Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) and 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) regimens as adjuvant treatment in patients with stage III colon cancer. Methods A total of 243 patients who received CAPOX and FOLFOX chemotherapy between 2014 and 2018 for stage III colon cancer in two centers were retrospectively studied. Among the patients, 106 (43.6%) and 137 (56.4%) were treated using CAPOX and FOLFOX regimens, respectively. Efficacy, treatment-related side effects, and overall survival rates with these two regimens were compared. Results The rate of disease progression was significantly higher in the presence of moderately/poorly differentiated histology, and KRAS and NRAS mutations. An increased number of metastatic lymph nodes and prolonged time from surgery to chemotherapy significantly increased disease progression. Patients who received CAPOX were significantly older than those who received FOLFOX. Disease progression, metastasis, and mortality rates were significantly higher in the FOLFOX arm than in the CAPOX arm. There was no significant difference in the overall survival rate between the two regimens. Conclusion The CAPOX regimen is preferred in older patients. Disease progression, metastasis, and mortality rates are higher with FOLFOX than with CAPOX.

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Background: First-line treatments for metastatic pancreatic cancer are chemotherapy regimens consisting of 5-fluorouracil or gemcitabine; however, there are no biomarkers to help determine which patients might benefit from which treatment regimens. We aimed to show that microRNAs let-7c and 7d can be used as independent predictive biomarkers for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Methods: A total of 55 patients who had first-line chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine + capecitabine were included. Patients were divided into groups based on let-7c and let-7d levels and chemotherapy treatment as let-7c-7d high FOLFIRINOX, let-7c-7d high gemcitabine + capecitabine, let-7c-7d low FOLFIRINOX, and let-7c-7d low gemcitabine + capecitabine. Blood samples were taken from patients before chemotherapy for microRNA let-7c and 7d analysis. MicroRNA isolation was performed using a miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit and identified using spectrophotometric measurements. After isolation, microRNA was converted to cDNA using a microRNA cDNA Synthesis Kit with poly (A) polymerase tailing. The expression of microRNA was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The overall survival of patients who received FOLFIRINOX treatment with a high let-7c-7d level was statistically significantly longer than those who received gemcitabine + capecitabine with a high let-7c-7d level. In addition, patients with low let-7c expression receiving FOLFIRINOX progressed significantly 2.104 times earlier than patients with high let-7c expression receiving FOLFIRINOX. Conclusion: The serum MicroRNA let-7c level was found to be an independent predictive biomarker in the FOLFIRINOX treatment group.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but highly aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment outcomes, and survival of MCC cases in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The patients diagnosed with MCC between 1999 and 2018 at twenty different centers in Turkey were included in the study. Patient and tumor characteristics and adjuvant and metastatis treatment outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The median age of totally 89 patients was 70 (26–93). The most common primary location was lower limbs (n = 29, 32.5%). Immunohistochemically, CK20 positivity was present in 59 patients (66.3%). Only two patients had secondary malignancy. The majority of the patients (n = 76, 85.4%) were diagnosed at the localized stage. Surgery was performed for all patients in the early stage, and adjuvant radiotherapy or/and chemotherapy was applied to 52.6% (n = 40) of nonmetastatic patients. The median follow-up was 29 months. Recurrence developed in 21 (27.6%) of the 76 patients who presented with local or regional disease. Two-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 68.1% and 5-year DFS was 62.0% for localized stage. The 5-year DFS was similar for patients receiving adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or sequential chemoradiotherapy) and without adjuvant therapy (P > 0.05). Two-year overall survival in patients who presented with localized disease was 71.3% and 18.5% in metastatic patients (P < 0.001). In the metastatic stage, platinum/etoposide combination was the most preferred combination regimen. Median progression-free survival (PFS) in first-line chemotherapy was 7 months (95% confidence interval: 3.5–10.5 months; standart error: 1.78). Conclusions: Although MCC is rare in Turkey, the incidence is increasing. Gender, CK20 status, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and adjuvant treatment were not associated with recurrence.