Prevalence and Patterns of Polysubstance Use (Tobacco and Other Substances) and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in a High-Risk Cohort for Oral Cancer in Varanasi, India, with a Special Focus on Young Emerging Adults.

Introduction: The dearth of population-based data on polysubstance use, especially in young emerging adults, presents a critical gap in understanding public health challenges, particularly in rural India, where tobacco and oral cancer are prevalent. This study addresses this gap by investigating the prevalence and patterns of substance use, with a focus on young emerging adults (18-29 years) within a high-risk cohort for oral cancer in Varanasi, India.

Methods: The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 10,101 participants within a high-risk cohort in rural settings of the Varanasi district between December 2020-June 2023.

Inhibiting de novo lipogenesis identifies a therapeutic vulnerability in therapy-resistant colorectal cancer.

A significant clinical challenge in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), which adversely impacts patient survival, is the development of therapy resistance leading to a relapse. Therapy resistance and relapse in CRC is associated with the formation of lipid droplets (LD) by stimulating de novo lipogenesis (DNL). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the increase in DNL and the susceptibility to DNL-targeted therapies remain unclear.

Plasma transfusion in the intensive care unit.

Background: Current guidelines discourage prophylactic plasma use in non-bleeding patients. This study assesses global plasma transfusion practices in the intensive care unit (ICU) and their alignment with current guidelines.

Study Design And Methods: This was a sub-study of an international, prospective, observational cohort.

Health benefits package selection in oncology: a clinical audit of palliative chemotherapy for breast cancer in an Indian health insurance scheme.

Background: The effective operation of health insurance requires functioning administrative processes, including appropriate filing for reimbursements. The unlisted palliative care package is one of the most utilized oncology packages within Indian state health insurance schemes. We conducted a clinical audit to evaluate the appropriateness of claims for this package for patients with breast cancer.

Enigma of Gastric Teratoma in Infants: A Case Series.

Gastric teratomas are an extremely rare variety of teratomas in children. The aim of our series is to present the natural history and progression of the disease. Retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data of all the gastric teratoma patients treated at our center was done from their electronic medical records.

Fusion-Positive Sarcomas: Two Additional Cases of an Emerging Soft Tissue Tumor Entity.

fusion-positive sarcomas constitute an emerging subtype of undifferentiated sarcomas, histopathologically composed of epithelioid and spindle cells. We describe two fusion-positive sarcomas occurring in the occipital region of a 53-year-old female patient and the left shoulder of a 25-year-old male patient. Histopathologically, the former tumor comprised spindle and polygonal-shaped/epithelioid cells, while the latter comprised epithelioid cells.

Unusual "Mini-Rugby Ball" Pattern Solitary Lung Metastasis in Relapsed Ewing's Sarcoma.

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a mesenchymal origin malignant neoplasm that affects children and adolescents. It is the second most common type of bone sarcoma and accounts for approximately 1.5% of all childhood cancers with an annual incidence of 1 to 3 cases per million children under 16 years of age.

Aggressive Metastatic Insulinoma in a Patient of Diabetes Mellitus with Documentation on Dual-Tracer PET-CT ([68Ga]Ga-DOTATATE and [18F]FDG): Clinical Benefits with Combined Chemo-PRRT Approach.

Insulinoma is a relatively uncommon pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, with approximately 10% of the cases being malignant. Diabetes mellitus (DM) with concurrent insulinoma is very rare and the diagnosis of such condition is easily missed as it can be misconstrued as improved glycemic control. Therefore, persistent hypoglycemic symptoms even after stopping antidiabetic medications may be considered for insulinoma.

A Rare and Intriguing Case of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Tumor Thrombus Extending into the Right Ventricle: Documentation with I-NaI-SPECT/CT, MRI, and F-FDG-PET/CT.

A unique case of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with an extensive tumor thrombus extending into the right ventricle is presented. The patient was a known case of solid variant of papillary carcinoma of thyroid, post three cycles of radioiodine therapy, had reported for a diagnostic I-NaI scintigraphy as a part of the workup for planning the next I therapy. Clinically, the patient was asymptomatic.

Portal Venous Tumor Thrombosis and Visceral Organ Metastasis without Skeletal Involvement in mCRPC: Adverse Prognostic Indicators on Dual Tracer PET/CT and Clinical Outcome after Lu-PSMA-617 PRLT and Cabazitaxel Therapy.

Prostate cancer involving visceral organs are occurrences in the later disease course, usually following regional nodal and skeletal involvement, and are refractory to conventional treatment. A 61-year-old male patient presented with locally advanced disease at presentation, which progressed on androgen deprivation therapy and systemic therapy with involvement of the visceral organs (lungs and liver). Portal venous tumor thrombosis involving the right and main branch was also observed on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which showed intense uptake on Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT) and F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT ( F-FDG-PET/CT).

Metachronous Second Primary in the Form of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Following Treatment of Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Dual Tracer PET/CT Findings Highlighting SSTR2 Expression and Its Theranostic Implications.

Patients of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) experience increased risk of developing second primary cancer (SPC) necessitating active surveillance during their disease course. SPCs are associated with poor prognosis and are the leading cause of long-term morbidity and mortality impacting survival of patients with HNSCC. Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SmNEC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm with poor prognosis and high risk of local recurrence and distant metastasis.

Outcomes Based on Histological Tumor Necrosis and Predictive Clinical and Laboratory Parameters for Necrosis in Children With Osteosarcoma Treated on a Non-High Dose Methotrexate-Based Chemotherapy Backbone.

Background: Histopathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) measured as tumor necrosis (TN) has been reported to be prognostic post-high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX)-based chemotherapy. We studied this on a non-HDMTX chemotherapy backbone.

Materials And Methods: Children ≤15 years, with osteosarcoma treated on OGS-2012 protocol and surgery post NACT from January 2013 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Role of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (Hong Kong liver cancer stage IIB).

Introduction: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has an established role in advanced HCC. The present study evaluates the role of TACE as a neoadjuvant modality in the management of intermediate HCC [Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) stage IIB].

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of HCC patients treated between January 2010 and August 2022 was performed.

Predictors of Understaging with EUS and PET-CECT in Early Esophageal Carcinoma.

Background: The clinicoradiological staging for esophageal cancer is fraught with variable accuracy, potentially depriving patients who have been understaged of the benefit of neoadjuvant therapy, which has been shown to improve long-term survival in locally advanced malignancies. It is imperative to identify these high-risk tumors for tailored treatment.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospective database of patients undergoing esophagectomy for carcinoma esophagus between 2011 and 2019.

A Prospective Longitudinal Study to Demonstrate the Utility of the Palliative Prognostic Index in Forecasting the Short-term Survival of Patients with Advanced Cancer in India.

Objectives: In this study, our primary objectives were to validate the palliative prognostic index (PPI) tool in the context of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer. Specifically, we aimed to assess the accuracy of the PPI in predicting actual survival in these patients through prospective validation.

Materials And Methods: To achieve our objectives, we enrolled a cohort of 227 advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care.

Clinical outcomes of abbreviated high dose-rate brachytherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer: lessons from the COVID pandemic for high dose-rate fractionation.

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes of cervical cancer patients treated with abbreviated high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) that used 2-implants and delivered 4-5 fractions over 7-12 days rather than 21-28 days.

Materials And Methods: Patients with stage IB2-IVA cervical cancer, treated with external beam radiation (EBRT) ± chemotherapy followed by abbreviated MR/CT-based HDR-BT were included. The planning aim was to achieve > 70Gy equivalent doses in 2Gy (EQD2) at Point A dose in patients undergoing intracavitary BT (ICBT) and > 85Gy EQD2 to the HRCTV in intracavitary-interstitial BT (IC-ISBT).

Indian Brachytherapy Society consensus recommendations for brachytherapy in breast cancer.

Purpose: This consensus statement of Indian Brachytherapy Society (IBS) aims to generate practical and reproducible guidelines allowing for direct implementation in the Indian scenario.

Material And Methods: IBS board of directors appointed a panel of physicians with expertise in breast cancer and, in particular, breast brachytherapy, to develop a consensus statement. First, a literature review on breast brachytherapy was conducted, focusing on randomized trials, prospective studies, and multi-institutional series.

RAPID-CRISPR: Highly Sensitive Diagnostic Assay for Detection of PML-RARA Isoforms in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), distinguished by the presence of PML-RARA fusion transcript, is a medical emergency due to its high early death rate, which is preventable when diagnosed early. Current diagnostic methods are precise and reliable but are time-intensive, require sophisticated instruments and analytical expertise. This study has Redefined APL IDentification by CRISPR system (RAPID-CRISPR) to rapidly (<3hrs) detect PML-RARA.