1. Impact of early integrated rehabilitation on fatigue in 600 patients with breast cancer : a prospective studyMaša Auprih, Tina Žagar, Nina Kovačević, Andreja Cirila Škufca Smrdel, Nikola Bešić, Vesna Homar, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Fatigue after breast cancer treatment is a common burden that is challenging to treat. The aim of this study was to explore if such integrated rehabilitation program reduces the prevalence of chronic fatigue compared to simple, non-integrated rehabilitation. Patients and methods The subjects of our prospective study were 600 female breast cancer patients (29–65 [mean 52 years] of age), who participated in the pilot study on the individualized integrated rehabilitation of breast cancer patients in 2019–2021 and were monitored for one year. The control group included 301 patients and the intervention group numbered 299 patients. The patients completed three questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30, -BR23 and NCCN): before cancer treatment, and then six and twelve months after the beginning of cancer treatment. The control group obtained the standard rehabilitation program, while the intervention group was part of the early, individualized multidisciplinary and integrated approach of rehabilitation. The rehabilitation coordinator referred patients for additional interventions (e.g., psychologist, gynecologist, pain management team, physiotherapy, clinical nutrition team, kinesiologist-guided online training, vocational rehabilitation, general practitioner). Data on the patients’ demographics, disease extent, cancer treatment and complaints reported in questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Results There were no differences between the control and the intervention group of patients in terms of age, education, disease extent, surgical procedures, systemic cancer treatment, or radiotherapy, and also no differences in the fatigue before the beginning of treatment. However, patients from the control group had a greater level of constant fatigue than patients from the intervention group half a year (p = 0.018) and a year (p = 0.001) after the beginning of treatment. Furthermore, a greater proportion of patients from the control group experienced significant interference with their usual activities from fatigue than from the intervention group, half a year (p = 0.042) and a year (p = 0.001) after the beginning of treatment. A multivariate logistic regression showed that one year after the beginning of treatment, the only independent factor correlated to fatigue was inclusion into the intervention group (p = 0.044). Inclusion in the intervention group was beneficial—patients from the control group were 1.5 times more likely to be fatigued. Conclusions Early individualized integrated rehabilitation is associated with a lower prevalence of chronic fatigue or fatigue interfering with usual activities in breast cancer patients in comparison to the control group of patients.
Ključne besede: breast cancer, early integrated rehabilitation, fatigue
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.06.2026; Ogledov: 112; Prenosov: 59
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2. Recurrence rate and survival in 260 patients with oncocytic thyroid cancer according to response to initial treatment : a single-institution experienceNikola Bešić, Barbara Gazić, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Oncocytic thyroid carcinoma (OTC) is a rare disease. There is little information about risk factors for recurrence. The aim of our retrospective, single-institution study was to investigate the recurrence rate in OTC patients with and without an excellent response after initial treatment according to the 2025 American Thyroid Association guidelines response criteria based on type of initial intervention. Material/Methods: Altogether, 260 patients with OTC (57 men, 203 women; mean age 60.35 years; range 16-90 years) treated from 1972 to 2024 were included. Initially, regional and distal metastases were diagnosed in 15 (6%) and 25 (10%) patients, respectively. Cox’s multivariate regression model was used to identify the risk factors for recurrence. Results: The follow-up period ranged from 0.1 to 45.2 (median 7.9) years. Recurrence was diagnosed in 39 (17%) of the 235 patients without disease after initial treatment. Locoregional, distant, and combined locoregional and distant recurrence was diagnosed in 18, 14, and 7 patients, respectively. Among 154 patients with an excellent response, recurrence occurred in 6.5%, and among the 81 patients without an excellent response, it occurred in 36% (P<0.001). Independent risk factors for recurrence were: sex (males, hazard ratio (HR)=2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.8; P=0.009), age (³55 years, HR=2.7, 95% CI 1.2-5.8; P=0.012), pT stage (pT3 or pT4, HR=1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9; P=0.023), and residual tumor after surgery (R1 or R2 residual tumor, HR=1.2, 95% CI 1.07-1.3; P=0.001). The 5-year disease-free survival rate for the entire cohort was 88%, while the 10-year and 20-year disease-free survival rates were 79%, and 74%, respectively. Conclusions: Recurrence rate in patients with and without an excellent response was 6.5% and 35%, respectively. Recurrence was more common in men, older patients, those with regional metastases, and those with residual tumor after surgery
Ključne besede: prognosis, risk factors, survival rate, thyroid neoplasms
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 03.06.2026; Ogledov: 120; Prenosov: 98
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6. Association of OPRM1, MIR23B, and MIR107 genetic variability with acute pain, chronic pain and adverse effects after postoperative tramadol and paracetamol treatment in breast cancerZala Vidic, Katja Goričar, Branka Stražišar, Nikola Bešić, Vita Dolžan, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic often used for pain management after breast cancer surgery. Its anal-gesic activity is due to the activation of the μ-opioid receptor, encoded by the OPRM1 gene. This study investigated the association of genetic variability in OPRM1 and its regulatory miRNA genes with outcomes of tramadol/paraceta-mol treatment after breast cancer surgery with axillary lymphadenectomy.Patients and methods. The study included 113 breast cancer patients after breast cancer surgery with axillary lymphadenectomy treated with either 75/650 mg or 37.5/325 mg of tramadol with paracetamol for pain relief within the randomized clinical trial KCT 04/2015-DORETAonko/si at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. All patients were geno-typed for OPRM1 rs1799971 and rs677830, MIR23B rs1011784, and MIR107 rs2296616 using competitive allele-specific PCR. The association of genetic factors with acute and chronic pain as well as adverse effects of tramadol treatment was evaluated using logistic regression, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann-Whitney test.Results.The investigated OPRM1 related polymorphisms were not associated with acute pain assessed with the VAS scale within four weeks after surgery (all P > 0.05). Carriers of at least one polymorphic OPRM1 rs1799971 allele had a higher risk of constipation in the first four weeks after surgery compared to non-carriers (OR = 4.5, 95% CI = 1.6–12.64, P = 0.004). Carriers of at least one polymorphic OPRM1 rs677830 allele had a higher risk of constipation after third week of tramadol treatment (OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 1.08–8.89, P = 0.035). Furthermore, carriers of two polymorphic MIR23Brs1011784 alleles had a higher risk of nausea after 28 days of tramadol treatment (OR = 7.35, 95% CI = 1.27–42.6, P = 0.026), while heterozygotes for MIR107 rs2296616 allele had a lower risk of nausea after 21 days of tramadol treatment (OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.05–0.87, P = 0.031). In carriers of two polymorphic MIR107 rs2296616 alleles, chronic pain was significantly more common than in carriers of two wild-type alleles (P = 0.004). Carriers of at least one polymorphic MIR23B rs1011784 allele experienced more neuropathic pain after adjustment for tramadol dose (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.07–7.59, P = 0.036), while carriers of at least one polymorphic OPRM1 rs677830 allele experienced less neuropathic pain compared to carriers of two wild-type alleles (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.15–0.99, P = 0.047).Conclusions.Genetic variability of OPRM1 and genes coding for miRNAs that could affect OPRM1 expression may be associated with adverse effects of tramadol/paracetamol treatment as well as with chronic and neuropathic pain after breast cancer surgery with axillary lymphadenectomy.
Ključne besede: operacija raka na dojki, zdravljenje bolečine, tramadol
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Ogledov: 1892; Prenosov: 845
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7. Preoperative serum CA-125 level as a predictor for the extent of cytoreduction in patients with advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancerSebastjan Merlo, Nikola Bešić, Eva Drmota, Nina Kovačević, 2021, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background. Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women worldwide and the eighth most common cause of cancer death. Due to the lack of effective early detection strategies and the unspecific onset of symptoms, it is diagnosed at an advanced stage in 75% of cases. The cancer antigen (CA) 125 is used as a prognostic marker and its level is elevated in more than 85% of women with advanced stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The standard treatment is primary debulking surgery (PDS) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT), but the later approach is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS). Several studies have been conducted to find out whether preoperative CA-125 serum levels influence treatment choice, surgical resection and survival outcome. The aim of our study was to analyse experience of single institution as Cancer comprehensive center with preoperative usefulness of CA-125. Patients and methods. At the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana a retrospective analysis of 253 women with stage FIGO IIIC and IV ovarian cancer was conducted. Women were divided into two groups based on their primary treatment. The first group was the NACT group (215 women) and the second the PDS group (38 women). The differences in patient characteristics were compared using the Chi-square test and ANOVA and the Kaplan-Meier method was used for calculating progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results. The median serum CA-125 level was higher in the NACT group than in the PDS group, 972 IU/ml and 499 IU/ ml, respectively. The PFS in the NACT group was 8 months (95% CI 6.4%9.5) and 18 months (95% CI 12.5%23.4) in the PDS group. The median OS was lower in the NACT group than in the PDS group, 25 months (95% CI 20.6%29.5) and 46 months (95% CI 32.9%62.1), respectively. Conclusions. Preoperative CA-125 cut off value of 500 IU/ml is a promising threshold to predict a successful PDS.
Ključne besede: ovarian cancer, tumour marker, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, CA-125
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Ogledov: 1274; Prenosov: 433
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8. Dietary iodine intake, therapy with radioiodine, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomaNikola Bešić, Barbara Gazić, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive tumors. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between a higher dietary intake of iodine, frequency of ATC and the characteristics of ATC, and to find out how often patients with ATC had a history of radioiodine (RAI) therapy. Patients and methods. This retrospective study included 220 patients (152 females, 68 males; mean age 68 years) with ATC who were treated in our country from 1972 to 2017. The salt was iodinated with 10 mg of potassium iodide/ kg before 1999, and with 25 mg of potassium iodide/kg thereafter. The patients were assorted into 15-year periods: 1972%1986, 1987%2001, and 2002%2017. Results. The incidence of ATC decreased after a higher iodination of salt (p = 0.04). Patients are nowadays older (p = 0.013) and have less frequent lymph node metastases (p = 0.012). The frequency of distant metastases did not change over time. The median survival of patients in the first, second, and third periods was 3, 4, and 3 months, respectively (p < 0.05). The history of RAI therapy was present in 7.7% of patients. Conclusions. The number of patients with a history of RAI therapy did not change statistically over time. The incidence of ATC in Slovenia decreased probably because of higher salt iodination.
Ključne besede: anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, iodination of salt, treatment, survival
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Ogledov: 1271; Prenosov: 728
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10. Locoregional disease control after external beam radiotherapy in 91 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and pT4 tumor stage : a single institution experienceNikola Bešić, Marta Dremelj, Gašper Pilko, 2018, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Locoregional recurrence is common in patients with locally advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Our aim was to find out the rate of locoregional control of the disease after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) of the neck and mediastinum in patients with DTC and pT4 tumor. Patients and methods Altogether 91 patients (47 males, 44 females, median age 61 years) with DTC had EBRT of the neck and mediastinum as part of the multimodal treatment of pT4 tumor (63 cases pT4a, 28 cases pT4b) from the year 1973 to 2015. Data on clinical factors, histopathology and recurrence were collected. Disease-free, disease-specific and overall survival was calculated. Results Median tumor size was 5 cm (range 1%30 cm). Out of 91 patients, 23 had distant and 38 regional metastases. A total or near-total thyroidectomy, lobectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection was performed in 70%, 14%, 2% and 30% of cases, respectively. Thirteen percent of patients were not treated with surgery. All patients had EBRT and 39 had chemotherapy. Radioiodine (RAI) ablation of thyroid remnant and RAI therapy was applied in 90% and 40% of cases, respectively. Recurrence was diagnosed in 29/64 patients without a persistent disease: locoregional and distant in 16 and 13 cases, respectively. Five-year and ten-year disease-free survival rate was 64% and 48%, respectively. Conclusions The majority of patients with DTC and pT4 tumors who were treated with EBRT of the neck and mediastinum region as part of multimodal treatment have long-lasting locoregional control of the disease.
Ključne besede: thyroid carcinoma, radiotherapy, survival, pathology
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 11.06.2024; Ogledov: 1340; Prenosov: 422
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