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Aim: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is the most common side effect of systemic treatment in breast cancer patients. Scalp cooling gained worldwide acceptance in preventing or mitigating CIA in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Paxman scalp cooling system (PSCS) in Indian breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: This is a multi-centre, retrospective-observational study including patients registered from 1st March, 2019 to 30th April, 2021 undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer by using PSCS. The primary end-point was the incidence of CIA after completing cycles of chemotherapy. Results: A total of 91 female patients were enrolled in the study, with a median age of 53 years (IQR: 44-62 years). The prevention of alopecia (grade 0 and grade I) was seen in 81%, while more than 50% hair loss (grade 2) was seen in 16.48% after completion of treatment. The univariate analysis results showed that CIA was significantly higher in patients who received anthracyclines (OR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.04-6.958; P = 0.041) and in patients with a post-infusion cooling time of >150 minutes (OR: 8.409; 95% CI: 2.295-30.787; P = 0.001). The incidence of grade 2 (>50% hair loss) alopecia was 81.3% in patients <6 weeks and was 18.8% at >6 weeks of start of chemotherapy (P < 0.0001). No adverse events were reported in 71.4% of patients, and the most common adverse event was headache (18.7%). Conclusion: PSCS is an effective and well-tolerated treatment modality for preventing CIA among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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Ashish JoshiBackground The molecular characterization of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has unveiled genomic alterations such as EGFR gene mutations, KRAS gene mutations, ROS1 gene rearrangements, EML4-ALK rearrangements, and altered MET signaling. The objective of this molecular epidemiological study was to report the clinical, pathological, and molecular profile of NSCLC patients from western India. Materials and Methods This real-world study of NSCLC patients was performed at a chemotherapy day-care center in western India. The clinical, pathological, and molecular data were collected from the patient's medical records after obtaining the Ethics Committee permission for the study. The study was conducted according to the ethical principles stated in the latest version of Helsinki Declaration, and the applicable guidelines for good clinical practice. Results A total of 182 (58.7%) men and 128 (41.3%) women with a median age of 63 years (range: 22-93 years) were included in the study. Of the total 310 patients, 195 (62.9%) were nonsmokers whereas 81 (26.1%) had a past history of smoking. EGFR , EML4-ALK Fusion Gene, KRAS , ROS1 gene rearrangement, and PD-L1 were positive in 42 (22.3%), 12 (9%), 2 (28.6%), 3 (12.5%), and 3 (25%) patients, respectively. One patient had concurrent EGFR mutation along with ROS1 gene rearrangement. Conclusion Oncogenic driver mutations are present in Indian NSCLC patients. Molecular testing should be performed for all patients of advanced NSCLC to identify those that can benefit from newer generation of targeted or immunotherapies.
