Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology. Total of 33 key questions were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group and 40 statements were developed according to the systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed database. The level of evidence and the grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation proposition. Evidence level, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability was considered as the significant factors for recommendation. The working group reviewed recommendations and discussed for consensus. In the earlier part, general consideration discusses screening, diagnosis and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Flowchart is depicted with statements which is supported by meta-analysis and references. Since clinical trial and systematic review was not suitable for postoperative oncologic and nutritional follow-up, working group agreed to conduct a nationwide survey investigating the clinical practice of all tertiary or general hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this survey was to provide baseline information on follow up. Herein we present a multidisciplinary-evidence based gastric cancer guideline.

Patients undergoing hemodialysis are susceptible to sarcopenia. As intracellular reservoirs of water, skeletal muscles are important contributors to intradialytic hypotension. This study was designed to determine the role of skeletal muscle mass in intradialytic hypotension. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the body composition of 177 patients was measured immediately after hemodialysis using bioelectrical impedance analysis. The parameters measured were skeletal muscle mass, intracellular and extracellular water contents, total body water, and cell-membrane functionality (in phase angle at 50 kHz). Data from laboratory tests, chest radiography, measurements of handgrip strength and mid-arm circumference, and questionnaires were collected. The main outcome was intradialytic hypotension, defined as more than two episodes of hypotension (systolic blood pressure of <90 mmHg) with intervention over the 3 months following enrollment. Logistic regression models including each parameter related to sarcopenia were compared with a clinical model. Results: Patients with a low ratio of skeletal muscle mass to dry body weight (SMM/WT) had a higher rate of intradialytic hypotension (40.7%). Most low-SMM/WT patients were female, obese, diabetic, and had a lower handgrip strength compared with the other patients. In the high-SMM/WT group, the risk of intradialytic hypotension was lower, with an odds ratio of 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02–0.28) and adjusted odds ratio of 0.06 (95% CI, 0.01–0.29). Conclusion: Measurement and maintenance of skeletal muscle can help prevent intradialytic hypotension in frail patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Background: We used machine learning and population-based data for analyzing the determinants of sarcopenia in adult women and developing its decision support systems for various subgroups. Methods: All data was acquired from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and women 18 years and older were included in this research. The variables were selected based on female characteristics and the ability to be acquired in a survey format, and were ranked by importance using Random Forest. From this ranking, four main variables were selected, age, menopause age, menarche age and number of pregnancy. A decision supporting system was constructed based on a tree randomly selected from Random Forest. Results: We defined sarcopenia as -2SD below the appendicular skeletal mass (ASM) index reference of 0.5136, and 89.87% (n = 8,610) were found non-sarcopenic and 10.13% (n = 971) were found sarcopenic. The subjects were divided into 6 groups based on menopausal status and BMI. The obese postmenopausal women had the highest number of sarcopenia, whereas the non-obese premenopausal women had the least number of sarcopenic subjects. In non-obese premenopausal women, which was considered to be at the lowest risk for sarcopenia, the most determining variable was the menarche age, followed by age and number of pregnancies. In obese and postmenopausal women, which was considered to be at the highest risk for sarcopenia, the most influential factor was the menopausal age, followed by age and menarche age. Conclusions We identified the major determinants of sarcopenia using machine learning and population-based data. This study demonstrated the strengths of the random forest as an effective decision support system for each stratified subgroup to find its own optimal cut-off points for the major variables of sarcopenia.