Parents' acceptance and regret about end of life care for children who died due to malignancy.

PURPOSE: To analyse the preference of end of life care place in paediatric oncology patients, and to understand the end of life care needs and regrets among the care givers. METHOD: This was an observational qualitative study. Parents of in-curable paediatric malignancy patients who died during the years 2016-2018 were interviewed using a pre-formed open-ended questionnaire. Fears during the last phase of child's life, most disturbing symptoms, choice of end of life care plan, regret of care givers and reasons for such choices were noted and analysed. RESULT: Twenty six families were interviewed. A median of 3 months of discordance was noted between declaration of in-curability and acceptance of the same by the family. During terminal months, pain (84.62%) was described as the most bothersome symptom followed by respiratory distress (73.08%). Eighteen families (69%) opted for home-based terminal care, 8 (31%) for hospital-based terminal care. Regret of choice was noted in 62.5% families of the hospital-based care group (separation from home environment being the main reason) and 38.89% of the home-based care group (lack of access to health care personnel and pain medication being the main reasons). CONCLUSION: Home-based care is the preferred option for end of life care by the care givers. Lack of community-based terminal care support system and availability of analgesics are the main areas to work on in India.

Primary monophasic synovial sarcoma of the lung: Rare case report.

Primary monophasic synovial sarcoma of the lung is an extremely rare malignant mesenchymal tumor that can develop at any anatomic site. Synovial sarcoma is considered a high grade tumor with a poor prognosis. Metastatic pulmonary sarcoma is much more common. Hence primary lesion elsewhere in the body needs exclusion. No clinical or radiological features are specific for pulmonary sarcoma, often it is confused with bronchogenic carcinoma. Therefore biopsy is needed to establish the diagnosis of this rare tumor. We hereby present two cases of histologically proven primary monophasic synovial sarcoma of lung. The imaging features of this rare disease is reviewed.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of pancreas in a patient with chronic pancreatitis: A rare case report.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of pancreas is a rare malignant neoplasm. It has been reported as case reports only, hence clinical information is limited. Here, we present a case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of pancreas in a 47-year-old female with a background history of chronic pancreatitis. Patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy; however, she did not respond to the treatment protocol. Follow-up CT scan showed increase in the size and extension of the lesion. It is an aggressive tumor and does not respond well to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Type II growing skull fracture in a 12-year-old girl.

A 12-year-old female patient came to the Neurology Outpatient Clinic with the complaining of headache, frequent episodes of abnormal body movements and swelling in the right frontal scalp region. Her parents gave remote history of head trauma. History of trauma in a paediatric patient followed by the onset of gradually progressive swelling in the scalp along with radiological findings of calvarial defect and protrusion of gliotic brain tissue through it led to the diagnosis of growing skull fracture. Her parents were counselled about the surgical management for which they agreed. The scalp defect was repaired followed by uneventful post-operative period. She is on regular anti-epileptics for the episodes of seizers she had at the time of presentation and is on regular follow-up.

Establishing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit in Resource Limited Setting: A Critical Analysis of Indian Council of Medical Research 2017 Guidelines.

The scope and application of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are increasing. With advancement in science and close cooperation of health centers, HSCT units are coming up in new developing and underdeveloped countries. India hosts many HSCT units and often provides financially viable option for HSCT to foreign patients as well. Recently Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued a guideline about HSCT unit in India. This review article discusses establishment of new HSCT unit in resource limited setting. Subsequent implication of ICMR guideline has been done.