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Introduction Colorectal cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world. For loco-regionally confined disease surgery is the definitive treatment. An adequate surgical pathology report is mandatory for the selection of adjuvant therapy. The objective of this study is to analyze whether adequate information is provided or not in the surgical pathology reports of colorectal carcinoma as according to College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines. Method This is a cross-sectional study carried out in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) Karachi, tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The duration of the study was from February 2020 to January 2021. A total of 153 surgical pathology reports issued by 11 different hospital-based laboratories after definitive surgery was assessed to look at its concordance rate with the checklist adapted from the CAP guidelines. Results Out of 153 surgical pathology reports, clinical information was provided in 72.5% of reports. Details of tumor extension were present in 88.2%, tumor margin in 75%, surgical procedure in 79%, and tumor deposits in 39.2% of reports. Macroscopic details including tumor perforation and evaluation of mesorectum were documented in 51.6% and 53.5% of the reports respectively. Details regarding perineural invasion along with lymphovascular invasion were present in 81.6% and 93% of the reports, respectively. The treatment effect was documented in only 25% of reports and regional lymph node status has been described in 85% of reports. Parameters described in all surgical pathology reports were: tumor site, tumor type, histologic type, and histologic grade. The pathological stage of the disease was documented in 91.5% of the reports. Conclusion This study concluded that surgical pathology reports of the majority of pathology laboratories were not fully adhered to the checklist provided by the CAP guidelines. This will affect post-operative management along with the prediction of disease prognosis.
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Introduction Primary care interval is the time duration from a patient's first presentation to the final diagnosis. Ewing's sarcoma is a rare small round blue cell bone tumor originating from neuroectoderm and undifferentiated neuroepithelial cells, having an annual incidence of approximately one case per million in the United States. In this study, we analyzed the age pattern among patients diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma undergoing management, along with associated features including involved site, regional lymphadenopathy, and distant metastasis at the time of presentation and their correlation with the primary care interval. Methods This is a cross-sectional study carried out at the Oncology department of a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The duration of our study was from January 2020 to December 2020. During this period, all patients with proven diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma between ages 10 years and 65 years were included in the study. All the participants of the study were divided into groups, based on the age and site of the tumor. Results A total of 895 cases of bone cancer were reported. Among these, 147 cases (16.4%) had Ewing's sarcoma. Of these patients, 88 were male (60%) while 59 (40%) were female. The mean age of patients was 18.9 ± 3.2 years. Ewing's sarcoma most commonly occurred during 15 to 20 years of age. The most common region involved was lower limb (n=76, 52%) followed by upper limb (n=63, 43%) followed by pelvis (n=8, 5.4%). Conclusion The peak time for the occurrence of Ewing's sarcoma is from 15 years to 20 years of age. Regional painful swelling is the most common presenting feature in our study population. Factors causing a prolonged primary care interval include early age of onset, non-specific clinical presentation, and insufficient knowledge of the primary care physician, which results in poor prognosis. Hence, it is important to consider Ewing's sarcoma as a differential on the first presentation especially in the high-risk age group.
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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the response rate of Cisplatin plus Docetaxel in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a longitudinal study, conducted at the Department of Medical Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, Pakistan from December 2018 to June 2019. One hundred patients of age 14-66 years of age of either gender with histologically proven Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, Stage III and IV (locally advanced) with no distant metastases were included in the study. Patients who were declared unresectable by the otolaryngologist and those with delayed appointment for radiation were given 3 cycles of Induction Chemotherapy with Cisplatin and Docetaxel, both at a dose of 75mg/m2 3 weekly. After 3 cycles, CT scan was repeated to assess the clinical response. Those patients who had partial or complete response as per RECIST criteria were re-assessed by the otolaryngologist and were planned for surgery if disease became resectable while other patients were referred for Concurrent Chemo-Radiation Therapy (CCRT). SPSS version 23 was used to analyze data. RESULTS: The partial response was achieved in majority of the patients after Induction Chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Cisplatin (62%) with a complete response in 12 %. However, 22% showed progression of the disease, and 4% showed stable disease. The most frequent side effects observed were diarrhea (62%) and neutropenia (57%). CONCLUSION: Induction chemotherapy with Cisplatin and Docetaxel is a promising regimen with good response and favorable toxicity profile and can be considered as a potentially effective outpatient regimen for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck.