Search

Purpose: Sinonasal malignancies are a rare group of head and neck cancers. We aimed to report the oncological outcomes based on histological types in patients who underwent radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: In this single-institution study, we retrospectively retrieved and analyzed data of patients with sinonasal carcinomas who underwent radiotherapy during 2011-2016 as part of their treatment. The 3-year rate of local, regional, and distant recurrences, and overall survival were evaluated according to the histological type. Results: A total of 28 patients were evaluated in this study, the majority of whom were male (60%). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), and adenocarcinoma (ADC) were found in 15 patients (53.5%), 8 (28.5%), and 5 (18%), respectively. The highest rates of local and regional recurrences were observed in ACC and SCC, respectively. Distant recurrences were numerically more common in ADC. The 3-year OS was 48%, 50%, and 73% in SCC, ADC, and ACC, respectively. Conclusion: Different histopathologies of sinonasal cancer seem to have different patterns of failure, and this may be considered in the treatment approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting adverse effect of oxaliplatin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine in the prevention of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN). Method: Cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin based chemotherapy were randomized into two arms. Duloxetine 60 mg capsule was given in the first 14 days of each chemotherapy cycle to one arm and placebo was similarly given to another. We compared the two arms based on the incidence of neuropathy and the results of the nerve conduction study (NCS). Grade of complained neuropathy was recorded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Results: Thirty-two patients mostly rectal cancer (90.6%) were randomized to duloxetine and placebo arms. Highest grade of neuropathy in each cycle was not significantly different between the two groups. Six weeks after treatment incidence of neuropathy of any grade was 52.9 in duloxetine arm compared to 76.9% in placebo arm (P: 0.26). Patients in the duloxetine arm had a lower percentage of chemotherapy cycles (mean) in which they reported distal paresthesia (51% vs. 84%, P = 0.01) and throat discomfort (37% vs. 69%, P = 0.01). Results of NCS were mostly comparable between the two arms except for the velocity in two of the examined nerve which was significantly higher in duloxetine group. Duloxetine was safe and well-tolerated. Conclusion: Although a definite conclusion might be difficult to draw but administering duloxetine for 14 days in each chemotherapy cycle could not decrease the incidence of acute OIPN based on CTCAE grading system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The non-surgical treatment outcome of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma remains to be defined. We aimed to assess the outcomes of definitive chemoradiation (CRT) of GEJ tumors. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was entirely carried out in the radiation oncology ward of Cancer Institute of Iran. We included patients with adenocarcinoma histology whose tumors had involved the gastro-esophageal junction and underwent chemoradiotherapy without surgery. In the final analysis, we evaluated 50 patients with non-metastatic adenocarcinoma of GEJ (Siewert's type I and II) from 2008 to 2017. The primary outcome was overall survival; secondary outcomes were progression-free survival and local and distal metastasis. Results: The reasons for not undergoing surgery in order of frequency from highest to lowest were patient refusal or medical unfitness for surgery, tumor unresectability or progress at the time of operation and incident metastasis in pre-op restaging, and. The 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year overall survival rates were 53%, 26%, and 12%, respectively. The 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year progression-free survival rates were 44%, 18%, and 10%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of survival was a distant failure (P=0.031). Conclusion: Although the outcomes of non-surgical treatments are disappointing in GEJ adenocarcinomas, a few patients may experience long-term survival using definitive CRT. This option should be discussed with all patients who are not candidates for surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is some evidence that showed that the high level of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is associated with poor survival in several malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC); however data on the significance of these markers to predict response to systemic therapy is limited. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the role of pretreatment NLR and PLR in predicting response to first line chemotherapy in CRC patients with synchronous metastases. Methods: Clinical records of 81 CRC patients with synchronous liver metastases, who underwent upfront chemotherapy, were included in this retrospective study. The optimal cut of value for NLR and PLR was determined according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Correlation between response to chemotherapy and NLR or PLR was evaluated. Results: The optimal cut off for NLR and PLR was 2.666 and 182.589, respectively. Patients with low NLR had significantly higher objective response (complete response + partial response) compared to patients with high NLR (54.3% versus 13%, respectively, P: < 0.001). In patients with low PLR, 41.2% had objective response compared to 13.3% of patients with high PLR (P = 0.012). The univariate analysis determined that, both NLR and PLR are significantly associated with better objective response, but in multivariate analysis, only NLR was identified as an independent predictive marker of response [odds ratio = 4.55; P = 0.013]. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that, measuring NLR might provide us an inexpensive method to predict response to first-line chemotherapy in CRC patients with synchronous liver metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]