문형곤 교수

PURPOSE: The association between body mass index and breast cancer outcome is controversial. Furthermore, the impact of underweight on breast cancer recurrence and death has not been adequately addressed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated this issue using a large nationwide database of 24,698 Korean breast cancer patients. The association between body weight status and breast cancer recurrence was further explored using a single-institution database containing information on 4,345 patients.

The role of adipocytes in cancer microenvironment has gained focus during the recent years. However, the characteristics of the cancer-associated adipocytes (CAA) in human breast cancer tissues and the underlying regulatory mechanism are not clearly understood. We reviewed pathology specimens of breast cancer patients to understand the morphologic characteristics of CAA, and profiled the mRNA and miRNA expression of CAA by using indirect co-culture system in vitro. The CAAs in human breast cance

BACKGROUND: The association between nuclear factor I/B (NFIB) gene and triple negative breast cancer has been previously suggested. METHODS: We investigated the relationship between NFIB mRNA and protein expression and molecular subtypes of breast cancer as well as the effect of NFIB silencing on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Also, the clinical importance of NFIB expression was investigated in 163 breast cancer patients. RESULTS: By using 20 frozen human breast cancer t

The use of ultrasonography (USG) has become an essential part of endocrine surgical practice. We evaluated the value of USG in predicting malignancy of thyroid nodules. The accuracy of USG in 857 patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with or without surgery was analyzed in a prospective setting. The diagnostic accuracy of USG was compared to that of FNA and of combined models in 153 operated patients. The malignancy-predicting value of USG in follicular neoplasms and its relation t

BACKGROUND: As more patients undergo diagnostic thyroid surgery, the development of posthemithyroidectomy hypothyroidism is becoming a major concern. We hypothesized that the preoperative thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH) level and ultrasonographically measured thyroid volume, both commonly available in thyroid nodule patients, may predict the development of posthemithyroidectomy hypothyroidism. METHOD: Among the 132 patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy from January 2004 to Janu

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a malignant cancer subtype with a high risk of recurrence and an aggressive phenotype compared to other breast cancer subtypes. Although many breast cancer studies conducted to date have investigated genetic variations and differential target gene expression, how 3D chromatin architectures are reorganized in TNBC has been poorly elucidated. Here, using in situ Hi-C technology, we characterized the 3D chromatin organization in cells representing five distin

The accuracy of MRI in predicting residual tumor extent was lowest in ER-positive tumors treated with NST. In HER2-positive tumors, the use of HER2-targeted agents resulted in a less accurate MRI after NST. These factors should be considered for deciding the extent of breast conservation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Recent studies showing survival benefit of extensive axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in pN0 breast cancer have challenged the concept of sentinel node biopsy (SNB). In this study, the survival and recurrence after SNB alone and ALND in pN0 Korean breast cancer patients were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using information from two large databases, including a Korean nationwide registry, we assessed survival relative to the extent of ALND in pN0 breast cancer patients. We also

To understand the potential effects of cancer cells on surrounding normal mammary epithelial cells, we performed direct co-culture of non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial MCF10A cells and various breast cancer cells. Firstly, we observed dynamic cell-cell interactions between the MCF10A cells and breast cancer cells including lamellipodia or nanotube-like contacts and transfer of extracellular vesicles. Co-cultured MCF10A cells exhibited features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and showed in