The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge of patients with cervical cancer referred to radiation oncology outpatient clinics in Turkey regarding screening methods and human papillomavirus ...(HPV) vaccination and increase social awareness based on the findings.
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to June 2022 involving 300 patients in various regions. Data on demographics, cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination knowledge, and recommendations to relatives were collected through a questionnaire-based interview. Univariate logistic regression analyzed the impact of independent variables on knowledge levels.
Among the participants, 57% were unaware of cervical cancer screening, and 66% had no knowledge of the HPV vaccine. Higher knowledge levels were associated with higher education, older age at marriage and first birth, and previous gynecological checkups. Lower knowledge levels were observed in patients treated at state institutions, with no formal education, and diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 60 or older. A significant inverse correlation was found between knowledge levels and the stage of cancer at diagnosis, with higher awareness in earlier stages.
The study revealed limited awareness among cervical cancer patients in Turkey regarding screening and HPV vaccination. Lower knowledge levels were associated with specific demographic factors, emphasizing the importance of targeted educational campaigns to reduce the burden of cervical cancer and promote early detection. Efforts to enhance vaccination coverage and encourage early screening can significantly improve outcomes. Comprehensive awareness surveys are essential in guiding policymaking and implementing effective early detection and prevention strategies for cervical cancer.
Objective:This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting permanent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and causing changes in bone conduction (BC) thresholds over time in patients after ...receiving radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) to the head and neck region.Methods:A total of 63 patients with irradiated HNC that were admitted to the Radiation Oncology Department between 2011 and 2018 were included in the study. All patients were assessed with pure tone audiometry at eight different time points (first before RT and last five years after completion of RT). A chi-square test was used to analyze the variables that affected permanent SNHL occurrence. Repeated measure analysis of variance was conducted to investigate the factors affecting change in the BC threshold at pure-tone average (0.5–2 kHz) and the air conduction (AC) threshold at 4 and 6 kHz frequencies over time.Results:Median follow-up was 52 months (range, 12–110 months). SNHL was found in 18 (14%) of the 126 ears. According to the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the cut-off values of cochlear Dmean and Dmax radiation doses were 40 Gy p=0.017, area under the curve (AUC): 0.676 and 45 Gy (p=0.008, AUC: 0.695). Dmean (≤40 Gy vs. >40 Gy) and Dmax (≤45 Gy vs. >45 Gy) cochlear doses and age (≤40 vs. >40 years) were determined as factors affecting SNHL in the chi-square test. Repeated measures showed that BC thresholds between 0.5–2 kHz and AC thresholds at 4 and 6 kHz increased over time. Age (≤40 vs. >40 years), treatment of head and neck cancer (RT vs. CRT), cisplatin use, and Dmean (≤40 Gy vs. >40 Gy) and Dmax cochlear dose (≤45 Gy vs. >45 Gy) were important factors affecting the course of BC threshold over time.Conclusion:Dmean and Dmax cochlear doses and age were found to be associated with permanent SNHL. Conduction thresholds worsened over time at all frequencies, and this trend was affected by cochlear doses, age, CRT, and cisplatin use.
OBJECTIVE Thymomas, a rare malignancy, are located in 95% anterior mediastinum. They are associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, especially myasthenia graves. Although many classifications are used ...considering the depth of invasion, presence of metastasis, predominant cell type, or immunohistochemical properties in staging, Masoaka classification is commonly used. Surgery is the most effective method in the treatment of thymoma, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in advanced stages (III-IV). Adjuvant radiotherapy has proven efficacy in advanced and inoperable patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate treatment outcomes and factors affecting prognosis in thymoma patients. METHODS Patients with thymoma who were included in this study voluntarily from seven centers between January 2002 and August 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS Of the 158 patients with thymoma, 125 patients with complete data were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 51.84 (18-84), and 72 were male. Myasthenia graves were present in 64 patients. One hundred thirteen patients were operated and 12 were inoperable. One hundred patients were stage 2, 9 were stage 3, and 16 were stage 4. In our study, 3-year survival was 84.4%, and 5-year survival was 74.9%; inoperable patients, surgical margin positivity, advanced disease and radiotherapy dose less than 50.4"Gy were found to be negative factors affecting survival. In patients with myasthenia graves (MG), survival was higher in patients with stage 2B and less. Survival was lower in epithelial type B3 and type C histologic types. Age, sex, and capsule involvement did not seem to affect survival. CONCLUSION Thymoma is a locally controlled disease with long survival and the results of our study are consistent with the literature. The number of patients should be increased to better define prognostic factors.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (QoL) in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
Methods
The European Organization for Cancer ...Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and site-specific module for gastric cancer (QLQ-STO22) were administered at four time points to 156 patients admitted to Cumhuriyet University Oncology Center between 2011 and 2018.
Results
The patient group comprised 76% men and 24% women with a median age of 61 years (range, 18–88). During CRT, 12 patients (8%) discontinued treatment, 25 (16%) lost weight, and 42 (27%) had reduced performance. There was significant worsening in QLQ-C30 global health status and all functional and symptom scale scores at CRT completion. These changes were also clinically significant except for physical functioning scores and were supported by minimal clinically important difference measurements. In the QLQ-STO22, all symptoms except dry mouth and hair loss were negatively affected at CRT completion. In general, scores were improved at 1 month after CRT and almost all scores reached baseline level by 6 months. Certain scores were more adversely affected in women (global health status, physical functioning, role functioning, fatigue, pain, and insomnia), those who lost weight during CRT (emotional functioning), and those with CRT interruption (emotional functioning and anxiety).
Conclusion
Although CRT reduces QoL in patients with gastric cancer, the effects tend to resolve within 6 months after completing treatment. Female sex, weight loss, and CRT interruption negatively affected some QoL scores.
In the current study, the effect of hormone receptor (HR) status on clinical and survival in early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer was investigated.
Two ...hundred ninety-one patients with HER2- positive were examined in two categories as HR-positive and HR-negative.
Of these, 197 (68%) were HR-positive and 94 (32%) were HR-negative with a mean follow-up period of 68 ± 2.7 months. The groups were found to be similar in terms of age, menopausal status, comorbidity, pathologic type, stage, T stage, N stage, lymphovascular invasion, presence and percentage of intraductal component, multicentricity/focality and extracapsular invasion. Family history (P = 0.038), stage 2 tumor rate (P < 0.001), and perineural invasion (P = 0.005) were significantly higher in the HR-positive group. In the HR-negative group, mean Ki-67 value (P = 0.014), stage 3 tumor rate (P < 0.001), tumor necrosis (P = 0.004) and strong (3+) HER2 staining on immunohistochemical staining (P = 0.003) were higher. The incidence of relapse and metastasis, and the localization of metastasis were similar in both patient groups. The rate of locoregional relapse during the first 2 years was higher in the HR-negative patients than in the HR-positive patients (P = 0.023). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) did not differ between the groups in univariate analysis. However, HR status was determined as an independent prognostic factor (HR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.17-3.79; P = 0.012) for OS was not found to be significant for DFS in multivariate analysis.
Both clinicopathologic features and OS outcomes of HR-negative patients were worse than those of HR-positive patients.
Various oncogenes related to cancer have been extensively studied and several polymorphisms have been found to be associated with breast cancer. The current report outlines analysis of germ-line ...polymorphisms for C677T, A1298C (MTHFR), Leiden, R2 (FV) and 5G/4G (PAI-1) in Turkish breast cancer patients. We studied 51 cases diagnosed with invasive ductal and operable with lymph node-positive breast cancer and 106 women as a control group.
Peripheric blood-DNA samples were used for genotyping by StripAssay technique which is based on the reverse-hybridization principle and real-time PCR methods and results were compared statistically.
The frequency of the MTHFR gene 677T and 1298A alleles were significantly higher in cancer patients than in the healthy subjects. The T allele frequency in codon 677 was 2.3-fold and C allele frequency was 3.1-fold increased in BC when compared to the control group for the MTHFR gene. Both differences were statistically significant (OR: 2.295, CI: 1.283-4.106), p<0.006 and (OR: 3.131, CI:1.826-5.369), p<0.0001 respectively. The R2 allele frequency of FV gene was 5.1-fold increased in the current BC when compared to the control group and that difference was also statistically significant (OR: 5.133, CI: 1.299-20.28), p<0.02.
The present data suggest that germ-line polymorphisms of C677T, C1298A for MTHFR and R2 for FV are associated in breast cancer and may be additional prognostic markers related to breast cancer survival. The results now need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients.
Purpose
This study sought to investigate the prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in ...patients with head and neck cancer.
Methods
The data of 310 patients with head and neck cancer who were referred to the Radiation Oncology Clinic of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine (n = 271, 87%) and to S.B.U. Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Health Practice and Research Centre (n = 39, 13%) between January 2009 and March 2020 were retrospectively analysed. At the time of diagnosis, patients’ neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, platelet and albumin levels were used to calculate their SII, SIRI and PNI indices.
Results
Multivariate analysis found the after variables to be independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS): SII hazard ratio (HR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18–2.47; p = 0.002 and PNI (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.43–0.97; p = 0.038), stage (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.07–4.16; p = 0.030), fraction technique (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.85; p = 0.011) and age (HR 2.51, 95% CI 1.77–3.57; p = 0.001).The following variables were found to be independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) in multivariate analysis: SII (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.22–3.83; p = 0.008), fractionation technique (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.004–0.64; p = 0.017) and age (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.13–3.93; p = 0.019).
Conclusion
This study found a high SII to be an independent poor prognostic factor for both OS and DFS, while a low PNI was found to be an independent poor prognostic factor only for OS.
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