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Objective: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the long term is unclear. We evaluated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)–related transmission fear and mental-health disorders in populations at high risk for COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Healthcare workers and patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs), severe asthma, malignancy, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were included in the study. The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Fear of Illness and Virus Evaluation (FIVE) scales were applied during face-to-face interviews. Results: There was a total of 560 participants, 80 per group; 306 (55%) were female. The FIVE and HADS-A scale scores of health care workers were significantly higher than the other groups (p = 0.001 and 0.006). The second-highest scores were in patients with PID. There was no significant difference between the groups in HADS-D scores (p = 0.07). There was a significant positive correlation between FIVE scale scores and anxiety (r = 0.828; p < 0.001) and depression (r = 0.660; p < 0.001). The FIVE scale had significant discriminatory power for anxiety (AUC = 0.870, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.836–0.904; p < 0.0001) and depression (area under the curve = 0.760, 95% CI = 0.717–0.803; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental-health disorders may develop in patients with comorbidities, especially healthcare workers. They should be referred to mental-health centers. Keywords: Asthma, COVID-19, fear of virus transmission, mental health, primary immunodeficiency

Introduction Pazopanib is an agent that is being successfully used in soft tissue sarcomas. Some endocrine side effects may develop during pazopanib treatment. Here, we presented a case diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency while being investigated for etiology of hypoglycemia which developed after pazopanib. Case report A 69-year-old male patient was operated in June 2019 due to a lung mass 26 × 18 × 10 cm in size. Pathological diagnosis revealed a solitary fibrous tumor with malignant behavior. The patient received three lines of chemotherapy. After pazopanib treatment, a hypoglycemic attack was reported. Management and outcome: Blood cortisol and ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic hormone) levels were not increased at the time of the hypoglycemic attack, and levels of other pituitary hormones were found to be normal. Electrolyte levels were in normal range. Since the counteracting hormone did not reach a sufficient level, it was considered secondary adrenal insufficiency. Hypoglycemic attacks did not occur during follow-up while taking steroid therapy and pazopanib. Discussion A single case of primary adrenal insufficiency has been reported in the literature. We here present a case who developed hypoglycemia after pazopanib and was diagnosed with drug-associated secondary adrenal insufficiency. When hypoglycemia develops during pazopanib treatment, we must be aware of adrenal insufficiency.

Introduction Regorafenib, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a routinely used targeted agent in the current treatment of patients with refractory metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC). The aims of this study were to detect the presence of bowel wall edema during regorafenib treatment via computed tomography (CT) and to assess the relationship between survival and regorafenib-induced bowel wall edema in patients with mCRC receiving regorafenib. Patients and methods We retrospectively evaluated the presence of bowel wall edema on CT of 25 mCRC patients who received regorafenib and analyzed its relationship with progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results Among the 25 patients, 25 had small bowel wall edema (SBWE) and 14 had large bowel wall edema (LBWE) on at least one CT examination. The median SBWE value was 4.85 milimeters (mm). Of the 25 patients, 14 had SBWE ≤4.85 mm and 11 had SBWE >4.85 mm. Regorafenib intolerance was significantly higher at SBWE >4.85 mm patients (p = 0.03). The median PFS was 4.6 months (95% CI: 2.4–6.8) and median OS was 9.3 months (95% CI: 3.1–15.4). Median PFS and OS were shorter in patients with SBWE > 4.85 mm than in those with ≤4.85 mm, but not statistically significant (median PFS: 3.9 vs 4.6 months, p: 0.523; median OS: 5.6 vs 9.3 months, p: 0.977). Conclusions Regorafenib caused SBWE in patients with mCRC. Patients who developed more SBWE had a higher regorafenib intolerance and a shorter survival. Further studies are needed to confirm the predictor value of SBWE on the survival outcomes of patients with mCRC receiving regorafenib.

Introduction: Although several clinical factors which show the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in early-stage colon cancer use for evaluating the risk of relapse, there is no consensus on which risk factors are more reliable. In this study, we evaluated both the utility of MSI and the daily practice of the Turkish oncologists in stage II and III colon cancer. Material and method: We conducted an online questionnaire which was consisting of twenty questions including the treatment choices and duration about stage II-III colon cancer depending on sidedness and risk factors for relapse. Results: More than 65% of the oncologists declared the use of MSI testing in stage II colon cancer without considering any risk factors. In stage 3 colon cancer oncologists had an equal decision "to do or not to do" in MSI testing. More than 50% of the oncologists had preferred XELOX protocol in high-risk stage II (T4N0) colon cancer, while three out of four preferred observation in low-risk stage II (T3N0) patients without risk factors. Two-thirds of the oncologists had preferred 6 months of treatment in stage II colon cancer with at least one risk factor. Conclusion: Turkish oncologists participating to this trial had declared conflicting results about adjuvant treatment in early-stage colorectal cancer in their daily practice compared with the updated guidelines, especially, MSI evaluation utility in stage III colon cancers, adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) duration, and oxaliplatin adding to AC in elderly and stage II patients. WOS:000587097600001 33159235

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı; hastanemizde istenen iç hastalıkları konsültasyonlarının retrospektif olarak incelenmesi ve konsültas-yon istemlerindeki eksikliklerin saptanmasıdır. Materyal ve Metot: 01.09.2017 – 31.10.2017 tarihleri arasında acil servis ve diğer yatan hasta kliniklerinden istenen iç hastalıkları konsültasyonları kayıtlar üzerinden retrospektif olarak incelendi. Hastaların demografik verileri ve konsültasyon istem metinleri kaydedildi. Dört soru ile konsültasyon metinleri yeterlilik açısından değerlendirildi ve puanlandı.Bulgular: 2 aylık sürede toplam 416 konsültasyon cevaplanmıştı. 172 acil servis, 244 diğer servislerdi. Yaş ortalaması acil servis için 62,7, diğer servisler için ise 61,8 idi. Nefroloji her iki grupta da en sık konsültasyon istenen iç hastalıkları yan dalı idi. Konsültasyonların %68 gibi büyük bir çoğunluğu ilk 1 saat içeris-inde sonuçlandırılmıştı. Hastaların %53,5’i için yatış kararı verild-iği görüldü. Her iki grupta da değerlendirme puanlarına bakıldığın-da konsültasyon istem metinlerinin yetersiz olduğu görüldü.Sonuç: Konsültasyon istem metinleri genel olarak yetersiz olup ilgili hekimleri yeterli olarak bilgilendirmemektedir. Danışılan hasta hakkında yeterli bilgi sahibi olmayan konsültan hekimin hasta hakkında doğru karar vermesi zorlaşmaktadır. Bu sebeple konsültasyon istem metinlerinin düzeltilmesi çok önemlidir., Objective: The aim of this study is; retrospectively examining the required internal medicine consultations in our hospital and deter-mining the deficiencies in the consultation requests.Materials and Meyhods: Between 01.09.2017 and 31.10.2017, the internal medicine consultations requested from emergency services and other inpatient clinics were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data of the patients and the request for consultation were recorded. In four questions, the consultation texts were eva-luated and scored for proficiency.Results: A total of 416 consultations were answered within 2 months. 172 emergency services, 244 other services. The mean age was 62,7 for the emergency services and 61,8 for the other services. Nephrology was the most frequently consulted internal medicine in both groups. A large majority of 68% of the consulta-tions were concluded in the first 1 hour. 53.5% of the patients were admitted to hospital. When the evaluation scores were evalua-ted in both groups, it was seen that the request for consultation was insufficient.Conclusion: Consultation documents are generally inadequate and do not adequately inform physicians. It is difficult for the consul-tant who does not have enough information about the patient to make a correct decision about the patient. For this reason, it is very important to develop consultation request texts.

Tripe palm is a rare cutaneous paraneoplastic syndrome that can be overlooked and frequently appears with acanthosis nigricans. If tripe palm and acanthosis nigricans occur in a patient together, gastric cancer should come to mind. A 50-year-old female patient had signs of abdominal pain and velvety thickening in the palms and soles. Tripe palm and acanthosis nigricans were considered as paraneoplastic syndrome after other benign causes were excluded. It was determined that the underlying malignancy was gastric cancer. After neoadjuvant FLOT chemotherapy regimen, gastrectomy was performed, and the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. With the recognition of tripe palm, a rare cutaneous paraneoplastic syndrome, patients can be diagnosed and treated early.

Backgrounds: We aimed to investigate whether the HALP score is a predictive marker in patients with recurrent GBM who were given bevacizumab plus irinotecan.Methods: We compared the survival of patients followed up in our clinic with the diagnosis of recurrent GBM and treated with bevacizumab plus irinotecan, according to HALP score.Results: Median PFS and OS were 4.5 (0.9-14.9) and 8 (0.9-21.3) months, respectively. The median PFS of the low HALP score group was 1.85 (1.3-3.37) months, and of the high HALP score group was 4.96 (0.9-14.9) months (p=0.03). The OS of the high HALP score group (9.63 [7.28-11.9]) was statistically higher compared with low HALP score group (2.26 [0.88-3.65]) (pp<0.001). Conclusion: We showed that the HALP score at the start of treatment is an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in patients with recurrent GBM treated with bevacizumab plus irinotecan. The HALP score, which can be easily calculated by routine tests before chemotherapy, can be used as a predictive marker for bevacizumab treatment decision.

Aim: The metastatic pattern of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been described in several studies. Frequent metastatic sites are lung, liver, bone, surrenal, and brain. Hypotheses were speculated to explain the tendency of specific sites. Over-expression of EGFR alters the biology and tumoral behavior. The mutations of EGFR mainly occur in exon 19, and 21and could lead the way through the tumor growth and metastasis. We try to elucidate the relationship between EGFR mutation and metastatic pattern. Material and Method: In this retrospective nested case-control study, one hundred and five patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma included who had EGFR mutation status and imaging studies at the time of diagnosis. Results: The metastatic pattern was not different between EGFR mutant and wild type patients. There was no statistical difference in terms of survival between EGFR mutant and wild type patients (p = 0.25). The OS according to the organ metastasis between EGFR mutant and wild type group was not significant except liver. The EGFR mutant patients with liver metastasis had better survival compared with wild type patients (p = 0.04). Also, the multiplicity and solidarity of the metastatic tumors were compared in metastatic organs. There was no significant difference between groups. The subsequent EGFR mutation type was not related to the metastatic pattern. Conclusion: The incidence of the metastatic sites was not different between EGFR mutant and wild type patients in our study. In contrast to the literature, liver metastasis found to be related to improved OS. Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer, Adenocarcinoma, EGFR mutation, Metastasis pattern

Weaimed to compare the clinical and histopathologic features at the time ofdiagnosis of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer according to the RASmutation status. In thiscross-sectional study, archive records of patients with diagnosing colorectalcancer who were followed-up and treated at oncology center of an universityhospital in Turkey between 01.04.2012 and 24.08.2017 was analyzed retrospectively. A totally 530patients' archive records were evaluated. The relationship between the RASmutant/wild groups and primary tumor localization, location of metastases atdiagnosis, tumor markers, tumor differentiation grade and overall survivalrates were compared with the literature data. Wefound no statistically significant difference between RAS mutant and wildgroups. When overall survival rates were compared with the RAS mutation status,the overall survival of 2 years in patients with RAS wild type was 59% whilethe 2 year overall survival of RAS mutant patients was 27.8% and thisdifference was statistically significant (p = 0.004). However, there was nostatistically significant difference between the median survival of patientsreceiving bevacizumab or cetuksimab/panitumumab in th efirst line treatment ofRAS wild patients (57.1% versus 70.7%; p=0.221, respectively). Inthis study, we determined that RAS mutation status of our patients withmetastatic colorectal cancer is more similar to Western countries and theclinical and pathological characteristics of patients at the time of diagnosisare independent of RAS mutation status. However, there is still need broaderparticipation and prospective trials in this subject., Bu çalışmada metastatik kolorektalkanserli hastalarda tanı anındaki histopatolojik ve klinik özelliklerin RASmutasyon durumuna göre karşılaştırılması amaçlandı. Bu kesitsel çalışma için, 01.04.2012-24.08.2017 tarihleri arasındabir üniversite hastanesinin onkoloji merkezinde takip ve tedavisi yapılmıştoplam 530 kolorektal kanser tanısı almış hastanın dosyası retrospektif olarakincelendi. Çalışmaya 18 yaşından büyük, tanı anında metastatik hastalığa sahipveya takipleri boyunca metastaz gelişen ve RAS mutasyonu bakılmış 75 hastadahil edildi. Rasmutant olan ve olmayan hastaların tümör lokalizasyonu, tanıanındaki metastaz yerleri, tümör belirteçleri, tümör diferansiyasyon derecesive genel sağkalım süreleri arasındaki farklılıklar analiz edildi. RAS mutasyonusıklığı %50.7 olarak saptandı. Klinik ve patolojik özellikler açısındanbakıldığında RAS mutant ve wild gruplar arasında istatistiksel anlamı farklılıksaptamadık. RAS mutasyon durumuna göre genel sağkalım süreleri incelendiğinde,RAS wild tip olan hastaların 2 yıllık genel sağkalımı% 59 iken, RAS mutanthastalarımızın 2 yıllık genel sağkalımı %27.8 idi ve bu fark istatiksel olarakanlamlıydı (p=0.004). Ancak, RAS wild hastaların ilk hat tedavisindebevacizumab veya cetuksimab/panitumumab alan hastaların ortalama sağkalımlarıarasında (sırasıyla %57.1'e karşı %70.7; p=0.221) istatistiksel farksaptanmadı. Bu çalışmada, metastatikkolorektal kanserli hastalarımızın RAS mutasyon durumunun daha ziyade Batılıülkelere benzer olduğunu ve hastaların tanı anındaki klinik ve patolojiközelliklerinin RAS mutasyon durumundan bağımsız olduğunu saptadık. Ancak bukonuda yapılacak prospektif ve daha geniş katılımlı çalışmalara hala ihtiyaçduyulmaktadır.

Despite new treatment options in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), new prognostic markers are still needed to determine optimal chemoregimen especially for anti-angiogenesis drugs. In this study, we evaluated the serum semaphorin and VEGF-A levels as prognostic factors in patients with mCRC. Patients with diagnosed mCRC who were treated with first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy were included in the study. Venous blood samples of 37 patients with metastatic colon cancer were taken, and serum semaphorin 3A and VEGF-A levels were studied in pre-treatment and the 1st and third months after the treatment was initiated. Totally, 37 patients were enrolled in the study. The patients’ mean age was 62 years. Twenty-eight (49%) of the patients were male, and 19 (51%) were female. Serum semaphorin3A (sema3A) levels of the patients were 5.4 ± 7.4 ng/ml before the treatment, 3.5 ± 3.3 ng/ml at the first month, and 3.5 ± 3.7 ng/ml at the third month. Serum VEGF-A levels were 27.7 ± 32.9 ng/l before the treatment, 23.1 ± 28.1 ng/l at the first month, and 28.9 ± 30.2 ng/l at the third month. There was no significant correlation between the survival and pre-treatment VEGF-A level (p = 0.064). Overall survival (OS) was statistically significantly higher in patients with pre-treatment semaphorin 3A levels below 5.4 ng/ml than higher than 5.4 ng/ml (10.5 months vs 4.5 months, respectively, HR 0.23, 95% CI 19.635–11,391, p = 0.012). Pre-treatment semaphorin 3A level can be a prognostic marker for the mCRC patients who were treated with bevacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Prophylactic antiviral treatment is controversial due to a lack of studies in both HBsAg negative/HBcIgG positive patients who treated conventional chemotherapy with solid malignancy, unlike HBsAg positive. In this cross-sectional and retrospective study, we analyzed that the reactivation risk of Hepatitis B Virus (HBVr) of totally 457 HBcIgG positive patients with solid cancer in archives records between 2011 and 2018 years of two different centers. Totally 217 HBcIgG positive patients with solid cancer were included in the study. Anti-HBs positive and negative patients were 119 (54.8%) and 98 (45.2%), respectively. Frequent diagnosis of the patients was lung (28.1%), colorectal (19.4%), breast (17.5%) and hepatobiliary tract cancers (8.3%), respectively. Most of the study population had stage 4 disease (48.8%) and received palliative chemotherapy. When the patients were stratified due to American Gastroenterological Association Institute (AGA) guideline, HBVr risk of chemo regimen was moderate in 21 patients (17.5%), low in 8 patients (3.7%). The majority of the patients were undefined risk group (78.8%). We did not determine any HBVr in the patients who have received different conventional chemotherapy regimens and have different primer tumor site despite all the patients did not receive the prophylactic antiviral drug. [Med-Science 2019; 8(2.000): 418-21]

Purpose Breast cancer classifies to 4 major subgroups according to immunohistochemistry staining features as Luminal A, Luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression, and Triple Negative. Cancer Antigen15-3 (CA15-3) is used as a tumor marker in breast cancer while its value in early stage and in breast cancer subgroups is still controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate that whether it is or not differences of the serum preoperative CA15-3 levels in early breast cancer subgroups. Methods We retrospectively investigated medical records of 751 breast cancer patients who admitted to Afyon Kocatepe University Department of Medical Oncology between January 2010 and December 2016. Total 361 patients were included in this study. The cut off value of Ki-67 was used as 20 to distinguish between Luminal A from Luminal B subgroups. Cutoff values of CA15-3 were evaluated as 25U/mL. Results CA15-3 levels were not significantly different according to clinical features. Molecular subgroups were similar in CA15-3 levels (P = 0.666). Elevated levels of CA15-3 ≥ 25 U/mL were found 34 patients (20.5%) in Luminal A, 15 patients (28.3%) in Luminal B1, 15 patients (20.3%) in Luminal B2, 7 patients (25%) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpressed and 9 patients (22.5%) in triple negative groups. Conclusion There was no relationship preoperative CA15-3 levels and breast cancer subgroups.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is differentiated from non-small cell lung cancers with its histological and morphological features, rapid response to chemotherapy, and recurrence in a short time after treatment is discontinued. Platinum plus etoposide chemotherapy combination has been used as a standard treatment, and no new drug has been found for more than 30 years in this disease. In research, the targeted pathways that may affect survival have not been identified yet. During the second half of the second decade of the 2000s, with immunotherapies that inhibit immune checkpoints, improvements in survival were achieved for the first time in treating SCLC after many years. Then a rapid increase was observed in chemotherapy plus immunotherapy combination studies in this field. Updated analyses of these studies were represented at international oncology meetings in 2020. Here, we reviewed immunotherapy studies conducted in patients with SCLC and the reflections on the daily practice.

Various cutaneous metastasis patterns are described in breast cancer. Zosteriform metastases are rare cutaneous metastases, which appear in a dermatomal distribution. A 66-year woman presented with a 1-month history of nodular lesions on the left posterior hemithorax area. Biopsy was reported as human epidermal growth factor receptor (Her) 2 positive, hormone receptor-negative breast carcinoma metastasis. Dual blockade therapy targeting Her-2 overexpression was initiated for the patient. Treatment response was obtained after 3 cycles. There was a significant improvement in skin lesions. Zosteriform cutaneous metastases can be the early sign of systemic spread and can show an initial response to therapy. Therefore, physicians should perform an exhaustive physical examination including that of skin.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effects of adjuvant therapy on body mass index (BMI) and body fat (BF) measurements in women with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC).Material and Methods: We prospectively evaluated BMI and BF measurements including trunk fat mass kilograms (kg), trunk fat mass (%) and total body fat (%) on a bioelectric impedance analyzer in 29 women with stages I-III breast cancer. All of the patients received anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). Six patients were hormone receptor (HR)-negative. Twenty-three patients were HR-positive and received adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) following ACT. Eleven HR-positive postmenopausal patients were treated with an aromatase inhibitor (AI), and the remaining twelve HR-positive premenopausal patients were treated with tamoxifen (TMX). A total of 3 measurements were performed in the beginning of chemotherapy, at 6th, and 12th months.Results: Although the BMI was significantly increased, there was no significant change in the BF during chemotherapy in patients receiving only ACT. Both BMI and BF measurements were significantly increased in premenopausal patients receiving TMX after ACT. However, no significant change was observed in BMI and BF measurements in postmenopausal patients receiving AI after ACT.Conclusions: ACT increased both BMI and BF measurements in patients with HR-positive premenopausal ESBC. Treatment with TMX or AI after ACT did not enhance the changes due to chemotherapy on body composition. Therefore, especially patients with HR-positive premenopausal ESBC should be careful not to gain weight during ACT.Keywords: Early breast cancer; adjuvant therapy; body mass index; body fat measurements.

The essential treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma is nephrectomy. As no lymph node dissection (LND) could be performed in the majority of these patients, healthy staging could not be carried out. In this study, we investigated the impact of LND during nephrectomy on patient survival.A total of 181 patients-58 (32%) were female and 123 (68%) were male-were included in the study. Median follow-up period was 48 months. The patients were separated into 4 groups according to their stage during diagnosis; group 1 (T1-3N0M0), group 2 (T1-3NXM0), group 3 (T1-3N1M0), and group 4 (T1-4N0/XM1). The disease-free survival of nonmetastatic patients and the overall survival of all groups were calculated.Mean age was 58.4 ± 12.0 years. Median survival for Group 1 could not be reached. Median survival was 89 months in Group 2, 50 months in Group 3, and 39 months in Group 4 (P0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the N1 and M1 groups (P = 0.297). For the NX patient group without LND, median survival was 89 months, which is worse than the N0 group and better than the N1 group (P = 0.002).Our study presumes that the patients without LND are not staged sufficiently, NX patients have worse survival rates when compared with N0 patients, node-positive patients have poor survival rates as do the metastatic patients, and it should be defined as TNM stage4.

BackgroundThe adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of high-risk group patients for morbidity and mortality and its impact on public health in the long term have not been clearly determined.ObjectiveTo determine the level of COVID-19 related transmission fear and anxiety in healthcare workers and patients with primary immunodeficiency disorder (PID), severe asthma, and the ones with other comorbidities.MethodsThe healthcare workers and patients with PID, severe asthma (all patients receiving biological agent treatment), malignancy, cardiovascular disease, hypertension (90% of patients receiving ACEI or ARB therapy), diabetes mellitus (42 % of patients receiving DPP-4 inhibitor therapy) were included in the study. A total of 560 participants, 80 individuals in each group, were provided. The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Fear of illness and virus evaluation (FIVE) scales were applied to the groups with face to face interview methods.ResultsThe mean age was 49.30 ± 13.74 years and 306 (55 %) were female. The FIVE Scale and HADS-A scale scores of health care workers were significantly higher than other groups scores (p = 0.001 and 0.006). The second-highest scores belonged to patients with PID. There was no significant difference between the groups for the HADS-D score (p=0.07). The lowest score in all scales was observed in patients with hypertension.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that in the pandemic process, patients with primary immunodeficiency, asthma patients, and other comorbid patients, especially healthcare workers, should be referred to the centers for the detection and treatment of mental health conditions.

Introduction Soft tissue sarcomas are a heterogeneous and rare group of cancers with a short median overall survival despite the chemotherapy. Pazopanib has approval for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. We aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of Turkish patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who received pazopanib. Patients and methods This was a retrospective study. The inclusion criteria were: ≥18 years of age, having histologically proven advanced soft tissue sarcoma and receiving pazopanib at least one day. Results A total of 79 patients were assessed in this study. The median age was 49.6 years. The average dose intensity of pazopanib was 767 mg (400–800). The median duration of pazopanib treatment was 6.11 months. Fourteen patients (17.7%) used pazopanib at first line for advanced soft tissue sarcomas. The most common cause of discontinuation of pazopanib was the progression of the disease (89.6%). Pazopanib was well tolerated. The most common grade ≥3 side effect was anemia. The most common grade ≤2 side effects were anemia and hyperbilirubinemia. The median progression-free survival, overall survival, and follow-up were 3.97 months, 11.40 months, and 32.72 months, respectively. Female gender, good performance status, and the presence of pazopanib-induced hypothyroidism were associated with longer progression-free survival. Also, good performance status and being a responder to first-line treatment were associated with longer overall survival. Conclusions We showed that pazopanib was well tolerated and had clinical benefit in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma in a Turkish cohort. This is the first study that suggests pazopanib-induced hypothyroidism may act as a predictive marker for better outcomes in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

Objective: Patients with solid cancers frequently suffer from thrombosis, which is associated with considerable cost, morbidity, and mortality. The infusional chemotherapy regimen, especially in gastrointestinal cancers, has a long-term need for central venous catheterization. Implantable ports (IP) are increasingly used for the administration of chemotherapy and supportive treatment to cancer patients. Material and Methods: In this study, we evaluated the factors affecting the port thrombosis in gastrointestinal cancers. The patients with gastric, colorectal and pancreatic cancer were included in the study. Results: There were 113 patients with IP locations on subclavian and 7 on femoral veins. IP thromboses were detected in 10 patients. One of the patients had two thrombosis sites on both femoral and subclavian veins. The median time duration from the placement of the port to thrombosis was 4 months. There were 9 patients who underwent treatment with low molecular weight heparin, while one patient received warfarin treatment. There were ten non-port events related to thrombosis events. There was a significant difference between port thrombosis due to location (p

Oxaliplatin is a third-generation platinum anti-neoplastic agent, which is used in the treatment of colorectal, gastric, and biliary tract cancers with combination other chemotherapy drugs. In rare cases, thrombocytopenia may occur suddenly in approximately 24 hours due to immune-mediated reactions. This reaction is usually seen after long term usage of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Here, we present our case of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia associated with oxaliplatin. A 56 years old man who had stage IV rectum cancer with liver metastasis, had palliative surgery due to bowel obstruction after initial diagnostic approach. After failure of first line treatment, mFOLFOX6 plus Cetuximab (Cetuximab: 500mg/m2 on day 1, Oxaliplatin: 85 mg/m2 day 1, Leucovorin (LV): 400 mg/m2 day 1, 5-FU 400 mg/m2 IV bolus on day 1 followed by 2400 mg/m2 on day 1 infused over 46 hours every two weeks) regimen was started. Before the 21st cycle of oxaliplatin plus cetuximab regimen, the patient had normal thrombocyte, haemoglobin and neutrophile count. Approximately 8 hours after the chemotherapy patient had been taken to the emergency service with petechia, vigorous gastrointestinal and nasal bleeding. The thrombocyte levels were 3000 at μl. The patient was given methylprednisolone for three days. The thrombocyte levels recover quickly in 24 hours. After this reaction, oxaliplatin stopped and the chemotherapy was changed to capesitabine plus cetuximab regimen. In conclusion, oxaliplatin induced immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is a rare side effect but a life threatening complication. A physician who uses oxaliplatin as a treatment option should keep in mind the possibility immune-mediated thrombocytopenia which may cause life-threatening bleeding. Especially the long term use of oxaliplatin (median >10 cycles) may alert the physician for immune-mediated adverse effects.

Objectives: Pazopanib is an orally administered drug and has approval for the treatment of advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas (aSTS). The absorption of pazopanib is pH-dependent. Acid-Reducing drugs such as proton pump inhibitors (PPI) may reduce the bioavailability of pazopanib. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether the use of concomitant PPI and pazopanib had negative effects on survival outcomes. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, age ≥18 years, having histologically proven STS, receiving pazopanib at least one day, and availability of information about the use of PPI during pazopanib treatment were the inclusion criteria. Patients with adipocytic sarcoma were excluded. Results: A total of 46 eligible patients were assessed in this study. Thirty-one patients used concomitant PPI and pazopanib, 17 of them frequently used PPI, and the others occasionally. Fifteen patients never used concomitant PPI and pazopanib. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.76 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 7.39 months for patients who never used concomitant PPI and pazopanib. Also, the median PFS was 5.22 months, and the median OS was 14.52 months for patients who used concomitant PPI and pazopanib. In univariate analysis; using concomitant PPI (p=0.049) and primarily uterine located tumors (p=0.038) were significant parameters for PFS. In multivariate logistic regression analysis; both of using concomitant PPI (Wald=6.02; p=0.014) and primarily uterine located tumors (Wald=5.69; p=0.017) retained their association with longer PFS. No parameter was significant for OS. Conclusions: We showed that the use of concomitant PPI and pazopanib was associated with improved PFS. These results may help guide clinicians and researchers for allowing patients co-administrating PPI and pazopanib, especially when treating or investigating patients with dyspeptic symptoms

Objectives: Lung cancer accounts for 20% of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Several studies have shown that Vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis are prognostic in lung cancer. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between pre-diagnosis Vitamin D replacement levels and platinum-based chemotherapy results. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively analyzed archive records of all 247 patients diagnosed with lung cancer from an oncology center in Turkey, between 2012-2018. The chemotherapy outcomes, Vitamin D levels and replacement doses of these patients up to 6 months ago were recorded. Results: Vitamin D levels of 153 patients were below 15 ng/mL, 65 patients had a level of 15-30 ng/mL, and 29 patients had a vitamin D level higher than 30 ng/mL. In the study population, 215 had a replacement below 300.000 IU whereas 32 had a replacement above 300.000 IU. When the patients were evaluated based on their chemotherapy responses, no difference was observed between the patients with below and above 300.000 IU. In our study, Vitamin D and replacement level at the time of diagnosis did not change the chemotherapy response. Conclusion: Vitamin D replacement levels were not significantly associated with chemotherapy outcomes in our study.

e15535 Background: VEGF receptors have an important role for inhibiting adaptive immun response in colon cancer. Therefore, we analyzed VEGF receptors in circulating T cell subsets according to stage in colon cancer patients. Methods: The prospective study group consisted of 50 patients with histologically confirmed colon cancer and 30 person without any cancer history as a control group. Peripheral blood specimens were collected from the patients after the diagnosis before inducing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Patients with active infections or autoimmune disorders, who were treated with steroids and antibiotics in the last four weeks before the study enrollment were excluded from the study group. VEGFR2 expressions in circulating T cell subsets (Th1, Th2, Th17, CTL) were analyzed by flow cyctometry. Results: Age and gender were not different between the all study groups. Mean circulating CD4+ folicullar cells were less in colon cancer patients (9.54%±3.99) than the control group (12.03%±4.34), (p < 0.01). Mean circulating CD8+ follicular cells were higher in metastatic colon cancer (n = 26) 2.48% ± 1.68, than the non-metastatic colon cancer patients (n = 24) 1.63% ± 1.37, (p = 0.02). Mean VEGFR2 expressions in Th1 cells were higher in colon cancer patients 248.8 (Mean Flourescein intensity-MFI) than the control group 224.6, (P = 0.006). Mean VEGFR2 expressions in CTL were higher in colon cancer patients (381.8) than the control group (284.7), (p < 0.001). PD-1 expressions were not different between the colon cancer patients and the control group in all circulating T cell subsets. Mean VEGFR2 expressions in Th17 cells were higher non-metastatic colon cancer patients than the metastatic colon cancer patients (326.5 and 268.4 MFI, respectively, p = 0.02). Conclusions: VEGFR2 expressions are increased in circulating Th1 and CTL subsets in colon cancer patients. Whereas PD-1 expressions were not different in circulating T cell subsets than the control. VEGFRs may play an important role for the inhibition of circulating T cell subsets in colon cancer.

Introduction Sweet Syndrome, also known as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by the sudden emergence of painful, edematous, and erythematous papules, plaques, or nodules on the skin, which usually fully responsive to systemic corticosteroids. Skin lesions are often accompanied by fever and leukocytosis. Here we present a case of Sweet Syndrome caused by pemetrexed in metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. Case report A 52-year-old patient with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma received multiple lines of chemotherapy. The patient presented with extensive skin lesions after performing of pemetrexed chemotherapy. He had a fever and elevations in blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), sedimentation, leucocytes, and neutrophils. Neutrophil predominant perivascular and interstitial dermatitis, focal micropustule formation, and severe neutrophilic dermatosis were reported in skin biopsy. Topical steroid and oral antihistamine treatment were started as initial treatment. Discussion and conclusions: Cutaneous side effects related to pemetrexed are often reported as ‘skin rash,' which is a non-specific term. Therefore, the diagnosis of Sweet Syndrome must be confirmed by skin biopsy. It is essential to exclude the presence of an infection and medication history. Recovery in drug-induced Sweet Syndrome occurs after the drug that caused it was discontinued. Systemic corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for most cases.

e16038 Background: The metabolic activity in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue have different metabolic risk profiles for colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of adipose tıssue distribution and metabolic activity in PET-CT and predict the overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods: A total of 83 patients diagnosed with mCRC between 2010-2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Pretreatment PET-CT images were reevaluated to determine adipose tissue distribution and metabolic activity. Volume and metabolic activity of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on FDG PET-CT images were measured. SAT volume, SAT density (HU), SAT ratio (SAT volume/ SAT density) were calculated. The maximum standardized uptake (SUV) of tumor tissue was measured. The relationship between adipose tissue and overall survival was examined. Results: 53 patients died during follow-up and the median overall survival was 33.76 months (95% CI: 28.185-39.349). According to univariate analysis results, tumor location (HR:2.5; 95% CI 1.27-4.98, p = 0.008) and SAT ratio (HR:0.5; 95% CI 0.34-1.00, p = 0.053) were the significant parameters for the OAS. VAT volume (p = 0.774), VAT density (p = 0.899), VAT suv mean (p = 0.831) and SAT volume (p = 0.423), SAT density (p = 0.353), SAT suv mean (p = 0.575), tumor suv max (p = 0.589) values were not correlated with OAS. In the multivariate analysis, SAT ratio (p = 0.011) and tumor location (p = 0.001) were correlated significantly with OAS. The median OAS for the patients with SAT ratio value < -1.1 and -1.1 were 38.5 (95% CI 31.54-45.58) and 24.5 (95% CI 14.13-34.93) months, respectively (p = 0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that SAT ratio was an independent prognostic factor for OAS in patients with mCRC. We need prospective studies for to observe the relationship between adipose tissue distribution and response to treatment in mCRC.

Purpose We aimed to investigate the compliance of Turkish Medical Oncologists to antiemetic guidelines for treatment of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving high (HEC), moderate (MEC), and low (LEC) emetogenic chemotherapy. Method A covering electronic mail letter with an online questionnaire link was sent to e-mail and mobile application groups including all 599 members of the Turkish Society of Medical Oncology in January 2018. The online survey has consisted of twelve questions. Results Questionnaire form was responded by 146 of Turkish Medical Oncologists. The most of the participants were following up more than one antiemetic guideline (53%). While compliance with the antiemetic guidelines was higher in acute CINV prophylaxis for HEC and MEC, it was significantly lower in the delayed CINV treatment of HEC and LEC. The highest and lowest compliance rate was found in the prophylaxis of acute and delayed CINV of HEC (92% and 15%, respectively). The incidence of noncompliance for delayed CINV in HEC was statistically significantly higher in those who worked for ≤ five years in an oncology department, under 39 years of age, and non-academicians (p = 0.004, p = 0.042, p = 0.005, respectively). Conclusions Noncompliance with the antiemetic guidelines is continue to be a big problem in Turkish Medical Oncologists. The use of standardized antiemetic protocols in chemotherapy order forms or a computerized decision-support system is now seen as a better tool to enhance compliance with the guidelines.

To assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib versus rechallenge chemotherapy in previously treated mCRC patients in third-line setting. The data of 104 patients diagnosed with mCRC enrolled from 2010 to 2017 in six oncology centers were analyzed. Tumor treatment options were obtained from follow-up and treatment files. Rechallenge chemotherapy was identified as the re-use of the regimen which was previously administered to patients in one of the therapy lines and obtained disease control, these were the patients whose disease did not progress within 3 months. A total of 104 patients had received previously two lines of chemotherapy regimens for mCRC. Of these, 73 patients with mCRC who received regorafenib and 31 those who received rechallenge chemotherapy in third-line therapy were analyzed. Overall survival was better with rechallenge than it was with regorafenib (HR 0.29 95% CI 0.16–0.54, p

Hypersecretion of PTHrP is a relatively common cause of malignancy-related hypercalcemia. However, there is only one case report of letrozole induced hypercalcemia. A 52-year-old female patient was referred to our clinic because of the recent discovery of hypercalcemia (11.0 mg/dL). The patient had a history of left breast carcinoma. She had started a course of letrozole (aromatase inhibitor; 2.5 mg dose/day) ten months earlier. Patient’s parathyroid hormone-related protein levels were normal and a bone scintigram revealed no evidence of skeletal metastasis. Other potential causes of high calcium levels were ruled out. We recognized that, when letrozole was taken at one dose daily (2.5 mg), she had recurrent hypercalcemia. Our experience suggests that letrozole may precipitate hypercalcemia in a patient with breast cancer.

Primary tumor location (PTL) is associated with very different outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Clinical trials suggest that right side tumor location is an indicator of poor prognosis for patients with mCRC. The relationship between the primary tumor location and clinicopathological features such as; gender, family history, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, metastasectomy status, the presence of a mucinous component, RAS mutation status, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. A total of 253 patients (203 left-sided, 50 right-sided) were included in the study. Median OS time for patients with metastatic right sided colon tumors were 19 (15.2-22.7) months, and OS for left sided colon tumors were 35 (29.5-40.4) months. The left-sided colon group’s OS time was significantly higher than the right-sided colon group (p

Primary pure neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast is an extremely rare tumor. We report a case of primary solid neuroendocrine carcinoma in a 77-year-old postmenopausal woman who was admitted to the hospital with masses on her right breast and axillary region. Radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node resection was performed. Immunohistochemical stainings of the tumor cells with synaptophysin, GCDFP-15, estrogen, progesterone, and c-erbB-2 were positive. Five of 16 lymph nodes were metastatic. She did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. After 15 months of follow-up she is free of the disease. Literature review revealed that this is the second case of HER-2 positive primary neuroendocrine tumor of the breast.

We aimed to investigate the efficacy of 0.25 mg dose of palonosetron and granisetron in triplet antiemetic prophylaxis in breast cancer patients receiving HEC. Patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer who received HEC [doxorubicin or epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide (AC/EC)] were enrolled in the study. The prophylactic triplet antiemetic regimens were used according to the doctor’s preference during the first cycle of HEC as intravenous dexamethasone and palonosetron 0.25 mg or granisetron 3 mg on day 1 as well as oral aprepitant (125 mg on day 1 and 80 mg on days 2 and 3).The primary endpoint was complete response rate (CR) on acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), separately. A total of 118 female patients were included in the study. Patients received AC (83%), EC (3%), and dose-dense AC (14%) as adjuvant (88%) or neoadjuvant (12%). The majority of patients received palonosetron (59%) containing antiemetic treatment. The CR rate on acute and delayed vomiting was very high and not statistically different in both of the arms (acute 87% vs. 96%, p = 0.089; delayed 90% vs. 92%, p = 0.489), respectively. Nevertheless, the CR rate on either acute or delayed nausea was lower than vomiting (acute 51% vs. 51%; delayed 38% vs. 29%, p = 0.203; respectively). This is the second study that compared a 0.25 mg dose of palonosetron with first-generation setron in triplet antiemetic prophylaxis in cancer patients receiving HEC. We could not find meaningful statistical differences between two arms, regarding CR rate on acute and delayed CINV.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of diabetes mellitus on the left ventricular diastolic function in patients with arterial hypertension. METHODS: Between July 2007 and July 2008, we enrolled patients aged ≥40 years who had hypertension with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus and unknown history of coronary artery disease who applied to 7.–8. internal medicine polyclinics of Goztepe Education and Training Hospital. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to assess the diastolic function. If patients with positive treadmill exercise test and/or EF ≤%50 in transthoracic echocardiography were excluded from the study. A total of 110 patients (males, n=42 38.2%, and females, n=68; 61.8%) with a mean age of 60.78 (±10.627) years were included in the study. For statistical analysis, SPSS 12.0 program and for the comparison of data chi-square test was used. RESULTS: Diastolic dysfunction was significantly more prevalent in diabetes (81.25%) than those without diabetes group (62.9%) (p0.05). CONCLUSION: Diabetes in association with hypertension has a negative effect on left ventricular diastolic function. This effect appears similar in men and women.

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. Results: For the 53 patients (34 males, 19 females) whose charts were reviewed, the median age was 53 (range 22 to 83) years. Most frequently renal location (n=30; 56.6%) was evident and leiomyosarcoma (n=20, 37.7%) was the most frequently encountered histological type. Median survival time of all patients was 40.3 (95% CI, 14.2-66.3) months. In univariate analysis, male gender, advanced age (≥50 years), metastatic stage, unresectability, grade 3, renal location were determined as worse prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, metastatic stage, unresectability and grade 3 were determined as indicators of worse prognosis. Conclusions: Urological soft tissue sarcomas are rarely seen tumours in adults. The most important factors in survival are surgical resection, stage of the tumour at onset, grade and location of the tumour, gender and age of the patients. Keywords

Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Clinical-Oncology (ASCO) / Clinical Science Symposium on Predicting and Improving Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults with Cancer -- MAY 29-JUN 02, 2015 -- Chicago, IL, WOS: 000358036903002, …, Amer Soc Clin Oncol

Objective: To evaluate the clinical benefit of regorafenib in routine clinical practice.Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the data of 45 metastatic colorectal cancer mCRC patients who received regorafenib between January 2016 and November 2018.Results: The median age of all patients was 54 years, and 66.7% of the patients were male. Performance status of 20 patients 44.4% was 2, whereas in 25 patients 55.6% it was 0-1. Thirty-six patients 80% were performed primary tumor resection and KRAS mutation was detected in 53.3% of patients. Regorafenib was started at a dose of 160 mg in all patients, and a dose reduction was observed in 28.9% of patients. Line of regorafenib treatment was 3rd in 66.7% of patients, whereas in 33.3% of patients it was ≥ 4th. Best response was progressive disease 46.7% and stable disease 35.6% . The median progression free survival PFS was 3.1 months 95% CI: 2.2-4.0 and overall survival OS was 6.4 months 95% CI: 3.2-9.5 . Primary tumor resection status and using regorafenib ≥ 4 treatment line were significantly associated with both PFS and OS in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Regorafenib was associated with survival durations similar to those reported in both randomized controlled trials and in the real-life setting, and was generally well tolerated. Patients who had primary tumor resected and using regorafenib as the ≥ 4th treatment line primary resected vs nonresected: PFS: 3.8 vs. 1.6 months, p: 0.006; OS: 6.1 vs. 3.1 months, p: 0.018, 3rd vs. 4th or more: PFS: 2.7 vs. 4.6 months, p:0.001; OS: 3.8 vs. 11.4 months, p:0.001 were associated with better PFS and OS. However, in order to explain the better survival with regorafenib in patients with primary tumor resected, this information must be confirmed with further studies, Amaç: Rutin klinik uygulamada regorafenibin klinik yararını değerlendirmektir.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Ocak 2016 - Kasım 2018 tarihleri arasında regorafenib alan 45 metastatik kolorektal kanser hastasının verilerini retrospektif olarak değerlendirdik.Bulgular: Tüm hastaların ortanca yaşı 54 ve %66.7'si erkek hastaydı. Yirmi hastanın %44.4 performans durumu 2 iken, 25 hastada %55.6 0-1 idi. Otuz altı hastanın %80 primer tümörü rezekeydi ve hastaların %53.3'ünde KRAS mutasyonu vardı. Tüm hastalarda regorafenib başlangıç dozu 160 mg idi ve hastaların %28.9' una doz redüksiyonu uygulanmış olduğu görüldü. Regorafenib tedavisini hastaların %66.7'si 3. basamakta almış iken, %33.3ʼünde 4. basamak veya daha sonrasında almıştı. Regorafenib ile elde edilen en iyi yanıt progresif hastalık %46.7 ve stabil hastalık %35.6 idi. Ortanca progresyonsuz sağkalım 3.1 ay %95 CI: 2.2-4.0 ve genel sağkalım 6.4 ay %95 CI: 3.2-9.5 idi. Primer tümörün rezeksiyon durumu ve regorafenibin ≥ 4 basamak tedavi olarak kullanımı çok değişkenli analizde hem progresyonsuz sağkalım hem de genel sağkalım ile anlamlı şekilde ilişkiliydi.Sonuç: Regorafenib, bizim hastalarımızda da hem randomize kontrollü çalışmalarda hem de gerçek yaşam ortamında bildirilenlere benzer hayatta kalma süreleriyle ilişkiliydi ve genellikle iyi tolere edildi. Primer tümör rezeke edilen ve regorafenibi ≥ 4 basamak tedavi olarak kullanan hastalar istatistiksel olarak daha iyi progresyonsuz sağkalıma ve genel sağkalıma sahipti regorafenib 3. vs ≥ 4. basamak tedavi: PFS: 2.7 vs 4.6 ay, p:0.001; OS: 3.8 vs 11.4 ay, p:0.001, primeri rezeke vs rezeke olmayan: PFS: 3.8 vs 1.6 ay, p: 0.006; OS: 6.1 vs 3.1 ay, p: 0.018 . Primer tümörü rezeke edilen hastalarda regorafenib ile daha iyi sağkalım oluşunu açıklamak ve bu bilgiyi doğrulamak için başka çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır