17 research outputs found
Sociodemographic parameters of Esophageal Cancer in northwest India: A regional cancer center experience of 10 years
No full textBackground: Despite various advances in the treatment of Esophageal Cancer (EC), being one of the least responsive tumors to cancer therapy, the overall prognosis remains poor. Therefore, it is significant to understand various sociodemographic factors associated with EC to find out various schemes for primary prevention of the disease. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of medical records of the EC patients registered in the regional cancer center of northwest India from January 2003 to December 2012. The site of the disease and the histology were also recorded in addition to the various sociodemographic parameters. Results: Out of 55,742 patients registered in our hospital; 3,667 were diagnosed to have EC. Male:female ratio was 1.15:1. The mean age was 54.6 ± 11.74 years; 66.15% of the patients were illiterate and 48.6% belonged to the low socioeconomic status. Smoking and alcohol consumption were identified as risk factors in 48 and 25.6% of the patients, respectively. Conclusions: The etiology in majority of the patients is linked to tobacco and alcohol, thus, modification of life style with limiting the use of addictions may be an effective strategy in the prevention of this dreaded and mostly incurable disease
A case report of all-trans retinoic acid-induced pseudotumor cerebri in an adult patient of acute promyelocytic leukemia
Get PDFAll-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a derivative of vitamin A, is the first line drug for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). At the same time, ATRA is also associated with various side effects, including some life threatening conditions. We describe a case of ATRA-induced pseudotumor cerebri in an adult patient of APL
Analysis of outcomes and prognostic factors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients treated by MCP841 protocol: A regional cancer center experience
No full textBackground: A dramatic improvement in the survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in the last three decades has been observed. MCP 841 protocol is an old but effective tool with tolerable toxicities. The objective of this study was to estimate the relapse-free survival of ALL patients treated uniformly with MCP 841 protocol on the basis of various prognostic factors. Materials and Methods: The study design was retrospective and it was conducted in a regional cancer center of Northwest India. Three hundred and ten ALL patients who underwent treatment with MCP 841 protocol and regular follow-up for up to 5 years were selected for this study. Relapse-free survival was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazards ratio (HR) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for windows version 20.0. Results: Fifty-four percent patients were 1 lakh/cmm had 41% survival [HR 2.14 (1.76-2.48) with, P < 0.001]. Conclusion: MCP 841 protocol is a useful tool for the treatment of ALL in children when more aggressive protocols can not be used
Myoepithelioma of parotid: A case report and review of literature
No full textMyoepithelioma (ME) is a rarely encountered tumor of salivary gland accounting for about 1% of all salivary gland tumors. Though they were first identified long back, still their histopathologic features and immunohistochemistry (IHC) profile are not well characterized and there is no definitive criterion for this tumor with complex and varied features remaining a major barrier. We present a case of parotid enlargement in an 18-year-old girl in whom the IHC studies of superficial parotidectomy specimen revealed positive staining for Cytokeratin 5/6, HMW CK, Smooth muscle actin (SMA), S100, calponin, vimentin, and p63. CD45, EMA, CK7, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), BerEP4, GCDFP-15, and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-stained negative. With these IHC findings, the diagnosis of ME of parotid was established. This report highlights the importance of IHC studies along with a brief review of the literature
Cancer related fatigue: A ubiquitous problem yet so under reported, under recognized and under treated
No full textBackground: Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is a problem that is highly under reported, under recognized and thus, under treated. About 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy experience CRF, making it the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy fatigue (FACIT-F) version-4 is a 13 item questionnaire that has been used to measure the level of fatigue of cancer patients during their daily activities over the past 7 days. Materials and Methods: 92 patients of age 18 years and above attending the oncology Out Patient Department (OPD) of a regional cancer center were recruited in this study and were given FACIT-F questionnaire. The relevant sociodemographic parameters were obtained from the medical records of the patients. The internal consistency of the 13 items was measured using the Cronbach′s alpha. Results: The Cronbach alpha coefficient for FACIT-F scale in our study was found to be 0.74. Kendall′s coefficient of concordance was estimated to be 0.080. The correlation between Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and mean score of FACIT-F was studied, Pearson correlation coefficient was estimated to be 0.271 (P = 0.009). Conclusions: FACIT-F is a brief, simple, easy to administer and patient friendly tool to measure the fatigue in last 7 days. CRF should be given adequate attention from the beginning of the treatment to improve the quality of life of cancer patients
Addition of magnetic resonance imaging to computed tomography-based three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning for postoperative treatment of astrocytomas: Changes in tumor volume and isocenter shift
No full textIntroduction: Postoperative radiotherapy is the current gold standard treatment in astrocytomas. Computed tomography (CT)-based radiotherapy planning leads to either missing of the tumor volume or underdosing. The aim of this prospective study was to study the changes in tumor volume on addition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to CT-based three-dimensional radiotherapy treatment planning of astrocytomas. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients of astrocytoma (WHO grades I-IV) for postoperative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy were included in this prospective study. Postoperative tumor volumes were contoured on CT-based images and recontoured on CT-MRI images after automated MRI co-registration on treatment planning system Eclipse 8.9.15 as per ICRU-50 report. Tumor volumes were compared with each other. Result: The MRI-based mean and median tumor volume was 24.24 cc ± 13.489 and 18.72 cc (range 5.6-46.48 cc), respectively, while for CT it was 19.4 cc ± 11.218 and 16.24 cc (range: 5.1-38.72 cc), respectively. The mean and median isocenter shift between CT and MRI was 4.05 mm and 4.39 mm (range 0.92-6.32 mm), respectively. There is a linear relationship between MRI and CT volume with a good correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.989, and MRI-based tumor volume was 1.208 times as compared to CT volume. Statistical analysis using paired sample t-test for the difference in CT and MRI tumor volume was highly significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Addition of MRI to the CT-based three-dimensional radiation treatment planning reduces the chances of geographical miss or tumor under dosing. Thus, MRI should be an integral part of three-dimensional planning of astrocytomas
Management of uveal tract melanoma: A comprehensive review
No full textAbstractUveal tract melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults, accounting for about 5–10% of all the melanomas. Since there are no lymphatic vessels in the eye, uveal melanoma can only spread hematogenously leading to liver metastasis. A wide variety of treatment modalities are available for its management, leading to dilemma in selecting the appropriate therapy. This article reviews the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available and thus, can help to individualize the treatment plan for each patient
Levofloxacin induced psychosis: a rare case report
Get PDFLevofloxacin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic for treating bacterial infections in routine clinical practice. A wide range of side-effects have been ascribed to the quinolone group of drugs, the most common being gastrointestinal. Central nervous system is rarely involved; neuropsychiartic complications are among the least reported adverse reactions. We report a rare case of levofloxacin induced acute psychosis in a young male presenting in out-patient department with signs of urinary tract infection along with pneumonitis
Scattered radiation to gonads: Role of testicular shielding for para-aortic and homolateral illiac nodal radiotherapy
No full textAbstractBackgroundScattered radiation to organs at risk deserves great attention during radiotherapy especially when the concern is about fertility. Minimizing the delivery of scattered radiation to the gonads while treating abdominal nodes or pelvic fields in male patients requires adequate shielding of the testes to preserve testicular functions. We constructed a testicular shield with cerrobend for the purpose of treatment of seminoma of testis stage I and IIA disease.Materials & methodsAn outer shell of coconut of required dimensions was taken as a base over which cerrobend was poured to obtain two semi-spherical half testicular shields. Five patients of seminoma early stage (stage I and IIA) were treated with this testicular shield.ResultsThe estimated total dose received by the testis by scatter radiation after completion of the treatment was 0.115Gy (0.28%) of total mid-plane dose of 40Gy delivered by inverted Y field. At a distance of 8cm from the inferior field border the 2cm thick cerrobend testicular shield provided a shielding factor of 3.2/0.3=10.33.ConclusionsWith proper testicular shielding, doses as low as 0.28% of the prescribed dose can be achieved. This low dose is believed to maintain the fertility of the patient
