Biomedical subjects

Jin Hyoung Kang

Publications and source records attributed to Jin Hyoung Kang.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Association between cyclooxygenase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) contributes to invasiveness of cancer through activation of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is a proteolytic enzyme that degrades the extracellular matrix, and has been linked to invasion and metastasis. This study aims to assess the correlation of the COX-2 expression and the MMP-2 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We analyzed the protein expressions of COX-2 and MMP-2 by immunohistochemical staining on the tissue array specimens from 204 patients with completely resected NSCLC. A <10% immunostaining of the cancer cells was considered negative, while >10% was considered positive. RESULTS: The COX-2 expression was positive in 68.1% and that of the MMP-2 was positive in 45.6%. The positive expression rate of MMP-2 (52.5%) in the positive COX-2 group was higher than that in the negative COX-2 group (30.8%, P = 0.004). Furthermore, the MMP-2 expression was associated with lymph node involvement, the tumor stage and the histological type. The patients with a positive MMP-2 expression showed a reduced survival (P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The COX-2 expression is associated with the MMP-2 expression in NSCLC patients: the latter may also be associated with tumor progression and reduced survival in NSCLC patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

Change in patients' satisfaction with pain control after using the Korean cancer pain assessment tool in Korea.

Appropriate pain assessment is very important for managing cancer pain. This study was designed to evaluate the utility of the Korean Cancer Pain Assessment Tool (KCPAT) by assessing changes in the management of cancer pain. The changes in pain intensity, the pattern of drug prescriptions, and the patients' satisfaction with pain control were analyzed after using the KCPAT. The results indicated that pain medicine prescriptions were changed in 194 (51.5%) cases after using the KCPAT, and 69.5% of these changes were affected by the KCPAT. After using the KCPAT, pain intensity as assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, 0-10cm) decreased (4.31+/-2.35 vs. 3.60+/-2.45, P<0.0001), and the presence of associated symptoms and psychosocial items was significantly reduced. The patients' satisfaction with pain control was improved. Forty-four physicians (89.8%) thought that the KCPAT was useful. The KCPAT improved patients' satisfaction with pain control and was a useful tool for evaluating and managing cancer pain.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Detection of Epstein-Barr virus by PCR and expression of LMP1, p53, CD44 in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with various lymphoproliferative disorders and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Recently, some gastric cancer cells were observed to contain the EBV sequence. We detected EBV in gastric cancer by using PCR to determine the frequency of EBV-associated gastric cancer, and performed immunohistochemical staining for the latent membrane protein (LMP1), p53 and CD44 to investigate the possible mechanism in EBV-associated gastric cancer. METHODS: Eighty-seven formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded blocks (40 gastric adenocarcinomas, 34 adjacent normal tissues, 13 metastatic lymph nodes) from 40 surgically resected gastric specimens were studied. All patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer at the Kang-Nam St. Mary's Hospital between April 1995 and April 1997. After DNA was extracted from each paraffin block, we performed PCR and immunohistochemical staining for the LMP1, p53 and CD44. RESULTS: EBV was detected in 4 of 40 cases (10%). In 1 of 4 EBV-positive cases, EBV was also detected in a metastatic lymph node. The immunohistochemical staining for the LMP1, p53 and CD44 were negative in all the EBV-positive cancer patients. Of the patients having these cancers, 2 had a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a lymphoepithelioma-like morphology. DISCUSSION: The frequency of EBV-associated gastric cancer is about 10% in Korea. Considering the negative result of the immunohistochemical staining for the LMP1, p53 and CD44, EBV-associated gastric cancer seems to have a different mechanism of tumorigenesis from ordinary gastric cancer or other EBV-associated cancers. This specific mechanism must be determined by further large scale studies.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Nail changes during docetaxel containing combination chemotherapy.

Nail toxicity following systemic chemotherapy is common. Onychopathy during the period of neutropenia following chemotherapy may cause subungual abscesses and serious infection. Despite taxoid-related toxicity being increasingly reported since 2000, there are still phase II systemic chemotherapy studies using taxoid that have never mentioned nail changes. Recently, new criteria for the evaluation of nail toxicity have been suggested. The present report is the first of its kind, in Korea, to describe a case of docetaxel-associated onychopathy, which improved following a reduction in the docetaxel dose.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗