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.

Recurrent parotid sialocele is rare and challenging to treat. Treatment options are limited for cases of parotid sialocele that recur despite ductal ligation. This case study presents a patient who underwent wide excision of the right buccal mucosa due to squamous cell carcinoma. During the wide excision, a segment of the parotid duct was excised, and ductal ligation was performed to prevent the occurrence of a sialocele, followed by reconstruction using a folded anterolateral thigh free flap. Twenty-two days after surgery, parotid sialocele occurred despite the initial ductal ligation and subsequent ductal ligation was performed; however, the sialocele recurred. As an alternative therapeutic option, a transdermal scopolamine patch was applied for 3 weeks, with one patch used every 3 days. The results were encouraging, with complete resolution of the sialocele. A transdermal scopolamine offers a noninvasive, convenient method of treating parotid sialocele with minimal side effects. The successful outcome of this case suggests that a transdermal scopolamine can be an effective therapeutic option for recurrent parotid sialocele in conjunction with surgical treatment.

Purpose: Several previous studies and case reports have reported ethanol-induced symptoms in patients receiving anticancer drugs containing ethanol. Most docetaxel formulations contain ethanol as a solvent. However, there are insufficient data on ethanol-induced symptoms when docetaxel-containing ethanol is administered. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and pattern of ethanol-induced symptoms during and after docetaxel administration. The secondary purpose was to explore the risk factors for ethanol-induced symptoms. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study. The participants filled out ethanol-induced symptom questionnaire on the day of chemotherapy and the following day. Results: Data from 451 patients were analyzed. The overall occurrence rate of ethanol-induced symptoms was 44.3% (200/451 patients). The occurrence rate of facial flushing was highest at 19.7% (89/451 patients), followed by nausea in 18.2% (82/451 patients), and dizziness in 17.5% (79/451 patients). Although infrequent, unsteady walking and impaired balance occurred in 4.2% and 3.3% of patients, respectively. Female sex, presence of underlying disease, younger age, docetaxel dose, and docetaxel-containing ethanol amount were significantly associated with the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms. Conclusion The occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms was not low in patients receiving docetaxel-containing ethanol. Physicians need to pay more attention to the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms and prescribe ethanol-free or low-ethanol-containing formulations to high-risk patients.

PURPOSE: Patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs) can provide more reliable information about tumor biology than cell line models. We developed PDXs for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) that have histopathologic and genetic similarities to the primary patient tissues and evaluated their potential for use as a platform for translational EOC research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We successfully established PDXs by subrenal capsule implantation of primary EOC tissues into female BALB/C-nude mice. The rate of successful PDX engraftment was 48.8% (22/45 cases). Hematoxylin and eosin staining and short tandem repeat analysis showed histopathological and genetic similarity between the PDX and primary patient tissues. RESULTS: Patients whose tumors were successfully engrafted in mice had significantly inferior overall survival when compared with those whose tumors failed to engraft (p=0.040). In preclinical tests of this model, we found that paclitaxel-carboplatin combination chemotherapy significantly deceased tumor weight in PDXs compared with the control treatment (p=0.013). Moreover, erlotinib treatment significantly decreased tumor weight in epidermal growth factor receptor–overexpressing PDX with clear cell histology (p=0.023). CONCLUSION: PDXs for EOC with histopathological and genetic stability can be efficiently developed by subrenal capsule implantation and have the potential to provide a promising platform for future translational research and precision medicine for EOC.
Animals ; Biology ; Cell Line ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride ; Female ; Hematoxylin ; Heterografts* ; Humans ; Mice ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Precision Medicine ; Translational Medical Research ; Tumor Burden

In September 2011, the Korean Society of Hematology Lymphoma Working Party held a nationwide conference to establish a consensus for assessing bone marrow (BM) involvement in patients with lymphoma. At this conference, many clinicians, hematopathologists, and diagnostic hematologists discussed various topics for a uniform consensus in the evaluation process to determine whether the BM is involved. Now that the discussion has matured sufficiently to be published, we herein describe the consensus reached and limitations in current methods for assessing BM involvement in patients with lymphoma.
Bone Marrow* ; Consensus* ; Hematology* ; Humans ; Lymphoma*

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate cortical hypometabolism of the F-18- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) based on a diagnostic cutoff point of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) in de novo PD.Methods: We recruited 24 PD patients and 15 healthy controls to analyze FDG-PET. We divided the patients into two groups by the diagnostic cutoff point of MMSE for diagnosing dementia, with scores of>25 vs. < 25. FDG-PET was processed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 8 running on Matlab 11. Results: Patients with a MMSE < 25 presented lower score in time orientation, serial sevens, language and pentagon copying of MMSE compared to patients with a MMSE >25. Compared to healthy controls, patients with a MMSE> 25 and < 25 showed a fronto-temporo-parietal hypometabolism, which was more extended in patients with a MMSE < 25. Difference in cortical hypometabolism between patients with a MMSE >25 and < 25 was found in the right inferior parietal lobule. Conclusions: In the comparison by cutoff point of MMSE (25/24), hypometabolism in the right inferior parietal lobule suggests that the posterior cortical deficit is the main region ofde novo PD with cognitive impairment. Hypometabolism of right inferior parietal lobule is related to the damage of cerebral networkin de novo PD.
Parkinson Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thrombolysis is underused in acute ischemic stroke, mainly due to the reluctance of physicians to treat thrombolysis patients. However, a computerized clinical decision support system can help physicians to develop individualized stroke treatments. METHODS: A consecutive series of 958 patients, hospitalized within 12 hours of ischemic stroke onset from a representative clinical center in Korea, was used to establish a prognostic model. Multivariable logistic regression was used to develop the model for global and safety outcomes. An external validation of developed model was performed using 954 patients data obtained from 5 university hospitals or regional stroke centers. RESULTS: Final global outcome predictors were age; previous modified Rankin scale score; initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score; previous stroke; diabetes; prior use of antiplatelet treatment, antihypertensive drugs, and statins; lacunae; thrombolysis; onset to treatment time; and systolic blood pressure. Final safety outcome predictors were age, initial NIHSS score, thrombolysis, onset to treatment time, systolic blood pressure, and glucose level. The discriminative ability of the prognostic model showed a C-statistic of 0.89 and 0.84 for the global and safety outcomes, respectively. Internal and external validation showed similar C-statistic results. After updating the model, calibration slopes were corrected from 0.68 to 1.0 and from 0.96 to 1.0 for the global and safety outcome models, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A novel computerized outcome prediction model for thrombolysis after ischemic stroke was developed using large amounts of clinical information. After external validation and updating, the model's performance was deemed clinically satisfactory.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure ; Calibration ; Glucose ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome and high sodium intake are associated with frequent cardiovascular events. Few studies have estimated sodium intake in subjects with metabolic syndrome by 24-hour urine sodium excretion. We evaluated sodium intake in individuals with metabolic syndrome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Participants were recruited by random selection and through advertisement. Twenty four-hour urine collection, ambulatory blood pressure measurements, and blood test were performed. Sodium intake was estimated by 24-hour urine sodium excretion. Participants receiving antihypertensive medications were excluded from analysis. RESULTS: Among the 463 participants recruited, subjects with metabolic syndrome had higher levels of 24-hour urine sodium excretion than subjects without metabolic syndrome (p=0.0001). There was a significant relationship between the number of metabolic syndrome factors and 24-hour urine sodium excretion (p=0.001). The proportion of subjects with metabolic syndrome was increased across the tertile groups of 24-hour urine sodium excretion (p<0.0001). The association of high sodium intake and metabolic syndrome was significant only among women. Among the factors related to metabolic syndrome, body mass index had an independent association with 24-hour urine sodium excretion (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Women with metabolic syndrome exhibited significantly higher sodium intake, suggesting that dietary education to reduce sodium consumption should be emphasized for women with metabolic syndrome.
Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Education ; Female ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Sodium* ; Sodium, Dietary ; Urine Specimen Collection