Background/Aims: Several prediction models for evaluating the prognosis of nonmetastatic resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have been developed, and their performances were reported to be superior to that of the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. We developed a prediction model to evaluate the prognosis of resected PDAC and externally validated it with data from a nationwide Korean database. Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were utilized for model development, and data from the Korea Tumor Registry System-Biliary Pancreas (KOTUS-BP) database were used for external validation. Potential candidate variables for model development were age, sex, histologic differentiation, tumor location, adjuvant chemotherapy, and the AJCC 8th staging system T and N stages. For external validation, the concordance index (C-index) and time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were evaluated. Results: Between 2004 and 2016, data from 9,624 patients were utilized for model development, and data from 3,282 patients were used for external validation. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, age, sex, tumor location, T and N stages, histologic differentiation, and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for resected PDAC. After an exhaustive search and 10-fold cross validation, the best model was finally developed, which included all prognostic variables. The C-index, 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year time-dependent AUCs were 0.628, 0.650, 0.665, 0.675, and 0.686, respectively. Conclusions The survival prediction model for resected PDAC could provide quantitative survival probabilities with reliable performance. External validation studies with other nationwide databases are needed to evaluate the performance of this model.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the current status of bariatric and metabolic surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province and to describe the early experiences after public medical insurance coverage in 2019. Materials and Methods: Between January 2019 and August 2019, 64 cases of bariatric and metabolic surgery were performed in patients with morbid obesity or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. We prospectively collected and analyzed data regarding the patients’ demographics and comorbidities, surgical results, and early complications. The patient information before and after the insurance coverage was also compared. Results: The number of surgeries in 9 years has been caught up only in the last 8 months after insurance coverage (58 vs. 64 patients). The mean body mass index was 37.7±5.8 kg/m2 (range, 22.7-52.1 kg/m2). The most frequently performed surgery was sleeve gastrectomy (53 cases, 82.8%), followed by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (9 cases, 14.1%), and adjustable gastric banding (2 cases, 3.1%). Postoperative complications occurred in 6 patients (9.4%), and there was no mortality. The mean operation time (225.3±85.4 vs. 156.1±61.8 min, P＜0.001) and postoperative stay (5.9±4.5 vs. 4.3±2.0 days, P=0.013) after the insurance coverage were significantly shorter than those before the insurance coverage. Conclusion We could assess the patients who had bariatric and metabolic surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province after public medical insurance coverage in 2019.

PURPOSE: Long-term results following bariatric surgery compared to conventional treatments has never been reported in morbidly obese Korean patients. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese Korean patients compared to conventional medical treatments. METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we reviewed 137 obese subjects between January 2008 and February 2011 with a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2 who had more than 5 years of follow-up clinical data after bariatric surgery (surgery group, n = 49) or conventional treatment (conventional treatment group, n = 88). Anthropometric data and the status of comorbidities were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 72.1 months (range 19.3–109.7 months). At the last follow-up, the surgery group showed a greater amount of total weight loss than the conventional treatment group (24.9% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.001). The prevalence of diabetes and hypertension significantly decreased in the surgery group, while the conventional treatment group showed a marked increase in these comorbidities. In the surgery group, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy achieved comparable long-term weight loss (26.5% vs. 22.4%, respectively; P = 0.087). CONCLUSION: In the long-term, bariatric surgery achieved and maintained significantly greater weight reduction, as well as a decrease in obesity-related comorbidities, than did conventional medical therapy in morbidly obese Korean patients.
Bariatric Surgery ; Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Obesity, Morbid ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: The critical pathway (CP) was introduced as a means to provide quality healthcare service in many fields of surgery. CP may increase the patient's satisfaction rate and lowering hospital stay and medical cost also. We aimed to compare the two kinds of CP applied in laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients by different hospital stay length. METHODS: From March 2016 to October 2016, 71 patients were enrolled in this analysis among 241 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients were divided into two groups, 38 patients in the 1-day CP group and 33 patients in the 2-day CP group. In a retrospective review, surgical outcomes and related hospital costs were analyzed. RESULTS: Preoperative characteristics were not different between two CP groups. In analysis of operative outcome, 2-day CP group showed longer operative time than 1-day CP (73.4 vs 54.1 min, p<0.001); otherwise, there was no significant difference in frequency of postop complications (6.1% vs 2.6%, p=0.474), numerical rating scale (NRS) pain score (1.82 vs 2.16, p=0.052), and count of analgesics injection (0.12 vs 0.16, p=0.754). Total admission cost and actual patient's expenditures were higher in 2-day CP group, but there was no statistically significant difference (347.04 vs 306.69×104 won, p=0.106; 147.85 vs 125.58×104 won, p=0.276). CONCLUSION: The length of hospital stay was shortened in 1-day CP group than in 2-day CP group, while there was no difference in other parameters. Therefore, it is feasible and safe practical policy the use 1-day CP in selected patients who undergo cholecystectomy according to our results.
Analgesics ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Critical Pathways ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Expenditures ; Hospital Costs ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies

Since the first laparoscopic bariatric surgery in Korea introduced in January 2003, the number of metabolic and bariatric surgery has been steadily increasing. According to the report from National Health Insurance big data analysis, the prevalence of morbid and super obesity has greatly increased and metabolic and bariatric surgery also increased in the last 10 years. As the incidence of morbid obesity is more frequent in people of poor socioeconomic status, the need for a reimbursement by the government seemed to be necessary. Finally, the national health insurance system decided to financially cover metabolic and bariatric surgery from January 2019. In order to improve the safety and qualify of metabolic and bariatric surgery, the Korean Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (KSMBS) introduced surgeon's and institution's accreditation system. The authors intend to introduce comprehensive overview of accreditation system of bariatric surgery and discuss the contents of national health insurance for metabolic and bariatric surgery.
Accreditation ; Bariatric Surgery ; Incidence ; Korea ; National Health Programs ; Obesity ; Obesity, Morbid ; Prevalence ; Social Class ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: Everolimus only inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), whereas Ku0063794 inhibits both mTORC1 and mTORC2. Although they have similar anticancer effects, their combination has a synergistic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. We aimed to determine the mechanism underlying the synergistic effects of everolimus and Ku0063794 associated with autophagy in HCC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the effects of everolimus and Ku0063794, individually or in combination, on both the in vitro and in vivo models of HCCs. RESULTS: HepG2 cells treated with both agents had significantly lower rates of cell proliferation and higher apoptosis than the individual monotherapies (p < 0.05). Autophagic studies consistently indicated that, unlike the monotherapies, the combination therapy significantly reduced autophagy (p < 0.05). Autophagic blockage directly promoted the pro-apoptotic effects of combination therapy, suggesting autophagy as the survival mechanism of HCC cells. Unlike the monotherapies, combination therapy showed the potential to inhibit sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), the positive regulator of autophagy. SIRT1 overexpression abrogated the autophagy-inhibiting and pro-apoptotic effects of combination therapy. In a nude mouse xenograft model, the shrinkage of tumors was more prominent in mice treated with combination therapy than in mice treated with the respective monotherapies (p < 0.05). The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence stains of the tumor obtained from the xenograft model showed that combination therapy had the potential of reducing autophagy and promoting apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The combination of everolimus and Ku0063794 potentiates anticancer effects on HCCs through a decrease in autophagy, which is prompted by SIRT1 downregulation.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cell Proliferation ; Coloring Agents ; Down-Regulation ; Everolimus* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hep G2 Cells ; Heterografts ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Sirolimus ; Sirtuin 1 ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

PURPOSE: The aim of our study is to investigate the current status of metabolic and bariatric surgery in Daejeon and Chungcheong province and examine the role and necessity of the community research society. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 58 patients who underwent bariatric and metabolic surgery from January 2010 to June 2018 were included. Patients' demographics and comorbidities, operation type and early complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean age was 36.9±11.4 (range, 18–64) years, and mean preoperative body mass index was 39.2±6.9 (range, 24.6–56.1) kg/m². The most frequently performed operation was sleeve gastrectomy (48 cases, 82.8%), followed by adjustable gastric banding (8 cases, 13.8%) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (2 cases, 3.4%). Postoperative complications were reported in two patients; however, no mortality was reported. CONCLUSION: We investigated the patients who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery in Daejeon Chungcheong province. Our research society will continue to ensure safe operation and proper management of morbidly obese patients in our community.
Bariatric Surgery ; Body Mass Index ; Comorbidity ; Demography ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Humans ; Mortality ; Obesity ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The information committee of the Korean Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (KSMBS) performed the nationwide survey of bariatric and metabolic operations to report IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) worldwide survey annually. This study aimed to report the trends of bariatric and metabolic surgery in Korea in 2014–2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the accumulated nationwide survey data conducted for annual ISFO survey from 2014 to 2017. Trends such as the number of operations by hospital type and the number of operations by surgical method were analyzed. RESULTS: The number of operations has decreased sharply in 2015 comparing to 2014 (913⇒550). The number of operations performed in private hospitals dropped sharply from 529 to 250, 198, and 103 cases. The number of revisional surgeries increased to 223 in 2015. The primary surgery number fell from 757 in 2014 to 327 in 2015. In primary surgery, sleeve gastrectomy was gradually increased from 2014 to 143 (18.9%), 105 (32.1%), 167 (47.2%) and 200 (56.3%) and became the most frequently performed surgery. On the other hand, the incidence of adjustable gastric band decreased gradually from 439 (58.0%) to 117 (35.8%), 112 (31.6%) and 59 (16.6%). CONCLUSION: The overall number of obesity metabolic operations has decreased since 2014, especially the number of adjustable gastric band, and the number of operations in private hospitals declined sharply. On the other hand, the number of operations in university hospitals did not change much, and the number of sleeve gastrectomy increased.
Bariatric Surgery ; Gastrectomy ; Hand ; Hospitals, Private ; Hospitals, University ; Incidence ; Korea ; Methods ; Obesity

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*