The Association Between Perioperative Red Blood Cell Transfusions and 1-Year Mortality After Major Cancer Surgery: An International Multicenter Observational Study.

Background: Packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions in patients undergoing surgery for cancer are given to treat anemia or acute hemorrhage. Evidence indicates that pRBC transfusions are associated with poor perioperative and oncological outcomes. The ARCA-1 (Perioperative Care in the Cancer Patient-1) study was designed to test the association between perioperative pRBC transfusions and postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing cancer surgery.

Mitigation of chronic glucotoxicity-mediated skeletal muscle atrophy by arachidonic acid.

Toxicity caused by chronic hyperglycemia is a significant factor affecting skeletal muscle myogenesis, resulting in diabetic myopathy. Chronic and persistent hyperglycemia causes activation of the atrophy-related pathways in the skeletal muscles, which eventually results in inflammation and muscle degeneration. To counteract this process, various bioactive compound has been studied for their reversal or hypertrophic effect.

PROTACs in the Management of Prostate Cancer.

Cancer treatments with targeted therapy have gained immense interest due to their low levels of toxicity and high selectivity. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have drawn special attention in the development of cancer therapeutics owing to their unique mechanism of action, their ability to target undruggable proteins, and their focused target engagement. PROTACs selectively degrade the target protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which describes a different mode of action compared to conventional small-molecule inhibitors or even antibodies.

Efficacy and Safety of Nanosomal Docetaxel Lipid Suspension (NDLS) versus Conventional Docetaxel as Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy for Primary Operable Breast Cancer.

Objective: Nanosomal docetaxel lipid suspension (NDLS) is a novel formulation developed to overcome toxicity issues caused by excipients (polysorbate 80 and ethanol) present in commercially available docetaxel formulation. We conducted a prospective, observational study to compare the outcomes of nanosomal docetaxel lipid suspension (NDLS)-based versus conventional docetaxel-based chemotherapy in primary operable breast cancer.

Methods: Sixty adult women with newly diagnosed stage IIb-III breast cancer were included.

Clinically Deployable Bioelectronic Sensing Platform for Ultrasensitive Detection of Transferrin in Serum Sample.

Varying levels of transferrin (Tf) have been associated with different disease conditions and are known to play a crucial role in various malignancies. Regular monitoring of the variations in Tf levels can be useful for managing related diseases, especially for the prognosis of certain cancers. We fabricated an immunosensor based on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to indirectly detect Tf levels in cancer patients.

Analyzing the drivers of cancer relapse: hypocalcemia and iron absorption in hormone-dependent female cancers.

Background: Alterations in the levels of nutrients like calcium, ferritin, and electrolytes play a pivotal role in human physiology and might serve as biomarkers. Ferritin, an iron storage protein is important in various metabolic reactions of both cancer and cancer stem cells (CSCs) and is found to regulate 'stemness' leading to cancer relapse. Interestingly, ferritin levels are found to be regulated by calcium uptake.

Comparison of tumor response following conventional versus drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization in early- and very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: To compare the safety of conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) vs drug-eluting bead TACE (DEB-TACE) in very early- and early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Data of patients with early- and very early-stage HCC treated with cTACE or DEB-TACE were evaluated retrospectively in this study. A total of 40 patients were included, 20 treated with cTACE and 20 with DEB-TACE.

CONCORDANCE: A real-world evidence study to evaluate the concordance of detecting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation by circulating tumor DNA* versus tissue biopsy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Molecular tissue testing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is done for the assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. EGFR mutation status is the basis for deciding the targeted treatment option for patients with metastatic NSCLC. The nonavailability of tissue samples and contraindications for biopsy pose a significant challenge.

Practical Consensus Recommendations for Optimizing Risk versus Benefit of Chemotherapy in Patients with HR Positive Her2 Negative Early Breast Cancer in India.

Breast cancer is a public health challenge globally as well as in India. Improving outcome and cure requires appropriate biomarker testing to assign risk and plan treatment. Because it is documented that significant ethnic and geographical variations in biological and genetic features exist worldwide, such biomarkers need to be validated and approved by authorities in the region where these are intended to be used.

Facial Nerve Schwannoma: The Rare/Great Mimicker of Vestibular Schwannoma/Neuroma.

Schwannomas are benign tumors arising from Schwann cells which are a protective casing of nerves, composing myelin sheath and can develop in any nerve where Schwann cells are present. Most common are vestibulocochlear nerve schwannomas. Facial nerve schwannomas (FNSs) are uncommon tumors involving seventh nerve of which geniculate ganglion involvement is most common.

Prevalence of and Mutations Among Patients With Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal, and Fallopian Tube Cancer in India: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: There are deficient data on prevalence of germline mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (/) in Indian patients with ovarian cancer who are not selected by clinical features.

Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional, noninterventional study in nine Indian centers included patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. The primary objective was to assess the prevalence of / mutations, and the secondary objective was to correlate / status with clinicopathologic characteristics.

Bioactive lipid-based therapeutic approach to COVID-19 and other similar infections.

COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Epithelial and T, NK, and other immunocytes release bioactive lipids especially arachidonic acid (AA) in response to microbial infections to inactivate them and upregulate the immune system. COVID-19 (coronavirus) and other enveloped viruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1 of 2002-2003) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS; 2012-ongoing) and hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) can be inactivated by AA, γ-linolenic acid (GLA, dihomo-GLA (DGLA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are precursors to several eicosanoids.

Shared Decision-Making and Medicolegal Aspects: Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care in India.

It is often difficult for people with cancer to make decisions for their care. The aim of this review is to understand the importance of shared decisionmaking (SDM) in Indian clinical scenario and identify the gaps when compared to practices in the Western world. A systematic search (2000-2019) was executed in Medline and Google Scholar using predefined keywords.

Efficacy and Safety of Nanosomal Docetaxel Lipid Suspension-Based Chemotherapy in Sarcoma: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanosomal docetaxel lipid suspension (NDLS, DoceAqualip) based chemotherapy in patients with sarcoma.

Methods: In this retrospective, multicenter (6 centers), observational study, we analyzed the medical charts of adult patients of either sex, who were treated with NDLS (75 mg/m in 3-weekly cycles) based chemotherapy for the treatment of sarcoma. The efficacy outcomes were overall response rate (ORR: complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)) and disease control rate (DCR: CR + PR + stable disease (SD)) in patients who received NDLS-based chemotherapy in neoadjuvant and metastatic settings.

Clinicopathological profile of lung cancer at a tertiary care center.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for majority of cases. AIMS: This study aims to study the clinical and pathological features of lung cancer patients treated at our institute between January 2011 and December 2016.

Interesting Skeletal Radiologic and Scintigraphic Outcomes and Their Logical Clinical Conclusions.

Skeletal scintigraphy with Tc-methylene diphosphonate and 18-fluorine-fluoride the main stay in cancer follow-up for early detection of skeletal metastasis often reveal confusing and conflicting findings requiring proper interpretation in conjunction with clinical-radiological correlation. A series of commonly encountered findings are presented for elucidation.

Dosimetric Comparison between Single and Dual Arc-Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiotherapy and Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using a Simultaneous Integrated Boost Technique.

Backround: Plan quality and performance of dual arc (DA) volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) , single arc (SA) VMAT and nine field (9F) intensity modulated radiotherapy were compared using a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique. Methods: Twelve patients treated in Elekta Synergy Platform (mlci2) by 9F-IMRT were replanned with SA/DA-VMAT using a CMS Monaco Treatment Planning System (TPS) with Monte Carlo simulation. Target delineation was conducted as per Radiation Therapy Oncology Protocols (RTOG0225 and 0615).

Safety and tolerability of Peg-grafeel, a pegfilgrastim, for the prophylactic treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia: A prospective, observational, postmarketing surveillance study in India.

Background: A granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, pegfilgrastim, is efficacious though expensive for prophylactic treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. Biologics available and accessible today, having acceptable safety-efficacy profiles, require postapproval studies for better understanding of such drugs in clinical settings.

Aim: This postmarketing surveillance study evaluated the safety of prophylactic Peg-grafeel (pegfilgrastim) in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Asymptomatic Emphysematous Pyelonephritis - Positron Emission Tomography Computerized Tomography Aided Diagnostic and Therapeutic Elucidation.

The authors report an interesting coincidental unearthing by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) of a potentially serious medical condition of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a case of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The management by conservative ureteric stenting and antibiotics was done with gratifying clinical outcome.

Time reducing exposure containing 18 fluorine flourodeoxyglucose master vial dispensing in hot lab: Omega technique.

Hot lab dispensing of large doses of 18 fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose in master vials supplied from the cyclotrons requires high degrees of skill to handle high doses. Presently practiced conventional method of fractionating from the inverted tiltable vial pig mounted on a metal frame has its own limitations such as increasing isotope handling times and exposure to the technologist. Innovative technique devised markedly improves the fractionating efficiency along with speed, precision, and reduced dose exposure.

Great cervical venous tumoral thrombosis of melanotic medullary carcinoma thyroid: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography enabled diagnosis and radiotherapy planning.

The authors report an extremely rare occurrence of a massive tumor thrombus involving right internal and external jugular veins extending into superior vena cava from a still rarer melanotic medullary carcinoma thyroid in the postoperative follow-up. The case was managed by hypofractionated intensity modulated radiotherapy technique with gratifying results.