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ABSTRACT: The aims of the present study were to investigate how breast cancer (BC) subtypes and treatment affect time to brain metastasis (TTBM). We retrospectively investigated 189 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with brain metastasis (BM) from BC between 2000 and 2009 at Samsung Medical Center. We analyzed TTBM from initial diagnosis of metastatic BC according to subtypes and trastzumab (T) administration before BM diagnosis. The median age of 189 BM patients from BC was 48 years. We divided TTBM into four groups considering BC subtypes and treatment; HR-positive/HER2-negative (n=45), HER2-positive with T before BM development (n=47), HER2-positive without T before BM development (n=39), and TNBC (n=58). The median TTBMs for each group were 17.5 months, 13.7 months, 5.8 months, and 2.9 months, respectively (p<0.001). HER2-positive without T (HR 1.892, p=0.008) and TNBC (HR 1.652, p=0.023) were independently associated with shorter TTBM. In multivariate analysis, HER2-positive without T (hazard ratio 1.725, p=0.002) and TNBC (hazard ratio 1.579, p=0.022) were independent risk factors for worse metastatic OS compared with HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype. TTBMs were shorter in patients with HER2-positive without T and TNBC among BC subtypes. Prospective clinical study for high risk patients for early BM is warranted.
SpringerPlus. 12/2013; 2(1):136.
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ABSTRACT: Paraneoplastic pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering and erosive mucocutaneous syndrome associated with underlying neoplasm. It is primarily associated with lymphoproliferative disorders, and uncommonly with malignancies of epithelial origin. We report on a case of a 68-year-old male who presented with whole body bullous and erosive skin lesions. Findings on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and skin biopsy revealed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and paraneoplastic pemphigus. Palliative chemotherapy and systemic glucocorticoid were started, however, the patient died of overwhelming sepsis on the ninth day of chemotherapy. This case demonstrates that paraneoplastic pemphigus can occur in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and could be a cause of morbidity.
Cancer Research and Treatment 03/2013; 45(1):70-3.
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Hee Kyung Ahn,
Kyeongman Jeon,
Hongseok Yoo,
Boram Han,
Su Jin Lee,
Hyeyon Park,
Min Ji Lee,
Sang Yun Ha,
Joung Ho Han,
Jong-Mu Sun,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Myung-Ju Ahn,
Keunchil Park
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ABSTRACT: Lung cancer is the most common solid tumor in critically ill cancer patients admitted to intensive care units and is associated with a poor prognosis. Crizotinib is an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, which is active for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring ALK rearrangements. We report three cases of NSCLC patients who required mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure and were successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation after treatment with ALK inhibitors. These responses were accompanied by minimal toxicities and an overt improvement in performance status. These results suggest that ALK inhibitors may be safe and effective in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure resulting from EML4-ALK translocated NSCLC progression.
Journal of thoracic oncology: official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 02/2013; 8(2):250-253. · 4.55 Impact Factor
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Hee Kyung Ahn,
Yoon-La Choi,
Joung Ho Han,
Yong Chan Ahn,
Kwhanmien Kim,
Jhingook Kim,
Young Mog Shim,
Sang-Won Um,
Hojoong Kim,
O Jung Kwon,
Jong-Mu Sun,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Keunchil Park,
Myung-Ju Ahn
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ABSTRACT: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a strong predictive factor for a favorable response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, however, its prognostic role in locally advanced stage is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of EGFR mutational status and clinical outcome after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgical resection in mediastinoscopically proven N2(+) NSCLC patients. We retrospectively identified 168 patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2006. EGFR mutational status was identified in 107 patients. Response and survival after neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery were compared according to EGFR mutational status. 83 patients (77.6%) were found to have wild type EGFR, while exon 19 deletions or L858R missense mutations in the EGFR gene were detected in 19 patients. There was no significant difference in overall survival; however, the 5-year PFS rate in EGFR mutant patients (8.4%) were significantly lower than in the EGFR wild-type patients (33.6%; p=0.005). In multivariate analysis, EGFR mutation was a significant prognostic factor for a higher risk of distant recurrence/progression than the EGFR wild type (HR=7.183, p=0.005). In locally advanced mediastinoscopic N2-positive NSCLC, EGFR mutation was associated with more frequent distant relapses and worse 5-year PFS rate after neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery, which might suggest that systemic control might be important in patients with the EGFR mutation. Therefore, the role of TKI for adjuvant EGFR TKI to decrease disease recurrence in distant sites should be further investigated.
Lung cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 12/2012; · 3.14 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) has a dismal prognosis. Although L-asparaginase has shown promising efficacy as a frontline therapy, currently there are no treatment options after progression to an L-asparaginase-containing regimen. We report the results of gemcitabine-containing therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory ENKL. We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients with refractory or relapsed ENKL who received a gemcitabine-containing regimen between 2005 and 2011. The overall response rate was 40 % (8 of 20 patients) with a complete response (CR) rate of 20 % (n = 4) and a partial response (PR) rate of 20 % (n = 4). Four complete responders had a disease-free status for more than 7 months including two patients received autologous stem cell transplantation consolidation and L-aspraginase maintenance, respectively. The median progression-free survival of the 20 patients was 2.3 months; however, it was 7.3 months for eight responders (CR and PR). The median overall survival of the eight responders had not been reached at the time of analysis. Gemcitabine was effective in a subset of pretreated ENKL patients and can be considered as a salvage option.
Investigational New Drugs 10/2012; · 3.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The development of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor has just followed the recent discovery of ALK rearrangement in lung cancer, therefore not much is yet known about the clinical course and treatment outcomes to chemotherapy in ALK-positive patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC treated with conventional chemotherapy during pre-ALK inhibitor period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively screened 381 consecutive NSCLC patients without known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or KRAS mutation who were diagnosed between 2007 and 2008 at a single center, and identified ALK rearrangements by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Additional 44 ALK-positive patients who were identified since 2009 by central lab for participation on clinical trial were included for the analysis of clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 381 tumors screened, 21 (5.6%) showed ALK rearrangements, with twenty adenocarcinomas and one pleomorphic carcinoma. Of 65 ALK-positive patients including additional 44 ALK-positive patients, 32 patients received pemetrexed as a second- or further-line therapy, in whom the response rate was 34.4% (11/32), median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months (range: 0-22.0 months) and median overall survival (OS) was 50.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 38.7-62.8). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ALK rearrangement was 5.6% among EGFR and/or KRAS wild-type/unknown NSCLC population. Pemetrexed, given as a second- or further-line therapy, showed favorable clinical outcomes in ALK-positive NSCLC patients.
Lung cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 10/2012; · 3.14 Impact Factor
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Hee Kyung Ahn,
Soohyeon Lee,
Yeon Hee Park,
Joo Hyuk Sohn,
Jae-Cheol Jo,
Jin-Hee Ahn,
Kyung Hae Jung,
Silvia Park,
Eun Yoon Cho,
Jung Il Lee,
Won Park,
Doo Ho Choi,
Seung Jae Huh,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Sung-Bae Kim,
Young-Hyuck Im
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to validate the recently published Breast-Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) and propose a new prognostic model and nomogram for patients with brain parenchymal metastases (BM) from breast cancer (BC). We retrospectively investigated 171 consecutive patients who received a diagnosis of BM from BC during 2000-2008. We appraised the recently proposed Sperduto's BC-specific GPA in training cohort through Kaplan-Meier survival curve using log-rank test and area under the curve for the BC-GPA predicting overall survival at 1 year and developed a new nomogram to predict outcomes using multivariate Cox-regression analysis. By putting the Sperduto's Breast-GPA together with our nomogram, we developed a new prognostic model. We validated our new prognostic model with an independent external patient cohort from 2 institutes for the same period. On the basis of our Cox-regression analysis, therapeutic effect of trastuzumab and status of extracranial systemic disease control were incorporated into our new prognostic model in addition to Karnofsky performance status, age, and hormonal status. Our new prognostic model showed significant discrimination in median survival time, with 3.7 months for class I (n = 15), 7.8 months for class II (n = 82), 10.7 months for class III (n = 42), and 19.2 months for class IV (n = 32; P < .0001). The new prognostic model accurately predicted survival among patients with BC from BM in an external validation cohort (P < .0001). We propose a new prognostic model and a nomogram reflecting the different biological features of BC, including treatment effect and status of extracranial disease control, which was excellently validated in an independent external cohort.
Neuro-Oncology 06/2012; 14(8):1105-13. · 5.72 Impact Factor
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Silvia Park,
Seung Hwan Moon,
Lee Chun Park,
Deok Won Hwang,
Jun Ho Ji,
Chi Hoon Maeng,
Su-Hee Cho, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Ji Yean Lee,
Seok Jin Kim,
Joon Young Choi,
Won Seog Kim
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ABSTRACT: Taking a step forward from the IPI, attention is focused on the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT as a tool for guidance in risk stratification in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Here, we analyzed the predictive value of various PET/CT parameters in patients with DLBCL. Particularly, we were interested in patients with an IPI score of 1, 2, or 3, whose prognosis are confusing. Between Jul 2008 and Feb 2010, a total of 100 patients (including 57 patients with an IPI score of 1-3) who were treated with R-CHOP for DLBCL, and had assessable PET/CT parameters were analyzed in this study. Absolute value of SUVmax, SUVsum(sum of SUVmax) and TLGsum(SUVmean x Volumemeta) from baseline and interim PET/CT, and ΔSUVsum, ΔSUVmax, and ΔTLGsum between baseline and interim PET/CT were selected as PET/CT parameters. The median number of R-CHOP cycles was 6, and interim PET/CT was performed after 2 or 3 cycles. None of the parameters which showed percentile change between initial and interim PET/CT were associated with prognosis. Instead, absolute value of SUVsum from baseline PET/CT, and SUVmax and SUVsum from interim PET/CT were significantly relevant to PFS in all patients, and in patients with an IPI score of 1–3.
American Journal of Hematology 05/2012; 87(9):937-40. · 4.67 Impact Factor
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Silvia Park, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Lee Chun Park,
Deok Won Hwang,
Jun Ho Ji,
Chi Hoon Maeng,
Su-Hee Cho,
Ji Yean Lee,
Kyung Tae Park,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Yeon Hee Park,
Young-Hyuck Im
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ABSTRACT: CA 15-3 is derived from proteolytic shedding of the extracellular domain of mucin 1 (MUC1) glycoprotein. Luminal subtype breast cancer shows a higher expression in MUC1 genes, and a positive relationship between MUC1 expression and estrogen receptor (ER) expression has been reported. In this study, we attempted to determine the difference of CA 15-3 level according to the subtype of breast cancer.
From January 2000 to December 2009, a total of 707 patients who were diagnosed with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer at Samsung Medical Center were included in this study. Among these, 536 patients with available clinical data including pretreatment CA 15-3 and immunohistochemistry for ER, progesterone receptor (PgR) and hormone receptor 2 (HER2) were analyzed in this study. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to their receptor status: ER-positive (ER+) and/or PgR+ irrespective of HER2 (HR+), ER-/PgR-/HER2+ (HER2-enriched) and ER-/PgR-/HER2- (triple negative, TN).
The supranormal values of CA 15-3 were frequently observed in HR+ breast cancer compared to other types (45.6% for HR+, 24.4% for HER2-enriched and 28.8% for TN; p < 0.001). The increase of marker levels differed significantly among the 3 groups (24 U/ml for HR+, 13 U/ml for HER2-enriched and 18 U/ml for TN; p < 0.001).
The increase of both marker levels and the frequency of supranormal values of CA 15-3 were more frequently observed in HR+ breast cancer, which is positively associated with MUC1 expression. These results could potentially serve as a basis for expanding the clinical implications of CA 15-3 in the field of clinical trials for novel targeted therapies in breast cancer.
Oncology 03/2012; 82(3):180-7. · 2.27 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor has shown dramatic efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring ALK rearrangements in phase I trial. Herein we report two cases of NSCLC patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LM), treated with ALK inhibitor under emergent use of investigational new drug combined with intrathecal methotrexate treatment. Progression free survival was 10 months and 6 months, respectively, and little additional toxicities were observed. These results suggest that ALK inhibitor might be safely administered even in patients or those with metastases in central nervous system.
Lung cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 02/2012; 76(2):253-4. · 3.14 Impact Factor
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Duk Joo Lee,
Tae Sung Sohn,
Do Hoon Lim, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Se Hoon Park,
Jeeyun Lee,
Joon Oh Park,
Young Suk Park,
Ho Yeong Lim,
Dong Il Choi,
Kyoung Mee Kim,
Min Gew Choi,
Jae Hyung Noh,
Jae Moon Bae,
Sung Kim,
Byung Hoon Min,
Won Ki Kang
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ABSTRACT: The aim of this phase I study was to investigate the optimal dose of S-1 and oxaliplatin with concurrent radiotherapy in a preoperative setting for locally advanced gastric cancer.
Twelve patients with histologically confirmed clinical stage T2N+ or T3-T4 gastric adenocarcinoma received dose level -1 (oral S-1 at 60 mg/m(2)/day + oxaliplatin 40 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, 15 and 22) or dose level 1 (S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day + oxaliplatin 40 mg/m(2)), with concurrent radiotherapy at daily fractions of 1.8 Gy 5 days per week, to a total dose of 41.4 Gy. Surgical resection, including D2 dissection, was performed within 4 weeks after the last day of chemotherapy.
Chemoradiotherapy was generally well tolerated, with the most common dose-related grade 1 or 2 adverse events being anemia, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Two DLTs (prolonged thrombocytopenia and stomach perforation) were observed at dose level 1 (n = 6) and resulted in dose de-escalation to level -1. The recommended dose for future study is dose level -1, at which 1 of 6 patients developed grade 3 vomiting and anorexia. R0 resection was possible in 11 patients. Pathologic down-staging was observed in 6 patients, including one complete response. No clinically relevant postoperative complications occurred.
The activity of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy with S-1 (60 mg/m(2)/day for 28 consecutive days) and oxaliplatin (40 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 and 22) will be explored more extensively in a phase II study in patients with locally advanced GC.
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 02/2012; 69(5):1333-8. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK), a subfamily of serine/threonine kinases originally known as a regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics and cell motility, has recently been revealed to play a key role in oncogenic signaling pathways. We studied the frequency and clinical features of PAK4-overexpressed metastatic gastric cancer.
PAK4 overexpression was screened by Western blot in 18 human gastric cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical staining of PAK4 protein was performed in tumor specimens of 49 metastatic gastric cancer patients who received palliative capecitabine/cisplatin as first-line treatment.
PAK4 protein overexpression was detected strongly in five gastric cell lines (AGS, MGK-28, MKN-74, SNU-216, SNU-601) and weakly in four cell lines (KATOIII, MKN-1, SNU-620, and SNU-719). PAK4 knockdown by small interfering RNA induced apoptosis in PAK4-overexpressed AGS gastric cancer cells. Immunohistochemical staining revealed PAK4 overexpressions in 4 (8.1%) of 49 metastatic gastric cancer specimens. None of the four patients with PAK4(+) responded to capecitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy, and PAK4(+) gastric cancer patients had a trend of poorer survival compared with PAK(-)(P = .876).
We demonstrated PAK4 overexpression in a subset of gastric cancer patients, implicating a role in gastric cancer tumorigenesis. Its prognostic significance and efficacy as a drug target should be further studied.
Translational oncology 12/2011; 4(6):345-9. · 3.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: While overexpression of KIT protein has been well documented in adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACCs), mutation of KIT gene has been a controversial issue. We wanted to evaluate clinical value of the KIT mutation and protein expression in ACC.
We analyzed 33 cases of ACC. Gene mutations in KIT exons 9, 11, 13, and 17 were analyzed using paraffin-embedded tissue, and two different sets of primers with direct sequencing after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for exon 9, 11, 13, and 17, and cloning of PCR products for exon 11. KIT protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between clinicopathological findings and these biomarkers was analyzed.
No KIT mutation was observed in all of the 33 cases. With one primer set, KIT mutation was found in nine of 33 cases (27.3%). However, these mutations were not reproducible in the experiment using another primer set. KIT protein overexpression was detected in 22 of 33 patients (66.7%). KIT protein expression was not statistically correlated with either clinicopathological factors or survival. Patients with metastasis showed a tendency of longer progression-free survival (P = 0.052) and overall survival (P = 0.080) when the tumor overexpressed KIT protein.
This study supports that mutational study using paraffin-embedded tissue should be interpreted with great caution. KIT gene mutation is very rare in ACC, and gene mutation is not the cause of protein overexpression. KIT protein expression may have a potential value for better prognostic factor in patients with metastasis.
Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine 11/2011; 41(5):415-23. · 1.63 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Monosomal karyotype (MK) reflects highly unfavorable prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study aimed to study the association of AML-MK with multidrug resistance (MDR) functional activity. A total of 369 AML patients (excluding APL) between 1995 and 2008 at a single center were included retrospectively. Functional MDR activity was evaluated with rhodamine-123 efflux activity with/without verapamil inhibition. MK was noted in 23 patients, only among whom classified into unfavorable cytogenetic risk group. Unfavorable cytogenetic subgroup with MK showed shorter OS (8.7 ± 5.9% vs. 23.5 ± 7.5% at 3 years, P = 0.030), EFS (8.7 ± 5.9% vs. 19.0 ± 6.9% at 3 years, P = 0.029), and a lower CR rate (34.8% vs. 65.7%, P = 0.031) compared with unfavorable subgroup without MK. Functional MDR activity was significantly higher in the unfavorable cytogenetic group with MK compared to all other cytogenetic risk groups taken as a whole (P = 0.026) and showed a trend toward statistical significance when compared with the unfavorable cytogenetic risk group without MK (P = 0.06). AML patients harboring MK showed a poor outcome in terms of lower CR rate and worse EFS/OS, and the presence of MK appeared to be associated with higher MDR functional activity of leukemic blasts.
American Journal of Hematology 09/2011; 87(1):37-41. · 4.67 Impact Factor
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Soohyeon Lee, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Yeon Hee Park,
Do Hyun Nam,
Jung Il Lee,
Won Park,
Doo Ho Choi,
Seung Jae Huh,
Kyung Tae Park,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Young-Hyuck Im
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ABSTRACT: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) usually occurs late during the course of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical features and outcomes of LM based on breast cancer subtypes in conjunction with brain parenchymal metastases. A retrospective study was performed of breast cancer patients with LM, who received palliative management at Samsung Medical Center between 1995 and 2008. Among the 272 metastatic breast cancer patients with central nervous system (CNS) involvement, 68 patients with LM were identified. The median age was 46 years (range, 24-72 years). The median survival duration from LM to death (LM-OS) was 4.5 months (range, 0.2-26.4 months). Patients surviving for 12 or more months were rarer among triple negative (TN) patients compared to other subtypes (21.7% for HR + ve vs. 27.8% for HER2 + ve vs. 72.7% for TN, P = 0.217). Death caused by CNS involvement appeared to be much more common in TN than in other subtypes (0% for HR + ve vs. 36% for HER2 + ve vs. 64% for TN, P = 0.060). Median survival time from distant metastasis was significantly different among the three groups (28.3 vs. 29.1 vs. 11.8 months, P < 0.0001). However, median survival time from LM did not differ (4.1 vs. 5.9 vs. 3.8 months, P = 0.226). Characteristic manifestations and treatment outcomes of LM may be affected by the unique biology of breast cancer intrinsic subtypes. The different roles of active combined treatment modalities including both systemic chemotherapy and local treatment modalities should be considered to improve outcomes.
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 07/2011; 129(3):809-17. · 4.43 Impact Factor
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Investigational New Drugs 07/2011; 30(4):1768-72. · 3.36 Impact Factor
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Su Jin Lee,
Silvia Park, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Jun Ho Yi,
Eun Yoon Cho,
Jong Mu Sun,
Jeong Eon Lee,
Seok Jin Nam,
Jung-Hyun Yang,
Yeon Hee Park,
Jin Seok Ahn,
Young-Hyuck Im
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the current study was to determine the incidence, clinical presentation, and treatment outcomes of "bone-only metastases" in patients with breast cancer and to analyze the impact of hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status on prognosis.
Between 1994 and 2007, of 968 patients with metastatic breast cancer who underwent palliative management at Samsung Medical Center, 565 (57%) relapsed with distant metastases. Of the 968, 146 (15%) had bone-only metastases during a median follow-up period of 75 months. Among the 146 patients with bone-only metastases, 122 (84%) were relapsed patients after curative surgery and 24 (26%) were initially metastatic cases.
The median time from primary surgery to bone-only metastases of the 122 patients was 37 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 27 to 46 months). Bone-only metastases were more common in the HR-positive group than in the other subtypes (85% for HR+; 8.2% for HER2+; 6.8% for triple negative. Among all 146 patients, 75 (51%) were treated with hormone therapy. The median post-relapse progression-free survival was 15 months (95% CI, 13 to 17 months). The median overall survival was much longer in the HR+ patients than the HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer patients with marginal statistical significance (65 vs. 40 vs. 40 months, p=0.077).
Breast cancer patients with "bone-only metastases" had excellent clinical outcomes. Further study is now warranted to reveal the underlying biology that regulates the behavior of this indolent tumor, as it should identify 'favorable tumor characteristics' in addition to 'favorable preferential metastatic site.'
Cancer Research and Treatment 06/2011; 43(2):89-95.
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Hee Kyung Ahn,
Ji Eun Uhm,
Jeeyun Lee,
Do Hoon Lim,
Sung Wook Seo,
Ki-Sun Sung,
Su Jin Lee,
Duk Joo Lee,
Kyung Kee Baek,
Won-Seog Kim,
Joon Oh Park
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ABSTRACT: Pediatric-type sarcomas such as Ewing's sarcoma (EWS)/primitive neuroectodermal tumor family and rhabdomyosarcoma are relatively uncommon in adult patients. Optimal treatment strategies for this population and prognosis in adult patients compared with pediatric patients remain controversial.
We retrospectively reviewed pediatric-type sarcoma patients older than 15 years at a single institution.
A total of 84 consecutive patients between 1995 and 2009 were identified at the Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Median age was 30 years with a range of 15-74 years. Forty-seven patients (56.0%) were diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor family, 34 (40.5%) with rhabdomyosarcoma and 3 (3.6%) with desmoplastic round-cell tumor. Median follow-up duration was 5.9 years. Median overall survival for all patients was 33.1 months (95% CI 13.5-52.7) and median event-free survival for all patients was 14.4 months (95% CI 5.9-22.9 months). Multivariate analysis revealed that localized disease was a significant independent prognostic factor for longer overall survival (hazard ratio 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.66, p = 0.003), and favorable primary tumor sites were associated with longer event-free survival (hazard ratio 0.33, 95% CI 0.11-0.98, p = 0.045).
We identified the prognostic variables which may facilitate risk-adapted therapies for this rare adult sarcoma group, which should be further investigated.
Oncology 05/2011; 80(1-2):21-8. · 2.27 Impact Factor
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Taekyu Lim,
Jeeyun Lee,
Duk Joo Lee,
Ha Yeon Lee,
Boram Han,
Kyung Kee Baek, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Su Jin Lee,
Se Hoon Park,
Joon Oh Park,
Young Suk Park,
Ho Yeong Lim,
Kyoung-Mee Kim,
Won Ki Kang
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ABSTRACT: Everolimus is a novel inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, which is aberrantly activated in cancer cell. We conducted a phase I study of capecitabine plus everolimus (RAD001) in refractory gastric cancer patients.
Patients with metastatic gastric cancer and progression after prior chemotherapy were eligible. Four dose levels were planned as follows: Level 1, 5 mg bid/day of everolimus (D1-D21) and 500 mg/m(2) bid/day of capecitabine (D1-14); Level 2, 5 mg bid/day of everolimus (D1-D21) and 750 mg/m(2) bid/day of capecitabine (D1-14); Level 3, 5 mg bid/day of everolimus (D1-D21) and 1000 mg/m(2) bid/day of capecitabine (D1-14); and Level 4, 10 mg bid/day of everolimus (D1-D21) and 1000 mg/m(2) bid/day of capecitabine (D1-14). Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression, patient refusal, or any serious adverse event.
Fifteen patients were enrolled in this study between November 2009 and April 2010. Fifteen patients were enrolled (median age, 50 years; men, 9). Six patients had received two previous chemotherapy regimens; six patients had three previous chemotherapy regimens before the study treatment. Thus, the majority of patients were heavily pretreated. The dose-limiting toxicities were grade 3 infection, grade 3 mucositis, and grade 3 hyperglycemia and hyponatremia. After a median follow-up duration of 5.6 months (range, 2.3-8.1 months), median PFS was 1.8 months (95% CI, 0.8-2.8 months). The maximum best change observed was a 28.7% decrease in sum of longest diameters when compared with baseline.
The combination of capecitabine and everolimus showed satisfactory toxicity profile and modest clinical benefit in patients with refractory gastric cancer. The recommended dose of capecitabine and everolimus was 650 mg/m(2) twice daily and 5 mg twice daily, respectively.
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 04/2011; 68(1):255-62. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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Jun Ho Yi,
Yoon La Choi,
Su Jin Lee, Hee Kyung Ahn,
Kyung Kee Baek,
Taekyu Lim,
Duk Joo Lee,
Bo Ram Han,
Ha Yeon Lee,
Hyun Jung Jun,
Jeeyun Lee,
Yeon Hee Park
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ABSTRACT: A carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) is a histologically confirmed metastatic cancer without a definitive primary site after performing a detailed medical examination. The purpose of the study was to classify unfavorable CUPs into more reliable disease entities, which reflect the clinical course. We reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with a CUP between January 1995 and March 2008. Patients were classified into a conventional favorable-risk group and a newly proposed unfavorable-risk group according to the clinicopathologic features. Five hundred eighty-six patients were diagnosed with CUPs. Fifty-six (9.6%) patients were classified in the conventional favorable-risk group, and 486 (82.9%) patients were classified in the unfavorable-risk group. We further classified the 486 patients into six subgroups with an unfavorable risk, while excluding 29 patients (5.0%) who were not classifiable. The overall survival of the conventional favorable-risk group was 47.0 months (95% CI, 11.1~82.9 months), which was significantly longer than that of any subgroup of the newly proposed unfavorable-risk group (P < 0.001). Patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the abdominopelvic cavity showed similar overall survival with unfavorable-risk group (P = 0.484). Women with non-papillary malignant ascites had a survival in between the favorable and unfavorable groups (P < 0.001). The newly proposed unfavorable-risk group may assist in classifying CUP patients with an unfavorable risk in a clinically more meaningful way. Squamous cell carcinoma in the abdominopelvic cavity should be considered in the unfavorable-risk group and women with non-papillary malignant ascites in an intermediate-risk group. Further studies with molecular profiling would help in classifying and treating patients with CUPs and an unfavorable risk.
Tumor Biology 02/2011; 32(1):45-51. · 1.94 Impact Factor