Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) constitutes a challenging subset of cases that fall between clearly resectable and unresectable disease. Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 4.2%. In patients who underwent surgical resection, the 5-year survival rate rose from 1.5% to 17.4%, whereas in those who did not undergo resection, it remained unchanged. Here, we present the case of a patient with BRPC who had no residual tumor during surgery after receiving neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy. A 57-year-old male patient was hospitalized for abdominal pain and was referred to our hospital for recurrent pancreatitis due to persistent alcohol consumption. Tumor marker testing showed a carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level <2.00 U/mL and a carcinoembryonic antigen level of 4.32 ng/mL. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed signs suggestive of pancreatic cancer, including diffuse gallbladder wall thickening and pancreatic duct dilatation. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed to obtain a tissue sample, and pathological examination confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography found no abnormal F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake that would suggest metastasis. Pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed, and no visible tumor cells were detected in the resected pancreas after chemotherapy. The patient was followed up for >2 months after surgery without recurrence. The absence of a residual tumor during surgery after upfront chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer is extremely rare and is reported here along with a review of the literature.
Olfactory receptors (ORs), which are primarily responsible for olfactory sensation in the nasal epithelium, constitute the largest family of genes in the human genome. The majority of ORs are orphan receptors with unknown ligands; however, recent studies have revealed their expression in non-olfactory tissues, implying that ORs may be involved in various physiological processes beyond olfaction. This review highlights recent findings on the roles of ORs in cancers, including prostate, breast, and lung cancer, as well as their involvement in other diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and viral infections. Additionally, we explore emerging knowledge about the role of ORs in metabolic regulation, focusing on their effect on triglyceride metabolism, glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion, and lipid accumulation. Advancements in technology, such as structural analysis, have accelerated research on OR ligands and their functions, potentially positioning ORs as novel therapeutic targets for various diseases. This review highlights the need for further research into the non-olfactory roles of ORs and their potential as targets for future therapeutic interventions.
Background Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillation is the most effective treatment for reducing intravesical recurrence in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, due to the recent global shortage of BCG, there is an increasing need for alternative treatments. This study aimed to retrospectively compare the outcomes of patients treated with intravesical gemcitabine instillation and BCG instillation as initial treatment options for NMIBC.
Methods Seventy-eight patients with NMIBC who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumors between January 2022 and September 2023 were reviewed. Of these, 42 patients received intravesical gemcitabine instillation, and 36 patients received BCG instillation. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed, along with tumor multiplicity, grade, T stage, size, and bladder storage time after instillation, which could influence RFS.
Results The mean follow-up period was 18.7 months for the gemcitabine group and 20.6 months for the BCG group. Recurrence occurred in 46.15% of patients (52.38% in the gemcitabine group and 38.92% in the BCG group). Tumor characteristics, including multiplicity, grade, stage, and size, were not significantly different between the two groups. The mean RFS was 15.92 months in the gemcitabine group and 19.84 months in the BCG group, with no statistically significant difference (p=0.397). However, gemcitabine instillation caused more severe bladder irritation, with shorter bladder storage time.
Conclusions Intravesical gemcitabine and BCG instillation yielded comparable RFS outcomes. However, gemcitabine led to more severe bladder irritation, highlighting the need for further studies to optimize its application.
Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (OBCS) has revolutionized breast cancer treatment, aiming to achieve optimal oncological outcomes while preserving an aesthetically favorable appearance. This review explores the evolution, techniques, and outcomes of OBCS, with a particular focus on the emerging role of acellular dermal matrix in volume replacement techniques. We conducted a comprehensive literature review using PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane databases, focusing on studies published between 2010 and 2024. OBCS demonstrates comparable oncological safety to traditional breast-conserving surgery, with local recurrence rates ranging from 2.7% to 5.7% at 5 years. Patient satisfaction rates are consistently high, with 85% to 95% reporting good to excellent aesthetic outcomes. Volume replacement techniques using acellular dermal matrix show promising results, with one study reporting that 94% of patients were highly satisfied with cosmetic outcomes. Although the current results are encouraging, future advancements in OBCS may require innovative approaches, including the integration of robotic surgery and artificial intelligence technologies.
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Trends and Perspectives in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery: Findings From a Web-Based Survey With the Korean Breast Cancer Society Jeeyeon Lee, Byeongju Kang, Ho Yong Park, Sang Yull Kang, Min Kyoon Kim, Hong-Kyu Kim, Sun Young Min, Min-Ki Seong, Tae-Kyung Robyn Yoo, Seokwon Lee, Eun-Shin Lee, Kyung-Hwak Yoon, Eun-Kyu Kim Journal of Breast Cancer.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is a priority for surgeons during thyroidectomy in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). RLN invasion by PTC in a patient presenting with preoperative vocal fold paralysis may require resection of the nerve with the tumor. However, the decision should be made regarding whether to preserve or sacrifice a functioning RLN invaded by PTC. Under certain conditions, preservation of the nerve with incomplete tumor resection could be considered. An RLN that has been resected due to PTC invasion may be managed by various reinnervation techniques to improve vocal outcomes. This article reviews clinical considerations and rationales for surgical decisions related to patients with PTC invasion of the RLN.
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Gastric cancer (GC), a prevalent disease in Asian countries, presents a substantial global health challenge. The risk factors for GC include Helicobacter pylori infection, diet, smoking, alcohol, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). This review meticulously examines the intricate connections between MetS and GC, focusing on visceral adipocytes, hormonal factors, obesity, and their impact on survival outcomes. Visceral adipocytes, which secrete inflammatory cytokines and hormones, play a pivotal role in influencing cancer development. Hormonal factors demonstrate nuanced associations with specific GC subtypes, underscoring the complexity of their impact. Large-scale studies exploring obesity-related factors reveal sex-specific nuances and underscore the importance of considering overall weight and body composition. Furthermore, the review explores the impact of eradication therapy for H. pylori infection, which is the most significant factor in the onset of GC, on the components of MetS. Additionally, the influence of MetS on postoperative outcomes and survival in GC patients highlights the interplay between therapeutic interventions and lifestyle factors. This comprehensive exploration sheds light on the multifaceted relationship between MetS and GC, providing valuable insights for future research and preventive strategies.
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Chemotherapy for Metastatic Gastric Cancer Sung Eun Kim, Moo In Park, Myung Hun Lee The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology.2025; 85(1): 1. CrossRef
Therapeutic Potential of Anti‐Diabetes Drugs and Anti‐Dyslipidemia Drugs to Mitigate Head and Neck Cancer Risk in Metabolic Syndrome Sujung Yeom, Dong Hoon Lee, Juhyun Song CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
The increasing global prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is strongly associated with the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). Obesity and MetS detrimentally impact the treatment outcomes of CRC and share similar mechanisms that contribute to the development of CRC. Increased insulin resistance in patients with obesity is linked to CRC, and altered levels of sex hormones and adipokines affect cell growth and inflammation. Obesity and MetS also alter the gut microbiome. Bile acids, which are crucial for lipid metabolism, are elevated in patients with obesity. Moreover, specific bile acids are associated with colonic damage, inflammation, and the development of CRC. Obesity and MetS increase the risk of postoperative complications and affect the response to chemotherapy. The promotion of weight loss and the resolution of MetS can reduce the occurrence of CRC and increase treatment efficacy. Therefore, it is imperative to implement appropriate management strategies to address obesity and MetS with the aim of improving the prognosis and reducing the incidence of CRC. Moreover, additional research should be conducted to determine the optimal timing for tailored CRC screening in patients with obesity or MetS. In this review, we explore the impact of obesity and MetS on the development of CRC and examine potential strategies to mitigate CRC risk in individuals with obesity and MetS.
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Colorectal Cancer and Obesity Hyeong Ho Jo Journal of Digestive Cancer Research.2024; 12(2): 82. CrossRef
Percutaneous sacroplasty is mainly used as an intervention for pain associated with sacral insufficiency fractures or sacral metastatic tumors. However, sacroplasty for managing the pain associated with direct sacral invasion of rectal cancer has been rarely reported. We present a case of a 74-year-old patient who underwent sacroplasty via the interpedicular approach under fluoroscopic guidance to relieve pain resulting from direct tumor invasion into the S3 body. After the procedure, the patient experienced immediate pain relief and did not feel worse pain with ambulation. Aside from peritumoral vascular leakage, no other significant complications occurred immediately post-procedure. Our results suggest that fluoroscopically guided interpedicular sacroplasty is a safe and effective option for relieving the pain associated with direct sacral invasion by rectal cancer.
Although the efficacy of surgery followed by taxane- and platinum-based systemic chemotherapy has been clearly demonstrated in the standard first-line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer, the role of radiation therapy for distant lymph node metastasis in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer is not well-established due to a lack of reported studies. We identified four patients who underwent selective adjuvant radiation therapy for neck and para-aortic lymph node lesions after primary debulking surgery between 2020 and 2022, followed by platinum-based chemotherapy for stage 4B high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Through a retrospective review of medical records, we analyzed patient clinicopathologic features, treatment course, and imaging findings. The median age was 49.25 years (range, 46–54 years). All patients had the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage 4B disease. Following primary debulking surgery, all patients received weekly paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy and maintenance treatment with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. All patients received selective adjuvant radiation therapy for neck and para-aortic lymph node metastasis before PARP inhibitor maintenance. The median follow-up time was 36.75 months (range, 19–45 months). All patients achieved a complete response. None of the patients experienced disease recurrence or died during the follow-up period. The management of distant lymph node metastasis in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer remains a matter of debate. Selective adjuvant radiation therapy in first-line treatment for ovarian cancer appears to be a feasible approach with maintenance therapy for stage 4B epithelial ovarian cancer.
Giant adrenal myelolipomas are rare, benign, and hormonally inactive tumors. We present the case of a 53-year-old man with a 19-cm retroperitoneal mass, initially suspected to be a retroperitoneal liposarcoma, angiomyolipoma, or adrenal myelolipoma. After conducting endocrine assessments, which were within normal ranges, we decided to perform surgical excision using a modified Makuuchi incision. The tumor was successfully removed, and the final pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of adrenal myelolipoma. The patient was discharged with no complications and remained without disease recurrence or distant metastasis as of 1 year postoperatively. In conclusion, giant myelolipomas are rare and cause symptoms owing to their large size. Surgical removal is recommended for large or symptomatic myelolipomas. The modified Makuuchi incision allows efficient and safe tumor removal in open surgery for giant myelolipomas.
Background Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (rsRARP) is a surgical procedure that can minimize the resection of surrounding prostate tissue by enabling access through the anterior surface of the Douglas pouch. We reported our initial experiences with rsRARP compared to conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).
Methods Retrospective data were collected from March 2019 to June 2022, including 69 patients who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. The operations were performed at a single center, and we alternated between the two methods. Perioperative characteristics and oncologic and functional outcomes were analyzed.
Results In total, 35 patients underwent RARP and 34 patients underwent rsRARP. The preoperative characteristics of the patients were similar. Oncologic and functional parameters were analyzed postoperatively. Except for early recovery of urinary incontinence (immediate, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months: p<0.001, p=0.002, p=0.004, and p=0.014, respectively), there were no significant differences between the two groups. We also analyzed trends in operation time and oncologic and functional outcomes according to the progression of rsRARP cases.
Conclusions rsRARP has the major advantage of enabling an early recovery from urinary incontinence after surgery, and it is also a good surgical approach that shows oncologically similar results to the conventional approach. It is also highly reproducible and can be recommended to surgeons new to robotic radical prostatectomy.
The incidence of breast cancer is increasing worldwide. As cancer screening has become more widespread, the rate of early breast cancer detection has increased and treatment methods have changed. Partial mastectomy is performed more often than total mastectomy for the surgical treatment of early breast cancer, and sentinel lymph node biopsy plays an important role. A high level of accuracy is necessary for the intraoperative examination of surgical margins and sentinel lymph nodes to identify malignancies. Therefore, several examination techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, that replace or supplement the currently used frozen-section methods are being studied. Raman spectroscopy has the ability to diagnose cancer in normal tissue by providing in real time a chemical fingerprint that can be used to differentiate between cells and tissues. Numerous studies have investigated the utilization of Raman spectroscopy to identify cancer in the margins of resected tissues and sentinel lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery, showing the potential of this technique for clinical applications. This article introduces and reviews the research on Raman spectroscopy for breast cancer surgery.
Background This study evaluated the diagnostic yield and positive predictive factors of post-percutaneous core needle biopsy (PCNB) sputum cytology in diagnosing malignancy.
Methods This retrospective study included patients who underwent PCNB at a single center from January 2014 to March 2022. Patient demographics, lung lesion characteristics on computed tomography, underlying lung disease, post-PCNB complications, histopathologic results of PCNB, post-PCNB sputum specimens, and final diagnoses were reviewed. The diagnostic yields and related factors were analyzed.
Results Overall, 177 consecutive patients with sputum specimens obtained after PCNB for intrapulmonary lesions were enrolled. Among them, 152 patients had a final diagnosis of malignancy. Diagnostic sputum specimens with atypical or malignant cells were obtained in 12 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of sputum cytology were 7.89%, 100%, 20.90%, 100%, and 15.15%, respectively. Lesion size, air-bronchogram, lesion multiplicity, and the cell type of squamous cell and adenocarcinoma differed significantly between the groups with diagnostic versus non-diagnostic sputum (p<0.05). The lesion size (odds ratio [OR], 1.035; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.008–1.064; p=0.013), presence of air-bronchogram (OR, 23.485; 95% CI, 2.532–217.316; p=0.005), and squamous cell carcinoma (OR, 7.397; 95% CI, 1.773–30.865; p=0.006) were significantly associated with a diagnostic sputum specimen post-PCNB.
Conclusions Although post-PCNB sputum cytology had low sensitivity in diagnosing lung cancer, it showed diagnostic results in some peripheral lung cancer patients who have squamous cell types, relatively large tumors, and air-bronchograms in the lesions.
Background The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in early 2020, has had multiple impacts on cancer care. This study assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced prostate cancer (PCa) screening and diagnosis in South Korea.
Methods Patients who visited the outpatient clinic at a single institution for PCa evaluation were included in this study and divided into a pre-COVID-19 group and a COVID-19 pandemic group, based on the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies on March 1, 2020. The number of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, patients with elevated PSA levels, and prostate biopsy results were analyzed.
Results In total, 8,926 PSA tests were administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 15,654 before the pandemic (p<0.05). Of 2,132 patients with high PSA levels, 1,055 (49.5%) received prostate biopsies before the pandemic and 1,077 (50.5%) did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic group had a higher detection rate of PC, and increased rates of Gleason scores (GS) 7 and 9–10, while the rate of GS 6 decreased compared to the pre-COVID-19 group (p<0.05). The rate of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) was also higher during the pandemic (p<0.05). In both magnetic resonance imaging-guided and standard biopsies, the GS 6 rate decreased, and the csPCa rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (each, p<0.05).
Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, the detection rate of prostate biopsies and the rate of csPCa increased significantly. Thus, PCa was diagnosed at a more advanced state in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) is a very rare disease, with an estimated annual incidence of 10 cases per million. Oxaliplatin and irinotecan are widely used as chemotherapy for high-risk stage II and III colorectal cancer, and DITP has been reported to occur in patients using those agents. To treat unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer, bevacizumab is used in combination with oxaliplatin or irinotecan, and there have been a few reports of DITP cases in patients receiving that regimen. In this report, we describe a 68-year-old male patient with metastatic colon cancer (KRAS mutant type) to the liver and lung who developed acute immune-mediated thrombocytopenia due to bevacizumab-FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) therapy. During treatment, he showed purpura in his lower extremities on 21st cycle day 2. Lab work revealed a platelet count of less than 2,000/mL, reflecting a decrease from 135,000/mL at the start of the cycle 1 day prior. He did not have any other types of cytopenia or significant changes in laboratory findings. We diagnosed DITP due to bevacizumab-FOLFOX, and the patient did not show isolated thrombocytopenia after switching to Ziv-aflibercept-FOLFIRI (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan).