A response to: Artificial immortalization, number of therapy lines, and survival of patients with advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

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Renal metastasis of gastric cancer caused acute kidney injury which resulted with hemodialysis: case report and literature review.

Gastric cancer ranks fourth among the most commonly diagnosed cancers, with over a million new cases diagnosed worldwide each year. Acute and chronic kidney damage are common in patients with malignant diseases and are associated with increased risk of complications and mortality. Rarely, acute renal insufficiency may result from bilateral infiltration of renal parenchyma by tumor cells from another organ.

Impact of the number of therapy lines on survival in advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma - a real-world retrospective analysis from Croatia.

The aim of the study was to conduct a retrospective database analysis to understand the current treatment patterns and outcomes to plan potential improvements in therapy delivery and patient selection. The electronic patient medical records of 225 patients with advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma treated at two Croatian high-volume tertiary centers from January 2018 to December 2021 were analyzed. Patients ineligible for chemotherapy (66 of 291, 22.

Long-term follow-up of complete remission in a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib: a case report.

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for approximately 90% of primary liver cancer and can be caused by well-known risk factors, including infection with hepatitis B and C viruses, alcohol intake, and metabolic syndrome. The overall prognosis remains poor with a median survival of 1 year for symptomatic advanced-stage cases treated with systemic therapies.

Case Description: In July 2020, a 73-year-old male patient presented at our institution with mild abdominal pain and an attack of intense cold.

Predicting Trifluridine/Tipiracil Treatment Outcomes in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Exploratory Analysis.

Introduction: There are no recommended biomarkers to identify patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who would benefit the most from trifluridine/tipiracil (TTP). The exploratory analysis of the RECOURSE trial revealed that patients with low tumor burden and indolent disease derive greater benefit in terms of both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Nevertheless, the final answer on the TTP real impact on the well-being of patients with late-stage mCRC will come from real-world data.

Analysis of the Gut Microbiome and Dietary Habits in Metastatic Melanoma Patients with a Complete and Sustained Response to Immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy has improved the prognosis of metastatic melanoma patients, although most patients do not achieve a complete response. While specific gut microbiome and dietary habits might influence treatment success, there is a lack of concordance between the studies, potentially due to dichotomizing patients only into responders and non-responders. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether metastatic melanoma patients with complete and sustained response to immunotherapy exhibit differences in gut microbiome composition among themselves, and whether those differences were associated with specific dietary habits.

Differences in Outcomes Between Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients in Upper Middle-Income versus High-Income Countries: A Retrospective Study from 4 Oncology Centers.

BACKGROUND Therapeutic options for human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) are developing rapidly. This study aimed to determine the differences in the survival outcomes of patients with HER2-positive mBC in relation to access to anti-HER therapy at 3 oncology centers in upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) and 1 oncology center in a high-income country (HIC). MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively identified 42 patients from Croatia (HIC), 71 patients from Serbia (UMIC), and 57 from Bosnia and Herzegovina (UMIC) diagnosed with HER2-positive mBC who were treated between January 2015 and December 2020.

Correlation between psychological resilience and burnout syndrome in oncologists amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Purpose: Oncologists are predisposed to developing burnout syndrome. Like other health care professionals worldwide, oncologists have endured additional, extreme challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Psychological resilience presents a potential protective mechanism against burnout.

genotyping and predicting fluoropyrimidine toxicity: where do we stand?

Fluoropyrimidines (FPs) are antineoplastic drugs widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors. Nearly 30% of patients treated with FP chemotherapy experience severe FP-related toxicity, and in some cases, toxicity can be fatal. Patients with reduced activity of DPD, the main enzyme responsible for the breakdown of FP, are at an increased risk of experiencing severe FP-related toxicity.

The effectiveness of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and gemcitabine monotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment: A real-world evidence.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies with a rise in mortality rates. FOLFIRINOX and nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine demonstrated a survival benefit compared to gemcitabine alone. Both protocols are now considered the standard of first-line treatment with no significant difference between them, primarily based on observational studies.

The First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on the Level of Distress in Patients with Breast Cancer, a Multicentric Study.

Background: Information on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), later termed coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first emerged by the end of 2019. As the pandemic spread, cancer patients were immediately recognized as a high-risk population with regard to COVID-19 infection. Moreover, epidemiological measures, like social distancing and lockdowns, additionally burdened patients with cancer.

Unlocking Access to Broad Molecular Profiling: Benefits, Barriers, and Policy Solutions.

Objectives: "Personalized healthcare" is generating new approaches to disease management by considering inter-individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. Technologies such as comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) are drivers of this shift. Here, we address the significant hurdles to the equitable implementation of CGP into routine clinical practice.

DPYD polymorphisms c.496A>G, c.2194G>A and c.85T>C and risk of severe adverse drug reactions in patients treated with fluoropyrimidine-based protocols.

Aims: Cancer patients with reduced dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity are at increased risk of severe fluoropyrimidine (FP)-related adverse events (AE). Guidelines recommend FP dosing adjusted to genotype-predicted DPD activity based on four DPYD variants (rs3918290, rs55886062, rs67376798 and rs56038477). We evaluated the relationship between three further DPYD polymorphisms: c.

Precision Oncology in Metastatic Uterine Cancer; Croatian First-Year Experience of the Comprehensive Genomic Profiling in Everyday Clinical Practice.

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) is gradually becoming an inevitable part of the everyday oncology clinical practice. The interpretation and optimal implementation of the results is one of the hot topics of modern-day oncology. According to the recent findings, uterine cancer harbors a high level of gene alterations but is still insufficiently explored.

Impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic on cancer care in Croatia: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected the oncology community worldwide. Lockdowns, an epidemiological measure, have made it difficult for oncologists to provide care. In this study, we analysed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Croatian cancer care.

Gastric cancer detection using the serum pepsinogen test method.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is the eighth most common cause of cancer deaths in Croatia and one of the most common causes of cancer deaths worldwide. A reliable diagnostic tool for the early detection of GC is essential.

Objective: We previously suggested a pepsinogen test method to reduce the mortality from GC by allowing early detection.

Frequency of Body Weight Loss is an Independent Prognostic Factor of First-Line Treatment Outcomes in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

One of the main features of wasting in cancer is an involuntary weight loss which is most pronounced in gastrointestinal tract tumors and leads to worse clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to analyze the frequency of body weight loss (FBWL) as an additional prognostic factor in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).In this observational, single-center study, data were retrieved for 236 patients treated for mCRC.

Prognostic value of circulating Bcl-2 and anti-p53 antibodies in patients with breast cancer: A long term follow-up (17.5 years).

Background: Apoptosis inhibition is a major tumorigenic factor. Bcl-2 dysregulation and TP53 mutation status, which may correlate with autoantibody generation, contribute to impaired apoptosis.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of circulating Bcl-2 and anti-p53 antibodies (p53Abs) in a 17.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis associated with sorafenib treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Small-vessel vasculitis is an uncommon diagnosis associated with many causes, including certain medication. Characteristic findings are immune complex deposition, vessel wall damage, and erythrocyte extravasation. We present a case of a 77-year-old man with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who was treated with sorafenib.

Effect of Rifampicin on the Pharmacokinetics of a Single Dose of Vemurafenib in Patients With BRAF Mutation-Positive Metastatic Malignancy.

Vemurafenib prolongs survival in patients with BRAF -mutated advanced melanoma. In vitro studies show cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 is involved in vemurafenib metabolism, but the effect of strong inducers or inhibitors of CYP3A4 on vemurafenib exposure in vivo is unknown. This phase 1, open-label, multicenter study evaluated the effect of rifampicin, a CYP3A4 inducer, on the pharmacokinetics of single-dose vemurafenib in 27 patients with BRAF mutation-positive metastatic malignancy.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance-Experience from Croatian Referral Centre for Chronic Liver Diseases.

Purpose: For patients at high-risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), biannual ultrasound surveillance has long been recommended, in order to detect the tumor in the early, potentially curative stages. However, globally reported HCC surveillance rates vary greatly, ranging from as low as 1.7 to as high as 80%.

[CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND MONITORING OF PATIENTS WITH INVASIVE BREAST CANCER--CROATIAN ONCOLOGY SOCIETY].

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It can be diagnosed in early stage through screening, early detection and educational programs, and when diagnosed early it can be efficiently treated. Treatment modalities include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy and targeted biologic therapy, according to the stage of the disease and patient condition.

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumour arising in Meckel's diverticulum coexisting with colon adenocarcinoma.

Although colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, the prevalence of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETs) remains rare. To date, very few cases of GEP-NETs within Meckel's diverticulum and synchronous colorectal cancer have been reported. Although the coexistence of these two tumour types is uncommon, it is important to be aware of their disease patterns.

Fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan combined with intra-arterial hepatic infusion of drug-eluting beads preloaded with irinotecan in unresectable colorectal liver metastases: side effects and results of a concomitant treatment schedule. Clinical investigation.

Aim: Safety evaluation of concomitant systemic chemotherapy and liver chemoembolization in patients with colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Seven patients with metastases confined to the liver were included and stratified into two groups, depending of dosage of systemic chemotherapy. The first group received systemic chemotherapy (FOLFIRI) with 20% dose reduction, and the second group received the full dose of the same chemotherapy.