Hakan Karagol

Extrapulmonary Small-Cell Carcinoma Compared With Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma A Retrospective Single-Center Study

The study was conducted with the aim of reviewing the clinical features, therapy, and natural course of patients with extrapulmonary small‐cell carcinoma (EPSCC) and small‐cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) to better define current concepts regarding EPSCCs.

An ambiguous phenomenon of radiation and drugs: recall reactions.

The term ‘radiation recall’ describes an acute inflammatory reaction in previously irradiated areas after the administration of certain inciting systemic agents. It was first described in 1959 by D’Angio that dermatitis is related to the application of actinomycin D on the skin. Though this reaction occurs frequently on the skin, it may also be seen in the oral mucosa, the larynx, esophagus, small intestine, lungs, muscle tissue, and brain. Most drugs associated with recall reactions are cytotoxics, however, several other drugs may also elicit the phenomenon. Although this phenomenon is well known, its etiology is not understood. Radiation recall reactions are generally associated with megavoltage radiotherapy. The time interval between the completion of radiotherapy and the recall reaction ranges from days to years. The recall reaction occurs on average 8 days (3 days to 2 months) after the application of the promoting agent. Although no standard treatment exists, some authors suggest discontinuation of the inciting drug and the use of corticosteroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.

The Efficacy of Tamoxifen in Patients with Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

AbstractBackground: Activity of tamoxifen as a salvage therapy in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer was evaluated by a number of studies. In this study, we evaluated efficacy of tamoxifen in our patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients who received tamoxifen at a dose 20 mg twice daily for the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Results: Twenty-nine eligible patients were included to the study. There were 1 (3%) complete response, 2 (7%) partial response, 6 (21%) stable disease, and 20 (69%) progressive disease. All patients were progressed after initiation of tamoxifen. Median progression-free survival was 4 mo (95% CI: 2.98–5.02). Disease progression of 19 (65%) patients were shown within the first 6 mo after initiation of tamoxifen. Progression-free survival was between 6 and 12 mo for 7 (24%) patients and ≥ 12 mo for 3 (10%) patients. The median survival after initiation of tamoxifen was 15 mo (95% CI: 7.2–22.8). No toxicity attributable to tamoxifen was seen in any of the patients. The only independent prognostic factor that had a significant predictive value for progression-free survival was the response to tamoxifen treatment (p=0.043, hazard ratio: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01–0.94). Conclusion: Considering minimal side effects and ability to cause objective responses, there is a place for tamoxifen in treatment of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. A phase III trial is required to confirm the value of the drug in patients presenting these clinical settings.

Oncocytic Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland

Background: Oncocytic carcinoma is a rare tumor of major salivary glands. Despite being described 5 decades ago, not much is known about these rare tumors. Histochemical or electron microscopic confirmation of the oncocytic nature of the tumor cell is needed for differential diagnosis. The main treatment modality is surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy. Malignant oncocytomas have the potential risk of developing distant metastases and demand long term follow-up after therapy. Case Report: A 58-year old man presented with a recurrent mass in the left parotid gland with a prior diagnosis of monomorphic adenoma in the same localization which had been treated by tumor excision in July 2002. Left superficial parotidectomy followed by radiotherapy into tumor bed and upper neck were carried out in September 2004. To date, he has had no evidence of recurrence for 14 months. Conclusion: For an accurate approach in the management of patients, oncocytic adenocarcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lesions of the parotid gland, most of which are benign.

Massive Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding From Pure Metastatic Choriocarcinoma in Patient With Mixed Germ Cell Tumor With Subclinical Intestinal Metastasis

Although testicular germ cell tumors have become curable neoplasms, a better understanding of the clinicopathologic features is needed for the rare manifestations associated with treatment failure. We report a rare case of metastatic pure choriocarcinoma involving the small intestine arising from a testicular mixed germ cell tumor. In a patient who developed massive upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage during treatment, the intestinal metastases and focus of bleeding could only be determined by laparotomy. We propose an approach for the determination of subclinical intestinal metastases of testicular germ cell tumor; the case is discussed in light of similar reports in literature.

Isolated Bone Metastasis in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background: In testicular germ cell tumors (GCT), bone metastases are usually seen late in the disease progress and are almost always associated with involvement of other sites. However, isolated bone metastasis is an extremely rare finding in these patients. Case Report: A 43- year-old man was admitted to the neurosurgery department of our hospital suffering from dysarthria, ataxia, headaches and a progressive swelling above the parietooccipital region of the skull. Radiological, biochemical and pathologic tests showed that the lesion of the skull was an isolated skull metastasis as an initial manifestation of nonseminomatous GCT of the testis. Discussion: When a young patient presents with bone pain or painless swelling, even if it is an unusual site and isolated, testicular GCT should be considered as a differential diagnosis, as these lesions could be the first evidence of metastatic GCT.

Factors affecting the prognosis of breast cancer patients with brain metastases

The aim of this retrospective analysis was to investigate the factors affecting the prognosis of brain metastases in breast cancer patients to identify subgroups which might benefit from prophylactic treatments in future. Seventy-three early and 13 advanced stage patients with known Erb-2 status were included. In 14% of the early stage patients, the first recurrence site was isolated brain metastasis. None of the anthracycline resistant patients had brain metastases as their first recurrence site. The median interval between diagnosis and brain metastasis was 41.5 months (95% CI, 35.79-47.20) in early stage patients. The median interval between the first extracerebral metastases to the brain metastases was 15.5 months (95% CI, 12.24-18.76) in all patients. High histologic and nuclear grade, large tumor, anthracycline resistance were the factors which significantly affected the early appearance of brain metastases but only advanced age (> or =55 years, P=.035) correlated with isolated brain metastasis. Progression with isolated brain metastases was significantly higher in responsive ErbB-2 positive population (P=.036) and none of other pathological factors was associated with isolated brain metastasis in advanced stage. The median survival after brain metastasis in patients with brain metastasis as first recurrence was longer than the patients with brain metastasis after other organ metastasis (13 months vs 2 months P=.003). The median survival following brain metastases in complete responsive patients was higher than the others (24 months vs 6 months, P=.002). Therefore, response to systemic treatment was more determinative in the development of isolated brain metastases than clinical and pathologic features. ErbB-2 should be emphasized in prophylactic treatment strategies. Prophylactic cranial radiotherapy may be an effective treatment option for metastatic patients with complete responsive disease and with controlled ErbB-2 positive disease.

Dural sinus vein thrombosis in a patient with colon cancer treated with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab

The adverse effects of regimes in cancer treatment have forced us to change to new targeted therapy options. Understanding these side effects, which can lead to discontinuation of the new therapy strategies, will allow the clinical management of these side effects and result in continuing therapies with effective medications. Bevacizumab, which is an IgG1 antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, has side effects such as proteinuria, hypertension, venous and arterial thromboembolic events, and hemorrhage. This is the first reported case of dural sinus vein thrombosis, during the treatment with bevacizumab.

Evaluation of Prognostic Factors and Comparison of Systemic Treatment Modalities in Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Endometrial Carcinoma

BackgroundPrognostic factors related to survival in patients with inoperable metastatic or recurrent endometrial carcinoma (MREC) have remained unclear due to lack of clinical trials. The management of these patients is also controversial. This study was performed to compare the efficacy and toxicity profiles of two different systemic therapies (chemotherapy vs hormonal therapy) given for the treatment of patients with MREC and to identify the impact of various prognostic factors on the survival.MethodsBetween 1992 and 2004, 44 patients with MREC were admitted to our oncology department. Four cases were excluded from this retrospective study because of lack of data in their charts. Age, presence of other systemic diseases (such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension), histological type, tumor grade, stage, disease-free interval, site of recurrence or metastasis, systemic treatment modality, overall response to treatment, and duration of time to progression were evaluated as prognostic factors. Cox regression analysis was performed for identification of independent prognostic factors and differences between patients characteristics of two treatment groups were calculated by the chi-square or t test.ResultsThe median follow-up was 18 mo (range 3–113). The overall response rates for chemotherapy and hormonal therapy group were 42% and 41%, respectively (p>0.05). The median time to progression was 4 mo for the chemotherapy group and 5 mo for the hormonal therapy group (P>0.05). The median survival after metastasis or recurrence was 11 mo for the chemotherapy group and 16 mo for the hormonal therapy group (p>0.05). In the group of chemotherapy, grade 3–4 hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities were seen in eight and two, patients, respectively. No grade 3–4 toxicities were noted in patients treated with hormonal therapy. In multivariate analysis, only time to progression (p=0.001) and grade (p=0.04) were the independent prognostic factors on survival after metastasis or recurrence.ConclusionHistological differentiation and duration of time to progression are predictive factors for survival after metastasis or recurrence in the whole group. The efficacy of two different groups of treatment in these patients appears to be similar. But the chemotherapy may have some disadvantageous in terms of toxicity. This study supports a future randomized prospective trial of hormonal therapy vs chemotherapy in patients with MREC.

Synchronous Tonsil, Gallbladder, and Cardiac Metastases without any other Visceral Metastases of Malignant Melanoma

Background: Malignant melanoma is a highly unpredictable tumor that has capacity to metastasize to any organ. A better understanding is needed of the clinicopathologic features of metastatic melanoma and, in particular, of its rare manifestations. Case Report: A 33-year-old woman with a past medical history of malignant melanoma presented with symptoms of throat discomfort and bleeding. On physical examination, a dark pigmented lesion was observed on the right tonsil. Tonsillectomy was performed, and melanoma was diagnosed. Computed tomography of the thorax and abdomen revealed a filling defect in the right atrium and a 4-cm gallbladder mass. Echocardiography revealed a right atrial mass. No further metastasis was detected by whole body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Each metastasis was completely resected with clear margins. The pathologic diagnosis of the resected masses was malignant melanoma. 3 weeks after the final surgery, temozolomide was started. The patient has been followed up for 9 months after diagnosis of the first recurrence, and no new metastases have been detected. Conclusion: We report a case with synchronous tonsil, gallbladder, and heart metastases without any other common sites of metastasis of melanoma. The patient was successfully treated with aggressive surgery followed by temozolomide.