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Purpose: The purpose was to determine the effects of recurrent breast cancer on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).Methods: We administered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) to 152 women experiencing recurrence 1 year after being diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer. We classified recurrent women as post-, ongoing-, and non-treatment group and performed multivariate-adjusted analyses in HRQOL comparisons with data available from disease-free survivors and general population.Results: Groups not completing treatment were more symptomatic and had poorer functioning in HRQOL than the post-treatment group. Compared to the general population, the post-treatment group showed worse scores concerning role, cognitive, and social functioning, fatigue, and financial difficulties. The post-treatment group showed identical scores to disease-free survivors in most HRQOL domains; however, they reported less fatigue and depression than the disease-free group. Higher overall QOL was related to absence of comorbidity, completing treatment, being involved in decision making, no problems before surgery, and good overall medical care.Conclusion: Treatment completed, most degraded aspects of HRQOL in recurrent breast cancer women can return to levels observed in disease-free survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Disturbances in redox regulation are suggested to be involved in the development of breast cancer. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to examine the hypothesis that lower plasma antioxidant concentration is related to higher risk of breast cancer and that genetic polymorphism of manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) modifies the relationship between breast cancer risk and plasma antioxidant. Genotyping for SOD2 Val16Ala polymorphism was performed by a 5′ exonuclease assay, and plasma concentrations of retinol, carotenoids, and tocopherols were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate crude and multivariate odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval. The variant allele frequencies of SOD2 Val16Ala (TC or CC type) were 26% for the control subjects and 23% for the breast cancer patients, and the variant genotype was not a risk factor for breast cancer. Higher plasma retinol concentration was associated with a lower risk, whereas higher plasma β-carotene, α-tocopherol, or γ-tocopherol concentrations were associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. SOD2 CT or CC genotype was associated with lower risk (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.93; P for interaction = .025) in subjects with low plasma γ-tocopherol concentration. Our findings suggest that the SOD2 Val16Ala variant is not related to the risk of breast cancer in Korean women; however, it may affect the association between plasma γ-tocopherol levels and the risk of breast cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To analyze and compare the survival rates of recurrent breast cancer patients in Korea between two periods (period I: 2000-2007; period II: 2008-2013) and to identify the factors associated with outcomes and changes over time in the duration of survival after recurrence., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 2,407 patients who had recurrent breast cancer with treated between January 2000 and December 2013 and divided them into two periods according to the year of recurrence. We reviewed the age at diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathology report, surgical methods, types of adjuvant treatment, type of recurrence, and follow-up period., Results: The median follow-up was 30.6 months (range, 0-223.4) from the time of relapse, and the median survival time was 42.3 months. Survival after recurrence (SAR) significantly improved from 38.0 months in period I to 49.7 months in period II (p < 0.001). In the analysis performed according to the hormone receptor and HER2 status subtypes, all subtypes except the triple-negative subtype showed higher SAR in period II than period I. Age at diagnosis, tumor stage, and treatment after recurrence were significantly correlated with survival outcomes., Conclusion: The survival outcomes of Korean patients with breast cancer after the first recurrence have improved in Korea. Such improvements may be attributed to advances in treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: A survey of breast surgeons was conducted to evaluate changes in clinical practice regarding sentinel node biopsy (SNB) among clinically node-negative patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with axillary node metastasis., Methods: We conducted two surveys among 252 members of the Korean Breast Cancer Society. The questionnaire comprised a case presentation and two associated questions. The case outlined a woman diagnosed with right breast cancer; core needle biopsy had confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma and tumor size was 4 cm on imaging examination. Fine needle aspiration examination for axillary lymph node enlargement showed metastatic carcinoma. The patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and tumor size was decreased by 2 cm; axillary lymph node enlargement was not observed on palpitation or imaging examination. Finally, the patient underwent breast conserving surgery. Survey recipients were asked: 1. Would you perform SNB in this patient? 2. If you perform SNB and no axillary node metastasis is seen, would you perform additional axillary lymph node dissection (ALND)?, Results: The response rate was 28.2% (71/252) and 15.1% (38/252) in 2013 and 2017, respectively. For the first question, the SNB to ALND ratio increased significantly from 54% versus 46% in 2013 to 92% versus 8% in 2017 (p < 0.001). The proportion of surgeons performing no additional ALND versus additional ALND increased from 38% versus 54% in 2013 to 53% versus 37% in 2017, but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.1)., Conclusions: These data show that application of SNB among clinically node-negative patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with node metastasis has increased among surgeons in Korea., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Young breast cancer patients are more likely than old patients to experience ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast conserving surgery (BCS). However, the pathological processes underlying this relationship have not been elucidated. We investigated the effect of young age on IBTR in a Korean cohort of women with different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. We analyzed data of 2,102 consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent BCS and post-surgical radiation therapy (RT) at two Korean institutions between 2000 and 2005. Patients were classified as young (≤ 40 years; N = 513) or old (> 40 years; N = 1,589). Breast cancer subtype was determined by estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2. Median follow-up duration was 61 months. The 5-year IBTR rate was 3.4% in young patients and 1.1% in old patients (P < 0.001). Univariate analysis indicated that IBTR rate in young patients with luminal A and HER2 subtypes was significantly greater than in old patients with these subtypes (P = 0.015 and P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis, which used luminal A subtype in old patients as reference, indicated that HER2 subtype in young patients was associated with increased risk of IBTR (hazard ratio, HR = 12.24; 95% CI: 2.54-57.96). Among old patients, HER2 subtype was not associated with increased IBTR. In conclusion, young women had a higher rate of IBTR after BCS and RT than old women. This difference is mainly among women with HER2 subtype. Aggressive local control and adjuvant therapy should be considered for young women with HER2 subtype breast cancer.

The incidences and clinical aggressiveness of intracranial metastases have not been as well characterized in patients with triple-negative (TN) breast cancer as in patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. Patients diagnosed with brain metastases from primary breast cancer, as determined by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging, at Asan Medical Center from January 1990 to July 2006 were identified and classified into three subtypes: TN, HER2+, and other. The clinical features and outcomes of these three groups were compared. Of the 7,872 patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer, 198 developed brain metastases; of these, 61 patients with unknown estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status were excluded. Of the remaining 137 patients, 44 (32%) were classified as TN, 69 (50%) as HER2+, and 24 (18%) as other. Clinical parameters, including performance status and previous adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, were well balanced among groups, except that earlier staged tumors (I and II) were more prevalent in the TN than in the HER2+ and other (59 vs. 36 vs. 38%, P = 0.01). At a median follow-up of 99 months, the median times from initial diagnosis to brain metastasis (20 vs. 32 vs. 45 months, P = 0.01) and to first distant metastasis at any site (16 vs. 23 vs. 23 months, P = 0.005) were significantly shorter in TN than in the HER2+ and other. Median overall survival (OS) from primary cancer diagnosis was significantly shorter in the TN than in the HER2+ and other (31 vs. 39 vs. 57 months, P = 0.02), but survival after brain metastasis was similar (5.9 vs. 5.2 vs. 8.8 months, P = 0.31). Compared with other breast cancer phenotypes, TN breast cancer was characterized by earlier brain and other distant metastases and shorter OS, despite a higher proportion of tumors diagnosed at early stages.

Objectives: The clinical significance of liver steatosis has been studied because steatosis plays a role in the progression of liver fibrosis. Nevertheless, the impact of steatosis in the early stage of fibrosis in non-obese young men with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is poorly understood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatic steatosis, assess the relationship between hepatic steatosis and fibrosis and to assess the laboratory parameters for predicting clinically significant liver fibrosis in non-obese young men with CHB., Methods: We prospectively evaluated liver biopsies in young male patients with CHB with a serum alanine aminotransferase level of more than two times the upper limit of normal for at least 3 months before enrollment. Patients were excluded when they had co-infection with another virus and prior antiviral treatment. Demographical, anthropometric and laboratory parameters were analysed. Liver steatosis, necroinflammation and fibrosis were also assessed., Results: A total of 86 young male patients with CHB were included in this study. The median age was 21 years (range, 20-26 years) and the median body mass index was 23.0 kg/m2 (range, 18.0-28.3 kg/m2). Steatosis was present in 44 patients (51.2%). Significant fibrosis (beyond periportal fibrosis) was present in 50 patients (58.1%). Steatosis was associated with insulin, homeostasis model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol and triglycerides. On multiple regression analysis, steatosis was independently associated with triglyceride and HOMA-IR. Significant fibrosis was independently associated with gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and necroinflammation activity. However, there was no significant association between significant fibrosis and the presence of steatosis., Conclusions: The prevalence of hepatic steatosis is a common finding in young male patients with CHB. Hepatic steatosis in CHB patients seems to be associated with insulin resistance, but it is not associated with hepatic fibrosis. GGT levels can provide useful information on the stage of CHB.

Background: Laparoscopic-assisted gastric surgery has become an option for the treatment of early gastric cancer. However, there are few reports of laparoscopic surgery in the management of advanced gastric cancer. In this study we describe our experience with laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for advanced gastric cancer (AGC)., Methods: Between November 2004 and June 2007, 47 patients with AGC underwent LADG at our hospital, and 45 of those patients were enrolled in this study. These patients were compared with 83 patients who had AGC and underwent conventional open distal gastrectomy (ODG) during the same period., Results: Operation time was significantly longer in the LADG group than in the ODG group. Estimated blood loss in the LADG group was significantly less than in the ODG group. Time to ambulation and first flatus and duration of analgesic medication were significantly shorter in the LADG group. The morbidity and mortality rate were also lower than in the ODG group, with no statistically significant difference. The distance of the proximal resection margin showed no significant difference compared with ODG (6.3 +/- 0.9 versus 6.5 +/- 0.9 cm; p = 0.228). The mean number of nodes resected with LADG was 35.6 +/- 14.2, and that with ODG was 38.3 +/- 11.4 (p = 0.269). The mean follow-up for the LADG group was 23.6 months (range 9-40 months). In the LADG group, recurrence was observed in six patients (13.3%). Three patients had recurrence and died after 10 (IIIB), 11 (IIIA), and 13 (IIIB) months., Conclusions: LADG with extended lymphadenectomy for AGC is a feasible and safe procedure and has several advantages. Moreover, this method can achieve a radical oncologic equivalent resection. Indications for LADG with extended lymphadenectomy could be expanded in the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer.

The germline CHEK2 1100delC mutation is a low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility allele, frequently observed in patient with family history of breast cancer and/or young age and the frequency varied according to race or ethnicity. In this study, we evaluated the significance of CHEK2 1100delC in predisposition to breast cancer by assessing its frequency in a material of 493 Korean breast cancer patients who had been screened for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations (42 patients had deleterious mutation of BRCA1/2). Mutation detection of CHEK2 1100delC was based upon analysis of primer extension products generated for previously amplified genomic DNA using a chip based MALDI-TOP mass spectrometry platform. After overall measurement automatically, assays which had bad peaks were checked again manually. None of the 493 Korean patients with breast cancer who were candidate for BRCA1 and BRCA2 test carried the 1100delC mutation observed in Caucasians with limited frequency. In the previous studies, we observed higher or comparable prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Korean patients with breast cancer compared to Caucasian breast cancer population. In the present study, we evaluated the role of a CHEK2 1100delC as a susceptibility mutation of breast cancer in the Korean population. However, our results suggest that this mutation is absent or may be very infrequent in Korean patients with breast cancer who have high risk of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation, making its screening irrelevant from the practical point view.

Background: In general, Korean women with breast cancer are younger than white women. We have compared the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis in very young and less young premenopausal Korean women with breast cancer., Methods: Of the breast cancer patients treated at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, from 1989 to 2002, 381 (9.6%) were younger than 35 years of age (the "very young" group) and 2320 were 35 to 50 years of age (the "less young" group). We retrospectively compared the clinicopathologic factors and survival rates of these two groups., Results: The very young group with lymph node metastases had poorer 5-year survival (69.9% vs. 82.7%, P = .0063) and disease-free survival (58.1% vs. 74.1%, P < .0001) rates than their older counterparts. In addition, the very young group had more advanced-stage disease (P = .001), higher T stage (P = .001), and more positive lymph nodes (P = .024) than did their older counterparts, as well as higher percentages of estrogen receptor-negative disease (48.2% vs. 42.1%, P = .047), progesterone receptor-negative disease (53.5% vs. 44.1%, P = .002), and grade 3 histology (52.1% vs. 43.5%, P = .011) tumors., Conclusions: Compared with older premenopausal Korean women with breast cancer, those younger than 35 years old had a poorer prognosis as a result of a higher rate of recurrence, a later stage at diagnosis, and more aggressive disease. Thus, in Korean breast cancer patients, age younger than 35 years was an independent predictor of recurrence.

Background: The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, outcome and risk factors for HBV reactivation in HBsAg positive breast cancer patients while on anthracycline -based adjuvant chemotherapy., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 2,431 patients with early breast cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy from March 2001 to December 2005. Among these patients, 111 HBsAg positive women were enrolled in this study., Results: Thirty-seven patients (33.3%) developed acute hepatitis, of which 23 (20.7%) were related to HBV reactivation. Univariate analysis showed that an age > or = 7 years (p 0 .034) and abnormal sonographic findings such as a fatty liver or cirrhotic changes (p= 0 .034) were associated with HBV reactivation. However, an HBeAg positive status and the use of corticosteroids were not. Multivariate analysis found that no clinical factors could predict HBV reactivation during chemotherapy. All 23 patients who developed HBV reactivation received lamivudine as a therapeutic measure at the time of HBV reactivation. Despite the use of lamivudine, disruption in the chemotherapy protocol occurred in 18 patients (78.3%) and 14 of these patients had premature termination of their chemotherapy., Conclusions: HBV reactivation occurred in a significant proportion of HBsAg positive patients during adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Once hepatitis developed, most patients could not finish the chemotherapy as planned despite lamivudine treatment. Until the risk factors for reactivation are clearly identified, HbsAg-positive patients should begin prophylactic antiviral treatment before initiating chemotherapy.

In 2002, breast became the most common cancer site in Korean women. Using national breast cancer incidence data during 1993-2002, crude, age-standardized, and age-specific rates for incidence and mortality were calculated. Survival was examined for cases diagnosed during 1993-2002 and followed up to 2004. Observed survival was calculated using the life table method and relative survival using the Ederer II method. Age-standardized incidence rates in female increased from 14.5 in 1993 to 26.2 per 100,000 in 2002. Age-specific incidences showed peaks in women in their forties. Mortality rates increased from 3.7 in 1993 to 4.6 per 100,000 in 2002 and showed peaks in women in their fifties. Five-year relative survival for female breast cancer diagnosed during 1993-2002 was 82.2%. When we examined the secular trends using cases diagnosed 1993-1999 for complete 5-yr followup, the 5-yr relative survival increased from 75.2% in 1993 to 83.5% in 1999. The data from this study will provide valuable information to plan and evaluate actions against breast cancer including national breast cancer screening.

Purpose: Breast cancer in very young women (age < 35 years) is uncommon and poorly understood. We sought to evaluate the prognosis and treatment response of these patients compared with women ages 35 to 50 years., Patients and Methods: We analyzed data from 9,885 breast cancer patients age < or = 50 years who were part of the Korean Breast Cancer Society registration program between 1992 and 2001. The overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were compared between age groups., Results: One thousand four hundred forty-four patients (14.6%) were younger than age 35 and 8,441 (85.4%) patients were between 35 and 50 years of age. Younger patients had significantly higher T-stage and higher lymph node positivity and lower hormone receptor expression than older patients. Younger patients had a greater probability of death than older patients, regardless of tumor size or lymph node status. The survival difference was significant for patients with positive or unknown hormone receptor status (P < .0001), but not for patients with negative hormone receptor status. In a multivariate analysis, the interaction term of young age and hormone receptor positivity was significant for OS and BCSS with a hazard ratio for OS of 2.13 (95% CI, 1.52 to 2.98). The significant survival benefit from adjuvant hormone therapy after chemotherapy observed in older patients (hazard ratio for OS, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.79; P = .001) could not be seen in younger patients (P > .05)., Conclusion: Younger patients (age < 35) showed worse prognosis than older patients (age, 35 to 50 years) only in the hormone receptor-unknown or hormone receptor-positive subgroups. Adjuvant tamoxifen therapy might provide less survival benefit when added to chemotherapy in very young breast cancer patients.

We analyzed the mutation spectrum of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in 354 Korean breast cancer patients. Overall, 40 patients carried 25 distinct BRCA1/2 mutations including 12 novel mutations. Seven district mutations were found in multiple unrelated patients, with the BRCA2 c.7480C>T mutation detected in eight unrelated patients, accounting for 50% of the mutations detected in BRCA2. The large number (25/40, 62.5%) of recurrent mutations suggests the possibility of developing a simple screening test for these mutations. The frequency of mutations was related to the number and kinds of risk factors, varying from 10.4 to 25% in the five major risk factor groups. The frequency of BRCA mutations in patients with two or more risk factors was markedly higher than that in patients with one risk factor.

Hypothesis: Breast cancer has become the most common cancer in Korean women in recent years, with continuously increased incidence rates attributed to westernized lifestyles., Design: Retrospective case series evaluating the changing patterns of clinical characteristics in breast cancer during the last 15 years., Setting: Hospitalized patients with breast cancer in a university medical center., Patients: A total of 5001 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between July 1989 and March 2004 at the Asan Medical Center., Main Outcome Measure: Clinicopathologic data were collected using the online Korea Breast Cancer Registration Program, including factors such as age, symptoms, stage, surgery, reconstruction, risk factors, and survival., Results: The median age of patients slightly increased from 44 years in 1991 to 46 years in 2003. The most frequent age group was the fifth decade (41.7%) and premenopausal women younger than 50 years (64.9%). The proportion of asymptomatic patients detected by screening mammography increased from 3.8% in 1991 to 21.0% in 2003 (P<.001). The proportion of early breast cancer (stages 0 and I) increased from 34.2% in 1991 to 48.8% in 2003 (P=.013). Breast-conserving surgery has increased continuously from 5.1% in 1991 to 39.1% in 2003 (P<.001). Twelve percent of all patients who underwent mastectomies had immediate reconstruction, and the proportion showed an increasing trend, especially in skin-sparing mastectomy and transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap reconstruction. Five-year observed survival rates were 84.1%. Five-year survival rates according to stages were as follows: (1) 98.5%, stage 0; (2) 95.3%, stage I; (3) 86.0%, stage II; (4) 65.0%, stage III; and (5) 29.3%, stage IV. The number of patients with specific risk factors, such as early menarche and late first delivery, significantly increased. Of 263 high-risk patients examined for the BRCA mutation, mutations were found in 20 patients (7.6%), with 13 cases with BRCA1 and 7 cases with BRCA2., Conclusions: The present study showed a continuous increase in the number of patients with breast cancer; the proportion of young patients, asymptomatic patients, early breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery, and immediate reconstruction after mastectomy; and the number of patients with risk factors. These results suggest that the clinical characteristics of Korean breast cancer patients reflect the patterns of Western countries.

The incidence of breast cancer in Korea has been increasing in recent years, such that it is now the most common female cancer. Breast cancer in Korea is characterized by an earlier age of onset than in Western countries, suggesting that it would be related with genetic background. We assayed germline mutations in the BRCA genes to evaluate their genetic pathology in Korean breast cancer patients. The study subjects consisted of 173 patients at clinically higher risk and 109 unselected patients. Germline mutations in the entire coding sequences of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were analyzed by Conformation-Sensitive Gel Electrophoresis (CSGE), and any aberrantly-sized band was sequenced. BRCA mutations were present in 12.7% of the high risk patients, compared with 2.8% of the unselected patients. Among high risk patients, mutations were most prevalent in patients with a family history of breast or first-degree ovarian cancer (22.1%), followed by those with male breast cancer (20%), bilateral breast cancer (20%), multiple organ cancer including breast (13%) and younger breast cancer patients (aged<35 yr) (8.1%). Moreover, BRCA mutations were detected in 34.8% of patients having two high risk factors. These findings suggest that BRCA gene mutation analysis should be performed on Korean patients with high-risk factors for breast cancer.

Objective: To assess the need for routine nasogastric decompression after extensive resections in patients with gastric cancer., Design: Prospective randomised study., Setting: University hospital, Korea., Subjects: Over a 1-year period (July 1999-July 200), 136 patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical gastrectomy with D2 or more lymph node dissection., Interventions: Randomised to have nasogastric decompression (n = 69) or not (n = 67)., Main Outcome Measures: Postoperative course, morbidity, and mortality., Results: Time to passage of first flatus, time to taking liquid diet, length of operation, and postoperative hospital stay were all significantly shorter in the no decompression group. Two patients in each group required subsequent nasogastric decompression. There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning the presence of postoperative fever, nausea, vomiting, anastomotic leaks, or pulmonary or wound complications. No patients died., Conclusions: Routine nasogastric decompression is not necessary in elective operations for gastric cancer.