Prevalence and co-incidence of geriatric syndromes according to the ECOG performance status in older cancer patients.

Background: Geriatric syndromes may be more common in older cancer patients than in those without cancer. Geriatric syndromes can cause poor clinical outcomes. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) is often used as a clinically reported functional status score in oncology practice. Methods: Our study was designed as a cross-sectional study and included 218 older cancer patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and relationship of geriatric syndromes according to the ECOG-PS in older cancer patients. Results: The mean age of 218 participants was 73.0 ± 5.6 years, with 47.7% being women and 52.3% men in our study. ECOG-PS 0, 1, and 2 groups contained 51, 39, and 10% of the patients, respectively. The mean number of geriatric syndromes in the ECOG 0, 1, and 2 groups was 2.3 ± 2.2, 4.3 ± 2.4, and 5.7 ± 2.1, respectively (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, it was determined that dynapenia was 2.9 times, probable sarcopenia was 3.5 times, frailty was 4.2 times, depression was 2.6 times, malnutrition was 3.3 times, insomnia 2 was.2 times, falls was 2.5 times, and the risk of falling (TUG) was 2.4 times more likely in those with ECOG-PS 1 compared to those with ECOG-PS 0. In addition, it was found that dynapenia was 6 times, probable sarcopenia was 6.8 times, frailty was 10.8 times, depression was 3.3 times, malnutrition was 6.3 times, the risk of falling (Tinnetti Balance) was 28 times, and the risk of falling (TUG) was 13.6 times more likely in those with ECOG-PS 2 compared to those with ECOG-PS 0. Conclusion: Our study found that the prevalence of geriatric syndromes increased as the ECOG-PS increased. Geriatric syndromes and their co-incidence were common in older cancer patients, even in normal performance status. Oncologists should incorporate geriatric syndromes into the decision-making process of cancer treatment to maximize the impact on clinical outcomes in older patients with cancer.

Clinical and inflammation marker features of cancer patients with COVID-19: data of Istanbul, Turkey multicenter cancer patients (2020-2022).

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify a rapid, accurate, and accessible biomarker in the early stages of COVID-19 that can determine the prognosis of the disease in cancer patients. METHODS: A total number of 241 patients with solid cancers who had a COVID-19 diagnosis between March 2020 and February 2022 were included in the study. Factors and ten different markers of inflammation were analyzed by year of diagnosis of COVID-19 and grouped by severity of infection. RESULTS: Hospitalization, referral to the intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation, and death were more frequent in 2020 than in 2021 and 2022 (mortality rates, respectively, were 18.8%, 3.8%, and 2.5%). Bilateral lung involvement and chronic lung disease were independent risk factors for severe disease in 2020. In 2021-2022, only bilateral lung involvement was found as an independent risk factor for severe disease. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR) with the highest area under the curve (AUC) value in 2020 had a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 73.3% in detecting severe disease (cut-off > 0.0241, Area Under the Curve (AUC) = 0.842, p <.001). In 2021-2022, the sensitivity of the C-reactive protein-to-lymphocyte ratio (CRP/L) with the highest AUC value was 70.0%, and the specificity was 73.3% (cut-off > 36.7, AUC = 0.829, p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to investigate the distribution and characteristics of cancer patients, with a focus on the years of their COVID-19 diagnosis. Based on the data from our study, bilateral lung involvement is an independent factor for severe disease, and the CRP/L inflammation index appears to be the most reliable prognostic marker.

Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of 3 Months of CAPOX Followed by 3 Months of Capecitabine and 6 Months of CAPOX/FOLFOX in the Adjuvant Treatment of Low-Risk Stage III Colon Cancer Treated Surgically.

INTRODUCTION: In the adjuvant treatment of low-risk stage III colon cancer treated surgically, 3 months of CAPOX followed by 3 months of capecitabine is not a common clinical practice. Since there are no data on this practice in the literature, we have no idea how often it is used. However, it should be noted that this application is used in some centers due to the cumulative neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin but there are insufficient data in the literature on its efficacy. METHODS: The data of patients with colon cancer treated surgically who were followed up in 12 different oncology centers in Turkey between November 2004 and June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The study included 194 patients. The treatment arms were as follows: 3 months of CAPOX followed by 3 months of capecitabine = arm A and CAPOX/FOLFOX (6 months) = arm B. There were 78 patients (40.2%) in arm A and 116 patients (59.8%) in arm B. The median age and sex distribution were similar between the treatment arms. The median follow-up period of all patients was 34.4 months (95% confidence interval, 29.1-39.7). When arm A was compared with arm B, 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 75.3% versus 88.4% and 5-year DFS was 75.3% versus 82.8%, respectively. There were similar DFS outcomes between the treatment arms (p = 0.09). Rates of any grade of neuropathy were numerically lower in arm A, but the difference between the treatment arms was not statistically significant (51.3% vs. 56.9%; p = 0.44). The frequency of neutropenia was similar between the treatment arms. CONCLUSION: In this study, the efficacy and safety of the 3 months of CAPOX followed by 3 months of capecitabine chemotherapy regimen in the adjuvant treatment of low-risk stage III colon cancer treated surgically were proven. This result may also support the discontinuation of oxaliplatin at 3 months while continuing fluoropyrimidines, which is a common clinical practice but lacks sufficient data.