JCHOR
Journal of Current Hematology & Oncology Research

The Journal of Current Hematology & Oncology Research regularly publishes internationally qualified research in hematology and oncology within the current scholarly knowledge.

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Original Article
Prognostic value of the PLACE score in a Turkish cohort of metastatic pleural mesothelioma
Abstract
Aims: Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Reliable prognostic models are essential for risk stratification and clinical decision-making. The recently developed PLACE score has shown promising results in Chinese populations; however, its generalizability remains uncertain. This study aimed to externally validate the PLACE prognostic score in a Turkish cohort of patients with metastatic epithelioid pleural mesothelioma.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with metastatic epithelioid pleural mesothelioma at a single tertiary center between January 2016 and September 2025. Clinical and laboratory data at diagnosis were collected, and the PLACE score was calculated for each patient. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences between risk groups were compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between prognostic variables and survival. The discriminative ability of the PLACE score was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Results: A total of 48 patients were included, with a median age of 66 years. According to the PLACE score, 33.3% of patients were classified as low-risk and 66.7% as high-risk. The median overall survival was 21.06 months. Patients in the low-risk group had significantly longer survival compared to the high-risk group (37.98 vs. 15.6 months, p=0.033). The PLACE score demonstrated limited discriminative ability, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.617 (95% CI: 0.413–0.821). In Cox regression analysis, high-risk patients had a significantly increased risk of mortality (HR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.04–4.95, p=0.037). In multivariable analysis, the PLACE risk group remained an independent predictor of overall survival.
Conclusion: The PLACE score retains prognostic significance in Turkish patients with metastatic pleural mesothelioma but demonstrates reduced discriminative performance compared to the original study. These findings emphasize the need for external validation and potential population-specific recalibration of prognostic models.

Keywords : Mesothelioma, PLACE score, prognostic score, survival

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Article available in :
Volume 4, Issue 2, 2026
Page : 63-69
https://doi.org/10.51271/JCHOR-0084
Article Information
Received : 19 Nis 2026
Accepted : 13 May 2026
Published : 18 May 2026
Corresponding Author :

İlkay Çıtakkul: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Çıtakkul İ, Bakkal Temi Y, Zengin H, et al. Prognostic value of the PLACE score in a Turkish cohort of metastatic pleural mesothelioma. J Curr Hematol Oncol Res. 2026;4(2):63-69. doi:10.51271/JCHOR-0084

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