Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Sung Hak Lee

4 Articles

Interpretation of PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer: summary of a consensus meeting of Korean gastrointestinal pathologists: Soomin Ahn, Yoonjin Kwak, Gui Young Kwon, Kyoung-Mee Kim, Moonsik Kim, Hyunki Kim, Young Soo Park, Hyeon Jeong Oh, Kyoungyul Lee, Sung Hak Lee, Hye Seung Lee; J Pathol Transl Med. 2024;58(3):103-116. Published online April 25, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2024.03.15

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Nivolumab plus chemotherapy in the first-line setting has demonstrated clinical efficacy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, and is currently indicated as a standard treatment. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is an important biomarker for predicting response to anti–programmed death 1/PD-L1 agents in several solid tumors, including gastric cancer. In the CheckMate-649 trial, significant clinical improvements were observed in patients with PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 5, determined using the 28-8 pharmDx assay. Accordingly, an accurate interpretation of PD-L1 CPS, especially at a cutoff of 5, is important. The CPS method evaluates both immune and tumor cells and provides a comprehensive assessment of PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment of gastric cancer. However, CPS evaluation has several limitations, one of which is poor interobserver concordance among pathologists. Despite these limitations, clinical indications relying on PD-L1 CPS are increasing. In response, Korean gastrointestinal pathologists held a consensus meeting for the interpretation of PD-L1 CPS in gastric cancer. Eleven pathologists reviewed 20 PD-L1 slides with a CPS cutoff close to 5, stained with the 28-8 pharmDx assay, and determined the consensus scores. The issues observed in discrepant cases were discussed. In this review, we present cases of gastric cancer with consensus PD-L1 CPS. In addition, we briefly touch upon current practices and clinical issues associated with assays used for the assessment of PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer.

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Adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resected gastric and oesophagogastric junction cancer following preoperative chemotherapy with high risk for recurrence (ypN+ and/or R1): European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 1707 VESTIG
F. Lordick, M.E. Mauer, G. Stocker, C.A. Cella, I. Ben-Aharon, G. Piessen, L. Wyrwicz, G. Al-Haidari, T. Fleitas-Kanonnikoff, V. Boige, R. Lordick Obermannová, U.M. Martens, C. Gomez-Martin, P. Thuss-Patience, V. Arrazubi, A. Avallone, K.K. Shiu, P. Artru
Annals of Oncology.2025; 36(2): 197. CrossRef
PD-L1 as a Biomarker in Gastric Cancer Immunotherapy
Yunjoo Cho, Soomin Ahn, Kyoung-Mee Kim
Journal of Gastric Cancer.2025; 25(1): 177. CrossRef
PD-L1 importance in malignancies comprehensive insights into the role of PD-L1 in malignancies: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities
Mojdeh Soltani, Mohammad Abbaszadeh, Hamed Fouladseresht, Mark J. M. Sullman, Nahid Eskandari
Clinical and Experimental Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
PD-L1 thresholds predict efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition in first-line treatment of advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. A systematic review and meta-analysis of seven phase III randomized trials
V. Formica, C. Morelli, L. Fornaro, S. Riondino, M. Rofei, E. Fontana, E.C. Smyth, M. Roselli, H.-T. Arkenau
ESMO Open.2024; 9(11): 103967. CrossRef

Single-center study on clinicopathological and typical molecular pathologic features of metastatic brain tumor: Su Hwa Kim, Young Suk Lee, Sung Hak Lee, Yeoun Eun Sung, Ahwon Lee, Jun Kang, Jae-Sung Park, Sin Soo Jeun, Youn Soo Lee; J Pathol Transl Med. 2023;57(4):217-231. Published online July 11, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2023.06.10

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Abstract PDF: Background
The metastatic brain tumor is the most common brain tumor. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinicopathological and molecular pathologic features of brain metastases (BM).
Methods
A total of 269 patients were diagnosed with BM through surgical resection at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital from January 2010 to March 2020. We reviewed the clinicopathological features and molecular status of primary and metastatic brain tissues using immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology results.
Results
Among 269 patients, 139 males and 130 females were included. The median age of primary tumor was 58 years (range, 13 to 87 years) and 86 patients (32.0%) had BM at initial presentation. Median BM free interval was 28.0 months (range, 1 to 286 months). The most frequent primary site was lung 46.5% (125/269), and followed by breast 15.6% (42/269), colorectum 10.0% (27/269). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation was found in 50.8% (32/63) and 58.0% (40/69) of lung primary and BM, respectively. In both breast primary and breast cancer with BM, luminal B was the most frequent subtype at 37.9% (11/29) and 42.9% (18/42), respectively, followed by human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 with 31.0% (9/29) and 33.3% (14/42). Triple-negative was 20.7% (6/29) and 16.7% (7/42), and luminal A was 10.3% (3/29) and 7.1% (3/42) of breast primary and BM, respectively. In colorectal primary and colorectal cancer with BM, KRAS mutation was found in 76.9% (10/13) and 66.7% (2/3), respectively.
Conclusions
We report the clinicopathological and molecular pathologic features of BM that can provide useful information for understanding the pathogenesis of metastasis and for clinical trials based on the tumor’s molecular pathology.

A standardized pathology report for gastric cancer: 2nd edition: Young Soo Park, Myeong-Cherl Kook, Baek-hui Kim, Hye Seung Lee, Dong-Wook Kang, Mi-Jin Gu, Ok Ran Shin, Younghee Choi, Wonae Lee, Hyunki Kim, In Hye Song, Kyoung-Mee Kim, Hee Sung Kim, Guhyun Kang, Do Youn Park, So-Young Jin, Joon Mee Kim, Yoon Jung Choi, Hee Kyung Chang, Soomin Ahn, Mee Soo Chang, Song-Hee Han, Yoonjin Kwak, An Na Seo, Sung Hak Lee, Mee-Yon Cho; J Pathol Transl Med. 2023;57(1):1-27. Published online January 15, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2022.12.23

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

The first edition of ‘A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer’ was initiated by the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists and published 17 years ago. Since then, significant advances have been made in the pathologic diagnosis, molecular genetics, and management of gastric cancer (GC). To reflect those changes, a committee for publishing a second edition of the report was formed within the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists. This second edition consists of two parts: standard data elements and conditional data elements. The standard data elements contain the basic pathologic findings and items necessary to predict the prognosis of GC patients, and they are adequate for routine surgical pathology service. Other diagnostic and prognostic factors relevant to adjuvant therapy, including molecular biomarkers, are classified as conditional data elements to allow each pathologist to selectively choose items appropriate to the environment in their institution. We trust that the standardized pathology report will be helpful for GC diagnosis and facilitate large-scale multidisciplinary collaborative studies.

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Spatial and Temporal Tumor Heterogeneity in Gastric Cancer: Discordance of Predictive Biomarkers
Hye Seung Lee
Journal of Gastric Cancer.2025; 25(1): 192. CrossRef
PD-L1 as a Biomarker in Gastric Cancer Immunotherapy
Yunjoo Cho, Soomin Ahn, Kyoung-Mee Kim
Journal of Gastric Cancer.2025; 25(1): 177. CrossRef
Korean Gastric Cancer Association-Led Nationwide Survey on Surgically Treated Gastric Cancers in 2023
Dong Jin Kim, Jeong Ho Song, Ji-Hyeon Park, Sojung Kim, Sin Hye Park, Cheol Min Shin, Yoonjin Kwak, Kyunghye Bang, Chung-sik Gong, Sung Eun Oh, Yoo Min Kim, Young Suk Park, Jeesun Kim, Ji Eun Jung, Mi Ran Jung, Bang Wool Eom, Ki Bum Park, Jae Hun Chung, S
Journal of Gastric Cancer.2025; 25(1): 115. CrossRef
A Comprehensive and Comparative Review of Global Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines: 2024 Update
Sang Soo Eom, Keun Won Ryu, Hye Sook Han, Seong-Ho Kong
Journal of Gastric Cancer.2025; 25(1): 153. CrossRef
Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States: Why are guidelines for gastric cancer different?
Emily E. Stroobant, Seong-Ho Kong, Maria Bencivenga, Takahiro Kinoshita, Tae-Han Kim, Takeshi Sano, Giovanni de Manzoni, Han-Kwang Yang, Yuko Kitagawa, Vivian E. Strong
Gastric Cancer.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Gastric Cancer with Bone Metastasis
Sujin Oh, Soo Kyung Nam, Keun-Wook Lee, Hye Seung Lee, Yujun Park, Yoonjin Kwak, Kyu Sang Lee, Ji-Won Kim, Jin Won Kim, Minsu Kang, Young Suk Park, Sang-Hoon Ahn, Yun-Suhk Suh, Do Joong Park, Hyung Ho Kim
Cancer Research and Treatment.2024; 56(1): 219. CrossRef
Microscopic tumor mapping of post-neoadjuvant therapy pancreatic cancer specimens to predict post-surgical recurrence: A prospective cohort study
Yeshong Park, Yeon Bi Han, Jinju Kim, MeeYoung Kang, Boram Lee, Eun Sung Ahn, Saemi Han, Haeryoung Kim, Hee-Young Na, Ho-Seong Han, Yoo-Seok Yoon
Pancreatology.2024; 24(4): 562. CrossRef
Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Resectable Gastric Cancer: Analysis from a Western Academic Center
Elliott J. Yee, Danielle Gilbert, Jeffrey Kaplan, Sachin Wani, Sunnie S. Kim, Martin D. McCarter, Camille L. Stewart
Cancers.2024; 16(7): 1428. CrossRef
Interpretation of PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer: summary of a consensus meeting of Korean gastrointestinal pathologists
Soomin Ahn, Yoonjin Kwak, Gui Young Kwon, Kyoung-Mee Kim, Moonsik Kim, Hyunki Kim, Young Soo Park, Hyeon Jeong Oh, Kyoungyul Lee, Sung Hak Lee, Hye Seung Lee
Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine.2024; 58(3): 103. CrossRef
Expression of claudin 18.2 in poorly cohesive carcinoma and its association with clinicopathologic parameters in East Asian patients
Moonsik Kim, Byung Woog Kang, Jihyun Park, Jin Ho Baek, Jong Gwang Kim
Pathology - Research and Practice.2024; 263: 155628. CrossRef
Clinicopathological analysis of claudin 18.2 focusing on intratumoral heterogeneity and survival in patients with metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer
T.-Y. Kim, Y. Kwak, S.K. Nam, D. Han, D.-Y. Oh, S.-A. Im, H.S. Lee
ESMO Open.2024; 9(12): 104000. CrossRef
Pathological Interpretation of Gastric Tumors in Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection
Jung Yeon Kim
Journal of Digestive Cancer Research.2023; 11(1): 15. CrossRef
Histopathology of Gastric Cancer
Baek-hui Kim, Sung Hak Lee
The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research.2023; 23(2): 143. CrossRef
Endoscopic submucosal dissection hands-on training with artificial mucosal layer EndoGEL
Tae-Se Kim, Jun Haeng Lee
Journal of Innovative Medical Technology.2023; 1(1): 5. CrossRef

KRAS Mutation Test in Korean Patients with Colorectal Carcinomas: A Methodological Comparison between Sanger Sequencing and a Real-Time PCR-Based Assay: Sung Hak Lee, Arthur Minwoo Chung, Ahwon Lee, Woo Jin Oh, Yeong Jin Choi, Youn-Soo Lee, Eun Sun Jung; J Pathol Transl Med. 2017;51(1):24-31. Published online December 25, 2016; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2016.10.03

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Background
Mutations in the KRAS gene have been identified in approximately 50% of colorectal cancers (CRCs). KRAS mutations are well established biomarkers in anti–epidermal growth factor receptor therapy. Therefore, assessment of KRAS mutations is needed in CRC patients to ensure appropriate treatment.
Methods
We compared the analytical performance of the cobas test to Sanger sequencing in 264 CRC cases. In addition, discordant specimens were evaluated by 454 pyrosequencing.
Results
KRAS mutations for codons 12/13 were detected in 43.2% of cases (114/264) by Sanger sequencing. Of 257 evaluable specimens for comparison, KRAS mutations were detected in 112 cases (43.6%) by Sanger sequencing and 118 cases (45.9%) by the cobas test. Concordance between the cobas test and Sanger sequencing for each lot was 93.8% positive percent agreement (PPA) and 91.0% negative percent agreement (NPA) for codons 12/13. Results from the cobas test and Sanger sequencing were discordant for 20 cases (7.8%). Twenty discrepant cases were subsequently subjected to 454 pyrosequencing. After comprehensive analysis of the results from combined Sanger sequencing–454 pyrosequencing and the cobas test, PPA was 97.5% and NPA was 100%.
Conclusions
The cobas test is an accurate and sensitive test for detecting KRAS-activating mutations and has analytical power equivalent to Sanger sequencing. Prescreening using the cobas test with subsequent application of Sanger sequencing is the best strategy for routine detection of KRAS mutations in CRC.

Citations

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Single-center study on clinicopathological and typical molecular pathologic features of metastatic brain tumor
Su Hwa Kim, Young Suk Lee, Sung Hak Lee, Yeoun Eun Sung, Ahwon Lee, Jun Kang, Jae-Sung Park, Sin Soo Jeun, Youn Soo Lee
Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine.2023; 57(4): 217. CrossRef
Assessment of KRAS and NRAS status in metastatic colorectal cancer: Experience of the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat Morocco
Chaimaa Mounjid, Hajar El Agouri, Youssef Mahdi, Abdelilah Laraqui, En-nacer Chtati, Soumaya Ech-charif, Mouna Khmou, Youssef Bakri, Amine Souadka, Basma El Khannoussi
Annals of Cancer Research and Therapy.2022; 30(2): 80. CrossRef
The current understanding on the impact of KRAS on colorectal cancer
Mingjing Meng, Keying Zhong, Ting Jiang, Zhongqiu Liu, Hiu Yee Kwan, Tao Su
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.2021; 140: 111717. CrossRef
Droplet digital PCR revealed high concordance between primary tumors and lymph node metastases in multiplex screening of KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer
Barbora Vanova, Michal Kalman, Karin Jasek, Ivana Kasubova, Tatiana Burjanivova, Anna Farkasova, Peter Kruzliak, Dietrich Busselberg, Lukas Plank, Zora Lasabova
Clinical and Experimental Medicine.2019; 19(2): 219. CrossRef
CRISPR Technology for Breast Cancer: Diagnostics, Modeling, and Therapy
Rachel L. Mintz, Madeleine A. Gao, Kahmun Lo, Yeh‐Hsing Lao, Mingqiang Li, Kam W. Leong
Advanced Biosystems.2018;[Epub] CrossRef

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