Background: s/Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea. This study evaluated the characteristics of Korean patients newly diagnosed with HCC in 2016-2018. Methods: Data from the Korean Primary Liver Cancer Registry (KPLCR), a representative database of patients newly diagnosed with HCC in South Korea, were analyzed. This study investigated 4,462 patients with HCC registered in the KPLCR in 2016-2018. Results: The median patient age was 63 years (interquartile range, 55-72). 79.7% of patients were male. Hepatitis B infection was the most common underlying liver disease (54.5%). The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system classified patients as follows: stage 0 (14.9%), A (28.8%), B (7.5%), C (39.0%), and D (9.8%). The median overall survival was 3.72 years (95% confidence interval, 3.47-4.14), with 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of 71.3%, 54.1%, and 44.3%, respectively. In 2016-2018, there was a significant shift toward BCLC stage 0-A and Child-Turcotte-Pugh liver function class A (P<0.05), although survival rates did not differ by diagnosis year. In the treatment group (n=4,389), the most common initial treatments were transarterial therapy (31.7%), surgical resection (24.9%), best supportive care (18.9%), and local ablation therapy (10.5%). Conclusions Between 2016 and 2018, HCC tended to be diagnosed at earlier stages, with better liver function in later years. However, since approximately half of the patients remained diagnosed at an advanced stage, more rigorous and optimized HCC screening strategies should be implemented.

Background: s/Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea. This study evaluated the characteristics of Korean patients newly diagnosed with HCC in 2016-2018. Methods: Data from the Korean Primary Liver Cancer Registry (KPLCR), a representative database of patients newly diagnosed with HCC in South Korea, were analyzed. This study investigated 4,462 patients with HCC registered in the KPLCR in 2016-2018. Results: The median patient age was 63 years (interquartile range, 55-72). 79.7% of patients were male. Hepatitis B infection was the most common underlying liver disease (54.5%). The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system classified patients as follows: stage 0 (14.9%), A (28.8%), B (7.5%), C (39.0%), and D (9.8%). The median overall survival was 3.72 years (95% confidence interval, 3.47-4.14), with 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of 71.3%, 54.1%, and 44.3%, respectively. In 2016-2018, there was a significant shift toward BCLC stage 0-A and Child-Turcotte-Pugh liver function class A (P<0.05), although survival rates did not differ by diagnosis year. In the treatment group (n=4,389), the most common initial treatments were transarterial therapy (31.7%), surgical resection (24.9%), best supportive care (18.9%), and local ablation therapy (10.5%). Conclusions Between 2016 and 2018, HCC tended to be diagnosed at earlier stages, with better liver function in later years. However, since approximately half of the patients remained diagnosed at an advanced stage, more rigorous and optimized HCC screening strategies should be implemented.

Background: s/Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea. This study evaluated the characteristics of Korean patients newly diagnosed with HCC in 2016-2018. Methods: Data from the Korean Primary Liver Cancer Registry (KPLCR), a representative database of patients newly diagnosed with HCC in South Korea, were analyzed. This study investigated 4,462 patients with HCC registered in the KPLCR in 2016-2018. Results: The median patient age was 63 years (interquartile range, 55-72). 79.7% of patients were male. Hepatitis B infection was the most common underlying liver disease (54.5%). The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system classified patients as follows: stage 0 (14.9%), A (28.8%), B (7.5%), C (39.0%), and D (9.8%). The median overall survival was 3.72 years (95% confidence interval, 3.47-4.14), with 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of 71.3%, 54.1%, and 44.3%, respectively. In 2016-2018, there was a significant shift toward BCLC stage 0-A and Child-Turcotte-Pugh liver function class A (P<0.05), although survival rates did not differ by diagnosis year. In the treatment group (n=4,389), the most common initial treatments were transarterial therapy (31.7%), surgical resection (24.9%), best supportive care (18.9%), and local ablation therapy (10.5%). Conclusions Between 2016 and 2018, HCC tended to be diagnosed at earlier stages, with better liver function in later years. However, since approximately half of the patients remained diagnosed at an advanced stage, more rigorous and optimized HCC screening strategies should be implemented.

Purpose: Robotic single-site plus one-port myomectomy (RSOM) was designed to reduce the number of incision sites for greater cosmetic satisfaction of patients while retaining the benefits of conventional robotic multi-site myomectomy (CRM). Robotic single-site plus two-port myomectomy (RSTM) eliminated one port relative to conventional CRM, and RSOM achieved the same advantage with respect to RSTM. This study aimed to compare RSOM with RSTM in terms of their respective methodologies and surgical outcomes. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 230 patients who had undergone RSOM and 146 patients who had undergone RSTM were reviewed. The groups’ surgical outcomes were compared using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. Results: In the total data, RSOM had a shorter operative time (135.1±57.4 min vs. 149.9±46.2 min, p=0.009) and a shorter hospital stay (5.2±0.5 days vs. 5.4±0.7 days, p=0.033) relative to RSTM. The PSM analysis showed that there were no statistically significant intergroup differences in the patients’ baseline characteristics. Regarding the surgical outcomes, the RSOM group showed shorter operative time (129.2±49.3 min vs. 148.7±46.3 min, p=0.001) compared to the RSTM group. Conclusion Compared with RSTM, RSOM was associated with shorter operative time. Additionally, more detailed comparative and prospective studies are needed to evaluate RSOM relative to RSTM.

Gout is the most common form of arthritis, with the prevalence increasing worldwide. The present treatment guidelines provide recommendations for the appropriate treatment of acute gout, management during the inter-critical period, and prevention of chronic complications. The guidelines were developed based on evidence-based medicine and draft recommendations finalized after expert consensus. These guidelines are designed to provide clinicians with clinical evidence to enable efficient treatment of gout.

PURPOSE: This prospective clinical study was conducted to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the freely detachable zirconia ball- and spring-retained implant prosthesis (BSRP) through a comparative analysis of screw- and cement-retained implant prosthesis (SCRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-center, randomized, prospective clinical study evaluating the clinical usefulness of the detachable zirconia ball- and spring-retained implant prostheses was conducted. Sixty-four implant prostheses in 64 patients were examined. Periodic observational studies were conducted at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months after delivery of the implant prosthesis. Factors such as implant success rate, marginal bone resorption, periodontal pocket depth, plaque and bleeding index, and prosthetic complications were evaluated, respectively. RESULTS: During the 1-year observation period, all implants survived without functional problems and clinical mobility, showing a 100% implant success rate. Marginal bone resorption was significantly higher in the SCRP group than in the BSRP group only at the time of implant prosthesis delivery (P = .043). In all observation periods, periodontal pocket depth was slightly higher in the BSRP group than in the SCRP group, but there was no significant difference (P > .05). The modified plaque index (mPI) scores of both groups were moderate. Higher ratio of a score 2 in modified sulcus bleeding index (mBI) was observed in the BSRP group in the 6- and 12-months observation. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, the newly developed zirconia ball- and spring-retained implant prosthesis could be considered as an applicable and predictable treatment method along with the existing screw- and cement-retained prosthesis.

Gout is the most common form of arthritis, with the prevalence increasing worldwide. The present treatment guidelines provide recommendations for the appropriate treatment of acute gout, management during the inter-critical period, and prevention of chronic complications. The guidelines were developed based on evidence-based medicine and draft recommendations finalized after expert consensus. These guidelines are designed to provide clinicians with clinical evidence to enable efficient treatment of gout.

Purpose: The prognostic impact of anastomotic leakage (AL) in rectal cancer remains uncertain. We investigated the prognostic significance of AL in rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery, especially in terms of chemoradiotherapy. Methods: A total of 1,818 rectal cancer patients who underwent radical surgery from 2011 to 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. We categorized patients according to AL and compared survival outcomes between the groups before and after matching. In locally advanced rectal cancer patients, we classified patients according to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) or adjuvant chemotherapy (aCTx) and analyzed survival outcomes according to AL in each group. Results: Before matching, overall survival (OS) was significantly worse in the AL (+) group compared to the AL (–) group (P = 0.004). In matched patients, there were no differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and OS between groups (P = 0.423 and P = 0.083, respectively). In subgroup analysis for locally advanced rectal cancer, patients were classified as follows: nCRT (+) and aCTx (+) group; nCRT (+) and aCTx (–) group; nCRT (–) and aCTx (+) group; and nCRT (–) and aCTx (–) group. In the nCRT (–) and aCTx (+) group, patients with AL exhibited significantly worse DFS than patients without AL (P = 0.040). In the other 3 groups, there were no differences in DFS according to AL. Conclusion In locally advanced rectal cancer, AL had an adverse effect on oncologic outcome in patients receiving aCTx without nCRT but not in patients receiving nCRT.