Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with driver mutant non-small cell lung cancer and de novo brain metastases.

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases can be seen at a rate of 30% in advanced stages for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Growing evidence indicates the predictive roles of driver gene mutations in the development of brain metastases (BM) in recent years, meaning that oncogene-driven NSCLC have a high incidence of BM at diagnosis. Today, 3rd generation targeted drugs with high intracranial efficacy, which can cross the blood-brain barrier, have made a positive contribution to survival for these patients with an increased propensity to BM.

Major and minor salivary gland cancers: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Most of the studies on salivary gland cancers are limited for various reasons such as being single-center, small number of patients, including only major or minor SGCs, or only including epidemiological data.

Methods: A total of 37 medical oncology clinics from different regions of Turkey participated in this retrospective-multicenter study. The analyzed data included clinical and demographical features, primary treatment, metastasis localizations, and treatments and includes certain pathologic features.

Thoracic Radiotherapy Effect on the Outcome in Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of thoracic radiotherapy to primary site in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who had responded completely to systemic chemotherapy.

Study Design: Observational study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Departments of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Baskent University and Dr.

Cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1): a single-center experience.

Objective: New anti-cancer drugs promise to increased survival benefits and reduce adverse events. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a novel anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 agent that has shown minimal cardiotoxicity in clinical trials. However, data on real-life outcomes are required.

Response to first-line chemotherapy regimen is associated with efficacy of ımmune checkpoint blockade therapies in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Background: Atezolizumab (ATZ) has demonstrated antitumor activity in previous studies in patients with metastatic platinum-resistant urothelial carcinoma. However, the response rate of ATZ was modest. Therefore, finding biologic or clinical biomarkers that could help to select patients who respond to the immune checkpoint blockade remains important.

Upfront thoracic radiotherapy to primary lesion improves outcomes in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR mutations.

Purpose: The role of thoracic radiotherapy in the treatment of metastatic EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in literature data are insufficient.The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of upfront thoracic radiotherapy in metastatic EGFR mutant NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy or tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI).

Methods: This study was designed as a hospital-based retrospective observational case-series study.

Concurrent versus sandwich treatment in adjuvant treatment in high risk operated gastric cancer: A single center experience.

Purpose: In this study we compared postoperative early vs sandwich chemoradiotherapy in operated stage IIA-IIIC gastric cancer patients in terms of effectiveness and outcome.

Methods: The data of 201 gastric cancer patients treated in the same center between December 2006 and June 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. One hundred forty nine patients who were eligible for the study criteria were divided into two groups according to the postoperative treatment modality.

Atezolizumab in Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Who Have Progressed After First-line Chemotherapy: Results of Real-life Experiences.

Background: Atezolizumab (ATZ) has demonstrated antitumor activity and manageable safety in previous studies in patients with locally advanced or metastatic platinum-resistant urothelial carcinoma.

Objective: To compare the real-life experience and data of clinical trials on ATZ treatment in metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Patients with urothelial cancer treated with ATZ after progression on first-line chemotherapy from an expanded access program were retrospectively studied.

The hematologic parameters in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone acetate.

Currently, there are no predictive markers of response to abiraterone. We calculated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at baseline and at 4 and 12 weeks after initiation of abiraterone, and we evaluated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response every 4 weeks in 102 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone either pre- or postchemotherapy. With a median follow-up was 24.

Effectiveness of bendamustine in relapsed or refractory lymphoma cases: a Turkish Oncology Group study.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate the efficacy and side effects of bendamustine in relapsed/refractory lymphoma patients in Turkey.

Material And Methods: In this retrospective study, we included relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients who underwent multiple lines of chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was to determine the objective response and toxicity.

Outcome of loco-regional radiotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone acetate.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential benefit of curative radiotherapy (RT) to the primary tumor in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone.

Materials And Methods: The clinical parameters of 106 mCRPC patients treated with abiraterone were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were either oligometastatic (≤5 metastases) at diagnosis or became oligometastatic after the systemic treatment was analyzed.

Does cyclin E and p57 expression have prognostic and survival value in colorectal adenocarcinoma?

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is still one of the main causes of cancer death in the world. There is a continous need for novel biomarkers for diagnose, treatment modalities and follow-up. Cyclin E and p57 as the positive and negative regulators of cell cycle seem to be an important target for investigations.

Genetic polymorphisms in human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene polymorphisms do not associated with breast cancer in patients in a turkish population: hospital-based case-control study.

Breast cancer (BC) is encountered most frequently in developed or developing countries. It is the most common cancer in humans following lung cancer, and it is the most common cancer type resulting in mortality in women. Genetic polymorphisms are among the genetic factors that play an important role in the development of the breast cancer.

Prognostic value of procalcitonin in infection-related mortality of cancer patients.

Purpose: Infectious diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Tumor-induced inflammatory responses may increase the value of classical inflammatory markers in blood, so these markers may not be as useful in cancer patients as in non-cancer patients. Serum procalcitonin (PCT) is a sensitive and specific biomarker for severe infection, and has been shown to be unaffected by tumor-induced inflammatory response.

An old enemy not to be forgotten during PET CT scanning of cancer patients: tuberculosis.

Aim Of The Study: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET CT) scan is commonly used in current medical oncology practice as an imaging method. In this study we present data from cancer patients who were followed at our clinic and suspected of having tuberculosis during PET CT scanning. After the biopsy, they were diagnosed with concomitant tuberculosis.

Polymorphisms in human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene and susceptibility to gastric cancer in a Turkish population: Hospital-based case-control study.

Erosion of telomeres, tandem nucleotide repeats (TTAGGG)n that cap the end of eukaryotic chromosomes, has been related with carcinogenesis. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene is encoded the rate-limiting catalytic subunit of the telomerase complexes, which is essential for the protection of telomeric DNA length and chromosomal stability. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of four functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of hTERT (rs2736109 G>A, rs2735940 T>C, rs2853669 A>G and rs2736100 T>G) on susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC) in Turkish population.

Risk factors for brain metastasis as a first site of disease recurrence in patients with HER2 positive early stage breast cancer treated with adjuvant trastuzumab.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for brain metastasis as the first site of disease recurrence in patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer (EBC) who received adjuvant trastuzumab.

Methods: Medical records of 588 female patients who received 52-week adjuvant trastuzumab from 14 centers were evaluated. Cumulative incidence functions for brain metastasis as the first site of disease recurrence and the effect of covariates on brain metastasis were evaluated in a competing risk analysis and competing risks regression, respectively.

A functional HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism is associated with breast cancer susceptibility and poor clinicopathological characteristics in a Turkish population: a hospital-based case-control study.

Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is pervasively overexpressed and correlated with tumor invasion, progression, metastasis, and poor prognosis in various human cancers including breast cancer (BC) that plays a role as an oncogenic molecule. A common functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs12826786 C>T) at the HOTAIR promoter has been reported to influence HOTAIR expression and gastric adenocarcinoma susceptibility, but relation of HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism with BC susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics has yet to be reported. To explore the association of the HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism with the risk of BC in a Turkish population, a hospital-based case-control study was carried out consisting of 123 BC patients and 122 age-matched healthy controls.

MicroRNA 211 expression is upregulated and associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer: a case-control study.

Increasingly more evidence support the role of the microRNAs (miRNA) in tumorigenesis. The role of up/downregulation microRNA-211 (miR-211) during human tumorigenesis is still contentious and may exhibit tissue-specific regulatory manner, but the exhaustive mechanisms underlying its pro/anti-oncogenic effects remain to be unknown. Sixty-six patients that were diagnosed and operated with colorectal cancer (CRC) and sixty-five healthy cases that were age and sex compatible with them were included in our study.

A functional HOTAIR rs920778 polymorphism does not contributes to gastric cancer in a Turkish population: a case-control study.

An aberrant up-regulation of HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is associated with human cancers including gastric cancer (GC) and worse clinicopathological features. A naturally occurring functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs920,778 (C→T) in the intronic enhancer of HOTAIR gene has been demonstrated to affect HOTAIR expression and cancer susceptibility. To investigate the association of the HOTAIR rs920778 polymorphism on the risk of GC susceptibility in Turkish population, a hospital-based case-control study was carried out consisting of 104 GC and 209 healthy control subjects matched on age and gender.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with vinorelbine plus split-dose cisplatin may be an option in inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a single-center experience.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the current standard treatment for inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study we aimed to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of CCRT with split dose of cisplatin (30 mg/m2) and vinorelbine (20 mg/m2) in patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC followed in our oncology clinic.

Material And Methods: Medical records of 97 patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin-vinorelbine were retrospectively analyzed.

Gemcitabine + platinum combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic cancer who suffer from severe and irreversible hepatic impairment: a single center experience.

There is limited information on chemotherapeutic agent doses suitable for patients with metastatic cancer who suffer from and irreversible hepatic impairment and who could potentially benefit from chemotherapy and on their results. In this retrospective study, we aimed to share our center’s experience of Gemcitabine + Platinum Combination chemotherapy in these patients. Data of 13 patients matching the criteria were analyzed.