An observational study suggesting clinical benefit for adjuvant postoperative chemoradiation in a population of over 500 cases after gastric resection with D2 nodal dissection for adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Purpose: The role of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in D2-resected gastric-cancer patients has not been defined yet. We investigated the effect of postoperative chemoradiotherapy on the relapse rate and survival rate of patients with D2-resected gastric cancer.

Methods And Materials: From August 1995 to April 2001, 544 patients received postoperative CRT after curative D2 resection.

The favorable outcome of human islet transplantation in Korea: experiences of 10 autologous transplantations.

Background: Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are an increasingly diagnosed entity, and surgical resection of the pancreas is advocated. Islet autotransplantation is a therapeutic approach used to prevent diabetes in cases of pathologically benign neoplasm after major pancreatectomy.

Methods: A total of 10 patients underwent pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation.

High hilar dissection: new technique to reduce biliary complication in living donor liver transplantation.

Biliary complications after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) continue to be problematic. For reducing the biliary complications, the authors applied an intrahepatic Glissonian approach to the recipient hepatectomy. We called this Glissonian dissection technique at the high hilar level high hilar dissection (HHD).

Delayed hemorrhage after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Postoperative hemorrhage, particularly delayed hemorrhage after pancreaticoduodenectomy, is a serious complication and one of the most common causes of mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Study Design: The medical records of 500 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between October 1994 and December 2002 were analyzed with regard to postoperative hemorrhagic complications. Delayed hemorrhage was defined as bleeding at the operation site after 5 or more postoperative days.

Usefulness of gallbladder ejection fraction estimation to predict the recurrence of biliary pain in patients with symptomatic gallstones who did not undergo cholecystectomy.

This study was performed to evaluate any predictable factors associated with recurrence of biliary pain in symptomatic gallstone patients who did not undergo cholecystectomy because of operative risk, advanced age, and/or their refusal. The relationships among age, gender, body mass index, frequency of biliary pain before diagnosis, period between the last symptom attack and the hospital visit, size and number of gallstones, gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF), compliance of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy, and recurrence of biliary pain were examined. The recurrence of biliary pain developed in 15 of 31 patients during the median 29-month follow-up.

[Risk factors of morbidity and mortality following surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma].

Background/aims: Recently, mortality following surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma has been reduced significantly. Morbidity, however, is still significant. This study evaluated the risk factors leading to morbidity and mortality.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in cholangiocarcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis.

Background And Aims: No information is available on the nature of the correlation between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CC). The goal of the present study was to determine the possible roles and clinical significance of COX-2 expression in CC.

Methods: We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of COX-2 in 102 patients with CC with respect to clinicopathological characteristics, namely evidence of Clonorchis sinensis infection, proliferation index (PI, assessed by Ki-67 expression), apoptotic index (AI, assessed by TUNEL stain), and microvessel density (MVD, assessed by CD34 expression).

Phase II study of gemcitabine combined with uracil-tegafur in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Objective: The single agent gemcitabine is the standard first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. Recent studies of a combination of gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) revealed that survival data were superior to those with gemcitabine or 5-FU alone. The administration of oral uracil-tegafur (UFT) is more convenient and simulates the effect of a continuous or protracted infusion of 5-FU.

Comparison of proteome between hepatitis B virus- and hepatitis C virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers closely associated with chronic infection by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the hepatitis C virus (HCV) throughout the world. Differential expression of the proteome in HBV- and HCV-associated HCC was investigated to identify any useful biomarkers indicating virus-specific hepatocarcinogenesis.

Experimental Design: Twenty-one pairs of specimens (tumorous and surrounding nontumorous liver tissues) were obtained from 21 HCC patients.

[A result of surgical treatment for ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas].

Background/aims: Ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas can only be cured with pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, the prognosis after resection has been poor. This study analyzed the possible prognostic factors of resected ductal adenocarcinoma through pancreaticoduodenectomy in a single institution.