Efficacy of Chronomodulated Chemotherapy for Palliation of Hematemesis in Inoperable Gastric Cancer: A Single-Institutional Retrospective Study.

Context: Aside abdominal discomfort and pain, upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) significantly disgraces the quality of life (QoL), especially in inoperable gastric cancer patients. Although, in early stages, it is infrequent and often ignored, but in advanced stages, its aggressiveness often deteriorates patient's hemoglobin (Hb) level and performing status.

Aim: The aim of this study is to correlate the change in (1) the frequency of episodes of UGIB, (2) its severity in terms of Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade for UGIB, and (3) Hb level with the successful completion of successive cycles of palliative chemotherapy where it becomes invariably the only modality to palliate the cancer disease.

Results of diagnostic dilemma between lung cancer and sputum negative pulmonary tuberculosis: a retrospective study.

Diagnostic dilemma owing to radiological similarities between smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchogenic lung cancer pose a critical problem of late detection of the later with all its impact on the life of the victims.The aim of the study was to assess the magnitude and consequence of diagnostic dilemma between lung cancer and smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis. The retrospective observational study was conducted in the radiotherapy department of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal involving the lung cancer patients reported from February, 2009 to March, 2011.

Skin rash as a surrogate marker of clinical response of targeted therapy using gefitinib in advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer--a retrospective study.

This retrospective review of a single institution case series study was conducted to correlate the objective response and skin rash of gefitinib in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC). One hundred and forty-nine patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC were treated with gefitinib (250 mg/day) as second line systemic therapy. Baseline patient characteristics were: More than 75% patients were above 50 years of age, males 64%; adenocarcinoma 52%.

Assessment of prognostic factors for locally advanced breast cancer.

In spite of apparent improvement in outcome in locally advanced breast cancer, the prognosis remains dismal in many patients. The aim of this study was to define prognostic subgroups within this heterogeneous entity. The prospective follow-up study was carried out for a period of three and half years involving patients attending the radiotherapy department of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital.