Construction of a Retrospective Cohort to Observe 10-Year Urologic Cancer Treatment Trends at the Biggest Medical Center of South Korea

Purpose: To construct a urologic cancer database using a standardized, reproducible method, and to assess preliminary characteristics of this cohort.Materials and Methods: Patients with prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers who were enrolled with diagnostic codes in the electronic medical record (EMR) at Asan Medical Center from 2007–2016 were included. Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) was used to design the Asan Medical Center-Urologic Cancer Database (AMC-UCD). The process included developing a data dictionary, applying branching logic, mapping clinical data warehouse structures, alpha testing, clinical record summary testing, creating “standards of procedure,” importing data, and entering data. Descriptive statistics were used to identify rates of surgeries and numbers of patients.Results: Clinical variables (n=407) were selected to develop a data dictionary from REDCap. In total, 20,198 urologic cancer patients visited our institution from 2007–2016 (bladder cancer, 4,616; kidney cancer, 5,750; prostate cancer, 10,330). The overall numbers of patients and surgeries increased over time, with robotic surgeries rapidly growing over a decade. The most common treatment for urologic cancer was surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.Conclusions: Using a standardized method, the AMC-UCD fosters multidisciplinary research. This constructed database provides access to clinical statistics to effectively assist research. Preliminary data should be refined through EMR chart review. The successful organization of data from 2007–2016 provides a framework for future periods of investigation and prospective models.

Utility of Urinalysis as a Follow-up Surveillance Tool in Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the association between microscopic hematuria (MH) detected by surveillance urinalysis and cancer recurrence in nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients.Materials and Methods: A total of 1,082 NMIBC patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB) procedures at Asan Medical Center between January 2017 and December 2019 were included. We retrospectively reviewed the follow-up data for these cases including cystoscopy, urinalysis, and urine cytology. The association between urine testing and cancer recurrence was assessed by both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis.Results: The study patients had a median age of 68 years (interquartile range, 60–75 years) and comprised 898 men and 184 women. Among the 1,428 TURB procedures conducted in this series, 548 of the lesions (38.4%) were diagnosed as low-grade and 880 (61.6%) as highgrade cancers. A total of 3,309 follow-up cystoscopies were conducted during the study period and were divided into high-grade (HG) (2,011 cases) and low-grade (LG) (1,298 cases) groups according to the latest TURB pathology. MH was found to have a statistically significant association with NMIBC recurrence in both the LG (odds ratio [OR], 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.107–2.223; p=0.011) and HG (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.434–2.517; p<0.001) groups.Conclusions: Urinalysis during follow-up may provide important information on cancer recurrence in NMIBC patients.

Clinicoprognostic and Histopathological Features of Guttate and Plaque Psoriasis Based on PD-1 Expression

Several studies have determined the correlation between programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and chronic plaque psoriasis (CPP). However, limited studies have assessed the association between PD-1 expression and the clinicoprognostic and distinct clinicopathological characteristics of CPP and guttate psoriasis (GP). Twenty-nine patients with skin biopsy-confirmed CPP were recruited at the Asan Medical Center between January 2018 and June 2020, and 33 patients with biopsy-confirmed GP were enrolled between January 2002 and June 2020. The clinicoprognostic and histopathological characteristics were analyzed according to immunohistochemical PD-1 expression in the epidermal or dermal inflammatory infiltrates. The CPP and GP lesions were divided into PD-1-low and PD-1-high groups. The CPP epidermal PD-1-high group had typical histopathological changes and significantly higher psoriasis area and severity index scores (p = 0.014) and disease duration (p = 0.009) than the epidermal PD-1-low group. In patients with GP, compared with the dermal PD-1-high group, the dermal PD-1-low group exhibited significantly higher disease duration (p = 0.002) and relapse rate of plaque psoriasis (p = 0.005) and significantly lower relapse-free survival (p = 0.016). Upregulated epidermal PD-1 expression was correlated with the chronicity and severity of CPP, while downregulated dermal PD-1 expression was correlated with poor prognosis of GP.

Predictive Role of Prior Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy-Related Adverse Effects in Advanced NSCLC Patients Receiving Anti-PD-1/L1 Therapy

The present study evaluated the impact of prior radiotherapy (RT) on patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and further assessed the prognostic factors in patients receiving both RT and ICI. Patients diagnosed with NSCLC at the Catholic Medical Center and Asan Medical Center between January 2016 and October 2020 and who received immunotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Among 240 patients, poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, high PD-L1 expression, and ICI-related adverse events (AE) were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS) (HR, 2.654; 95% CI, 1.484–4.749; p = 0.001; HR, 0.645; 95% CI, 0.449–0.926, p = 0.017; HR, 0.430; 95% CI, 0.229–0.808; p = 0.009, respectively). Among patients who received both RT and immunotherapy, poor ECOG status, squamous cell carcinoma, and ICI-related AE were significant factors associated with poor PFS (HR, 2.430; 95% CI, 1.464–4.034; p = 0.001; HR, 0.667; 95% CI, 0.455–0.978, p = 0.038; HR, 0.520; 95% CI, 0.284–0.953, p = 0.034, respectively). The present study showed that prior RT showed no significant independent association with primary outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving immunotherapy. In patients who received both RT and immunotherapy, clinical parameters, including ICI-related AEs, were independently predictive of PFS.

Changing characteristics of S. aureus bacteremia caused by PVL-negative, MRSA strain over 11 years

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as an important cause of infection. We conducted a longitudinal study to evaluate changes in clinical and microbiological characteristics as well as outcomes of sequence type (ST) 72 MRSA bacteremia. We reviewed adult patients enrolled in a prospective cohort with ST72 MRSA bacteremia from August 2008 to December 2018 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Changes in clinical characteristics, outcomes, and microbiological characteristics of patients over time were evaluated. Generalized linear and linear regression models were used to evaluate changes. Of the 1,760 isolates, 915 (62%) were MRSA bacteremia and 292 (31.9%) were ST72 MRSA. During the study period, the relative risk (RR) of MRSA bacteremia decreased annually by 3.7%; however, among MRSA bacteremia, RR of ST72 MRSA increased annually by 8.5%. Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) decreased over the study period. Metastatic infection, persistent bacteremia, and recurrence of bacteremia within 12 weeks decreased significantly. There were no significant changes in 30-d and 12-week mortality. Antibiotic susceptibility of ST72 MRSA was evaluated, and the resistance rate to erythromycin decreased significantly. ST72 MRSA incidence increased annually; its vancomycin MIC and erythromycin resistance rate decreased over the 11 years.

The Clinical Features of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients with Obesity

Background and Aim. The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally as is the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Herein, we sought to evaluate the characteristics and prognosis of IBD in patients with obesity. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of IBD patients who visited Asan Medical center. We used a large, well-characterized referral center-based cohort. The clinical features of IBD patients with body mass index (BMI) over 30 and matched controls with BMI under 30 were compared. Results. Among the 6,803 IBD patients enrolled in the Asan IBD Registry between June 1989 and December 2016, we identified 16 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 27 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) whose BMI was over 30 at the time of diagnosis. Their clinical characteristics and course were compared with those of 64 and 108 matched patients with CD and UC, respectively. There were no significant differences in the risk of using steroids (hazards ratio (HR) = 0.633 and P = 0.254 ), immunomodulators (HR = 0.831 and P = 0.517 ), and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy (HR = 1.539 and P = 0.351 ) and risk of bowel resections (HR = 1.858 and P = 0.231 ) between CD patients with BMI over 30 and those with BMI under 30; similarly, UC patients did not show significant differences in the risk of using steroids (HR = 0.613 and P = 0.145 ), immunomodulators (HR = 0.492 and P = 0.111 ), anti-TNF therapy (HR = 0.385 and P = 0.095 ), and risk of colectomy (HR = 0.262 and P = 0.104 ). In the subgroup analysis, under-weight UC patients had a higher cumulative probability of needing steroids (HR = 0.2510 and P = 0.042 ), needing immunomodulators (HR = 0.097 and P = 0.014 ), and a higher risk of receiving colectomy (HR = 0.024 and P = 0.019 ) than obese UC patients. Conclusions. Obese IBD patients with CD or UC did not show significantly different clinical features from nonobese IBD patients.

Fever as a Side Effect after Electroconvulsive Therapy

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most important and safe nonpharmacological treatment for psychiatric disorders. Some patients experience unexplained fever after ECT, but only a few studies have reported on this. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We investigated fever after ECT by retrospectively reviewing the medical records of patients. Patients treated at the ECT unit of the Department of Psychiatry at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea, between 30 June 2004 and 30 June 2019, were included. Differences in variables were compared between groups with or without fever after ECT sessions. <b><i>Result:</i></b> There were 28 patients (8.8%) in the fever group. Forty-three ECT sessions (1.5%) resulted in fever after treatment. The female-to-male ratio was higher in the fever group than in the control group, and the mean number of total ECT sessions was also higher in the fever group than in the control group, but there were no other differences between the 2 groups. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Comparing fever and control sessions, fever sessions relatively preceded control sessions and had a longer seizure duration. Postictal delirium occurred more often in the fever sessions than in control sessions. Fever sessions had a higher white blood cell count and lower concomitant quetiapine dosage than control sessions. Because 8.8% of patients who received ECT experienced fever after treatment more than once, fever after ECT is considered to be a common side effect.