Eung-Bum Park

Incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis in the Songpa-Kangdong district, Seoul, Korea, 1986-1997.

Background and Aims : Ulcerative colitis (UC) is regarded as a rare disease in developing countries, but accurate data are generally lacking. We performed the present study to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of UC in Korea.

Increased serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer and to investigate the clinical significance of these levels in association with tumor stage and histologic differentiation. Also, serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were measured after curative surgical resection. METHODS: Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were measured in 42 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer before surgery, in 21 patients after surgical resection (part of the 42 preoperative patients), and in 20 healthy volunteers. We used TGF-α Assay™. RESULTS: Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer were significantly higher than in the healthy control group (P=0.001). Significant elevations in serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were found in 50 percent (21/42) of patients with colorectal cancer when the mean + 2 standard deviations (80.4 pg/ml) of the control group were used as the upper limit of the normal range. Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α tended to decrease with increasing tumor size (n=31;r=−0.52;P=0.002). Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α before surgery (89.7±44.4 pg/ml; n=21) significantly decreased to 60.3±19.8 pg/ml after surgical resections of tumors (P=0.017). Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α completely decreased to the same serum levels of the control group after surgical resections in all patients who had serum levels of transforming growth factor-α greater than mean + 2 standard deviations (80.4 pg/ml) of the control group preoperatively (n=11;P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of preoperative transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer appeared to be higher than levels measured in control subjects. Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α before surgery significantly decreased after surgical resections of tumors. Additional studies are warranted to determine if serum levels of transforming growth factor-α may be useful as a potential biomarker in the management of patients with colorectal cancer.

Incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis in the Songpa-Kangdong district, Seoul, Korea, 1986–1997

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Ulcerative colitis (UC) is regarded as a rare disease in developing countries, but accurate data are generally lacking. We performed the present study to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of UC in Korea. METHODS A retrospective study was performed from 1986 to 1997 in the Songpa-Kangdong district of Seoul, Korea. To recruit UC patients as completely as possible, multiple information sources including all medical facilities in the study area and three referral centres located nearby, but outside the study area were used. The incidence and prevalence rates were adjusted using the 1997 Korean population statistics. RESULTS During the study period, a total of 94 incident cases were identified, for an adjusted mean annual incidence rate of 0.68 per 100,000 inhabitants. On 31 December 1997, 91 patients with UC lived in the study area, giving an adjusted prevalence rate of 7.57 per 100,000 inhabitants. By using the Poisson regression analysis, the annual incidence rate increased significantly from 0.20 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1986-1988 to 1.23 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1995-1997 (P < 0.005). Patient age at diagnosis, the interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, and the disease extent at diagnosis were fairly constant throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS The incidence and prevalence of UC in our study area are still low compared with those of Western countries, but the incidence rate is steadily increasing.