Hee Seung Lee

Pancreatic cancer is predominantly lethal, and is primarily treated using gemcitabine, with increasing resistance. Therefore, novel agents that increase tumor sensitivity to gemcitabine are needed. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are emerging therapeutic agents, since HDAC plays an important role in cancer initiation and progression. We evaluated the antitumor effect of a novel HDAC inhibitor, CG200745, combined with gemcitabine/erlotinib on pancreatic cancer cells and gemcitabine-resistan

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers. These patients often have multiple symptoms, and integrated supportive care is critical in helping them remain well for as long as possible. Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy is known to improve overall survival (OS) by approximately 3 months, compared to the best supportive care alone. A 1997 study comparing gemcitabine and fluorouracil treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer patients showed an improvement in OS of 1 month in patients rece

BACKGROUND: The use of chemotherapy in advanced cancer patients has increased with the development of novel, high-efficacy anticancer therapeutic agents. In the current study, we analyzed the 10-year trends in patients receiving chemotherapy at the end of life. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed mortality data for advanced cancer patients who died in 2000, 2005, and 2010 at a single institution. The trends of receiving palliative chemotherapy at the end of life were assessed for each year. In a

Statins are cholesterol-lowering medications that are associated with a number of signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis. Recent observational studies raised the possibility that the use of statins may reduce overall mortality in various types of cancer. We investigated whether statins used after pancreatic cancer diagnosis are associated with longer survival in pancreatic cancer patients.We retrospectively analyzed data from 1761 patients newly diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma be

Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 is the only diagnostic marker used in pancreatic cancer despite its limitations. Here, we aimed to identify the diagnostic role of CEMIP (also called KIAA1199) combined with CA 19-9 in patients with pancreatic cancer. A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected patient samples was performed to determine the benefit of diagnostic markers in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We investigated CEMIP and CA 19-9 levels in 324 patients with pancreatic cancer and

Acute pancreatitis is a common diagnosis worldwide, with gallstone disease being the most prevalent cause (50%). The American College of Gastroenterology recommends urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (within 24 h) for patients with biliary pancreatitis accompanied by cholangitis. Most international guidelines recommend that ERCP be performed within 72 h in patients with biliary pancreatitis and a bile duct obstruction without cholangitis, but the optimal timing for endo

Background Approximately 80% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients suffer from anorexia, weight loss, and asthenia. Most PDAC patients receive chemotherapy, which often worsens their nutritional status owing to the adverse effects of chemotherapy. Malnutrition of PDAC patients is known to be associated with poor prognosis; therefore, nutritional management during chemotherapy is a key factor influencing the outcome of the treatment. Mobile apps have the potential to provide readily

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ampullary tumors come in a wide variety of malignant forms. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy for ampullary tumors, and analyzed the causes of misdiagnosis. METHODS: We compared endoscopic imaging and biopsy results to final diagnoses. Types of endoscope, numbers of biopsy specimens taken, and final diagnoses were evaluated as possible factors influencing diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: Final diagnoses were 19 adenocarcinomas, 18 normal or papillitis, 11 adenomas,

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aimed to measure the natural killer (NK) cell activity and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer patients and investigate the correlation of NK cell activity and cytokines with cancer status and clinical outcomes. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients who were pathologically diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) between 2016 and 2017 at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. As a control group, healthy part

As genomic analysis technology has advanced, it has become possible to sub-classify intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) at the histological or molecular level. Here, we verify the recently suggested two subgroups of ICC in the organoids model, compare the characteristics between types. ICC patients are subclassified into small-duct (SD) and large-duct (LD) subtype according to histological characteristics. ICC organoids are established, and unsupervised principal component analysis clustering

CONTEXT: Considering the absence of methods to find pancreatic cancer early, surveillance of high-risk groups is needed for early diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the effect in the incidence of pancreatic cancer and the differences between new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) and long-standing DM (LSDM) since NODM group is a representative high-risk group. METHODS: The Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort between 2002 and 2013 data were used. Regardin

OBJECTIVE: Hepatologists and colonoscopists often hesitate to perform a colonoscopic polypectomy in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), especially those with cirrhosis, because of the risk of postpolypectomy bleeding (PPB). We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of delayed PPB after a colonoscopic polypectomy in patients with CLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 152 patients with CLD who underwent colonoscopic polypectomy from December 2005 to December 2012 were retrospec

BACKGROUND: This phase III trial compared the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus capecitabine (GemCap) versus single-agent gemcitabine (Gem) in advanced pancreatic cancer as first-line chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 214 advanced pancreatic cancer patients were enrolled from 16 hospitals in South Korea between 2007 and 2011. Patients were randomly assigned to receive GemCap (oral capecitabine 1660 mg/m plus Gem 1000 mg/m by 30-minute intravenous infusion weekly for 3 weeks followed by a 1

Patient with large body habitus undergoing BABA RoT were not at an increased risk of surgical complications and showed good surgical outcomes. BABA RoT may be a good alternative operative method for PTC patients for whom cosmetic outcome is an important consideration.