Background: Several studies evaluating the prognostic factors of gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) have been published. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been accepted as prognostic factors for cancer patients. Materials and Methods: This study included 132 patients diagnosed with GEP-NETs. Peripheral blood samples were collected before the pretreatment period. Results: NLR and PLR were increased as the grade increased in NETs. The embryonic origin analysis revealed higher NLR and PLR rates in NETs of foregut origin. NLR and PLR were also higher in pancreatic NET patients compared to the gastroenteric NET patients. Analysis of NETs by TNM indicated that an advanced stage was accompanied by significantly higher NLR and PLR. We found a strong negative correlation between progression-free survival and NLR and PLR. Conclusion: The study verified that NLR and PLR are simple laboratory findings that can be used to identify NETs with a worse outcome.

Background: We aimed to identify the incidence of cardiac events with capecitabine treatment. Methods: The study included 52 patients (median age 59 years) with cancer treated at our Medical Oncology Clinic between 2009 and 2010. Cardiac events from capecitabine treatment were classified into 4 groups: cardiac symptoms, physical signs, electrocardiography (ECG) findings, and severe adverse cardiac effects. Results: The patients received either single-agent capecitabine or a combination chemotherapy including capecitabine. After initiation of capecitabine, 18 patients (34.6%) had new onset cardiovascular symptoms, 6 (11.5%) had new onset physical signs and 17 (32.6%) had new onset ECG findings. New onset ECG findings included prolonged corrected QT interval (n = 10, 19.2%) and prolonged PR interval (n = 3, 5.8%). Severe adverse capecitabine-induced cardiac side effects were observed in 5.8% of the patients, but none of the patients had myocardial infarction or died. Conclusion: Cardiac events are not rare during capecitebine treatment and patients should be followed closely to avoid cardiac morbidity and mortality.

Objective: Determination of psychological problems will shed light on the terms of solution and provide support to patients about these problems will ensure the patients' coherence to the treatment and will enhance the benefits they receive from treatment. In this study, we aimed to determine these psychosocial problems and the interactions with each other in colon cancer patients. Methods: In this study, 105 patients with colorectal cancer were included. The forms consist of sociodemographic features, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 and Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction questionnaires. Results: Male patients had significantly higher European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 function scales and global quality-of-life scores than female patients. Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction scores of female patients were significantly higher than that of male patients. European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 function scales and global quality-of-life scores of the patients with high depression scores were significantly lower, conversely symptom scale scores of the patients with high depression scores were significantly higher than that of the patients with low depression scores. Patients with low anxiety scores had significantly higher European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 function scales and global quality-of-life scores than the patients with high anxiety scores. Symptom scale scores of the patients with high anxiety scores were significantly higher than that of the patients with low anxiety scores. The scores of Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction except premature ejaculation and vaginismus were significantly higher in patients with high anxiety scores and a significant difference was determined in touch, avoidance and anorgasm. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that there is a significant association with anxiety/depression symptoms and quality-of-life scores, sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction is significantly more common in patients with high anxiety and depression scores.

As part of the present study, we suggest that both tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors can reduce FGF-21 levels independently of body compositions, and these drugs can provide antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic and cardio-protective effects. We also recommend that serum FGF-21 level can be utilized as a tumor biomarker in early-stage breast cancer and for monitoring purposes. FGF-21 levels may help physicians estimate prognosis, too. Further studies with larger populations may shed light on the role of FGF-21 in breast cancer.

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We aimed to investigate anxiety, depression and sexual satisfaction levels of testicular cancer survivors (TCSs) and compare the scores with healthy men's. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) and European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 were used. Forty-one TCSs and thirty-eight healthy men were participated in this study. The total HADs scores of TCSs (12.21 ± 8.19) were less than the healthy group (14.44 ± 6.53; p > 0.05). The high depression scores rate was 29.2 and 55.2, and high anxiety scores rate was 24.4 and 28.9 for TCSs and healthy group, respectively. When we evaluated GRISS subscores and anxiety levels, we found significantly increase only in avoidance subscores in the TCSs (p = 0.04). When we evaluated GRISS subscores and depression levels, GRISS subscores of the TCSs who had high depression scores were also high. However, statistical significance was found in satisfaction (p = 0.009), touch (p = 0.04), avoidance (p = 0.01) and erectile dysfunction (p = 0.04) subscores in the TCSs. In the TCSs whose anxiety scores were high, emotional functioning (p = 0.009) and global QoL (p = 0.01) subscores of GRISS was found significantly low. In the TCSs whose depression scores were high, physical (p = 0.01), cognitive (p = 0.04), emotional (p = 0.03), social functioning (p = 0.02) and global QoL (p < 0.001) subscores of GRISS were found significantly low. Anxiety, depression and sexual satisfaction levels of TCSs were found to be similar with the control population.

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