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Purpose: The peritoneum is the common recurrence site of gastric cancer (GC) presenting with worse survival. Although some predictive clinicopathological factors have been identified, there is no comprehensive assessment of peritoneal recurrence risk prediction for patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (CR) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) after surgery. We aimed to predict peritoneal recurrence and develop a new scoring model in GC., Methods: This retrospective study included 274 GC patients who presented with recurrence after curative gastrectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Risk factors for peritoneal recurrence were analyzed using the following parameters: age, gender, tumor location and characteristics, and differences between treatment modalities. All parameters were assessed by binary logistic regression analysis to compare the patients with and without peritoneal recurrence. Then, a new risk scoring model was developed., Results: Peritoneal recurrence was observed in 115 (44.1%) patients. Peritoneal recurrence was higher in female gender (odds ratio (OR), 1.93; 1.07-3.49, P = 0.030, 1 point), T4a-b stage (OR, 2.47; 1.14-5.36, P = 0.022, 1 point), poor/undifferentiated (OR, 2.04; 1.31-4.06, P = 0.004, 1 point), and signet cell carcinoma (OR, 2.04; 1.04-4.02, P = 0.038, 1 point) after adjusted for resection and dissection types. The risk scoring model was developed using the related parameters: Peritoneal recurrence rates were 24.6%, 42.6%, and 71.4% for group 1 (0 point), group 2 (1-2 points), and group 3 (3-4 points), respectively., Conclusion: Female gender, T4 tumor stage, undifferentiated histopathology, and signet cell type had a tendency to peritoneal recurrence after adjusted for treatment modalities. Patients with 3 or 4 risk factors had an 8.8-fold increased risk for the development of peritoneal recurrence.

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.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential benefit of curative radiotherapy (RT) to the primary tumor in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone., Materials and Methods: The clinical parameters of 106 mCRPC patients treated with abiraterone were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were either oligometastatic (≤5 metastases) at diagnosis or became oligometastatic after the systemic treatment was analyzed. Local RT to the primary tumor and pelvic lymphatics was delivered in 44 patients (41%), and 62 patients (59%) did not have RT to the primary tumor. After propensity match analysis, a total of 92 patients were analyzed., Resultsn: Median follow-up time was 14.2 months (range: 2.3-54.9 months). Median overall survival (OS) was higher in patients treated with local RT to the primary tumor than in those treated without local RT with borderline significance (24.1 vs. 21.4 months; p = 0.08). Local RT to the prostate and pelvic lymphatics significantly diminished the local recurrence rate (16 patients, 31% vs. 2 patients, 5%; p = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, the prostate specific antigen (PSA) response ≥50% of the baseline obtained 3 weeks after abiraterone therapy was the only significant prognostic factor for better OS and progression-free survival (PFS). Patients treated with primary RT to the prostate had significantly less progression under abiraterone and a longer abiraterone period than those treated without local prostate RT., Conclusions: Local prostate RT significantly improved OS and local control in mCRPC patients treated with abiraterone. The patients treated with primary RT had significantly less progression under abiraterone and a longer abiraterone period than those treated without local prostate RT.

Currently, there are no predictive markers of response to abiraterone. We calculated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at baseline and at 4 and 12 weeks after initiation of abiraterone, and we evaluated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response every 4 weeks in 102 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone either pre- or postchemotherapy. With a median follow-up was 24.0 months (range: 0.3-54.9), median overall survival (OS) was 20.8 months. High-NLR patients who remained high or who returned to low NLR after 4 and 12 weeks showed significantly worse OS than patients with low baseline NLR. NLR and prostate-specific antigen response to abiraterone was a significant predictor of OS and progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone delivered either pre- or postchemotherapy.

Purpose of Review: Infectious diseases are the second leading cause of death following direct cancer-related complications in the field of oncology. Clinical studies using the classic inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, and thrombocytosis fail to show a significant correlation between these biomarkers and infection-related mortality. It is therefore crucial to define new biomarkers that are not affected by the primary cancer and precisely show the severity of the infection to help in the decision-making process., Recent Findings: A significant increase in the number of cancer patients in the past decades has created an exponential increase in the number of immunocompromised patients. Preemptive and typically unnecessary usage of broad-spectrum antibiotics is common during the treatment of these patients and may result in an increase in multidrug-resistant microbial strains. Recent clinical studies suggest that a significant reduction in antibiotic consumption may be achieved by procalcitonin-guided algorithms without sacrificing the outcome of patients with severe infection., Summary: In this article, we focus on procalcitonin and its potential role in differentiating cancer and infection-induced inflammation. Using this strategy may significantly reduce the usage of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics and result in earlier discharge of patients.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the current standard treatment for inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study we aimed to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of CCRT with split dose of cisplatin (30 mg/m2) and vinorelbine (20 mg/m2) in patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC followed in our oncology clinic., Material and Methods: Medical records of 97 patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin-vinorelbine were retrospectively analyzed. Cisplatin (30 mg/m2) and vinorelbine (20 mg/m2) were administered on days 1, 8, 22, and 29 during radiotherapy. Two cycles of consolidation chemotherapy were given. All patient data, including pathological, clinical, radiological, biochemical, and hematological data, were assessed retrospectively using our database system., Results: Our study included 97 unresectable stage III NSCLC patients who were treated with CCRT. Median age was 58 years old (range 39-75) and 87 (89.7%) of the patients were men. ECOG performance score was 0-1 in 93 patients (95.9%). Squamous histology, the most common histology, was diagnosed in 46 patients (47.4%). Median follow-up time was 23.8 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival time (OS) were 10.3 months and 17.8 months, respectively. Objective response rate and clinical benefit rate were 75.3% and 83.5%, respectively. Distant and local relapse rate were 57.1% and 42.9%, respectively. Hematological and non-hematological grade 3-4 toxicities were seen in 13 (13.4%) and 16 (16.5%) patients, respectively. Six (6.1%) patients died due to toxicity., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that split-dose cisplatin may offer fewer grade III-IV toxicities without sacrificing efficacy and could be an option in patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC during CCRT. Similar to past studies, despite high response rate during CCRT, distant relapse is the major parameter that influences patient survival in long-term in NSCLC.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a group of rare mesenchymal cancers that include approximately 50 histological types and account for 1% of all adult cancers. The standard curative treatment option for localized disease is surgical resection and, if a surgically removed tumor exhibits high-risk characteristics, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be administered. Sarcoma presenting at an advanced stage has a dismal prognosis and survival has not markedly improved over the last 20 years. The standard first-line treatment for advanced STS, other than gastrointestinal stromal tumors, is cytotoxic chemotherapy. Therapies targeting pro-angiogenic factors have been a focus of drug development for STS over the last few years. Pazopanib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a novel treatment option for patients with metastatic STS in the second-line setting. This is a presentation of 2 case reports of patients with metastatic STS who responded well to treatment with pazopanib.

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.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological and clinicopathological characteristics of primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (pENL) patients, focusing on treatment and survival outcome., Materials and Methods: Between October 2003 and March 2012, 802 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were diagnosed and treated in two different cancer centers of Southern Turkey., Results: pENL, constituted 12.4% (100/802) of all NHL studied during this period. Median age of the patients was 56 years (range 17-87 years) and the male: female distribution was 3:2. Eighty-five of 100 patients (85%) were in stage I/II, 9/100 (9%) in stage III, whereas 6/100 (6%) were in stage IV. Head and neck constituted the most common site (51/100, 51%), followed by gastrointestinal tract (GIL) (37/100, 37%), and cerebrum (CL) (5/100, 5%). Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common histological type, observed in 53% of patients, followed by marginal zone extranodal lymphoma (13%). Most of patients (76%) received a CHOP containing regimen. Complete remission (CR) were achieved in 71% of patients. The median follow-up duration of all patients was reported as 37.6 months (range, 0.8-165 months). This period was reported as 137.5 months (range, 117.5- 1578.6 months) in gastrointestinal lymphoma (GIL) patients, 119.0 months (range, 91.8-146.1 months) in head and neck lymphoma (HNL) patients, and 18.4 months (range, 12.6-24.1 months) in cerebral lymphoma (CL) patients., Conclusions: Head and neck, and the gastrointestinal tract were the two most common extranodal sites observed. Histologically DLBC accounted for the majority of cases. Most patients were on earlier stages, had low-low intermediate IPI scores and had a favorable prognosis.