Kwan Sik Seo

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of upper limb dysfunction (ULD) and subtypes after breast cancer surgery and to identify factors associated with late ULD. METHODS: Among 191 enrolled patients, 191 were evaluated at 3 months, 187 at 6 months, and 183 at 12 months after surgery. Pain, shoulder range of motion, muscle strength, and arm circumference were assessed. Based on symptoms and physical examinations, the types of ULD common after breast cancer treatment were diagnos

BACKGROUND: Two major portals are available for delivery of medication into the cervical epidural space: interlaminar and transforaminal. The choice of which approach to use is commonly made by assessing the patient's structural pathology, one's skill in performing each procedure, and then weighing the advantages versus the risk associated with the particular technique. Over the past several years, a growing number of cases involving serious complications following cervical transforaminal epidur

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life (QOL), upper extremity function and the effect of lymphedema treatment in patients with breast cancer related lymphedema. METHOD: The basic data comprised medical records (detailing age, sex, dominant side, location of tumor, cancer stage, operation record, cancer treatment and limb circumferences) and questionnaires (lymphedema duration, satisfaction, self-massage). Further to this, we measured upper extremity function and QOL, administered the DASH (Disab

OBJECT: The authors examined the effect of psychological and emotional status on the outcome in patients with suspected chronic discogenic low-back pain (LBP) who have undergone lumbar fusion. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed the medical records, including the results of the 36-item Short Form (SF-36), of 57 consecutive patients (mean age 42.7 years) who underwent single-level lumbar reconstructive surgery between 1994 and 2000. The SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental

Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) of the upper extremities often follows breast cancer treatment. Although complex decongestive therapy (CDT) is currently the standard treatment for BCRL, stellate ganglion block (SGB) has also been reported to be effective. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of SGB in the treatment of BCRL, and to assess the impact of the treatment on the quality of life (QoL) compared to CDT. Study Design: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: Lymphedema is a chronic disease that occurs frequently after breast cancer treatment. For the treatment of lymphedema, surgical approach such as vascularized lymph node transfer and super-microscopic lymphovenous anastomosis surgery is well established. Complex decongestive therapy (CDT) and sympathetic ganglion block (SGB) are two non-surgical therapeutic options. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of lymphoscintigraphy in guiding the selection of the optimal non-surgica

Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is correlated with poor quality of life (QOL). The effects of the management of lymphedema on QOL remain controversial. We analyzed the changes in QOL and identified factors associated with its improvement to improve the care of patients with BCRL. Methods and Results: A total of 194 patients with BCRL were recruited, and their medical records were reviewed regarding type of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Patients completed the European

Chemotherapy-induced cachexia causes severe metabolic abnormalities independently of cancer and reduces the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy. The underlying mechanism of chemotherapy-induced cachexia remains unclear. Here we investigated the cytarabine (CYT)-induced alteration in energy balance and its underlying mechanisms in mice. We compared energy balance-associated parameters among the three groups of mice: CON, CYT, and PF (pair-fed mice with the CYT group) that were intravenously admi