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Aim: Data on occurrence of pneumothorax after the use of oral pazopanib in advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) with lung metastases are scarce in literature. We aimed to evaluate those in our patients. Methods: This was a single center retrospective study of incidence of pneumothorax in patients with lung metastases in advanced STS treated with oral pazopanib between July, 2016 and December, 2020. Patients were treated with pazopanib usually from 2nd line onwards with a dose ranging from 400 mg to 800 mg once daily. Results: Total of 34 patients with lung metastasis in a setting of advanced STS were treated with oral pazopanib during the study period. The setting of pazopanib use was 2nd line in four and 1st line in one of them. The starting dose was 600 mg once daily in three patients, 400 mg OD in one patient, and 800 mg OD in one patient. Five patients developed pneumothorax with duration on pazopanib of 6, 7, 24, 6, and 2.5 months, respectively. Three patients had symptoms and required chest tube drainage. None of them were smokers or had any other underlying lung disease. The disease response of those patients was stable disease in four and partial response in one during treatment with pazopanib. One patient had a rechallenge with further pazopanib course without any recurrence of pneumothorax. Conclusions: Pneumothorax is a rare pulmonary complication after pazopanib use in patients with lung metastasis. Clinicians should be aware of this rare complication as literature is scarce. Rechallenge with pazopanib is feasible after pneumothorax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ewing sarcoma (ES) of the spine is a rare childhood cancer with sparse literature on treatment outcomes. We aimed to describe survival outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with spinal ES treated at a single institute in a resource-challenged setting. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with spinal ES registered at a tertiary care oncology center between 2003–2019. Clinical patient data was retrieved from hospital records. Cox regression analysis was used to identify the association of baseline clinical parameters with event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). A cohort of 85 patients was analyzed including 38 (45%) patients with metastatic disease. The median age was 15 years with 73% being male. Local therapy was administered in 62 (72.9%) patients with surgery alone in 8 (9.4%), radiotherapy alone in 36 (42.4%) and both in 18 (21.2%) patients. A higher proportion of males received local therapy than females (80.3% versus 59.1%; p = 0.049). The median EFS and OS were 20.1 and 28.6 months, respectively. On univariable analysis, age ≤ 15 years, female sex, serum albumin ≤3.5 g/dL and hemoglobin ≤11 g/dL were associated with inferior EFS while younger age, female sex, hypoalbuminemia and metastatic disease were associated with inferior OS. On multivariable analysis, only hypoalbuminemia was predictive for inferior EFS (HR:2.41; p = 0.005) while hypoalbuminemia (HR:2.06;p = 0.033) and female sex (HR:1.83; p = 0.046) were associated with inferior OS. We concluded that hypoalbuminemia confers poor prognosis in ES spine. Survival outcomes are poorer in females treated in our setting, possibly due to prevailing sex-based biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. In India, the incidence of LC is increasing rapidly, and a majority of the patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease when treatment is less likely to be effective. Recent therapeutic developments have significantly improved survival outcomes in patients with LC. Prompt specialist referral remains critical for early diagnosis for improved patient survival. In the Indian scenario, distinguishing LC from benign and endemic medical conditions such as tuberculosis can pose a challenge. Hence, awareness regarding the red flags—signs and symptoms that warrant further investigations and referral—is vital. This review is an effort toward encouraging general physicians to maintain a high index of clinical suspicion for those at risk of developing LC and assisting them in refering patients with concerning symptoms to specialists or multidisciplinary teams as early as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-five patients received 100 mg pembrolizumab and 49 patients received 200 mg flat dose. Thus, for a typical 45 to 55 kg patient, the dose range would be 90 to 110 mg of pembrolizumab and one vial of 100 mg would be sufficient, and for majority of Indian patients, the cost of treatment will be halved. Pembrolizumab weight based dosing - A call for policy change Immuno-oncology (IO) drugs are now approved for use in metastatic, adjuvant, and/or neoadjuvant setting for a growing list of cancers including non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, urothelial cancer, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, hepatocellular cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer and other cancers, tumor mutational burden-high cancer, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, triple-negative breast cancer, classical Hodgkin lymphoma, and primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma. [Extracted from the article]

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are a group of tumours of mesenchymal origin having a characteristic pathological presence of the epitheloid cell around blood vessels. They are uncommon tumours and hence their exact etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. They can occur at any part of the body but the common sites of involvement are the gastrointestinal system and the genitourinary system. The isolated involvement of the intestinal mesentery is very rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature till date. The involvement of lymph nodes by these tumours is exceptionally rare. We report a hitherto undescribed case of mesenteric PEComa in a young female who developed para-aortic nodal metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Soft tissue sarcoma(STS) is a rare and heterogeneous group of disorders with dismal outcomes in metastatic setting. Pazopanib and oral metronomic chemotherapy (OMT) have been evaluated as therapeutic options in this cohort. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective, single center study evaluating 45 patients with unresectable and/or metastatic STS, who received pazopanib or oral metronomic regimen as per instituitonal protocol between January 2013 and December 2019. An informal cost minimisation analysis was conducted for both OMT and pazopanib arms, considering equivalent outcomes for both (PFS and OS). Results: Median PFS in OMT and Pazopanib groups was 4.13 months and 3.53 months,respectively (HR1.31, 95% CI:0.68–2.51, p = 0.41) Only one patient in the OMT group achieved an objective response (partial response) and no objective response was noted in the pazopanib group. The incidence of grade III/IVtoxicities was higher with pazopanib than with OMT (p = 0.08). There were no toxicity related deaths noted in either arm. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that OMT have a similar progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in metastatic STS. This study raises the possibility that OMT might be an equally efficacious and less toxic alternative to pazopanib, without compromising survival outcome especially in LMIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-agent IO may be a potential therapy option for patients who are not fit to receive IO combination upfront How to Choose among Various Immunooncology Drugs There is no head-to-head comparison among the six phase-III trials which have tested various IO or IO-TKI combinations. Patients who achieve CR will receive single-agent nivolumab, patients who have progressive disease will receive cabozantinib, and patients who do not achieve CR and do not have PD are randomized to nivolumab maintenance or cabozantinib-nivolumab. For the past 15 years, vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGF TKIs; sunitinib and pazopanib) were standard first-line treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Treatment-related adverse events lead to discontinuation of nivolumab in 5.6% of patients, and of cabozantinib in 6.6% patients, whereas 3.1% of patients discontinued the combination (total 15.3%) and 8.8% of patients discontinued sunitinib. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Molecular tissue testing in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is done for the assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. EGFR mutation status is the basis for deciding the targeted treatment option for patients with metastatic NSCLC. The nonavailability of tissue samples and contraindications for biopsy pose a significant challenge. Hence, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) by liquid biopsy can be a viable alternative for NSCLC patients. Methods: This study was conducted at 15 sites across India. EGFR mutation testing from plasma was done as part of the study at the central laboratory by the next‑generation sequencing (NGS) method, and EGFR mutation test results from tissue samples (done as part of routine practice) were recorded for all the patients. Results: Out of the total patients enrolled (N = 245), the majority (64.5%, n = 158) were men. The median age of patients was 58.0 (range: 26–84) years. The concordance between plasma and tissue testing was found to be 82.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 77.55, 87.45). The sensitivity and specificity of NGS were 68.4% (95% CI: 56.92, 78.37) and 90.1% [95% CI: 84.36, 94.21), respectively. Plasma testing detected 1.2% (n = 3) and tissue sample testing detected 2.4% (n = 6) positive status of exon 20 T790M EGFR mutation. Out of the total number of patients enrolled, 25 were tissue positive and plasma negative, while 16 were plasma positive and tissue negative. Conclusions: This real‑world study in Indian patients suggests that plasma testing for EGFR mutation analysis is a viable diagnostic option in newly diagnosed advanced/metastatic NSCLC patients. The noninvasive plasma procedure in patients without available/evaluable tumor sample may enable more patients to receive appropriate targeted therapies by providing clinicians with valuable insights into the patient’s tumor mutation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though there is no definite agreement on diagnostic criteria or definition of chronic ectopic pregnancy (CEP), it could be deemed to be a variant of pregnancy of unknown location with non-specific clinical signs and symptoms. This was a case of a para 2+2 who presented with lower abdominal pain and bleeding per vaginum, and initial ultrasound was suggestive of a tubo-ovarian abscess/mass. With a further MRI scan and a diagnostic laparoscopy, she was found to have a CEP and had a laparoscopic salpingectomy for management. The diagnosis of CEP could be quite challenging as a result of the protracted symptoms, often negative/low serum B-HCG and ultrasound features mimicking a pelvic mass. A high index of suspicion is needed, and an MRI scan and diagnostic laparoscopy often aid in diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical effectiveness and safety data of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC in real-world setting from Asia Pacific, North Africa, and Middle East countries are lacking. Methods: PARACHUTE is a phase IV, prospective, non-interventional, observational study. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients remaining progression free at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were ORR, PFS, safety and tolerability, and relative dose intensity (RDI). Results: Overall, 190 patients with a median age of 61 years (range: 22.0–96.0) were included. Most patients were Asian (70%), clear-cell type RCC was the most common (81%), with a favourable (9%), intermediate (47%), poor (10%), and unknown (34%) MSKCC risk score. At the end of the observational period, 78 patients completed the observational period and 112 discontinued the study; 60% of patients had the starting dose at 800 mg. Median RDI was 82%, with 52% of patients receiving < 85%. Of the 145 evaluable patients, 56 (39%) remained progression free at 12 months, and the median PFS was 10 months (95% CI: 8.48–11.83). 19% of patients (21/109) were long-term responders (on pazopanib for ≥18 months). The best response per RECIST 1.1 was CR/PR in 24%, stable disease in 44%, and PD in 31%. Most frequent (> 10%) TEAEs related to pazopanib included diarrhoea (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (15%), and hypertension (14%). Conclusions: Results of the PARACHUTE study support the use of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC who are naive to VEGF-TKI therapy. The safety profile is consistent with that previously reported by pivotal and real-world evidence studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical effectiveness and safety data of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC in real-world setting from Asia Pacific, North Africa, and Middle East countries are lacking. Methods: PARACHUTE is a phase IV, prospective, non-interventional, observational study. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients remaining progression free at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were ORR, PFS, safety and tolerability, and relative dose intensity (RDI). Results: Overall, 190 patients with a median age of 61 years (range: 22.0–96.0) were included. Most patients were Asian (70%), clear-cell type RCC was the most common (81%), with a favourable (9%), intermediate (47%), poor (10%), and unknown (34%) MSKCC risk score. At the end of the observational period, 78 patients completed the observational period and 112 discontinued the study; 60% of patients had the starting dose at 800 mg. Median RDI was 82%, with 52% of patients receiving < 85%. Of the 145 evaluable patients, 56 (39%) remained progression free at 12 months, and the median PFS was 10 months (95% CI: 8.48–11.83). 19% of patients (21/109) were long-term responders (on pazopanib for ≥18 months). The best response per RECIST 1.1 was CR/PR in 24%, stable disease in 44%, and PD in 31%. Most frequent (> 10%) TEAEs related to pazopanib included diarrhoea (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (15%), and hypertension (14%). Conclusions: Results of the PARACHUTE study support the use of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC who are naive to VEGF-TKI therapy. The safety profile is consistent with that previously reported by pivotal and real-world evidence studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical effectiveness and safety data of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC in real-world setting from Asia Pacific, North Africa, and Middle East countries are lacking. Methods: PARACHUTE is a phase IV, prospective, non-interventional, observational study. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients remaining progression free at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were ORR, PFS, safety and tolerability, and relative dose intensity (RDI). Results: Overall, 190 patients with a median age of 61 years (range: 22.0–96.0) were included. Most patients were Asian (70%), clear-cell type RCC was the most common (81%), with a favourable (9%), intermediate (47%), poor (10%), and unknown (34%) MSKCC risk score. At the end of the observational period, 78 patients completed the observational period and 112 discontinued the study; 60% of patients had the starting dose at 800 mg. Median RDI was 82%, with 52% of patients receiving < 85%. Of the 145 evaluable patients, 56 (39%) remained progression free at 12 months, and the median PFS was 10 months (95% CI: 8.48–11.83). 19% of patients (21/109) were long-term responders (on pazopanib for ≥18 months). The best response per RECIST 1.1 was CR/PR in 24%, stable disease in 44%, and PD in 31%. Most frequent (> 10%) TEAEs related to pazopanib included diarrhoea (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (15%), and hypertension (14%). Conclusions: Results of the PARACHUTE study support the use of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC who are naive to VEGF-TKI therapy. The safety profile is consistent with that previously reported by pivotal and real-world evidence studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical effectiveness and safety data of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC in real-world setting from Asia Pacific, North Africa, and Middle East countries are lacking.Methods: PARACHUTE is a phase IV, prospective, non-interventional, observational study. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients remaining progression free at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were ORR, PFS, safety and tolerability, and relative dose intensity (RDI).Results: Overall, 190 patients with a median age of 61 years (range: 22.0-96.0) were included. Most patients were Asian (70%), clear-cell type RCC was the most common (81%), with a favourable (9%), intermediate (47%), poor (10%), and unknown (34%) MSKCC risk score. At the end of the observational period, 78 patients completed the observational period and 112 discontinued the study; 60% of patients had the starting dose at 800 mg. Median RDI was 82%, with 52% of patients receiving < 85%. Of the 145 evaluable patients, 56 (39%) remained progression free at 12 months, and the median PFS was 10 months (95% CI: 8.48-11.83). 19% of patients (21/109) were long-term responders (on pazopanib for ≥18 months). The best response per RECIST 1.1 was CR/PR in 24%, stable disease in 44%, and PD in 31%. Most frequent (> 10%) TEAEs related to pazopanib included diarrhoea (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (15%), and hypertension (14%).Conclusions: Results of the PARACHUTE study support the use of pazopanib in patients with advanced or mRCC who are naive to VEGF-TKI therapy. The safety profile is consistent with that previously reported by pivotal and real-world evidence studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to investigate whether metabolic parameters of primary tumour i.e. maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) predict overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced stage nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: SUVmax, MTV and TLG of the primary tumors were measured in staging 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron emission tomography-Computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) scan of 97 NSCLC patients by gradient based tumour segmentation method. Prognostic ability was assessed for overall survival (OS) of the patients. Result: The median follow-up period of the study was 15.84 months (range 1.3 to 47.97 months).The estimated median OS was 11.29 months (range 1.37 to 38.63 months). Total of 40 (41.24%) patients had progressive disease and 21 (21.65%) patients died during the follow up period. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for MTV was significant (area = 0.652 ± 0.065; 95% CI = 0.548 -- 0.746; P = 0.020). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the OS differences between the groups of patients who were dichotomized by the median value of MTV (38.76 ml, P = 0.0150) and TLG (301.69 ml, P = 0.0046) were significant. MTV (hazard ratio = 4.524; 95% CI = 1.244 -- 16.451; P = 0.022) was found to be an independent prognostic factor for OS in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: MTV of the primary tumor is a potential prognostic parameter for OS in our population of advanced NSCLC patients independent of other risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Seminomatous germ cell tumour (SGCT) is a rare but curable malignancy of young adults. The literature on management and outcome of SGCT is scarce from India. We report the demography and treatment outcome of SGCT at our centre. Methods. We did a retrospective analysis of patients with SGCT treated from March 2011 to December 2018. Patients were staged appropriately with imaging, and pre- and postoperative tumour markers. High inguinal orchiectomy was performed in all with a testicular primary and received subsequent stage-adjusted adjuvant treatment. Patients were monitored for metabolic syndrome during follow-up after completion of treatment. Results. We treated 85 patients with a median age of 37 (range 20-68) years. The primary site of the tumour was the testis in 80 (94%) and mediastinum in 5 (6%) patients. Cryptorchidism was present in 20 (25%) patients and testicular violation was present in 11 (14%) patients. Stage of the disease was I in 61, II in 13 and III in 6 patients. Adjuvant treatment in stage I disease was single-agent carboplatin (area under the curve x7) in 38 (62%), surveillance in 20 (33%) and radiotherapy in 3 (5%) patients. Five patients in the surveillance group relapsed. The 7-year mean (SD) relapse-free survival and overall survival were 83.1% (8%) and 98.7% (1.3%), respectively. Thirty-one patients (n=52, 60%) had features of metabolic syndrome. Conclusions. SGCTs have a high cure rate. Long-term follow-up is essential for monitoring toxic effects. Early diagnosis, avoidance of testicular violation and multidisciplinary management are the key features for better long-term outcome in SGCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine if early discontinuation of antimicrobials in pediatric patients with low risk febrile neutropenia is as effective as continuing therapy before recovery of counts, in an outpatient setting. Methods: In an open label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled phase 3 trial at a tertiary cancer center, patients aged 3–18 y, with low risk febrile neutropenia were started on empirical intra-venous antibiotics in an outpatient setting. Randomization was done when the patients became afebrile for at least 24 h; standard arm consisted of oral antibiotics, while antibiotics were stopped in the experimental arm. Enrolled patients were followed for re-appearance of fever and rate of re-admission, until ANC ≥ 500. A pilot feasibility randomized study with similar design preceded this trial. Results: From Jan 2017-Dec 2018, 75 patients were randomized: 38 to stoppage arm while 37 patients received oral antibiotics. Baseline characteristics were equally matched. Success rates were 94.6% in the continuation arm vs. 94.7% in the stoppage arm; absolute risk difference was 0.1% (95% CI: −10.0% to +10.3%), thus suggesting that the experimental arm is non-inferior to the standard arm. There was no re-admission on failure in any arm. Conclusions: Antimicrobial therapy in low risk afebrile neutropenic patients can be stopped early. This approach can lead to significant cost and resource benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the time of writing this article, more than 18 million people worldwide have been infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 and about 700,000 people have died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In India, about 190,000 people have been infected and nearly 39,000 people have succumbed to this infection. Infection among health-care workers has emerged as one of the key problems in facing this pandemic. The purpose of this article is to describe the measures taken by the department of oncoradiology at our institution to control the infection and minimize staff exposure during the current lockdown period with reduced patient load and in the post-lockdown period with increased demand for radiology services. The key focus of this article is the continued delivery of cancer imaging services with practical precautions and optimized resources. We have also discussed algorithms and protocols unique to the practice of oncoradiology in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paediatric sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of disorders constituting bone sarcoma and various soft tissue sarcomas. Almost one-third of these presents with metastasis at baseline and another one-third recur after initial curative treatment. There is a huge unmet need in this cohort in terms of curative options and/or prolongation of survival. In this review, we have discussed the current treatment options, challenges and future strategies of managing relapsed/refractory paediatric sarcomas. Upfront risk-adapted treatment with multidisciplinary management remains the main strategy to prevent future recurrence or relapse of the disease. In the case of limited local and/or systemic relapse or late relapse, initial multimodality management can be administered. In treatment-refractory cases or where cure is not feasible, the treatment options are limited to novel therapeutics, immunotherapeutic approach, targeted therapies, and metronomic therapies. A better understanding of disease biology, mechanism of treatment refractoriness, identifications of driver mutation, the discovery of novel targeted therapies, cellular vaccine and adapted therapies should be explored in relapsed/refractory cases. Close national and international collaboration for translation research is needed to fulfil the unmet need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of patients with colorectal cancer during the current SARS-CoV2 pandemic opens a Pandora's Box. While the world is facing an unprecedented crisis of fighting a life-threatening infectious disease, patients with colorectal cancer are facing the dual challenge to fight cancer while protecting them from infection. We attempted to critically examine the existing evidence for chemotherapy in colorectal cancer in different stages of disease and suggest treatment options in these vulnerable patients. Treatment options which do not overburden existing health-care resources can be provided for patients with colorectal cancer patients requiring chemotherapy without significant compromise in efficacy or increase the risk of hospital acquired SAR-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) constitutes 14%-20% of all lung cancers. Clinical data on SCLC are scarce in literature. To report clinical features and treatment outcome of SCLC treated at our center. Materials and Methods: This is a single institutional data review of SCLC patients treated between June 2011 and December 2018. Patients were staged as either localized or extensive disease after appropriate staging work-up. Patients with localized disease were treated with concurrent chemoradiation with platinum-based chemotherapy. Those with extensive disease were treated with platinum based palliative chemotherapy. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment details, and outcome were recorded in this study. Patients who received at least one cycle of chemotherapy were included for survival analysis as intent-to-treat analysis. Results: A total of 181 were patients registered with a median age of 62 years (range: 35-86 years) and male: female ratio of 166:15. Eighty-seven percent (n = 157) of patients had smoking history and 15% (n = 28) of patients had symptom of superior vena cava obstruction at baseline. Twenty-seven (15%) patients had localized disease at presentation. One hundred and twenty (66%) patients took systemic chemotherapy. Chemotherapy regimen was carboplatin only in 9 (7%), etoposide-carboplatin in 54 (45%), and cisplatin-etoposide in 57 (48%). Patients received median cycle number of 6 (range: 1-6). Of the evaluable 87 (73%) patients, initial response was complete response in 4, partial response in 57, stable disease in 20, and progressive disease in 6. Twenty patients received second-line chemotherapy at time of disease progression. After a median follow-up of 8.8 months (range: 0.3-46.1), median progression-free survival (PFS) of the whole population was 9.3 months. Conclusions: Small cell carcinoma in our series had a high incidence of advanced stage (85%) and 13% of patients were nonsmoker. Only 66% of patients received palliative chemotherapy and achieved high disease control rate (>75%) in the evaluable patients with median PFS of 9.3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a slow growing dermal tumor with a very low metastatic potential but with significant subclinical extension and capacity for local destruction with local recurrence rates ranging from 0 to 50%. Controversy exists regarding margin width and excision techniques, with some advocating Mohs surgery and others wide excision. We reviewed the excision technique along with the recurrence rates at a tertiary care center in eastern India. This study is a retrospective review of patients with DFSP from June 2011 to September 2018. Patients had initial wide excision using 2–3 cm margins with primary closure or reconstructive procedure; re-excision was done for positive margins. Pathologic analysis included en face sectioning. We evaluated margin width, number of excisions, reconstruction methods, radiation, and outcomes. A total of 31 patients with DFSP (15 males, 16 females), median age 41 years (range 14–82), were treated. Locations were extremities (13), trunk (12), and head and neck (06). The median number of excisions to achieve negative margins was 1 (range 1–3). Closure techniques included primary closure (13; 42%), tissue flaps (13; 42%), and skin grafting (05; 16%). There were 11 patients who received postoperative radiation, 4 for positive margins after maximal surgical excision. At a median follow-up of 24 months (range 1–72), 2 patients (6.5%) recurred locally, and 1 patient (3.2%) had lung metastasis. Using a standardized surgical approach including meticulous pathologic evaluation of margins, low recurrence rate (10%) was achieved with adequate margins (2–3 cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel molecular targets and promising targeted therapies have reshaped diagnostics in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite this progress, the implementation of molecular screening to identify predictive biomarkers in Indian clinical and pathology settings has been challenging due to operational and logistical constraints. This consensus guideline brings together medical oncologists, molecular pathologists and pathologists from India to provide a quick and competent reference for biomarker testing in NSCLC. The guideline summarizes the importance of targetable mutations in NSCLC such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), rearrangements in anaplastic lymphoma kinase and receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by ROS-1 gene, overexpression of programmed cell death ligand-1 and resistant EGFR mutations. It reaffirms recommendations from international working groups, discusses vulnerable pre-analytical procedures and provides a balanced review on the pros and cons of different diagnostic tests (immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, polymerase chain reaction-based testing and next-generation sequencing). The document also provides an algorithm to aid diagnostic decision-making and a checklist to assess the quality of testing laboratories that will help the medical oncologists make an informed choice. Overall, these recommendations are based on evidence and clinical experience and will aid policymakers, oncologists, health care practitioners and pathologists who strive to implement molecular strategies and make informed decisions for improved care in NSCLC in India.Funding: AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcification is a feature of benign pancreatic diseases such as chronic calcific pancreatitis (CCP) or benign pancreatic tumors such as solid and papillary epithelial neoplasm of the pancreas and serous cystadenoma. The presence of calcification in a primary malignant pancreatic tumor is uncommon except for neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas. Calcification in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas involving the primary tumor as well as the metastasis resulting thereof is extremely rare in the absence of CCP. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of primary adenocarcinoma of the pancreas that presented with calcification of the primary tumor as well as the metastatic liver nodules, accompanied by hypercalcemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer comprises around 20%-25% of breast cancers. With the discovery of trastuzumab, there was a marked improvement in the survival of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer both in curative and metastatic settings. However, patients with trastuzumab will eventually progress or develop recurrences. Newer anti-HER2 therapies have evolved to improve the outcome of this group of patients. One of them is monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate which is ado-trastuzumab emtansine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many agents have shown survival advantage in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Despite this improvement, survival is poor, especially in subgroup of elderly patients who are not fit for cytotoxic chemotherapy.Materials and Methods: This is a single-institutional data review of mCRPC treated between December 2012 and May 2016 with oral cyclophosphamide (50-100 mg/day) ± oral prednisolone. mCRPCs failed or not fit for docetaxel and/or abiraterone were included in this study. Monthly prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was monitored, and toxicity of cyclophosphamide was recorded. PSA response was defined as ≥50% reduction from precyclophosphamide value. The median follow-up was calculated from the day of starting cyclophosphamide and the last date of follow-up or death, whichever is later.Results: Eighteen patients were included with a median age of 74.5 years (range: 59-83). The site of metastasis was bone in 15, bone and distant lymph nodes in 2, and rectum in 1 patient. The median duration of androgen deprivation was 21 months (range: 3-42.9 months). The median cyclophosphamide exposure was 2 months (range: 0.9-13.5 months) after a median follow-up of 5.8 months. Overall PSA response rate was 44%. The median PSA progression-free survival with cyclophosphamide was 4.7 months (range: 0.9-13.5 months). Five patients had durable PSA response of 9.9, 10.1, 10.5, 12.1, and 13.5 months, respectively. No Grade 3 or 4 toxicity was observed with cyclophosphamide.Conclusion: Oral metronomic cyclophosphamide was found to be an effective and well-tolerated therapy in mCRPC after failure or not fit for docetaxel and/or abiraterone. In few patients, cyclophosphamide induced durable PSA response. This finding needs further evaluation in a prospective manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The third stage of labour commences after the delivery of the foetus and ends with the delivery of the placenta and its membranes. Postpartum haemorrhage is the most common cause of maternal mortality and accounts for about 25 % of maternal deaths in India. Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of placental blood drainage after spontaneous vaginal delivery as part of active management of third stage of labour in decreasing the duration, blood loss, and complications of the third stage, against no drainage of placental blood. Methodology: Two hundred pregnant patients with 37 or more weeks of gestation, with single live foetus in cephalic presentation, who underwent a spontaneous vaginal delivery, were included in the study. The patients were prospectively randomized equally into two groups (100 each in the study and control groups). Placental blood was drained in all the patients in the study group, whereas in the control group the cord blood was not drained. Blood lost in the third stage of labour was measured by collecting in a disposable conical measuring bag, and blood from the episiotomy was mopped, and the mops were discarded separately. Results: The baseline statistics in both the group were comparable. The duration of third stage of labour was 210.5 s in the study group and 302.5 s in the control group. The 'p' value was statistically significant ( p ≤ 0.0001). The mean blood loss in study group was 227.5 ml and was 313.3 ml in the control group ( p ≤ 0.0001). The incidence of postpartum haemorrhage was 1 % in study group and 9 % in control group. The mean drop in Hb % level was 0.6 gm/dl in study group and 1.1 gm/dl in control group. These above differences were both statistically significant. Conclusion: Placental blood drainage as part of active management of third stage of labour was effective in reducing the duration, the blood loss, and also the incidence of PPH. Placental blood drainage is a simple, safe, and non-invasive method of managing the third stage of labour, which can be practiced in both tertiary care centres as well as rural setup in addition to the routine uterotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anti-fibrinolytic agents are used to reduce obstetric blood loss as the fibrinolytic system is known to get activated after placental delivery. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of parenteral tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during normal labour and to compare it with the amount of blood loss in patients who received placebo in the third stage of labour. Methodology: Patients with spontaneous labour or planned for induction of labour and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. In each patient, the pre-delivery pulse rate, blood pressure, Hb gm% and PCV% were noted. Labour was monitored carefully using a partogram. The study group received Inj. Oxytocin and Inj. Tranexamic acid. The control group received Inj. Oxytocin and Placebo injection. Immediately after delivery of the baby, when all the liquor was drained, the patient was placed over a blood drape-a disposable conical, graduated plastic collection bag. The amount of blood collected in the blood drape was measured. Then the patient was given pre-weighed pads, which were weighed 2 h post-partum. The blood loss was measured by measuring the blood collected in the drape and by weighing the swabs before and after delivery. Results: The total number of patients studied was 100-equally distributed in both the groups. The age group of the patients and BMI were comparable. There was a significant increase in the pulse rate and decrease in blood pressure in the control group as compared with the study group. The post-delivery haemoglobin and haematocrit were significantly reduced in the control group as compared to the study group. The mean blood loss at the end of 2 h was 105 ml in the study group and 252 ml in the control group. There was a significant increase in the usage of uterotonics and also in the need for blood transfusion in the control group; 12 % of the patients in the control group had to stay for more than 3 days compared to 2 % in the study group. Conclusion: Tranexamic acid injection, an antifibrinolytic agent when given prophylactically after the delivery of the baby, by intravenous route appears to reduce the blood loss and maternal morbidity during normal labour effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aprepitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, in combination with 5 HT-3 antagonist and dexamethasone is recommended in adults receiving moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV). Data for use of aprepitant in children is limited and hence aprepitant is not recommended by Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario guidelines for prevention of CIV in children <12 years.Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at a single center in chemotherapy naïve children (5-18 years) receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy. All patients received intravenous ondansetron (0.15 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg) prior to chemotherapy followed by oral ondansetron and dexamethasone. Patients randomly assigned to aprepitant arm received oral aprepitant (15-40 kg = days 1-3, 80 mg; 41-65 kg = day 1, 125 mg and days 2-3, 80 mg) 1 h before chemotherapy. Control group received placebo as add-on therapy. Primary outcome measure was the incidence of acute moderate to severe vomiting, which was defined as more than two vomiting episodes within 24 h after the administration of the first chemotherapy dose until 24 h after the last chemotherapy dose in the block. Complete response (CR) was defined as absence of vomiting and retching during the specified phase.Results: Of the 96 randomized patients, three were excluded from analysis; 93 patients were analyzed (50 in aprepitant arm and 43 in placebo arm). Acute moderate and severe vomiting was reported in 72 % patients receiving placebo and 38 % patients receiving aprepitant (p = 0.001). Complete response rates during acute phase were significantly higher in aprepitant arm (48 vs. 12 %, p < 0.001). No major adverse effects were reported by patients/guardians.Conclusions: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial shows that aprepitant significantly decreases the incidence of CIV during acute phase when used as an add-on drug with ondansetron and dexamethasone in children receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Correction to: BMC Cancer 21, 1021 (2021) b B https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08738-z b Following publication of the original article [[1]], the authors identified an error in the author names of Mustafa Erman, Bivas Biswas, Pongwut Danchaivijitr, Lingwu Chen and Chandrasekhar Chikatapu. 1 Kaplan-Meier plot for PFS for (A) all patients, (B) MSKCC risk categories, and (C) IMDC risk categories (FAS) Reference 1 Erman M, Biswas B, Danchaivijitr P. Prospective observational study on Pazopanib in patients treated for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma in countries in Asia Pacific, North Africa, and Middle East regions: PARACHUTE study. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives/Hypothesis Data on the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) of the head and neck region with uniform chemotherapy protocols are minimal. We evaluated outcome and prognostic factors in these patients treated with a uniform chemotherapy protocol. Study Design Single institution observational study. Methods This is a single-institution review of patients treated between June 2003 and November 2011. Patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), surgery, and/or radiotherapy as a local treatment followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Results Thirty-five cases of head and neck ESFT were treated with a uniform chemotherapy protocol. The median age was 12 years (range, 1-43 years); three (9%) had metastases. Nine patients underwent surgery, of which eight received adjuvant radiotherapy; 23 received definitive radiotherapy post-NACT. At a median follow-up of 58 months (range. 3.7-133.7 months), 5-year event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), and local control rate were 55.1 ± 9.2%, 68.3 ± 8.3%, and 74.1 ± 8.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that baseline white blood cell (WBC) count independently prognosticated EFS ( P = .04), with patients who had WBC ≤11,000/µL had superior EFS, although no difference for OS was observed. Conclusions This is one of the largest studies of head and neck ESFT treated with a uniform chemotherapy protocol with intent-to-treat analysis. Within the limitations of the small size, baseline low WBC count appeared to have a superior outcome. Level of Evidence 2b Laryngoscope, 125:E112-E117, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are few published studies describing the clinical results of patients uniformly treated for a Ewingfamily tumor of an extremity. Methods: We performed a review of patients who had received uniform treatment consisting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation therapy as local treatment, and then adjuvant chemotherapy from June 2003 to November 2011 at a single institution. Results: There were 158 patients included in the study. The median age was fifteen years. Sixty-nine (44%) of the patients had metastatic disease at presentation. Fifty-seven patients underwent surgery, and forty-one received radical radiation therapy following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After a median of 24.3 months (range, 1.6 to ninety-seven months) of follow-up, the five-year event-free survival, overall survival, and local control rates (and standard error) were 24.1% ± 4.3%, 43.5% ± 6%, and 55% ± 6.8%, respectively, for the entire cohort and 36.4% ± 6.2%, 57.6% ± 7.4%, and 58.2% ± 7.9%, respectively, for patients without metastases. In the multivariate analysis, metastases predicted inferior event-free survival (p = 0.02) and overall survival (p = 0.03) rates in the entire cohort, whereas radical radiation therapy predicted an inferior local control rate in the entire cohort (p = 0.001) and in patients without metastases (p = 0.04). In the group with localized disease, there was no difference between the patients who received radical radiation therapy and those who underwent surgery with regard to tumor diameter (p = 0.8) or post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy response (p = 0.1). A white blood cell count (WBC) of >11 × 109/L predicted inferior event-free survival (p = 0.005) and local control (p = 0.02) rates for patients without metastases. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest study on extremity Ewing-family tumors treated with uniform chemotherapy and either surgical resection or radical radiation therapy in Asia. All possible efforts should be made to resect a primary tumor after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as radical radiation therapy alone results in a poor local control rate despite a good post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy response. Patients without metastases but with a high WBC had inferior event-free survival and local control rates and may require more aggressive therapy. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]