Current screening strategies for colorectal cancer may need to be amended to account for patient age, especially in young subjects with abdominal obesity, current smoking and alcohol consumption.

BackgroundHeadache is a common complaint in children and adolescents. Recently, an increased prevalence of headache in children and adolescents has been reported.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children and adolescents attending the Headache Clinic of Daejeon St. Mary’s Hospital during the period from January 2005 through December 2016.ResultsThe study population consisted of 2466 children, aged between 3 and 18 years (mean age: 10.9). Our study showed an increase in the number of patients visiting the hospital with headaches during the past decade. Compared with 2005, the number of patients with headache increased three-fold in 2016. Interestingly, the proportion of boys, preschool children, and other primary headaches revealed a steady and statistically significant increase.ConclusionDue to a steady increase in pediatric headaches, the earlier the problem is recognized and properly diagnosed and a treatment plan is established, the greater the likelihood of a better lifelong outcome. Studies are needed to estimate recent trend in prevalence and to identify the demographic and socioeconomic factors predicting the occurrence of headache.

Original Article Ewha Med J 2016;39(3):69-75 http://dx. Objectives:To assess the current state of anemia evaluation in the elderly over 80 years of age. Methods: Patients who were more than 80 years old and visited Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital from April 2005 to February 2014 were included. Statistical analysis were assessed using the logistic regression model. Results: Total 548 patients, who had anemia according to WHO criteria, were identified. The median age was 85 years old (range, 82 to 99 years) and median hemoglobin level was 11.0 g/dL (range, 2.7 to 12.9 g/dL). Twenty-eight, 468, and 52 patients were classified as microcytic anemia, normocytic anemia, and macrocytic anemia, respectively. Among them, 397 patients (72.4%) did not undergo proper evaluation for the cause anemia i.e., 8 cases (28.5%) of microcytic anemia, 361 cases (77.1%) of normocytic anemia, and the 28 cases (53.84%) of 52 macrocytic anemia patients. The remaining 151 patients (27.6%) had completed the evaluation, and 24 patients (15.9%) were diagnosed as solid malignancies. In the assessment of iron deficiency anemia, hemoglobin levels, and age had no effect on whether or not to perform esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Conclusion: This finding showed that physicians often neglected anemia in individuals over 80 years of age. Though these patients have limited life expectancy, physicians should carefully discriminate the sub-population who will be benefit from adequate evaluation and treatment. (Ewha Med J 2016;39(3):69-75)

Advanced incurable cancer patients receive palliative chemotherapy to prolong their life and improve quality of life. However, physicians should assess the timing to discontinue the treatment, especially near the final months of life, as palliative chemotherapy may accompany considerable toxicity. Even though there are no clear guidelines regarding the withdrawal timing for anticancer treatment in palliative setting, it is important clarify the issue for quality of care for advanced cancer patients. Here, we present two patients who received palliative chemotherapy for advanced colon cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, respectively. In both cases, it was jointly determined to stop palliative chemotherapy, and best efforts are made to relieve troublesome symptoms. The cases and upto-date literature review will highlight the importance of the timing of discontinuation of cancer treatments when changes are being made to the health care system and hospice and palliative medicine is taking root in Korea.