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Hwang, Ki-Tae

Seoul National University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Hwang Ki-Tae's research lab specializes in translational breast cancer research, focusing on identifying and validating molecular biomarkers for prognosis and treatment prediction. The lab investigates genetic, epigenetic, and protein expression markers—such as BCL2, KRAS, RUNX3, and preoperative fractional area of tumor regression (FAR)—to improve risk stratification in breast cancer patients. Their work integrates clinical data with molecular profiling techniques, including array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and methylation-specific PCR, to uncover biological mechanisms underlying disease progression and recurrence.

breast cancerprognostic biomarkersmolecular subtypesgenomic alterationsclinical translation

Research Overview

Papers
207
Total Citations
2,013
Papers (5y)
44
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
44total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
200total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|185 citations·2018
Impact of Breast Cancer Subtypes on Prognosis of Women with Operable Invasive Breast Cancer: A Population-based Study Using SEER Database
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Jong-Jin Kim, Jiwoong Jung, Ji Hyun Chang, Young Jun Chai, So Won Oh, Sohee Oh, Young A Kim, Sung Bae Park, Kyu Ri Hwang
SJR Q1Clinical Cancer Research

Abstract Purpose: To determine the prognostic roles of breast cancer subtypes in females with operable invasive breast cancer. Experimental Design: Data of 321,958 patients from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were analyzed. Breast cancer subtypes were classified into four categories according to the status of hormone receptor (HRc) and HER2: HRc(+)/HER2(−), HRc(+)/HER2(+), HRc(−)/HER2(+), and HRc(−)/HER2(−). Results: Proportions of HRc(+)/HER2(−), HRc(+)/HER2(+), HRc

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|76 citations·2017
Prognostic Influence of Preoperative Fibrinogen to Albumin Ratio for Breast Cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Jung Kee Chung, Eun Youn Roh, Jong-Jin Kim, Sohee Oh, Young A Kim, Jiyoung Rhu, Suzy Kim
SJR Q2Journal of Breast CancerOA

Preoperative FAR was a strong independent prognostic factor in breast cancer. Its prognostic effect was more prominent in the stage II/III subgroup and in the luminal A-like subtype. Therefore, preoperative FAR can be utilized as a useful prognosticator for breast cancer patients. Further studies are needed to validate its applications in clinical settings.

OncologyMedicine
3
Article|61 citations·2012
Prognostic influence of BCL2 expression in breast cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Jung Woo Woo, Hee-Chul Shin, Han‐Suk Kim, Soo Kyung Ahn, Hyeong‐Gon Moon, Wonshik Han, In Ae Park, Dong‐Young Noh
SJR Q1International Journal of CancerOA

Although BCL2 has occasionally been suggested as a candidate prognostic factor for breast cancer, it is still not accepted as a prognostic factor. We attempted to validate the role of BCL2 as a prognostic factor of breast cancer. Data on 7,230 primary breast cancer patients from the Seoul National University Hospital Breast Care Center were analyzed. Three current prognostic models, including the St. Gallen model, the Nottingham prognostic index (NPI) model and the TNM model, were used for analy

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|46 citations·2008
Genomic copy number alterations as predictive markers of systemic recurrence in breast cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Wonshik Han, Jihyoung Cho, Jong Won Lee, Eunyoung Ko, Eun‐Kyu Kim, So‐Youn Jung, Eun‐Mi Jeong, Ji‐Yeon Bae, Jason Kang, Song‐Ju Yang, Sungwon Kim
SJR Q1International Journal of Cancer

We tried to establish models that predict systemic recurrence in breast cancer by selecting marker clones with DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) using an array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Array CGH containing 4,044 human bacterial artificial chromosome clones was used to assess CNAs in 62 primary breast cancer tissues from 31 patients with systemic recurrence within 5 years after surgery and clinicopathologically well matched 31 patients who had no evidence of disease for at least

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Article|29 citations·2019
Prognostic Role of KRAS mRNA Expression in Breast Cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Byoung Hyuck Kim, Sohee Oh, So Yeon Park, Jiwoong Jung, Jong-Jin Kim, In Sil Choi, Sook Young Jeon, Woo‐Young Kim
SJR Q2Journal of Breast CancerOA

<i>KRAS</i> mRNA expression was significantly associated with breast cancer prognosis. It was found to be an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer. Prognostic role of <i>KRAS</i> mRNA expression was effective only in luminal A subtype. Further studies are needed to validate the prognostic role of <i>KRAS</i> mRNA expression in breast cancer, thus paving a way for clinical application of <i>KRAS</i> in practice.

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|28 citations·2007
Downregulation of the RUNX3 Gene by Promoter Hypermethylation and Hemizygous Deletion in Breast Cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Wonshik Han, Ji-Yeon Bae, Sung Eun Hwang, Hyuk Jai Shin, Jeong Eon Lee, Sung Won Kim, Hyun Jung Min, Dong‐Young Noh
SJR Q2Journal of Korean Medical ScienceOA

The RUNX3 gene is regarded as a tumor suppressor gene in many human solid tumors, and its inactivation is believed to be related with solid tumor carcinogenesis. As little information is available about the role of the RUNX3 gene in breast cancer, we investigated the relationship between the RUNX3 gene and breast cancer. We performed reverse transcriptase-polymerases chain reaction (RT-PCR), methylation specific PCR, and bicolor fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis in an effort to reveal r

HematologyMedicine
7
Article|26 citations·2017
Prognostic Influence of BCL2 on Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Wonshik Han, Jong-Jin Kim, Hyeong‐Gon Moon, Sohee Oh, Yun Seon Song, Young A Kim, Mee Soo Chang, Dong‐Young Noh
SJR Q2Journal of Breast CancerOA

The prognostic influence of BCL2 was different across molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and it was largely dependent on HR, HER2, Ki-67, and the stage of cancer. BCL2 had a strong favorable prognostic impact only in HR(+)/HER2(-) or luminal A and luminal B/HER2(-) subtypes, particularly in advanced stages. Further investigations are needed to verify the prognostic influence of BCL2 on molecular subtypes of breast cancer and to develop clinical applications for prognostication using BCL2.

OncologyMedicine
8
Article|26 citations·2017
Poor Prognosis of Lower Inner Quadrant in Lymph Node–negative Breast Cancer Patients Who Received No Chemotherapy: A Study Based on Nationwide Korean Breast Cancer Registry Database
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Jong-Jin Kim, Eun‐Kyu Kim, Sung Hoo Jung, Guiyun Sohn, Seung Il Kim, Joon Jeong, Kyu Eun Lee, Jin Hyun Park, Sohee Oh, Sei Hyun Ahn, Dong‐Young Noh
SJR Q2Clinical Breast CancerOA
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|25 citations·2020
Influence of Androgen Receptor on the Prognosis of Breast Cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Ki‐Tae Hwang, Young A Kim, Jong-Jin Kim, Jeong Hwan Park, In Sil Choi, Kyu Ri Hwang, Kyu Ri Hwang, Young Jun Chai, Jin Hyun Park
SJR Q1Journal of Clinical MedicineOA

We investigated the prognostic influence of androgen receptor (AR) on breast cancer. AR status was assessed using immunohistochemistry with tissue microarrays from 395 operable primary breast cancer patients who received curative surgery. The Kaplan–Meier estimator was used to analyze the survival rates and a log-rank test was used to determine the significance of the differences in survival. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and the 95% confidence in

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
10
Article|21 citations·2018
Tamoxifen therapy improves overall survival in luminal A subtype of ductal carcinoma in situ: a study based on nationwide Korean Breast Cancer Registry database
Korean Breast Cancer Society, Ki‐Tae Hwang, Eun‐Kyu Kim, Sung Hoo Jung, Eun Sook Lee, Seung Il Kim, Seokwon Lee, Heung Kyu Park, Jong-Jin Kim, Sohee Oh, Young A Kim
SJR Q1Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
11
Article|21 citations·2022
Psychological Impact of Type of Breast Cancer Surgery: A National Cohort Study
Soo Kyung Ahn, Sohee Oh, Jong-Jin Kim, Jungseok Choi, Ki‐Tae Hwang
SJR Q1World Journal of SurgeryOA

BACKGROUND: The present study assessed the impact of different types of breast surgery on rates of psychological disorders in breast cancer patients. METHODS: This nationwide cohort study, based on Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data, included 26,259 breast patients who underwent surgery from June 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Associations between the incidence of psychological disorders and variables were evaluated by time dependent Cox regression analyses. RESULT

OncologyMedicine
12
Article|20 citations·2020
Validating the ACOSOG Z0011 Trial Result: A Population-Based Study Using the SEER Database
Jiwoong Jung, Byoung Hyuck Kim, Jong-Jin Kim, Sohee Oh, Su‐jin Kim, Chang-Sup Lim, In Sil Choi, Ki‐Tae Hwang
SJR Q1CancersOA

The Z0011 trial demonstrated that axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) could be omitted in spite of 1-2 metastatic sentinel lymph nodes. This study aimed to validate the results on a population-based database. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was searched for patients comparable to the Z0011 participants. The type of axillary surgery was estimated using the total number of examined axillary lymph nodes (ALNs). Breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) was compared b

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|19 citations·2017
BCL2 Regulation according to Molecular Subtype of Breast Cancer by Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas Database
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Kwangsoo Kim, Ji Hyun Chang, Sohee Oh, Young A Kim, Jong Yoon Lee, Se Hee Jung, In Sil Choi
SJR Q1Cancer Research and TreatmentOA

The regulation of BCL2 was mainly associated with methylation across the molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and luminal A and luminal B subtypes showed upregulated expression of BCL2 protein, mRNA, and hypomethylation. Although copy number alteration may have played a minor role, mutation status was not related to BCL2 regulation. Upregulation of BCL2 was associated with superior prognosis than downregulation of BCL2.

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|19 citations·2017
The influences of peritumoral lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion on the survival and recurrence according to the molecular subtypes of breast cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Young A Kim, Jong-Jin Kim, A Jung Chu, Ji Hyun Chang, So Won Oh, Kyu Ri Hwang, Young Jun Chai
SJR Q1Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|18 citations·2021
Prognostic influences of BCL1 and BCL2 expression on disease-free survival in breast cancer
Ki‐Tae Hwang, Young A Kim, Jong-Jin Kim, Hyeon Jeong Oh, Jeong Hwan Park, In Sil Choi, Jin Hyun Park, Sohee Oh, A Jung Chu, Jong Yoon Lee, Kyu Ri Hwang, Kyu Ri Hwang
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

We investigated the prognostic influences of BCL1 and BCL2 expression on disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. BCL1 and BCL2 expression statuses were assessed by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays from 393 breast cancer patients. The Kaplan-Meier estimator and log-rank test were used for survival analyses. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratio (HR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) of survival analyses. BCL1 expression revealed no impact o

OncologyMedicine

Research Areas

Cancer ResearchOncologySurgeryComputer Networks and CommunicationsMolecular BiologyGenetics

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