Evaluation of Quality of Life in Turkish Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Chemoradiotherapy;head and neck cancer;life quality;radiotherapy; Background: In this study, our aim was to investigate the effect of factors, such as radiotherapy, the dose of radiotherapy, the region of radiotherapy, the age of the patient, performance, co-morbidity, the stage of the disease and the therapy modalities on the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer. Materials and Methods: Eighty-two patients who were treated by either chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy, at the Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, between February 2007 and September 2010, for head and neck cancer were included. The quality of life European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Questionnaire module to be used in Quality of Life assessments in Head and Neck Cancer (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) questionnaire was conducted in all patients before starting the radiotherapy, in the middle, at the end, at 1 month and at 6 months after the treatment. Results: According to the questionnaires at the end and at the $6^{th}$ month after the radiotherapy, it was found that the age of the patient, co-morbidity, ECOG performance state, localization, type of treatment, the stage of the disease, the dose and the region of radiotherapy affect some of the symptom scales for quality of life. Conclusions: Quality of life was affected negatively during and after the radiotherapy. However, in the $6^{th}$ month after the therapy, a significant improvement was observed in most symptoms.

Introduction: In this study, we aim to analyze the effect of total body irradiation (TBI) on neutrophil and thrombocyte engraftment durations in acute leukemia (AL) patients who achieved allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) at our center. Methods: The data of 193 acute leukemia patients who were performed Allo-SCT from matched-related donors were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Thrombocyte engraftment duration was statistically shorter (12 days) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who received TBI-based conditioning when compared to ALL patients who received non-TBI-based conditioning (14 days; p=0.037). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed between acute leukemia patients who received TBI or non-TBI-based conditioning regarding neutrophil engraftment duration. Conclusion: We found that TBI had a favorable impact on thrombocyte engraftment (TE) rather than neutrophil engraftment (NE) in Allo-SCT in patients with acute leukemia. TBI might have an impact on the engraftment of thrombocytes as per than neutrophils may be attributed to immune mechanisms and microenvironment in the patient's bone marrow (BM).

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of age on the occurrence, severity, and timing of acute side effects related to radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: We analysed the data of 423 patients. Results: Of the patients, 295 (70%) were under the age of 65 (group 1) and 128 (30%) were over the age of 65 (group 2). The frequencies of radiotherapy-induced side effects were 89% in group 1 and 87% in group 2 (p=0.286). The mean times to occurrence were $2.5{\pm}0.1$ weeks in group 1 and $2.2{\pm}0.1$ weeks in group 2 (p=0.013). Treatment was ended in 2% of patients in group 1 and 6% of those in group 2 (p=0.062). Treatment interruption was identified in 18% of patients in group 1 and 23% in group 2 (p=0.142). Changes in performance status were greater in older patients (p=0.013). There were no significant differences according to the frequency or severity of side effects, except skin and genitourinary complications, between the groups. Conclusions: Early normal tissue reactions were not higher in older versus younger patients, though there was a tendency towards an earlier appearance.