Search

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is most common malignancy of minor salivary glands in adults. Pulmonary MEC is extremely uncommon comprising of only 0.1%–0.2% of the primary lung malignancies and

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the major but underreported concerns in cancer patients and survivors. It can lead to depression, lack of intimacy between the couple, and impaired quality of life. The causes of erectile dysfunction are psychological distress and endocrinal dysfunction caused by cancer itself or side effect of anticancer treatment like surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. The degree of ED depends on age, pre-cancer or pre-treatment potency level, comorbidities, type of cancer and its treatment. Treatment options available for ED are various pharmacotherapies, mechanical devices, penile implants, or reconstructive surgeries. A complete evaluation of sexual functioning should be done prior to starting anticancer therapy. Management should be individualized and couple counseling should be an integral part of the anticancer treatment.

Gallbladder cancer is a highly malignant disease with a poor prognosis. It is the most common cancer of the biliary tract pathway. Although surgery remains the treatment of choice for early-stage disease, majority of the patients presents in locally advanced, unresectable and metastatic stage of the disease. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy thus form an integral part of management for these locally advanced staged patients. The role of radiation though has been advocated in gallbladder cancer, majorly in the adjuvant setting, its role in neoadjuvant and palliative settings remains in an evolving phase. The article thus aims to review and update the existing literature regarding the role of radiation therapy in gallbladder cancer.

PURPOSE The purpose of the study is to analyze the overall survival, relapse-free survival, and relapse patterns of adjuvant sequential chemoradiation for gallbladder cancers after curative resection in patients with poor performance status. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of gallbladder patients with pathologic stage T2-4 or node positivity treated with sequential chemoradiation at our institute between January 2015 and January 2019. Sequential chemoradiotherapy protocol consisted of six cycles of gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 administered every 2 weekly and postoperative radiation therapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks) by three-dimensional conformal technique. RESULTS A total of 36 patients were included. The median overall survival and relapse-free survival was 26 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.4-30.5) and 21 months (95% CI, 11.8-30.1), respectively. The 2-year overall and relapse-free survival rates were 55.1% (95% CI, 37.9%-72.3%) and 44.7% (95% CI, 27.5%-61.9%), respectively. Locoregional, systemic, and combined recurrence were noted in 2 (5.5%), 14 (38.8%), and 3 (8.3%) patients, respectively. On univariate analysis, tumour grading significantly influenced relapse free survival; nodal stage and overall stage demonstrated a statistically significant influence on overall survival (p < 0.05) with a trend towards significance for lymphovascular invasion. On multivariate analysis, no significant factors were found. Grade 3 and 4 haematological adverse events were observed only in 2 (5.5%) with chemotherapy. No grade 3 and 4 adverse events were observed due to radiation therapy. CONCLUSION Sequential chemoradiation is feasible and tolerable with acceptable efficacy in the adjuvant setting in patients unfit for concurrent chemoradiotherapy.