A new research article, entitled “Assessing the representativeness of single-center EMR data on ten cancer types: A comparative analysis with national statistics from South Korea (2011–2021)”, authored by Won Jung-Hyun and Howard Lee, was published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics(IJMI). IJMI is a leading international journal that publishes high-impact research on the development, implementation, and real-world evaluation of health information systems and clinical informatics technologies.

This study evaluated whether single-center electronic medical record (EMR) data from Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) could represent a real-world data source for oncology research in South Korea. To address this, the study analyzed annual incidence and prevalence patterns for ten major cancer types (e.g., breast, gallbladder/biliary tract, gastric, kidney, liver, lung, pancreatic, prostate, thyroid cancers, and leukemia) from 2011 to 2021 using national cancer statistics from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) as reference. The study also examined age and gender distributions between two datasets. The results showed that the SNUH EMR data included 8.2% of national incident cancer cases and 10.7% of prevalent cases. The study also found no significant differences in age and gender distributions across all cancer types between the SNUH EMR and national data. In addition, strong correlations in annual trends were observed for several major cancers, including breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Overall, this study showed that single-center EMR data can be a valuable, representative clinical resource for oncology research in South Korea. At the same time, the study emphasizes that the underrepresentation of certain cancer types and external temporal factors, such as changes in clinical guidelines or major healthcare disruptions, should be carefully considered when generalizing findings from a single institution to broader populations.

Prof. Howard Lee discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic could change the current paradigm of drug and vaccine developments at a symposium, organized by the Graduate Schools, Seoul National University, October 7, 2020. The symposium featured 5 speakers, each from a graduate school at SNU, and the title of the symposium was "Corona Pandemic: Where Is South Korea Heading?" Each speaker presented his/her view on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon various aspects South Korea has been and will be facing since its beginning. 

Prof. Lee pointed out the unprecedented amount and speed of vaccine/drug developments since the pandemic, which could prompt and hasten the disruption of the old ways to develop drugs and vaccines, such as more virtual and remote clinical trials, open innovations based on massive private-public partnership, and acceptance of new innovative technologies. Prof. Lee's presentation can be watched here. Or, there is a YouTube streaming too as seen below.