A Low Body Fat Mass Ratio Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the body fat mass ratio on survival and prognosis in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients. METHODS: The study includes 200 patients who were diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer between 2014 and 2018 and whose body fat mass percentage and body mass index (BMI) were determined using the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer during admission. RESULTS: All patients had advanced incurable non-small-cell lung cancer (30% had locally advanced disease, 70% were stage IV). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, age, gender, histopathological type, smoking history, comorbidities, weight loss in the last six months and body mass index had no statistically significant effect on survival (p > 0.05). However, the performance status (p = 0.008), metastatic status (p = 0.003) and body fat mass ratio (p = 0.01) were found to have a significant effect on overall survival (OS): the median OS was 16.4 mo, in patients with the BFM ratio ≤ 22% and 29.2 mo, in those with > 22% (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this study, it was found that the body fat mass ratio was an important prognostic factor in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Prognostic factors in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus cisplatin: retrospective analysis of a multicenter study.

PURPOSE: The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer present with advanced disease. Systemic chemotherapy for patients with pancreatic cancer has limited impact on overall survival (OS). Patients eligible for chemotherapy should be selected carefully. The aim of this study was to analyse prognostic factors for OS in advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated with first-line palliative chemotherapy with gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus cisplatin. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 343 locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who were treated with gemcitabine or gemcitabine plus cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy between December 2000 and June 2011. Fifteen potential prognostic variables were chosen for analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors associated with OS. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to determine prognostic factors. RESULTS: Among the 15 variables of univariate analysis, 6 were identified to have prognostic significance: stage (p<0.001), cholestasis (p=0.02), weight loss, prior pancreatectomy, serum CEA level (p<0.001) and serum CA19-9 level (p>0.001). In addition, age, chemotherapy and liver metastasis were of borderline significance (p=0.06). Multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazard model) included the 6 significant prognostic factors of univariate analysis and showed that stage was independent prognostic factor for OS, as were weight loss, and serum CEA level. CONCLUSION: Stage, weight loss, and serum CEA level were identified as important prognostic factors for OS in advanced pancreatic cancer patients. These findings may also facilitate pretreatment prediction of OS and can be used for selecting patients for treatment.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms: multi-center results from Turkey.

PURPOSE: Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) are defined as a diagnosis of two or more indepen-dent primary malignancies of different histologies/origins in an individual. The frequency of MPMN is being increasing. In this study we aimed to determine the frequency and clinical features of second primary cancers (SPCs). METHODS: From January 1990 to December 2010, patients with MPMNs were screened in 5 centers. Data were obtained retrospectively from hospital charts. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-seven patients with MPMNs were evaluated. The median age at initial cancer diagnosis was 61 years (range 18-88). The median age at second cancer was 64 years (range 20-89). The median time between two cancer diagnoses was 15 months (range 0-504). Male to female ratio was 1.44 (M/F 223/154). The most frequent initial cancer types were head and neck (54 patients, 14.3%), breast (54 patients, 14.3%), and colorectal (43 patients, 11.4%). The most frequent second cancer types were lung (76 patients, 20.2%), colorectal (39 patients, 10.3%) and breast (33 patients, 8.8%). The most common cancer pairs in females were breast-gynecologic cancers (15 patients, 9.7%), colorectal-breast cancers (9 patients, 5.8%) and breast-colorectal cancers (7 patients, 4.5%). The most common cancer pairs in males were head and neck-lung cancers (29 patients, 13%), bladder-lung cancers (9 patients, 4%), and bladder-prostate cancers (7 patients, 3%). The median follow up was 36 months (range 17horbar;595). CONCLUSION: Physicians should be aware of SPCs probabilities. Newly developed suspicious lesions should be evaluated rigorously. Histopathologic evaluations of suspicious lesions for second tumors should be used extensively if needed. In our series, the most common pairs were breast-gynecologic cancers in females and head and neck-lung cancers in males.