Brain metastasis in colorectal cancer is highly rare. In the present study, we aimed to determine the frequency of brain metastasis in colorectal cancer patients and to establish prognostic characteristics of colorectal cancer patients with brain metastasis. In this cross-sectional study, the medical files of colorectal cancer patients with brain metastases who were definitely diagnosed by histopathologically were retrospectively reviewed. Brain metastasis was detected in 2.7 % (n = 133) of 4,864 colorectal cancer patients. The majority of cases were male (53 %), older than 65 years (59 %), with rectum cancer (56 %), a poorly differentiated tumor (70 %); had adenocarcinoma histology (97 %), and metachronous metastasis (86 %); received chemotherapy at least once for metastatic disease before brain metastasis developed (72 %), had progression with lung metastasis before (51 %), and 26 % (n = 31) of patients with extracranial disease at time the diagnosis of brain metastasis had both lung and bone metastases. The mean follow-up duration was 51 months (range 5-92), and the mean survival was 25.8 months (95 % CI 20.4-29.3). Overall survival rates were 81 % in the first year, 42.3 % in the third year, and 15.7 % in the fifth year. In multiple variable analysis, the most important independent risk factor for overall survival was determined as the presence of lung metastasis (HR 1.43, 95 % CI 1.27-4.14; P = 0.012). Brain metastasis develops late in the period of colorectal cancer and prognosis in these patients is poor. However, early screening of brain metastases in patients with lung metastasis may improve survival outcomes with new treatment modalities.

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CD133 is one of the most important stem cell markers in solid cancers and Ki-67 is a marker that reflects cell proliferation. The relationships between the expression of CD133 and Ki-67 and prognosis in gastric carcinoma are unknown and need exploring. We examined 50 gastric cancer patients retrospectively in the Radiation Oncology Department of the Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University. CD133 and Ki-67 expression was examined using immunohistochemical staining. The survival rate in patients with CD133 positive expression was significantly worse than that in the patients with negative expression (p=0.04). Expression of CD133 had a positive correlation with that of Ki-67 (r=0.350; p=0.014). Multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of CD133 was an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer (p=0.02). Conclusion, expression of CD133 may be a useful prognostic marker in gastric cancer.

Prophylactic administration of EGb-761 seems to have a protective effect against radiation-induced dermatitis.

Objective: Oral amino-acid-combination supplements have become a common intervention to maintain or potentially increase the lean body mass (LBM) in the elderly. Our aim was to determine the tolerance and efficacy of the 8-week beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate/arginine/glutamine (HMB/Arg/Gln) supplementation on anthropometrics, LBM, muscle strength, and gait speed in elderly patients. Methods: In this longitudinal observational study, a total of 131 elderly patients were evaluated at two consecutive visits, including baseline (Week 0) and single follow-up (Week 8). The use of HMB/Arg/Gln was evaluated in terms of patient compliance, the efficacy on anthropometrics, LBM (kg, measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis-BIA), muscle strength (kg), gait speed, and safety. Results: The mean (standard deviation, SD) age was 74.7 (6.8) years (57.3% of participants were males). Of the patients were diagnosed with malnutrition (according to the Subjective Global Assessment test). The main indications for the HMB/Arg/Gln supplementation were sarcopenia (45.8%) and cancer cachexia (42.0%). Only two patients stopped supplementation because of taste problem (1.5%). Overall, 79.4% of patients were still on HMB/Arg/Gln at the follow-up. The mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC, 25.3–27.0 cm, p=0.017), mid-upper-arm muscle circumference (MUAMC, 21.7–22.2 cm, p=0.006), hand grip strength (16.0–19.0 kg, p=0.0001), and gait speed (0.5–0.7 m/sec, p=0.008) were increased after the HMB/Arg/Gln supplementation. The adverse events were reported in 14 (10.7%) patients. No serious adverse events were reported in association with HMB/Arg/Gln. Conclusion: Our findings showed that 8 weeks of the HMB/Arg/Gln supplementation applied twice daily were well tolerated and safe in the elderly. The supplementation seems to improve the MUAC, MUAMC, muscle strength, and gait speed.