Background: s/Aims: Reported incidence of extrahepatic bile duct cancer is higher in Asians than in Western populations. Korea, in particular, is one of the countries with the highest incidence rates of extrahepatic bile duct cancer in the world. Although research and innovative therapeutic modalities for extrahepatic bile duct cancer are emerging, clinical guidelines are currently unavailable in Korea. The Korean Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery in collaboration with related societies (Korean Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery Society, Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology, Korean Society of Medical Oncology, Korean Society of Radiation Oncology, Korean Society of Pathologists, and Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine) decided to establish clinical guideline for extrahepatic bile duct cancer in June 2021. Methods: Contents of the guidelines were developed through subgroup meetings for each key question and a preliminary draft was finalized through a Clinical Guidelines Committee workshop. Results: In November 2021, the finalized draft was presented for public scrutiny during a formal hearing. Conclusions The extrahepatic guideline committee believed that this guideline could be helpful in the treatment of patients.

Purpose: There is increasing interest in the efficacy of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for treating colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with oligometastases (OM), recently. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) of CRC patients with pulmonary OM treated with SABR and toxicities. Materials and Methods: Studies that reported SABR for CRC patients with pulmonary OM were searched from MEDLINE and Embase. Treatment outcomes including LC, PFS, OS, and toxicities of grade 3 or higher were assessed. Results: A total of 19 studies with 1,668 patients were chosen for this meta-analysis. Pooled 1-, 2-, and 3-year LC rates were 83.1%, 69.3%, and 63.9%, respectively. PFS rates were 44.8%, 26.5%, and 21.5% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. OS rates at 1-, 2-, and 3-year were 87.5%, 69.9%, and 60.5%, respectively. The toxicity rate of grade 3 or higher was 3.6%. The effect of dose escalation was meta-analyzed using available studies. Conclusion Application of SABR to CRC patients with pulmonary OM achieved modest local control with acceptable toxicity according to the present meta-analysis. Further studies establishing the clinical efficacy of SABR are guaranteed.

Objective: Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) can help in assessing otolithic neural pathway in the brainstem, which may also contribute to the cardiovascular autonomic function. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with altered VEMP responses; however, the associations between VEMP abnormalities and multiple system atrophy (MSA) remain unknown. Therefore, we compared the extent of otolith dysfunction using ocular (oVEMP) and cervical VEMPs between patients with MSA and PD. Methods: We analyzed the clinical features, VEMP, and head-up tilt table test (HUT) findings using the Finometer in 24 patients with MSA and 52 with de novo PD who had undergone neurotologic evaluation at a referral-based university hospital in South Korea from January 2021 to March 2023. Results: MSA was associated with bilateral oVEMP abnormalities (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 9.19 [1.77–47.76], p = 0.008). The n1–p1 amplitude was negatively correlated with the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale I-II score in patients with MSA (r = -0.571, p = 0.033), whereas it did not correlate with the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III score in patients with PD (r = -0.051, p = 0.687). The n1 latency was negatively correlated with maximum changes in systolic blood pressure within 15 s during HUT in patients with PD (r = -0.335, p = 0.040) but not in those with MSA (r = 0.277, p = 0.299). Conclusion Bilaterally abnormal oVEMP responses may indicate the extent of brainstem dysfunction in MSA. oVEMP reflects the integrity of otolith-autonomic interplay, reliably assists in differentiating between MSA and PD, and helps infer clinical decline.

Background: Light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is the most common form of systemic amyloidosis. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of laboratory tests for light-chain clonality and bone marrow (BM) findings in AL amyloidosis. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients newly diagnosed with AL amyloidosis on pathological examination who underwent a BM biopsy. Laboratory test data for light-chain clonality were collected and compared. Amyloid deposits were identified with H&E, Congo red, and PAS stains. Results: We reviewed 98 patients with AL amyloidosis. Light chain clonality (λ, 64 cases; κ, 34 cases) was detected by serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) (63.3%), urine IFE (70.8%), serum protein electrophoresis (PEP) (44.9%), urine PEP (44.8%), serum free light chain (SFLC) ratio (79.5%), and BM immunohistochemistry (IHC) (85.7%). Flow cytometric (FCM) assay identified aberrant BM plasma cells in 92.9% of cases. BM amyloid deposits were identified in 35 of the 98 cases (35.7%); 71.4% (25/35) were Congo red-positive, and 100.0% (35/35) were PAS-positive. Conclusion Laboratory tests for detecting light-chain clonality in AL amyloidosis in order of sensitivity include FCM assay for aberrant plasma cells, IHC for light chains on BM biopsy or clot section, SFLC ratio, and serum and urine IFE. Congo red staining of BM samples remains an important tool for identifying amyloid deposits in BM. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining can be useful in diagnosing some cases of Congo red-negative amyloidosis.

Introduction of the concept for oligometastasis led to wide application of metastasis-directed local ablative therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). By application of the metastasis-directed local ablative therapies including surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR), the survival outcomes of patients with metastatic CRC have improved. The liver is the most common distant metastatic site in CRC patients, and recently various metastasis-directed local therapies for hepatic oligometastasis from CRC (HOCRC) are widely used. Surgical resection is the first line of metastatic-directed local therapy for HOCRC, but its eligibility is very limited. Alternatively, RFA can be applied to patients who are ineligible for surgical resection of liver metastasis. However, there are some limitations such as inferior local control (LC) compared with surgical resection and technical feasibility based on location, size, and visibility on ultrasonography of the liver metastasis. Recent advances in radiation therapy technology have led to an increase in the use of SABR for liver tumors. SABR is considered complementary to RFA for patients with HOCRC who are ineligible for RFA. Furthermore, SABR can potentially result in better LC for liver metastases > 2-3 cm compared with RFA. In this article, the previous studies regarding curative metastasis-directed local therapies for HOCRC based on the radiation oncologist’s and surgeon’s perspective are reviewed and discussed. In addition, future perspectives regarding SABR in the treatment of HOCRC are suggested.

Purpose: Despite numerous studies on the optimal treatments for oligometastatic disease (OMD), there is no established interdisciplinary consensus on its diagnosis or classification. This survey-based study aimed to analyze the differential opinions of colorectal surgeons and radiation oncologists regarding the definition and treatment of OMD from the colorectal primary. Materials and Methods: A total of 141 participants were included in this study, consisting of 63 radiation oncologists (44.7%) and 78 colorectal surgeons (55.3%). The survey consisted of 19 questions related to OMD, and the responses were analyzed using the chi-square test to determine statistical differences between the specialties. Results: The radiation oncologists chose “bone” more frequently compared to the colorectal surgeons (19.2% vs. 36.5%, p=0.022), while colorectal surgeons favored “peritoneal seeding” (26.9% vs. 9.5%, p=0.009). Regarding the number of metastatic tumors, 48.3% of colorectal surgeons responded that “irrelevant, if all metastatic lesions are amendable to local therapy”, while only 21.8% of radiation oncologist chose same answer. When asked about molecular diagnosis, most surgeons (74.8%) said it was important, but only 35.8% of radiation oncologists agreed. Conclusion This study demonstrates that although radiation oncologists and colorectal surgeons agreed on a majority of aspects such as diagnostic imaging, biomarker, systemic therapy, and optimal timing of OMD, they also had quite different perspectives on several aspects of OMD. Understanding these differences is crucial to achieving multidisciplinary consensus on the definition and optimal management of OMD.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current status of postoperative management of uterine endometrial cancer (EC) in Korea. Methods: A mail survey was administered to members of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group and Korean Radiation Oncology Group. A total of 38 gynecologic cancer surgeons (GYNs) and 31 radiation oncologists (RO) in 43 institutions was responded. The questionnaire consisted of general questions for clinical decision and clinical case questions. The GYN and RO responses were compared using chi-square statistics. Results: The 2 expert groups had similar responses for clinical decision based on the results of the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)-249 and Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Endometrial Carcinoma-III trials in the early-stage EC. In contrast, the responses based on GOG-258 results differed, as GYNs most frequently opted for sequential chemotherapy (CTx) and radiotherapy (RT), while ROs preferred concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced stage (p<0.05). Based on the GOG-258, GYNs preferred CTx alone for adjuvant treatment of serous or clear cell adenocarcinoma histology, whereas ROs advocated for combined CTx and RT (sequential or concurrent). Among the clinical case questions, GYNs were more likely than ROs to choose CTx alone rather than the combination of CTx and RT (sequential or concurrent) as the answers to case questions representing patients with locally advanced stage or unfavorable histology (all p<0.05). Conclusion The present study showed several different opinions of GYNs and ROs regarding adjuvant treatment for EC, particularly for adjuvant RT in advanced stage or unfavorable histology.

OBJECTIVE: Acupotomy is a modern acupuncture method that includes modern surgical methods. Since acupotomy is relatively more invasive than filiform acupuncture treatment, it is important to establish the safety profile of this practice. To justify further large-scale prospective observational studies, this preliminary study was performed to assess the feasibility of the approach and investigate the safety profile and factors potentially associated with adverse events (AEs). METHODS: This was a prospective pilot study that assessed the feasibility of a large-scale forthcoming safety study on acupotomy treatment in a real-world setting. The feasibility (call response rate, drop-out rate, response rate for each variable and recruitment per month) and safety profile (incidence, type, severity and causality of AEs, and factors potentially associated with AEs) were measured. RESULTS: A total of 28 participants joined the study from January to May 2018. A follow-up assessment was achieved in 258 (1185 treatment points) out of 261 sessions (1214 treatment points). The response rate via telephone on the day after treatment was 87.3%. There were 8 systemic AEs in all the sessions (8/258; 3.11%) and 27 local AEs on the total points treated (27/1185; 2.28%). Severe AEs did not occur. Total AE and local AE occurrence were associated with blade width and the number of needle stimulations per treatment point. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that it could be feasible to analyze the safety of acupotomy in a real-world setting. Moreover, the primary data on some relevant AEs could be determined. We are planning large-scale prospective studies based on these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) KCT0002849 (https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/11487).
Humans ; Feasibility Studies ; Prospective Studies ; Pilot Projects ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Research Design ; Treatment Outcome

Background: Since image-based fracture prediction models using deep learning are lacking, we aimed to develop an X-ray-based fracture prediction model using deep learning with longitudinal data. Methods: This study included 1,595 participants aged 50 to 75 years with at least two lumbosacral radiographs without baseline fractures from 2010 to 2015 at Seoul National University Hospital. Positive and negative cases were defined according to whether vertebral fractures developed during follow-up. The cases were divided into training (n=1,416) and test (n=179) sets. A convolutional neural network (CNN)-based prediction algorithm, DeepSurv, was trained with images and baseline clinical information (age, sex, body mass index, glucocorticoid use, and secondary osteoporosis). The concordance index (C-index) was used to compare performance between DeepSurv and the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) and Cox proportional hazard (CoxPH) models. Results: Of the total participants, 1,188 (74.4%) were women, and the mean age was 60.5 years. During a mean follow-up period of 40.7 months, vertebral fractures occurred in 7.5% (120/1,595) of participants. In the test set, when DeepSurv learned with images and clinical features, it showed higher performance than FRAX and CoxPH in terms of C-index values (DeepSurv, 0.612; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.571 to 0.653; FRAX, 0.547; CoxPH, 0.594; 95% CI, 0.552 to 0.555). Notably, the DeepSurv method without clinical features had a higher C-index (0.614; 95% CI, 0.572 to 0.656) than that of FRAX in women. Conclusion DeepSurv, a CNN-based prediction algorithm using baseline image and clinical information, outperformed the FRAX and CoxPH models in predicting osteoporotic fracture from spine radiographs in a longitudinal cohort.

Background: Accurate measurement of the lower limb alignment is one of the most crucial factors in advanced knee osteoarthritis patients scheduled for surgery. Recently, EOS biplanar stereoradiography with three-dimensional reconstruction was developed. The purpose of this study was to compare radiographic parameters between conventional scanography and EOS in patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis who need surgical treatment. Methods: A total of 52 consecutive patients (104 knees) with bilateral knee osteoarthritis of advanced stage (Kellgren-Lawrence [KL] grade 3 or 4) were retrospectively reviewed. We measured the hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) on conventional scanograms. In EOS, we measured HKA, hip-knee-shaft angle, mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, and mechanical medial proximal tibial angle. To evaluate sagittal and axial plane alignment, knee flexion angle (KFA), and knee joint rotation (KJR) were also measured. Results: Ninety knees were KL grade 4, and 14 knees were grade 3. The average HKA was 10.14° ± 6.16° on conventional scanograms and 11.26° ± 6.21° in EOS. HKA was greater in EOS than on conventional scanograms, and the difference (1.12°; range, −1.07° to 3.22°) was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Significant correlations were observed on the difference in HKA and mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (r = –0.198, p = 0.044), KFA (r = 0.193, p = 0.049), and KJR (r = 0.290, p = 0.003). In multivariable linear regression analysis, the difference in HKA had significant relationship with KFA (β = 0.286, p = 0.003) and KJR (β = 0.363, p < 0.001). Conclusions HKA measured on conventional scanograms and in EOS differed significantly and the difference had a significant correlations with KFA, KJR, and medial proximal tibial angle. Surgeons can consider these results before orthopedic surgery in patients who have advanced knee osteoarthritis.