Ece Baydar

Dr. Ece Baydar

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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31 December 2025 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
İÇİlkay Çıtakkul
İlkay Çıtakkul
UKUmut Kefeli
Umut Kefeli
KSKhatira Shukurova
Khatira Shukurova
ZAZehra Aytin
Zehra Aytin
YTYasemin Bakkal Temi
Yasemin Bakkal Temi
DCDevrim Cabuk
Devrim Cabuk
Background/Objectives: Preoperative prognostic assessment is essential for optimizing treatment strategies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study aimed to evaluate and compare the prognostic value of the Heidelberg Pancreatic Prognostic (HELPP) score and the C-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte (CALLY) index in patients with resectable PDAC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical and laboratory data of 109 patients with resectable PDAC who underwent curative-intent surgery and adjuvant therapy. Patients were stratified based on preoperative HELPP and CALLY scores. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis, while independent prognostic factors were determined through multivariate Cox regression. Results: Kaplan–Meier survival analyses demonstrated that a HELPP score > 3 and a low CALLY index (≤1.029) were significantly associated with worse OS and DFS (log-rank p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, the HELPP score was identified as an independent predictor of survival, whereas the CALLY index, although associated with survival in univariate analysis, did not reach statistical significance. In ROC analysis, both models exhibited acceptable discrimination, with the HELPP score achieving superior AUC values in predicting 1-year OS compared to the CALLY index. Conclusions: The HELPP score demonstrated independent prognostic value in multivariate analysis and may serve as a robust preoperative tool in resectable PDAC. The CALLY index, although not independently significant in multivariate analysis, showed strong prognostic separation in Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and may still aid in preoperative risk stratification, particularly where access to comprehensive scoring systems is limited.

1 January 2026 in TURKISH JOURNAL of CLINICS and LABORATORY
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
YTYasemin Bakkal Temi
Yasemin Bakkal Temi
İÇİlkay Çıtakkul
İlkay Çıtakkul
EBEce Baydar
Ece Baydar
SBSibel Balci
Sibel Balci
DCDevrim Cabuk
Devrim Cabuk
KUKazım Uygun
Kazım Uygun
Aim: We evaluated the prognostic significance of the KELIM score, which is derived from CA-125 kinetics, in predicting survival outcomes among patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in a real-world clinical context. Material and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 238 patients with stage III-IV ovarian cancer treated between 2017-2024. KELIM scores, calculated from CA-125 kinetics during the first 100 treatment days, were categorized as high (favorable, >0.9) or low (unfavorable, ≤0.9) based on the ROC analysis. Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results: Patients with low KELIM scores had significantly shorter median overall survival (33 vs. 68 months, p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (11 vs. 18 months, p < 0.001) than those with high scores. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified a low KELIM score as a significant predictor of poor overall survival (HR, 4.062; 95% CI, 2.711–6.087; p < 0.001). Additionally, disease progression was more frequent in patients with a low KELIM score (89.4%) than in those with a high KELIM score (69.9%, p = 0.001). Conclusion: The KELIM score serves as a practical and accessible prognostic biomarker for advanced ovarian cancer with the potential to inform early treatment decisions for patients who are unlikely to benefit from standard chemotherapy. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate their roles in personalized therapeutic strategies.

18 March 2026 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
İÇİlkay Çıtakkul
İlkay Çıtakkul
YTYasemin Bakkal Temi
Yasemin Bakkal Temi
ZAZehra Aytin
Zehra Aytin
EBEce Baydar
Ece Baydar
UKUmut Kefeli
Umut Kefeli
KUKazım Uygun
Kazım Uygun
Background and Objectives: Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma carries a dismal prognosis and there is an unmet need for simple, widely available prognostic biomarkers to guide risk stratification and treatment planning. This study aimed to evaluate whether baseline EASIX score, calculated from routine laboratory parameters (LDH, creatinine, platelet count), predicts overall survival (OS) in patients with de novo metastatic pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary center (Medical Oncology Department, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine) including 332 patients diagnosed with de novo metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma between January 2019 and October 2025. Baseline EASIX was calculated using LDH, creatinine, and platelet count. Statistical analyses included ROC analysis with Youden index to determine exploratory cut-off, Kaplan–Meier survival estimation with log-rank test, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression to identify independent prognostic factors. The primary endpoint was OS, defined as time from initiation of first-line therapy to death from any cause. Results: A total of 332 patients were included. Median OS was 8.0 months overall. Patients with high EASIX (>2.505) had significantly shorter median OS compared with low EASIX patients (8.4 vs. 27.6 months, p < 0.001). ROC analysis was considered exploratory for overall survival; therefore, an additional fixed-time (12-month mortality) ROC analysis was performed to provide a discrimination estimate accounting for censoring. The AUC for EASIX was 0.887 (95% CI: 0.816–0.958), and the exploratory cut-off determined was 2.505 (sensitivity 96.95%, specificity 72.97%). In multivariate Cox regression, high EASIX remained an independent predictor of worse OS (HR 4.124; 95% CI: 2.011–8.457; p < 0.001) after adjustment for relevant covariates. Conclusions: Baseline EASIX score is an independent prognostic marker for overall survival in de novo metastatic pancreatic cancer, based on routine laboratory tests, and may facilitate exploratory risk stratification. Prospective validation in independent cohorts is warranted before clinical implementation.

1 July 2025 in Diagnostics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
YTYasemin Bakkal Temi
Yasemin Bakkal Temi
BTBusra Yilmaz Tugan
Busra Yilmaz Tugan
İÇİlkay Çıtakkul
İlkay Çıtakkul
EBEce Baydar
Ece Baydar
GKGözde Karaca
Gözde Karaca
KUKazım Uygun
Kazım Uygun
Objective: To conduct a comparative analysis of layer-by-layer macular thickness, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL), and minimum rim width (MRW) between the eyes of patients with prostate cancer undergoing treatment with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) and those of age- and sex-matched healthy controls, with the aim of assessing the potential effects of ARPIs on retinal structure. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 80 eyes of 80 patients with ARPI-treated metastatic prostate cancer and 80 eyes of 80 age-matched healthy controls were evaluated using Heidelberg Spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT). Layer-by-layer macular thickness, pRNFL, and MRW were measured and compared between groups. Results: Thickness in most segments of retinal layers and pRNFL, as well as all MRW values, were significantly lower in the ARPI-treated group than in the controls (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between groups in terms of age, visual acuity, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, or lens status. Conclusions: This study is the first to evaluate layer-by-layer macular thickness in patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated with ARPIs, revealing significant thinning in nearly all macular layers, pRNFL, and MRW. These findings suggest that ARPI therapy may induce neurodegenerative changes in retinal and optic nerve structures. Therefore, further research is warranted to assess the ocular safety of these therapeutic agents.


2 September 2026 in Current Oncology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
İÇİlkay Çıtakkul
İlkay Çıtakkul
HAHayati Arvas
Hayati Arvas
MKMERT KARAOGLAN
MERT KARAOGLAN
BKBahadır Köylü
Bahadır Köylü
NDNazan Demir
Nazan Demir
UKUmut Kefeli
Umut Kefeli
Second-line chemotherapy is widely used in metastatic urothelial carcinoma after progression on first-line platinum-based therapy, but its independent contribution to survival, as opposed to selection of healthier patients, remains unclear. In this multicenter retrospective cohort of 142 patients treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy across seven Turkish centers, overall survival (OS) from first-line progression was compared between patients who received second-line chemotherapy (n = 80) and those who did not (n = 62), using multivariable Cox regression, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), propensity-score matching, landmark analysis, and a time-dependent Cox model. Median OS was 7.4 versus 4.7 months (log-rank p = 0.064). Second-line chemotherapy was independently associated with improved OS on multivariable analysis (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.620; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.423–0.907; p = 0.014); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≥ 2 (aHR 3.881; p = 0.001) and lower albumin (aHR 0.671; p = 0.018) were also independent predictors. The association remained significant after IPTW (HR 0.648; p = 0.025) and after a time-dependent Cox model (HR 0.632; p = 0.019), and was unchanged in ECOG-restricted and Bellmunt-adjusted analyses (p = 0.008, p = 0.029); it narrowly missed significance after propensity-score matching (HR 0.645; p = 0.051) and did not reach significance in the 3-month landmark analysis (HR 0.743; p = 0.180). Power was limited (~49%). In a time-dependent Cox model—the analysis least susceptible to immortal-time bias, as it retains the full cohort and classifies pre-treatment person-time as unexposed—second-line chemotherapy remained independently associated with improved OS (HR 0.632; p = 0.019), closely consistent with the primary multivariable estimate. The conventional Cox, IPTW, and propensity-score-matched analyses, which treat second-line receipt as a baseline exposure, were directionally concordant but share a common time-related bias and are therefore not independent confirmations. ECOG performance status was a consistent predictor throughout.