Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Less than half of cases are diagnosed when the cancer is locally advanced. CRC is a heterogenous disease associated with a number of genetic or somatic mutations.

Changes in plasma levels of cholecystokinin, neurotensin, VIP and PYY in gastric and colorectal cancer - Preliminary results.

Physiological roles of enterohormones such as secretion, absorption and digestion were supported by clinical data. Overexpression of cholecystokinin (CCK), neurotensin (NT) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors occur in gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. The aim of the paper was to compare plasma levels of CCK, peptide YY (PYY), VIP and NT in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies and healthy controls.

Association between gastric myoelectric activity disturbances and dyspeptic symptoms in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Purpose: Dyspeptic symptoms present a severe problem in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients. The aim of the study was to analyze an association between gastric myoelectric activity changes and dyspeptic symptoms in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Material And Methods: The study included 80 patients (37 men and 43 women, mean age 61.

Oxaliplatin treatment and peripheral nerve damage in cancer patients: A Polish cohort study.

Introduction: Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is the single main dose-limiting factor in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The degree of neurotoxicity may be either acute and reversible or observed as cumulative and chronic peripheral nerve damage leading to peripheral neuropathy (PNP), walking difficulties, extremity hypersensitivity, tingling and numbness, and increased pain sensation.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to determine and compare the ratio of clinical versus subclinical PNP cases in colorectal patients who underwent oxaliplatin treatment.

Autonomic dysregulation in colon cancer patients.

To the best of our knowledge, only two studies analyzed the relationship between HRV and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in colon cancer patients. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in the autonomic activity of colon cancer patients using heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) measures, and to verify if HRV and BPV parameters correlate with hemodynamic indices in this group and the plasma levels of CEA. Presence of colon cancer is associated with changes in autonomic activity, namely parasympathetic-sympathetic imbalance in form of sympathetic overdrive.

Sunitinib-induced hypothyroidism predicts progression-free survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients.

Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used in treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), gastrointestinal stromal tumors and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. One of the most common side effects related to sunitinib is hypothyroidism. Recent trials suggest correlation between the incidence of hypothyroidism and treatment outcome in patients treated with TKI.

Synchronous extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma/PNET and gallbladder carcinoma: a case report and literature review.

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) and primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) are now considered to be the same tumour and usually occur in long bones. Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma is an extremely rare neoplasm, accounting for 1% of soft tissue sarcomas, with most common location in the thorax. Gallbladder cancer (GBC) represents the most common type among the biliary tract cancers with a poor prognosis even among patients undergoing aggressive therapy.

Chemotherapy-induced neuropathies-a growing problem for patients and health care providers.

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced neuropathies are one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, surpassing bone marrow suppression and kidney dysfunction. Chemotherapy effects on the nervous system vary between different classes of drugs and depend on specific chemical and physical properties of the drug used. The three most neurotoxic classes of anti-cancer drugs are: platinum-based drugs, taxanes, and thalidomide and its analogs; other, less neurotoxic but also commonly used drugs are: bortezomib, ixabepilone, and vinca alkaloids.

Evaluation of health-related quality of life and its main influencing factors in a Polish population of patients with bone metastases.

Purpose: Regardless of cancer type, the skeleton is one of the most common sites for cancer spread. Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) can be considered a primary endpoint in clinical trials concerning cancer patients with palliative disease. The proper measurement of this endpoint requires valid and reliable instruments.

Macrocytosis during sunitinib treatment predicts progression-free survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Sunitinib, a multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in patients in 'low' and 'intermediate' Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Heng risk groups. Disruptions of hematopoiesis, such as anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia, are typically observed during sunitinib treatment. When it comes to RBC parameters, an increase in mean cell volume (MCV) tends to occur, meeting the criteria for macrocytosis in some patients (MCV > 100 fL).

Bradycardia as a rare symptom of cisplatin cardiotoxicity: A case report.

Cisplatin (DDP) is one of the most frequently used chemotherapeutic agents, and has a characteristic toxicity profile. For DDP, complications affecting the cardiovascular system, which are typical for certain other agents, are rare; however, their occurrence may lead to life-threatening conditions. To the best of our knowledge, there are few reported cases of DDP-induced bradycardia in the relevant medical literature.

Better compliance with the guidelines on hand-foot syndrome in patients treated with capecitabine in colorectal and breast cancer as a result of nursing education.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to test nursing educational intervention as a method of managing with handfoot syndrome in patients treated with capecitabine in an Eastern European setting.

Design And Methods: 43 females and 49 males with colorectal and breast cancer and were treated with capecitabine monotherapy or polychemotherapy with completion of at least one cycle were enrolled for this trial in the Department of Oncology University Hospital in Krakow, between January 2011 and December 2014.

Results: Patients who were in contact with their oncology nurses and followed the recommendations had a fiftyfold lower risk of developing hand-foot syndrome G2 or G3.

Oncological emergencies: tumor lysis syndrome.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) occurs as a result of massive lysis of malignant cells and release of intracellular contents into the systemic circulation. It can lead to hyperuricaemia, hyperkalaemia, hyperphosphataemia and hypocalcaemia. TLS is most commonly present after initiation of anticancer therapy but it can also develop spontaneously (STLS--spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome).

Assessment of skin-related toxicity in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) blocking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway, such as cetuximab, have been widely used in recent years for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the profile of the side effects of cetuximab affecting the skin and its appendages. We gathered the medical records on skin-related toxicity in 46 patients treated with cetuximab for mCRC in the Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital in Krakow in 2009-2013.

Pilot Testing and Preliminary Psychometric Validation of the Polish Translation of the EORTC INFO25 Questionnaire: Validation of the Polish version of INFO25-pilot study.

The quality of information that oncological patients receive from health care professionals is an underestimated issue in Poland and Eastern European countries. There is lack of sufficient data on this subject. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) supplies a new tool for measuring the quality of information provided to cancer patients.

Oncological emergencies: increased intracranial pressure in solid tumours' metastatic brain disease.

Increased intracranial pressure due to metastatic brain disease is one of the oncological emergencies. It may cause herniation or insufficient brain blood flow, thus it is a life-threatening condition. This article focuses on diagnostic and treatment options, which should be introduced immediately.

Oncological emergencies: superior vena cava syndrome.

Superior vena cava obstruction leads to the venous hypertension of the head, neck, upper extremities and upper part of the truncus. Its clinical manifestation, known as the superior vena cava syndrome, is a complication of malignancy, mainly of lung cancer and lymphoma. As it usually affects patients with advanced disease, the prognosis is poor.

Oncological emergencies: syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH).

Excessive secretion of vasopressin in the course of Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion is a common cause of hyponatremia in cancer patients. Clinical symptoms depend on the cause, rate of change of sodium level and their absolute values. Treatment options include fluid restrictions, intravenous administration of hypertonic sodium chloride solutions, loop diuretics and vaptans.

The Use of Sorafenib in the Thyroid Cancer.

There are not effective therapies for metastatic unresectable, non-RAI-avid thyroid carcinomas. Fortunately, thyroid carcinomas represent a promising paradigm for targeted therapy due to the presence of activing mutations of genes coding the kinase tyrosines which are involved in all functions of cancer cells (such as: growth or invasion). In this paper an efficacy and toxicity of sorafenib, one of the multi-kinase inhibitors in thyroid carcinomas treatment is presented.

[PARP inhibitors and their role in the therapy of triple-negative metastatic breast cancer].

Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm among women. The risk of disease increases with age, particularly in postmenopausal period. The method of treatment depends on the stage of disease, state of receptors and molecular subtype.

Hypothyroidism during treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are relatively new targeted therapy drugs used for the treatment of metastatic clear cell kidney carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumours, thyroid carcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours during the progression of the disease. Hypothyroidism or thyroid dysfunction is often a side effect of this treatment. Therefore, monitoring of thyroid hormone levels before the beginning and during the treatment of tyrosine kinase inhibitors is a necessity.

Renal carcinoma metachronous metastases to the gall-bladder and pancreas--case report.

Renal carcinoma metastases to the gastrointestinal tract are seldom reported in medical literature. The study presented a case of a 76-year old female patient who underwent nephrectomy, due to T2N0M0 clear cell renal carcinoma and was additionally diagnosed with two metachronous metastases to the gall-bladder and pancreas. Abdominal ultrasound performed 32 months after nephrectomy demonstrated the presence of cholelithiasis and gall-bladder polyp.

Cardiological adverse events after oncological treatment in women.

Cardiological adverse events after oncological treatment are related to given drugs and patients. Cardiotoxicity is more often observed in the female population. The reason for this phenomenon is unknown.

Radiotherapy in the treatment of Graves ophthalmopathy-to do it or not?

To the objective of this study is to evaluate the role and toxicity of radiotherapy in the treatment of Graves ophthalmopathy. In the years 2000-2003, 121 patients with malignant exophthalmos were treated with radiotherapy of the retrobulbar area to the total dose of 20 Gy in ten fractions with a 6 MeV photon beam. The treatment was performed by the team of the Clinic of Oncology of the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Cracow.