Search

Introduction: Awareness of, and epidemiologic data for, GEPNETs is lacking in many geographic areas. Aim(s): To study prevalence, incidence, regional trends in diagnosis, and clinical management of GEPNET in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Turkey and South Africa. Materials and methods: Patients (pts) with histopathological diagnosis of GEPNETs within five yrs before registry entry were included. Pro- and retrospective data were collected at 82 sites. Enrollment began in Jul-09 and is ongoing. Follow-up will be for five yrs. Results: As of 1-Dec-11, 621 pts were enrolled, and 608 were evaluable. At diagnosis, median age was 52 yrs [IQR:42-61], gender ratio was balanced. Four-hundred and fifty-two (74%) pts had symptoms at diagnosis, chiefly abdominal pain (55%); weight loss (21%); diarrhea (16%). Primary sites included pancreas 39%; stomach 16.9%; rectum 10%. Well-differentiated tumors (73%) formed the majority with Ki-67 and mitotic index used in 42% and 8% of diagnoses, respectively. Immunostaining results for CgA and synaptophysin were reported for 81% and 75% pts. Three-hundred and sixty-two (60%) were nonfunctional tumors. Of the 156 functional tumors, NETs were more predominate (67%) then insulinoma 17% and gastrinoma 10%. CT scan was the main modality of disease evaluation (41%). Functional PET and Octreotide scintigraphy were used in <10% pts at diagnosis as were serum CgA and 24h urine 5HIAA tests. The most common initial therapy was surgery (57%) then somatostatin analogues (16%) and chemotherapy (16%). Regional variation was observed. Conclusion: The GEPNET registry continues to be a rich source of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Pulmonary Thromboembolism (PTE) occurs as a result of occlusion of one or more of the pulmonary artery branches by thrombus and is an important cause of right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Selenoprotein P (SePP) and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 protein (sST2) are two new biomarkers that have previously been the subject of various studies in heart failure. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic and prognostic potential of SePP and soluble sST2 levels in patients with acute PTE., Materials and Methods: The study included 135 patients diagnosed with acute non-massive PTE and 43 healthy volunteers. Clinical, laboratory, and radiological patient data were recorded. SePP and sST2 levels were measured in the patient and control groups. Patients were followed at 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment via the death notification system and telemedicine., Results: SePP and sST2 levels were significantly lower in the patient group compared with the control group (SePP: 17.65 ng/ml vs. 43.06 ng/ml and sST2: 10.86 ng/ml vs. 16.20 ng/ml, both p < 0.001). No correlation was found at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up with prognosis and mortality., Conclusion: SePP and sST2 values were significantly lower in patients with acute PTE compared with the control group. Low levels of these biomarkers may be diagnostically valuable., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Viral infections are an important cause of exacerbation in bronchiectasis patients. We aimed to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult bronchiectasis patients and whether there was a relationship between the clinical parameters and the COVID-19 infection., Patients and Methods: In this retrospective observational study, 547 bronchiectasis patients were included. Demographic characteristics, vaccination status, Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI), FACED and Reiff scores, and clinical and laboratory parameters during COVID-19 infection were evaluated., Results: The median age was 56, and 49.2% of the patients were male. The COVID-19 infection rate was 27.6%. 431 (78.8%) patients had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The patients were divided into two groups according to their COVID-19 infection status. Emergency admission was significantly higher in the COVID-19-infected group. There was no statistical difference with other clinical factors. The COVID-19-infected patients were divided into home treatment and hospital/intensive care unit (ICU) treatment groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding advanced age, male gender, presence of asthma, long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) and non-invasive mechanic ventilator (NIMV) usage, sputum culture positivity, BSI and FACED scores, and multiple laboratory parameters (ferritin, C-reactive protein, eosinophil). In logistic regression analysis, BSI was found as a risk factor [OR 1.252 (1.077-1.456), p=0.004] and eosinophilia as a protective factor [OR 0.986 (0.973-0.999), p=0.030] for hospital/ICU admission., Conclusions: Frequent emergency visits might increase the risk of COVID-19 infection in bronchiectasis patients. BSI was found to be an independent risk factor, and blood eosinophilia could play a protective role in hospital/ICU admission for COVID-19 infection.

Introduction: While there is sufficient information about acute COVID-19, which can cause a multisystemic and fatal disease, post-COVID syndrome and risk factors for this condition remain poorly known. We aimed to identify postCOVID symptoms and risk factors for chronic post-COVID syndrome through this study., Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 254 out of 384 COVID-19 patients admitted to our COVID-19 polyclinic between February and April 2021. The patients were questioned with a list of 37 symptoms at the fifth and twelfth weeks after disease onset via phone review, and their acute post-COVID (APC) and chronic post-COVID (CPC) symptoms were recorded. Data on risk factors were collected from the hospital's medical records system. Associations between symptom count in the CPC phase and age, sex, hospitalization, RT-PCR result, specific radiological findings, comorbidities, and long-term medications were evaluated., Result: Two hundred twenty-one patients had APC symptoms, and 138 patients had CPC symptoms. While the most common symptom was fatigue at week five, it was hair loss at week 12. Symptoms were observed significantly less in the CPC phase than in the APC phase (Z= -12.301, p= 0.00). Female sex and the presence of specific radiological findings were significantly associated with the occurrence of CPC symptoms (p= 0.03, p= 0.00, respectively). Long-term use of angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) was correlated with a low symptom count in the CPC phase (p= 0.00)., Conclusions: Female sex and the presence of specific radiological findings were risk factors for developing CPC. Long-term use of ARBs was associated with a low chronic post-COVID symptom burden. A substantial cluster of multisystemic symptoms was observed in both phases, and this condition highlights the requirement for customized outpatient management that includes long-term follow-up and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Identifying the high-risk patients that will develop persistent symptoms can guide this management.

Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma is a rare, low-grade pulmonary tumor observed as unilateral or bilateral multiple nodules at a rate of 4%-5%. Among the autoimmune connective tissue disorders, those most commonly associated with lung malignancies are sclero- derma and rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we report a rare case of a 55-year-old middle-aged Asian woman with slow-growing bilat- eral multiple pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma and scleroderma-rheumatoid arthritis overlap syndrome. The autoimmune disorders and pulmonary fibrosis of this case might have led to the development of PSP.

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation rates and the effect of patients' behavioral changes on the exacerbations during the pandemic., Material and Methods: This study was conducted in a reference hospital for chest diseases and patients who were hospitalized with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease between March 11, 2019, and March 11, 2020, were designated. Patients' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations requiring emergency department visits and/or hospitalization were com- pared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Each patient was surveyed with 25 questions using telemedicine., Results: Of all the 256 patients, 203 (79%) were male and the mean age was 66 ± 10 years. Compared to the previous year, emer- gency department visits and hospitalizations in our hospital were significantly lower and less frequent (P < .0001, for both). Smoking habits decreased in 9% of patients, and 60% had hardly spent time outdoors. Only 3 patients reported to spend time indoors. The household mask-use rate while contacting the patient was 50%. As a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient, 33% expressed themselves as "feeling better." Overall, 92(36%) patients were recorded not to have any exacerbation, and 34 (13%) to have no attacks of worsening were managed at home. Novel exacerbation risk was found to independently correlate with younger age (odds ratio: 0.944, CI: 0.904-0.986, P = .010) and having more frequent episodes of exacerbation in the pre-pandemic period (odds ratio: 1.2, CI: 1.025-1.405, P = .023)., Conclusion: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients specifically benefited from confinements, restrictions, and lifestyle changes. Further studies are needed to better identify the most critical factors leading to these positive outcomes. A permanent patient management guideline for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients could be formulated where the weight of lifestyle factors is elevated.

Introduction: Hyponatremia is shown to prolong hospitalization and increase mortality. The role of hyponatremia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is widely studied with a focus on hospitalized patients., Objectives: To investigate whether hyponatremia increases the probability of re-exacerbations in non-hospitalized patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD)., Methods: Patients with AECOPD who required an emergency department (ED) visit and who were discharged home were included in this single-center, retrospective study. Demographics and laboratory values were compared between patients with hyponatremia (<135 mmol/L) and normonatremia (135-145 mmol/L). The predictors of the patients' ED revisit in the course of one year were analyzed., Results: Of all the 3274 patients, baseline sodium values were classified as hyponatremia in 720 (22%). Hyponatremia was most frequently present as mild (85%). Patients with hyponatremia had higher Charlson comorbidity scores, higher leucocytes, lower hemoglobin, lower platelet, higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios, lower eosinophilia, higher aspartate aminotransferase and C-reactive protein values (P < 0.001, for all), and higher frequency of 1-month revisit (36.7% vs. 31.5%, P = 0.009). Independent predictors of revisits within 1 year after the index visit were detected as long-term oxygen treatment requirement (HR: 0.768 CI: 0.695-0.848, P < 0.0001), higher urea levels (HR: 0.997 CI: 0.995-0.999, P = 0.003), and baseline hyponatremia (HR: 0.786 CI: 0.707-0.873, P < 0.001). Revisit interval was median 78 ± 3.4 days in patients with normonatremia and 51 ± 4.8 days in hyponatremia., Conclusion: In non-hospitalized AECOPD, hyponatremia is relatively frequent and correlates with inflammatory markers. The presence of hyponatremia is an independent predictor of an earlier ED return visit within 1 year. For patients with AECOPD, sodium values may present guidance on discharge versus longer observation decisions., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To evaluate prognostic factors associated with the use of ipilimumab in patients with mucosal and uveal melanoma., Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study, 31 patients with uveal and mucosal melanoma diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 were enrolled. Patients' characteristics, metastatic disease sites, treatment before ipilimumab therapy, performance status, hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase levels, B-RAF and c-kit mutation status, toxicity, and survival data were assessed for patients with mucosal and uveal melanoma. SPSS version 17 was used for statistical analysis. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The log-rank test was used for univariate analyses. The Cox regression analysis was used to test the association between multivariate variables and survival. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Twenty patients had uveal and eleven patients had mucosal melanoma. The median overall survival was seven months (95% confidence interval: 1.1-12.7). In univariate analysis, while bone metastasis, anemia, high lactate dehydrogenase level, and more metastatic sites were associated with lower overall survival, better treatment response and administration of ipilimumab in first or second lines were associated with favorable overall survival. In multivariate analysis, only treatment response status and administration of ipilimumab in first or second lines were found to be significant as independent prognostic factors for survival., Conclusion: Ipilimumab therapy may be associated with increased survival, but this retrospective small N study makes that hard to definitely conclude.

Purpose: Studies in the last decade show survival improvement with checkpoint blocker therapy in patients with metastatic malign melanoma. Our purpose was to define the efficacy of ipilimumab according to the patient's baseline characteristics including absolute lymphocytes count., Methods: We collected the data of 97 patients with advanced malign melanoma treated with ipilimumab (3 mg/kg, q3w) retrospectively. Log-rank test was used to analyze the univariate effects of patient's characteristics (age, gender, metastatic sites, ECOG PS, type of melanoma, lactic dehydrogenase levels, anemia, lymphocytes (L), neutrophils (N), N/L ratio), c-kit and BRAF status. Survival analyses were estimated with Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the possible factors identified with log-rank test., Results: The median age was 58, and 58% were male and 90% of patients had at least one prior systemic therapy. The median survival was 9.7 months for all patients; and the 12- and 24-month survival rates were 43% and 19%, respectively. Absolute lymphocytes count, lactic dehydrogenase level, bone metastasis, the number of metastatic sites, and RECIST response were significantly related to survival. After Cox regression analysis, RECIST response (complete or partial response), absolute lymphocytes count (more than 1500/mm 3 ) and the number of metastatic sites (less than three sites) remained as significant independent prognostic factors for longer survival., Conclusion: Ipilimumab improved survival of patients with metastatic malign melanoma. However, patients with fewer metastatic sites and higher absolute lymphocytes count have a significantly better benefit. To determine if these markers could be used to direct patient therapy, further validation analysis is needed.

Gastric cancer, with one million new cases observed annually, and its dismal prognosis, is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortalities. Systemic chemotherapy is the main treatment modality in advanced gastric cancer patients. We aim to evaluate the predictive role of tumor localization and histopathology on choosing three or two-drug combination regimens. Consecutive 110 metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma patients who were admitted to the Baskent University Department of Medical Oncology and the Van Research and Training Hospital were included in the study. Data of patients were analyzed retrospectively. Median age of patients was 58 years (range 30-80). Proximal intestinal, distal intestinal, and diffuse gastric cancers were found in 35 (32 %), 64 (58 %), and 11 (10 %) patients, respectively. 5-fluoracil and platinum (PF) and PFtax were administered to 47 (43 %) and 63 (57 %) patients, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.0 (95 % CI 2.5-5.6) and 7.4 months (95 % CI 6.0-8.7) for PF and PFtax groups, (p = 0.034). When we used tumor localization as strata in the PFS survival curve, PFtax produced significantly higher PFS rates only in distal intestinal-type gastric cancer, compared with PF (p = 0.03). Median overall survival (OS) was 9.0 (95 % CI 5.2-12.3) and 17.3 months (95 % CI 7.8-27) for PF and PFtax groups, (p = 0.010). When we used tumor localization as strata in the OS survival curve, PFtax produced significantly higher OS rates only in distal intestinal-type gastric cancer compared with PF (p = 0.015). Pathology and tumor location in gastric cancers may affect the outcome, the addition of taxanes as a third drug may significantly increase PFS and OS rate purely in distal intestinal-type gastric cancer but not in patients with proximal and diffuse-type gastric cancers.

Purpose: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of systemic inflammatory response and evidences for the relationship between NLR and the response to treatment gradually increases in cancer patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the pretreatment NLR and other factors related to the patient on predicting the outcome of docetaxel + prednisone chemotherapy in prostate cancer patients who become castration resistant., Materials and Methods: Thirty-three metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients those who were treated between 2009 and 2013 were included in our study. All data of the patients, including pathological, clinical, radiological, biochemical and hematological data, were assessed retrospectively using our database system., Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) was determined as 23.9 months (range 0.36-118.7) with androgen suppression therapy and 9.5 months (range 1.7-39.4) with docetaxel + prednisone therapy. NLR was found to be correlated with only posttreatment psa levels. In the NLR ≤3 group, the PSA levels were statistically significantly lower than the other group (r = 0.002). Furthermore, the relationships between the clinical response and PFS and the other pretreatment parameters of the patients were evaluated in order to predict which group would respond better to docetaxel + prednisone therapy after becoming androgen resistant. No relationship was found between any of the parameters and the response to therapy., Conclusion: Although NLR was found effective in predicting the PSA response in docetaxel + prednisone therapy, neither NLR nor any other clinical parameter was found effective in predicting the outcome and the role of NLR in the future of CRPC is questionable.

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare lethal malignancy caused by asbestos exposure. It is more frequently seen in certain regions in Turkey. In this retrospective study, we aimed to analyse demographic, clinical, and pathological data and treatment-related features in 54 patients., Material and Methods: The study included 54 patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma that were followed and treated., Result: Of the 54 patients, 34 (55.6%) were male. The median age in men and women were 60.3 (38.2-77.2) and 65.8 (37.7-77.5) years, respectively. In 35 (64.8%), exposure to asbestosis was present. Epithelial type was found in 27 (50.0%), followed by mixed type in 7 (13.0%) patients, and in 20 (37.0%) patients the subtype could not be determined. The disease was staged as IV in 37 (68.5%) patients. In 28 patients (51.9%), it was right-sided and in 1 (1.9%) it was bilateral. The most frequent metastatic sites (in decreasing order) were lungs, mediastinum, diaphragm, liver, and thoracal wall. Of the 54 patients, 36 (66.6%) received 1st-line chemotherapy and 20 (37%) 2nd-line chemotherapy. Eighteen patients (33.3%) received radiotherapy; 11 (20.3%) with palliative intention and 7 (12.9%) with curative intention. Median overall survival (OS) was 12.03 months (95% CI 7.2-16.8). OS was not affected by sex (p=0.32), smoking history (p=0.51), alcohol consumption (p=0.36), family history (p=0.67), pleural effusion presence (p=0.80), operation (p=0.14), clinical stage (p=0.072), symptom at presentation (p=0.66), having mixed type histology (p=0.079), asbestos exposure (p=0.06), and type of 1st-line chemotherapy (p=0.161). On the contrary, it may be positively affected by good ECOG PS (0-1) (p<0.01), age below 65 (p=0.03), left-sided disease (p=0.01), receiving chemotherapy (p<0.01), having unilateral pleural effusion (p=0.018), and type of 2nd-line chemotherapy (p=0.025)., Conclusions: OS of our patients was better than that found in the literature, seeming to be positively affected by early stages, better ECOG PS, age below 65 years, left side involvement, and having second-line chemotherapy with cisplatin-gemcitabine or 3M. Overall treatment success seems to be comparable to what is currently expected.

Background: Standard treatment of colorectal cancer includes both cytostatic chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Bevacizumab, targeting the VEGF receptor, is one of the primary targeted therapies that achieve better response rate and survival rate as compared to combination chemotherapy. To the best of our knowledge, there is no established single marker that can be used as a predictive marker in bevacizumab therapy., Material and Methods: We enrolled 24 patients with the diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer in our study. During the study, 2 blood samples were drawn from patients before the first cycle and after the sixth cycle of bevacizumab therapy. Serum levels of VEGF, ANG II, and NO were recorded., Results: While the change across VEGF levels was found to be a statistically significant decreasing trend (p=0.009), this decrease was not found to be correlated with treatment response and hypertension development. Additionally, no statistically significant difference was found in terms of NO and ANG II levels., Conclusions: This study showed a significant decrease in serum VEGF, but failed to show a significant change in NO and ANG II levels during bevacizumab treatment. Although no significant correlation was found between the presence of hypertension and markers, most patients (83%) had an increase in their blood pressure. Our results suggest that dynamic monitoring of NO and ANG II, along with VEGF, may not be useful as predictive markers for bevacizumab treatment in colorectal cancer.

Accompanying comorbidities observed during the cancer treatment usually affect the course and outcome of the therapy. Hypovitaminosis D, which is one of these conditions, is a resolvable problem, if recognized. In this study, we investigated whether the serum 25(OH)D levels of the patients who were presented to our outpatient clinic were different from the serum levels of the healthy population living in the same area. Our study included 90 patients who were presented to the Medical Oncology outpatient clinic and 90 age, gender, body mass index and ethnic origin matched controls without a known disease, who were presented to the outpatient clinics of the Departments of Internal Diseases and Family Medicine for routine controls. Blood count tests, detailed biochemistry tests (including serum levels of Cr, Ca and P), measurement of serum 25(OH)D levels and C-reactive protein were performed in serum samples of all of the patients and controls. Mean serum levels of 25(OH)D were 13.5 ng/ml (SD 5.1) in all cancer patients, 13.1 ng/ml (SD 4.2) in the patients who were presented for adjuvant therapy, 13.8 ng/ml (SD 5.5) in the patients who were presented at metastatic stage and 18.4 ng/ml (SD 12.5) in the controls. Mean serum CRP levels were 5.4 mg/dl (SD 1.2) in the control group, 8.4 mg/dl (SD 4.3) in the adjuvant therapy group and 20.3 (SD 16.8) in the patients with metastatic disease. Generally, all cancer patients (p 0.003) and the patients with metastatic cancer (p 0.004) had lower serum 25(OH)D levels compared to controls, and there was an inverse correlation between serum 25(OH)D and CRP levels in patients with metastatic cancer (p 0.036). In metastatic cancer patients, hypovitaminosis D may be a comorbidity and it is recommended to consider during initial evaluation and follow-up. Because it might improve these patients quality of life and chemotherapy adherence.

Advanced thymic carcinoma (TC) is a very aggressive disease. To date there are no established treatment options for the refractory and recurrent disease and only a few prospective trials have been conducted in patients with TC. Here we present a case of a relapsed TC patient, who, by using combination chemotherapy, showed a positive response to sorafenib with C-KIT exon 11 mutation., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Increased expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), supporting the tumor growth by a possible endocrine mechanism, affects patient survival negatively. We designed a study to test EGFR expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in resected stage I-II NSCLC and to correlate its overexpression with survival., Methods: EGFR expression was evaluated in 98 consecutive NSCLC patients after complete resection (53 squamous cell carcinomas, 40 adenocarcinomas, 5 large cell carcinomas: stage I, 57 (58%) and stage II, 41 (42%). IHC was used to examine the expression of EGFR in resected lung tumor samples obtained from these patients, who had no pre- or post-operative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for factors influencing patient survival., Results: EGFR was expressed in 51 (52%) of 98 NSCLC samples. More squamous tumors (61%) were EGFR-positive than adenocarcinomas (38%) (p = 0.038). There was a statistically significant correlation between EGFR expression and stage (p = 0.04). No difference was found between EGFR positive and negative tumors in the 5-year overall survival (57% vs. 73%, p = 0.13)., Conclusion: The level of EGFR expression in tumors was not a successful predictor of survival in resected NSCLC.