These results indicate that carvedilol has a protective effect against the cardiotoxicity induced by ANT.

Activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis is frequently encountered among cancer patients. Such tumors are supposed to be associated with higher risk of invasion, metastases and eventually worse outcome. The aim of this study is to explore the prognostic value of blood coagulation tests for lung cancer patients. The study comprised 110 lung cancer patients. Pretreatment blood coagulation tests including PT, aPTT, PTA, INR, D-dimer, fibrinogen levels and platelet counts were evaluated. The plasma level of all coagulation tests revealed statistically significant difference between patient and control group (p < 0.001). There was a significant association between D-Dimer levels and histological subtypes of NSCLC, pointing an elevated plasma D-dimer level in squamous cell cancer (p = 0.035). Patients with extensive stage SCLC exhibited evidently higher levels of D-Dimer, INR and PLT (p = 0.037, p = 0.042, p = 0.04, respectively). Prolongation of PT and INR had statistically significant adverse effect on survival (p = 0.05 and p = 0.014, respectively). Although prolonged aPTT and high levels of D-dimer was associated with worse survival, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.117, p = 0.104). Multivariate analysis revealed INR as the sole independent prognostic variable among coagulation parameters (p = 0.05). In conclusion, elevation of PT and INR are associated with decreased survival in lung cancer patients.

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) differs from classic invasive ductal carcinomas regarding incidence, pathogenesis, and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to compare patients with MBC with clinicopathologic and treatment-matched patients with triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) in terms of response to treatment, progression, and survival.Fifty-four patients with MBC and 51 with TNBC, who were treated at Istanbul University, Institute of Oncology, between 1993 and 2014, were included in the study. After correctly matching the patients with 1 of the 2 groups, they were compared to determine differences in response to treatment, disease progression, clinical course, and survival.At a median follow-up of 28 months, 18 patients (17.1%) died and 27 (25.5%) had disease progression. Metaplastic histology was significantly correlated with worse 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) (51 ± 9% vs. 82 ± 6%, P = 0.013) and overall survival (OS) (68 ± 8% vs. 94 ± 4%, P = 0.009) compared with TNBC histology. Patients who received taxane-based chemotherapy (CT) regimens or adjuvant radiotherapy had significantly better PFS (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001) and OS (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) compared with others. In the multivariate analysis, MBC (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.09, P < 0.001), presence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) (HR: 12.8, P = 0.05), and metastasis development at any time during the clinical course (HR: 38.7, P < 0.001) were significant factors that decreased PFS, whereas metastasis development was the only independent prognostic factor of OS (HR: 23.8, P = 0.009).MBC is significantly correlated with worse PFS and OS compared with TNBC. Patients with MBC are resistant to conventional CT agents, and more efficient treatment regimens are required.

The performance status of a patient is the major prognostic factor predicting overall survival for all stages of pancreatic cancer. Severe weight loss, large tumor, and metastatic disease were found to be unfavorable prognostic factors in patients with poor performance status.

Pancreatic cancer is a major health concern worldwide and, despite the attempts at management, the prognosis of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer remains poor, with a median survival of a few months. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate clinicopathological factors and elucidate the clinical significance of patient age for the outcome of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Data from a total of 154 metastatic patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, who were treated and followed-up in our clinic, were recorded from medical charts. The patient sample included 102 (66%) males with a median age of 58 years (range, 25–88 years). The majority of the patients had a poor performance status (64%), weight loss of >10% body weight (74%), tumor size of >3 cm (75%) and elevated tumor markers, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (66%) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (85%). The distributions of prognostic factors depending on patient age were largely identical. The median survival time of patients with metastatic disease was 179 days and the 1-year survival rate was 7%. The median survival time of elderly patients was significantly lower compared to younger patients (148 vs. 198 days, respectively; P=0.039). The 1-year survival rates in elderly and younger patients were 3 and 10%, respectively. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, elderly patients had poorer outcomes compared with younger patients (P=0.04 and 0.05, respectively). In all patients, the univariate analysis demonstrated that similar prognostic factors, including the performance status of the patients and tumor markers, such as serum CEA and CA19-9 levels, were associated with survival. In the multivariate analysis, younger patients with a poor performance status had a significantly shorter overall survival compared to those with a good performance status (P=0.008). However, no significant prognostic factor affecting the outcome was identified in the elderly patients. In conclusion, patient age is a major prognostic factor affecting the survival of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and elderly patients without poor prognostic factors may be eligible for the available treatment options.