Bi-weekly irinotecan is an effective and convenient regimen in the treatment of relapsed or refractory small cell lung cancer.

Background: Despite initial dramatic responses, metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) invariably recurs. Irinotecan is one of the active agents for patients with recurrent SCLC. In the second line, weekly or three-weekly irinotecan regimens have been adopted, however, the optimal dose and schedule is not defined.

Adrenocortical Cancer in the Real World: A Comprehensive Analysis of Clinical Features and Management from the Turkish Oncology Group (TOG).

Introduction: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare yet highly malignant tumor associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study aims to delineate the clinical features, survival patterns, and treatment modalities of ACC, providing insights into the disease's prognosis.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 157 ACC patients was performed to assess treatment methodologies, demographic patterns, pathological and clinical attributes, and laboratory results.

Sonographic Measurements of Rectus Femoris Muscle Thickness Strongly Predict Neutropenia in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

The objective of this study was to explore the possible association between low skeletal muscle mass (SMM)-assessed by computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US)-and hematologic toxicity in cancer patients. A prospective cohort study was conducted in cancer patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy between 2018 and 2020 and who had baseline abdominal CT including L3 level for measuring SMM. Regional muscle measurements were carried out using US.

Seven-Year Single-Center Experience of the Efficacy and Safety of Ferric Carboxymaltose in Cancer Patients with Iron-Deficiency Anemia.

Anemia remains an essential concern affecting the quality of life and the survival of cancer patients. Although there are different approaches to treating anemia in cancer patients, the number of studies reporting the efficacy of iron replacement in cancer patients is limited. In this study, the efficacy and safety of iron carboxymaltose, a parenteral iron treatment option, in the treatment of anemia, were examined retrospectively.

Impact of pharmacist-led educational intervention on pneumococcal vaccination rates in cancer patients: a randomized controlled study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate clinical pharmacist's contribution to the pneumococcal vaccination rate by providing education to cancer patients in hospital settings.

Methods: This study was conducted in 2 tertiary-care hospitals' medical oncology outpatient clinics. Patients over 18 years of age and diagnosed with cancer for less than 2 years, in remission stage, and have not previously received the pneumococcal vaccine were included.

Emerging treatment strategies in hepatobiliary cancer.

Introduction: There have been significant advances in the treatment of hepatobiliary cancers, especially for advanced-stage disease. However, data is limited for optimal therapy selection in the first line and sequencing of available options.

Areas Covered: This review covers the systemic treatment of hepatobiliary cancers with an emphasis on the advanced stage.

Prognosis of Liposarcoma Patients in Modern ERA: Single-Center Experience.

 Liposarcomas are relatively rare tumors. Prognostic and predictive factors and treatment options are limited. We herein presented our 10-year experience with liposarcomas.

Liquid biopsy markers for early diagnosis of brain metastasis patients with breast cancer by metabolomics.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is the second most common cause of cancer related mortality. Metabolomics, the identification of small metabolites, is a technique for determining the amount of these metabolites. This study aimed to identify markers for the early diagnosis of brain metastasis by metabolomic methods in breast cancer patients A total of 88 breast cancer patients with distant metastases were included in the study.

Results of concurrent radiotherapy and immunotherapy in recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancer: A single-center experience.

Objectives: In metastatic and recurrent head and neck cancer (M/R HN-SCC), the median survival is less than a year and locoregional recurrence is the main cause of death. Our aim was to evaluate the results of concurrent stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and immunotherapy (ICI) in these patients.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients diagnosed with M/R HN-SCC were evaluated retrospectively.

Adjuvant treatment with paclitaxel plus trastuzumab for node-negative breast cancer: real-life experience.

In node-negative -overexpressed breast cancers, adjuvant paclitaxel plus trastuzumab treatment is a successful de-escalation approach with excellent survival outcomes. All patients with HER2+ breast cancer treated in our centers were retrospectively reviewed. We analyzed 173 patients who were treated with adjuvant paclitaxel plus trastuzumab.

Evaluation of factors predicting pathologic complete response in locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant pertuzumab, trastuzumab and chemotherapy; Real life data.

Purpose: Recently, neoadjuvant treatment approach has gained importance in locally advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer. Adding pertuzumab increases pathological complete response (pCR). In this study, we aimed to examine the clinicopathologic features that predict the pCR in patients receiving neoadjuvant pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy in locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancer.

Lower prognostic nutritional index is associated with poorer survival in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Blood-based biomarkers like prognostic nutritional index (PNI) are readily available biomarkers for immunotherapy efficacy, although the data are limited. So, we aimed to evaluate the association between PNI and overall survival (OS) in immunotherapy-treated patients. For this retrospective cohort study, data of 150 immunotherapy-treated advanced cancer patients were evaluated.

Pazopanib-induced chylothorax in a patient with renal cell carcinoma.

Pazopanib is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). It is an anti-angiogenic agent, which blocks the activation signaling pathways of tyrosine kinases and prevents the activities of primarily vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR)-2 and VEGFR-3, which are important in lymphangiogenesis. Herein, we report a patient with advanced RCC who developed asymptomatic left-sided chylothorax under pazopanib therapy.

Does Combined Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy Change the Outcome of Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas?

Background Radiotherapy (RT) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has yielded good responses in many cancers. We aimed to report the results of combined fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and ICI in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma. Methodology Patients were treated with FSRT and nivolumab which were continued until progression or toxicity.

Real-life comparison of the afatinib and first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors in nonsmall cell lung cancer harboring EGFR exon 19 deletion: a Turk Oncology Group (TOG) study.

Background: The new second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have superior survival outcome and worse toxicity profile when compared with first-generation TKIs according to the results of clinical trials. However, there are limited studies that investigate the efficacy and safety of the new generation TKIs in real-world patients. Thus, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the afatinib, an irreversible inhibitor of ErbB family receptor, and first-generation TKIs in real-world patients.

COVID-19 pandemic: changes in cancer admissions.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic could create a collateral damage to cancer care denoting disruptions in care due to a significant burden on healthcare and resource allocations. Herein, we evaluate the early changes in the inpatient and outpatient oncology clinics to take a snapshot of this collateral damage at Hacettepe University Cancer Institute.

Methods: Patients applying the outpatient clinic and outpatient palliative care (OPC) clinic for the first time and patients admitted to inpatient wards in the first 30 days after the first case of COVID-19 in Turkey were evaluated.

Cancer incidence in Behçet's disease.

Background: Previous studies demonstrated an increased cancer risk in autoimmune diseases. Behçet's disease (BD) was also reported to be associated with an increased risk of cancer, although the data is limited.

Aims: In this study, we aimed to assess cancer incidence in a large cohort of BD patients and to compare with the data of the same age and gender groups.

Gut microbiota and cancer immunotherapy: prognostic and therapeutic implications.

The immune checkpoint inhibitors have opened new horizons in oncology. Although the indications for the use of Immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients are expanding, there is still a need for markers that can aid in patient selection. Gastrointestinal microbiota can be among these markers.

Complete responses to two different anti-PD1 agents in a metastatic melanoma patient.

In the last decade, immune checkpoint inhibitors changed the landscape of metastatic melanoma. However, the optimal duration of treatment and treatment cessation in responders is largely unknown. Herein, we represent a heavily pretreated metastatic melanoma case who had a complete response to pembrolizumab and also a complete response with nivolumab after progression during drug-free follow-up.

Evaluation of cancer risk in patients with periodontal diseases.

Background/aim: In this study, we aimed to assess the cancer risk among patients with periodontal disease.

Materials And Methods: Patients diagnosed with periodontal diseases at Hacettepe University between 2007 and 2012 were included and data on the diagnosis of any cancer after periodontal disease were collected from patient files. The age- and sex-standardized incidence rates (SIRs) were calculated using Turkish National Cancer Registry 2013 data.

Exploiting DNA repair defects in breast cancer: from chemotherapy to immunotherapy.

: Impaired DNA damage response (DDR) and subsequent genomic instability are associated with the carcinogenic process itself, but it also results in sensitivity of tumor cells to certain drugs and can be exploited to treat cancer by inducing deadly mutations or mitotic catastrophe. Exploiting DDR defects in breast cancer cells has been one of the main strategies in both conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapies, or immunotherapies. : In this review, the authors first discuss DDR mechanisms in healthy cells and DDR defects in breast cancer, then focus on current therapies and developments in the treatment of DDR-deficient breast cancer.