Testicular cancer is a relatively rare tumor type, accounting for approximately 1% of all cancers in men. However, among men aged between 15 and 40 years, testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy. Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are classified as seminoma and non-seminoma. The RAS oncogene controls several cellular functions, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and differentiation. Thus, RAS signaling is important for normal germ cell development. Mutations of the Kirsten RAS (K-RAS) gene are present in over 20% of all cancers. RAS gene mutations have also been reported in TGCTs. We investigated K-RAS and N-RAS mutations in seminoma and non-seminoma TGCT patients. A total of 24 (55%) pure seminoma cases and 19 (45%) non-seminoma cases were included in the study. K-RAS and N-RAS analyses were performed in our molecular pathology laboratory, using K-RAS and N-RAS Pyro Kit 24 V1 (Qiagen). In total, a RAS mutation was present in 12 patients (27%): 7 seminoma (29%) and 5 non-seminoma cases (26%) [p = 0.55]. A K-RAS mutation was present in 4 pure seminoma tumors (16%) and 3 non-seminoma tumors (15%) [p = 0.63], and an N-RAS mutation was observed in 4 seminoma tumors (16%) and 3 non-seminoma tumors (15%) [p = 0.63]. Both, K-RAS and N-RAS mutations were present in two patients: one with seminoma tumor and the other with non-seminoma tumor. To date, no approved targeted therapy is available for the treatment of TGCTs. The analysis of K-RAS and N-RAS mutations in these tumors may provide more treatment options, especially in platinum-resistant tumors.

Triple-negative breast cancers, especially basal-like subtypes, have bad prognoses. They have high histopathological grades and high risk of invasion. This group can make early metastases and expected survival is usually short. We need to focus on new treatment strategy modalities on this group, and pretreatment values of different prognostic markers are well-identified, such as androgen receptors, basal cytokeratin expression, and BRCA gene status.

This study aimed to elucidate the clinical and prognostic characteristics of a homogeneous group of patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Between 1999 and 2014, CUP was diagnosed in 159 (1.3%) of 11,742 cancer patients at Trakya University Hospital (Edirne, Turkey). Ninety-seven (61%) of the 159 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 61 (62.8%) patients with adenocarcinoma were included in this study. The most frequently predicted primary tumor site was the lung (37.7%), and 59% of the patients were smokers. There was a significant relationship between smoking and the lung as a potential primary cancer site (p = 0.042). The most frequent site of metastasis was the liver (60.7%). The median number of metastases per patient was two, but patients with liver metastases had a median of five metastases. The overall median survival time was 7 months. Median survival was significantly longer in patients with a predicted primary site than in patients without the predicted site (7 vs. 6 months, respectively; p = 0.038). When the patients with predicted ovarian and peritoneal tumors were excluded from the comparison, the statistical p value was still close to significant (p = 0.07). Multivariate analysis revealed that smoking, liver metastasis, serum alkaline phosphatase ≥92 U/L, and progression in response to chemotherapy were independent predictors of a poor prognosis. The present study identified several independent prognostic factors in patients with unknown primary adenocarcinomas who received chemotherapy. Smoking, the presence of liver metastasis, and response to chemotherapy were independent risk factors for both progression-free and overall survival.

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Introduction Radical cystectomy (RC) is the main treatment option for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), which carry the highest risk of progression. In this study, we investigated the effect of time from transurethral resection of the bladder (TUR-B) to cystectomy on lymph node positivity, cancer-specific survival and overall survival in patients with MIBC. Methods The records were reviewed of 530 consecutive patients who had RC and pelvic lymphadenectomy procedures with curative intent performed by selected surgeons between May 2005 and April 2016. Our analysis included only patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder; we excluded 23 patients with other types of tumor histology. Results Patients who underwent delayed RC were compared with patients who were treated with early RC; both groups were similar in terms of age, gender, T stage, tumor grade, tumor differentiation, lymph node status and metastasis status. However, when both groups were compared for disease-free survival and overall survival, patients of the early-RC group had a greater advantage. Conclusions The optimal time between the last TUR-B and RC is still controversial. A reasonable time for preoperative preparation can be allowed, but long delays, especially those exceeding 3 months, can lead to unfavorable outcomes in cancer control.