• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6027-6032
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• 2012

Purpose: To identify cancer patient and relatives beliefs, information needs, information-seeking behavior and information sources about cancer and treatment. Methods: This research was conducted at two hospitals of a university. Data was collected via questionnaires and the Turkish version of the Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS) to assess information-seeking behavior. The sample included 82 patients and 54 relatives. Results: Patients were receiving treatment mostly for breast, gynecologic, lung cancer and leukemia/ lymphoma. All of them indicated that they want to be informed by a doctor about their diagnosis and treatment first. Other information sources were internet, media and nurses. The majority of the patients and half of their relatives agreed that "cancer is curable and preventable disease". Only 2.5% of patients agreed with the statement "I don't want to get information about disease which disturbs me". According the data obtained from MBSS; the mean patients MBSS score ($6.41{\pm}3.2$) was higher than their relatives ($5.46{\pm}3.1$). Respondents with higher education and younger age indicated more information-seeking behavior. Conclusions: Patients and their relatives differ in some of their information-seeking behavior. Patients beliefs and their strategies for coping with their illness can constrain their wish for information and their efforts to obtain it. Healthcare professionals need to assess and be sensitive to the information-seeking behavior of cancer patients and their relatives.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.881-887
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• 2015

Purpose: To analyze treatment modalities and prognostic factors in patients with Stage I-II endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). Materials and Methods: Twenty four patients (nineteen with low-grade ESS [LGESS] and five with high-grade ESS [HGESS]) were assessed retrospectively in terms of general characteristics, prognostic factors, treatment methods and survival. Results: Twenty patients were at Stage I and three were at Stage II. The stage of one patient could not be determined. With respect to age and comorbidity, no statistically significant difference was found among disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.990; p=0.995). However, DFS was significantly shorter in Stage II than Stage I patients (p=0.002). It was also significantly shorter in HGESS patients than in LGESS patients (p=0.000). There was no statistically significant differences among the overall survival (OVS) times of patients with respect to age at diagnosis and comorbid disease (p=0.905; p=0.979) but OVS was significantly shorter in patients with HGESS (p=0.00) and Stage II disease (p=0.001). No statistically significant difference was found with respect to OVS between patients who received radiotherapy (RT) and those who did not receive RT (p=0.055). It was not statistically possible to include other treatment modalities in the analysis because of the small sample size. Conclusions: Grade and stage of a tumour were found to be the most important prognostic factors. It was not possible to determine the optimal surgical method and the effect of adjuvant treatment since the number of cases was insufficient.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7351-7354
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• 2013

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial disease characterized by impaired glucose tolerance/diabetes, obesity, high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, and hypertension. In this study we evaluate the relationship between tumor size and grade, and presence of the metabolic syndrome in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Between 2007-2013, radical nephrectomy was performed for 310 patients with renal tumors in our clinic and those with pathology reported renal cell carcinoma were enrolled and divided into two groups, with and without metabolic syndrome diagnosed on the basis of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. The relationship between tumor size and grade of the two groups (Fuhrman nuclear degree) was evaluated statistically. Results: The metabolic syndrome was found in 70 patients, with a mean age of 65.5 (40-87), as compared to 58.8 (31-84) years in the non-metabolic syndrome group. Tumor size over 7 cm was found in 54% and 33%, respectively, and tumor grade over Fuhrman 3 in 56% and 32% of patients. Patients with metabolic syndrome had significantly higher tumor size and grade (p<0.05). In the presence of hypertension, diabetes and high triglyceride levels, significant assocations were again observed (p<0.05). Tumor size and degree also increased with increasing body mass index but this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Renal cancer is more aggressive in patients with metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle and risk factors were revealed to be significant influences in renal cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6665-6668
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• 2014

Introduction: Breast cancer in young women is a relatively rare disease; however it tends to be more aggressive and is the leading cause of cancer death in this population. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical and biological features of breast cancer arising in young Turkish breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Patients with breast cancer aged 35 or less (${\leq}35$ years) were selected for the study. In total 211 cases were included. Pathologic features; histologic subtypes, grade, lymphovascular invasion, axillary involvement, and stage were recorded for each. Results: The most common subtype was luminal B (36.5%), followed by luminal A (30.8%), triple negative (23.2%) and HER2+(9.5%) subtypes. Twelve percent of the patients had stage 4, 32.7% had stage 3, 46.4% had stage 2, and 6.2% had stage 1 disease at the time of diagnosis. Mean tumour diameter was 3.87 cm (range 0.3-13 cm). The axillary lymph nodes were positive in 74.4% of the patients, while lympho-vascular invasion was seen in 56.4%. Some 9.5% of patients had grade 1, 51.2% had grade 2, and 31.8% had grade 3 tumors. Conclusions: Young women with breast cancer in Turkey are more likely to present with luminal B subtype. Tumors in young women are more likely to present with advanced disease, to be high grade and and to have more lymphovascular invasion. Further research should focus on whether we need new treatment strategies for young patients with breast carcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1953-1956
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• 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study was to correlate the histological diagnosis made during intraoperative frozen section (FS) examination of hysterectomy samples with complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia (CAEH) diagnosed with definitive paraffin block histology. Methods: FS pathology results of 125 patients with a preoperative biopsy showing CAEH were compared retrospectively with paraffin block pathology findings. Results: Paraffin block results were consistent with FS in 78 of 125 patients (62.4%). The FS sensitivity and specificity of detecting cancer were 81.1% and 97.9%, with negative and positive predictive values of 76.7%, and 98.4%, respectively. Paraffin block results were reported as endometrial cancer in 77 of 125 (61.6%) patients. Final pathology was endometrial cancer in 45.3% patients diagnosed at our center and 76.9% for patients who had their diagnosis at other clinics (p=0.018). Paraffin block results were consistent with FS in 62.4% of all cases Consistence was 98.4% in patients who had endometrial cancer in FS. Conclusion: FS does not exclude the possibility of endometrial cancer in patients with the preoperative diagnosis of CAEH. In addition, sufficient endometrial sampling is important for an accurate diagnosis.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.415-421
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• 2018

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social skills and communication with repetitive behaviors. Etiology is still unclear although it is thought to develop with interaction of genes and environmental factors. Oxytocin has extensive effects on intrauterine brain development. Vitamin D, affects neural development and differentiation and contributes to the regulation of around 900 genes including oxytocin receptor gene. In the present study, the contribution of D vitamin receptor and oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms in the development of ASD in Turkish community was investigated. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining these two associated genes together in the literature. Methods: Eighty-five patients diagnosed with ASD according to DSM-5 who were referred to outpatient clinics of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Başkent University and Mersin University and 52 healthy, age and gender-matched controls were included in the present study. Vitamin D receptor gene rs731236 (Taq1), rs2228570 (Fok1), rs1544410 (Bsm1), rs7975232 (Apa1) polymorphisms and oxytocin receptor gene rs1042778 and rs2268493 polymorphisms were investigated using real time polymerase chain reaction method. Results: No significant difference between groups in terms of distribution of genotype and alleles in each of polymorphisms for these genes could be found. Conclusion: Knowledge of genes and polymorphisms associated with the development of ASD may be beneficial for early diagnosis and future treatment. Further studies with larger populations are required to demonstrate molecular pathways which may play part in the development of ASD in Turkey.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1795-1802
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types in women and is amongst the most devastating and stressful events in the life of women. The external appearance of breast cancer patients usually changes due to the surgical and/or medical therapies used. An association may be found between social support perception and social appearance anxiety in patients with breast cancer in the period after mastectomy. Therefore, this study investigated the social appearance anxiety and social support status in women with breast cancer in our country. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment or follow-up in Medical Oncology and General Surgery departments. Results: The mean age of the participants was $51.13{\pm}8.48$ years (range, 24-74 years) with nearly half of the patients (40.6%) aged 40-50 years. Of the patients, 39.1% had stage 3 breast cancer. The mean score on Cancer Patient's Social Support Scale (CPSSS) was $134.85{\pm}9.35$, and there was a significant difference in CPSSS total scores betweena the age groups, educational levels, self-reported income levels and stage of disease (p<0.05). The mean Social Image Anxiety Scale (SIAS) score was found to be $34.30{\pm}9.35$ (min:16, max:66) in women participating in this study. The CPSSS and SIAS scores of the participants were inversely correlated, and the SIAS score was found to decrease with the increasing CPSSS score but with no statistically significant difference (r=-0.110, p=0.217). Conclusions: Social appearance anxiety is higher in the patients with poor social support.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1175-1179
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• 2016

The results of this study demonstrate the potential prognostic and predictive values of KRAS and BRAF gene mutations in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). It has been proven that KRAS and BRAF mutations are predictive biomarkers for resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment in patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC). We demonstrated the distribution of KRAS (codons 12, 13 and 61) and BRAF (codon 600) gene mutations in 50 mCRCs using direct sequencing and compared the results with clinicopathological data. KRAS and BRAF mutations were identified in 15 (30%) and 1 (2%) patients, respectively. We identified KRAS mutations in codon 12, 13 and 61 in 73.3% (11/15), 20% (3/15) and 6.67% (1/15) of the positive patients, respectively. The KRAS mutation frequency was significantly higher in tumors located in the ascending colon (p=0.043). Thus, we found that approximately 1/3 of the patients with mCRC had KRAS mutations and the only clinicopathological factor related to this mutation was tumor location. Future studies with larger patient groups should yield more accurate data regarding the molecular mechanism of CRC and the association between KRAS and BRAF mutations and clinicopathological features.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1553-1556
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• 2012

Introduction: Antimetabolites may cause severe toxicity and even toxic death in cancer patients. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between antimetabolite toxicity and pharmacogenetics in patients with severe clinical toxicity or alanine transaminase (ALT) elevation after fluorouracil (5FU), capecitabine or methotrexate administration. Patients and Methods: Cancer patients with severe antimetabolite toxicity were evaluated for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C667T, thymidilate synthase (TS) gene 5´UTR variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), dihydroprymidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) gene IVS14+1G/A, Xeroderma pigmentosum (XPD) gene Lys751Gln and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene Arg399Gln polymorphisms. Results: Eighteen patients were enrolled, with a male/female ratio of 0.8. They had osteosarcoma in methotrexate group (n=7), gastrointestinal malignancies in 5FU group (n=9) and breast cancer in the capecitabine group (n=2). Mucositis and dermatitis occurred in all groups, together with ALT elevation in the methotrexate group and 2 toxic deaths were encountered. DPYD, TS, MTHFR, XPD and XRCC1 gene polymorphism rare allele frequencies were observed to be higher than in the general population. Conclusion: Pharmacogenetics might contribute to tailored therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6573-6578
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• 2013

Background: The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate patient characteristics, treatment modalities and prognostic factors in Turkish patients with pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: Between January 1997 and December 2012, 64 patients who presented to the Department of Radiation Oncology, Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were evaluated. The E/K ratio of the cases was 2.4/1 and the median age was 59.6 (32-80) years, respectively. Some 11 cases (18%) were stage 1, 21 (34.4%) were stage 2, 10 (16.4%) were stage 3, and 19 (31.1%) were metastatic. Results: The mean follow-up time was 15.7 months (0.7-117.5) and loco-regional recurrence was noted in 11 (40.7%) who underwent surgery while metastases were observed in 41 patients (66.1%). The median overall survival (OS) was 11.2 months and the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates were 41.7%, 9.9% and 7.9% respectively. The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 5.2 month and the1, 2 and 5 year DFS were 22.6%, 7.6% and 3.8% respectively. On univariate analysis, prognostic factors affecting OS included status of the operation (p<0.001), tumor stage (p=0.008), ECOG performance status (p=0.005) and CEA level (p=0.017).On multivariate analysis, prognostic factors affecting survival included status of the operation (p=0.033) and age (p= 0.023). Conclusions: In the current study, age and operation status were independent prognostic factors for overall survival with pancreatic patients. Thus, the patients early diagnosis and treatment ars essential. However, prospective studies with more patients are needed for confirmation.