Mustafa Canhoroz

XRCC1 Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Lung Cancer in Turkish Patients

Abstract Polymorphisms in the X-ray repair cross complementing 1 (XRCC1) gene have been found to be associated with susceptibility to various types of cancers. We investigated the association between the XRCC1 gene Arg399Gln polymorphism and the susceptibility to lung cancer in Turkish patients. To determine the association of this polymorphism with the risk of lung cancer in Turkish patients, a hospital-based case-control study was designed, involving 67 patients with lung cancer and 60 control subjects with no cancer history who were matched for age and gender. XRCC1 genotypes (Arg/Arg, Arg/Gln, and Gln/Gln) were determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis on genomic DNA. No statistically significant relationship was determined between the lung cancer and control groups (p>0.05). Among the patients, 61% were Arg/Arg, 28% were Arg/Gln, and 11% were Gln/Gln. Among the controls, 50% were Arg/Arg, 38% were Arg/Gln, and 12% were Gln/Gln. There was no difference in the distribution of XRCC1 genotypes or the frequencies of the Arg (75% versus 69%) and Gln (25% versus 31%) alleles between the lung cancer patients and controls. Our results suggest that the XRCC1 gene Arg399Gln polymorphism is not associated with an increased risk for the development of lung cancer in Turkish patients.

Comparison of three different treatment modalities in the management of cancer cachexia

AIMS AND BACKGROUND The optimal treatment of cancer cachexia remains unknown. In this study, we compared the efficacy of three different treatment modalities in the management of cancer cachexia. METHODS Sixty-two assessable cachectic cancer patients were randomized to one of the following three arms: 1) megesterol acetate (MA) plus meloxicam (n = 23); 2) MA plus meloxicam plus oral eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-enriched nutritional supplement (n = 21); or 3) meloxicam plus oral EPA-enriched nutritional supplement (n = 18). Treatment duration was 3 months. RESULTS The treatment arms were well balanced at baseline. The primary efficacy (body weight and lean body mass) and secondary efficacy (body mass index, quality of life, and serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α) parameters improved after treatment in all three arms. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in the mean percentage changes in all efficacy parameters from baseline to end of study. CONCLUSIONS MA plus meloxicam or EPA supplement plus meloxicam may be effective treatment options in the management of cancer cachexia. The combined use of these agents does not provide further advantages.

Primary small cell carcinoma of the breast: report of seven cases and review of the literature

AIMS AND BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and clinical outcome of patients with primary small cell carcinoma of the breast. METHODS Fifty-three cases of primary small cell carcinoma of the breast were identified; 7 cases in this series and 46 from the English-language medical literature. RESULTS There were 52 females and 1 male. The mean age was 53 years. Tumor size ranged from 1 to 18 cm (mean, 4.53). Axillary node metastasis was present in 61.7%. Only one patient had distant metastases at presentation. The presence of hormone receptors was reported in 24.5% of the tumors. Modified radical mastectomy was the most common surgical procedure and was performed in 50.9% of the patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered to 39.6% of the patients, and 69.8% underwent chemotherapy. Thirteen percent of patients received adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. The mean follow-up was 20.75 months (range, 3-60), and 10 of 53 cases (18.9%) died of metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of primary small cell carcinoma of the breast largely depends on the initial stage of the disease. Multimodality treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy seems to be the most appropriate strategy for early disease. Chemotherapy is usually unsuccessful in treating metastatic disease.

Prognostic Significance of Human Epidermal Receptor (HER)- 3 Immunohistochemical Expression in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND Previous reports have shown that human epidermal receptor (HER)-3 overexpression may be associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer, but results have been conflicting. In this study, we sought to investigate the prognostic significance of HER-3 immunohistochemical expression in patients with metastatic breast cancer. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed HER-3 immunohistochemical expression profiles in 45 paraffin-embedded specimens from patients who had been treated between 1996 and 2006 in the Department of Oncology of the Uludag University School of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey. Membranous or cytoplasmic dominant expression patterns of HER-3 were analyzed using the Rajkumar score and a cytoplasmic 4-point scoring system, respectively. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) served as the main outcome measures. RESULTS The median PFS in the study participants was 9 months (interquartile range: 4.5-13 months), whereas the median OS was 20 months (interquartile range: 7.5-28 months). Categorization of the patient population according to HER-3 positive immunohistochemical expression did not reveal any statistically significant difference in terms of both PFS (p=0.70) and OS (p=0.81). The results of multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that tumor size was the only independent predictor of PFS, whereas estrogen and progesterone receptor status was independently associated with OS. CONCLUSIONS HER-3 immunohistochemical expression did not correlate with outcomes in Turkish patients with metastatic breast cancer. Although our results suggest that HER-3 expression in cancer specimens is not of prognostic significance, further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results.

Lack of prognostic significance of adiponectin immunohistochemical expression in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Introduction Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) – which lack the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) – have no established markers that can be used for prognostic stratification. As adiponectin has been previously implicated in a more aggressive phenotype of primary breast cancer, we explored the relation between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and prognosis in TNBCs. Material and methods Immunohistochemical staining for adiponectin was performed in 38 TNBC patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) served as the main outcome measures. Results Of the 38 TNBC patients, 18 (47%) had negative and 20 (53%) positive adiponectin immunohistochemical expression. We did not find any significant association between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and the baseline characteristics. In addition, there were no associations between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and prognosis. Conclusions Although our results suggest that adiponectin immunohistochemical expression is not of prognostic significance in TNBCs, further studies are warranted to determine the role of this adipokine in breast cancer biology.

A Case of Conjunctival Melanoma Presenting with Breast Metastasis

DOI: 10.4328/JCAM.1137 Received: 06.06.2012 Accepted: 02.07.2012 Printed: 01.09.2015 J Clin Anal Med 2015;6(5): 633-4 Corresponding Author: Mustafa Canhoroz, Department of Medical Oncology, Fırat University, 23100, Elazığ, Turkey. T.: +905052379326 F.: +904242388096 E-Mail: mcanhoroz@gmail.com Özet Meme kitlelerinin çoğunluğu memeden kaynaklanan kitlelerdir. Meme metastazı nadir karşılaşılan bir durumdur. Meme derisi ve parankimi çeşitli tümörler için metastaz yeri olabilmektedir. Özellikle lösemi, akciğer kanseri ve malign melanom memeye metastaz yapabilen tümörlerdendir. Meme metastazı ilk semptom olabilmekle birlikte primer malignitesi olanlarda takipte ortaya çıkabilmektedir. Primer malign melanom tanısı olan hastalarda meme metastazı arasındaki süre ortalama 62 (13-178) ay olarak belirlenmiş. 7 vakalık bir çalışmada hematolojik nedenler (HL, NHL, Lösemi) ön planda iken 1 vakada malign melanom saptanmış. Memeye metastaz yapmış 15 vakalık malign melanoma serisinde sıklıkla primer tümör üst ekstremite ve gövde yerleşimli saptanmış. 256 vakalık bir konjunktival malign melanom serisinde mortalite sıklığı tümör derinliği >4 mm olanlarda belirgin yüksek saptanmış. 45 vakalık bir başka seride de tümör çapının > 10 mm olması yüksek mortalite ile ilişkili bulunmuş. Sonuç olarak primer malignitesi olan hastalardaki meme kitlesinin mutlaka primermetastaz, malign-benign ayrımını için histopatolojik değerlendirilme yapılması gerekmektedir.

Efficacy of Sunitinib in Patients with Imatinib-Resistant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Aim: In this study, the efficacy of sunitinib in patients with imatinib-resis - tant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) was investigated. Material and Method: A total of 11 imatinib-resistant GIST patients who have sufficient information about their medical treatment and outcome were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Partial response was observed in only two patients, and five patients achieved stable disease. Progression free survival and overall time was 8.8 months and 12 months, respectively. Sunitinib was relatively well tolerated. Almost all patients experienced one or more treatment-relat- ed adverse event. Discussion: Based on our limited experience, we concluded that sunitinib is reasonable treatment option for patients with imatinib- resistant GIST.

Cisplatin Plus Etoposide in the Adjuvant Treatment of Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Aim: In this study, the efficacy and safety of cisplatin and etoposide (PE) combination in the adjuvant treatment of patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was investigated. Material and Method: We retrospectively evaluated the medical charts of patients receiving adjuvant treatment for NSCLC at our center. Results: Forty-five patients were evaluated. The disease-free survival was 10 (1-114) months and the median overall survival was 18 (3-114) months. Discussion: Based on our limited experience, we concluded that PE regimen is safe and effective as adjuvant therapy for patients with NSCLC.