What are the differences between young (25 years) and adults (> 25 years) colorectal cancer (CRC)? An Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology Study.

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, ILWOS: 000358036902751…Amer Soc Clin Onco

Risk Factors of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Turkey - an Epidemiological Survey of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology

WOS: 000302015800038PubMed: 22393983Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare disease in most parts of the world with a multifactorial etiology involving an interaction of genetic, viral, environmental and dietary risk factors. This is the first epidemiologic study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Turkish population. Methods: We conducted a multicentric, retrospective, case-control study using a standardized questionnaire which captured age, sex, occupation, household type, blood group, dietary habits, smoking, alcohol consumption and oral hygiene. The study included 183 cases and 183 healthy controls matched by sex and age. Multiple logistic regression and univariate analysis were employed. Results: The peak age incidence was 40-50 years and the male to female ratio was 2:1. We observed significant associations between elevated nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk and low socioeconomic status, rural household type (OR: 3.95, p0.05); furthermore salty foods had a borderline p value (OR: 2.14, p=0.053). Blood type A increased the risk (OR: 2.03, p=0.002) while blood type 0 was a protective factor (OR: 0.53, p=0.009). Rare habit of teeth brushing (OR: 6.17, p= 10 decayed teeth before diagnosis (OR: 2.17, p<0.001) increased the risk. Conclusions: The nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk factors described in the literature are also applicable for the Turkish population. People with type A blood are at risk in Turkey. Salted foods have also a border risk out of the endemic regions. This is the only study showing that poor oral hygene is a serious risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Normal and Tumour Tissue mRNA Expressions of Telomerase Complex Genes in Several Types of Cancer

Aims: To investigate the changes in mRNA expression levels of telomerase-related significant proteins in several types of cancer. Methods: Human telomerase reverse transcriptase, pontin, reptin and dyskerin expressions were measured in normal and tumour tissues obtained from 26 patients with colorectal, breast and gastric cancers, using the realtime reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method. Results: For all patients, no significant difference was found in mRNA expressions of human telomerase reverse transcriptase and dyskerin (p> 0.05), although their levels in tumour tissues were found to be higher than in normal tissues. However, pontin and reptin mRNA expressions were significantly higher in tumour tissues than in normal tissues (p< 0.01). While human telomerase reverse transcriptase showed a high correlation with only pontin (p< 0.001) in normal tissues, high positive correlations were observed between human telomerase reverse transcriptase with pontin (p< 0.005), reptin (p< 0.01) and dyskerin (p< 0.01) in tumour tissues. Conclusion: The increased mRNA expressions of all four genes in tumour tissues may suggest a role in cancer development. Correlations of pontin, reptin and dyskerin with human telomerase reverse transcriptase support the hypotheses describing their roles in telomerase complexes

Risk Factors of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Turkey - an Epidemiological Survey of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare disease in most parts of the world with a multifactorial etiology involving an interaction of genetic, viral, environmental and dietary risk factors. This is the first epidemiologic study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Turkish population. Methods: We conducted a multicentric, retrospective, case-control study using a standardized questionnaire which captured age, sex, occupation, household type, blood group, dietary habits, smoking, alcohol consumption and oral hygiene. The study included 183 cases and 183 healthy controls matched by sex and age. Multiple logistic regression and univariate analysis were employed. Results: The peak age incidence was 40-50 years and the male to female ratio was 2:1. We observed significant associations between elevated nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk and low socioeconomic status, rural household type (OR: 3.95, p0.05); furthermore salty foods had a borderline p value (OR: 2.14, p=0.053). Blood type A increased the risk (OR: 2.03, p=0.002) while blood type 0 was a protective factor (OR: 0.53, p=0.009). Rare habit of teeth brushing (OR: 6.17, p= 10 decayed teeth before diagnosis (OR: 2.17, p<0.001) increased the risk. Conclusions: The nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk factors described in the literature are also applicable for the Turkish population. People with type A blood are at risk in Turkey. Salted foods have also a border risk out of the endemic regions. This is the only study showing that poor oral hygene is a serious risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Progesterone receptor status in determining the prognosis of estrogen receptor positive/HER2 negative breast carcinoma patients

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of progesterone receptor (PR) status on estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer

Efficacy and Toxicity of Gemcitabine and Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in Recurrent Platinum-Resistant/Refractory Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Background: Treatment of patients with platinum resistant/refractory ovarian cancer is a significant problem. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of the combination of gemcitabine and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with platinum resistant/refractory ovarian cancer. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the activity and toxicity of gemcitabine and PLD combination in 35 patients with recurrent platinum resistant/refractory ovarian cancer who had been treated and followed up in 7 centers in Turkey between December 2005 and June 2008. The patients received gemcitabine 1.000 mg/m(2) on day 1 and 8, and PLD 25 mg/m(2) on day 1 every 28 days. Results: A total of 187 cycles (median, 6 cycles) were delivered. An objective response rate of 28,6% (1 complete, 9 partial response) was achieved. Additionally, 16 patients (45.7%) had disease stabilization. The median time-to-progression was 6 months (95% confidence interval, 4-8) and the median overall survival was 17 months (95% confidence interval, 12-22). Grade 3-4 hematologic toxicities were as follows: leucopenia (14.3%), neutropenia (8.6%), and anemia (2.9%). One febrile neutropenic episode (2.9%) was observed. Non-hematologic toxicity was well tolerated and easily managed and no grade 3-4 palmoplantar erytrodysestesia (PPE) was observed. Conclusion: The combination of gemcitabine and PLD is an effective and tolerable treatment option, with 74.3% disease control rate for patients with platinum resistant/refractory ovarian cancer

Outcome of non-metastatic male breast cancer: 118 patients

Studies concerning adjuvant systemic therapy and prognosis in male breast carcinoma (MBC) are limited. We aimed to evaluate outcome of the changing practices of adjuvant systemic treatment and survival in operable MBC patients over the last two decades. The medical records of 148 MBC patients followed between the years 1986 and 2009 at 7 cancer center were evaluated retrospectively. One hundred and eighteen operable non-metastatic patients had sufficient data were included the study. One hundred and eighteen operable MBC were found to be eligible. Median age was 60 (range 29-83) years. Thirty-two percent of the patients had T3-4 tumors. Half of the patients had axillary lymph node-positive disease. The proportion of positivity of estrogen receptor(ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and HER2 status were 82.9, 75.8, and 23.4%, respectively. Only, 7 patients had triple negative (TN). Adjuvant hormonotherapy was advised for 76.8% whereas adjuvant chemotherapy for 73.7% of the patients. Median follow-up was 40.9 months (range 3.8-186 months). Locoregional and/or distant recurrence developed in thirty-eight patients (32.2%). Twenty-three patients died during the follow-up period. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was found to be 60%, whereas overall survival (OS) was 82%. Larger tumor size and lymph node positivity were statistically significant poor prognostic factors for OS. Although statistical insignificant, patients with HER2-positive tumors have worse DFS (52 vs. 120 months, log rank P = .73) and OS (85 vs. 144 months, log rank P = .30) than HER2-negative ones. Although the frequency of the use of adjuvant systemic therapy in MBC has been increasing and survival rates improving for the last decades, lymph node status and tumor size are still the most important determining factors for prognosis. There is a need for further prognostic information in men with HER2-positive or TN breast cancer

Assessment of tumor characteristics and factors affecting survival in patients with primary metastatic breast carcinoma: a Multicenter Study of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology

Primary metastatic breast cancer (PMBC) comprises 3-10 % of all BCs. PMBC is a heterogeneous disease. To date, little is known about the tumor characteristics, treatment results, and overall survival ( OS) of patients with PMBC. Patients were considered to have PMBC if distant metastasis was evident within 3 months of the initial diagnosis of BC. Between September 2007 and April 2013, 466 PMBC patients were included in this study and analyzed retrospectively. The median age of the patients was 50 (18- 90) years. Bone/ soft tissue metastases were more frequent in the hormone receptor (HR)(+) human epidermal growth factor receptor ( HER) 2(-) group compared with the HR(-) HER2(-) and HR(-) HER2(-) groups ( p < 0.001), whereas visceral organ metastasis was more frequent in the HR(-) HER2(-) and HR(-) HER2(-) groups ( p < 0.001). The OS was affected by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, tumor histology, receptor status, and the site of metastasis ( p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.011, respectively). According to the first-line systemic treatment choices of the patients, the longest median OS was observed in the HR(?) HER2(-) group who received hormonotherapy combined with trastuzumab after chemotherapy ( 86 months, 95 % CI 23.8-148.1) and the shortest median OS was observed in the HR(-) HER2(-) group who received chemotherapy only ( 24 months, 95 % CI 17.9-30.0) ( p < 0.001). Bisphosphonate therapy or radiotherapy had no significant effect on OS ( p = 0.733, 0.603). In multivariate analysis, hormonotherapy, chemotherapy + trastuzumab, trastuzumab + hormonotherapy following chemotherapy, and surgery were the most important prognostic factors for OS, respectively ( p < 0.001, p = 0.025, p = 0.027, p = 0.029). The general characteristics of the primary tumor are important for the prognosis and survival of patients with PMBC. Interestingly, patients who underwent primary breast tumor surgery, even those at the metastatic stage upon admission, had the longest survival