Capacity building on new palliative care services.

Palliative care in cancer has always been an important issue in low and middle income countries. In many occasions most resources have been devoted to expensive treatments although palliative and supportive care approaches are very important. Turkey, as a country, has been trying to take the necessary steps to organise palliative care.

Psychosexual and body image aspects of quality of life in Turkish breast cancer patients: a comparison of breast conserving treatment and mastectomy.

Aims And Background: Assessing psychosexual and body image aspects of quality of life in Turkish breast cancer patients treated by either mastectomy or breast conserving treatment (BCT).

Methods: The study group consisted of 112 patients who had undergone all treatment at a single institution under the care of a multidisciplinary breast team. Following surgery, all patients underwent adjuvant radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Depression and anxiety levels in woman under follow-up for breast cancer: relationship to coping with cancer and quality of life.

Aim: The relation of anxiety and depression levels with characteristics of coping with the disease and quality of life were evaluated in women under follow-up for breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Patients who had presented to the breast cancer polyclinics for follow-up were evaluated. The Beck Depression and the State-Trait Anxiety inventories were used in the evaluation of depression and anxiety levels.

Importance of patient, tumour and treatment related factors on quality of life in head and neck cancer patients after definitive treatment.

The purpose of this study is to assess patient, tumour and treatment related factors on quality of life (QoL) outcomes of patients who received definitive or postoperative radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy for head and neck (H&N) cancer. In this cross-sectional study, 110 H&N cancer patients were evaluated in follow-up visit and were asked to fill out the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C-30) and H&N Module (QLQ-H&N35). Patients were also graded for their late side effects using EORTC/RTOG scoring system.

Patterns of care for lung cancer in radiation oncology departments of Turkey.

Purpose: To determine the patterns of care for lung cancer in Turkish radiation oncology centers.

Methods And Materials: Questionnaire forms from 21 of 24 (87.5%) centers that responded were evaluated.

Assessment of treatment-related thyroid dysfunction in patients with head and neck cancer.

Objective: To assess thyroid dysfunction in head and neck cancer patients who have received external beam radiotherapy according to radiotherapy fields and dose, tumor site and other local or systemic treatments retrospectively and prospectively and propose a follow-up schedule.

Material And Methods: A total of 378 patients was classified into two groups. Group I (n = 345) consisted of surgically treated 153 laryngeal, 80 nasopharyngeal and 112 oral cavity/oropharyngeal carcinoma patients; these patients were evaluated retrospectively for treatment-related thyroid dysfunction using their data files.

The impact of treatment center on the outcome of patients with laryngeal cancer treated with surgery and radiotherapy.

For laryngeal cancer, surgical excision of the primary tumor should be undertaken with the aim of achieving tumor-free margins. Adequate pathological assessment of the specimen and the competency of the treatment center play a crucial role in achieving cure. The present study aimed to analyze the significance of place of surgery on the outcome of patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent surgical operation in other centers and were subsequently referred to Doküz Eylul University Head and Neck Tumour Group (DEHNTG) for postoperative irradiation.

The variability of applicator position among high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy applications in cervical cancer patients treated with ring & tandem applicators.

Objective: To evaluate the interindividual and intraindividual applicator position variability in high dose rate ring and tandem intracavitary brachytherapy applications in locally advanced cervical cancer.

Patients And Methods: Eight patients with locally advanced cervical cancer formed the study population. They had been treated in Dokuz Eylül University Department of Radiation Oncology between the years 2000 and 2005 with high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy using ring and tandem applicators.

The effect of socioeconomic factors on quality of life after treatment in patients with head and neck cancer.

Purpose: To determine the effect of socioeconomic factors on quality of life (QoL) after treatment in patients with head and neck carcinoma (HNC).

Patients And Methods: The study population included 50 HNC patients seen in their control examinations after radiotherapy during a 2-month interval and who were willing to complete the Short-Form 36 QoL questionnaire. Socioeconomic, demographic, and tumor- and treatment-related factors were analyzed for their effect on physical component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS) using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Prognostic factors in early glottic carcinoma implications for treatment.

Aim: In this study we aimed to determine the prognostic factors affecting local control (LC) in limited glottic carcinoma treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT).

Material And Methods: Between June 1991 and December 2001, 114 patients with early squamous-cell carcinoma of the glottis were treated with definitive RT at our institution. Only four (3.

The importance of extracapsular extension of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of extracapsular extension (ECE) of axillary lymph node metastases in 221 patients with axillary lymph node-positive, T1-T2 breast cancer treated at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology.

Patients And Methods: The clinical records of patients with axillary node-positive, pathological stage II-III breast cancer examined at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, between 1991-1999 were reviewed. All patients underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or wide excision with axillary node dissection.

Training logbook for radiotherapy.

Aim: To develop a structured logbook for trainees in the medical specialty of radiotherapy with Europe that records the increasing experience throughout their training period.

Material And Methods: A working party appointed by the European Board of Radiotherapy developed a draft version of a European logbook for trainees in radiotherapy. For development, the update European Core Curriculum for Radiotherapists (Radiation Oncologists) was taken into consideration.

Experience of the Izmir Pediatric Oncology Group on Neuroblastoma: IPOG-NBL-92 Protocol.

This multicentric study aimed to bring neuroblastoma patients together under IPOG-NBL-92 protocol and evaluate the results within the period between 1992 and 2001 in Izmir. Sixty-seven neuroblastoma patients from 4 pediatric oncology centers in Izmir were included in the study. IPOG-NBL-92 protocol modified from German Pediatric Oncology (GPO)-NB-90 protocol was applied: Patients in stage 1 received only surgery, while surgery plus 4 chemotherapy courses (cisplatin, vincristine, ifosfamide) were given in stage 2 and surgery plus 6 chemotherapy courses (cisplatin, vincristine, ifosfamide, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide) were given in stages 3 and 4 patients.

Turkish people's knowledge of cancer and attitudes toward prevention and treatment.

Background: The basic level of cancer knowledge of the population is as important in controlling cancer as diagnostic tools, screening, and new approaches to prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 24 questions was given to 630 healthy Turkish people to determine their basic knowledge and attitudes regarding cancer.

Results: The majority of respondents (78%) were found to have little knowledge of cancer despite the fact that the average level of education of the sample was superior to that of the general population.