Meltem Baykara

Vitiligo and ocular findings: a study on possible associations

Objective  In this study, we aimed to evaluate the ocular findings in vitiligo patients and reveal any clinical feature that might suggest an association or a risk factor.

Acute cholecystitis in a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with everolimus

Everolimus (RAD001) is an orally administered inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a therapeutic target for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. A 58-year-old woman was treated with everolimus as a third-line therapy for metastatic clear-cell renal carcinoma. She was given oral everolimus 10 mg once daily. During the fourth week of her first cycle, the patient was admitted to our hospital because of an acute-onset, right upper quadrant pain associated with nausea and vomiting. She was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis, which was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, and everolimus therapy was discontinued. A follow-up computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a complete resolution of gallbladder changes. Our patient did not have major risk factors for developing a cholecystitis except for a relative immunosuppressed state secondary to her advanced renal cancer. The Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale score for this event was 5, indicating a probable association of the event with everolimus. Because the use of everolimus is expanding in clinical practice, we want to alert the oncology community about this uncommon and life-threatening complication in patients receiving everolimus or another agent with antiangiogenic activity. To our best knowledge, only one case of an acute cholangitis associated with everolimus in a metastatic renal cell carcinoma has been reported. We report herein the first case of a metastatic renal cell carcinoma developed everolimus-associated cholecystitis that was completely reversed after drug withdrawal.

Efficacy and Safety of Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy with Cisplatin and Docetaxel in Patients with Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancers

BACKGROUND Chemoradiation (CRT) using cisplatin-based regimens has become the standard of care in the treatment of squamous cell head and neck cancers (SCHNC). The impact of taxanes as radiosensitizing agents with concurrent CRT regimens is unknown. We therefore retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a weekly cisplatin+docetaxel combination with CRT in locally advanced SCHNC. METHODS Sixty-six patients with locally advanced SCHNC (39.4% stage IV, 53% stage III, and 7.6% stage II) were assessed retrospectively. Total radiation dose to the PTV of gross disease (primary and/or node) was 70 Gy/ 35 fractions, 5 fractions per week. Minimum doses of 60 Gy and 50 Gy were administered to PTVs of elective high risk and low risk disease, respectively. Chemotherapy (CT) consisted of weekly cisplatin (20 mg/m2) +docetaxel (20 mg/m2) concurrently with RT. RESULTS The median age of the patients was 58 years (range, 32-77). Objective response rate was 83.3%. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 75.7% and 78.3%, respectively. The most common grade 3 and 4 toxicities were mucositis (36.4%), nausea and vomiting (12.1%), neutropenia (4.5%). CONCLUSION Weekly cisplatin and docetaxel concurrent with RT for locally advanced SCHNC was found tolerable with high efficacy.

Discordances in HER2 status between primary gastric cancer and corresponding metastatic sites

OBJECTIVE Determination of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status in advanced gastric cancer is important in clinical decision making. In the trastuzumab for GC trial, trastuzumab-based therapy demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive advanced gastric cancer. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 discordance in gastric cancer primary and its metastases has been long debated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 discordance and its effect on treatment decisions in advanced gastric cancer. METHODS A total of 74 patients with advanced gastric cancer were included in the study. Both immunohistochemical staining and dual-color silver in situ hybridization were performed in all patients to evaluate the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status of the primary lesion and paired metastasis. RESULTS The assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status with the immunohistochemical staining method and dual-color silver in situ hybridization revealed a discordance rate of 9.5 and 16.2%, respectively. However, this discordance was clinically meaningful in only one patient leading to a change in treatment decision. While this patient had a human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative status in primary tumor (immunohistochemical = 0, dual-color silver in situ hybridization = negative), the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status was positive for liver metastasis (immunohistochemical = 2+, dual-color silver in situ hybridization = positive). Trastuzumab was added to the chemotherapy regimen. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we found a higher rate of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 discordance between primary gastric tumor and metastatic lesions compared with the rates reported in previous studies. Detection of a human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive metastasis with a human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative primary tumor suggests that investigation of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 is also required for the metastatic lesion and that trastuzumab could be administered in the case of a positive result.

Lymphoproliferative disorders in multiple primary cancers.

BACKGROUND Cancer survivors are at increased risk of second cancers. Lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) are common neoplasms that are primary or subsequent cancers in cases of multiple primary cancer. We here analyzed metachronous or synchronous LPD in multiple primary cancers. METHODS Between 2001 and 2010, LPD were assessed retrospectively in 242 multiple primary cancers patients. RESULTS Forty nine (20.2%) patients with LPD were detected. Six patients had two LPD where one patient had three LPD. The median age of patients was 60.5 years (range: 28-81). LPD were diagnosed in 29 patients as primary cancer, in 23 patients as second cancer, and in three patients as third cancer in multiple primary cancers. Primary tumor median age was 56 (range: 20-79). Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n=16), breast cancer (n=9), and lung cancer (n=6) were detected as subsequent cancers. Alklylating agents were used in 19 patients (43.2%) and 20 patients (45.5%) had received radiotherapy for primary cancer treatment. The median follow-up was 70 months (range: 7-284). Second malignancies were detected after a median of 51 months (range: 7-278), and third malignancies with a median of 18 months (range: 6-72). CONCLUSIONS In this study, although breast and lung cancer were the most frequent detected solid cancers in LPD survivors, diffuse large B cell lymphoma was the most frequent detected LPD in multiple primary cancers.

Clinicopathological Features in Bilateral Breast Cancer

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE The frequency of bilateral breast cancer is 1.4-11.0% among all breast cancers. It can present as synchronous (SC) or metachronous (MC). Data regarding clinical course of bilateral breast cancer are scarce. In this study, we therefore evaluated demographic, pathological and clinical characteristics, treatments and responses in bilateral breast cancer cases; making distinctions between metachronous-synchronous and comparing with historic one-sided data for the same parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred fifty bilateral breast cancer cases from ten different centers between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively scanned. Age of the cases, family history, menopausal status, pathological features, pathological stages, neoadjuvant, surgery, adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy/radiotherapy were examined in the context of the first and second occurrence and discussed with reference to the literature. RESULTS Metachronous and synchronous groups showed similar age, menopausal status, tumor type, HER2/neu expression; the family history tumor grade, tumor stage, ER-negativity rate, local and distant metastases rates, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy application rates were identified as significantly different. Palliative chemotherapy response rate was greater in the metachronous group but median PFS rates did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION Although bilateral breast cancer is not frequent, MC breast cancer is different from SC breast cancer by having more advanced grade, stage, less ER expression, more frequent rates of local relapse and distant metastasis and better response to chemotherapy in case of relapse/metastasis.

Biological Subtypes and Distant Relapse Pattern in Breast Cancer Patients After Curative Surgery (Study of Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology)

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the molecular subtypes and patterns of relapse in breast cancer patients who had undergone curative surgery. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1,350 breast cancer patients with relapses after curative surgery between 1998 and 2012 from referral centers in Turkey. Patients were divided into 4 biological subtypes according to immunohistochemistry and grade: triple negative, HER2 overexpressing, luminal A and luminal B. Results: The percentages of patients with luminal A, luminal B, HER2-overexpressing, and triple-negative breast cancer were 32.9% (n = 444), 34.9% (n = 471), 12.0% (n = 162), and 20.2% (n = 273), respectively. The distribution of metastases differed among the subgroups: bone (66.2% and 53.9% in luminal A and B vs. 38.9% in HER2-overexpressing and 45.1% in triple negative, p < 0.001), liver (40.1% in HER2-overexpressing vs. 24.5% in luminal A, 33.5% in luminal B, and 27.5% in triple negative, p < 0.001), lung (41.4% in triple negative and 35.2% in HER2-overexpressing vs. 30.2% and 30.6% in luminal A and B, p = 0.008) and brain (25.3% in HER2-overexpressing and 23.1% in triple negative vs. 10.1% and 15.1% in luminal A and B, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Organ-specific metastasis may depend on the molecular subtype of breast cancer. Tailored strategies against distant metastasis concerning the molecular subtypes in breast cancer should be considered.

Docetaxel and cisplatin in first line treatment of patients with unknown primary cancer: a multicenter study of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology.

BACKGROUND The overall prognosis for cancers of unknown primary (CUP) is poor, median overall survival (OS) being 6-12 months. We evaluated our multicentric retrospective experience for CUP administered docetaxel and cisplatin combination therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 29 patients that were pathologically confirmed subtypes of CUP were included in the study. The combination of docetaxel (75 mg/m2, day 1) and cisplatin (75 mg/m2, day 1) was performed as a first line regimen every 21 days. RESULTS The median age was 51 (range: 27-68). Some 17 patients had multimetastatic disease on the inital diagnosis. Histopathological diagnoses were well-moderate differentiated adenocarcinoma (51.7%), undifferentiated carcinoma (27.6%), squamous cell cancer (13.8%), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (3.4%) and neuroendocrine differentiated carcinoma (3.4%). Median number of cycles was 3 (range: 1-6). Objective response rate was 37.9% and clinical benefit was 58.6%. Median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6 months (range: 4.3-7.7 months) and 16 months (range: 8.1-30.9 months), respectively. Fourteen patients (60.8%) were treated in a second line setting. There was no treatment related death. Most common toxicities were nausia-vomiting (44.6%) and fatigue (34.7%), serious cases (grade 3/4) suffering nausia-vomiting (10.3%), neutropenia (13.8%) and febrile neutropenia (n=1). CONCLUSION The combination of cisplatin and docetaxel is an effective regimen for selected patients with CUP.

Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix: a case report and review of the literature.

We report an extremely rare case of a patient with clear cell carcinoma of the cervix who had no history of in utero diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure. Although clear cell adenocarcinoma is an uncommon tumor, it must be considered in the differential diagnosis in young women and children who have cervico-vaginal lesions even without in utero DES exposure history. We present the case of 2 girls, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, who were admitted to hospital because of intermittent vaginal bleeding and the presence of a cervical mass diagnosed as clear cell cervix carcinoma. Neither of them had a history of exposure to DES.

Management of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE The purpose of the following study is to evaluate the treatment modalities, clinical status and prognostic factors affecting survival rates in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS NSCLC patients with a new diagnosis of one to four brain metastasis evaluated retrospectively for the effects of treatment regimens on local failure-relapse-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS). The relationship between age, gender, performance status, recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) classification, the primary tumor under control, number of metastatic tumors in the brain and total volume of brain metastasis and prognosis is analyzed. RESULTS Out of a total of 138 (121 male and 17 female) patients, nearly 44.2% received only gamma-knife (GK); 24.6% were received both GK and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), 2.9% had GK and surgery, 3.6% received GK, surgery and WBRT, 10.9% had surgery and WBRT and 12.3% received only WBRT for treatment. Median LRFS of surgery plus WBRT group was significantly higher when compared with WBRT group (P<0.0001). The OS was significantly longer for surgery plus WBRT group than the other treatment groups (P=0.037). When median survival of WBRT-only group compared with surgery plus WBRT, it was significantly higher (29.6 months vs. 16.7 months, P=0.006). Median OS of surgery plus WBRT group was significantly higher than GK plus WBRT group (29.6 months vs. 9.3 months, P=0.007). CONCLUSION WBRT is still the most effective treatment method following surgery in selected patients according to their age, performance status and spread of the primary disease with NSCLC had limited number brain metastasis. Adding WBRT treatment after surgery significantly improved OS and LRFS.