Comparison study of quality of life in advanced lung cancer patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitor and platinum doublet chemotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is most common cause of cancer death in the world. Most of the patient are diagnosed in the late stages and receive only palliative treatment. The main objective of the palliative chemotherapy is to improve survival as well as the quality of life (QOL). QOL is the most neglected dimension of cancer care in developing countries like India. Palliative chemotherapeutic agent which has minimum toxicity and prolongs the survival of metastatic cancer patients is the need of the day. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 43 metastatic adenocarcinoma of lung patients of South Indian origin were enrolled. Twenty patients out of this 43 were epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation positive and were started on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Rest 23 patients were EGFR mutation negative and were started on various platinum-based doublet chemotherapy. QOL was measured using Cancer Institute QOL Questionnaire version 2 at the beginning of therapy and at the end of 3 months. RESULTS: Our study showed that metastatic lung cancer patients had average QOL at presentation. The QOL in patients on TKI improved compared to those on platinum doublet chemotherapy during the second assessment, but this improvement was statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: In this study, the metastatic lung cancer patients had an average QOL during initial presentation. Patients on TKI had a trend toward better QOL after 3 months of treatment compared to platinum doublet chemotherapy.

Oncology Gold Standard™ practical consensus recommendations 2016 for treatment of advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

The Oncology Gold Standard (OGS) Expert Group on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) developed the consensus statement to provide community oncologists practical guidelines on the management of advanced clear cell (cc) RCC using published evidence, practical experience of experts in real life management, and results of a nationwide survey involving 144 health-care professionals. Six broad question categories containing 33 unique questions cover major situations in the routine management of RCC. This document serves as a ready guide for the standard of care to optimize outcome. The table of "Take Home Messages" at the end is a convenient tool for busy practitioners.

Phase II study of interim PET-CT-guided response-adapted therapy in advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Combination chemotherapy ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarabazine) cures ∼70% of patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma (aHL, stages IIB, III and IV) while more toxic escalated BEACOPP (EB, combination of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone) increases cure rates to 85%. Patients with a positive interim positron emission tomography-computerized tomography (PET-CT) scan after two cycles (PET-2) of ABVD have very poor outcomes with continued ABVD. Intensifying therapy with EB in PET-2-positive patients ('response-adapted therapy') may improve cure rates, whereas the negative patients can continue ABVD alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients with newly diagnosed aHL received two cycles of ABVD and underwent PET-2 (scored with semi-quantitative 5-point visual criteria, 'Deauville score'). PET-2-negative patients continued four additional cycles of ABVD, whereas PET-2-positive patients received four cycles of EB. A phase II sample size of 50 was estimated keeping the lower and higher proportion of rejection of the event-free survival (EFS) as 70% and 85%, respectively. RESULTS: Fifty patients [median age 28 (12-60) years; male : female: 39 : 11; stages: IIB-3 (6%), III-29 (58%) and IV-18 (36%); International Prognostic Score (IPS): 0-3: 34 (68%); 4-7: 16 (32%)] were enrolled; 49 underwent PET-2. Eight (16%) were PET-2-positive, whereas 41 (84%) were negative. Forty-seven were evaluable for EFS and all 50 for overall survival (OS). The 2-year EFS was 76% (95% CI: 68-83) and OS was 88% (95% CI: 82-94). PET-2 was strongly prognostic-2-year EFS, negative versus positive: 82% versus 50%; P = 0.013. CONCLUSION: PET-2 response-adapted strategy could not achieve EFS of 85% in aHL. However, escalated therapy improved outcomes in PET-2-positive patients compared with historical data. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2012/06/002741 (http://www.ctri.nic.in) and NCT01304849 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Nutritional profile of pediatric cancer patients at Cancer Institute, Chennai.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is widely prevalent in the pediatric population in India. There is paucity of data on the prevalence of malnutrition in pediatric cancer patients and the impact of cancer treatment on nutritional status of Indian children. AIMS: The study was conducted to look at the prevalence of malnutrition and assess the impact of treatment on nutritional status of pediatric cancer patients. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on the weight of pediatric cancer patients <16 years of age treated at Cancer Institute, Chennai, from January 2013 to May 2014 were analyzed at systematic time points in therapy. Patients' weight were plotted on the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) growth charts. Patients were defined to be undernourished if their weight for age was ≤3rd centile in CDC growth charts and obese if their weight for age was ≥97th centile on CDC growth charts. RESULTS: A total of 295 patient case records were analyzed. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was the most common malignancy. At diagnosis, under-nutrition was seen in 44% patients, this increased to 46% midway during treatment (end of induction in acute leukemia and completion of 50% of planned treatment in solid tumors) and decreased to 27% at the end of treatment (beginning of maintenance in acute leukemia and completion of planned treatment in solid tumors) (P = 0.0005). There was no significant difference in nutritional status between patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors (P = 0.8). CONCLUSION: Under-nutrition is present in close to half of the pediatric cancer patients presenting to our institute. Active nutritional intervention and education were able to significantly reduce the prevalence of under-nutrition in patients at the end of treatment.

Dual surrogate markers for rapid prediction of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status in advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung: A novel approach in resource-limited setting.

INTRODUCTION: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic lung cancer in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Amplified refractory mutation system (ARMS)-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the current standard for detecting EGFR mutation status is time-consuming and highly expensive. Consequently any surrogate test which are cheaper, faster and as accurate as the PCR method will help in early diagnosis and management of patients with lung cancer, especially in resource-limited settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients, all of South Indian origin, with adenocarcinoma of lung, registered between October 2009 and January 2013, were evaluated for EGFR mutation status by using scorpion probe based ARMS RT-PCR method. Immunohistochemical (IHC) was performed using the phosphorylated AKT (P-AKT) and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) on above patient's sample, and the results were compared with EGFR mutation tests. RESULTS: EGFR mutation was positive in 34 of 85 patients (40%). P-AKT and TTF-1 were positive in 50 (58.8%) and 68 (80%) patients respectively. Both P-AKT and TTF-1 had statistically significant correlation with EGFR mutation status. Positive and negative predictive value of P-AKT in diagnosing EGFR mutation was 58% and 85.5% and that for TTF-1 was 48.5% and 94.1%, respectively. The problem of low positive predictive value can partly be overcome by testing P-AKT and TTF-1 simultaneously. CONCLUSION: P-AKT and TTF-1 using IHC had statistically significant correlation with EGFR mutation with high negative predictive value. In the case of urgency of starting treatment, EGFR mutation testing may be avoided in those patients who are negative for these IHC markers and can be started on chemotherapy.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor: analysis of outcome and correlation with c-kit status in Indian population.

AIMS: The aim of the present study is to analyse the outcome and genotypic pattern of metastatic GIST patients which is largely unknown in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a retrospective analysis of 24 patients of metastatic GIST. The case records were analysed for clinical profile, treatment response and prognostic factors. The archival samples were retrieved for c-kit mutation analysis in all but 5 patients for mutation analysis. RESULTS: The median age of the study population was 56 years. At a median follow up of 29 months, the PFS was 45% at 2 years. Activating c-kit mutations were detected in 10 cases (52.6%). 80% of the mutations were located in Exon 11. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of metastatic GIST patients has definitely improved from a virtually incurable state to a disease where median OS has reached 60 months. The genotype of Indian patients with GIST may be different from the western population which needs to be confirmed in a larger study.

Bloodstream infections in pediatric patients at Cancer Institute, Chennai.

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of data on the epidemiology of bloodstream infections in pediatric cancer patients from India. Rationale use of antibiotics in febrile neutropenia is important for reducing morbidity and preventing the emergence of drug resistant bacteria. AIMS: The study was conducted to look at the prevalence of bloodstream bacterial infection and the antibiotic resistance profile at Cancer Institute, Chennai. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on all blood cultures taken from pediatric cancer patients treated at Cancer Institute, Chennai, during the year 2013 were analyzed. The microbiological profile and sensitivity pattern were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1045 blood culture samples were taken, and there were 82/1045 (7.5%) positive blood cultures. Gram-negative organisms accounted for 50/82 (61%) of all positive cultures. Klebsiella pneumoniae (32%) was the most common Gram-negative isolate, and Staphylococcus aureus (93.5%) was the most common Gram-positive. There was high resistance to aminoglycosides and beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor antibodies. CONCLUSION: Gram-negative organisms are the predominant bacteria isolated. There is high resistance to first-line combination antibiotics used as empiric therapy for treatment of febrile neutropenia.

Factors predicting outcome in high risk febrile neutropenia in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy for acute sleukemia: A prospective, observational study from South India.

BACKGROUND: Outcome of febrile neutropenia (FN) in acute leukemia patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy from India is scanty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, observational, single institutional study was conducted to evaluate the clinical features, microbiological aspects, risk factors influencing the outcome of high risk FN during intensive therapy in acute leukemia. RESULTS: Among 115 febrile episodes, though 94 (81.7%) had indwelling central venous catheter (CVC) at the time of diagnosis of FN, infective foci clinically were identified in 70.4% of episodes, with lung as the major site (25.2%) followed by CVC (17.4%). Microbiological documentation was possible in 33% (n = 40) episodes. Gram-negative bacteria isolates were 58.3% and Gram-positive isolates were 41.7% of which Pseudomonas was the predominant Gram-negative and Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Gram-positive isolate. Piperacillin-tazobactam + amikacin were used as first line antibiotic in 93% episodes and second line antibiotics were necessary in 73% episodes. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor was used in 60.9% episodes of high risk FN mostly in acute myeloid leukemia consolidation patients. Eighteen episodes (15.7%) were assigned to have invasive fungal disease. Eleven (9.6%) out of 115 high risk FN had a fatal outcome. Presence of pulmonary infection predicted for fatal outcome (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This study reports the outcome of high risk FN in patients with acute leukemia undergoing intensive chemotherapy. Gram-negative isolates are highly sensitive to piperacillin-tazobactum and hence in a cost restraint scenario, carbapenems needs to be judiciously used. Focus of Infection in lungs during FN predicted higher fatal outcomes.