Liquid biopsy: A potential and promising diagnostic tool for advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients.

More than 50% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases harbor an actionable mutation, and molecular testing at different intervals can help in personalized and targeted treatment. Core tissue biopsy and needle biopsy done at the time of diagnosis/disease progression are interventional, time-consuming and can affect the patients adversely. Noninterventional biomarker testing by liquid biopsy promises to revolutionize advanced stage cancer screening. The present report was formulated based on an expert panel meeting of renowned oncologists who gave their opinions for minimally invasive liquid biopsy to detect targetable molecular biomarkers in advanced NSCLC cases. An exhaustive literature search was done to support their recommendations. Clinical utility of minimally invasive liquid biopsy, for detection of molecular biomarkers in advanced stage NSCLC patients, was broadly discussed by the key opinion leaders.

Hybrid (COPP/ABV) therapy in childhood Hodgkin's disease: a study of 53 cases during 1989-1993 at the Cancer Institute, Madras.

The optimal therapy for children with Hodgkin's disease is controversial. Between 1989 and 1993, 53 children under 14 years of age with Hodgkin's disease were treated with COPP/ABV (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisolone/adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine) hybrid chemotherapy. The results were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier product limit method for survival and the Logrank test for predicting statistical significance. Ten patients (18.87%) had early-stage disease (I to IIA) and 43 (81.13%) had advanced disease. Lymphocyte-predominant histology was seen in 20 (37.5%) patients, nodular sclerosis in 8 (15%), mixed cellularity in 21 (39.6%), and lymphocyte depletion in 4 (7.56%). The male:female ratio was 3.82:1. Complete responses were seen in 51 (96.22%) patients, with 47 (92.15%) of them in sustained first remission. The event-free survival rate is 90.3% to date. COPP/ABV hybrid chemotherapy is an effective primary therapy for all stages of Hodgkin's disease in children.