Study of Peripheral Mononuclear Cells and CD34 Levels as a Predictive Marker for Initiating Apheresis in Autologous Stem Cell Transplant.

: Autologous HCT in multiple myeloma is done as upfront treatment in newly diagnosed transplant eligible patients after induction chemotherapy. In addition, it is standard for relapsed, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and is curative in ~40% to 45% of patients. Over a decade, many efforts were made to find helpful parameters to predict an optimal time for initiating an efficient peripheral blood stem cell collection so that adequate stem cells are collected.

Combination Strategies to Augment Immune Check Point Inhibitors Efficacy - Implications for Translational Research.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has revolutionized the field of cancer immunotherapy. Even though it has shown a durable response in some solid tumors, several patients do not respond to these agents, irrespective of predictive biomarker (PD-L1, MSI, TMB) status. Multiple preclinical, as well as early-phase clinical studies are ongoing for combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with anti-cancer and/or non-anti-cancer drugs for beneficial therapeutic interactions.

Addition of Nimotuzumab to Standard TPF Regimen in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Single Institutional Study.

Background: Induction docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) chemotherapy followed by definitive concurrent chemoradiation remains the standard of care in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck cancers despite which the survival remains low. So, we analyzed the efficacy and adverse effect profile of the addition of nimotuzumab to standard TPF induction chemotherapy. Methods.

Hypermagnesemia in critically ill patients with cancer: A case report.

Hypermagnesemia is often an under reported finding in critically ill patients with cancer. Hypomagnesemia is a commonly encountered electrolyte abnormality in patients with cancer that is primarily caused by a reduced intake, secondary to chemotherapeutic drugs and malnutrition. Hypermagnesemia is rarely observed in patients with normal renal function, as excess intake can be compensated by renal excretion.

An Update on Advances in COVID-19 Laboratory Diagnosis and Testing Guidelines in India.

The declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic has warranted the urgent need for technologies and tools to be deployed for confirming diagnosis of suspected cases. Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 is critical for understanding epidemiology, contract-tracing, case management, and to repress the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. Currently, the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT)-based RT-PCR technique is a gold standard test used for routine diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.

Translational relevance of baseline peripheral blood biomarkers to assess the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death 1 use in solid malignancies.

Background: This study is an overall clinical analysis of anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD1) antibodies used in a single institution, emphasizing the role of baseline peripheral blood markers as a prognostic or predictor biomarker of immunotherapy.

Methods: Sixty-one patients were retrospectively analyzed from hospital medical records. The endpoint of this study was death from any cause and the survival time was calculated from the date of start of immunotherapy to the date of death.

Ogilvie Syndrome in a Refractory Germ Cell Tumor Treated with Vinblastine, Ifosfamide and Cisplatin Regimen.

Ogilvie syndrome or intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a clinical syndrome characterized by autonomic imbalance affecting peristalsis of colon leading to obstructive signs and symptoms. The etiologies commonly implicated are drugs affecting the cholinergic system, narcotics, electrolyte imbalance, severe sepsis, cancer, major surgery, and renal and cardiac failure. Ogilvie syndrome secondary to chemotherapy is a very rare phenomenon with very few reports in the literature.

Randomized Controlled Study Comparing Efficacy and Toxicity of Weekly vs. 3-Weekly Induction Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and Neck Cancer is a major public health problem in India, majority of which are lifestyle related, male predominant requiring dedicated infrastructure and human resource. The 5-year survival is 59% for all stages combined and only 45% in patients with locally advanced inoperable head and neck cancer using current chemoradiation schedules. Chemotherapy agents administered in the induction or concurrent setting comprise of taxanes (Docetaxel, paclitaxel), platinum compounds (Cisplatin, carboplatin) and fluorouracil (TPF).

A Case of Cardiac Tamponade in a Patient with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma on Pazopanib Treatment.

Asymptomatic minimal pericardial effusion may be frequently found in patients with hypothyroidism. Cardiac tamponade secondary to hypothyroidism is rarely referenced in medical literature. Hypothyroidism as an adverse effect of pazopanib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) treatment leading to cardiac tamponade is an even rarer occurrence.

FOLFOX and capecitabine-induced hepatic granuloma mimicking metastasis in a rectal cancer patient.

A 49-year-old male carcinoma rectum patient was treated with neoadjuvant FOLFOX (folinic acid, fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin) chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine, surgery and adjuvant FOLFOX. On follow-up, the patient developed a metabolically active liver lesion mimicking metastasis. Liver biopsy and histopathology showed sinusoidal dilatation with non-caseating granulomas.