Long-term clinical outcomes of male breast cancer patients treated with curative intent by trimodality therapy at an academic university hospital in India.

Introduction: Male breast cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases worldwide.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all patients of invasive male breast cancer treated with curative intent by a trimodality approach via a multidisciplinary team at an academic university hospital in India between 2009 and 2023. Records were identified from a prospectively maintained database.

Cancer stem cell biomarkers SOX2 and Oct4 in cervical cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Cancer stem cell biomarkers SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2) and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) account for radioresistance in cervical squamous cell cancers (CSCCs). Their clinical implications are limited and contradictory.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we recruited patients with FIGO IB2-IVA CSCC treated with primary chemoradiotherapy on regular follow-up.

Palliative radiotherapy: a one-week course in advanced head and neck cancer - quality of life outcomes.

Objectives: Palliative radiotherapy regimens for advanced head and neck cancers vary in doses and treatment times. Their quality of life (QoL) implications are not clearly established.

Methods: We randomised patients with advanced, non-metastatic, head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (stage IVA-B) with WHO performance score of 2 or higher to receive 30 Gy in 10 fractions over two weeks (arm A) or 20 Gy in 5 fractions over one week (arm B).

Do authorship disputes deter Indian medical students from pursuing research?

Medicine, being an ever-expanding field, makes it crucial for doctors-in-training to understand research and its methodology and translate this into their clinical practice. However, in India, the response of medical students and residents in adopting this has been sluggish, primarily owing to high levels of stress attributed to the extensive academic curriculum, hectic duty hours, and shortage of workforce that leads to an unacceptably high patient load [1]. Lack of funding and mentorship programmes, difficulty in data collection and analysis, and no additional credits awarded to students for the time invested act as additional barriers to taking up research projects [2].

Polymorphous adenocarcinoma of the submandibular gland.

Polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PA) of the salivary glands is a rare malignancy that predominantly affects the minor salivary glands of the palate. Major salivary gland involvement is rare (<5%). The submandibular gland is a highly unusual location for this tumour.

Surgical outcomes in oral cancer involving the central arch of the mandible in elderly patients: An institutional experience.

Backgrounds: Oral squamous cell cancer (SCC) is one of the most common cancers. The most common age of presentation is fifth to sixth decade. Management of this disease is dictated by stage, age, and related comorbidities.

Continuing cancer surgery through the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic at an academic university hospital in India: A lower-middle-income country experience.

Background: The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) hinders the treatment of non-COVID illnesses like cancer, which may be pronounced in lower-middle-income countries.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study audited the performance of a tertiary care surgical oncology department at an academic hospital in India during the first six months of the pandemic. Difficulties faced by patients, COVID-19-related incidents (preventable cases of hospital transmission), and modifications in practice were recorded.

Searching for answers: Cancer care during the COVID pandemic.

The unprecedented novel coronavirus disease pandemic has wreaked havoc on healthcare systems worldwide and raised myriads of questions. The delivery of cancer care is an essential service that cannot take a backseat, even amid a global pandemic. Oncology involves the disciplines of surgical oncology, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and palliative care which are all affected, including the possible impact of the pandemic on the mental health of patients and healthcare workers alike.

Assessing the interplay between travel patterns and SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in realistic urban setting.

Background: The dense social contact networks and high mobility in congested urban areas facilitate the rapid transmission of infectious diseases. Typical mechanistic epidemiological models are either based on uniform mixing with ad-hoc contact processes or need real-time or archived population mobility data to simulate the social networks. However, the rapid and global transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to unprecedented lockdowns at global and regional scales, leaving the archived datasets to limited use.

Oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinoma (OMEC) of the parotid gland in a 12-year-old patient: A diagnostic challenge on cytology.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant salivary gland neoplasm comprising approximately 10% of all tumours of the major salivary gland. Owing to a plethora of morphological variations, it poses a diagnostic challenge on fine-needle aspiration cytology. Oncocytic variant of mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare subtype seen in the age group of 20-80 years.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum.

Lower gastrointestinal cancers are commonly adenocarcinoma in the colon and rectum, and of squamous cell histology in the anal canal. Squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum is a rare disease attributable to squamous metaplasia in the rectum. The tumour location and histopathology should both serve as indicators to planning treatment, and a robust multidisciplinary team meeting forms the backbone of such decisions.