Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer patients with early cytokine intolerance: TURCOS, a Turkish national, prospective observational study.

Objective: Cytokines have been the mainstay of treatment in metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) for decades before the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape in these patients. This observational study was designed to evaluate use of TKIs in the treatment of cytokine-intolerant mRCC patients.

Methods: A total of 151 cytokine-intolerant mRCC patients who were treated with TKIs (sunitinib, pazopanib and sorafenib) were enrolled in this prospective, non-interventional, multi-center observational study at 16 oncology centers across Turkey.

A metastatic histiocytic sarcoma case with primary involvement of the tonsil.

Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an extremely rare and aggressive hematopoietic tumor. Although it can be seen at any anatomic location, the most common primary sites are skin as extranodal region, locations including the lymph nodes and gastrointestinal tract. To the best of our knowledge, in light of PubMed search, this is the first primary tonsillar HS case presented with disseminated metastases at the time of diagnosis.

Safety and efficacy of regorafenib in patients with treatment-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer in Turkey: the single-arm, open-label REGARD study.

Objectives: Regorafenib improved overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) refractory to standard therapies in two randomised, phase III trials, but has not been evaluated in Turkey. REGARD evaluated the safety and efficacy of regorafenib in Turkish patients with treatment-refractory mCRC.

Design: Open-label, single-arm, phase IIIb study conducted between July 2013 and April 2015.

Efficacy and toxicity of sorafenib in the treatment of advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate and summarize the treatment efficacy and adverse effects (AEs) of sorafenib in the treatment of metastatic medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs).

Methods: We included studies reporting the treatment efficacy or drug toxicity of sorafenib as a single therapeutic agent in MTCs. Pooled incidence and its 95% confidence interval (CI) for complete response, partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and sorafenib-related AEs were calculated using random-effect model.

Hepatitis B and C rates are significantly increased in certain solid tumors: A large retrospective study.

Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality among cancer patients who received cytotoxic chemotherapy. The aim of current study was to elucidate the prevalence of HBV and HCV among large population of solid cancers and lymphoma and to compare them with large number of control group.

Patients And Methods: Between 2000 and 2014, 8322 cancer patients who were admitted to Oncology Departments were evaluated retrospectively and 3890 patients in whom hepatitis serology were available were included in this study.

Lobular breast cancer metastasis to uterus during adjuvant tamoxifen treatment: A case report and review of the literature.

Tamoxifen plays a critical role in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Despite these great benefits against breast cancer, tamoxifen increases the risk of endometrial pathologies such as endometrial hyperplasia, polyp, and neoplasms because of agonistic effect on endometrial tissues. Therefore, gynecologic follow-up should be carried out during tamoxifen treatment.

Effectiveness and Safety of LMWH Treatment in Patients With Cancer Diagnosed With Non-High-Risk Venous Thromboembolism: Turkish Observational Study (TREBECA).

We compared the efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) in patients with cancer who are at low risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Patients were treated by medical oncologists in Turkey at 15 sites, where they were enrolled and followed up for a period of 12 months. Due to the study design, there was no specific treatment protocol for LMWH.

A case of membranous glomerulopathy associated with lung cancer and review of the literature.

Membraneous nephropathy (MN) is the most commonly occurring nephrotic syndrome in adults as well as the most common paraneoplastic nephropathy associated with solid tumors, and it is mostly associated with gastrointestinal system and lung carcinomas. Accurate diagnosis is important as the treatment of paraneoplastic glomerulonephritis is very varied from that of idiopathic ones. In the current report, a case of a patient that was referred with proteinuria and edema and was diagnosed with lung cancer, and responded markedly to treatment of malignancy, with improvement of MN, is presented.

Renal cell cancer: overview of the current therapeutic landscape.

Introduction: The last decade has witnessed dramatic improvements in the diagnosis, classification and treatment of renal cell cancer (RCC). Besides improvements in surgical techniques in early stages, introduction of novel targeted agents has resulted in improved outcomes in advanced RCC for which no effective treatment existed until recently.

Areas Covered: This article reviews epidemiology, pathology and pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical staging, prognostic factors and treatment modalities of early stage and advanced RCC.

Multicenter experience of adult medulloblastoma: A study of Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology (ASMO).

Purpose: Medulloblastoma (MB) is rarely seen in adults. For adjuvant therapy in adults the same therapy protocols used in pediatric cases are used. The present study retrospectively evaluated the data of MB patients who were treated in different Oncology Centers in Turkey.

Crizotinib-induced toxicity in an experimental rat model.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of crizotinib on visceral organs in an experimental rat model.

Methods: Eighteen Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: experimental toxicity was induced with crizotinib (10 mg/kg) administered for 28 days (Group 1), 42 days (Group 2) orally by gavage. Control group received only distilled water.

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.

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the posterior tongue.

In the head and neck mucosa, neuroendocrine carcinomas of the oral cavity is rare. Herein, we present the first report of a small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in a 54-year-old man on the right lateral posterior tongue. It is important to remember that although neuroendocrine small cell carcinomas (SCCs) are most commonly seen in the lung, they rarely may arise in the extrapulmonary sites, including salivary glands, as well.

Liver metastases from adenocarcinomas of unknown primary site: management and prognosis in 68 consecutive patients.

Background: In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients presenting with liver metastases from unknown primary site besides survival rates, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors.

Methods: In all, 68 patients followed-up at our center with adenocarcinoma of unknown primary (ACUP) metastatic to the liver between 2005 and 2013 were enrolled. All of the liver metastases were proven by liver biopsy and all yielded diagnosis of adenocarcinoma.

Impact of adjuvant treatment modalities on survival outcomes in curatively resected pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma.

Background: We examined the impact of adjuvant modalities on resected pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma (PAC).

Methods: A total of 563 patients who were curatively resected for PAC were retrospectively analyzed between 2003 and 2013.

Results: Of 563 patients, 472 received adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) alone, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) alone, and chemoradiotherapy plus chemotherapy (CRT-CT) were analyzed.

Clinical Significance of HER2 Overexpression in Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancers.

Background: In this study, we investigated the rate of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression in gastric (GC) and gastroesophageal junction cancers (GEJCs) and the relationship with HER2 expression and clinical, pathological parameters and prognosis.

Methods: Surgery or biopsy specimen of 598 (436 males, 162 females) patients with GC or GEJC was evaluated for the presence of HER2 overexpression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods.

Results: HER2 IHC scores were as follows: 418 (69.

Adult Urological Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Multicenter Study of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology (ASMO).

Objective: To analyze clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors and survival rates of the patients with urological soft tissue sarcomas treated and followed up in Turkey.

Materials And Methods: For overall survival analyses the Kaplan-Meier method was used. From medical records, nine prognostic factors on overall survival were analysed.

The impact of immunohistochemical staining with ezrin-carbonic anhydrase IX and neuropilin-2 on prognosis in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

The identification of prognostic factors in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents an area of increasing interest. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the prognostic role of carbonic anhydrase-IX, ezrin, and neuropilin in metastatic RCC patients. The expression of several biomarkers were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 45 patients with advanced stage RCC treated with second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after failure of interferon-alpha between January 2007 and June 2012.

Factors predicting the development of distant metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A retrospective study from a single centre.

Purpose: The presence of distant metastases (DMs) after the initial treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is associated with a poor outcome. The incidence of DMs in head and neck cancer is about 4-26%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of distant metastases and the factors predicting the development of DMs.

Factors Influencing Chemotherapy Goal Perception in Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients.

Cancer patients who start receiving chemotherapy have difficulty in understanding the state of their disease, the prognosis, and the purpose of treatment. We used a survey to evaluate the extent of perception of chemotherapy goal among cancer patients. Two hundred sixteen cancer patients who received chemotherapy for the first time participated in the study.

Discordances in HER2 status between primary gastric cancer and corresponding metastatic sites.

Objective: Determination of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status in advanced gastric cancer is important in clinical decision making. In the trastuzumab for GC trial, trastuzumab-based therapy demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive advanced gastric cancer. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 discordance in gastric cancer primary and its metastases has been long debated.