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Sang Bin Han

Sungkyunkwan University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Sang Bin Han's research lab specializes in liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) outcomes, with a strong focus on the biological and clinical implications of blood components—particularly platelets and red blood cells—during liver surgery. The lab investigates the role of platelets in liver regeneration and HCC recurrence, explores the impact of sarcopenia and liver steatosis (including macro- and microsteatosis) on post-transplant outcomes, and evaluates the safety and efficacy of autotransfusion in HCC patients. Their work integrates clinical data with advanced statistical methods such as propensity score matching to isolate causal relationships in complex surgical populations.

liver transplantationhepatocellular carcinomaplateletssarcopeniasteatosis

Research Overview

Papers
80
Total Citations
1,138
Papers (5y)
25
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
25total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
154total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|76 citations·2015
Safety of the Use of Blood Salvage and Autotransfusion During Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Sangbin Han, Gaab Soo Kim, Justin Sangwook Ko, Dong Hyun Sinn, Ju Dong Yang, Jae‐Won Joh, Suk‐Koo Lee, Mi Sook Gwak
SJR Q1Annals of Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether autotransfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) salvaged during liver transplantation is associated with the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). BACKGROUND: Blood salvage is widely used during liver transplantation to reinfuse salvaged autologous RBCs and reduce allogeneic transfusion. However, the reintroduction of cancer cells via autotransfusion is a major concern in HCC patients. METHODS: Among 397 patients who underwent living-donor liver transplantation

BiochemistryMedicine
2
Article|67 citations·2015
Association Between Intraoperative Platelet Transfusion and Early Graft Regeneration in Living Donor Liver Transplantation
Sangbin Han, Hyo‐Won Park, Ji Hyeon Song, Mi Sook Gwak, Won Jae Lee, Gaab Soo Kim, Suk‐Koo Lee, Justin Sangwook Ko
SJR Q1Annals of Surgery

Graft regeneration after LDLT increased in relation to a graded increase in the amount of transfused platelets and higher postreperfusion platelet counts during surgery. These results offer additional evidence regarding the important role of platelets in initiating liver regeneration and, furthermore, the indications for and the benefits vs risks of platelet transfusion during LDLT.

SurgeryMedicine
3
Article|37 citations·2017
Risk of posttransplant hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence is greater in recipients with higher platelet counts in living donor liver transplantation
Sangbin Han, Sanghoon Lee, Ju Dong Yang, Michael D. Leise, Joonghyun Ahn, Seonwoo Kim, Kangha Jung, Mi Sook Gwak, Gaab Soo Kim, Justin Sangwook Ko
SJR Q1Liver TransplantationOA

Platelets interact with tumor cells and promote metastasis. The importance of platelets in posttransplant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence is unclear. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the association between preoperative platelet count (PLT) and HCC recurrence after living donor liver transplantation. Of 359 recipients of livers from living donors for HCC, 209 of 240 patients who had preoperative PLT ≤75 × 10 9 /L were matched with 97 of 119 patients who had preoperative PLT >75 × 10 9 /L

SurgeryMedicine
4
Article|35 citations·2018
Sarcopenia as a predictor of post-transplant tumor recurrence after living donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria
Young Ri Kim, Sukhee Park, Sangbin Han, Joonghyun Ahn, Seonwoo Kim, Dong Hyun Sinn, Woo Kyoung Jeong, Justin Sangwook Ko, Mi Sook Gwak, Gaab Soo Kim
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

To evaluate the association between sarcopenia and tumor recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we analyzed 92 males who underwent LDLT for treating HCC beyond the Milan criteria. Sarcopenia was defined when the height-normalized psoas muscle thickness was <15.5 mm/m at the L3 vertebra level on computed tomography based on an optimum stratification method using the Gray's test statistic. Survival analysis was performed

PhysiologyMedicine
5
Article|32 citations·2014
Comparison of the tolerance of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in living donors: Macrosteatosis versus microsteatosis
Sangbin Han, Gaab Soo Kim, Suk‐Koo Lee, Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Mi-Sook Gwak, Sanghoon Lee, Sang‐Yun Ha, Cheol-Keun Park, Justin Sangwook Ko, Jae‐Won Joh
SJR Q1Liver Transplantation

A safe use of intermittent hepatic inflow occlusion (IHIO) has been reported for living donor hepatectomy. However, it remains unclear whether the maneuver is safe in steatotic donors. In addition, the respective importance of macrosteatosis (MaS) and microsteatosis (MiS) is an important issue. Thus, we compared MiS and MaS with respect to the tolerance of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury induced by IHIO. One hundred forty-four donors who underwent a right hepatectomy were grouped accord

SurgeryMedicine
6
Article|31 citations·2014
Microsteatosis may not interact with macrosteatosis in living donor liver transplantation
Sangbin Han, Sang Yun Ha, Cheol-Keun Park, Jae‐Won Joh, Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Ghee Young Kwon, Gaab Soo Kim, Mi Sook Gwak, Woo Kyoung Jeong, Justin Sangwook Ko
SJR Q1Journal of Hepatology
SurgeryMedicine
7
Article|31 citations·2014
Effect of pure microsteatosis on transplant outcomes after living donor liver transplantation: A matched case-control study
Sangbin Han, Justin Sangwook Ko, Ghee-Young Kwon, Cheol-Keun Park, Sanghoon Lee, Jong Man Kim, Gaab Soo Kim, Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Mi-Sook Gwak, Sang‐Yun Ha
SJR Q1Liver TransplantationOA

Liver steatosis mostly exists in a mixed form of macrosteatosis (MaS) and microsteatosis (MiS). This coexistence is responsible for previous conflicting results regarding the importance of MiS in liver transplantation. We aimed to evaluate the independent effect of MiS on posttransplant outcomes with the exclusion of the confounding effect of MaS. Seventy-one living donors who had pure MiS (defined as an MiS degree > 5% without MaS) were matched 1:1 with control donors, and 66 recipients who rec

SurgeryMedicine
8
Article|30 citations·2016
Perioperative Fresh Red Blood Cell Transfusion May Negatively Affect Recipient Survival After Liver Transplantation
Sangbin Han, Ji Hye Kwon, Sun Hee Jung, Ji Young Seo, Yong Jun Jo, Jin Sung Jang, Seung Min Yeon, Sin Ho Jung, Justin Sangwook Ko, Mi Sook Gwak, Duck Cho, Hee Jeong Son
SJR Q1Annals of Surgery

Our findings suggest a potential negative impact of fresh RBC transfusion on the survival of patients undergoing liver transplantation.

SurgeryMedicine
9
Article|28 citations·2015
Bioreactance Is Not Interchangeable with Thermodilution for Measuring Cardiac Output during Adult Liver Transplantation
Sangbin Han, Jong‐Hwan Lee, Kim Gaabsoo, Justin Sangwook Ko, Soo Joo Choi, Ji Hae Kwon, Burn Young Heo, Mi Sook Gwak
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Bioreactance and thermodilution failed to show acceptable interchangeability in terms of both estimating CO and tracking CO changes in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Thus, the use of bioreactance as an alternative CO monitoring to thermodilution, in spite of its noninvasiveness, would be hard to recommend in these surgical patients.

SurgeryMedicine
10
Article|26 citations·2017
Risk of Post-transplant Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence Is Higher in Recipients of Livers From Male Than Female Living Donors
Sangbin Han, Ju Dong Yang, Dong Hyun Sinn, Jong Man Kim, Gyu Sung Choi, Gangha Jung, Joonghyun Ahn, Seonwoo Kim, Justin Sangwook Ko, Mi Sook Gwak, Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Michael D. Leise
SJR Q1Annals of Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between donor sex and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after living donor liver transplantation. BACKGROUND: HCC shows a male predominance in incidence and recurrence after tumor resection due to sex differences in hepatic sex hormone receptors. There have been no studies evaluating the importance of donor sex on post-transplant HCC recurrence. METHODS: Of 384 recipients of livers, from living donors, for HCC: 104/120 who received grafts from fema

HepatologyMedicine
11
Article|23 citations·2021
Blood Salvage and Autotransfusion With Single Leukoreduction Does Not Increase the Risk of Tumor Recurrence After Liver Transplantation for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Ji‐Hye Kwon, Sangbin Han, Doyeon Kim, Joon Hee Kuk, Hyun Cho, Seonwoo Kim, Ju Dong Yang, Chul Kim, Jong Man Kim, Gyu Sung Choi, Jae‐Won Joh, Justin Sangwook Ko
SJR Q1Annals of Surgery

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether autotransfusion of salvaged blood with single leukoreduction is associated with post-transplant tumor recurrence in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). BACKGROUND: Previous studies have consistently demonstrated the safety of autotransfusion of salvaged and leukoreduced blood during liver transplantation for HCC. However, the effects of this technique remained unknown for advanced HCC. METHODS: Of 349 patients who under

HepatologyMedicine
12
Article|23 citations·2018
Higher Risk of Posttransplant Liver Graft Failure in Male Recipients of Female Donor Grafts Might Not Be Due to Anastomotic Size Disparity
Kyo Won Lee, Sangbin Han, Sanghoon Lee, Hyun‐Hwa Cha, Soohyun Ahn, Hyeon Seon Ahn, Justin Sangwook Ko, Mi Sook Gwak, Gaab Soo Kim, Jae‐Won Joh, Suk‐Koo Lee, Gyu‐Seong Choi
SJR Q1TransplantationOA

Donor sex appears to be an independent factor modulating graft failure risk in male liver transplant recipients.

SurgeryMedicine
13
Article|21 citations·2014
Risk Factors for Inadvertent Hypothermia During Adult Living-Donor Liver Transplantation
Sangbin Han, Mi Sook Gwak, Su Jung Choi, Justin Sangwook Ko, G.S. Kim, Hyo Jung Son, Jae‐Hoon Shin
SJR Q3Transplantation Proceedings
Critical Care and Intensive Care MedicineMedicine
14
Article|18 citations·2014
Intraoperative Hyperglycemia during Liver Resection: Predictors and Association with the Extent of Hepatocytes Injury
Sangbin Han, Justin Sangwook Ko, Sang‐Man Jin, Hyo‐Won Park, Jong Man Kim, Jae‐Won Joh, Gaab Soo Kim, Soo Joo Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Hyperglycemia during liver resection might be associated with the extent of hepatocytes injury. It would be rational to maintain blood glucose concentration < 180 mg/dl throughout the surgery in consideration of parenchymal disease, coagulation status, lipid profile, and the cumulative hepatic ischemia in patients undergoing liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Endocrinology, Diabetes and MetabolismMedicine
15
Article|17 citations·2023
Intraoperative Factors Modifying the Risk of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Living Donor Liver Transplantation
Eun Jung Oh, Jeayoun Kim, Bo‐Guen Kim, Sangbin Han, Justin Sangwook Ko, Mi Sook Gwak, Gaab Soo Kim, Eun Ah Choi, Jiyeon Kang, Hye Yun Park
SJR Q1Transplantation

BACKGROUND: The relationship between intraoperative anesthetic management and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after liver transplantation is not fully understood. We aimed to determine the intraoperative contributors to PPC. METHODS: The retrospectively collected cohort included 605 patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation. PPCs comprised respiratory failure, respiratory infection, pulmonary edema, atelectasis (at least moderate degree), pneumothorax, and pleural ef

SurgeryMedicine

Research Areas

SurgeryHepatologyCritical Care and Intensive Care MedicineCardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineEndocrinology, Diabetes and MetabolismBiochemistry

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