Soon Hyun Ahn

BACKGROUND: Thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is used as a screening test of choice for evaluation of thyroid nodules. However, approximately 15% to 25% of the cases are classified as indeterminate, posing dilemmas in decision-making. This study was designed to compare the diagnostic performances of second FNA and core needle biopsy of indeterminate nodules by initial FNA. METHODS: From February 2005 through June 2009, 258 patients who completed scheduled follow-ups were enrolled and the foll

CONTEXT: Special populations of cells that can efficiently initiate tumor growth have been characterized, and this feature supports the cancer stem cell theory. These cancer stem cell populations have been identified with CD44 and POU5F1. Most cancer stem cells express high levels of CD44 and low levels of CD24. In thyroid lesions, cancer stem cells have been detected in anaplastic carcinoma. However, little is known about the presence of cancer stem cells in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), e

An orthotopic model of papillary thyroid carcinoma was successfully established in nude mice using BRAF-mutated and RET/PTC1-rearranged cell lines. These models mimic the human disease and will thus be useful for evaluating the clinical potential of novel targeted therapies.

BACKGROUND: Distant metastasis of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is most commonly identified in the lung, but risk factors are still on debate. METHODS: Risk factors for lung metastasis were evaluated by using Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: Of 112 patients, 48% had distant metastasis; 94.4% of whom had lung metastasis. Univariable analysis revealed sublingual or minor salivary gland, tumor size ≥2.5 cm, and perineural invasion as risk factors (hazard ratio [HR]:

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of core needle biopsy (CNB) compared to fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in cervical lymphadenopathy. METHODS: This consecutive case series enrolled 208 patients with cervical lymphadenopathy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were evaluated and the necessity of an additional open biopsy was compared. RESULTS: The sensitivity and NPV for critical disease (lymphoma, c

Sunitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is frequently incorporated into the management of papillary thyroid carcinoma refractory to standard therapies. Although clinical trials are in progress, the mechanism of action in papillary thyroid carcinomas is not clear, especially regarding the effect on BRAF mutation. We investigated the effect of sunitinib on papillary thyroid carcinoma cells harboring RET/PTC rearrangement and BRAF mutation using TPC-1M, SNU-790, and B-cPAP cell lines

BACKGROUND: Leukoplakia of the lateral tongue is frequently associated with the risk of malignancy. Although incisional biopsy is accepted as a standard technique for evaluation, the possibility of underdiagnosis, and therefore missed diagnosis of malignancy, remains at all times. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of underdiagnosis by incisional biopsy for leukoplakia of the lateral tongue and to elucidate the underlying cause of for underdiagnosis. METHODS: Twenty-two patients wit

Tonsillectomy does not provide a decrease in the number of post-operative visits for URI, and URI decreased over time whether or not a tonsillectomy was performed.

BACKGROUND: As heterogeneous findings are included in the atypia of undetermined significance (AUS)/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (FLUS) category, differing risks of malignancy in subgroups have been reported in several articles. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of full-text publications written in English found in the Embase and PubMed databases. RESULTS: The 4-tiered subgroup proportion meta-analysis showed that the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the risk of malignan

It is important to properly identify aggressive tumors among differentiated thyroid cancers that are most often indolent. By comparison of a tumorigenic clone with an originally less tumorigenic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cell line, we looked for markers involved in the aggressive biology of thyroid cancer. Human PTC cell lines BHP10-3 and its tumorigenic subclone BHP10-3SC(mice) were compared using microarray analysis. Upregulated genes in the tumorigenic clone were selected for RT-PCR,

OBJECTIVES: Hemithyroidectomy is commonly performed in patients with low- to intermediate-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic central neck dissection on locoregional recurrence in patients undergoing hemithyroidectomy. METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed of full-text publications published in English retrieved from the Embase database. RESULTS: The rate of regional recurrence in the central compartment after hemithyroi