Adjuvant therapy may improve overall survival in high-risk periampullary adenocarcinomas patients - A match-pair analysis from a multi-institutional cohort study (The MIPPAP study).

Background: The role of adjuvant therapy in resected periampullary adenocarcinomas is equivocal due to contrasting data and limited prospective trials.

Methods: The Multicentre Indian Pancreatic & Periampullary Adenocarcinoma Project (MIPPAP), included data from 8 institutions across India. Of the 1679 pancreatic resections, 736 patients with T3/T4 and/or Node positive adenocarcinomas (considered as high risk for recurrence) were included for analysis.

Single-Stage Combined Approach Sagittal En Bloc Spondylectomy for L3 Vertebral Chondrosarcoma: A Technical Note.

Background: Primary malignant tumors of the spine are rare and most commonly occur in lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. We report a rare case of retroperitoneal chondrosarcoma of L3 that was managed with sagittal en bloc spondylectomy following chemoradiation.

Case Description: A 26-year-old woman was evaluated for abdominal pain with contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis, which revealed a soft tissue retroperitoneal mass arising from L3.

Transcriptome-wide profiling identifies colon cancer-associated m6A transcripts and potential RNA methyl modifiers.

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a prevalent and crucial RNA methylation modification that plays a significant role in various biological and pathological processes. The dysregulation of m6A has been linked to the initiation, progression, and metastasis of several cancer types, including colon cancer. The transcriptome of colon cancer indeed provides insight into dysregulated coding and non-coding RNAs, but it does not reveal the mechanisms, such as m6A modifications, that determine post-transcriptional and pre-translational regulations.

Sarcomatoid Carcinoma Metastasis to the Colon from a Small Renal Mass: Case Report with Review of Literature.

A third of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) present with metastatic disease. Metastasis in RCC from small renal mass (SRM) (≤4 cm) is rare. We report a case of stage cT1a clear-cell RCC with low-risk features on pathology presenting with disproportionately large synchronous solitary metastasis to the transverse colon.

Intubation outcomes using the aerosol box during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective, observational study.

Background And Aims: The aerosol box (AB), an improvised device used during the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, has attracted both interest and controversy. Several simulated studies have examined its protective efficacy as well as intubation efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the practical conduct of intubation using the AB in patients undergoing elective, oncological surgery during the pandemic.

The colorectal cancer-associated faecal microbiome of developing countries resembles that of developed countries.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in developing countries, yet limited research on the CRC- associated microbiota has been conducted in these areas, in part due to scarce resources, facilities, and the difficulty of fresh or frozen stool storage/transport. Here, we aimed (1) to establish a broad representation of diverse developing countries (Argentina, Chile, India, and Vietnam); (2) to validate a 'resource-light' sample-collection protocol translatable in these settings using guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) cards stored and, importantly, shipped internationally at room temperature; (3) to perform initial profiling of the collective CRC-associated microbiome of these developing countries; and (4) to compare this quantitatively with established CRC biomarkers from developed countries.

Methods: We assessed the effect of international storage and transport at room temperature by replicating gFOBT from five UK volunteers, storing two in the UK, and sending replicates to institutes in the four countries.

Perioperative factors predicting delayed enteral resumption and hospital length of stay in cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: Retrospective cohort analysis from a single centre in India.

Background And Aims: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is an extensive procedure associated with significant morbidity, delay in return of gastrointestinal function and discharge from hospital. Our aim was to assess perioperative factors influencing enteral resumption (ER) and length of stay in the hospital (LOS) in CRS-HIPEC.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in a major tertiary cancer centre.

Lymph Node Harvest After Neoadjuvant Treatment for Rectal Cancer and Its Impact on Oncological Outcomes.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of neoadjuvant treatment on nodal harvest after rectal cancer surgery and its impact on long-term oncological outcomes. A retrospective analysis of patients with rectal cancer who received curative intent treatment from 2002 to 2012 in our institution was performed. Data on various clinic-pathological and treatment details were recovered from the records.

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GIST): Indian Experience of Rare Malignancy.

GISTs are rare tumours of the GI tract arising from the intestinal cells of Cajal. Though various risk stratification systems have been proposed, none has been universally accepted. We audited the survival and recurrence patterns in our patients and evaluated clinicopathological features to identify prognostic factors affecting survival.

Perioperative versus postoperative chemotherapy for gastric cancer: A propensity score matched analysis.

Aim: In advanced gastric cancer, chemotherapy, given either perioperatively or as an adjuvant treatment, has been shown to improve survival when compared to surgery alone. However, no trial has compared these two approaches head-to-head. Hence, we aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with gastric cancer who received either perioperative chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy.

Society of Onco-Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care consensus guidelines for perioperative management of patients for cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC).

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) for primary peritoneal malignancies or peritoneal spread of malignant neoplasm is being done at many centres worldwide. Perioperative management is challenging with varied haemodynamic and temperature instabilities, and the literature is scarce in many aspects of its perioperative management. There is a need to have coalition of the existing evidence and experts' consensus opinion for better perioperative management.

Prognostic Factors and Survival Outcomes of Surgical Resection of Huge Hepatocellular Carcinomas.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to analyze the various prognostic factors that influence survival and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing liver resection for huge hepatocellular carcinomas.

Materials And Methods: The records of patients who underwent curative surgery between 1991 and 2011 for huge hepatocellular carcinoma were analyzed. Various prognostic factors that influenced the survival were studied.

The Current Status of Peritoneal Surface Oncology in India.

With the increasing acceptance of cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC as a potentially curative treatment for primary and secondary peritoneal surface malignancies, peritoneal surface oncology has emerged as a distinct sub-specialty of surgical oncology. In the last 10 years, the acceptance of a conceptually different approach towards the management of peritoneal metastases has increased in India. During this period, over 1000 combined procedures have been performed in the country and most of the major cities have centers performing offering this treatment.

Gastrointestinal mucormycosis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: An uncommon but ominous complication.

Invasive fungal infections constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children undergoing therapy for hematological malignancies. We report a 1-year-old boy who was receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His clinical course was complicated by a clinical syndrome consistent with neutropenic enterocolitis to which he succumbed.

Perineal Wound Complications Following Extralevator Abdominoperineal Excision: Experience of a Regional Cancer Center.

Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) results in a large perineal defect which needs reconstruction by a flap or biological mesh. The incidence of perineal wound complications is thought to be higher following an ELAPE compared to conventional abdominoperineal excision (APE). WE aimed to analyze the perineal wound complications following ELAPE in our institution.

TGFβ C-509T, TGFβ T869C, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, IKBα C642T, IL4 C-590T Genetic polymorphisms combined with socio-economic, lifestyle, diet factors and gastric cancer risk: A case control study in South Indian population.

Background: Gastric cancer is worldwide the third major cause of cancer related death. Risk factors for gastric cancer includes Helicobacter pylori infection, gastric ulcer, less hygienic condition, use of tobacco, alcohol consumption, use of salted, smoked food, genetic alterations etc. In order to identify the risk factors associated with gastric cancer in South Indian population a case-control study involving 200 proven gastric cancer cases and 400 controls was conducted.

Long-Term Functional and Oncological Outcomes Following Intersphincteric Resection for Low Rectal Cancers.

Surgery for low rectal cancer often involves a permanent stoma. Intersphincteric resection (ISR) with colo-anal anastomosis is a valuable sphincter sparing surgical procedure that avoids the need for permanent stoma in patients with low rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term functional and oncological outcomes following ISR.

Laparoscopic versus open surgery for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation: Long-term outcomes of a propensity score matched study.

Background And Objectives: Laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer has short-term benefits when compared to open resection. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic and open resection for rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NCRT).

Methods: In this propensity matched study, a series of 72 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer following NCRT between 2004 and 2010 (Lap group) were matched with 72 patients who underwent open surgery for rectal cancer in the same period (Open group).

Gastric Mucormycosis Masquerading as Gastric Malignancy.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection usually seen in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of gastric mucormycosis in an immune-competent lady that mimicked a gastric malignancy, presenting a diagnostic challenge. A high index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis and successful treatment of this potentially life-threatening condition.

Immunohistochemical expression and localization of cytokines/chemokines/growth factors in gastric cancer.

Our previous studies on gastric cancer tissue and patient plasma samples identified several cytokines/chemokines/growth factors to be differentially expressed, compared to normal samples. In this study our aim was to understand the localization patterns of the markers in gastric tissues. We investigated the expression of PDGFRB, CCL3, MMP3, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL20, IGFBP3, CXCL9, SPP1, CCL18, TIMP1, CCL15, CXCL5 and CCL4 in gastric tissues using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on Tissue Microarrays (TMA).