Background Access to cancer care is a problem that continues to plague refugees displaced from their home countries. The turbulent political crisis in Syria, which has led to millions of refugees seeking asylum in Turkey, merits further attention. We aimed to study the rate of utilization of radiation therapy among Syrian refugees with cancer living in Turkey in an attempt to identify the contributing factors predictive of non-compliance with prescribed RT. Methods In this retrospective review of 14 institutional databases, Syrian refugee patients in Turkey with a cancer diagnosis from January 2015 to December 2019 who were treated with RT were identified. The demographic data, treatment compliance rates, and toxicity outcomes in these patients were surveyed. Variable predictors of noncompliance such as age, sex, diagnosis, treatment length, and toxicity were studied. The association between these variables and patient noncompliance was determined. Results We identified 10,537 patients who were diagnosed with cancer during the study period, of whom 1010 (9.6%) patients were treated with RT. Breast cancer (30%) and lung cancer (14%) were the most common diagnoses with up to 68% of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage (Stage III, IV). 20% of the patients were deemed noncompliant. Treatment with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.06–2.46, p = 0.023) and living in a refugee camp (OR 3.62, 95% CI 2.43–5.19, p < 0.001) were associated with noncompliance. Age, sex and treatment length were not significantly associated with noncompliance. Conclusions Noncompliance with radiotherapy among Syrian refugees in Turkey remains an area of concern with a multitude of factors contributing to these alarming numbers. Further studies to better ascertain the finer nuances of this intricately complex problem and a global combination of efforts can pave the way to providing a solution.

Purpose. We aimed to retrospectively investigate the prognostic worth of pretreatment advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). Patients and Methods. A total of 164 LA-NPC patients treated with cisplatinum-based definitive C-CRT were included in this retrospective cohort analysis. The convenience of ideal pre-C-CRT ALI cut-offs affecting survival results was searched by employing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The primary endpoint was the link between the ALI groups and overall survival (OS), while cancer-specific survival (CSS), locoregional progression-free survival [LR(PFS)], distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and PFS comprised the secondary endpoints. Results. The ROC curve analyses distinguished a rounded ALI cut-off score of 24.2 that arranged the patients into two cohorts [ALI ≥ 24.2 (N = 94) versus < 24.2 (N = 70)] with significantly distinct CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS outcomes, except for the LRPFS. At a median follow-up time of 79.2 months (range: 6–141), the comparative analyses showed that ALI < 24.2 cohort had significantly shorter median CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS time than the ALI ≥ 24.2 cohort ( P < 0.001 for each), which retained significance at 5- ( P < 0.001 ) and 10-year ( P < 0.001 ) time points. In multivariate analyses, ALI < 24.2 was asserted to be an independent predictor of the worse prognosis for each endpoint ( P < 0.001 for each) in addition to the tumor stage (T-stage) ( P < 0.05 for all endpoints) and nodal stage (N-stage) ( P < 0.05 for all endpoints). Conclusion. As a novel prognostic index, the pretreatment ALI < 24.2 appeared to be strongly associated with significantly diminished survival outcomes in LA-NPC patients treated with C-CRT independent of the universally recognized T- and N-stages.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The main therapeutic options for MPM include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy (RT). Although multimodality therapy has been reported to improve survival, not every medically operable patient is able to undergo all recommended therapy. With improvements in surgical techniques and systemic therapies, as well as advancements in RT, there has been a potential new paradigm in the management of this disease. In this review, we discuss the current literature on MPM management and propose a functional treatment algorithm.

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Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been utilized broadly for brain metastases not only for intact ones but as well as of late for the postoperative cavity of metastases after surgery, due to the advantages of SRS to preserve neurocognitive functions, maintain local control and prescribe the treatment in a short time frame. Randomized trials have proven the safety and efficacy of cavity SRS compared to observation. As WBRT offers no survival advantage in comparison to SRS and frequent monitorization with brain MRIs for early salvage upon failure, there has been a revolution in clinical approach for patients with limited intact brain metastases to treat with SRS only and omit WBRT. Likewise, the postoperative cavity SRS for brain metastases has gained a growing reputation. In this review, we summarize the proof for evidence-based optimization in the postoperative setting of the surgically removed brain metastases.