Assessment of potential drug-drug interactions in hospitalized cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) pose a significant threat to patients with cancer, resulting in several adverse events in an oncology setting. Our study aims to identify potential DDIs in inpatient oncology wards, assess their severity, and provide recommendations to avoid these interactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in 79 hospitalized cancer patients over a period of 9 months (from August 2021 to May 2022) at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi receiving at least two oncological or non-oncological drugs for 5 days. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in drug count (61.6% vs. 38.4%), hospitalization duration (63.1% vs. 36.9%), and medications for comorbidities (63% vs. 37%) between patients with and without DDIs (p < 0.001, <0.001, and 0.01, respectively). The study identified 321 DDIs, with 14 (4.4%) X interactions, 93 (30%) D interactions, 161 (50%) C interactions, and 53 (15.6%) B interactions. Severity-wise, 76 (23.7%) were major, 190 (59.1%) were moderate, and 55 (17.2%) were minor. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that drug count, medications for comorbidities, and hospitalization duration significantly increase the risk of DDIs in hospitalized oncology patients. Around 96.4% of recommendations for potential interactions were accepted and implemented, highlighting the huge opportunities and requirements for improvement, implementation, and management of drug interactions in oncology settings.

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (Hgps) and Application of Gene Therapy Based Crispr/Cas Technology as A Promising Innovative Treatment Approach.

BACKGROUND: Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), also known as progeria of childhood or progeria is a rare, rapid, autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by premature aging which occurs shortly after birth. HGPS occurs as a result of de novo point mutation in the gene recognized as LMNA gene that encodes two proteins, Lamin A protein and Lamin C protein which are the structural components of the nuclear envelope. Mutations in the gene trigger abnormal splicing and induce internal deletion of 50 amino acids leading to the development of a truncated form of Lamin A protein known as Progerin. Progerin generation can be considered the crucial step in HGPS since the protein is highly toxic to human cells, permanently farnesylated, and exhibits variation in several biochemical and structural properties within the individual. HGPS also produces complications such as skin alterations, growth failure, atherosclerosis, hair and fat loss, and bone and joint diseases. We have also revised all relevant patents relating to Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome and its therapy in the current article. METHODS: The goal of the present review article is to provide information about Hutchinson- Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and the use of CRISPR/Cas technology as a promising treatment approach in the treatment of the disease. The review also discusses about different pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of treatment currently used for HGPS. RESULTS: The main limitation associated with progeria is the lack of a definitive cure. The existing treatment modality provides only symptomatic relief. Therefore, it is high time to develop a therapeutic method that hastens premature aging in such patients. CONCLUSION: CRISPR/Cas technology is a novel gene-editing tool that allows genome editing at specific loci and is found to be a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of genetic disorders such as HGPS where dominant-negative mutations take place.

A review on radiation induced nausea and vomiting: "Current management strategies and prominence of radio sensitizers".

Radiations dissipated are high energy waves used mostly as treatment intervention in controlling the unwanted multiplication of cell. About 60%-65% of cancer treatment requires radiation therapy and 40%-80% of radiation therapy causes RINV which are true troublemakers. Radiation therapy (RT) is targeted therapy mostly used to treat early stages of tumour and prevent their reoccurrence. They mainly destroy the genetic material (DNA) of cancerous cells to avoid their unwanted growth and division. The RINV affects the management and quality of life of patients which further reduces the patient outcome. RINV depends on RT related factors (dose, fractionation, irradiation volume, RT techniques) and patient related factors like (gender, health conditions, age, concurrent chemotherapy, psychological state, and tumour stage). RT is an active area of research and there is only limited progress in tackling the RINV crisis. Advanced technological methods are adopted that led to better understanding of total lethal doses. Radiation therapy also affects the immunity system that leads to radiation induced immune responses and inflammation. Radio sensitizers are used to sensitize the tumour cells to radiations that further prevent the normal cell damage from radiation exposure. There is a need for future studies and researches to re-evaluate the data available from previous trials in RINV to make better effective antiemetic regimen. The article focuses on radiation therapy induced nausea and vomiting along with their mechanism of action and treatment strategies in order to have a remarkable patient care.

A comparative study on erlotinib & gefitinib therapy in non-small cell lung carcinoma patients.

Background & objectives: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been evaluated in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Erlotinib and gefitinib are the first-generation EGFR-TKIs for patients with NSCLC. However, there is a paucity of studies comparing the effectiveness of these two drugs. Hence, this study was aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of erlotinib and gefitinib in NSCLC patients. Methods: This study included 71 NSCLC patients who received EGFR-TKIs between 2013 and 2016. Adverse drug reaction of both erlotinib (n=37) and gefitinib (n=34) was determined and graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grading system. Effectiveness was measured using response evaluation criteria in solid tumours and progression-free survival (PFS). Pharmacoeconomic analysis was performed by cost-effective analysis. Results: When comparing safety profile, both the drugs had similar adverse events except for dermal side effects such as acneiform eruption (51.4%), rash (54.05%) and mucositis (59.5%) for erlotinib and 20.6, 26.5 and 29.4 per cent for gefitinib, respectively. The PFS of the two drugs was compared to differentiate the effectiveness of erlotinib and gefitinib. There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two drugs. The pharmacoeconomic analysis showed that gefitinib was more cost-effective than erlotinib. Interpretation & conclusions: This study showed that erlotinib and gefitinib had similar effectiveness but gefitinib had a better safety profile compared to erlotinib. Therefore, gefitinib could be considered a better option for NSCLC patients compared to erlotinib. However, further studies need to be done with a large sample to confirm these findings.

A retrospective analysis of patients treated with intravesical BCG for high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant intravesical immunotherapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is considered as the first-line agent in patients with high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after surgery. There are no data in India where there is a high prevalence of tubercle bacillus and inherent immunity against Bacillus sp. The present study aims to evaluate the outcomes of intravesical BCG in the Indian population. METHODS: A retrospective study of 101 patients who underwent intravesical BCG for high-risk NMIBC between January 2006 and December 2015 was carried out in a single centre. We compared the recurrence-free rate and progression rate of patients who received induction alone and induction with maintenance BCG therapy. The safety profile of intravesical BCG therapy was also assessed in the study. RESULTS: After a median follow up of 2 years, the disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the induction group and maintenance group were 82% and 88% respectively (p = 0.233). There was no difference in progression-free survival (PFS) rates at 2 years in those who receive maintenance BCG (95%) and those with induction BCG (94.7%; p = 0.721). A total of 69.36% of our patients had local adverse events. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that maintenance therapy does not enhance the therapeutic effects of BCG in patients who respond favourably to 6 weeks of induction. Additional prospective studies are warranted in those countries where tuberculosis exposure is prevalent.

Crizotinib, an Effective Agent in ROS1-Rearranged Adenocarcinoma of Lungs: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: ROS1 rearrangement has recently emerged as a new molecular subtype in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is predominantly found in lung adenocarcinoma compared with other oncogenes such as EGFR, KRAS, or ALK. It has been identified in only 1% to 2% of NSCLC cases. CASE REPORT: We report a case of 52-year-old man (nonsmoker) with a medical history of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Histopathologic examination of bronchoscopic-guided biopsy showed adenocarcinoma histology on September 2015. After 2 months, he developed left-sided pneumonia for which he was treated with multiple intravenous antibiotics. In the meantime, fiberoptic bronchoscopy was done which revealed purulent secretion from right upper lobe and narrowed opening of right middle lobe. His cancer symptoms got worsened and bronchial biopsy showed EGFR mutation negative. For further diagnosis, fluorescent in situ hybridization test was done which showed ROS1 mutation positive. By then, the patient was started with crizotinib 250 mg twice daily for ROS1 mutation in July 2016. Later, patient appears to benefit from treatment with crizotinib. X-ray report and positron emission tomographic-computed tomographic scan revealed that the patient was overall better with clear chest and well tolerated with the therapy. Crizotinib was approved on March 11, 2016 by Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: In this report, crizotinib showed marked antitumor activity in patients with advanced ROS1 rearrangement, a third molecular subgroup of NSCLC.