Efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Materials & methods: The data of patients who received at least two cycles of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy were retrospectively recorded. Results: The median age of 51 patients was 56 (range: 33-75) years. The complete response rate was 10.4% and the partial response rate was 43.7%. The objective response rate was 54.1%. Median progression-free survival was 15.9 months (95% CI: 9.1-22.6) and median overall survival was 42.5 months (95% CI: 37.2-47.8). Conclusion: Bevacizumab with chemotherapy is an effective option for treating recurrent ovarian low-grade serous carcinoma.

Comparison of homologous and heterologous inactivated and mRNA vaccination programme against SARS-CoV-2 in dialysis patients.

AIM: To evaluate the vaccine response and the effect of the booster dose on COVID-19 positivity in haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients who received and did not receive BNT162b2 as a booster dose after two doses of CoronaVac. METHODS: The study included 80 PD and 163 HD patients, who had been administered two doses of the CoronaVac. Antibody levels were measured on Days 42 and 90 after the first dose. Measurements were repeated on Day 181 after the first dose in the patients that received two vaccine doses and on Day 28 after the third dose in those that also received the booster dose. Antibody levels below 50 AU/mL were considered negative. RESULTS: The seropositivity rate was similar in the HD and PD group on Days 42 and 90 (p = 0.212 and 0.720). All patients were seropositive in the booster group. The antibody level was lower in the patients that received CoronaVac as the booster compared to those administered BNT162b2 in HD and PD groups (p < 0.001 and 0.002). COVID-19 positivity was detected in 11 patients (7 = had not received the booster dose, 4 = had received third dose of CoronaVac). The multivariate analysis revealed that as age increased, COVID-19 positivity also increased (OR: 1.080, 95% CI: 1.017 - 1.146, p = 0.012), while booster dose administration decreased this positivity (OR: 0.113, 95% CI: 0.028 - 0.457, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our results may indicate the need for additional vaccination doses in patients with HD and PD. Our findings indicate a higher antibody response in dialysis patients with heterologous BNT162b2 as a booster dose after two doses of CoronaVac compared to homologous CoronaVac.

Efficacy of subsequent treatments in patients with hormone-positive advanced breast cancer who had disease progression under CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy.

BACKGROUND: There is no standard treatment recommended at category 1 level in international guidelines for subsequent therapy after cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6) based therapy. We aimed to evaluate which subsequent treatment oncologists prefer in patients with disease progression under CDKi. In addition, we aimed to show the effectiveness of systemic treatments after CDKi and whether there is a survival difference between hormonal treatments (monotherapy vs. mTOR-based). METHODS: A total of 609 patients from 53 centers were included in the study. Progression-free-survivals (PFS) of subsequent treatments (chemotherapy (CT, n:434) or endocrine therapy (ET, n:175)) after CDKi were calculated. Patients were evaluated in three groups as those who received CDKi in first-line (group A, n:202), second-line (group B, n: 153) and ≥ 3rd-line (group C, n: 254). PFS was compared according to the use of ET and CT. In addition, ET was compared as monotherapy versus everolimus-based combination therapy. RESULTS: The median duration of CDKi in the ET arms of Group A, B, and C was 17.0, 11.0, and 8.5 months in respectively; it was 9.0, 7.0, and 5.0 months in the CT arm. Median PFS after CDKi was 9.5 (5.0-14.0) months in the ET arm of group A, and 5.3 (3.9-6.8) months in the CT arm (p = 0.073). It was 6.7 (5.8-7.7) months in the ET arm of group B, and 5.7 (4.6-6.7) months in the CT arm (p = 0.311). It was 5.3 (2.5-8.0) months in the ET arm of group C and 4.0 (3.5-4.6) months in the CT arm (p = 0.434). Patients who received ET after CDKi were compared as those who received everolimus-based combination therapy versus those who received monotherapy ET: the median PFS in group A, B, and C was 11.0 vs. 5.9 (p = 0.047), 6.7 vs. 5.0 (p = 0.164), 6.7 vs. 3.9 (p = 0.763) months. CONCLUSION: Physicians preferred CT rather than ET in patients with early progression under CDKi. It has been shown that subsequent ET after CDKi can be as effective as CT. It was also observed that better PFS could be achieved with the subsequent everolimus-based treatments after first-line CDKi compared to monotherapy ET.

FOLFIRI-bevacizumab-induced acute toxic leukoencephalopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Acute toxic leukoencephalopathy (ATL) is a rare complication of cancer treatment, with symptoms varying from mild cognitive impairment to coma. Recognition and management of ATL are important because in most cases, the cessation of the responsible agent is essential. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 57-year-old male with relapsed right colon cancer who had multiple steps of chemotherapy, admitted to the emergency department (ED) with confusion and inability to talk, 4 days after FOLFIRI and bevacizumab treatment. To exclude cerebrovascular events cranial computed tomography and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were evaluated. There was bilateral and symmetric diffusion restriction on white matter, which was consistent with ATL. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: Supportive treatment such as optimization of blood pressure and metabolic control was applied since there is no specific treatment for ATL other than cessation of the responsible agents. 12 days after the admission to the ED his neurologic symptoms were normalized and there was no diffusion restriction on control imaging. DISCUSSION: ATL is a rare complication of cancer treatment and responsible agents are increasing in number due to the development of cancer treatment. ATL is associated with drugs that are used frequently such as 5-fluorouracil. ATL is mostly reversible, but the progression of neurologic symptoms was also reported. The diagnosis and cessation of the responsible agent are important in management.

Vortex keratopathy associated with ribociclib.

INTRODUCTION: Cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors are the new generation drugs that have been started to be used in our clinical practice recently. These drugs have been shown to have better progression-free survival compared to standard therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative breast cancer. The most common side effects of CDK 4-6 inhibitors are neutropenia, nausea, leukopenia, fatigue, and diarrhea. This case demonstrated vortex keratopathy in both eyes, a rare condition in patients with breast cancer treated with ribociclib. CASE REPORT: A 68-year-old female patient was diagnosed with locally advanced HR (+)/HER2 (-) breast cancer in March 2015. In June 2021, bone metastases were detected. The patient was started on ribociclib and fulvestrant. After three cycles of ribociclib and fulvestrant treatment, she was admitted with the complaint of blurred vision in her left eye. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy examination revealed subepithelial haze with central subepithelial whorls in both corneas, more in the left eye, and also a mild punctate epithelial staining was observed with the application of fluorescein dye. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: Ribociclib treatment was immediately discontinued and no changes were observed in the cornea and vision levels during the one-month follow-up. DISCUSSION: Routine and regular follow-up eye examinations in breast cancer patients treated with ribociclib may benefit patients in our daily clinical practice and may help us to detect side effects at an early stage and to manage them more effectively.

Vitiligo-like lesions associated with ribociclib in a woman with metastatic breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors are new generation drugs that have recently been used in patients with hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negativenegative metastatic breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that the use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors significantly improves the outcomes of these patients. The most common side effects of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors are hematological toxicity, gastrointestinal side effects, and fatigue. We aimed to present a case of metastatic breast cancer who was treated with ribociclib and developed vitiligo-like lesions after treatment. CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old female patient was diagnosed with locally advanced hormone receptor (+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (-) breast cancer in May 2000. She was followed up with hormonal therapy after adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient progressed with lung metastases in 2012. Ribociclib, anastrozole, and leuprolide acetate were started in November 2021 after multiple-line chemotherapy. After six cycles of ribociclib, vitiligo-like lesions that developed in the last 1 month were detected on the upper extremities, both hands, neck, chest, and upper back. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: The patient was referred to dermatology. Topical immunosuppressive therapy and oral corticosteroids were recommended. At the first and third-month follow-up examinations, vitiligo-like lesions were observed to persist. DISCUSSION: Vitiligo-like lesions are not a life-threatening side effect. However, it significantly affects the quality of life and disrupts the patient's compliance with treatment. Cyclin-dependent kinase  4/6 inhibitors can inhibit cell division or cause premature cell death by acting on the melanocyte cell cycle.

Percutaneous ablation treatment in metastatic lung tumors: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many studies have proven that percutaneous thermal ablation is an effective second-line treatment method with low complication rates in early-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma and lung metastases. Radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation are commonly used for this purpose. PURPOSE: To evaluate the factors affecting the success of the percutaneous thermal ablation treatment with technical success, complication rates, and long-term follow-up results in metastatic lung lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous ablation was performed for 70 metastatic lung lesions in 35 patients (22 men, 13 women; mean age = 61.34 years; age range = 41-75 years). Radiofrequency ablation was performed in 53/70 (75.7%) lesions and microwave ablation in 17/70 (24.3%) lesions. RESULTS: The technical success rate was 98.6%. Median overall survival, progression-free survival, and local recurrence-free survival of the patients were 33.9 months (range=25.6-42.1 months), 12 months (range=4.9-19.2 months), and 24.2 months (range=8.2-40.1 months), respectively. One- and two-year overall survival rates were 84% and 74%, respectively. Median progression-free survival times were 20.3 months and 11.4 months, respectively, according to the number of metastatic lung lesions being single and multiple, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.046). According to the number of lesions ≤3 and >3, the difference was also found statistically significant (P = 0.024) (14.3 months and 5.7 months, respectively). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, CT-guided percutaneous thermal ablation is a safe and effective treatment method in metastatic lung lesions. The number of lesions is the most important factor in predicting treatment success.

Efficacy and Safety of Trastuzumab Emtansine in Her2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Real-World Experience.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in cases with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in different lines of treatment. METHOD: Retrospective analysis of T-DM1 results of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) positive 414 cases with mBC from 31 centers in Turkey. FINDINGS: Except 2, all of the cases were female with a median age of 47. T-DM1 had been used as second-line therapy in 37.7% of the cases and the median number of T-DM1 cycles was 9. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were different according to the line of treatment. The median OS was found as 43, 41, 46, 23 and 17 months for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th line, respectively (p = 0.032) while the median PFS was found as 37, 12, 8, 8 and 8 months, respectively (p = 0.0001). Treatment was well tolerated by the patients. The most common grade 3-4 adverse effects were thrombocytopenia (2.7%) and increased serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (2%). DISCUSSION: The best of our knowledge this is the largest real-life experience about the safety and efficacy of T-DM1 use in cases with mBC after progression of Her2 targeted treatment. This study suggests and supports that T-DM1 is more effective in earlier lines of treatment and is a reliable option for mBC.

Impact of coronaphobia on treatment and follow-up compliance of cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of coronaphobia on treatment and follow-up compliance in cancer patients. The records of 230 cancer patients were reviewed. Coronaphobia was assessed via the validated COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). A total of 64% of the patients had a high coronaphobia score. Among them, 59% were noncompliant. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, low educational status, treatment type, following COVID-19 news, having knowledge about COVID-19 transmission and higher C19P-S score were associated with noncompliance (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that having knowledge about COVID-19 transmission was related to a higher C19P-S score (p = 0.001). The cancer patients studied had significant coronaphobia. Moreover, greater coronaphobia was significantly associated with noncompliance with follow-up and treatment.

Immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy. Methods: This multicenter, prospective, observational study was conducted with 47 patients receiving active systemic therapy for cancer. CoronaVac was administered as two doses (3 µg/day) on days 0 and 28. Antibody level higher than 1 IU/ml was defined as 'immunogenicity.' Results: The immunogenicity rate was 63.8% (30/47) in the entire patient group, 59.5% (25/42) in those receiving at least one cytotoxic drug and 100% (five of five) in those receiving monoclonal antibody or immunotherapy alone. Age was an independent predictive factor for immunogenicity (odds ratio: 0.830; p = 0.043). Conclusion: More than half of cancer patients receiving active systemic therapy developed immunogenicity.

"Swords and Shields" against COVID-19 for patients with cancer at "clean" and "pandemic" hospitals: are we ready for the second wave?

PURPOSE: COVID-19 will continue to disrupt the diagnosis-treatment process of cancer patients. Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Hospital has been considered as a 'non-pandemic' center ('clean') in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. The other state hospitals that also take care of cancer patients in Ankara were defined as 'pandemic' centers. This study aimed to evaluate hospital admission changes and the precautionary measures in clean and pandemic centers during the pandemic. The effect of these measures and changes on COVID-19 spreading among cancer patients was also evaluated. METHODS: The patients admitted to the medical oncology follow-up, new diagnosis, or chemotherapy (CT) outpatient clinics during the first quarter of pandemic period (March 15-June 1, 2020) of each center were determined and compared with the admissions of the same frame of previous year (March 15-June 1, 2019). COVID-19 PCR test results in clean and pandemic centers were compared with each other. Telemedicine was preffered in the clean hospital to keep on follow-up of the cancer patients as 'noninfected'. RESULTS: In the clean hospital, COVID-19-infected patients that needed to be hospitalized were referred to pandemic hospitals. COVID-19 test positivity rate was eight-fold higher for outpatient clinic admissions in pandemic hospitals (p < 0.001). The number of patients admitted new diagnosis outpatient clinics in both clean and pandemic hospitals decreased significantly during the pandemic compared with the previous year. CONCLUSION: We consider that local strategic modifications and defining 'clean' hospital model during infectious pandemic may contribute to protect and treat cancer patients during pandemic.

Can Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Create a New Perspective for the IMDC Scoring System in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma?

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to evaluate impact of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) on prognosis and survival within the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) score groups. METHODS: The records of 187 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were reviewed retrospectively. The SII was calculated as follows: SII = Neutrophil × Platelet/Lymphocyte. The patients were categorized into 2 groups based on a median SII of 730 (×109 per 1 L) as SII low (<730) and SII high (≥730). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and a Cox regression model was utilized to determine independent predictors of survival. RESULTS: The median age was 61 years (range: 34-86 years). Kaplan-Meier tests revealed significant differences in survival between the SII-low and SII-high levels (27.0 vs. 12.0 months, respectively, p < 0.001). The Cox regression model revealed that SII was an independent prognostic factor. The implementation of the log-rank test in the IMDC groups according to the SII level provided the distinction of survival in the favorable group (SII low 49.0 months vs. SII high 11.0 months, p < 0.001), in the intermediate group (SII low 26.0 vs. SII high 15.0 months, p = 0.007), and in the poor group (SII low 19.0 vs. SII high 6.0 months, p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: The SII was an independent prognostic factor and provided significant differences in survival for the favorable, intermediate, and poor IMDC groups. Thus, the SII added to the IMDC score may be clinically beneficial in predicting survival.

How does COVID-19 fear and anxiety affect chemotherapy adherence in patients with cancer.

Aim: To investigate how COVID-19 fear and anxiety (COV-FA) affects chemotherapy adherence in patients with cancer. Materials & methods: The records of 3661 patients with chemotherapy (CT) appointments were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The CT postponement rates before and after COVID-19 were 11.6% and 14.2%, respectively (p = 0.017). The rate of COV-FA-related CT postponement after telemedicine was lower than that before (4.6% vs 17.4%; p = 0.012). The median time to come back to treatment of the COV-FA group was 47 days (range 19-72 days). Advanced age (≥60 years) was found to be the independent factor that was predictive of time to come back to treatment (p = 0.043). Conclusion: The CT postponement rate increased after COVID-19. COV-FA-related CT postponement decreased after telemedicine. Advanced age could be predictive of time to come back to treatment.

May High Levels of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index and Hematologic Inflammation Markers Suggest a Further Stage in Testicular Tumours?

INTRODUCTION: Due to variety of treatment alternatives for testicular tumours, parameters other than existing staging criteria are also needed. Most studies have revealed the correlation between cancer and inflammation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of preoperative inflammatory markers between early-stage testicular tumours and patients with advanced-stage, their relationship with tumour pathology and their importance in predicting stage. To calculate the differences between inflammatory markers, stage 1 tumours localized to the testis and advanced-stage tumours spread beyond the testis were classified into 2 groups according to tumour pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 112 patients undergoing inguinal orchiectomy in between 2008 and 2018 were recorded retrospectively. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were calculated by using the numbers of blood cell counts based systemic markers of inflammation. The differences between markers of inflammation were calculated by dividing tumours into 2 groups including early-stage and advanced- stage testicle tumours. RESULTS: According to the results of preoperative inflammatory markers in predicting the stage; in the seminoma group, the difference between the median NLR (2.37 vs. 4.39, p = 0.012), LMR (3.80 vs. 2.40, p = 0.018) and SII (612 vs. 1,127, p = 0.009) of stage 1 and advanced stage were statistically significant, while in the non-seminoma group, only the difference between median PLR (99 vs. 154, p = 0.002) of stage 1 and advanced stage was statistically significant. Sensitivity and specificity of predicting advanced stage according to cut-off values of markers were 69 and 75% in NLR (3.21), 83 and 75% in LMR, and 59 and 75% in SII in the seminoma group; on the other hand, in the non-seminoma group, the sensitivity, and specificity of predicting the advanced stage of PLR cut-off (104) were 71 and 88% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical use of inflammatory biomarkers in testicular tumours may represent an important step in understanding germ cell tumours biology and in supporting staging criteria and prognostic criteria.

Two diseases one remedy? Systemic amyloidosis secondary to hidradenitis suppurativa: Treatment with infliximab.

Hidradenitis suppurativa, known as acne inversa, is a relapsing and chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting the skin folds. During the chronic course of the disease many local complications like fistulae to other tissues or systemic complications including anemia, secondary amyloidosis, lymphedema, nephrotic syndrome, artropathy may take place. Amyloid A amyloidosis is a rare complication of hidradenitis suppurativa, which has been described in a limited number of case reports. Herein, we present such a patient that had developed AA amyloidosis during the course of hidradenitis suppurativa. Both AA amyloidosis and hidradenitis suppurativa have responded to infliximab therapy which was shown by clinical recovery and by the improvement in renal functions.

Triglyceride-Glucose Index: A Candidate Prognostic Marker in HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Treated With CDK4/6 Inhibitors.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Although cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK 4/6i) are a vital part of the treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER-2-negative metastatic breast cancer (BC), individuals have different sensitivities to CDK4/6i, indicating the need for biomarkers. The fasting triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is an easily accessible surrogate marker of insulin resistance (IR). Herein, we investigated the prognostic significance of the fasting triglyceride glucose (TyG) index in HR+/HER2- metastatic BC patients treated with CDK4/6i plus endocrine therapy (ET). METHODS: About 333 patients with HR+/HER2-metastatic BC treated with CDK4/6i plus ET were analyzed retrospectively. The TyG index was calculated within 3 months before the initiation of CDK4/6i plus ET. The median value of 8.43 was taken as the cutoff for the TyG index. RESULTS: The median overall survival (OS) was 73.6 months (95% CI, 66.0-81.1) in the whole cohort. The progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in the low-TyG subgroup than in the high-TyG subgroup (30.1 vs. 21.3 months, multivariate adjusted [HR] = 0.666, 95% CI, 0.450-0.987, P = .043). While the median OS was not reached in the low TyG subgroup, it was 69.0 months in the high TyG subgroup (multivariate-adjusted HR = 0.513, 95% CI, 0.281-0.936, P = .030). Although the ORR and DCR were numerically greater in the low-TyG subgroup, no significant differences were observed between the low-TyG subgroup and high-TyG subgroup (28.1% vs. 24.7%, P = .476; 83.2% vs. 80.1%, P = .463, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These data imply that the TyG index could be a predictive biomarker for the therapeutic efficacy of CDK4/6is. Extensive prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Prognostic factors in non-metastatic HER2 'low' and HER2 'negative' breast cancer: single institute experience.

AIM: Comparison of prognosis and survival in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low and HER2-negative patients with early stage or locally advanced, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a retrospective single center study, the patients with early stage or locally advanced stage, hormone receptor (HR)-positive [estrogen receptor (ER) ≥ 1% and/or progesterone receptor (PR) ≥ 1%] and HER2 negative or HER2 low invasive breast cancer diagnosis were included. A total of 444 patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: HER2 negative and HER2 low. There were 235 (53%) patients in the HER2 negative group and 209 (47%) patients in the HER2 low group. RESULTS: The HER2 low group had significantly longer 5­year disease-free survival (DFS) than the HER2 negative group. The patients with lower Ki67 (< 20%) also had a longer 5­year DFS. CONCLUSION: Nonmetastatic HR+/HER2 low breast cancer patients had better DFS than HR+/HER2 negative ones. The Ki67 level and HER2 low status were independent prognostic factors. Randomized clinical trials are needed in early stage HER2 low breast cancer patients.

Effect of HER2/CEP17 ratio on survival in metastatic HER2-positive gastric cancer, multicenter study.

AIM: HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer is still a highly fatal disease despite advances. We aimed to investigate the relationship between HER2/CEP17 ratio and survival in patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS: A total of 99 patients from 8 different centers in Turkey were included in the study. Patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer and whose HER2/CEP17 ratio was examined were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to HER2/CEP17 values, and survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: The median age was 64 (24-83) years. There were 74 (74.8%) male and 25 (25.2%) female patients. OS in the high HER2/CEP17 ratio group was 21.97 months (95% CI: 16.36-27.58), and in the low ratio group was 16.17 months (95% CI: 10.95-21.38) (p = 0.015). OS was 17.7 months (95% CI: 7.02-28.37) in the high HER2 gene copy number group and 10.13 months (5.55-14.71) in the group with low copy number (p = 0.03). PFS was 10.94 months (95% CI: 7.55-14.33) in the group with high HER2 gene copy number and 7.56 months (4.62-10.49) in the low copy number group (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Patients with both high HER2 gene amplification and high HER2/CEP17 ratio had better OS. The PFS of the group with high HER2 gene amplification was also better. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature showing that the HER2/CEP17 ratio affects survival in patients with metastatic gastric cancer.

Prognostic Markers after Hepatic Function Impairment in Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors affecting survival after hepatic failure in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) who developed hepatic dysfunction accompanied by hyperbilirubinemia. STUDY DESIGN: Observational Study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Medical Oncology, Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, from January 2017 to May 2022. METHODOLOGY: The clinical characteristics of adult patients who developed hepatic dysfunction accompanied by hyperbilirubinemia with a diagnosis of PAC and died in their follow-up were recorded from the hospital's patient registry database. Patients without medical record were excluded. The effective parameters of overall survival after hepatic failure (aHFOS) were determined. RESULTS: The study included 57 patients with PAC (56.1% males) who developed hepatic dysfunction during their follow-up. According to the CA 19-9 value at the time of diagnosis, the tumour localisation was predicted to be located in the head and neck (Cutoff ≤1400, AUC 0.77, sensitivity 73.2%, specificity 75%; p=0.002). Values of international normalised ratio (INR, p=0.010), blood urea nitrogen (BUN, p=0.002) that were measured during hepatic dysfunction, and tumour location in the head and neck in the pancreas (p=0.028) were determined as independent variables affecting aHFOS in patients with PAC. In addition, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTDB) application during liver failure and initiation of chemotherapy in appropriate patients also positively affected aHFOS (2.62 months vs. 0.92 months, p=0.016 and 3.45 months vs. 1.11 months, p=0.003; respectively). CONCLUSION: Sufficient liver function reserve in malignant patients is highly effective in the curability and survival of patients. In this regard, it is crucial to improve prognosis by identifying the factors affecting aHFOS in patients with PAC who develop hepatic dysfunction due to liver metastasis or the primary tumour characteristics. KEY WORDS: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, CA 19-9, Hepatic failure, Prognosis, Survival.