Sleep quality and coping styles among nurses working in tertiary cancer institutions: a mixed-method study.

Introduction: Providing nursing care is a challenging job which may lead to serious effects on sleep quality, thereby leading to lower work productivity and reduced job satisfaction. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to adopt effective and adaptive coping strategies to deal with day-to-day stress and to improve sleep.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the sleep quality of nurses and the coping styles employed by them to deal with the stressors at the workplace.

Medially Based "Abdominal Rotation Advancement Flap": A Promising Technique for Mastectomy Defect Reconstruction in "High-Risk Patients" Awaiting Adjuvant Radiotherapy.

 Extensive postmastectomy defects and soft-tissue defects often require some additional flap cover of reconstruction after excision. The reconstruction aim in this group should be a diligent and easy closure with a quality skin cover, early recovery, and brief stay in hospital so that the patients can receive early postoperative radiotherapy/chemotherapy. Medially based abdominal transposition flap is a type C fasciocutaneous flap based on medial perforating vessels.

Translation and Linguistic Validation of the Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile into Hindi in a Palliative Care Setting.

Objectives: The Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile (MDP) comprehensively addresses dyspnea, incorporating both perceptual and affective components, and has proven effective in assessing breathlessness among patients with chronic lung conditions. Despite its validation in High-Income Countries, its applicability in Low/Middle-Income countries remains uncertain. Additionally, the MDP has not been translated into Hindi or validated in an Indian context.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III Study in India for Comparing Efficacy, Safety, and PK of ZRC-3277 (Pertuzumab Biosimilar) With Perjeta® in Patients With HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Introduction: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and immunogenicity of ZRC-3277 (pertuzumab biosimilar) with Perjeta® (pertuzumab) in previously untreated patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Patients And Methods: This phase III, multicenter, double-blind study across 38 sites in India randomized (1:1) patients with HER2-positive MBC in either the ZRC-3277 or Perjeta® group. Both groups also received trastuzumab and docetaxel.

Opioid Access among Advanced Cancer Patients in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Asia.

Context: Most cancer-associated pain is experienced in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to inequitable access to opioids.

Objective: To determine opioid access as estimated by both patients and providers and to understand patient and facility-level factors influencing access among patients with advanced cancer in LMICs in Asia using the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use.

Methods: The APPROACH cross-sectional study was conducted in seven LMICs in Asia, involving in-depth surveys with providers and advanced cancer patients.

Efficacy and Safety of BP02 (Trastuzumab Biosimilar) in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Multicenter Phase III Study.

Background And Objective: Trastuzumab targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptors and is indicated for treating HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. BP02, a recombinant IgG1 kappa humanized monoclonal antibody, is being developed as a trastuzumab biosimilar. The objective of this study was to evaluate the equivalence of BP02 with reference trastuzumab (RT: Herceptin-EU) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

A simple and rapid pre-clinical in vivo model reveals comparative cardiotoxicity profiles of kinase inhibitors.

Despite significant success, targeted therapeutics such as kinase inhibitors (KIs) still pose adverse events such as the cardiotoxicity. There is a lot of variation in the type and intensity of cardiotoxicity caused by different KIs and current pre-clinical models are inadequate to predict it. Thus, there is a need to develop more simple and rapid models for screening of novel KIs at the pre-clinical step itself.

Perceived stigma and its correlates among Asian patients with advanced cancer: A multi-country APPROACH study.

Objectives: Perceived cancer-related stigma can affect mental health and potentially treatment choices for patients with cancer. Nevertheless, perceived stigma is not very well understood in Asia. This study investigated across six developing Asian countries: (1) the prevalence of perceived stigma among advanced cancer patients, (2) its risk factors, and (3) its association with patient treatment preferences.

Advanced Cancer Patients' Prognostic Awareness and Its Association With Anxiety, Depression and Spiritual Well-Being: A Multi-Country Study in Asia.

Aims: The associations between prognostic awareness, acceptance of illness and psychological outcomes (anxiety, depression and spiritual well-being) remain unclear. This study examined the associations between prognostic awareness and various psychological outcomes and how they can be moderated by patient acceptance of illness (cancer).

Materials And Methods: In total, 1184 patients with stage IV solid cancer were recruited at major public hospitals across four Asian countries (China, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam).

The Introduction and Experiences of Methadone for Treatment of Cancer Pain at a Low-resource Governmental Cancer Center in India.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the clinical experience of the health-care professionals (HCPs) responsible for the introduction of methadone, for the treatment of complex cancer pain, at a low-resource hospital in India in a patient-group, burdened by illiteracy, and low socio-economic status.

Materials And Methods: Ten HCPs: Four medical doctors, four nurses, one pharmacist, and one hospital administrator were interviewed. The interviews are examined using a qualitative conventional content analysis.

Patient-Reported Roles in Decision-Making Among Asian Patients With Advanced Cancer: A Multicountry Study.

We investigated 1) perceived roles in decision-making among advanced cancer patients in 5 Asian countries 2) associations of patient characteristics with these roles, and 3) the association of perceived roles with quality of life and perceived quality of care. We surveyed 1585 patients with stage IV solid cancer. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to analyze associations of patient characteristics with decision-making roles.

Exploring Health Professionals' Experiences With a Virtual Learning and Mentoring Program (Project ECHO) on Pediatric Palliative Care in South Asia.

Project ECHO (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an innovative model of online education which has been proposed to enhance access to palliative care in resource-limited settings. There is limited literature describing how health care providers in low-and middle-income countries benefit from and learn from this type of training. This qualitative description study explores the learning experiences of participants in a Project ECHO program on pediatric palliative care in South Asia through focus group discussions.

Can root pulp visibility in mandibular first molars be used as an alternative age marker at the 16 year threshold in the absence of mandibular third molars: an orthopantomographic study in a South Indian sample.

In many countries, the 16 years of age threshold is considered to be legally relevant according to the law. This research aims to ascertain the sensitivity and specificity of Olze et al. stages of root pulp visibility (RPV) in a sample of 760 south Indian children aged between 12 and 20 years, with an age threshold of 16 years, using receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve (AUC).

Comprehensive Conservative Care in End-Stage Kidney Disease.

In patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), when there maybe situations where dialysis does not offer benefits in terms of survival or health-related quality of life, dialysis should not be viewed as the default therapy. Such patients can be offered comprehensive conservative care as an alternative to dialysis. Conservative (nondialytic) management of ESKD includes careful attention to fluid balance, treatment of anemia, correction of acidosis and hyperkalemia, blood pressure, and calcium/phosphorus metabolism management and dietary modification.

The Use of Methadone in Adult Patients with Cancer Pain at a Governmental Cancer Center in India.

Background: Management of cancer-related pain relies on the access to opioids. When regular opioids as morphine are not tolerated or are insufficient, adjuvant opioids as methadone are an affordable and effective analgesic.

Aim: The aim of the project was to describe the pattern of use and clinical experiences of methadone in patients with cancer-related pain at a low-resource hospital in Hyderabad, one of few Indian cancer centers with permission to prescribe methadone.

The Use of Methadone in Pediatric Cancer Pain - A Retrospective Study from a Governmental Cancer Center in India.

Background: The management of cancer-related pain relies on access to opioids. When regular opioids are not tolerated, or are insufficient, methadone is an affordable and effective analgesic.

Aim: The aim of the project was to describe the pattern of use and clinical experience of methadone in pediatric cancer pain at a governmental cancer hospital in Hyderabad, one of the four Indian cancer centers with permission to prescribe methadone.

High anxiety and depression scores and mental health service use among South Asian advanced cancer patients: A multi-country study.

Context: Addressing symptoms of anxiety and depression is important in cancer palliative care. However, little information exists on the prevalence of anxiety and depression and mental health service use among advanced cancer patients in South Asia.

Objectives: To examine among South Asian advanced cancer patients, the 1) prevalence of high anxiety and depression scores, 2) factors associated with high anxiety and depression scores, and 3) mental health service use.

Impact of ERCC1 gene polymorphisms on response to cisplatin based therapy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients.

Background And Objectives: Cisplatin is one of the major drugs that used in the treatment of oral cancer.Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a key DNA repair gene in the nucleotide excision repair pathway which is activated in the repair of intra- and interstrand DNA crosslink caused by platinum-based treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in ERCC1 (C118T & C8092A) genes and the response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Palliative Care in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Position Statement of the Indian Association of Palliative Care.

The global pandemic involving severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 has brought new challenges to clinical practice and care in the provision of palliative care. This position statement of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) represents the collective opinion of the experts chosen by the society and reports on the current situation based on recent scientific evidence. It purports to guide all health-care professionals caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and recommends palliative care principles into government decisions and policies.

The Palliative Care-Promoting Access and Improvement of the Cancer Experience (PC-PAICE) Project in India: A Multisite International Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Mentors at seven U.S. and Australian academic institutions initially partnered with seven leading Indian academic palliative care and cancer centers in 2017 to undertake a program combining remote and in-person mentorship, didactic instruction, and project-based learning in quality improvement (QI).

Low-dose Oral Ketamine as a Procedural Analgesia in Pediatric Cancer Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow Aspirations at a Resource-limited Cancer Hospital in India.

Aim: Many pediatric cancer patients undergo repeated bone marrow aspirations (BMAs) for diagnostic and treatment evaluation purposes. Full anesthesia is the standard of care during this procedure in high-income countries. At hospitals with low resources in low/middle-income countries many children undergo these painful procedures without sufficient pain relief.

Low-Dose Oral Ketamine for Procedural Analgesia in Pediatric Cancer Patients Undergoing Lumbar Puncture at a Resource-Limited Cancer Hospital in India.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety profile of orally administered low-dose ketamine for procedural pain management in pediatric cancer patients undergoing lumbar puncture (LP) in a resource-limited hospital setting. Patients between 4 and 15 years of age, with leukemia, undergoing LP were asked to participate. The study was designed as a two-armed blinded placebo-controlled trial where 0.

Specialized Palliative Care and the Quality of Life for Hospitalized Cancer Patients at a Low-Resource Hospital in India.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance of 3-4, in contact with or without contact, with a specialized palliative care unit (PCU) at a low-resource governmental cancer hospital, as well as studying the impact of this contact on the QoL in their caregivers.

Materials And Methods: Hospitalized patients with an ECOG performance of 3 or 4 and their primary caregiver were asked to participate in this observational study. Patients in contact with the specialized PCU and their closest caregivers formed Group A, while patients and families without this contact formed Group B.

Global Oncology Volunteering: Making an Effective Contribution.

Elements of a good health system are lacking in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and in many high-income countries, including the United States. 
A major problem is financing health care. On average, about 50% of healthcare financing in low-income countries comes from out-of-pocket payments, compared to 30% in middle-income countries and 14% in high-income countries.