Cancer Research and Treatment

Original Articles

The Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in High-Risk Stage II Colon Cancer with Microsatellite Instability-High or DNA Mismatch Repair Deficiencies: A Multicenter Pooled Analysis (KCSG-CO24-03): Joon Young Hur, Hana Kim, Soon Il Lee, Se Jun Park, Jina Yun, Seok Yun Kang, Cheolsik Kim, Seung-Hoon Beom, Hyeyeong Kim, So-Yeon Jeon, Jaemin Jo, Yongho Noh, Jong Gwang Kim, Hyun Jin Bang; Received February 14, 2026 Accepted May 27, 2026 Published online May 29, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2026.0156 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Purpose
The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (CTx) for high-risk stage II microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colon cancer remains controversial with discordant international guidelines. This study evaluated outcomes comparing adjuvant chemotherapy group versus surgery only group.
Materials and Methods
This multicenter retrospective analysis included 192 patients with high-risk stage II MSI-H/dMMR colon cancer who underwent curative resection between 2010 and 2020. High-risk features included pT4, grade 3-4, lymphovascular invasion, bowel obstruction/perforation, perineural invasion (PNI), inadequate lymph node sampling (<12), or close margins. The primary endpoint was 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS), excluding second primary malignancies to isolate antitumor efficacy.
Results
Of 192 patients, 128 (66.7%) received adjuvant CTx and 64 (33.3%) underwent observation (median follow-up 60.5 months). Five-year RFS (94.0% vs. 83.7%; p=0.001) and OS (98.3% vs. 89.0%; p=0.001) were significantly higher with adjuvant CTx. Multivariate analysis confirmed adjuvant CTx as an independent predictor for RFS (HR 0.249, 95% CI 0.109-0.571; p=0.001) and OS (HR 0.155, 95% CI 0.051-0.470; p=0.001). PNI was also identified as a significant independent predictor of RFS (HR, 3.581; 95% CI, 1.529 to 8.387; p=0.003) and OS (HR, 4.968; 95% CI, 1.654 to 14.930; p=0.004). CTx-related toxicities were clinically manageable, and no treatment-related deaths were reported.
Conclusion
Adjuvant CTx significantly improves RFS and OS in high-risk stage II MSI-H/dMMR colon cancer, particularly in pT4 and PNI patients. These findings provide evidence to bridge NCCN and ESMO guideline discrepancies, supporting risk-stratified adjuvant CTx in this population.

993 View
54 Download

Palliative medicine

Exploring Oncologists’ Perspectives on the Early Integration of Specialty Palliative Care in Korea: Challenges, Needs, and Clinical Implications: Shin Hye Yoo, Yu Jung Kim, Ye Sul Jeung, Jung Sun Kim, Kwonoh Park, Eun Mi Nam, Si Won Lee, Jun Ho Ji, Jwa Hoon Kim, Joon Young Hur, Song Ee Park, Jung Lim Lee, Su-Jin Koh; Cancer Res Treat. 2026;58(1):339-348. Published online April 10, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2025.158

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub

Purpose
This study aimed to explore the practices, perceptions, and barriers related to specialty palliative care (SPC) referrals among oncologists in Korea, highlighting the clinical implications of early integration.
Materials and Methods
A cross-sectional online survey targeting board-certified hemato-oncology specialists was conducted between August 1-25, 2024. The survey assessed referral practices, attitudes toward early SPC integration, referral criteria, barriers, and institutional characteristics.
Results
A total of 227 oncologists participated (response rate, 36.7%). Among them, 68.7% reported frequent SPC referrals, with higher referral rates observed among younger physicians, those in tertiary hospitals, and institutions with in-house SPC teams (p < 0.001). Although 74.9% supported early SPC integration, referrals were often inconsistently timed, frequently occurring after disease progression or at the discontinuation of chemotherapy. For time-based referrals, the most commonly endorsed triggers were disease progression despite palliative second-line treatment and a prognosis of expected mortality within 6-12 months. Need-based referral triggers such as patient or family requests (96.5%), psychological distress (89.9%), or uncontrolled symptoms (83.3%), were also widely endorsed. The major barriers to early SPC integration included patient and family resistance (70.0%) and limited availability of SPC teams (34.4%).
Conclusion
This study emphasizes the importance of systematic efforts to promote timely SPC integration in Korea, including education to raise patient awareness, improved referral systems, and enhanced infrastructure. The positive attitudes toward early SPC among oncologists reflect a growing recognition of its value, highlighting the need for strategies that align with international standards.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Intensivists’ Perspectives and Practices on Palliative Care in the ICU: A Nationwide Survey in Korea
Tae Jung Kim, Yoon Sun Jung, Ye Sul Jeung, Woo Hyun Cho, Shin Hye Yoo, Jae Young Moon
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Improving Quality of End-of-Life Care Through the K-HOPE Consultative Palliative Care Model: A Prospective Study in a Tertiary Hospital
Yoo Jeong Lee, In Cheol Hwang, Eun Jeong Lee, Soon-Young Hwang, Youn Seon Choi
Current Oncology.2026; 33(4): 213. CrossRef
Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with cancer
Jung Sun Kim, Wan Taek Lee, Bhumsuk Keam, Jin-Ah Sim, Shin Hye Yoo
Supportive Care in Cancer.2026;[Epub] CrossRef

3,341 View
128 Download
2 Web of Science
3 Crossref

Hematologic malignancy

Pembrolizumab for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma in Korea: Ji Yun Lee, Ji Hyun Kwon, Joon Young Hur, Jun Ho Yi, Ji Hyun Lee, Hyungwoo Cho, Young Rok Do, Jae-Cheol Jo, Hye Jin Kang, Yougil Koh, Won Sik Lee, Sung Nam Lim, Sang Eun Yoon, Seok Jin Kim, Jeong-Ok Lee; Cancer Res Treat. 2024;56(2):681-687. Published online November 10, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2023.1042

Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

Purpose
Programmed death-1 blockade with pembrolizumab has shown promising activity in relapsed/refractory (R/R) extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL), but studies are limited, with small patient numbers.
Materials and Methods
Thirteen institutes involved with the Consortium for Improving Survival of Lymphoma, a Korean lymphoma study group, collected the clinical data of 59 patients treated with pembrolizumab as salvage therapy between 2016 and 2022.
Results
The median age of the patients was 60 years (range, 22 to 87 years), and 76.3% had advanced Ann Abor stage disease. Pembrolizumab was given to 35.6%, 40.7%, and 23.7% of the patients as second-, third-, and fourth- or higher-line chemotherapy, respectively. The overall response rate was 40.7%, with 28.8% having complete response. The estimated 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival rates for all patients were 21.5% and 28.7%, respectively; for responders, the rates were 53.0% and 60.7%, respectively. Although not statistically significant, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.91; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.93 to 3.94; p=0.078) and stage III or IV disease (HR, 2.59; 95% CI, 0.96 to 6.96; p=0.060) were associated with a trend toward shorter PFS in multivariate analysis. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events (AEs) were noted in 12 patients (20.3%); neutropenia (10.2%), fatigue (6.8%), and pneumonitis (5.1%) were most common AEs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while pembrolizumab had a modest effect on patients with R/R NKTCL, it may be a useful salvage therapy for patients with localized disease and good performance status.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with P-GEMOX chemotherapy versus P-GEMOX chemotherapy with or without autologous stem-cell transplantation for previously untreated advanced natural killer/T cell lymphoma: a retrospective cohort study
Qihua Zou, Yi Cao, Liang Wang, Wuping Li, Qingsong Yin, Yudan Wu, Hongmei Jing, Zhigang Peng, Xiuhua Sun, Jun Rao, Ying Chen, Hongyu Zhang, Dongfeng Zeng, Bingzong Li, Ying Zhao, Xudong Zhang, Yuchen Zhang, Yan Gao, Bing Bai, Yi Xia, Yu Fang, Zouxiang Che
Blood Cancer Journal.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Molecular biologic and Epstein-Barr virologic advances in extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma over the past four decades
Yasuaki Harabuchi
Auris Nasus Larynx.2026; 53(3): 393. CrossRef
Immunotherapy in NK/T-Cell Lymphoma: Mechanisms, Clinical Evidence, Resistance, and Emerging Multimodal Strategies
Qihao Zhang, Xin Wang
Cancers.2026; 18(9): 1358. CrossRef
Outcomes With First‐Line PD1 Inhibitors in Extranodal NK/T‐Cell Lymphoma: A Comparative Analysis From a 755‐Patient Multicenter Cohort
Hailing Liu, Mei Sun, Chunling Wang, Xiaoqiong Tang, Lixia Sheng, Jie Ma, Xuzhang Lu, Hongming Huang, Jinning Shi, Ran Li, Jing Zhang, Manling Chen, Lei Cao, Haorui Shen, Jianyong Li, Wei Wang, Xia Zhao, Kaiyang Ding, Lei Fan
American Journal of Hematology.2026; 101(7): 1748. CrossRef
Atezolizumab for relapsed/refractory extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma: phase 2 of NCCH1903/ATTACK trial
Shinichi Makita, Junji Koya, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Momoko Nishikori, Noriko Fukuhara, Akiko Miyagi Maeshima, Akihiro Hirakawa, Yuta Ito, Yasunori Kogure, Kenichi Chiba, Ai Okada, Yuichi Shiraishi, Satoshi Kawashima, Yukari Nagasaka, Ayumi Fujimoto, Hirokazu Na
Blood Advances.2026; 10(15): 5276. CrossRef
Selinexor plus tislelizumab in patients with relapsed/refractory natural killer/T-cell lymphoma after failure of PD-1 blockade: the phase 1b TOUCH trial
Chuanxu Liu, Dahui Li, Yan Gao, Wenhao Zhang, Zhi Guo, Jun Zhao, Huiqiang Huang, Rong Tao
The Oncologist.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Danburstotug, an anti‐PD‐L1 antibody, in relapsed/refractory extra‐nodal natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma: The phase 2 DISTINKT study
Won Seog Kim, Seok Jin Kim, Jae‐Cheol Jo, Sang Eun Yoon, Youngil Koh, Deok‐Hwan Yang, Dok Hyun Yoon, Junhun Cho, Sung Young Lee, Suyeon Kim, Seongyeon Kang, Woochan Hwang, Hyukjung Kim, Hwi‐yeol Yun, Jihyun Jeon, Chul Ahn, Heung Tae Kim
British Journal of Haematology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
An evaluation of sugemalimab for the treatment of relapsed or refractory extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma
Yingfang Feng, Xia Liu, Jingwei Yu, Zheng Song, Lanfang Li, Lihua Qiu, Shiyong Zhou, Zhengzi Qian, Xianhuo Wang, Huilai Zhang
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy.2025; 25(1): 9. CrossRef
Early growth response 1 as a key regulator of PD-L1 expression and immune evasion in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma
Ji Yun Lee, Kui-Jin Kim, Woochan Park, Jeongmin Seo, Minsu Kang, Eun Hee Jung, Sang-A Kim, Koung Jin Suh, Ji-Won Kim, Se Hyun Kim, Jeong-Ok Lee, Jin Won Kim, Yu Jung Kim, Keun-Wook Lee, Jee Hyun Kim, Soo-Mee Bang, Tae Min Kim, Jin Ho Paik
Blood Cancer Journal.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Efficacy of combined CD38 and PD-1 inhibition with isatuximab and cemiplimab for relapsed/refractory NK/T-cell lymphoma
Seok Jin Kim, Jing Quan Lim, Sang Eun Yoon, Deok-Hwan Yang, Ji Hyun Lee, Sung Yong Oh, Yoon Seok Choi, Seong Hyun Jeong, Min Kyoung Kim, Sung Nam Lim, Junhun Cho, Bon Park, Kyung Ju Ryu, Seunghyun Choi, Yoon Park, Kerry May Huifen Lim, Nur Ayuni Binte Muh
Blood.2025; 146(2): 155. CrossRef
Pembrolizumab

Reactions Weekly.2024; 2025(1): 390. CrossRef

7,631 View
265 Download
10 Web of Science
11 Crossref

Atezolizumab in Patients with Pretreated Urothelial Cancer: a Korean Single-Center, Retrospective Study: Joon Young Hur, Youjin Kim, Ghee-Young Kwon, Minyong Kang, Hyun Hwan Sung, Hwang Gyun Jeon, Byong Chang Jeong, Seong Il Seo, Seong Soo Jeon, Hyun Moo Lee, Su Jin Lee, Se Hoon Park; Cancer Res Treat. 2019;51(4):1269-1274. Published online January 9, 2019; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2018.604

Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

Purpose
Treatment targeting immune checkpoint with programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors has demonstrated efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). We investigated the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab in mUC patients who failed platinum-based chemotherapy.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective study using the Samsung Medical Center cancer chemotherapy registry was performed on 50 consecutive patients with mUC treated with atezolizumab, regardless of their PD-L1(SP142) status, as salvage therapy after chemotherapy failure between May 2017 and June 2018. Endpoints included overall response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety.
Results
Among 50 patients, men constituted 76% and the median age was 68 years (range, 46 to 82 years). Twenty-three patients (46%) received atezolizumab as second-line therapy. PD-L1 (SP142) status IC0/1 and IC2/3 were found in 21 (42%) and 21 (42%) of patients, respectively; in eight patients (16%), PD-L1 (SP142) expression was not available. Atezolizumab was generally well tolerated, with pruritus and fatigue being the most commonly observed toxicities. As a result, partial response was noted in 20 patients (40%), with 12 (24%) stable diseases. RRwas higherin IC2/3 (62%) than in IC0/1 patients (24%, p=0.013). The median PFS was 7.4 months (95% confidence interval, 3.4 to 11.4 months). As expected, PFS also was significantly longer in IC2/3 patients than in IC0/1 (median, 12.7 vs. 2.1 months; p=0.005). PFS was not significantly influenced by age, sex, performance status, number of previous chemotherapy, site of metastases, or any of the baseline laboratory parameters.
Conclusion
In this retrospective study, atezolizumab demonstrated clinically efficacy and tolerability in unselected mUC patients who failed platinum-based chemotherapy.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Real-world data of atezolizumab in patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial bladder cancer
Rocío Díaz Acedo, Mercedes Galvan Banqueri, Silvia Artacho Criado, Eva María Fernández Parra, Rocío Jiménez Galán, Ana Isabel Gago Sánchez, Juan Francisco Marín Pozo, María José Martínez Bautista
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy.2024; 46(2): 382. CrossRef
Subsequent Systemic Therapy following Platinum and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Joohyun Hong, Hyun Hwan Sung, Byong Chang Jeong, Se Hoon Park
Biomedicines.2022; 10(8): 2005. CrossRef
Systemic treatment for advanced urothelial cancer: an update on recent clinical trials and current treatment options
Inkeun Park, Jae Lyun Lee
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine.2020; 35(4): 834. CrossRef

10,671 View
286 Download
3 Web of Science
3 Crossref

Correspondence

Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation in a Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patient Treated with Ibrutinib: Jung Hye Choi, Joon Young Hur, Young-Woong Won; Cancer Res Treat. 2023;55(2):704-705.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2022.1524

PDF PubReader ePub

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with hematologic malignancies treated with Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors
Joon Young Hur, Jung-Hee Lee, Je-Hwan Lee, Han-Seung Park, Hyunkyung Park, Yunsuk Choi, Jung Hye Choi, Young-Woong Won, Sang Eun Yoon, Won Seog Kim, Seok Jin Kim
Blood Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Management of Hepatitis B virus infection in patients on treatment with immunosuppressants or immunomodulators: Position Paper of Associazione Italiana Studio del Fegato (AISF), Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica (AIOM), Gruppo Italiano per il Trap
Mauro Viganò, Roberta D’Ambrosio, Ciro Celsa, Agostino Colli, Nicola Coppola, Bruno Daniele, Elisabetta Degasperi, Gianpiero D’Offizi, Vito Di Marco, Stefano Fagiuoli, Martina Gambato, Corrado Girmenia, Paolo Grossi, Pietro Lampertico, Andrea Lauterio, Ma
Digestive and Liver Disease.2025; 57(12): 2257. CrossRef
HBV Reactivation in Patients Receiving Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (BTKIs): a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Ahmed Azzam, Heba Khaled, Basem Osama Ashry, Sarah Mohamed Hussein, Manar Osama, Ameer Ahmed, Omar Yousef, Anees Hjazeen, Ahmed A. Allam, Gellan Alaa Mohamed Kamel
Current Infectious Disease Reports.2024; 26(1): 1. CrossRef
Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation with Ibrutinib Treatment in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Case Report and Literature Review
Arzu Altunçekiç Yıldırım, Celali Kurt, Burcu Ülküden, Yeliz Çetinkol
Viral Hepatitis Journal.2024; 30(1): 19. CrossRef
Chlorambucil/ibrutinib

Reactions Weekly.2023; 1965(1): 147. CrossRef

5,647 View
127 Download
5 Crossref

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search