Background In Hungary, the mortality rate for testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is 0,9/100000 which is significantly higher than the EU average. We prospectively evaluated the effect of socioeconomic position on patient delay and therapy outcomes. Methods Questionnaires on subjective social status (MacArthur Subjective Status Scale), objective socioeconomic position (wealth, education, and housing data), and on patient’s delay were completed by newly diagnosed TGCC patients. Results Patients belonged to a relatively high socioeconomic class, a university degree was double the Hungarian average, Cancer-specific mortality in the highest social quartile was 1.56% while in the lowest social quartile 13.09% (p = 0.02). In terms of patient delay, 57.2% of deceased patients waited more than a year before seeking help, while this number for the surviving patients was 8.0% (p = 0.0000). Longer patient delay was associated with a more advanced stage in non-seminoma but not in seminoma, the correlation coefficient for non-seminoma was 0.321 (p < 0.001). For patient delay, the most important variables were the mother’s and patient’s education levels (r = − 0.21, p = 0.0003, and r = − 0.20, p = 0.0005), respectively. Since the patient delay was correlated with the social quartile and resulted in a more advanced stage in non-seminoma, the lower social quartile resulted in higher mortality in non-seminoma patients (p = 0.005) but not in seminoma patients (p = 0.36) where the patient delay was not associated with a more advanced stage. Conclusions Based on our result, we conclude that to improve survival, we should promote testicular cancer awareness, especially among the most deprived populations, and their health care providers.

Real-world evidence from clinical practices is fundamental for understanding the efficacy and tolerability of medicinal products. Patients with renal cell cancer were studied to gain data not represented by analyses conducted on highly selected patients participating in clinical trials. Our goal was to retrospectively collect data from patients with advanced renal tumours treated with pazopanib (PZ) to investigate the efficacy, frequency of side effects, and searching for predictive markers. Eighty-one patients who had received PZ therapy as first-line treatment were retrospectively evaluated. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed as endpoints. Median PFS and OS were 11.8 months (95% CI: 8.8-22.4); and 30.2 months (95% CI: 20.3-41.7) respectively. Severe side effects were only encountered in 11 (14%) patients. The presence of liver metastasis shortened the median PFS (5.5 vs. 14.8 months, p = 0.003). Median PFS for patients with or without side effects was 25.6 vs. 7.3 months, respectively (p = 0.0001). Patients younger than 65 years had a median OS of 41.7 months vs. 25.2 months for those over 65 years of age (p = 0.008). According to our results absence of liver metastases, younger age (<65 years) and presence of side effects proved to be independent predictive markers of better PFS and OS.

Absztrakt: A kannabisz a legnépszerűbb lágy drogok közé tartozik, a kávé, a dohány és az alkohol után világszerte a negyedik legtöbbet fogyasztott pszichoaktív szer. A két legismertebb növényi kannabinoid, a szigorúan ellenőrzött pszichotrop delta-9-tetrahidrokannabinol és a pszichoaktív hatással nem rendelkező, 2004 óta Magyarországon is elérhető, csupán bejelentési kötelezettséggel járó, étrend-kiegészítőnek minősülő kannabidiol. Az orvosi célú kannabisz használatával kapcsolatban, főleg onkológiai indikációban, számos tévhit kering. Közleményünkben összefoglaljuk a kannabisz történetét, hatásmechanizmusát, az onkológiai alkalmazásra jelenleg rendelkezésre álló evidenciákat, a jogi szabályozást, és külön felhívjuk a figyelmet a kannabidiol alkalmazásakor felmerülő potenciális veszélyekre. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(25): 1035–1041.

Background. In Hungary, the mortality rate for testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is 7.6% which is significantly higher than the EU average. We prospectively evaluated the effect of socioeconomic status on patient delay, doctor’s delay, and therapy outcomes.Methods: Questionnaires on subjective (MacArthur Subjective Status Scale), objective (wealth, education, and housing data) social status, and on patient’s and doctors’ delays were completed by newly diagnosed TGCC patients.Results: Patients belonged to a relatively high socioeconomic class, a university degree was double the Hungarian average, Cancer-specific mortality in the highest social quartile was 1.56% while in the lowest social quartile 13.09% (p=0.02). In terms of patient delay, 57.2% of deceased patients waited more than a year before seeking help, while this number for the surviving patients was 8.0% (p=0.0000). Longer patient delay was associated with a more advanced stage in non-seminoma but not in seminoma, the correlation coefficient for non-seminoma was 0.321 (p<0.001). For patient delay, the most important variables were the mother’s and patient’s education levels (r=-0.21, p=0.0003, and r=-0.20, p=0.0005), respectively. Since the patient delay was correlated with the social quartile and resulted in a more advanced stage in non-seminoma, the lower social quartile resulted in higher mortality in non-seminoma patients (p=0.005) but not in seminoma patients (p=0.36) where the patient delay was not associated with a more advanced stage.Conclusions: Based on our result, we conclude that to improve survival, we should promote testicular cancer awareness, especially among the most deprived populations, and their health care providers.