Is there any correlation between tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and expression of EGFR in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck? A retrospective observational study.

Background: : The dismal survival of one of the commonest malignancies of the world, head neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), has prompted researchers to probe into its various characteristics, especially those which reflect the outcome. Over the years, even though epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) have emerged as useful biomarkers of the disease, the two parameters have rarely been considered in conjunction. Aims and Objectives: The study aimed to assess if there is any correlation between TIL levels (both stromal and intratumoral) and site, grade, stage, and EGFR score of HNSCC. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in which histopathologically confirmed cases of HNSCC were included. The site of tumor, grade, stage, stromal and intratumoral TIL levels, and EGFR score were noted for each case. The data were analyzed using standard statistical tests. Results: The study population consisted of 122 patients with a mean age of 53.8 ± 9.2 years. The oral cavity was the commonest site of tumor (109 cases, 89.3%). Most cases were moderately differentiated (75, 61.5%). Pathological staging showed 66 cases (54%) to be in pT1, and 92 cases (75.4%) to be in pN0. In 68 cases (55.7%), stromal TIL level was high, and intratumoral TIL was low in 102 cases (83.6%). A statistically significant correlation was found between TIL levels and site, grade, pathological stage, and EGFR score of HNSCC. Conclusion: This pioneering study is unique in its exploration of the correlation between two significant biomarkers of HNSCC - TIL and EGFR score.

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Evaluation and clinical impact.

Background: Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Emerging evidence reveals that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) provide valuable prognostic information in various malignancies, including HNSCC. Aims and Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate a simple yet accurate method of counting TILs in HNSCCs. It was also done to determine if there is any correlation between different clinicopathological parameters of HNSCC and TIL counts. Materials and Methods: A.retrospective institutional-based, observational study was undertaken for 1 year. Patients with histologically proven HNSCCs were included. All clinicopathological parameters were noted, and evaluation of TIL was meticulously done both in the stromal and intratumoral regions for each case. Standard statistical methods were employed for data analysis. Results: The present study included 81 patients, among which 51 (63%) were male and the rest (30, 37%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 55.3 ± 10.5 years. Most tumors were located in the oral cavity (73, 90.1%). The most common histologic type was moderately differentiated (MD) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (50 cases, 61.7%). Stromal TIL score was high in 45 cases (55.6%). In 69 cases (85.2%), the intratumoral TIL level was low. A statistically significant correlation was found between TIL levels (both stromal and intratumoral TIL) and tumor differentiation, pT stage, and lymphovascular invasion. The correlation between intratumoral TIL level, age of patients, and pN stage was also statistically significant. Conclusion: TIL evaluation is an inexpensive, simple, and reproducible method, which furnishes relevant prognostic data. It has the potential for consideration of its inclusion in routine histopathological reports of HNSCCs.

Primary intramedullary spinal gliosarcoma: An unusual presentation.

Gliosarcoma is a biphasic central nervous system malignancy composed of glial and mesenchymal components. It is recognized as a rare variant of glioblastoma with unique histology, immunostaining properties, and natural history. Although usually described to primarily involve the brain, a search of the published literature revealed four reported cases of gliosarcoma arising in the spinal cord. This report describes the case of a 35-year-old woman with progressive back pain with loss of sensation and power of both lower limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intramedullary unifocal space-occupying lesion in her thoracolumbar spinal cord. Subtotal resection and subsequent histopathological and immunohistochemical studies confirmed the diagnosis of gliosarcoma of the spinal cord. This report further establishes the clinical entity of primary spinal gliosarcoma and proposes the need to consider this possibility among the differential diagnoses of a space-occupying spinal lesion.

Primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the bulbar conjunctiva.

A 58-year-old male presented with redness for 1 year and dimness of vision for 2 years in his left eye. Excision biopsy from an inferotemporal conjunctival mass revealed high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) with lymphovascular invasion and positive margins. The tumor bed was irradiated to 80 Gy using strontium 90 ß-applicator. After 13 months, fine-needle aspiration cytology from a suspicious preauricular lymphadenopathy found metastatic cells. Ipsilateral supra-omohyoid neck dissection showed three positive nodes out of 15, and the left neck was irradiated. He is disease free at present, 12 months from external beam radiation therapy completion. With 48 cases reported in the literature, conjunctival MEC remains a rare condition, possibly in part due to clinicopathological underdiagnosis. This is unfortunate, given that this cancer is more aggressive, has a poorer prognosis, and warrants more vigorous treatment than squamous cell carcinoma, which it may be misdiagnosed as in the absence of appropriate staining and pathological review.

A dosimetric study of electron beam therapy vs. high-dose-rate mould brachytherapy in adjuvant treatment of non-melanoma skin carcinomas of the head and neck region.

PURPOSE: Radiation for superficial tumours of the head and neck region can be given either by brachytherapy or electrons. Brachytherapy (BT), due to rapid dose fall-off and minor set-up errors, should be superior to external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for treatment of lesions in difficult locations such as the nose and earlobe. The present study is a dosimetric comparison of computed tomography (CT)-based mould brachytherapy treatment plans with 3D conformal electron beam therapy in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: From December 2017 to November 2018 10 patients with NMSC of the head and neck region (forehead, nose, cheek) who underwent adjuvant radiation with HDR brachytherapy (BT) with a surface mould individual applicator were enrolled for analysis. We evaluated dose coverage by minimal dose to 90% of planning target volume (PTV, D90), volumes of PTV receiving 90-150% of prescribed dose (PD) (VPTV90-150), conformal index for 90% and 100% of PD (COIN90, COIN100), dose homogeneity index (DHI), dose nonuniformity ratio (DNR), and exposure of organs at risk (OARs) (eyes, lens, underlying bone and skin). Prospectively, we created CT-based treatment plans for electron beam therapy. We compared conformity (COIN90, COIN100), dose coverage of PTV (D90, VPTV90, VPTV100), volumes of body receiving 10-90% of PD (V10-V90), doses to OARs (D0.1cc and D2cc) of BT and electron plans. RESULTS: We obtained mean BT-DHI 0.81, BT-DNR 0.608, Electron-DHI 1.25. We observed no significant differences in VPTV90,100 and D90 between BT and electron beam. Mean BT-VPTV125,150 were significantly higher than Electron-VPTV100,125. COIN90 was superior for BT plans. CONCLUSIONS: CT-based surface mould brachytherapy results in better conformity of superficial lesions on small, irregular surfaces such as the nose and inner canthus than electrons with a slightly higher skin dose.

High seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in goats in Jharkhand state of India.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an important food borne zoonosis worldwide. Although goat meat constitutes an important dietary protein source, improperly cooked meat is a potential source of infection to humans. Data on prevalence of toxoplasma in goat is scanty from India. Serological detection is the practical option for prevalence studies on T. gondii, as no biological stage of the parasite is present in the clinical materials from the intermediate hosts. The present study was undertaken in the Jharkhand state of India which is largely inhabited by economically weaker aborigine population, who depend largely on animal husbandry for livelihood. A total of 445 serum samples were collected for testing, which represented goats under intensive and free range system of rearing. T. gondii specific IgG antibodies were detected in 42.47% (n = 189) samples by rSAG1 based indirect ELISA. The seroprevalence data were analyzed in respect of age, sex, breed of the goats and altitude of the study area as well as rearing conditions of the animals to establish correlation, if any. Though age and sex of the animals had a direct correlation with infection, the same could not be established with the other factors. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic ELISA were compared with IFAT, as well as with a commercially available ELISA kit. The rSAG1-ELISA had 92.66% sensitivity and 90.67% specificity with a positive predictive value of 86.77% and negative predictive value 94.92% when compared with IFAT, whereas when compared with the commercial ELISA kit, 87.50% sensitivity and 90.91% specificity with a positive predictive value of 91.30% and negative predictive value 86.96% were observed. Inter rater agreement (kappa) was calculated. rSAG1-ELISA showed good agreement with IFAT (kappa = 0.824) and commercially available ELISA Kit (kappa = 0.783). Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, revealed a larger area under curve (AUC) of 0.99 (95%CI, 0.97-1.0) when compared with IFAT as gold standard and a highest relative sensitivity 91.30 (95% CI 72-98.3) and specificity 1.0 (95% CI 85.2-100) for the cut off value of 0.6005. The present study revealed high seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats from Jharkhand, which has public health significance.

Acute complications following intracavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy in uterine cancer.

PURPOSE: Almost 30% of malignancies in women of developing countries are gynecological and brachytherapy is an integral part of management of these patients. Reports of complications (both acute and late) of high-dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy are sparse in world literature due to relatively small number of gynecological malignancies, particularly in advanced stage, in developed countries. High-dose-rate brachytherapy is gaining popularity in developing countries due to scientific and economic reasons. Here we are reporting our experience regarding acute complications of intracavitary brachytherapy (events occurring within 30 days of insertion needing hospitalization or death) and their causes to improve the quality of management, so that the already low incidence of acute complications can be further reduced. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From February 2004 to December 2012, a total of 1947 patients with uterine cancer were treated by HDR intracavitary brachytherapy in the Department of Radiotherapy, of a tertiary cancer centre of a developing country, 86% of them were cervical cancer and 14% endometrial cancer. Excluding the post-operative patients, a total of 4285 insertions were done in 1527 patients with intact uterus (eligible for analysis) and acute complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 4285 intracavitary brachytherapy insertions in gynecological malignancy patients, only 12 mortality and 239 morbidity instances needing hospitalization were documented and most of them were in cervical carcinoma patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results have indicated that acute complications can be minimized by pre-treatment management of co-morbidities, decreasing the time of operative lithotomy position and bed rest, avoidance of 'conscious sedation' in selected cases etc. Routine post insertion CT scan if done in all patients in all insertions, then only, uterine perforations can be detected early and prompt management can reduce both the mortality and morbidity to a great extent.

Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: a case report and review of the literature.

Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is extremely rare. In this report, a case of non-metastatic small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder treated by systemic chemotherapy followed by adjuvant external radiotherapy, with a brief review of the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, pathological features, staging, treatment and prognosis about this neoplasm is reported. A 53 years old man attended with sign and symptoms suggestive of a bladder cancer. Computed tomography of the whole abdomen showed a large tumour at right lateral wall of the bladder. Transurethral resection and histopathological study of the bladder tumour established the diagnosis of a small cell carcinoma. The patient received six cycles of platinum based chemotherapy with adjuvant locoregional external radiotherapy. He had an invasive bladder recurrence thirteen months later and died shortly afterwards.

Neoodjuvant imatinib mesylate for advanced primary and metastactic/recurrent gastro-intestinal stromal tumour (GIST).

Therapy of gastro-intestinal stromal tumour (GIST) has changed significantly with the use of imatinib mesylate. Disease progression remains a complicated clinical issue, suggesting the need for multimodality management. This is a prospective clinical study evaluating the neoadjuvant use of Imatinib mesylate in primary GIST. There is pre-operative use of imatinib in 10 patients with operable advanced and metastatic GIST. The follow-up continued postoperatively for maximum period of two years and postoperative imatinib was given for two years. Ten patients were accrued in the study. Following imatinib mesylate therapy, the median reduction of tumour volume was 45% (range 20-60%). Six of the ten patients underwent complete resection of the tumour following neoadjuvant imatinib for a median period of three months, and are disease-free for a median follow-up of eleven months (range 6-24 months). Three patients in whom the tumours were deemed to be operable after downsizing and who refused surgery are also continuing imatinib. Imatinib did not produce serious toxicity in any patient.

Adrenal neuroblastoma in an adult.

Adrenal neuroblastomas, although quite common in children, are extremely rare in adulthood. Here, we are reporting the case of a 47-year-old male who presented with right flank pain and had a palpable mass in the same region. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed an irregular, poorly marginated heterogeneous mass lesion arising from the right suprarenal position. Urinary catecholamines were within normal limits. There was no evidence of metastatic disease. The mass was resected en-block along with the right kidney. Histopathologic examination revealed the diagnosis of a neuroblastoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy was instituted, but the pain recurred after 9 months. Despite subsequent chemotherapy, the mass continued to grow over the next 6 months with further infiltration into the liver and surrounding muscles. The patient has currently been started on external palliative radiation. We have also reviewed the literature to present a discussion on presentation, diagnosis, and management of this rare tumor.

Diagnostic enigma in retroperitoneal paraganglioma--a case report.

Paragangliomas and pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytomas are examples of uncommon tumours in retroperitoneum. Where malignant fibrous histiocytoma is to be treated aggressively to save the life, long-term follow-up after surgery is the basic management for paraganglioma. Hence an inappropriate diagnosis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma in place of a paraganglioma which in most cases behave as benign tumour, can lead to a significant complication related to postoperative therapy. Here in this case a patient of retroperitoneal tumour having discrepancies between pre-operative cytological and postoperative histopathological diagnosis is reported. After careful review of clinical, radiological and histopathological features, the appropriate diagnosis of paraganglioma was rendered and the patient was kept for long-term close follow-up instead of aggressive therapy. The appropriate clinicopathologic correlation of the case by a group of experienced oncologists and pathologists revealed the diagnostic enigma and offered the appropriate management which may otherwise lead to iatrogenic complications.

Colorectal carcinoma in a ten-year-old girl: a case report.

Colorectal carcinoma is very rare in childhood. In this case report, we depict a ten-year-old girl who presented with features of intestinal obstruction which turned out to be due to poorly differentiated mucin secreting adenocarcinoma of descending colon. Only increased awareness of this malignancy in this age-group and a high index of suspicion can help when a child complains of persistent pain of abdomen, altered bowel habits or rectal bleeding, and may provide diagnosis at an earlier stage, thereby improving the prognosis.

Adenoma malignum of the uterine cervix--an enigma.

Adenoma malignum is a rare variant of cervical adenocarcinoma which presents a great diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to an oncologist. A 31-year-old woman presented with a mass filling up whole of the vagina which showed no evidence of malignancy by scraping cytology or punch biopsy. But histological examination of the resected mass turned up to be adenoma malignum of the cervix. The patient was subsequently treated by Wertheim's hysterectomy and radiotherapy.

Treatment of cervical carcinoma with high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy: two years follow-up study.

AIMS: This study focused on pelvic recurrence rate and late complications following treatment with high dose rate brachytherapy with a three fractionation scheme. SETTING AND DESIGN: This retrospective observational study was conducted from 1st November 2003 to 31st March 2005 at a tertiary care centre. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Women were treated with external beam radiotherapy and three fractions of high dose rate brachytherapy, divided into two broad groups IIB+ IIIA and IIIB+IVA. Duration of follow-up was 2 years and main outcome measures were recurrence and rectal and urinary bladder complications. Results were assessed with the Chi square test and P-values using an alpha level of 0.05 for Type I error. RESULTS: Of the total of 286 women, 72 (25.4%) developed central-regional recurrence. Overall two year pelvic control rate was 74.6%, with values of 78.1% and 72.8% for stages IIB+ IIIA, IIIB+IVA, respectively. Five women developed distant metastasis and 21.5% suffered low grade rectal complications. After two years the prevalence of bladder complications was only 5.4%. CONCLUSION: Using a three fraction scheme, high dose rate brachytherapy is safe and effective in the management of cervix cancer.

Symptomatic vertebral hemangioma: treatment with radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Vertebrae are the second commonest site among skeletal locations affected by hemangioma, but only about one per cent becomes symptomatic throughout the life. Though surgery, intra vertebral injection of various sclerosing agents have been tried in treating this benign process, no general consensus regarding management has been reached. Radiotherapy is emerging as a low cost, simple, non-invasive but very effective modality of treatment of symptomatic vertebral hemangioma. AIM: This study aims to find out the role of external beam radiotherapy in alleviating the symptoms of symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas without compromising the quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven consecutive patients with symptomatic vertebral hemangioma were treated with a fixed dose of external beam radiotherapy; and muscle power was assessed before, after treatment and during follow-up. RESULTS: All patients showed improvement of muscle power, which increased with the passage of time. Pain relief with improvement of quality of life was obtained in all the patients. CONCLUSION: Effect of radiotherapy on vertebral hemangioma is dose-dependent and the dose limiting factor is the spinal cord tolerance. In the present era of IMRT, greater dose can be delivered to the parts of vertebra affected by the hemangioma without compromising the spinal cord tolerance and expected to give better results.

Plesiotherapy for non-melanoma skin cancer: innovating to overcome!

BACKGROUND: The non-surgical management of non-melanoma skin cancers is an area requiring clinical investigation. Radiotherapy has a role in treatment for a defined subset of patients. AIMS: The application of radiotherapy is subject to availability of proper equipment, non-availability of which precludes appropriate radiotherapy in most centers in third world countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The introduction of innovations is needed to circumvent this. Plesiotherapy is such a mode of therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer. METHODS: The introduction of innovations is needed to circumvent this. Plesiotherapy is such a mode of therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer. RESULTS: In this paper we present successful management of a cohort of non-melanoma skin cancer patients with plesiotherapy using stepping source(192) Ir HDR source. CONCLUSIONS: Plesiothrapy is an effective mode of therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer.

Mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of lung: a case report.

Mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma is a rare disease particularly when occurring in the lungs. In 1983, Issacson and Wright first described it as a distinct clinicopathological entity. A 39-year-old woman was suffering from mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the lung and was treated with moderate dose radiotherapy only. Six months after treatment the woman is symptom free and without any evidence of relapse. The disease undergoes a very indolent course and local form of treatment like surgery or radiotherapy is effective though radiotherapy is probably associated with higher local control rate and event free survival particularly in early stages. But for diagnostic purpose thoracotomy is generally required in pulmonary variety. Due to rarity of cases it is almost impossible to compare surgery with radiotherapy in mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma disorder in a prospective manner. Radiotherapy is the preferred mode of treatment either alone or in combination with surgery.

Simultaneous isolated bilateral facial palsy: a rare vincristine-associated toxicity.

We describe a case of a 15-year-old boy with vincristine-induced simultaneous isolated bilateral facial palsy. The boy presented with superior vena caval syndrome (SVC syndrome), right-sided pleural effusion and anterior mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Histopathological examination of left axillary lymph node was suggestive of lymphoblastic lymphoma. We started chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone. SVC syndrome disappeared completely after the 1st cycle, and he achieved remission after the 3rd cycle of chemotherapy. He noticed that he could not close his eyes. Neurological examination revealed bilateral lower motor neuron facial palsy. Findings from examination of other cranial nerves and peripheral nerves were normal. Results of MRI of brain and cerebrospinal fluid examination were normal. He received 6 mg vincristine before developing toxicity.

Clinico-pathologic profile of Hodgkin's lymphoma in a rural medical college.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: A prospective study was done at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), Darjeeling, West Bengal, which caters predominantly to the rural and hilly population. All patients diagnosed as Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) were analyzed for clinical presentation, histological classified and staging. RESULTS: Total of 48 cases reported for HL were studied (n=48). A lower median age of onset (28.1year) and higher male to female ratio (3.8:1) as compared to western countries were observed. We found neck swelling was the commonest presenting symptom (58.28%) and peripheral lymphadenopathy was the commonest sign (83.33%). "B symptoms" was noted in 79.17% cases. Cervical lymph nodes were commonly involved (79.17%), followed by inguinal (45.83%) and axillary (29.17%). Thoracic lymph nodes and abdominal lymph nodes were enlarged in 29.17% of the cases and 25% of the cases respectively. Eosinophilia was noted in 29.17% of cases. Marrow involvement by neoplastic process was observed in 8.33% of cases and reactive changes in the marrow were observed in 12.5% of cases. We found mixed cellularity subtypes was the commonest (45.83%) followed by nodular sclerosis subtypes (33.33%). At presentation 54.17% of cases were of advanced stage of disease (stage III and IV). CONCLUSION: We noticed a distinct geographical pattern of HL in respect of age, sex, presentation, histological typing and staging of the disease, which is comparable to some other Indian studies but is noticeably different from patterns noted in Western countries.