International Cooperation on Airborne Forest Fire-Fighting::Opportunities for Turkey and Greece

Although the research on forest fires and fire-fighting in different regions is continuously expanding, cooperation opportunities on fire-fighting between different countries still remains unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the international cooperation opportunities on airborne forest fire-fighting by concentrating on cooperation between Turkey and Greece on the Aegean Coast. For this aim, the number and location of two counties’ current resources are figured out and the current initial attack performances of both countries are measured. Considering each country separately, the relocation of the resources is suggested for improved service through mathematical programming models. Number and locations of the resources for an effective service are also suggested in case of cooperation. Results show that, in a cooperative system, total number of resources required is decreasing compared to a non-cooperative one. Findings of this paper address the research gap on international cooperation on airborne forest fire-fighting especially in the Aegean Region. This study can provide a viewpoint for the future cooperation between multiple countries on resource management, and disaster management, especially on the forest fire-fighting

Treatment Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in N3 Stage Gastric Cancer After Curative Resection: A Real World Data

Purpose: N3 gastric cancer is characterized by a fairly high lymph node metastasis burden and poor outcome despite optimal therapy. Given the limitations of TNM classification, a comprehensive evaluation tool is necessary to predict the prognosis of patients with N3 gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery. This study aims to explore the outcomes and clinicopathologic prognostic factors affecting the overall survival (OS) of patients with N3 gastric cancer after surgery. Methods: Data on patients with N3 gastric cancer who underwent (sub)total gastrectomy and regional lymph node dissection between November 2005 and September 2018 (n = 169) were analyzed by Cox regression to determine the independent prognostic factors for OS. Results: The multivariable analysis established that gender, patient performance status, metastatic lymph node ratio (MLNR), tumor grade, and adjuvant chemotherapy are significantly associated with OS. The five-year OS of the study population was 15%. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was applied to 72% of the patients, which resulted in an improvement in recurrence-free survival but not OS. Recurrence occurred in 103 (75%) patients, in which the most frequent recurrence site was distant metastasis. Conclusion: Male gender, poor performance status, grade 3 tumor, MLNR > 0.37, and not receiving adjuvant chemotherapy are predictors of poor prognosis in N3 gastric cancer after curative resection. Considering the high recurrence rates of this group, prospective studies are needed to optimize treatment strategies

Classic Kaposi's sarcoma: A review of 156 cases

WOS: 000451077200002Background: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a reactive, multifocal, multicentric, angiogenic neoplastic proliferation that is thought to originate from endothelial cells that are infected with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). This report examines a cohort of patients with classic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) evaluated at the national institute of oncology over the 13-year period. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 156 patients with classic KS, between January 2000 and November 2013, was performed. This study focused on the clinical presentation, staging, diagnosis, and treatment of classic KS. Results: One hundred fifty-six patients (median age 69 and 115 male) were enrolled into the study. Median age at diagnosis was 69 (range: 32e95 years). Male/female ratio was 2.80. the most common location was the lower limbs. There were 75 stage I patients (48.1%), 8 stage II patients (22.4%), 31 stage III patients (19.9%) and 15 stage IV patients (9.6%). Surgery was the most common local treatment method (43%). 44 patients (28.2%) received radiotherapy (RT) at diagnosis. Cytotoxic treatment with chemotherapy or interferon-a was administered in 57 patients. Visceral involvement was observed in 10 patients (lung: nine patients, liver: one patient) and bone metastasis occurred in two patients at relapse. Conclusion: This study is one of the largest reported series. Further studies are required and it will be important to standardize the assessment of disease activity and clinical response. Copyright (C) 2018, Taiwanese Dermatological Association. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC

KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations may guide the selection of irinotecan or oxaliplatin in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency, prognostic effect of codon, and amino acid-specific KRAS mutations in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and their predictive effect on irinotecan and oxaliplatin during first-line treatment. Methods: The data of 304 mCRC patients were retrospectively evaluated between 2010 and 2018. Patients were categorized according to the most prominent codon and amino acid mutation and their prognostic features were analyzed. Results: In total, 274 patients were included in the study and 128 patients (47%) revealed KRAS mutation. Median follow-up time was 19.8 months (range; 1.6-96). The median overall survival rates for patients with codons 12 and 13 mutations were 25.4 and 22.2 months, respectively (p = 0.4). Moreover, the median overall survival for the codon 12 mutant patients who received irinotecan-based chemotherapy in the first-line treatment was 42.7 months, whereas for the codon 13 mutant and KRAS wild-type patients, it was 18.3 and 23.9 months, respectively (codon 12 vs. codon 13; HR: 0.31, p = 0.03, codon 12 vs. wild-type; HR: 0.45, p = 0.03). Conclusion: The significant survival advantage was observed in patients with codon 12 mutations who received irinotecan-based chemotherapy as a first-line treatment

Classic Kaposi's sarcoma: A review of 156 cases

Background: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a reactive, multifocal, multicentric, angiogenic neoplastic proliferation that is thought to originate from endothelial cells that are infected with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). This report examines a cohort of patients with classic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) evaluated at the national institute of oncology over the 13-year period. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 156 patients with classic KS, between January 2000 and November 2013, was performed. This study focused on the clinical presentation, staging, diagnosis, and treatment of classic KS. Results: One hundred fifty-six patients (median age 69 and 115 male) were enrolled into the study. Median age at diagnosis was 69 (range: 32–95 years). Male/female ratio was 2.80. The most common location was the lower limbs. There were 75 stage I patients (48.1%), 8 stage II patients (22.4%), 31 stage III patients (19.9%) and 15 stage IV patients (9.6%). Surgery was the most common local treatment method (43%). 44 patients (28.2%) received radiotherapy (RT) at diagnosis. Cytotoxic treatment with chemotherapy or interferon-α was administered in 57 patients. Visceral involvement was observed in 10 patients (lung: nine patients, liver: one patient) and bone metastasis occurred in two patients at relapse. Conclusion: This study is one of the largest reported series. Further studies are required and it will be important to standardize the assessment of disease activity and clinical response. Keywords: Classic Kaposi's sarcoma, Radiotherapy, Surgery, Chemotherap