is often poorly assessed, and many clinicians lack sufficient knowledge to optimize cancer pain treatment. There are three basic approaches to the control of pain : modifying the source of pain, altering the central perception of pain, and blocking the transmission of pain to the central nervous system. The optimal use of these approaches and an individualized plan for pain control can maximize both quality and duration of life in dying patients. Opioid analgesics are are the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment. Practical opioid therapy include selection of both drug and route, dose titration, and management of side effects. We present our experienced pharmacologic treatment protocol for cancer pain management that collaborated by Dept. of Hospice, Catholic Medical Center. It will acts as a guideline for our colleague to facilitate the translation of current knowlegde into the clinical practice.
Analgesics, Opioid ; Central Nervous System ; Clinical Protocols ; Hospices ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms* ; Pain Management ; Quality of Life

Sialosyl Tn mucin antigen (STn) is a carbohydrate antigen of tumor associated mucin formed by the premature 2~6 sialation of N-acetylgalactosamine. STn has been expressed in several tumor types and showed prognostic significance in colonic carcinoma. The authors evaluated the expression of STn immunohistochemically and correlated its expression with clinicopathologic variables in 100 gastric cancers. In early gastric cancer, STn was expressed in 24 cases out of 50 cases (48%). In advanced gastric cancer, STn was expressed in 48 of 50 (96%). The difference in STn expression between advanced gastric cancer and early gastric cancer was statistically significant. The difference in STn expression between tumors with lymph node metastasis and those without lymph node metastasis, between tubular adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma, and between intestinal type and diffuse type adenocarcinoma was statistically insignificant in early or advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. These results suggest that the STn expression plays a role in the tumor progression in both early and advanced gastric adenocarcinomas.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell ; Colon ; Lymph Nodes ; Mucins* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Cytogenetics* ; Down Syndrome* ; Humans

No abstract available.

As gastroduodenoscopy performed more frequently, case reports of human echinostomiasis are increasing in Korea. A Korean woman presented at a local clinic with complaints of abdominal pain and discomfort that had persisted for 2 weeks. Under gastroduodenoscopy, two motile flukes were found attached on the duodenal bulb, and retrieved with endoscopic forceps. She had history of eating raw frog meat. The two flukes were identified as Echinostoma hortense by egg morphology, 27 collar spines with 4 end-group spines, and surface ultrastructural characters. This report may prove frogs to be a source of human echinostome infections.
Animals ; Duodenal Diseases/*parasitology ; Duodenum/*parasitology ; Echinostoma/*isolation & purification ; Echinostomiasis/*diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged

Rapid administration of solution containing dextroae results in marked hyperglycemia and osmotic diuresis hut a balanced electrolyte solution containing maltese does not increase blood sugar. 30 patients were chosen at random and divided into 3 groups j.e, one group received 5% dextrose in water, the second group received Hartmann solution and the third group, 5% maltose in a balanced electrolyte solution. The Patient's blood was collected in the operating room prior to the start l.V. infusion, for the measurement of blood sugar, insulin, osmolarity and electrolrtes in various conditions of N.P.O. Intravenous fluid was administered at a rate of 10 m1/kg/hour while anesthesia was induced and maintained with an endotracheal tube in place. Blood samples were taken one hour. 2 hours and 3 7ours f:on the time 1,V. infusion started, In the of 5% dextrose in water groups, the value of blood sugar and insulin was 88.5+/-12.1 mg% and 14.60+/-7.67 un/ml at NPO, 257.7+/-60.8mg% and 70.75+/-37.55 un/m1 at 1 hour, 298.8+/-84.4mg%: and 143.19+/-50.32 un/ml at 2 hours and 228.6+/-75.8% and 127.71+/-56.98 un/m1 at 3 hours. Although the b1ood sugar and insulin values increased markedly. but potassium and chloride were 4.74+/-0.55 mEq/l and 101.1+/-2.9 mEq/l and 4.11+/-0.31 mEq/l, 107.4+/-2.3 mEq/l and 3.75+/-0.41 mEq/l, 176.4+/-2.7mEq/l and 3.89+/-0.50mEq/l, 106.3+/-2.2 mEq/l and shoewed mild decrease, by the way, osmolarity and serum sodium did not changed. In contrast to the 5% dextrose in water groups, there are no changes in the blood glucose. insulin levels, osmolarity or and electrolrtes in the either Hartmann or Elitol (Elitol=5% maltose contained in a balanced electrolyte solution) groups. There was a slight increase in osmolarity with maltose but it was not significant. Accordingly it is concluded that rapid infusion of harmann or 5% maltose contained ina balanced electrolyte solution affects the blood sugar and insulin levels insignificantly compared to the dextrose cont5aining solution which increase the blood sugar and indulin levels markedly.
Anesthesia ; Blood Glucose* ; Diuresis ; Electrolytes* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin* ; Maltose ; Operating Rooms ; Osmolar Concentration* ; Potassium ; Sodium ; Water

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of [18F]FDG PET in the diagnosis of recurrent head and neck cancer after the completion of surgery and radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In fifty-nine patients with head and neck cancers, whole body [18F]FDG PET studies were performed. According to the different therapeutic modalities, patients were divided into four groups (Group I; pre-treatment, Group II; surgery, Group III; radiotherapy, Group IV; both surgery and radiotherapy). [18F]FDG PET images were compared with clinical, CT and histopathologic findings. RESULTS: For detection of metastatic lymph nodes in 14 patients of pre-treatment group (group I), the sensitivity and specificity of PET were 100% (10/10) and 75% (3/4), and those of CT were 80% (8/10) and 100% (4/4). For detection of recurrence in 45 patients of post-treatment group, overall sensitivity and specificity of PET were 96.2% (25/26) and 78.9% (15/19) [(100% and 75% in group II, 80% and 50% in group III, and 100% and 100% in group IV)] without significant difference from pre-treatment group (p>0.1). In detecting recurrence, the sensitivity and specificity of [18F]FDG PET were 90.9% (10/11) and 20% (1/5) in 16 patients who underwent [18F]FDG PET within 2 months after the completion of treatment. The specificity of these patients was significantly lower than that of 29 patients (100% of sensitivity and specificity) who underwent [18F]FDG PET 2 months after treatment (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: [18F]FDG PET is an accurate diagnostic modality for the detection of recurrence in head and neck cancer. Post-therapy [18F]FDG PET should be obtained at least 2 months after the completion of surgery or radiotherapy.
Diagnosis ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck* ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: The measurement of radiation absorbed dose is useful to predict the response after I-131 labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy and determine therapy dose in patients with unresectable or malignant pheochromocytoma. We estimated the absorbed dose in tumor tissue after high dose I-131 MIBG in a patient with pheochromocytoma using a gamma camera and Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 64-year old female patient with pheochromocytoma who had multiple metastases of mediastinum, right kidney and periaortic lymph nodes, received 74 GBq (200 mCi) of I-131 MIBG. We obtained anterior and posterior images at 0.5, 16, 24, 64 and 145 hours after treatment. Two standard sources of 37 and 74 MBq of I-131 were imaged simultaneously. Cummulated I-131 MIBG uptake in tumor tissue was calculated after the correction of background activity, attenuation, system sensitivity and count loss at a high count rate. RESULTS: The calculated absorbed radiation dose was 32-63 Gy/ 74 GBq, which was lower than the known dose for tumor remission (150-200 Gy). Follow-up studies at 1 month showed minimally reduced tumor size on computed tomography, and mildly reduced I-131 MIBG uptake. CONCLUSION: We estimated radiation absorbed dose after therapeutic I-131 MIBG using a gamma camera and MIRD formula, which can be peformed in a clinical nuclear medicine laboratory. Our RESULTS suggest that the measurement of radiation absorbed dose in I-131 MIBG therapy is feasible as a routine clinical practice that can guide further treatment plan. The accuracy of dose measurement and correlation with clinical outcome should be evaluated further.
3-Iodobenzylguanidine ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gamma Cameras ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lymph Nodes ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nuclear Medicine ; Pheochromocytoma