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There are no known reliable biomarkers which can predict poor clinical outcome following curative resection of gastric adenocarcinoma. Given the importance of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation in carcinogenesis, we attempted to determine whether STAT3 activation is prognostic of survival in curatively resected gastric cancer patients. We analyzed 311 surgically resected gastric cancer specimens for STAT3 activation and its downstream molecules such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-10, cyclin D1, survivin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, and VEGFR-3 using immunohistochemical studies and assessed their correlation with clinical outcome. Using immunohistochemistry, 303 specimens were interpretable for pSTAT3tyr705 expression. The pSTAT3 was detected in 79 (26.1%) of 303 gastric cancers. Of the downstream molecules tested, STAT3 activation was significantly associated with MMP-9 and MMP-10 expressions. On univariate analyses, 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for the tumors with STAT3 activation were considerably poorer than for those without STAT3 activation with statistical significance (5-year DFS 58.2% vs 68.3%; pSTAT3(−) vs pSTAT3(+); p = 0.0223; 5-year OS 59.5% vs 70.5%; pSTAT3(−) vs pSTAT3(+); p = 0.0128). On multivariate analyses, STAT3 activation was independently associated with inferior DFS (p = 0.049, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.445, 95% CI, 1.025, 2.120) along with AJCC stage IIIA or IIIB (p = 0.004, HR = 1.708, 95% CI, 1.178, 2.475). The STAT3 activation was also strongly correlated with inferior OS (p = 0.042, HR = 1.506, 95% CI, 1.025, 2.213). Based on our data, pSTAT3tyr705 may be a novel prognostic marker for poorer clinical outcome following curative resection and adjuvant therapy in gastric cancer. The clinical impact of a STAT3-targeted agent should be investigated in gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the national practice processes of care and outcomes of radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Korea. Patients and Methods: A national survey of 53 institutions nationwide was conducted by requesting data on their experience of radiotherapy for HCC. Among them, 10 institutions were selected for performing more detailed analysis, based on the radiotherapy experience of at least five HCC patients between 2004 and 2005. Results: This study covered the treatment of 398 HCC patients for 2 years. Most patients (78%) were in stage III or IV. Radiotherapy was chosen after the failure of other treatments, most frequently transarterial chemoembolization. Radiotherapy was performed predominantly using the three-dimensional conformal technique (3D-CRT, 81.9%) mostly with a total dose of ≥45 Gy. In 9.3% of the patients, radiotherapy was performed using radiosurgery. In a biologically effective dose (BED) with 10 Gy of α/β, 4.2–124.3 Gy10 was delivered. The median survival time was 12 months, and the 2-year overall survival rate was 27.9%. A tumour size <5 cm, a negative lymph node and BED >53.1 Gy10 were shown by multivariate analysis to be significant factors for a better prognosis. In a subset analysis for the 326 patients treated with 3D-CRT, better liver function with Child–Pugh class A was shown to be an additional factor for a better prognosis. Conclusions: Radiotherapy has been used to treat advanced HCC in various modes, but mostly as a salvage treatment. Although this study was retrospective, it indicates that radiotherapy is a quite effective modality for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights a study which examined the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a salvage treatment for recurrent malignant gliomas. 114 patients underwent a salvage treatment with SRS and the clinical outcome and prognostic factors were compared with a historical control group. The treatment significantly prolonged survival in patients with recurrent glioblastomas but it did not provide surgical benefit in patients with recurrent grade 3 gliomas.

The article offers information on a study which determined the efficacy and safety of fractionated radiotherapy (FRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of patients diagnosed with pituitary adenoma. The study includes 125 consecutive patients with pituitary adenomas who received FRT or underwent SRS, between January 1995 and April 2006. The study concludes that both SRS and FRT are efficient treatment modalities for the control of tumor growth in patients with pituitary adenomas.