Evaluation of IL-17A expressions in high-grade glial tumors receiving radiotherapy.

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the interleukin-17A (IL-17A) levels in patients with high-grade glial tumors before receiving radiotherapy, immediately after radiotherapy, and 3 months after radiotherapy. Patients and Methods: A total of 33 patients who applied to Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology between December 2016 and May 2018 was included in this study. A total of three blood samples was taken from each patient to assess IL-17A levels before and after radiotherapy and 3 months after the completion of radiotherapy. Results: The differences in IL-17A levels between genders were not statistically significant. IL-17A levels progressively decreased after the radiotherapy and 3 months after the radiotherapy as compared to the levels before radiotherapy. However, this was not statistically significant. IL-17A levels in the non-surviving patients were high before and after radiotherapy as compared to the surviving ones, but this was also not statistically significant. Conclusion: As compared to the period before radiotherapy, IL-17A levels tend to decrease in the period of acute and chronic phases of radiotherapy in all patient groups.

Serum nectin-2 levels are diagnostic and prognostic in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Nectins are a family of integral protein and immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules involved in the formation of functioning adherence and tight junctions. Aberrant expression is associated with cancer progression, apoptosis and cell proliferation but little is known how these effects change in cell behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of nectin-2 with regard to diagnostic, predictive and prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and forty CRC patients were enrolled in this study. Serum nectin-2 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Age- and sex-matched 40 healthy controls were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Median age of patients was 60 years old, range 24-84 years. The localization of tumor in majority of the patients was colon (n = 81, 58 %). Non-metastatic (stage II and III) and metastatic patients' baseline serum nectin-2 levels were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (p < 0.001; for two group). However, known clinical variables including response to CTx (chemotherapy) were not found to be correlated with serum nectin-2 concentrations (p > 0.05). While non-metastatic group patients with elevated serum nectin-2 levels showed significant adverse effect on PFS, metastatic group patients with elevated serum nectin-2 levels showed no significant adverse effect on PFS (p = 0.05 and p = 0.29, respectively). On the other hand, our study results did not show statistically significant serum nectin-2 concentrations regarding overall survival rates. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of nectin-2 may have diagnostic roles for CRC patients. Moreover, our study results show the prognostic role of nectin-2 in non-metastatic group patients.

Efficacy of paclitaxel in the treatment of Kaposi sarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: Kaposi sarcoma is an angioproliferative disease. Kaposi sarcoma is clinicopathologically classified into four subgroups based on epidemiological data. For its systemic treatment, in addition to some chemotherapeutics, taxanes have also been used during the recent years for their anti-angiogenic properties. In this study, we aimed to compare paclitaxel and non-paclitaxel chemotherapeutic regimens in terms of efficacy and side effects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In our center, demographical, clinical and histopathological characteristics of a total of 13 patients diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma who received therapy were retrospectively recorded based on their medical files RESULTS: Among these subjects, 7 have been treated with paclitaxel and 6 with non-paclitaxel therapies. Eleven patients were male. Twelve patients were found to have classical type of Kaposi Sarcoma. The recurrence was observed in 2 patients treated with paclitaxel and in 1 patient treated with non-paclitaxel therapy. No statistically significant difference was found between the therapeutic modality, the stage of the disease and the percentage of the recurrence. Neuropathy developed in 3 patients treated with paclitaxel, whereas there was no neuropathy in the other group. Although the recurrence-free survival was worse in the patients treated with paclitaxel, there was no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Cytotoxic chemotherapy is effective in treating patients with Kaposi Sarcoma, although it is palliative. Taxanes have demonstrated effectiveness against AIDS-associated Kaposi Sarcoma. The experience suggests that paclitaxel is an effective alternative in the treatment of classical form Kaposi's sarcoma. There was no difference in efficacy between paclitaxel and non-paclitaxel therapies whereas difference in occurrence of neuropathy which is one of the side effects, showed borderline statistical significance.

The evaluation of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma by fluorescent molecular beacons in real time PCR of IgH gene rearrangements and correlation with flow cytometry.

PURPOSE: Multiple myeloma (MM) patients relapse after a period of time despite longer disease-free survival due to novel treatment options. In this study we aimed to assess the value of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement using allele-specific molecular beacons as fluorescence probes to quantify minimal residual disease (MRD) and also to correlate post-treatment flow cytometric detection of plasma cells' (PCs) expression of CD19, CD38, CD45, CD56 and CD138 in MM. METHODS: After diagnosis of 17 MM patients, the CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions of the IgH gene were analysed and sequenced to identify IgH's clonal nature. Unique sequences of the clonal IgH rearrangement were used to design specific molecular beacon probes for each MM patient. Examined were also the co-expression of CD19, CD38, CD45, CD56, and CD138 molecules in bone marrow aspirates of patients with MM by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Detection of MRD was positive in 13 (76%) of 17 patients by RT-PCR. The infiltration ratio was significantly correlated with CD138 expression (p=0.009). Significant correlation was also found between RT-PCR detection of MRD and CD138 expression (p=0.006). Nevertheless, no correlation was observed among other surface antigens (CD38, CD45, CD56). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that RT-PCR with specific molecular beacons provide a feasible, accurate and reproducible method for the determination of MRD in MM. Flow cytometry detection of CD138 expression may be used as a disease marker in addition to RT-PCR.