Hydroxyurea is a ribonucleotide diphosphate reductase inhibitor used in the treatment of patients with myeloproliferative disorders. Hydroxyurea has some dermatological side-effects. It has recently been recognized that hydroxyurea can induce squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas of skin. We present the case of an elderly man with chronic myeloid leukaemia who was treated with hydroxyurea for 4 years, with good control of his disease. However, in addition to the appearance of various skin lesions and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma after 3 years of therapy, he was found to have a metastatic squamous cell carcinoma after 4 years. Hydroxyurea was discontinued, and he underwent surgery and radiotherapy. The patient subsequently died of ventricular fibrillation. We present this case to draw attention to the association between hydroxyurea and secondary skin cancers and to emphasize the need for dermatological examination before and during the course of hydroxyurea therapy.

In our study, KIM-1 levels were significantly different suggesting that urinary KIM-1 levels may be an early marker in patients with diabetic nephropathy. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 00:1-6, 2016.

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Aim: Systemic inflammation has been associated with chemoresistance and prognosis in solid tumors. Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a novel marker derived from complete blood count. We investigated whether differences between SIIs measured before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) are associated with tumor regression grade (TRG) and survival in gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer patients.Methods: Records of gastric and GEJ cancer patients treated with NACT in two centers were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were categorized according to difference between pre-and post-NACT SII values (ΔSII). Association between clinicopathological factors and TRG was analyzed using logistic regression method. Predictors of diseasefree and overall survival (DFS and OS) were determined with Cox regression models. Results:The study included 140 patients. Patients with ΔSII<0 were more likely to achieve TRG 0/1 (45.2% vs. 19.1%, p = 0.003) and ΔSII<0 was an independent predictor of TRG 0/1 (OR = 6.05, p<0.001). DFS and OS of patients with ΔSII<0 were also significantly longer (p = 0.031 and p = 0.006, respectively). After adjustment for other variables, ΔSII≥0 was an independent prognostic factor for OS (Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.13, p = 0.008).Conclusions: Changes in SII, which is a low-cost and easily accessible marker, may be used to estimate prognosis, individualize postoperative treatment and optimize surveillance in gastric and GEJ cancer patients treated with NACT.

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Background: Malnutrition is a frequent issue in esophageal cancer (EC). The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score has been established as a prognostic indicator in EC patients who underwent surgery. We aimed to investigate the role of the CONUT Score in EC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Methods: The trial included 101 non-metastatic EC patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to determine cut-off values for the CONUT Score and other indices. Cox regression analyses were performed to determine prognostic markers. Results: Of 101 patients, 59.4% (n = 60) and 40.6% (n = 41) of patients were treated with CRT alone and CRT plus surgery, respectively. ROC curve analyses determined an optimal cut-off for CONUT Score in overall survival (OS), which was 3.5 (AUC = 0.63, CI 95%: 0.51-0.76, P = 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of CONUT were 66% and 61%, respectively. Low CONUT (≤3.5) patients had significantly longer median OS than high CONUT (>3.5) patients (57.1 vs. 23 months; P = 0.009). Multivariate regression analysis revealed a CONUT Score hazard ratio (HR) of 1.96 for OS (CI 95%: 1.03-3.75, P = 0.04). Conclusion: The CONUT Score might be a useful prognostic tool in EC patients treated with CRT. Appropriate nutritional support might provide a better prognosis, which underlines the importance of multidisciplinary assessment of malnutrition in EC patients.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of coronary artery calcium score and the increased risk of coronary artery disease with mean platelet volume (MPV) and uric acid.Methods: For this retrospective study, patients with a preliminary diagnosis of chronic ischemic heart disease were taken from our hospital with patients from the clinic with laboratory tests and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) performed. In total, there were 190 patients. Radiology reports and MDCT reports, clinical features, and values from the laboratory were obtained from the data system. The patients were divided into three groups according to the risk of coronary event, which was identified by coronary artery calcium score, age, and gender: low (105), medium (45), and high (40). The correlation between MPV and uric acid values was examined within these three groups. In addition, the patients with and without type 2 DM had the correlation with actual values examined. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: According to this study, the comparison of coronary artery calcium score and the coronary event risk of the group with MPV and uric acid values showed that there was no statistical significance. In the study, in the diabetic patient group, MPV, coronary artery calcium score, risk of coronary event, and plaque volume were significantly higher. Conclusion:Although coronary artery calcium score is seen as an independent risk factor for the prediction of coronary artery disease, in our study, there was no relation between MPV and uric acid values and coronary artery score, which indicates atherosclerosis in the coronary artery.Keywords: Coronary artery disease, coronary artery calcium score, mean platelet volume (MPV), uric acid, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) Platelets play an important role in the development of acute complications associated with atherosclerosis. The adhesion of platelets to the endothelium is the first stage in atherosclerosis. Acute coronary syndromes develop as a result of rupture in the atherosclerotic plaque, activation of the coagulation cascade appearing after that, and a common pathophysiological mechanism formed by the adhesion, activation, and aggregation of platelets (9,

ObjectivesThirty-day mortality (30 DM) is a measure of quality of cancer treatment and the predictors for 30 DM are important to identify vulnerable patients who are least likely to benefit from chemotherapy. We assessed the incidence and potential predictors of 30 DM in patients receiving chemotherapy.MethodsAll patients who received chemotherapy within an 8-month period in our hospital were assessed. Baseline prechemotherapy clinical features, vital signs, Modified Early Warning Scores (MEWS) and laboratory tests were recorded. Potential predictors of 30 DM were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsAmong 4560 patients included, 77 patients (1.7%) died within 30 days of chemotherapy. Patients who died were older (62 vs 58, p=0.002), mostly males (61% vs 43%, p=0.006), had worse Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scores (ECOG PS), and higher MEWS scores compared with those who survived. Multivariate analysis identified age ≥60 years (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.1, p=0.01), male gender (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.9, p=0.02), ECOG PS≥3 (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 8.8, p=0.03), pulse rate ≥90 bpm (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.0 to 7.0, p<0.01), systolic blood pressure <110 mm Hg (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.1, p=0.02), body mass index <25 kg/m2 (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.8, p=0.02) and haemoglobin< 90 g/L (OR 14.2, 95% CI 4.3 to 46.6, p<0.01) to be associated with increased risk of 30 DM.ConclusionsAlong with well-known prognostic factors such as ECOG PS and disease stage, other simple and readily available parameters may predict early mortality after chemotherapy and produce a signal for the physicians to carefully reevaluate vulnerable patients before chemotherapy administration.