Survival effect of supportive care services for Turkish patients with metastatic gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND
Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer- related deaths worldwide and ranks 11th or 14th among all deaths. Patients with advanced disease require supportive care along with the medical and/ or surgical treatment.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the need for palliative care for patients with advanced tumours along with standard clinical therapy.


METHODS
Eighty-four patients with metastatic (stage 4) gastric cancer, including both patients who had received surgical treatment or not , were followed up in Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Division of Medical Oncology between 2011 and 2014. They were categorised as supportive care (-) (Group 1, n=37) and (+) groups (Group 2, n=47) and evaluated retrospectively.


RESULTS
Demographic characteristics of the patients were as follows: mean age, Group 1, 65.2±10.5 years, Group 2,63.7±11.3 years; male/female ratio, Group 1, 21/16, Group 2, 28/19; distribution of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scores of 0 and 1, Group 1, ECOG 0 (n=9) and 1 (n=14), Group 2, ECOG 0 (34) and 1 (n=13) (p<0.0001); patients receiving second-line, Group 1 (n=7) and Group 2 (n=22) (p<0.008) or third - line chemotherapy,Group 2 (n=6) (p<0.02); mortality rates, Group 1, (n=28; 75.6%) and Group 2 (n=30; 63.8%); progression-free survival (PFS) rates, Group 1, 17.4±6 weeks, Group 2, 28.3±16.2 weeks; statistically significant overall survival rates, Group 1, 20.8±8.2 weeks and Group 2, 28.3 ± 162 weeks (p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The supportive care team (medical oncologist, general surgeon, internal medicine specialist, algologist, psychiatrist and radiologist) can play a role in the treatment of metastatic gastric tumours, with improvements shown in terms of the performance status of cases, eligibility of patients to be on chemotherapy programmes for longer duration and overall survival rates in Turkey.
Department of Medical Oncology, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey E-mail : ercetin@istanbul.edu.tr.
Esat
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Namal
Candas
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Ercetin
Merve
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Tokocin
Zafer
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Akcali
Hakan
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Yigitbas
Erkan
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Yavuz
Fatih
F
Celebi
Tolga
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Totoz
Ozgul
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Pamukcu
Emel
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Saglam
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006296:Health Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D014421:Turkey