Central nervous system involvement in multiple myeloma: Experience from a tertiary cancer center and review of literature.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) results from clonal expansion of immunoglobulin secreting, heavy chain class-switched, terminally differentiated B-lymphocytes (plasma cells), resulting in radiologic or biochemical evidence of end-organ damage. Though neurological manifestations (peripheral neuropathies, spinal radiculopathies, cranial nerve palsies, and metabolic encephalopathies) can occur during the disease course, direct central nervous system (CNS) infiltration by malignant plasma cells (CNS-MM) is very rare (~1%) and has a dismal prognosis (survival of <6 months).

Methodology: Clinico-laboratory profile and outcome of CNS-MM patients diagnosed and treated at a tertiary cancer care hospital were retrospectively analyzed.

Outcomes with chemotherapy in carcinoma penis: Experience from a tertiary cancer center.

Background: Carcinoma penis is more common in India compared to the West. The role of chemotherapy in carcinoma penis is ambiguous. We analyzed the profile and outcomes of patients with carcinoma penis treated with chemotherapy.

Relevance of flow cytometric categorization and end-of-induction measurable residual disease assessment in pediatric and adult T-lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

Background: T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patients expressing myeloid/stem cell antigens are classified as early T-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) or near-ETP-ALL.

Methods: Clinico-laboratory profiles, flow cytometric end-of-induction measurable residual disease (EOI-MRD), and survival of treatment naïve T-ALL patients were analyzed according to their immunophenotypic subtypes.

Results: Among 81 consecutive T-ALL patients diagnosed, 21% (N=17) were ETP-ALL and 19% (N=15) were near-ETP-ALL.

Therapeutic Outcomes in High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma, NOS: Retrospective Analysis.

The nomenclature high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was repurposed in the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 update as high-grade B cell lymphoma (HGBL). However, among the HGBL entities HGBL, not otherwise specified (NOS) remains a poorly described entity with a lack of literature regarding its treatment and prognosis. The baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcome of HGBL, NOS cases were analyzed.

Forecasting factors and outcomes in hawkish inflammatory breast carcinoma - A single center data exploration.

Introduction: Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is an aggressive clinical syndrome of invasive breast carcinoma. There is paucity of data regarding the outcomes in IBC.

Objectives: Analyses of OS and Event-free survival (EFS) in nonmetastatic and metastatic IBC and to find prognostic factors influencing them.

The continuing conundrum in oligometastatic breast carcinoma: A real-world data.

Unlabelled: The optimal management in Oligometastatic (OM) breast carcinoma is not defined.

Objectives: To identify the prognostic factors influencing OM and the effect of Locoregional treatment (LRT) on survival in OM.

Methodology: Patients with ≤5 metastases and each with ≤ 5 cm size were defined as OM.

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Therapy for Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancers: Long-term Results of a Modified Schedule.

Intravesical BCG therapy is an integral part of management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancers. Our aim is to analyze the non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients treated at our center with a modified schedule intravesical BCG therapy. Data from patients treated at our center from 2009 to 2017 was collected from patient records and analyzed.

Immunophenotypic expression and immunomodulation in minimal residual disease analysis of pediatric B acute lymphoblastic leukemia by high sensitive flow cytometry.

The major challenge in minimal residual disease MRD) detection is the antigen modulation in post treated samples restraining the use of diagnostic immunophenotypic (IP) signature of leukemic blasts for MRD detection. The IP expression of 10 antigens in 167 children diagnosed as B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia B-ALL) in comparison to hematogones and the extent of immunomodulation in 60 post treated MRD positive cases were studied. Upregulation was the predictable shift noted in antigens like CD73, CD86, CD19, CD20 and CD45 which was statistically significant for all except CD45.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Testicular Germ Cell Tumor-Preliminary Experience from a Single Center.

Germ cell tumor (GCT) of the testis is one of the highly curable solid organ malignancies. Those who experience relapse after platinum-based chemotherapy can be salvaged with systemic therapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Complete remission can be obtained in approximately 50 to 60% of patients treated with HDCT.

Precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with aberrant natural killer cell and T cell - lineage antigen expression: experience from a tertiary cancer care center.

Introduction: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping (FCI) plays a major role in diagnosing hematologic malignancies. In patients diagnosed with precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), expression of certain non-lineage/cross lineage antigens is of prognostic and cytogenetic relevance. There is a paucity of studies that have comprehensively analyzed the clinical and laboratory profiles of B-ALL patients showing aberrant T/natural killer (NK) cell antigen expression.

Blast size-specific flowcytometric ploidy assessment using FxCycle Violet dye and its correlation with conventional cytogenetic ploidy in pediatric precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

Introduction: Numerical chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidies), present in approximately 30%-50% of pediatric precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients, are commonly identified through a laborious conventional cytogenetic (CG) technique. Flow cytometry (FCM) can identify both physical and fluorescent properties of cells together, and by using fluorescent nucleic-acid-binding dyes, FCM can identify variations in total nucleic-acid content of cells. FxCycle Violet dye (FxCV) is a selective DNA-binding dye which permits simultaneous multiparametric immunophenotyping and cell-cycle/ploidy assessment in a single assay.

Recurrent cervical cancer treated with palliative chemotherapy: real-world outcome.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in India. There is limited data on the treatment of relapsed cervical cancer from India; therefore, we report the outcomes of patients with recurrent cervical cancer who were treated with palliative chemotherapy (CT).

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with recurrent cervical cancer who received palliative CT from January 2012 to December 2016.

Plasmablastic lymphoma - single centre experience with infusional EPOCH chemotherapy.

Background: Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare type of aggressive large B - cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) which was initially described in HIV positive individuals and later was also described in immune-competent individuals. It was included as a distinct entity in the WHO lymphoma classification in 2008.

Methods: The clinical features, HIV status, treatment details, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with plasmablastic lymphoma from January 2012 to December 2018 were retrospectively collected from the patient records and analyzed.

Flow Cytometry Based MRD and Its Impact on Survival Outcome in Children and Young Adults with ALL: A Prospective Study from a Tertiary Cancer Centre in Southern India.

Presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) following induction chemotherapy is a well-recognized risk factor to predict relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There is paucity of data on MRD and outcome in ALL from India. We share our experience in establishing a flow cytometry-based MRD assay for ALL with emphasis on determination of the number of patients who had MRD on day 35 of induction therapy and its correlation with outcome and other prognostic factors.

A modified olanzapine-based anti-emetic regimen for the control of nausea and vomiting in patients receiving weekly cisplatin.

Background There is limited data on specific antiemetic protocols for control of chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting (CINV) caused by weekly cisplatin regimens. Olanzapine is an active agent against CINV and may offer better control of nausea compared to aprepitant/fosaprepitant-based regimens. The usual antiemetic dose of olanzapine (10 mg for four days) causes problems with drowsiness.

Gemcitabine, vinorelbine and dexamethasone: A safe and effective regimen for treatment of relapsed/refractory hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background: Salvage regimens in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) differ in their efficacy and toxicity profiles. Gemcitabine (G), vinorelbine (V) and liposomal doxorubicin (GVDoxil) is one regimen with high response rates but has high toxicity and cost. We devised a regimen of GVDex by substituting the more expensive liposomal doxorubicin with the cheaper high-dose dexamethasone (Dex).

CD19 negative and dim precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemias: real-world challenges in a targeted-immunotherapy era.

Flow cytometric diagnosis and minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment of precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) are heavily dependent on CD19 based gating strategies. However, this approach is not optimal in the diagnosis and follow-up of CD19 negative or dim B-ALLs. Though CD19 negative B-ALLs are rare, in the current era of CD19 targeted immuno-therapy, CD19 negative B-ALL relapses are frequent.

Outcomes of Intensive Treatment of Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients: A Retrospective Study From a Single Centre.

Background: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a very aggressive cancer with difficult treatment and poor outcomes. The treatment of these patients is quite challenging due to various reasons including the need for extensive supportive care, and high cost of therapy. Reports on outcomes from India are few.

Outcomes of Oral Metronomic Therapy in Patients with Lymphomas.

Oral Metronomic chemotherapy (OMC) is used in patients with lymphoma who may not tolerate intravenous chemotherapy or have refractory disease. It is cheaper, less toxic and easy to administer. Adult patients with lymphoma who received OMC (combination of cyclophosphamide, etoposide and prednisolone) were included in this retrospective analysis.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Long-Term Outcome Data in the Imatinib Era.

Recent reports suggest that in the TKI era, the survival of chronic myeloid leukemia approaches that of general population. The real-world situation may be different. We analyzed patients (≥ 18 years) with chronic phase (CP) CML enrolled over a 7-year period (2002-2008) in an imatinib access program.

Factors that impact the outcomes in testicular germ cell tumors in low-middle-income countries.

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are one of the most common tumors in adolescents and young adults. There is paucity of data on GCT from low-middle-income countries (LMIC). The present study was conducted to assess the demographic features, clinical manifestations, pathology, and outcomes of GCT patients treated at our center.

Prognostic Utility of the IPS 3 Score for Predicting Outcomes in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Background: The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) consisting of 7 parameters (IPS7) has been the standard prognostic model used in advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (aHL). However, recent studies have questioned its discriminatory power. For retrospective analyses, its utility might be limited by missing parameters.

Can Radiotherapy Be Omitted in Children With Hodgkin Lymphoma Who Achieve Metabolic Remission on Interim Positron Emission Tomography? Experience of a Tertiary Care Cancer Referral Center.

Purpose: Treating pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) involves a delicate balance between cure and reducing late toxicity. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT) identifies patients with early response to chemotherapy, for whom radiotherapy may be avoided. The role of PET-CT in upfront risk stratification and response-adapted treatment is evaluated in this study.

DA-EPOCH-R in Aggressive CD 20 Positive B Cell Lymphomas: Real-World Experience.

Recent reports have shown that excellent survival outcomes can be achieved in adult Burkitt's lymphoma with the use of DA-EPOCH-R regimen. When compared to earlier intense pediatric-type protocols, this regimen is less toxic. There are limited reports available on the use of this regimen outside the context of clinical trials.

Experience with the Use of Nilotinib in Indian Patients.

Important genetic and ethnic factors could affect the toxicity and efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Though nilotinib has been available in India since 2010, there is no report on its safety and toxicity from Indian patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. This is an analysis of efficacy and toxicity of nilotinib when used as a after failure or intolerance to imatinib.