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Simple Summary: The study analyzed income disparities in 5-year survival rates (5YSR) among cancer patients in South Korea from 2002 to 2018. Overall, 5YSR improved from 2002–2006 to 2014–2018, particularly for lung, liver, and stomach cancers. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) indicated significant income-related disparities, with higher survival rates associated with higher incomes, notably for lung and liver cancers. The SII for lung, liver, and stomach cancer increased, while that of thyroid, breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer decreased over the study period. The findings highlight persistent income-related gaps in cancer survival despite overall improvements, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address socioeconomic inequalities in cancer care outcomes. Background: The overall survival rates among cancer patients have been improving. However, the increase in survival is not uniform across socioeconomic status. Thus, we investigated income disparities in the 5-year survival rate (5YSR) in cancer patients and the temporal trends. Methods: This study used a national cancer cohort from 2002 to 2018 that was established by linking the Korea Central Cancer Registry and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claim database to calculate the cancer survival rate by income level in the Republic of Korea. Survival data were available from 2002 onward, and the analysis was based on the actuarial method. We compared the survival of the earliest available 5-year period of 2002–2006 and the latest available 5-year period of 2014–2018, observing until 31 December 2021. Income level was classified into six categories: Medical Aid beneficiaries and five NHIS subtypes according to insurance premium. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality were used to measure absolute and relative differences in 5YSR by income, respectively. Results: The 5YSR between the 2002–2006 and 2014–2018 periods for all cancers improved. A significant improvement in 5-year survival rates (5YSR) over the study period was observed in lung, liver, and stomach cancer. The SII of survival rates for lung (17.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.0–28.1), liver (15.1, 95% CI 10.9–19.2), stomach (13.9, 95% CI 3.2–24.7), colorectal (11.4, 95% CI 0.9–22.0), and prostate (10.7, 95% CI 2.5–18.8) cancer was significantly higher, implying higher survival rates as income levels increased. The SII for lung, liver, and stomach cancer increased, while that of thyroid, breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer decreased over the study period. Conclusions: Although substantial improvement in the 5YSR was observed across cancer types and income levels from 2002 to 2018, this increase was not uniformly distributed across income levels. Our study revealed persistent income disparities in the survival of cancer patients, particularly for lung and liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic inflammation is believed to contribute to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progression, but the underlying relationship remains unclear. Lipocalin‐2, a potential biomarker of inflammation, has been implicated in various cancers but its prognostic value in SCLC is underexplored. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 191 patients with SCLC (72 with limited‐stage [LD] and 119 with extensive‐stage) treated using platinum‐based chemotherapy. Lipocalin‐2 expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Optimal cutoff values for lipocalin‐2 and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were determined using time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The pectoralis muscle index was used to assess sarcopenia. Results: In LD‐SCLC, high lipocalin‐2 expression was associated with worse progression‐free survival (PFS; median: 7.0 vs. 15.9 months, p = 0.015) and overall survival (OS; median: 12.9 vs. 30.3 months, p = 0.035) compared with low lipocalin‐2 expression. Patients were stratified into three prognostic groups by combining lipocalin‐2 with NLR: low lipocalin‐2/low NLR, high lipocalin‐2/low NLR or low lipocalin‐2/high NLR, and high lipocalin‐2/high NLR (median PFS: 17.3 vs. 11.0 vs. 6.3 months, p = 0.004; median OS: 30.5 vs. 17.3 vs. 8.6 months, p = 0.002). Similar trends were observed when combining lipocalin‐2 with the pectoralis muscle index. High lipocalin‐2 expression was also associated with lower complete response rates (18.9% vs. 34.3%, p = 0.035). No significant prognostic implications were found for lipocalin‐2 in extensive‐stage SCLC. Conclusions: High lipocalin‐2 expression is potentially associated with poorer survival in LD‐SCLC. Combining lipocalin‐2 with other inflammation‐related markers could improve prognostic stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lazertinib, a third-generation EGFR-TKI, selectively inhibits both the common EGFR mutation and the T790M mutation in NSCLC patients. No previous studies have compared lazertinib with platinum-based chemotherapy. In this external control retrospective study, we have compared the efficacy of lazertinib and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients who had previously received EGFR-TKI treatment. This study included 200 patients from the LASER 201, LASER 301, and LASER-PMS studies, and 334 patients who received platinum-based chemotherapy after prior EGFR-TKI treatment for SMC. After propensity score matching, we selected 156 patients from each group. The PFS was significantly longer in those patients treated with lazertinib than in those treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (10.97 months vs. 5.10 months) after PSM. Lazertinib also demonstrated superior OS, ORR, and TTD compared to platinum-based chemotherapy. Based on this retrospective, external control study, lazertinib demonstrated significantly superior efficacy compared to platinum-based chemotherapy. The external controls provide important context to evaluate efficacy in single-arm studies. Background: Lazertinib is a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-TKI) that selectively inhibit common EGFR mutation and T790M mutation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. No previous studies have compared lazertinib to platinum-based chemotherapy. We have compared lazertinib with platinum-based chemotherapy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients after previous EGFR-TKI therapy. Methods: We retrospectively compared 200 patients from LASER201, LASER301, and LASER-PMS studies to 334 patients who were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy after previous EGFR-TKI from the Samsung Medical Center. After propensity score matching (PSM), we selected 156 patients from each group. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), with overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and time to treatment discontinuation (TTD) as secondary outcomes. Results: The median follow-up of PFS was 15.61 months in the lazertinib group and 21.67 months in the external control group. The PFS was significantly longer in patients who were treated with lazertinib than those treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (10.97 months vs. 5.10 months; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.40; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.29–0.55; p < 0.01) after PSM. Lazertinib showed superior OS (32.23 months vs. 18.73 months; adjusted HR 0.45; 95% CI, 0.29–0.69; p < 0.001), ORR (64.1% vs. 47.4%), and TTD (11.66 months vs. 6.73 months; adjusted HR 0.54; 95% CI, 0.39–0.75; p < 0.001) compared to platinum-based chemotherapy. Conclusion: Based on this retrospective, external control study, lazertinib has demonstrated significantly better efficacy compared with platinum-based chemotherapy. The external controls provide important context to evaluate efficacy in single-arm studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prevalence of malignant melanoma increasing gradually and the progressive westernization of the Asian lifestyle, it is important to analyze and follow up on the characteristics of malignant melanoma at regular intervals. We identified the characteristics of malignant melanoma by analyzing consecutive patients from a single medical center. We also examined the trend of malignant melanoma and prognostic factors in Asian patients. We investigated 200 consecutive patients with malignant melanoma in a single medical center between 2000 and 2022. Each patient's sex and age, tumor stage, site of the primary lesion, histological subtype, Breslow thickness, Clark level, and period of survival were collected from the historical medical records of the patients and analyzed. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method to investigate the prognostic factors. The ratio of man-to-woman was 1:1.53; the most common site of the primary tumor was the lower extremity (60%), and acral lentiginous melanoma was the most common histological subtype (61%). Malignant melanoma commonly occurs in the lower extremities, primarily in the form of the lentiginous subtype. In situ melanomas are most prevalent regarding Breslow thickness, while Clark Level 4 is the most common type of malignant melanoma. Sex and Breslow thickness were significantly associated with the survival rate. However, others were not significant prognostic indicators for survival in this cohort. This study confirmed that the epidemiology of malignant melanoma in Asian patients was maintained without significant change. We also confirmed several significant prognostic indicators for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Crizotinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets ALK, MET, and ROS1 kinase, has emerged as an effective treatment for ROS1-rearranged NSCLC. In South Korea's real-world setting, characterized by a higher elderly population and increased brain/central nervous system metastasis rates, crizotinib remains a cornerstone in treating ROS1-rearranged NSCLC, providing lasting clinical benefits with a favorable safety profile. Liquid biopsies, utilizing biomarkers, are instrumental in detecting targetable mutations, monitoring the disease burden, and identifying resistance mechanisms. In our study, next-generation sequencing using cell-free total nucleic acids enables the detection of ROS1 fusions and the identification of resistance mechanisms during disease progression. Real-world data on the use and outcomes of crizotinib in ROS1-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited. This study aims to analyze the real-world efficacy of crizotinib in South Korea and explore the utilization of liquid biopsies that implement next-generation sequencing (NGS) using cell-free total nucleic acids. In this prospective multicenter cohort study, 40 patients with ROS1-rearranged NSCLC, either starting or already on crizotinib, were enrolled. Patients had a median age of 61 years, with 32.5% presenting brain/central nervous system (CNS) metastases at treatment initiation. At the data cutoff, 48.0% were still in treatment; four continued with it even after disease progression due to the clinical benefits. The objective response rate was 70.0%, with a median duration of response of 27.8 months. The median progression-free survival was 24.1 months, while the median overall survival was not reached. Adverse events occurred in 90.0% of patients, primarily with elevated transaminases, yet these were mostly manageable. The NGS assay detected a CD74–ROS1 fusion in 2 of the 14 patients at treatment initiation and identified emerging mutations, such as ROS1 G2032R, ROS1 D2033N, and KRAS G12D, during disease progression. These findings confirm crizotinib's sustained clinical efficacy and safety in a real-world context, which was characterized by a higher elderly population and higher rates of brain/CNS metastases. The study highlights the clinical relevance of liquid biopsy for detecting resistance mechanisms, suggesting its value in personalized treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer are typically associated with a poor prognosis. However, it has been observed that some patients with these cancers survive significantly longer than the average survival period. While many preliminary studies have investigated factors influencing patient survival, the specific impact of asbestos exposure has not been thoroughly explored. We followed up with 546 patients with malignant mesothelioma and 902 patients with asbestos-related lung cancer, all identified as asbestos victims between 2009 and 2021. In both malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer, patients with occupational asbestos exposure exhibited not only shorter median survival times but also lower 3- and 5-year survival rates compared to those with environmental exposure. Additionally, a longer duration of occupational exposure and closer proximity to the source of asbestos were linked to shorter survival times and lower survival rates. Among the patients with occupational asbestos exposure, the highest hazard ratios (HRs) were observed in those who worked in the production of asbestos-containing products across both cancer types. In contrast, significant HRs were only noted in mesothelioma patients who lived near asbestos industries, slate houses, and redevelopment areas, within the environmentally exposed group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Currently, it is unknown whether secondary esophagectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is comparable to primary esophagectomy. The aim of our retrospective study was to compare short- and long-term clinical outcomes between the two groups. Propensity matching was performed, and 34 patients in each group were compared. Comparing primary and secondary surgery, lymph node metastasis (LNM), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS), were comparable between the two groups. Comparing the adverse events between the two groups, none of the patients in either group died within 60 days of treatment. There was no significant difference in the overall adverse events, but more early complications were observed in the primary surgery group than in the secondary surgery group. ESD and secondary esophagectomy can be recommended for patients with superficial esophageal cancer, as it does not compromise the outcomes of survival, recurrence, and complications. Even though the conventional treatment for T1 esophageal cancer is surgery, ESD is becoming the primary treatment. Currently, it is unknown whether secondary esophagectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is comparable to primary esophagectomy when considering outcomes in patients with T1 esophageal cancer. We compared short- and long-term clinical outcomes between the two groups. Primary surgery (esophagectomy) was performed in 191 patients between 2003 and 2014, and 62 patients underwent secondary surgery (esophagectomy) after ESD for T1 esophageal cancer between 2007 and 2019. Propensity matching was performed for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), location, pathology, degree of differentiation, tumor size, and invasion depth. Lymph node metastasis (LNM), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and post-operative complications were compared between groups. Sixty-eight patients were included after propensity score matching; LNM, OS, DSS, and RFS were comparable between the two groups. Comparing primary and secondary surgery, the respective LNM rates were 23.5% and 26.5%, 6-year OS 78.0% and 89.7%, p = 0.15; DSS were 80.4% and 96.8%, p = 0.057; and RFS were 80.8% and 89.7%, p = 0.069. Comparing the adverse events between the two groups, there was no significant difference in the overall adverse events. However, more early complications were observed in the primary surgery group than in the secondary surgery group (50% vs. 20.6%, p = 0.021). Secondary surgery did not increase the risk of LNM. The long-term outcomes were comparable. Therefore, attempts to perform upfront ESD for superficial esophageal squamous cell cancers are justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping allows node‐negative patients to be spared from the surgical comorbidities associated with total lymphadenectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the oncological outcomes of SLN biopsy versus complete lymph node dissection in patients with early‐stage endometrial carcinoma. Methods: Retrospective analyses were performed in patients with pathologically confirmed endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, who underwent minimally invasive surgical staging with SLN biopsy or complete lymph node dissection at Yonsei Cancer Center between 2015 and 2019. Results: A total of 301 patients were included in this study. Eighty‐two patients underwent SLN biopsy, while 219 underwent complete lymph node dissection. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the two groups. In terms of operative characteristics, the SLN biopsy‐only group had a significantly shorter surgical duration (p < 0.001) than the lymphadenectomy group. The mean follow‐up period was 41.4 months. There were no differences in progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the two groups (SLN biopsy vs. complete lymph node dissection; p = 0.798 and 0.301, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that SLN biopsy was not an independent prognostic factor for PFS or OS. Conclusion: Our results showed that SLN biopsy provided oncological outcomes similar to those of lymphadenectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This propensity-score-matched study showed significantly higher incidence and effects of osteoporotic fracture in patients with localized or regional SEER-staged prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy. This study evaluated the effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on osteoporotic fractures (OF) and its prognostic effect on overall survival in patients with localized or regional prostate cancer (PC) using the Korean National Insurance Dataset. A total of 8883 pairs of 1:1 propensity-score-matched patients with localized or regional PC were retrospectively enrolled between 2007 and 2016. All patients underwent at least 1 year of follow-up to evaluate therapeutic outcomes. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the prognostic effect of ADT on OF. During a mean follow-up of 47.7 months, 977 (3.43%) patients developed OF, and the incidences of hip, spine, and wrist fractures were significantly different between ADT and non-ADT groups (p < 0.05). The ADT group had a significantly higher incidence of OF (hazard ratio 2.055, 95% confidence interval 1.747–2.417) than the non-ADT group (p < 0.05), and the incidence of spine/hip/wrist OF was significantly higher in the ADT group regardless of the PC stage (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis failed to show any significant difference in overall survival between the two groups (p > 0.05). ADT resulted in a significantly higher incidence of OF among patients with localized and regional PC, but the overall survival did not differ between ADT and non-ADT groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurogenic differentiation factor 1 (NEUROD1) is frequently overexpressed in small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). NEUROD1 plays an important role in promoting malignant behavior and survival. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the association between putative functional polymorphisms in 45 NEUROD1 target genes and chemotherapy response and survival outcomes in 261 patients with SCLC. Among the 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) studied, two were significantly associated with both chemotherapy response and overall survival (OS) of patients with SCLC. Results: The SNP rs3806915C>A in semaphorin 6A (SEMA6A) gene was significantly associated with better chemotherapy response and OS (p = 0.04 and p = 0.04, respectively). The SNP rs11265375C>T in nescient helix–loop helix 1 (NHLH1) gene was also associated with better chemotherapy response and OS (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). Luciferase assay showed a significantly higher promoter activity of SEMA6A with the rs3806915 A allele than C allele in H446 lung cancer cells (p = 4 × 10−6). The promoter activity of NHLH1 showed a significantly higher with the rs11265375 T allele than C allele (p = 0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that SEMA6A rs3806915C>A and NHLH1 rs11265375C>T polymorphisms affect the promoter activity and expression of the genes, which may affect the survival outcome of patients with SCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is affected by invasion and metastasis. Leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LARS) was shown to be related to the growth and migration of lung cancer cells. Dickkopf 4 (DKK4) is known as a Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor, and its upregulation was reported in several cancers. However, the clinical significance of LARS and DKK4 in human CRC has not been clearly defined. We investigated the expression of LARS and DKK4 by immunohistochemical staining in tissue microarrays from 642 primary CRC patients and analyzed the relationship between their expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of CRC patients. LARS and DKK4 expressions were not related to gender, age at surgery, histologic grade, size, tumor location, tumor invasion, or metastasis, but LARS expression was significantly correlated with TNM stage, N stage, and lymph node metastasis. DKK4 expression was inversely related to the TNM stage and N stage. Survival analysis demonstrated that the OS and DFS in the LARS high expression group were not different compared to the LARS low expression group. OS and DFS in the DKK4 high expression group were significantly higher than in the DKK4 low expression group. In addition, OS and DFS in the group with the combination of the LARS high/DKK4 low expression were significantly lower than in the LARS high/DKK4 high expression group. The low expression of DKK4 alone can be used as a predictor of relapse in CRC patients. In addition, DKK4 low expression in the case of LARS high expression can be used as a poor prognostic factor in CRC patients. Thus, our findings suggest that DKK4 alone or in combination with LARS at diagnosis may be a useful prognostic factor for CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Oxaliplatin, a component of the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) regimen, has a more favorable toxicity profile than cisplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC). However, oxaliplatin can induce sensory neuropathy and cumulative, dose-related toxicities. Thus, the capecitabine maintenance regimen may achieve the maximum treatment effect while reducing the cumulative neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin. This study aimed to compare the survival of patients with advanced GC between capecitabine maintenance and observation after 1st line XELOX chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients treated with six cycles of XELOX for advanced GC in six hospitals of the Catholic University of Korea were randomized 1:1 to receive capecitabine maintenance or observation. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), analyzed using a two-sided log-rank test stratified at a 5% significance level. Results: Between 2015 and 2020, 32 and 31 patients were randomized into the maintenance and observation groups, respectively. After randomization, the median number of capecitabine maintenance cycles was 6. The PFS was significantly higher in the maintenance group than the observation group (6.3 vs. 4.1 months, P=0.010). Overall survival was not significantly different between the 2 groups (18.2 vs. 16.5 months, P=0.624). Toxicities, such as hand-foot syndrome, were reported in some maintenance group patients. Maintenance treatment was a significant factor associated with PFS in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.472; 95% confidence interval, 0.250–0.890; P=0.020). Conclusions: After 6 cycles of XELOX chemotherapy, capecitabine maintenance significantly prolonged PFS compared with observation, and toxicity was manageable. Maintenance treatment was a significant prognostic factor associated with PFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) remains controversial in terms of its short- and long-term surgical outcomes in comparison to open total gastrectomy (OTG). This study aimed to compare the outcomes of LTG with OTG. There was no significant difference in short-term outcomes between the two groups. Additionally, the 3-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Therefore, LTG could be an alternative approach to OTG. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) with that of open total gastrectomy (OTG) in terms of postoperative complications and long-term survival. We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological data of 560 patients, who underwent total gastrectomy between 2012 and 2016 at the National Cancer Center, Korea. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was performed to correct for discrepancies between the two groups. Matched variables included sex, age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and pathological Tumor–Node–Metastasis stage. After PSM, 238 patients were included in this analysis. The rate of D2 lymph node dissection was significantly higher in the OTG group than in the LTG group. The estimated blood loss was significantly lower in the LTG group than in the OTG group. The overall complication rate was not significantly different between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the 3-year disease-free and 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups. LTG and OTG had comparable efficacies in gastric cancer patients regarding short- and long-term surgical outcomes. This study suggests that LTG could be an alternative approach to the OTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate 5-year conditional relative survival (5Y CRS) rates of endometrial cancer (EC) in Korea accounting for time already survived. Subgroup-specific estimates stratified by various patient characteristics were also presented. Methods: Using the data from the Korean Central Cancer Registry, 5Y CRS rates were calculated in patients who were diagnosed with EC between 1998 and 2017. The CRS rates were presented by year of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, histology, cancer stage, and treatment received. Results: The 5-year relative survival rate at the time of diagnosis was 89.0% for all cases. The probability of surviving an additional 5 years (i.e., 5Y CRS), if the patient survived 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after diagnosis was 91.8%, 94.1%, 95.6%, 96.5%, and 97.3%, respectively. Patients with poor initial prognoses, i.e., those who were older, had non-endometrioid histology, and high stage, showed the largest improvements in 5Y CRS, reaching >90% for most subgroups, except those with serous histology (88.4%) and distant stage (77.7%). Patients aged =70 years had the highest probability of death in the 1st and 2nd years after diagnosis (13.8 and 11.0%), but the conditional probability of death in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th years declined rapidly to 7.3%, 4.5%, and 3.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The CRS rates for patients with EC improved with increased time elapsed from diagnosis. The greatest improvements in 5Y CRS were observed among patients who were older, those with non-endometrioid histology, and those with more advanced disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To report 20-year trends in incidence and survival of vulvar cancer in Korea. Using data from the Korean Central Cancer Registry, age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and annual percentage changes (APCs) were calculated. Net survival (NS) was estimated by the Pohar-Perme method, and conditional net survival (CNS) was calculated. A total of 2221 patients was diagnosed with vulvar cancer during the 1999–2018 period, with an ASR of 0.32 per 100,000 person-years. Among the cases, 51.4% were squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), 21.3% were Paget disease, and 8.6% were basal cell carcinoma (BCC). There was an increase in incidence for all vulvar cancer (APC 2.4%, 95% CI 1.8–3.0). However, although BCC (APC 7.0%, 95% CI 3.3–10.8) and Paget disease (APC 5.9%, 95% CI 4.2–7.6) increased, SqCC did not (APC 0.2%, 95% CI -0.8–1.2). There was an increase in incidence in all age groups. The 5Y NS was 74.0% overall, and it did not improve significantly during the study period. The 5Y CNS of vulvar cancer increased continuously with time survived: from 74.0% (71.4–76.4) at baseline to 98.1% (95% CI, 85.4–99.8) at 5 years after diagnosis. The incidence of vulvar cancer in Korea showed a different pattern from those in the US and Europe: SqCC incidence was relatively low and remained stable, but the incidence of BCC and Paget's disease increased. Survival did not improve in the past two decades. Patients can be considered cured after surviving for 5 years. • The incidence of vulvar cancer in Korea showed a different pattern from those in the US and Europe • Incidence of squamous cell carcinoma incidence was relatively low and remained stable • Incidence of basal cell carcinoma and Paget's disease increased. • Survival did not improve in the past two decades. • Patients can be considered cured after surviving for 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Various adjuvant chemotherapies have been introduced for gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. Although the mainstream regimen of adjuvant chemotherapy in Korea includes S-1 monotherapy (TS-1) and capecitabine with oxaliplatin (XELOX), few studies have compared the long-term efficacies of these 2 regimens. Methods: Between January 2010 and June 2017, 2021 patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer and underwent curative resection with adjuvant chemotherapy at our institution. Of 1461 patients with stage IB-III gastric cancer, 825 received TS-1 and 636 received XELOX as adjuvant chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed their medical records and analyzed the postoperative 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of these 2 groups. Results: The patients in the XELOX group had more advanced stage of cancer than the TS-1 group (stages III and II: 56.6% and 43.1%, respectively, in XELOX and 35.3% and 57.0% in TS-1; P <.001). The DFS did not differ significantly between the 2 study groups at any pathologic stage. The OS differed significantly only at pathologic stages IIA (P =.024) and IIB (P =.015). In a multivariate analysis of stage II patients, type of regimen was an independent prognostic factor of OS (XELOX vs TS-1; hazard ratio: 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.89, P =.021). Conclusion: There were similar long-term efficacies between these 2 regimens in advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent curative surgery. However, the XELOX regimen might be favorable for OS of stage II patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In gastric cancer (GC), biomarkers that define prognosis and predict treatment response remain scarce. We hypothesized that the extent of CD44v6 membranous tumor expression could predict prognosis and therapy response in GC patients. Two GC surgical cohorts, from Portugal and South Korea (n = 964), were characterized for the extension of CD44v6 membranous immuno-expression, clinicopathological features, patient survival, and therapy response. The value of CD44v6 expression in predicting response to treatment and its impact on prognosis was determined. High CD44v6 expression was associated with invasive features (perineural invasion and depth of invasion) in both cohorts and with worse survival in the Portuguese GC cohort (HR 1.461; 95% confidence interval 1.002–2.131). Patients with high CD44v6 tumor expression benefited from conventional chemotherapy in addition to surgery (p < 0.05), particularly those with heterogeneous CD44v6-positive and -negative populations (CD44v6_3+) (p < 0.007 and p < 0.009). Our study is the first to identify CD44v6 high membranous expression as a potential predictive marker of response to conventional treatment, but it does not clarify CD44v6 prognostic value in GC. Importantly, our data support selection of GC patients with high CD44v6-expressing tumors for conventional chemotherapy in addition to surgery. These findings will allow better stratification of GC patients for treatment, potentially improving their overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]