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In this study, we concluded that fasting during Ramadan did not worsen the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes.

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Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic effect of tumor regression grade (TRG) on long-term survival in locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Methods Medical records of 182 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery between 2002 and 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. TRG was classified into five categories based on the pathological response as follows – TRG1: no viable cancer cell, TRG2: single cancer cell or small groups of cancer cells, TRG3: residual tumor outgrown by fibrosis, TRG4: residual tumor outgrowing fibrosis, TRG5: diffuse residual tumor without regression. TRG1, (TRG2+TRG3), and (TRG4+TRG5) were grouped as complete response, intermediate response, and no response, respectively. Results Of the 182 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, 112 (61.5%) were male. The mean age was 54.4 (range, 25–87) years. The total number of patients in complete response, intermediate response, and no response group was 24 (13.2%), 105 (57.7%), and 53 (29.1%), respectively. The corresponding five-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 79.8%–92.3%, 74.7%–79.4%, and 55.7%–55.8%, respectively (p < 0.05 for relapse-free survival, p < 0.05 for overall survival). According to ypTNM stage, there was no significant difference in relapse-free survival among TRG groups in ypStage I and II patients (p > 0.05). In ypStage III patients, relapse-free survival was 62 months in no response group vs. not reached in intermediate response group (p < 0.05). According to the ypTNM, there was no significant difference in overall survival among TRG groups in ypStage I, II, and III patients (p > 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, pathological complete response was found to be an independent variable for relapse-free survival and overall survival (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval), 0.34 (0.17–6.77), 0.39 (0.18–0.83), respectively). Conclusion This study showed that patients with pathological complete response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy had longer relapse-free survival and overall survival rates than those with residual disease.

This study aimed to assess whether dabrafenib/trametinib and vemurafenib/cobimetinib treatments are associated with a change in skeletal muscle area (SMA) and total fat-free mass (FFM) assessed by computed tomography (CT), and to compare the efficacy and safety profile of these treatments in patients with metastatic melanoma. Thirty-one patients treated with B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase/MAPK extracellular receptor kinase inhibitors were included between 2016 and 2019. Eighteen patients received dabrafenib/trametinib and remaining patients received vemurafenib/cobimetinib. CT scans were performed at baseline and at 4–6 months of follow-up to measure cross-sectional areas of SMA. FFM and skeletal muscle index (SMI) values were calculated. Of the patients, including 18 treated with dabrafenib/trametinib (58.1%) and 13 with vemurafenib/cobimetinib (41.9%); 58.1% were male, 41.9% were female and median age was 52 years. A significant decrease in SMA was observed after dabrafenib/trametinib and vemurafenib/cobimetinib treatments (P = 0.003 and P = 0.002, respectively). A significant decrease in FFM values was observed after dabrafenib/trametinib and vemurafenib/cobimetinib treatments (P = 0.003 and P = 0.002, respectively). Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed in 35.9% of the patients with sarcopenia. No significant difference was seen between the dabrafenib/trametinib and vemurafenib/cobimetinib groups in median progression-free survival (PFS) (11.9 vs. 7.3 months, respectively, P = 0.28) and in median overall survival (OS) (25.46 vs. 13.7 months, respectively, P = 0.41). Baseline sarcopenia was not significantly associated with PFS or OS (P = 0.172 and P = 0.326, respectively). We found a significant decrease in SMI values determined at 4–6 months compared to the values before treatment both in dabrafenib/trametinib and vemurafenib/cobimetinib groups. DLT was similar with both treatments. Baseline sarcopenia was not significantly associated with PFS or OS.