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Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent type of head and neck cancer and is associated with high mortality, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. Areca nut usage, smoking, and alcohol consumption are the most common risk factors for OSCC. Areca nut chewing is highly prevalent in Pakistan and has been attributed to an increase in OSCC cases. This study aimed to determine the association between areca nut usage and various clinicopathological features of OSCC and further evaluate the association of clinicopathological parameters of OSCC with tumor recurrence., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using the data of 228 patients with OSCC resected at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, over 5 years between 2018 and 2022. Clinicopathological data were collected from hospital archives, and associations between various risk factors and clinicopathological parameters were determined., Results: Males were more commonly affected (77.2%), and the most common age group was <50 years (54.4%). Areca nut usage was reported in 59.6% of cases, and the buccal mucosa was the most common site (62.7%). Areca nut usage was significantly associated with male gender, greater tumor size, greater depth of invasion (DOI), higher tumor stage, nodal stage, presence of perineural invasion (PNI), and recurrence. In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that OSCC recurrence was significantly associated with older age, larger tumor size and DOI, nodal metastasis, and areca nut usage., Conclusion: Areca nut-related OSCCs were associated with poor prognosis and recurrence in our study population. Furthermore, OSCC recurrence was associated with various clinicopathological parameters, such as larger tumor size, a higher DOI, and nodal metastasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Atif Ali Hashmi et al.)

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the commonest non-Hodgkin lymphoma encountered by hematopathologists and oncologists. Management guidelines for DLBCL are developed and published by countries with high income and do not cater for practical challenges faced in resource-constrained settings. This report by a multidisciplinary panel of experts from Pakistan is on behalf of three major national cancer societies: Society of Medical Oncology Pakistan, Pakistan Society of Hematology, and Pakistan Society of Clinical Oncology. The aim is to develop a practical and standardized guideline for managing DLBCL in Pakistan, keeping in view local challenges, which are similar across most of the low- and middle-income countries across the globe. Modified Delphi methodology was used to develop consensus guidelines. Guidelines questions were drafted, and meetings were convened by a steering committee to develop initial recommendations on the basis of local challenges and review of the literature. A consensus panel reviewed the initial draft recommendations and rated the guidelines on a five-point Likert scale; recommendations achieving more than 75% consensus were accepted. Resource grouping initially suggested by Breast Health Global Initiative was applied for resource stratification into basic, limited, and enhanced resource settings. The panel generated consensus ratings for 35 questions of interest and concluded that diagnosis and treatment recommendations in resource-constrained settings need to be based on available resources and management expertise., Competing Interests: Munira MoosajeeTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: Roche Kamran RashidHonoraria: Roche/GenentechSpeakers' Bureau: Roche/Genentech, Lilly MedicalTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: Roche Usman AhmadHonoraria: RocheTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: RocheNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV), a member of genus Mastrevirus (family Geminiviridae) is an important viral pathogen of chickpea and other legume crops in Middle East, North Africa, India and Pakistan. Among sixteen known strains of CpCDV three are known to infect legume crops in Punjab province of Pakistan. In this study diversity of CpCDV was explored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. In year 2016, during a survey in the chickpea growing areas of district Dera Ismail Khan, CpCDV infected plants were identified. Leaf samples were collected, and a diagnostic PCR confirmed mastreivrus infection in 4 out of 100 samples. From these samples full-length genome of CpCDV was amplified using specific back-to-back primers. Virus molecules were sequenced to their entirety and sequence analysis of a molecule KRF4 (GenBank accession # KY952837) showed the highest pair wise sequence identity of 97% with a CpCDV molecule (KM229787) isolated from chickpea plant. An SDT analysis revealed it to be the D strain of CpCDV and a recombination detection program (RDP) showed it to be a recombinant between C (KM229780) and L (KT634301) strains of CpCDV. Thus, further supporting the intra-species recombination for CpCDV and presence of the same strain in chickpea growing areas of Pakistan other than Punjab province. This is the first identification of CpCDV (genus Mastrevirus family Geminiviridae) from chickpea (Cicer arietinum) plants in District Dera Ismail Khan, KP province, Pakistan.