Infertility can arise as a consequence of treatment of oncological conditions. The parallel and continued improvement in both the management of oncology and fertility cases in recent times has brought to the forefront the potential for fertility preservation in patients being treated for cancer. Many survivors will maintain their reproductive potential after the successful completion of treatment for cancer. However total body irradiation, radiation to the gonads, and certain high dose chemotherapy regimens can place women at risk for acute ovarian failure or premature menopause and men at risk for temporary or permanent azoospermia. Providing information about risk of infertility and possible interventions to maintain reproductive potential are critical for the adolescent and young adult population at the time of diagnosis. There are established means of preserving fertility before cancer treatment; specifically, sperm cryopreservation for men and in vitro fertilization and embryo cryopreservation for women. Several innovative techniques are being actively investigated, including oocyte and ovarian follicle cryopreservation, ovarian tissue transplantation, and in vitro follicle maturation, which may expand the number of fertility preservation choices for young cancer patients. Fertility preservation may also require some modification of cancer therapy; thus, patients' wishes regarding future fertility and available fertility preservation alternatives should be discussed before initiation of therapy.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Chemoport is an essential part of the management of children with cancer and provides long-term venous access. There are few studies from resource poor countries reporting complications of chemoport. Aims: This study was aimed at describing the complications of chemoport in patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed 200 patients <15 years of age who underwent chemoport insertion. The medical records of these patients were reviewed for the patient characteristics, diagnosis, nature of port use, port-related complications and their management. Results: A total of 209 ports were implanted in 200 patients and 24 ports were removed due to port-related complications. There were 122 boys and 78 girls whose ages ranged from 4 months to 13 years (median age 2.5 years). About72% of patients were <2 years old. The cumulative duration of catheterization was 54,100 days. Of 209 ports, there were 36 complications that led to the removal of 21 ports. Port-related infection was the most common infection observed in our study (0.66/1000 catheter days and 11.9%). Mechanical complications were seen in 9 patients. Venous thrombosis and skin necrosis occurred in one patient each. Conclusions: Use of chemoport is safe and is a boon for children with cancer in developing countries with incidence of complications similar to Western countries. Although use of chemoport is associated with complications, they are easily managed. With stringent catheter care by trained personnel, some complications can be prevented.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Very few hospital-based or population-based studies are published in the context to the epidemiologic profile of pediatric brain tumors (PBTs) in India and Indian subcontinent. Aim: To study the demographic and histopathologic profile of PBTs according to World Health Organization 2007 classification in a single tertiary health care center in India. Materials and Methods: Data regarding age, gender, topography, and histopathology of 76 pediatric patients (0–19 years) with brain tumors operated over a period of 24 months (January-2012 to December-2013) was collected retrospectively and analyzed using EpiInfo 7. Chi-square test and test of proportions (Z-test) were used wherever necessary. Results: PBTs were more common in males (55.3%) as compared to females (44.7%) with male to female ratio of 1.23:1. Mean age was 10.69 years. Frequency of tumors was higher in childhood age group (65.8%) when compared to adolescent age group (34.2%). The most common anatomical site was cerebellum (39.5%), followed by hemispheres (22.4%). Supratentorial tumors (52.6%) were predominant than infratentorial tumors (47.4%). Astrocytomas (40.8%) and embryonal tumors (29.0%) were the most common histological types almost contributing more than 2/3^rd of all tumors. Craniopharyngiomas (11.8%) and ependymomas (6.6%) were the third and fourth most common tumors, respectively. Conclusion: Astrocytomas and medulloblastomas are the most common tumors among children and adolescents in our region, which needs special attention from the neurosurgical department of our institute. Demographic and histopathologic profile of cohort in the present study do not differ substantially from that found in other hospital-based and population-based studies except for slight higher frequency of craniopharyngiomas.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate occupational risk factors associated with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: In this case–control study, control group included patients who referred to a specialized clinic in the same city and hospitals where patients had been registered. Data were entered into SPSS software. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated for occupational variables and other characteristics. Then, using logistic regression, the association between cancer and drugs was studied while smoking was controlled. Results: Cigarette smoking, even after quitting, was also associated with bladder cancer (OR = 2.549). Considering the classification of occupations, the OR of working in metal industry in patients was 10.629. Multivariate analysis showed that use of the drug by itself can be a risk factor for bladder cancer. Drug abuse together with the control of smoking increased the risk of bladder cancer by 4.959. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, contact with metal industries such as welding, and working with tin was found as a risk factor for bladder cancer. In addition, cigarette smoking and opium abuse individually were associated with bladder cancer.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Aims: In urothelial tumors of the urinary bladder, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)/neu expression has been reported over 10 years, but there is no clear correlation between prognosis and recurrence rate. The present study evaluates prognostic implication of HER-2/neu expression. Subjects and Methods: In this study, 100 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of primary transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were processed. HER-2/neu monoclonal antibody immunohistochemistry staining procedure used for the study. Results: A total of 70 (70%) patients were positive for overexpression of HER-2/neu. HER-2/neu was positive in patients with 42 (70%) superficial tumor, 28 (70%) muscle invasive tumor, 41 (75.9%) high-grade tumor, 29 (63%) low grade tumor, 31 (68.9%) recurrent tumor, and 6 (66.6%) had positive lymph nodes. Conclusions: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu over expression was not correlated with the tumor stage, lymphnode metastasis or recurrence of the disease. HER-2/neu overexpression was statistically insignificantly correlated with the differentiation grade (P < 0.161) as compared to previous studies. Future studies on HER-2 expression with chemo-sensitivity and efficacy of HER-2-targeted therapies in urothelial carcinomas is needed.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Objectives: The objective was to compare perioperative morbidity and mortality of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated with either of the two treatment approaches; neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by interval debulking versus upfront surgery. Design: Prospective comparative observational study. Participants: In total, 51 patients were included in the study. All patients with diagnosed advanced EOC (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics IIIC and IV) presenting for the 1^st time were included in the study. Interventions: Patients were either operated upfront (n = 19) if deemed operable or were subjected to NACT followed by interval debulking (n = 32). Primary and Secondary Outcomes: Intra- and postoperative morbidity and mortality were the primary outcome measures. Results: Patients with interval cytoreduction were noted to have significantly lesser operative time, blood loss, and extent of surgery. Their discharge time was also significantly earlier. However, they did not differ from the other group vis. a vis. postoperative complications or mortality. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy although has a positive impact on various intraoperative adverse events, fails to show any impact on immediate postoperative negative outcomes.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Oral cancer ranks in the top three of all cancers in India, which accounts for over 30% of all cancers reported in the country. The micronucleus test (MNT) is one of the most widely applied short term tests used in genetic toxicology to evaluate the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. Aims: The present study aims at an in vivo cytogenetic analysis of human oral squamous cell carcinoma and to assess the applicability of MNT in diagnosing early detection of oral carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Exfoliated scrape smears were collected from the clinically diagnosed 136 patients suffering from oral precancerous and cancerous lesions. The wet fixed smears were stained by adopting Papanicolaou's staining protocol and counter-stained with Giemsa's solution. Results: The frequency of micronucleated cells has been observed to be in increasing order with the increase of the age-groups and from control to precancerous to cancerous cases significantly in both sexes. Conclusion: Micronucleus formation in the oral mucosa could be a biomarker of genetic damage and also a potential onco-indicator in the long run of oral carcinogenesis. Therefore, MNT can be applied for the early detection of oral carcinoma in the human being.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Objective: The objective was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of oral potentially malignant disorders (PMD) among industrial workers of Udupi taluk, Karnataka. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of industrial workers aged >18 years from randomly selected industries in Udupi Taluk. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the participants to assess sociodemographic factors and abusive habits (Tobacco, Alcohol, and Betel quid) followed by clinical oral examination by single trained and calibrated examiner. Results: A total of 396 completed all steps of the survey and were included for analysis. A total of 14, 11.4, and 14.4% were tobacco, alcohol, and betel quid users, respectively. A total of 8.6% (n = 34) have at least one PMD. A significantly higher number of participants with single (11.4%) or combined habits (60.4%) had oral lesions while none of the participants without habits reported any oral lesions (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Prevalence of abusive habits and oral premalignant lesions or conditions was substantial among the workers. The cause and effect relationship and dose-response were also shown to be significantly associated. Prevention and early diagnosis through workplace screening are the major cornerstones for the control of oral cancer.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

Background: Geographical distributional of gastric cancer (GC), differences in stage at the time of presentation and varying surgical expertise have resulted in different management strategies around the world. The aim of this study is to determine postoperative morbidity/mortality and overall survival in patients with GC treated at a cancer hospital in Pakistan. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent for GC from June 2006 to July 2012 was performed. Primary end point was overall survival after a minimum follow-up of 15 months. For categorical data, frequencies were calculated, and means were measured for continuous variables. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical data and Kaplan–Meir survival analysis was performed to estimate 5 years survival outcome using SPSS. Results: Majority of the patients were males with median age of 51 years. Perioperative chemotherapy was offered to 75 patients while upfront surgery was performed in 23 patients. In perioperative chemotherapy group 51 patients and 22 in the upfront surgery group ended up having curative resection. The 5 years survival (n = 98) was found to be of 37%. The 5 years survival of patients in perioperative chemotherapy group (n = 75) was 44% while those who had a curative resection (n = 73) had survival of 46%. Conclusion: Gastric adenocarcinoma is an aggressive disease. Perioperative chemotherapy works well in Pakistani population as the results at our institution are comparable with international data.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

Background: Concurrent chemoradiation is currently considered to be the standard of care in the treatment of head and neck cancer. In developing countries like ours, a good number of patients cannot tolerate chemoradiation because of the poor general condition and financial constraints. Those patients are treated with radiation alone. The optimum radiotherapy (RT) schedule for best local control and acceptable toxicity is not yet clear. We aimed to find out whether shortening of treatment time using six instead of five RT fractions per week improves the locoregional control in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective randomized study for a period of 2 years from September 2007 to August 2009 in 109 untreated patients of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck with histologically confirmed diagnosis and no evidence of distant metastasis. Study group (55 patients) received accelerated RT with 6 fractions per week (66 Gy/33#/51/2 weeks). Control group (54 patients) received conventional RT with 5 fractions per week (66 Gy/33#/61/2 weeks). Tumor control, survival, acute and late toxicities were assessed. Results: At a median follow-up of 43 months, 29 patients (52.7%) in the 6 fractions group and 24 patients (44.4%) in the 5 fractions group were disease-free (P = 0.852). The benefit of shortening was higher for advanced disease control though it was not statistically significant. Grade 3 and 4 skin toxicity was significantly higher in the accelerated RT (70.9%) arm as compared to conventional (35.1%) arm (P = 0.04). Grade 3 mucositis was significantly higher in the accelerated RT arm (32.7% vs. 16.6%; P = 0.041). Those acute toxicities were managed conservatively. There was no difference in late toxicities between the two arms. Conclusion: Use of 6 fractions per week instead of 5 fractions per week is feasible, tolerable, and results in a better outcome in the patients of head and neck cancers.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

Background: As an alternate to open surgery, laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is currently being performed in many centers, and has gained a wide clinical acceptance. The aim of this review article is to compare oncologic adequacy and safety of LG with open surgery for gastric adenocarcinomas with respect to lymphadenectomy, short-term outcomes (postoperative morbidity and mortality) and long-term outcome (5 years overall survival and disease-free survival). Materials and Methods: PubMed was searched using query “LG” for literature published in English from January 2000 to April 2014. A total of 875 entries were retrieved. These articles were screened and 59 manuscripts ultimately formed the basis of current review. Results: There is high-quality evidence to support short-term efficacy, safety and feasibility of LG for gastric adenocarcinomas, although accounts on long-term survivals are still infrequent.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

[FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

[FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

[FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

[FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]

[FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]