The application of the Glasgow prognostic score to predict the survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic carcinoma.

Objectives: Thither is a more pressing effort to think about chemotherapy (CTx) in second-line and beyond in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC). The current work aimed to evaluate the value of the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) to predict the survival in patients receiving second-line CTx protocol. Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the patients' medical files with mPC who received second-line CTx protocol between September 2013 and December 2017. The GPS/mGPS graded from 0 to 2 based on C-reactive protein and serum albumin. Results: One hundred and sixty-nine patients with mPC were eligible. Survival of patients with Score 0 (GPS/mGPS) was better than that of Score 1 (GPS/mGPS) or Score 2 (GPS/mGPS), which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Of 78 patients who died, only 16 patients belonged to Score 0 (GPS/mGPS), compared to 30 patients belonged to Score 1 (GPS/mGPS) and 32 patients belonged to Score 2 (GPS/mGPS). Univariate analysis showed that high GPS/mGPS (P < 0.000) as well as poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (P < 0.000) and metastasis either to the liver (P < 0.01) or lung (P < 0.04) were linked with worse prognosis. A statistically significant association was detected between the two scores. Cohen's Kappa coefficient (k) was 0.9, SD = 0.03; 95% CI (0.787-0.922; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggested that GPS/mGPS is an easy and applicable index that may be used in daily practice and may help in the prognostic stratification of mPC patients to avert overtreatment in frail patients and raise the best supportive treatment concept.

Predictive and Prognostic Value of Tumor- Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) reflect the antitumor response of the host. This study aimed to assess the value of TILs in predicting pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and survival outcomes in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis conducted between February 2012 and December 2015. Patients with stage I, II, and III TNBC patients were enrolled. TILs were assessed in haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from true cut needle biopsies before NAC. According to international TILs working group, we had three groups; low (0-10%), intermediate (11-59%), and high TILs (= 60%). RESULTS: A total of 159 patients was included, 56% were premenopausal and 76.1% were less than 60 years. The main bulk of patients had histological grade III, high Ki 67, and high TILs (74.2%, 84.3%, and 72.3%), respectively. The pre-treatment high TILs was significantly correlated with high Ki-67 (p = 0.001), pCR (p<0.001), and late relapse (p<0.001). Other clinico-pathological features such as age, menopausal status, tumor size, histological grade, lymph node involvement and lympho-vascular invasion weren't significantly correlated with TILs levels. 71.3% of enrolled patients having high TILs achieved pCR, vs 27.8% in the intermediate group and 30.8% in low group. After a median follow-up of 45.3 months, patients with high TILs were significantly associated with longer DFS and OS as compared to intermediate and low TILs (27.2 vs 15.9 vs11.4 months for DFS and 70.2 vs 34.3 vs 27.6 months for OS)p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-treatment level of TILs had a predictive and prognostic value in TNBC patients receiving NAC. TILs may be integrated into the basic laboratory for TNBC prognostication as a credible biomarker.

Prediction of Survival Outcome Using Chuang's Prognostic Scale in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: For physicians and patients, survival estimation is vital for the treatment plan, especially with frequent use of new therapeutic agents in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The Chuang's Prognostic Scale (CPS) is a validated prognostic score that may be useful in the avoidance of unnecessary palliative systemic treatment. AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the CPS in survival prediction in patients with MBC after at least two lines of palliative systemic chemotherapy protocols (PSCPs). METHODS: CPS was prospectively measured in 221 patients with MBC. The total score ranged from 0 to 8.5; the lower score refers to a good prognosis. The survival assessment was made by the Kaplan-Meier curve and the survival difference among the groups was estimated by log-rank test. RESULTS: Using the cutoff value of CPS 5.7, the patients were classified into two groups: Group A had score ≤5.7 (174 patients, 78.7%) and Group B had CPS score >5.7 (47 patients, 21.3%). About 86.2% of the patients in Group A survived >3 months (median survival was 165 days, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 77-261) compared with 21.3% of patients survived in Group B (median survival was 81 days, 95% CI: 55-123) (P = 0.00). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 97.6% (95% CI: 87.4-99.9), 98.3% (95% CI: 95.2-99.7), 93.2% (95% CI: 81.6-97.7), and 99.4% (95% CI: 96.2-99.9), respectively, for the 3-month mortality prediction. CONCLUSION: CPS could be helpful in estimating the survival outcome in patients with MBC who received at least two PSCPs.

Evaluating the value of Amphiregulin, Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue (PTEN) and P21 Expression for Anti-EGFR Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Despite the significant progress in target therapy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC), the overall survival isn't satisfactory. METHODS: We assessed the expression of Amphiregulin, PTEN, and P21 in sections from 23 paraffin blocks prepared from 23 patients with left-sided mCRC using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship between their level of expressions, clinicopathological parameters, response to anti-EGFR, and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: High Amphiregulin, PTEN and low P21 expression levels were associated with low tumor grade (p= 0.038 and 0.025 respectively), better response to anti-EGFR treatment (p <0.001), and favorable outcome {progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)} (p <0.05). There was a direct relation between Amphiregulin and PTEN expressions (phi coefficient=+0.840), while there was an inverse relation between P21expression and both Amphiregulin (phi coefficient= -0.840) and PTEN expressions (phi coefficient = -1.000), which was statistically significant (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: High Amphiregulin and PTEN expression levels and low P21 expression levels were associated with better response to anti-EGFR therapy and improved survival outcome. They might be considered predictive markers of response to anti-EGFR therapy in mCRC.

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The effect of body mass index on clinico-pathological features and survival outcome in metastatic bladder carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The The study proposed to assess the relation between the body mass index (BMI) and clinicopathological features of metastatic urinary bladder cancer (uBCa) and the influence on survival outcome. METHODS: A retrospective study included 201 metastatic uBCa patients. They classified into three groups according to BMI, group I; a BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2, group II; a BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2, and group III; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. The Kaplan - Meier curve used for survival analysis. RESULTS: 69 patients (34.3%) belonged to group I, 75 patients (37.3%) belonged to group II, and 57 patients (28.4%) belonged to group III. Smoking history was detected in 44.8% of patients with Performance Status (PS) 0 in 55.2%, and PS 1 in 26.9%. Of note, 44.8% of patients responded to 1st chemotherapy and 50.7% received more than 2 lines. Through the univariate analysis, poor prognostic outcome was associated with male (P= 0.01), smoking (P=0.002), BMI group II and group III (p=0.00), PS 2 compared with PS 0 (P<0.001), metastasis to liver, lung, and lymph node (P<0.001), and no response to first line chemotherapy (P<0.001). While no effect for age (P=0.1), bone metastasis (P=0.6), serum LDH (P=0.1), serum albumin (P=0.4), and ≥2 chemotherapy lines (P=0.5) on survival outcome. After the follows-up period, the OS was 12.7 months for all patients. Regarding the BMI groups, the median OS was 23.5 months, 12.9 months, and 10.2 months for group I, group II, and group III respectively (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: High BMI associated with aggressive clinico-pathological features and poor survival outcome in metastatic uBCa.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Correlation between Androgen Receptor Expression and Pathological Response.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that the response to chemotherapy may be affected by Androgen Receptor (AR) expression suggesting that triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) AR+ and quadruple negative breast cancer (QNBC) subtypes may have different diseases behavior. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively estimated the predictive value of the AR expression in stage II and stage III TNBC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and correlated with the rate of pathological response (pCR). RESULTS: Of 89 TNBC patients, 29 patients (32.6%) were TNBC AR+ and 60 patients (67.4) were QNBC. Most of the patients were less than 60 years old. Of note, approximately 62% in the QNBC group were less than 40 years old compared with 39 % in the TNBC AR+ group. The Ki-67 expression was higher in the QNBC in comparison with TNBC AR+ being 86.7% and 65.5%, respectively. QNBC subgroup showed higher rates of pCR compared with TNBC; 60% and 24%, respectively. Higher Ki-67 expression, higher grade, and lymph node involvement were statistically significantly correlated with the rate of pCR in the QNBC group (p=0.02, p=0.04, and p=0.03, respectively). In contrast, no significant association was observed between pCR and clinical-pathological features in the TNBC AR+ group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that the AR expression in TNBC may be applied as a predictive marker for NAC. TNBC AR+ had a lower rate of pCR compared with QNBC, suggesting that this subtype may have a partial chemoresistance.

Impact of Prognostic Nutritional Index on Terminal Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: In terminal cancer patients (TCPs), one of the most important things is to define the survival to help the main responsible physicians, patients, and main caregivers make decisions, set goals, and work across the end-of-life strategies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical files of TCPs, who died during September 2011 and December 2017, to recognize the correlation between prognostic nutritional indices (PNIs) and survival in those subtypes of patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify the cutoff value of PNI. RESULTS: A total of 858 TCPs were eligible and included, the median age was 62 years (range: 18-107). The most common primary cancer sites were colorectal cancer in 151 patients (17.6%), hepatobiliary in 129 (15%), lung cancer in 115 (13.4%), breast cancer in 114 (13.3%), and genitourinary in 80 (9.3%). The mean value of PNI for all cancer types was 32.9 ± 6.7. The values showed different levels across cancer types. For patients who lived >2 weeks, PNI was 36.7 compared with that who died within 2 weeks was 29.3, which was a statistically significant (P < 0.001). By the ROC curve, the cutoff value of PNI was 32.3 and area under the curve was 0.888. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 91.28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.2-93.8), 71.09% (95% CI: 66.5-75.4), 76.5% (95% CI: 73.7-79.2), and 88.8% (95% CI: 85.3-91.5), respectively. CONCLUSION: The PNI is an easy and an applicable biomarker to estimate life expectancy in TCPs.

Aggressive Care at the End of Life; Where Are We?

BACKGROUND: Although, efforts to encourage palliative care only for terminal patients, aggressive end-of-life care (EOL) care still common for those probably to die shortly. AIM: Multicenter experiences to investigate where did we stand in this era? PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study included patients with advanced solid tumors. The presence of one or more of the following indicators in the last month of life (LM) referred to aggressive EOL care: emergency department (ED) visits ≥ twice, admission to the hospital through ED, death in critical care units (CCUs), and palliative chemotherapy (PC) at the past 2 weeks before death. RESULTS: A total of 435 patients, 51.5% were men with a median age of 62 years (range: 17-108), were included in the study. Most of the patients (89.2%) belonged to Group II; they had attended ED at least twice (60%), approximately 53% admitted to the hospital through ED, 31% received PC-LM with 41% of them had at the past 2 weeks before death, 13% died in the CCUs, and more than half of them (53%) survived <2 weeks. Kaplan-Meier estimator revealed that median survival was 30 days in Group I versus 13 days in Group II (odds ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval: 1.20-2.21; P = 0.002). The median survival was statistically significantly associated with PC-LM ≥14 days and the admission mode. There was no statistically significant association with age, sex, and primary cancer sites. CONCLUSION: The majority of our patients continue with anticancer treatments they possibly do not need and associated with poor survival.

CDK4/6 inhibitors in advanced breast cancer, what is beyond?

Resistant to hormonal treatment considered the main clinical challenge in the management of advanced breast cancer (ABC). The use of CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6I) may change the treatment landscape. In this mandated review, we will focus on the applicable role of CDK4/6I in the management of HR+/HER2- ABC, mechanisms of resistance, and promising future implementation.

Patterns of emergency department visits during Hajj period: Towards healthcare optimization in view of Saudi Arabia's vision 2030.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the pattern of emergency department (ED) visits by Hajj patients and determine the urgency of emergency visits at an advanced healthcare center. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records of Hajj patients visiting the ED at King Abdullah Medical City Makkah from September 1 to October 5, 2015 was conducted. RESULTS: We considered 233 visits by 199 Hajj patients. Most diseases were cardiovascular related. Approximately half of the ED visits led to hospital admission, which were largely during the evening and nighttime. Potentially avoidable visits were significantly encountered during the daytime. Average bed occupation time in the ED was similar for both cases: those admitted to inpatient care and discharged from ED. Results from the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale revealed that most patients were triaged with a score of III (48.4%) followed by a clinically better score of IV (32%); however, scores did not change significantly throughout the Hajj day. CONCLUSIONS: During Hajj, a significant proportion of patients who visited the ED at the ultimate healthcare facility were discharged within 24 hours, with a higher rate in the morning-afternoon period. Both admitted and discharged cases required equal levels of care. Therefore, an extension in working days at primary care centers and optimization of advanced healthcare facilities during Hajj is currently warranted.

C-MYC and BCL2: Correlation between Protein Over-Expression and Gene Translocation and Impact on Outcome in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Background: Due to lack of availability of gene expression profiling (GEP) for most developing countries and clinicians; the immunohistochemistry (IHC) is mostly used in the clinical application. The aim of our study is to check the possibility of using IHC to detect MYC and BCL2 in our patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) instead of GEP to stratify them into high and low-risk groups. This will help in a proper treatment choice of subsequent improvement in the survival outcome. Method: During the study period, 90 DLBCL patients were eligible. MYC and BCL2 evaluated by IHC and gene rearrangement by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and correlated with clinical-pathological features and survival. Results: Through IHC, the expression of MYC, BCL2, and double expression was detected in 35.6%, 46.7% and 30% of patients, respectively. While by RT-PCR, it was 4.53±0.74 for MYC compared with 2.18±0.78 for BCL-2. Most patients with BCL2+/MYC+; double-expressor and double-hit lymphomas (DEL and DHL) had high stage (III, IV), more extra-nodal involvement, (P value <0.001) and intermediate to high International Prognostic Index (IPI) risk profile (P-value <0.001). The median overall survival was 14 months and 6 months for DEL and DHL, respectively. While all patients with DHL died during the follow-up period, the median PFS were only 2 months for DEL. There was a statistically significant correlation between mRNA of MYC and BCL2 with their protein expression (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results confirmed the unique characters and poor outcome associated with DEL and DHL mandated the need for more intense therapy and not the standard protocol. Moreover, the significant correlation between protein overexpression and gene rearrangement may open the door for the possibility to use IHC instead of RT-PCR in developing countries.

Patterns of Inpatient Admissions during Hajj: Clinical conditions, length of stay and patient outcomes at an advanced care centre in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe inpatient clinical conditions at an advanced care facility in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj pilgrimage and to determine factors correlating with length of stay (LOS). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at the King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and included all inpatients admitted during the annual Hajj pilgrimage between August and October 2015. Demographic, administrative and clinical data were collected from patient charts and analysed. RESULTS: A total of 296 inpatients were included in the study, of which the majority were male (73.6%) and ≥55 years old (77%). Walk-in admissions occurred less frequently than referrals (38.9% versus 61.1%). Most patients (41.6%) were admitted during the peak Hajj period (the 8-13th days of Dhu al-Hijjah). Acute coronary syndrome was the most prevalent provisional diagnosis (65.2%). In terms of outcomes, 89.2% of the inpatients were discharged in a stable condition, with 37.5% discharged within ≤24 hours of admission. However, 39.9% required admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Overall, LOS was significantly associated with various factors, including the mode of admission, admission period, admitting department, number of comorbidities and ICU admission (P <0.050 each). CONCLUSION: Most of admissions were referrals, and the main Hajj period witnessed the majority of admissions. The vast majority of inpatients eventually discharged in a stable condition. Determinants of the length of hospital stay were the mode of admission, admission period, admitting department, number of comorbidities and ICU admission.

Genomic aberrations in non- small cell lung cancer and their impact on treatment outcome.

The therapeutic options of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy has been changed since the first discovery of activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and the development of specific EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which resulted in the evolution of "personalized medicine." There are a considerable number of genomic aberrations in NSCLC serving as potential predictive biomarkers and drug targets and still more. We summarized the molecular pathways, potential targets, and possible impact on disease outcome in NSCLC.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria: From Bench to Bed.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired hemolytic anemia with highly variable clinical symptoms making the diagnosis and prediction of its outcome difficult. It is caused by the expansion of a hematopoietic progenitor cell that has acquired a mutation in the X-linked phosphatidylinositol glycan class A (PIGA) gene that results in deficiency of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor structure responsible for fixing a wide spectrum of proteins particularly CD55 and CD59. The clinical features of this disease arise as a result of complement-mediated hemolysis in unprotected red cells, leukocytes, and platelets as well as the release of free hemoglobin. Patients may present with a variety of clinical manifestations, such as anemia, thrombosis, kidney disease, smooth muscle dystonias, abdominal pain, dyspnea, and extreme fatigue. PNH is an outstanding example of how an increased understanding of pathophysiology may directly improve clinical symptoms and treat disease-associated complications when we inhibit the terminal complement cascade. This topic will discuss PNH overview to assist specialists looking after PNH patients.

Response of Triple Negative Breast Cancer to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Correlation between Ki-67 Expression and Pathological Response.

Triple-negative breast cancers constitute about 15% of all cases, but despite their higher response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the tumors are very aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis as well as a higher risk of early recurrence. This study was retrospectively performed on 101 patients with stage II and III invasive breast cancer who received 6-8 cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Out of the total, 23 were in the triple negative breast cancer subgroup. Nuclear Ki-67 expression in both the large cohort group (n=101) and triple negative breast cancer subgroup (n=23) and its relation to the pathological response were evaluated. The purpose of the study was to identify the predictive value of nuclear protein Ki-67 expression among patients with invasive breast cancers, involving the triple negative breast cancer subgroup, treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in correlation to the rate of pathological complete response. The proliferation marker Ki-67 expression was highest in the triple negative breast cancer subgroup. No appreciable difference in the rate of Ki-67 expression in triple negative breast cancer subgroup using either a cutoff of 14% or 35%. Triple negative breast cancer subgroup showed lower rates of pathological complete response. Achievement of pathological complete response was significantly correlated with smaller tumor size and higher Ki-67 expression. The majority of triple negative breast cancer cases achieved pathological partial response. The study concluded that Ki-67 is a useful tool to predict chemosensitivity in the setting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for invasive breast cancer but not for the triple negative breast cancer subgroup.

WITHDRAWN: Molecular classification of colorectal cancer: Current perspectives and controversies.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor. The authors have plagiarized part of a paper that had already appeared in ASCO EDUCATIONAL BOOK (2014), 91-99 (http://meetinglibrary.asco.org/content/114000091-144). One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents an abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy. This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).

Urinary Bladder Cancer: Biomarkers and Target Therapy, New Era for More Attention.

Currently, bladder cancer (BCa) evaluation depends mainly on traditional clinicopathological parameters encompassing tumor stage and grade, which will not reflect the behavior of the disease. Diverse molecular alterations are responsible for the heterogeneous course. The differences in molecular pathogenesis between non-invasive BCa and invasive BCa have been recognized. Molecular biomarkers are promising to predict progression and survival. The management of advanced BCa remains somewhat primitive in comparison with other more common malignancies. This topic will discuss the molecular pathways, biomarkers and potential targets that may improve the outcome in BCa.

Emergency Department Visits at the End of Life of Patients With Terminal Cancer: Pattern, Causes, and Avoidability.

Frequent emergency department visits (EDVs) by patients with terminal cancer indicates aggressive care. The pattern and causes of EDVs in 154 patients with terminal cancer were investigated. The EDVs that started during working hours and ended by home discharge were considered avoidable. During the last 3 months of life, 77% of patients had at least 1 EDV. In total, 309 EDVs were analyzed. The EDVs occurred out of hour in 67%, extended for an average of 3.6 hours, and ended by hospitalization in 52%. The most common chief complaints were pain (46%), dyspnea (13%), and vomiting (12%). The EDVs were considered avoidable in 19% of the visits. The majority of patients with terminal cancer visit the ED before death, mainly because of uncontrolled symptoms. A significant proportion of EDVs at the end of life is potentially avoidable.

Predictive Value of IHC4 Score for Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the value of IHC4 in predicting pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with hormonal receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer (BC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective exploratory study, data for 68 HR-positive BC patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were recorded. IHC4 scores were calculated based on estrogen receptors/progesterone receptors, Ki-67 and HER2 status. Logistic and ordinal regression analyses in addition to likelihood ratio test were used to explore associations of IHC4 scores and other clinico-pathological parameters with pathological complete response (pCR) and pathological stage. RESULTS: Taking the 25th percentile as the cut-off, a lower IHC4 score was associated with an increased probability of pCR (low; 52.9% vs. High; 21.6%, OR=4.1, 95% CI= 1.28-13.16, p=0.018) and a lower pathological stage (OR =3.9, 95% CI=1.34-11.33, p=0.012). When the IHC4 score was treated as a continuous variable, a lower score was again associated with an increased probability of pCR (OR=1.010, 95% CI=1.001-1.018, p=0.025) and lower pathological stage (OR=1.009, 95% CI= 1.002-1.017, P=0.008). Lower clinical stage was associated with a better pCR rate that was of borderline significance (P=0.056). When clinical stage and IHC4 score were incorporated together in a logistic model, the likelihood ratio test gave a P-value of 0.004 after removal of the IHC4 score and 0.011 after removal of the stage, indicating a more significant predictive value of the IHC4 score for pCR. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the IHC4 score can predict pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HR-positive BC patients. This finding now needs to be validated in a larger cohort of patients.

Pattern of Venous Thrombosis in Cancer Patients: Frequency and Survival Effect; Single Center Experience.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. This investigation was undertaken to investigate the natural history of VTE in the oncology center in a tertiary care hospital. We did a retrospective study on cancer patients who presented to King Abdullah Medical city in Holly capital; a tertiary care hospital; from May 2011 to June 2013. Follow up period was calculated from time of VTE diagnosis till the last clinical visit or till patient death. Among 1,678 cancer patients, 132 (7.87 %) were diagnosed with VTE. The median patient age was 53.5 years, with female to male ratio 1.3/1. Thirty one patients (23.5 %) were diagnosed with VTE and cancer simultaneously, seventy four patients (56.1 %) were on chemotherapy and twenty eight patients (21.2 %) were on best supportive care.VTE were symptomatic in 110 patients (83.3 %) and asymptomatic in 22 patients (16.7 %). Lower limbs were the commonest site (42.4 %) with the highest incidence in patients with advanced stages (93 %). Forty nine (37 %) patients were receiving LMWH as prophylaxis. Median survival in months for patients with VTE prophylaxis versus without prophylactic, and asymptomatic versus symptomatic were (12.6 vs 6.3; p 0.12 and 9.8 vs 12.4; p 0.885, respectively). There is underutilization of thromboprophylaxis in our region, which needs more effort to reduce VTE burden. Also we need large prospective studies to clarify the impact of VTE symptoms and presentation on patient's survival.