Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Korea and the third leading cause of death from cancer. Treatment outcomes for colon cancer are steadily improving due to national health screening programs with advances in diagnostic methods, surgical techniques, and therapeutic agents.. The Korea Colon Cancer Multidisciplinary (KCCM) Committee intends to provide professionals who treat colon cancer with the most up-to-date, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve outcomes and help them make decisions that reflect their patients’ values and preferences. These guidelines have been established by consensus reached by the KCCM Guideline Committee based on a systematic literature review and evidence synthesis and by considering the national health insurance system in real clinical practice settings. Each recommendation is presented with a recommendation strength and level of evidence based on the consensus of the committee.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the treatment outcomes of combined definitive radiation therapy (RT) and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for clinically node-positive prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 60 patients with clinically suspected metastatic lymph nodes on radiological examination were retrospectively analyzed. Eight patients (13.3%) were suspected to have metastatic common iliac or para-aortic lymph nodes. All patients underwent definitive RT with a dose fractionation of 70 Gy in 28 fractions. ADT was initiated 2–3 months before RT and continued for at least 2 years. Biochemical failure rate (BFR), clinical failure rate (CFR), overall survival (OS), and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) were calculated, and genitourinary and gastrointestinal adverse events were recorded. Results: The median follow-up period was 5.47 years. The 5-year BFR, CFR, OS, and PCSS rates were 19.1%, 11.3%, 89.0%, and 98.2%, respectively. The median duration of ADT was 2.30 years. BFR and CFR increased after 3 years, and 11 out of 14 biochemical failures occurred after the cessation of ADT. Grade 2 and beyond late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity rates were 5.0% and 13.3%, respectively. However, only two grade 3 adverse events were reported, and no grade 4–5 adverse events were reported. Patients with non-regional lymph node metastases did not have worse BFR, CFR, or adverse event rates. Conclusion This study reported the efficacy and tolerable toxicity of hypofractionated definitive RT combined with ADT for clinically node-positive prostate cancer. Additionally, selected patients with adjacent non-regional lymph node metastases might be able to undergo definitive RT combined with ADT.

Background and Objectives: Zonulin is a human protein that regulates intercellular tight junctions and increases the permeability of the intestinal epithelium. In light of the increasing focus on zonulin’s role in numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, this study aimed to investigate whether differences exist in serum zonulin levels and bronchial epithelium zonulin expression in vivo between asthma and normal groups, using a mouse model. Methods: Sixteen mice were utilized in this study, divided evenly between the normal and asthma groups. Serum zonulin levels, the expression of zonulin antibody in the bronchial epithelium, and serum cytokine levels were evaluated in both groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and RNA in situ hybridization were utilized for the analysis. Results: The asthma group exhibited significantly higher levels of serum zonulin. High zonulin antibody expression was also observed in the bronchial epithelium of the asthma group. Given that our mouse model demonstrated a significant difference in interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-6 between the normal and asthma groups, zonulin may be associated not only with type 2 responses but also with various subtypes of asthma. Further studies are required to investigate this relationship in greater detail. Conclusion Zonulin may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of asthma and could serve as a biomarker in various asthma-related situations.

Objective: Early identification of COVID-19 in patients is important to prevent significant worsening of the disease. This study was undertaken to verify whether MEWS (Modified Early Warning Score), NEWS(National Early Warning Score), ROX index, and CURB-65, which are early diagnostic tools for severe respiratory diseases, could be applied to patients visiting the emergency room for COVID-19. Methods: This retrospective observational study included patients who visited an emergency medical center from September 1 to October 31, 2020, and from January 1 to February 28, 2021. Based on the vital signs and blood tests during the emergency room visit, severity evaluation tools and early diagnostic tools for severe cases were used and compared according to their area under the curve (AUC) values. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, while the secondary outcomes were intensive care unit admission rate and the need for mechanical ventilation based on these four tools (MEWS, NEWS, ROX index, and CURB-65). Results: A total of 667 patients were analyzed. No significant difference was determined between the non-survivor group and survivor group in the MEWS values (P=0.13), but statistically significant differences were observed for NEWS (5 vs. 1, P<0.05), CURB-65 (2 vs. 1, P<0.05), and ROX index (16.61 vs. 23.1, P<0.01). The AUC value of NEWS for death prediction indicated a good predictive power at 0.80, while that of MEWS showed a low predictive power at 0.57, which was statistically significant. Moreover, the AUC values of CURB-65 and ROX index did not differ significantly from values obtained for NEWS. Conclusion As early diagnostic tools for predicting death in COVID-19 patients, NEWS, ROX index, and CURB-65 showed excellent discrimination ability, whereas MEWS showed statistically and significantly lower discrimination ability.

Background/Aims: This study evaluated the long-term cardiovascular complications among Korean patients with hypertension and compared them with that of controls without hypertension. Methods: The Korean Hypertension Cohort (KHC) enrolled 11,043 patients with hypertension and followed them for more than 10 years. Age- and sex-matched controls without hypertension were enrolled at a 1:10 ratio. We compared the incidence of cardiovascular events and death among patients and controls without hypertension. Results: The mean age was 59 years, and 34.8% and 16.5% of the patients belonged to the high and moderate cardiovascular risk groups, respectively. During the 10-year follow-up, 1,591 cardiovascular events (14.4%) with 588 deaths (5.3%) occurred among patients with hypertension and 7,635 cardiovascular events (6.9%) with 4,826 deaths (4.4%) occurred among controls. Even the low-risk population with hypertension showed a higher cardiovascular event rate than the population without hypertension. Although blood pressure measurements in the clinic showed remarkable inaccuracy compared with those measured in the national health examinations, systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 150 mmHg was significantly associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. Conclusions This long-term follow-up study confirmed the cardiovascular event rates among Korean hypertensive patients were substantial, reaching 15% in 10 years. SBP levels ≥ 150 mmHg were highly associated with occurrence of cardiovascular event rates.

Background: Recent reports have suggested that pneumonitis is a rare complication following vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).However, its clinical features and outcomes are not well known. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with vaccine-associated pneumonitis following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: In this nationwide multicenter survey study, questionnaires were distributed to pulmonary physicians in referral hospitals. They were asked to report cases of development or exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine. Vaccine-associated pneumonitis was defined as new pulmonary infiltrates documented on chest computed tomography within 4 weeks of vaccination and exclusion of other possible etiologies. Results: From the survey, 49 cases of vaccine-associated pneumonitis were identified between February 27 and October 30, 2021. After multidisciplinary discussion, 46 cases were analyzed. The median age was 66 years and 28 (61%) were male. The median interval between vaccination and respiratory symptoms was 5 days. There were 20 (43%), 17 (37%), and nine (19%) patients with newly identified pneumonitis, exacerbation of pre-diagnosed ILD, and undetermined pre-existing ILD, respectively. The administered vaccines were BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCov-19/AZD1222 each in 21 patients followed by mRNA-1273 in three, and Ad26.COV2.S in one patient. Except for five patients with mild disease, 41 (89%) patients were treated with corticosteroid. Significant improvement was observed in 26 (57%) patients including four patients who did not receive treatment. However, ILD aggravated in 9 (20%) patients despite treatment. Mortality was observed in eight (17%) patients. Conclusion These results suggest pneumonitis as a potentially significant safety concern for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Clinical awareness and patient education are necessary for early recognition and prompt management. Additional research is warranted to identify the epidemiology and characterize the pathophysiology of vaccine-associated pneumonitis.

Objective: This study examined the characteristics of patients visiting the emergency department (ED) with fever after the chronification of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed the medical records of patients who visited the ED with fever from May 1 to October 31, 2021, and the corresponding period in 2019. This study was conducted at a single center in Seoul, Korea. Results: There was no statistical difference in the comorbidities of the patients of the two groups: the AC (after the COVID-19 pandemic) group and the BC (before the COVID-19 pandemic) group. As for the level of consciousness at the time of ED arrival, there was a significantly larger decrease in consciousness (verbal response or less) in the AC group than in the BC group (P=0.002). In the case of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), the proportion was higher in the AC group in the moderate-risk and high-risk groups (P=0.003). The median time from symptom onset to ED arrival was 15.7 hours in the BC group and 13.8 hours in the AC group, and there was no significant difference (P=0.137). When leaving the ED, the AC group had a higher admission rate to the ward and intensive care unit than the BC group. There was no statistical difference in the in-hospital mortality between the two groups (2.9% and 2.4%, respectively; P=0.62). Conclusion Patients who visited the emergency room with fever after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a similar time from symptom onset to ED arrival compared to patients who visited before the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there was no difference in in-hospital mortality among these patients compared to those with fever before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: ：Cancer diagnosis causes significant distress while it may also bring positive change: post-traumatic growth. This study was conducted to analyze factors that affect post-traumatic growth. Methods: ：Medical records of 52 cancer patients who received psychiatric treatment at a university hospital in Seoul were reviewed and the correlation between post-traumatic growth and following factors were analyzed: Resilience, Anxious thoughts and tendencies, Mindful attention awareness, Acceptance attitude Results: ：Using Multiple Generalized Linear model, a positive correlation was found between post-traumatic growth and resilience (B=1.45, p<0.0001), mindful attention awareness (B=0.58, p=0.0030) and acceptance attitude (B=1.29, p=0.0003), while anxious thoughts and tendencies (B=-0.84, p<0.0001) had negative association. Conclusions ：Factors that have a positive impact on post-traumatic growth were resilience, mindful attention awareness, acceptance attitude and a factor with a negative impact was anxious thoughts and tendencies; Factors that impact post-traumatic growth need to be taken into account, when approaching the treatment of cancer patients.

Background/Aims: Hypertension (HT) has a significant impact on public health and medical expenses. However, HT is a chronic disease that requires the long-term follow-up of a large number of patients. Methods: The Korean Hypertension Cohort (KHC) study aimed to develop a model for calculating cardiovascular risk in HT patients by linking and utilizing the detailed clinical and longitudinal data from hospitals and the national health insurance claim database, respectively. This cohort had a planned sample size of over 11,000 HT patients and 100,000 non-HT controls. Eligible patients were hypertensive patients, who were presenting for the first time and were diagnosed with HT as a main disease from 2006 to 2011. Long-term survival data over a period of approximately 9 years were obtained from the national health insurance claim and national health examination data. Results: This cohort enrolled 11,083 patients with HT. The mean age was 58.87 ± 11.5 years, 50.5% were male, and 31.4% were never-treated HT. Of the enrolled patients, 32.9% and 37.7% belonged to the high and moderate cardiovascular risk groups, respectively. Initial blood pressures were 149.4 ± 18.5/88.5 ± 12.5 mmHg. During the 2 years hospital data follow-up period, blood pressures lowered to 130.8 ± 14.1/78.0 ± 9.7 mmHg with 1.9 ± 1.0 tablet doses of antihypertensive medication. Cardiovascular events occurred in 7.5% of the overall patients; 8.5%, 8.8%, and 4.7% in the high, moderate, and low risk patients, respectively. Conclusions The KHC study has provided important information on the long-term outcomes of HT patients according to the blood pressure, comorbid diseases, medication, and adherence, as well as health behaviors and health resource use.