Browsing by Author "Gultepe, Bilge Sumbul"

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    Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Infection-Related Mortality of Cancer Patients
    (2016) Sedef, Ali Murat; Kose, Fatih; Sumbul, Ahmet Taner; Dogan, Ozlem; Kursun, Ebru; Yurdakul, Zafer; Gultepe, Bilge Sumbul; Mertsoylu, Huseyin; Sezer, Ahmet; Ozyilkan, Ozgur; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0156-5973; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5573-906X; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1932-9784; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6445-1439; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8825-4918; 27569098; G-4827-2016; D-4793-2014; GZH-1913-2022; AAG-5020-2020; M-9530-2014; AAD-2667-2020; AAD-2817-2021
    Purpose: Infectious diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Tumor-induced inflammatory responses may increase the value of classical inflammatory markers in blood, so these markers may not be as useful in cancer patients as in non-cancer patients. Serum procalcitonin (PCT) is a sensitive and specific biomarker for severe infection, and has been shown to be unaffected by tumor-induced inflammatory response. In this study we aimed to evaluate the possible role of PCT in mortality in cancer patients with infection. Methods: In total, 104 consecutive adult cancer patients who presented with fever (body temperature >= 38.3 degrees C or >= 38 degrees C on two consecutive measurements) during follow-up and needing hospitalization for infection were enrolled in this study. Results: The majority (72%) of the patients were male. The most common diagnosis and type of infection were lung cancer (40.4%) and pneumonia (56.7%), respectively. The overall mortality rate was 17%. Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between PCT levels and mortality (p=0.001), but not between classical inflammatory markers and mortality (p>0.05). The mortality rate of patients with a PCT value > 2 ng/mL was 34.3%, compared with 9.6% in patients with a PCT below this value (p=0.005). Furthermore, PCT predicted in-ward cancer patient mortality with a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 76%. Conclusion: PCT is a unique serum biomarker significantly related to infection-related mortality and predicts mortality with a relatively high sensitivity and specificity.