The real-life efficacy of the second line treatment strategy in advanced pancreas cancer

ABS TRACT Objective: Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Despite the introduction of new therapeutic agents, survival rates remain low. Furthermore, few trials have evaluated the options for second-line therapy and the prognostic variables. In this study, we aimed to determine the real-world efficacy and prognostic parameters of second-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. Material and Methods: Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer from different centers who received second-line treatment were enrolled in the study. The patients’ demographic, clinical, and pathological characteristics were retrieved retrospectively. Results: A total of 161 patients were enrolled in the study. The majority of the patients (50.3%) received oxaliplatin plus fluoropyrimidine as second-line treatment. The median progression-free survival and overall survival for the entire cohort were 2.5 months and 4.5 months, respectively. In univariate anal-yses, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥2, age ≥65 years, hypoalbuminemia, thrombocytosis, presence of metastatic peritoneal disease, elevated alkaline phosphatase and carcinoembryonic antigen levels, and a neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥3 were identified as poor prognostic factors. In multivariable analyses, low albumin level (p=0.031) and high NLR (p=0.05) were found to be independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Conclusion: Pancreatic cancer is a unique malignancy, and advanced disease has a dismal prog-nosis. In univariate analyses, we identified multiple factors that were poor prognostic variables. In particular, the albumin level and NLR were independent prognostic factors for overall survival, and these parameters might be useful in selecting the second-line treatment and pre-dicting the survival of these patients

Tamoxifen in breast cancer survivors with COVID 19: stop or go?

The COVID 19 pandemic threatens human health in many ways. Although vaccines that have completed phase 3 trials are being used today, it is estimated that the risk of infection will continue for a whil

Performance of cryogenically treated M35 HSS drills in drilling of austenitic stainless steels

WOS: 000302407100005In this study, performance of cryogenically treated M35 high speed steel (HSS) twist drills in drilling of AISI 304 and 316 stainless steels was evaluated in terms of thrust force, surface roughness, tool wear, tool life, and chip formation. To present the differences in tool performance between untreated and treated drills, and machinability between AISI 304 SS and AISI 316 SS, a number of experiments were performed at different combinations of cutting speed, and feed rate. As the results of the conducted experiments, the treated drills showed better performance than untreated drills in terms of thrust force, surface roughness, and tool wear and tool life for both types of stainless steels. Tool lives of treated HSS drills in drilling of AISI 304 SS and AISI 316 SS improved 32% and 14%, respectively, when compared with untreated drills. Experimental results also showed that machinability of AISI 304 SS was harder than the machinability of AISI 316 SS.Duzce University Scientific Research Project DivisionDuzce University [BAP 2009.03.02.030]The authors wish to place their sincere thanks to Duzce University Scientific Research Project Division for financial support for the Project No: BAP 2009.03.02.030

Is it safe to use long-acting G-CSF for febrile neutropenia prophylaxis in COVID-19 pandemic?

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Pazopanib in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS): Results of a multi-institutional observational study

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Real-world data on efficacy and safety of first-line alectinib treatment in advanced-stage, ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer patients: A Turkish Oncology Group study

Aims: In this multicenter study, the authors aimed to determine the real-life efficacy and safety of first-line alectinib. Materials & methods: This retrospective trial included advanced-stage, ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer patients who were treated with first-line alectinib in terms of ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, regardless of previous chemotherapy. The co-primary end points were progression-free survival both for all patients and for the treatment-naive population. The secondary end points were overall response rate, overall survival, rate of CNS progression and safety. Results & conclusion: A total of 274 patients (n = 177 for treatment-naive patients) were enrolled in the study. The median progression-free survival was 26 and 28.8 months for all patients and the treatment-naive group, respectively. The overall response rate, CNS progression rate and 1-year overall survival ratio were 77.9, 12.4 and 77%. Alectinib is a highly effective therapy with a favorable safety profile