Pregabalin for chronic cough due to lung cancer: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Developing effective therapies for cough in lung cancer is an unmet need Neuromodulators like pregabalin may act centrally as cough suppressants.

Methods: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study in patients with locally advanced/metastatic lung cancer and at least 2 weeks of moderate or severe cough. Randomization was 1:1 to pregabalin 300 mg orally daily or matching placebo, both administered for 9 weeks.

Efficacy and Safety of Biosimilar Cetuximab Versus Innovator Cetuximab in Indian Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III Trial.

Purpose: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the sixth most common cancer, with approximately 225,419 new cases with over 125,000 deaths annually in India. This trial compared the efficacy and safety of biosimilar cetuximab versus innovator cetuximab (IC) in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with recurrent locoregional or metastatic SCCHN.

Methods: This phase III trial is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind and parallel group study performed in Indian patients with recurrent locoregional or metastatic SCCHN.

Lorlatinib in the second line and beyond for ALK positive lung cancer: real-world data from resource-constrained settings.

Background: ALK-positive lung cancers are known to have favorable responses with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Lorlatinib is an approved treatment option post first and second-line ALK inhibitors and is now also in first line. We present a retrospective observational study of the safety and efficacy of patients receiving Lorlatinib in second-line and beyond.

Representation of female authors in oncology: the Indian perspective.

Background: Despite an increasing number of female oncologists, disparities persist in authorship representation of women, especially in high-impact journals.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate gender differences in authorship within select high-impact Indian oncology journals over a 5-year period, assessing trends in the gender gap.

Methods: Six high-impact Indian oncology journals were selected for analysis.

Predictive significance of inflammatory markers in the survival of older Indian patients with cancer: a single-center prospective analysis.

Aim: To evaluate the prognostic impact of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) on overall survival (OS) among Indian older patients with cancer.

Methods: This observational study was conducted in the geriatric oncology clinic of Tata Memorial Hospital (India). We included all patients who underwent a geriatric assessment (GA) and had a complete blood count available for analysis.

Comprehensive review of post-treatment imaging in head and neck cancers: from expected to unexpected and beyond.

Head and neck cancer management requires multidisciplinary approach in which radical surgery with or without flap reconstructions and neck dissection, along with radiotherapy (RT)/chemoradiotherapy (CRT) serve as the key components. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy are used in selected cases based on the institutional preference. Knowledge of expected post-treatment changes on imaging is essential to differentiate it from recurrence.

Bladder Adjuvant Radiation Therapy (BART): Acute and Late Toxicity From a Phase III Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To report toxicity from the multicenter phase III randomized trial of Bladder Adjuvant Radiation Therapy (BART) after radical cystectomy and chemotherapy in high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Methods And Materials: Patients with nonmetastatic urothelial MIBC with ≥1 high-risk feature after radical cystectomy- pT3-4, pN1-3, nodal yield <10, positive margin, or ≥cT3 downstaged with neoadjuvant chemotherapy- were randomized 1:1 to observation (Obs) or adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) at 4 centers, stratified by pN stage (N0, N+) and chemotherapy (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, none). Stoma-sparing image guided intensity modulated RT 50.

Comparative Evaluation of Calibrated and Non-calibrated Infrared Thermometer Versus Calibrated Digital Thermometer in Healthy Volunteers and Febrile Patients in a Tertiary Care Center in Central India.

Body temperature is a crucial indicator in assessing human physiological activity and health, particularly in pediatric and critically ill patients. This study aimed to compare temperature recordings obtained from digital calibrated thermometers with calibrated infrared thermometers and non-calibrated infrared thermometers against calibrated ones. An observational prospective study was conducted at AIIMS Bhopal, involving volunteers and febrile patients who consented to participate.

Correction: Deep learning based automated epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase status prediction of brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.37349/etat.2023.

Phase III randomized trial comparing neoadjuvant paclitaxel+platinum to 5-fluorouracil+platinum in esophageal/GEJ squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for locally advanced esophageal/gastroesophageal junction squamous cancer (LAEGSC), 5-fluorouracil (5FU)+platinum, is toxic and logistically challenging; alternative regimens are needed.

Patients And Methods: Phase III randomized open-label non-inferiority trial at Tata Memorial Center, India, in resectable LAEGSC. Patients were randomized 1:1 to three cycles of 3-weekly platinum (cisplatin 75 mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC 6) with paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (day 1) or 5FU 1000 mg/m2 continuous infusion (days 1-4), followed by surgery.

Uniqueness of lung cancer in Southeast Asia.

Lung cancer varies between Caucasians and Asians. There have been differences recorded in the epidemiology, genomics, standard therapies and outcomes, with variations according to the geography and ethnicity which affect the decision for optimal treatment of the patients. To better understand the profile of lung cancer in Southeast Asia, with a focus on India, we have comprehensively reviewed the available data, and discuss the challenges and the way forward.

Landscape of Clinically Relevant Genomic Alterations in the Indian Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: The genomic landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Indian patients remains underexplored. We revealed distinctive genomic alterations of Indian NSCLC patients, thereby providing vital molecular insights for implementation of precision therapies.

Methods: We analyzed the genomic profiles of 325 lung adenocarcinoma and 81 lung squamous carcinoma samples from Indian patients using targeted sequencing of 50 cancer related genes.

Precision Medicine and Clinical Trials in Advanced and Metastatic Oral Cancer.

Purpose: Oral cancer is a significant global health concern, with high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in regions with prevalent tobacco usage such as Asia. Majority of oral cancers are detected at an advanced stage resulting in poor survival outcomes. Moreover, the treatment modalities of oral cancers have remained constant with surgery and concurrent chemoradiotherapy being mainstays of the treatment.

Olanzapine as Antiemetic Prophylaxis in Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy: A Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The role of olanzapine has not been adequately evaluated in moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) regimens with or without neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists.

Objective: To evaluate whether addition of olanzapine to an MEC regimen reduces nausea, vomiting, and use of nausea rescue medications among patients with solid malignant tumors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter, open-label phase 3 randomized clinical trial included patients aged 18 years or older with solid malignant tumors who were receiving oxaliplatin-, carboplatin-, or irinotecan-based chemotherapy.

Cabazitaxel as a promising therapy for cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer: a preliminary study.

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy worldwide, posing a substantial healthcare challenge. Current standard treatment regimens are primarily based on cisplatin, but their success is often limited by cisplatin resistance and associated toxicities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective and less toxic therapies as alternatives to cisplatin.

Prevalence and types of cancer in older Indians: A multicentric observational study across 17 institutions in India.

The global demographic and epidemiological transition have led to a rapidly increasing burden of cancer, particularly among older adults. There are scant data on the prevalence and demographic pattern of cancer in older Indian persons. This was a multicentric observational study conducted between January 2019 and December 2020.

Long-Term Update of a Phase 3 Randomized Study Comparing Once-a-Week Versus Once-Every-3-Weeks Cisplatin Along With Radiation in Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose: In the weekly-3-weekly study, cisplatin at 100 mg/m once-every-3-weeks led to superior locoregional control compared with cisplatin 30 mg/m once-a-week in combination with radical radiation for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC). We report the updated analysis of the study.

Methods And Materials: In this phase 3 open-label noninferiority study conducted between 2013 and 2017, 300 patients with LAHNSCC were randomly assigned to receive cisplatin 100 mg/m once-in-every-weeks or cisplatin 30 mg/m once-a-week, concurrently with radiation.

Pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes of low-dose nivolumab relative to conventional dose in patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Nivolumab is approved at various doses, including 3 mg/kg, 240 mg and 480 mg flat doses at various dosing intervals. The concept of low-dose immunotherapy is gaining traction in recent years. However, there is a need to better understand the pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes at lower doses.

Reduced frequency dosing of osimertinib in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung carcinoma: real world data.

Introduction: Osimertinib is more efficacious and as safe as first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, osimertinib is not affordable for most patients in developing nations. Moreover, the minimum biologically effective dose of osimertinib may be less than the approved dose.