Educational short film versus powerpoint based lecture in school tobacco awareness programs: Study from a tertiary cancer Center, Kerala, India.

Multimedia, being more attention-getting and attention-holding, is a powerful tool for mass awareness creation and is used for intervention among students in many studies. Our aim was to see the effectiveness of an educational short film in tobacco awareness generation and to compare it with the traditional lecture-based awareness. Selected schools were divided into two groups as per convenience. Short film was used as intervention in Group 1 and PowerPoint-based lecture in Group 2. The increase in awareness was assessed by a pre and posttest. On analysis, though both methods increased awareness as given by higher posttest score, it is found that the awareness levels showed a statistically significant difference between educational short film on hazards of tobacco and power point-based lecture using Mann-Whitney test. Our study proves that an educational short film carefully scripted and picturized can be used effectively in imparting awareness in school-based tobacco control programs.

Patient satisfaction in Home care services through e-Palliative Care -An experience of tertiary cancer centre from Kerala.

Objectives: e-palliative care (PC) is an evolving concept wherein technological interface is used to deliver PC to the patients with advanced cancer at their doorstep. This study aims to find out the level of satisfaction of patients receiving e-palliative homecare (e-PHC) service from a tertiary Cancer Center using the validated e-Palliative Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire -Malayalam (PSQM). Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, patients/caregivers on home care were given the e - Palliative PSQM by the homecare nurse after the patient had consulted the doctor through e-PHC service. The questionnaire had 15 statements with response graded using Likert scale. Descriptive analysis was performed to compute the distribution of observed responses to obtain the level of satisfaction among patients or caregivers receiving e-PHC service. Results: This study was done among 120 homecare patients whose median age was 69 (62-79) with almost equal prevalence of both genders. Stage 4 malignancy was seen in 107 (89.2%) patients with the commonest being gastrointestinal malignancy (N=34, 28.3%) The mean score of response for General satisfaction, Technical quality, Communication, Financial aspect, Time spent with doctor and Accessibility and convenience were observed as 4.52, 3.92, 4.48, 4.55, 4.52 and 4.49 respectively. The overall satisfaction was found to be 4.39. Conclusion: The overall satisfaction of patients receiving e-PHC service from our Institution is seen to be high. e- palliative care is a feasible option for providing excellent PC in developing countries with limited resources and financial constraints.

Factors associated with survival and lost to follow-up of cervical cancer patients in a tertiary cancer centre in rural Kerala.

Cancer cervix is the second common cause of cancer death in India. It is the most curable form of any human cancer if detected at the precancerous stage. Although several factors determine the survival of the disease, the clinical stage at presentation is the single most important predictor of long-term survival. The present study aimed to describe the performance and follow-up status and 5-year survival experience of the cervical cancer patients registered between 2010 and 2011 by the hospital registry of Malabar Cancer Centre, Kerala, and factors affecting lost to follow-up and survival among them. The case sheets of 227 patients retrospectively scrutinized during May-July 2014. The mean age of patients was 58.8 years (standard deviation = 11.67 years). The majority of the patients completed the initially planned treatment, but a low proportion of patients were likely to be on regular follow-up. This study revealed that most of the patients registered at the hospital only at an advanced stage. Using Kaplan-Meier method, the estimated 5 years survival rate was found to be 66.8%. It was noted that performance status before treatment and Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging were significantly associated with lost to follow-up and survival rate majority of the cervical cancer patients are observed to be highly noncomplaint to complete treatment and on follow-up. Thus, these findings stress the importance of counseling family members regarding the importance of follow-up and formulating public health policies aimed at increasing the awareness and implementation of cervical cancer screening programs in North Malabar.

Outcomes Following Treatment of Pelvic Exenteration for Rectal Cancer in a Tertiary Care Center.

Pelvic exenteration is potentially curative for operable locally advanced primary and locally recurrent rectal cancers. R0 resection is associated with higher survival. This procedure is associated with low mortality rates but high postoperative morbidity proportional to the extent of resection. This study was done to find out the survival outcome and morbidity associated with this procedure and to determine prognostic factors associated with postoperative outcomes. Seventy-three patients with rectal cancer underwent pelvic exenteration between January 2009 and December 2020. Sixty-six patients had locally advanced rectal cancer and 7 patients had recurrent cancer. All patients with primary tumors were evaluated with MRI pelvis and CT scan of the chest and abdomen while patients with recurrence were evaluated with a PET scan. The median follow-up duration was 39 months. The majority of patients were in the age group 40-69 years. Thirty patients were males and 43 were females. The 30-day postoperative major morbidity was reported in 28 patients (38.4%). The most common morbidity was wound dehiscence. The mean overall survival (OS) was 110.6 months (95% CI, 97.5-123.7) and mean disease free survival (DFS) was 85 months (95% CI, 71.0-100.4). R0 resection was associated with favorable overall survival. Tailored exenterations were associated with low morbidity. En bloc partial sacrectomy helped achieve R0 resection in patients who underwent the procedure. Extended resections yielded high R0 resection rates with favorable survival (65 months) but were associated with high morbidity. These procedures shall be best practiced in high-volume institutes of expertise. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13193-024-01918-w.

Two by Two Factorial Design using Metformin and Curcumin for Second Primary Head and Neck Cancer Prevention Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The 2x2 factorial design is an effective method that allows for multiple comparisons, especially in the context of interactions between different interventions, without substantially increasing the required sample size. In view of the considerable preclinical evidence for Curcumin and Metformin in preventing the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), this study describes the protocol of the clinical trial towards applying the drug combination in prevention of second primary tumors. METHODS: We have applied the trial design to a large phase IIB/III double-blind, multi-centric, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of Metformin and Curcumin in the prevention of second primary tumours (SPT) of the aerodigestive tract following treatment of HNSCC (n=1,500) [Clinical Registry of India, CTRI/2018/03/012274]. Patients recruited in this trial will receive Metformin (with placebo), Curcumin (with placebo), Metformin, and Curcumin or placebo alone for a period of 36 months. The primary endpoint of this trial is the development of SPT, while the secondary endpoints are toxicities associated with the agents, incidence of recurrence, and identifying potential biomarkers. In this article, we discuss the 2x2 factorial design and how it applies to the head and neck cancer chemoprevention trial. CONCLUSION: 2x2 factorial design is an effective trial design for chemoprevention clinical trials where the effectiveness of multiple interventions needs to be tested parallelly.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy for prostate cancer patients with hip prosthesis.

AIM: To study the use of RapidArc techniques in the treatment of prostate cancer patients with hip prosthesis. BACKGROUND: An important aspect of treatment planning is to achieve dose homogeneity inside the planning target volume (PTV). Especially for those patients presenting with hip prosthesis, it becomes a challenging task to achieve dose uniformity inside the PTV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five prostate patients presenting with hip prosthesis who had undergone radical radiotherapy were selected for this study. Depending on the composition of prosthesis, a predefined set of Hounsfield values were assigned to each study set. RapidArc plans were generated on an Eclipse treatment planning system. Two arcs that include clockwise and counter-clockwise arcs were used in all these cases. To avoid beams passing through the prosthesis, a simple structure was defined around it with 1 cm margin and a strict dose constraint applied to the block during VMAT optimization. RESULTS: The mean D2/D98 ratio of PTV for all the patients was 1.06 ± 0.01. The mean percentage rectum volume receiving 50 Gy, 60 Gy, 70 Gy and 75 Gy for all the patients were 33.1 ± 5.9, 21.7 ± 5.5, 13.8 ± 4.4 and 9.5 ± 3.0, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that using a double arc RapidArc technique is a simple and effective treatment method of treating prostate cancer in patients presenting with a hip prosthesis. The definition of a beam avoidance structure encompassing the prosthesis and applying strict dose constraints to it reduces the beam contribution to the prosthesis.

Genomic analysis of breast cancer patients from Kerala: A novel BRCA1 mutation detected.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females, with an incidence of 6,41,000 cases annually. The genetic makeup of the individuals, ethnicity, geographical location, lifestyle, and BMI are some well-described factors associated with breast cancer. It is well known that pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are associated with a majority of hereditary breast cancer. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 80 germline susceptibility loci responsible for hereditary breast cancer. METHODS: In the present study, analysis of 94 genes associated with hereditary cancer was performed using next generation sequencing (NGS) in twelve patients having breast cancer and suspected with hereditary association. RESULTS: Four out of twelve (33%) patients harbored pathogenic mutation of the BRCA1 gene. Two patients was identified p. E23Vfs*17 mutation in BRCA1, one patient had p.Glu1580Gln in BRCA1, and a novel frameshift variant p.T1456Ifs*9(c.4367Cdel) in one patient. CONCLUSION: In the present study, out of four detected mutations in the BRCA1 gene, three were known and one was a novel BRCA1 mutation. It is advised to perform NGS-based genome sequencing to identify the genetic predisposition in breast cancer patients.

Effect of Peritumoral Infiltration of Local Anesthetic Before Surgery on Survival in Early Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Preventing metastases by using perioperative interventions has not been adequately explored. Local anesthesia blocks voltage-gated sodium channels and thereby prevents activation of prometastatic pathways. We conducted an open-label, multicenter randomized trial to test the impact of presurgical, peritumoral infiltration of local anesthesia on disease-free survival (DFS). METHODS: Women with early breast cancer planned for upfront surgery without prior neoadjuvant treatment were randomly assigned to receive peritumoral injection of 0.5% lidocaine, 7-10 minutes before surgery (local anesthetics [LA] arm) or surgery without lidocaine (no LA arm). Random assignment was stratified by menopausal status, tumor size, and center. Participants received standard postoperative adjuvant treatment. Primary and secondary end points were DFS and overall survival (OS), respectively. RESULTS: Excluding eligibility violations, 1,583 of 1,600 randomly assigned patients were included in this analysis (LA, 796; no LA, 804). At a median follow-up of 68 months, there were 255 DFS events (LA, 109; no LA, 146) and 189 deaths (LA, 79; no LA, 110). In LA and no LA arms, 5-year DFS rates were 86.6% and 82.6% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.95; P = .017) and 5-year OS rates were 90.1% and 86.4%, respectively (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.94; P = .019). The impact of LA was similar in subgroups defined by menopausal status, tumor size, nodal metastases, and hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status. Using competing risk analyses, in LA and no LA arms, 5-year cumulative incidence rates of locoregional recurrence were 3.4% and 4.5% (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.41 to 1.11), and distant recurrence rates were 8.5% and 11.6%, respectively (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.99). There were no adverse events because of lidocaine injection. CONCLUSION: Peritumoral injection of lidocaine before breast cancer surgery significantly increases DFS and OS. Altering events at the time of surgery can prevent metastases in early breast cancer (CTRI/2014/11/005228).[Media: see text].

Oral metronomic chemotherapy as a feasible preoperative therapy in advanced resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas- a preliminary experience.

Introduction: Surgery is an important component of multimodality treatment in advanced oral cavity cancers. But in low-middle-income countries like India, with limited centres offering complex head and neck surgeries, prolonged waiting times for surgery is a major problem. An increase in waiting times for treatment has been shown to be a negative prognosticator in head and neck cancer and many patients can develop interim progression making them ineligible for radical treatment. We share our preliminary experience of using oral metronomic chemotherapy as a preoperative treatment in patients expecting delay in surgery. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of case records of patients with resectable Stage III and Stage IV (IVA & IVB) oral cavity cancers who had received preoperative oral metronomic chemotherapy (POMT). The POMT schedule consisted of oral Methotrexate 15 mg/m2 weekly, Celecoxib 200 mg twice daily and Erlotinib 100 mg daily. Clinico-radiological assessments were done prior to surgery using standard response assessment criteria. Results: A total of 68 patients received POMT with a median age of 55 years (range: 34-73 years). Forty-eight (70%) were males, 29 (42%) had carcinoma tongue and majority (N = 52, 76%) had Stage IVA cancer. Mean duration of POMT administration was 30.45 days (standard deviation: 8.22). Thirty-seven (54%) patients had partial responses and another 23 (34%) had stable disease. Two (3%) had disease progression on POMT. Fifty-eight (85%) underwent surgery after POMT. Margin positive resection was seen in two patients. Half of the patients who received POMT did not experience any toxicity. Grade 3/4 toxicities were seen in four (6%) patients. Conclusions: POMT is a feasible strategy worth considering in cases where there are prolonged waiting times to surgery.

Impact of active tuberculosis on treatment decisions in cancer.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) and cancer can coexist in some patients especially from low- and middle-income countries. Impact of active TB on treatment decisions in cancer is less well studied. Methods A retrospective case record review of all cases of cancer diagnosed and or treated between January 2012 and December 2019 who were also diagnosed to have active TB (pulmonary or extrapulmonary) was done. Results Any delay or change in standard treatment of cancer because of active TB or its treatment was noted. Among a total of 32,509 cancer cases, 56 (0.17%) patients were diagnosed to have active TB. Twenty six patients (46%) had delay in starting treatment or delay during cancer treatment. Six (11%) patients were changed from curative treatment option to palliative intent (either best supportive care or palliative Radiation) or no further treatment. Three (5%) patients required change from one type of curative treatment modality to another curative option. Conclusion Eleven percent of patients had to be changed from curative intent to palliative treatment or no further treatment, TB being either the direct or indirect cause in all of them. A nationwide data registry of cancer patients with TB, involving multiple centers, should be considered so that specific problems in this context can be identified and addressed in larger details.

Gastrectomy with D2 Lymphadenectomy for Carcinoma of the Stomach in a Stand-alone Cancer Centre in Rural India.

CONTEXT: The therapeutic role of D2 lymphadenectomy in the management of gastric cancer is an ongoing controversy. AIMS: To examine the morbidity and oncological outcomes of D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer patients treated in a stand-alone cancer center in rural India and to compare it with international data. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective study on patients treated for gastric cancer from June 2009 to December 2014. METHODS AND MATERIAL: All patients underwent subtotal or total gastrectomy with modified D2 lymph node dissection preserving spleen and pancreas. The Clavien-Dindo model was used to stratify the severity of morbidity. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics was used for data exploration. Chi-square test was used to compare the association of various factors with survival. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rates (RFS and DFS). Log-rank test was used to compare the survival of different subgroups. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (41 males and 13 females) were included in the study. Four (7.4%) patients had significant postoperative morbidity. The 5-year OS and DFS respectively were 34.9% and 37.6%. Female sex was associated with poorer survival. Lymph node ratio of more than 0.2 and advanced stage at presentation showed strong tendency towards lower OS and DFS. CONCLUSIONS: An R0 resection with D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer carries acceptable morbidity and mortality in Indian patients with survival rates comparable with the western studies. Lymph node ratio more than 0.2 and female gender and advanced stage were associated with poorer oncological outcomes.

Risk factors for lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative penile cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the effects of pathological T stage, grade, extent of surgery for primary tumor, and age group on the risk of developing lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative penile cancer patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 200 clinically node-negative penile cancer patients who were kept under surveillance, after treatment of the primary tumor in our institution. The primary outcome parameter was cytologically or histologically proven lymph node metastasis. Logistic regression analysis was used to compute odds ratios in univariate and multivariate settings. RESULTS: Lymph node metastasis occurred in 31 patients at a median time of three months. Histological grade 3 and grade 2 tumors had a statistically significant increased odds ratio for lymph node metastasis, (7.1[P < 0.001] and 2.7 [P = 0.04], respectively), compared with grade 1 tumors. Although increasing pT stage was associated with increasing odds ratios, the differences were not statistically significant. Nor did the extent of surgery of the primary tumor or the age group significantly influence the risk of developing lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Histological grade is the most significant parameter influencing the risk of lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative penile cancer patients on surveillance. Patients with grade 3 and grade 2 tumors may benefit from elective inguinal lymphadenectomy.

En Bloc Resection with Partial Sacrectomy Helps to Achieve R0 Resection in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer, Experience from a Tertiary Cancer Center.

Partial sacrectomy is a radical procedure that benefits a select group of patients with locally advanced primary or recurrent rectal cancer with posterior extension and carries potential for significant morbidity. This study was done to evaluate the morbidity and oncological outcome of patients who underwent partial sacral resection for rectal cancer in a tertiary cancer center. Seventeen patients underwent partial sacrectomy during the period from 2011 to 2015. Eleven patients had primary and six had recurrent rectal cancer. All patients were evaluated with MRI pelvis and metastatic evaluation with CT scan of the chest and abdomen and PET scan in patients with recurrent cancer. All patients had resection below the level of S2/S3 junction or lower. Three patients were females and the remaining were males. Median age was 56 years. Overall morbidity was 76% and most common morbidity was wound related. The mean estimated relapse-free survival (RFS) for patients treated for primary rectal cancer was 20.3 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.8-27.9) and the mean estimated overall survival (OS) 23.9 months. Estimated mean RFS for patients who were operated for recurrent rectal cancer was 25.6 months (95% CI, 17.7-33.5) and the median RFS was yet to reach. Estimated mean OS was 29.7 months (95% CI, 15.5-43.8) and the median OS was 39.6 months. Partial sacrectomy below the level of S2/S3 junction is a safe approach to facilitate en bloc resection of locally advanced primary and recurrent rectal cancer extending posteriorly with loss of plane with sacrum. In selected patients, this approach can improve survival at the cost of high morbidity.

Late toxicities among laryngopharyngeal cancers patients treated with different schedules of concurrent chemoradiation at a rural tertiary cancer care center.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemoradiation is the treatment of choice for laryngeal-pharyngeal cancers. Apart from survival organ preservation remains major aims of the treatment. Advanced radiation techniques like VMAT have shown to reduce morbidity. The purpose of our study is to assess the late toxicities in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation and its association with dose to organs at risk. AIMS: Assessment of late toxicities following concurrent chemoradiation in patients with laryngopharyngeal cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study at a tertiary cancer centre on patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers treated with concurrent chemoradiation with VMAT upto a total dose of 69.3 -70 Gy in 33-35 fractions and concurrent chemotherapy with Cisplatin was done. Severe late toxicities and its association with demographic and clinical parameters and dose to OAR were studied. Data was analysed using EpiData analysis v2.2.2.182. RESULTS: Of the 93 patients studied majority were males above 55 years. Oropharynx was the commonest site (58%) with T3 and N2 in majority. Late dysphagia and odynophagia was seen in 18(21%) and 23(27%) patients respectively. 16 (17%) had tube dependence and nine (9.6%) had aspiration pneumonia. D60, V50 and V60 along with site, node positivity and weight loss were found to be significantly associated with severe late toxicity. CONCLUSION: Oropharyngeal cancers, node positivity and weight loss were found to have significant grade III and above toxicities including tube dependency. Dose to larynx showed association with severe late toxicities, though dose to constrictors could not.

Community engaged breast cancer screening program in Kannur District, Kerala, India: A ray of hope for early diagnosis and treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Community based programs can assist in early detection and improved survival of breast cancer. AIMS: To assess the feasibility and explore challenges of a district-wide door-to-door breast cancer screening program "ASWAS" conducted in Kannur district, Kerala, India from 2011 to 2014. METHODS: Aggregate data from survey records were collected in terms of the population screened, referred, diagnosed, and treated. Case records of breast cancer patients who were identified were reviewed and updated. In-depth interviews were conducted with program stakeholders. The contents of the interview were organized into a strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) matrix to describe the screening program. RESULTS: A total of 1,049,410 eligible women above 30 years residing in 81 panchayats were visited door-to-door by 8,200 community volunteers; of them, 93% were screened using a symptom-risk factor checklist. Of those referred with symptoms (n = 5353), 81% attended the cancer camp. In total, 23 breast cancer cases were confirmed. 14 (61%) were in early stages, treated, and are disease free at 3-year follow-up. Those in the advanced stage and old age had poor outcomes. SWOT analysis identified political support, female volunteers, community engagement, dedicated fund for treatment, and teamwork as strengths. Weaknesses included poor healthcare access, maintaining volunteer motivation, and issues around sustainability. CONCLUSION: Community participation with the engagement of the health system and local self-government are required for implementing a comprehensive cancer screening strategy. Breast-cancer screening program using local volunteers for early detection is feasible in low-income settings, thereby improving survival.

Age-adjusted charlson comorbidity index and 30-day morbidity in pelvic surgeries.

INTRODUCTION: Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) is a validated tool enabling clinicians for prediction of adverse events posttherapy. In this study, we planned to estimate the predictive value of age-adjusted CCI (ACCI) in assessing the perioperative complication in oncological patients undergoing major pelvic surgeries. METHODS: This was a single arm, prospective, observational study, in which adult patients with pelvic malignancies undergoing pelvic surgeries were selected. The relationship between the ACCI and Grade 3-5 adverse events were tested using Fisher's test. RESULTS: The rate of Grade 3-5 adverse event rate was 16.7% (11 patients, n = 66). Among the whole cohort, 11 patients (16.7%) had high score on ACCI. The rate of Grade 3-5 adverse events was higher in the cohort of patients with high ACCI score (45.5% vs. 10.9%, P = 0.014). The sensitivity, specificity and negative and positive predictive values were 45.5%, 89.1%, 89.1%, and 45.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: ACCI can predict for postsurgical adverse events. It has a high negative predictive value for nonoccurrence of adverse events.

Population-based cancer screening through community participation: Outcome of a district wide oral cancer screening program from rural Kannur, Kerala, India.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a major public health challenge, and about one-fifth of all oral cancer cases reported globally are from India. In spite of the potential for early detection by simple visual examination, the majority of patients report in later stages of the disease, especially in low and middle-income countries. We report the results from a district level population-based oral cancer screening program. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among people aged >15 years in 48 panchayats of Kannur district in Kerala, India. This comprehensive multi-stakeholder district-wide screening was carried out in six stages including planning, sensitization, recruiting of community volunteers and training, survey, organization of specialist camps and referring to cases to cancer center. The descriptive statistical analysis was performed using EpiData analysis software (Version 2.2.2.180). RESULTS: Among the 1,061,088 people in 265,272 houses surveyed, 2507 of them attended the screening camps, and 13 oral cancers and 174 oral precancers were detected. Majority of the oral cancer patients were male (69%), with primary education or illiterate (62%) and low socioeconomic status (61%). Five of the patients diagnosed with early-stage cancer are alive and have good oral health-related quality of life. CONCLUSION: Detection of precancerous and early-stage cancers should be a priority of oral cancer screening programs. The possible key for addressing cancer screening needs of the rural population is to equip the primary health centers in cancer screening activities with available human resources while adapting to local context.

High Grade Serous Cystadenocarcinoma of Testis-Case Report of a Rare Ovarian Epithelial Type Tumour.

Ovarian epithelial type tumour of testis are extremely rare tumours that resemble ovarian surface epithelial tumours. They usually present as testicular or paratesticular tumours and can be serous, mucinous, endometrioid or Brenner tumour. Serous and mucinous types account for the majority of tumours. The tumours are benign, borderline or malignant, commonly borderline. Here, we report a case of high grade serous cyst adenocarcinoma of testis which manifested as extensive metastasis in supraclavicular, mediastinal and abdominopelvic groups of lymph nodes, lung and adrenal gland without clinical evidence of an overt primary tumour. We report this case so as to make clinicians and pathologists aware of this rare entity and to stress on the fact that this rare entity should be kept in mind when evaluating cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma in male patients.

Educational Short Film versus PowerPoint Based Lecture in School Tobacco Awareness Programs: Study from a Tertiary Cancer Center, Kerala, India

Multimedia, being more attention?getting and attention?holding, is a powerful tool for mass awareness creation and is used for intervention among students in many studies. Our aim was to see the effectiveness of an educational short film in tobacco awareness generation and to compare it with the traditional lecture?based awareness. Selected schools were divided into two groups as per convenience. Short film was used as intervention in Group 1 and PowerPoint?based lecture in Group 2. The increase in awareness was assessed by a pre and posttest. On analysis, though both methods increased awareness as given by higher posttest score, it is found that the awareness levels showed a statistically significant difference between educational short film on hazards of tobacco and power point?based lecture using Mann–Whitney test. Our study proves that an educational short film carefully scripted and picturized can be used effectively in imparting awareness in school?based tobacco control programs.

An audit of the results of a triplet metronomic chemotherapy regimen incorporating a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers patients.

BACKGROUND: Addition of erlotinib to metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) may lead to further improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival in head and neck cancers. The aim of this study was to study the PFS with MCT + erlotinib combination in our setting. METHODS: A single-arm prospective observational study conducted at Malabar Cancer Center. Patients warranting palliative chemotherapy for head and neck cancers, having adequate organ function, not-affording cetuximab and not willing for intravenous chemotherapy were included in this study. Oral methotrexate (15 mg/m(2)/week), oral celecoxib (200 mg twice daily), and erlotinib (150 mg once daily) were administered till the progression of the disease or till intolerable side-effects. Patients underwent toxicity (CTCAE version 4.02) and response (RECIST version 1.1) assessment every 30 days. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16 (IBM, New York, USA). Descriptive statistics and Kaplan-Meier analysis have been performed. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients received MCT. The median age of these patients was 65 years (range: 48-80). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status was 0-1 in seven patients (46.7%), while it was 2 in eight patients (53.3%). The primary sites of tumor were predominantly oral cavity, 11 (73.4%). Prior to MCT, treatment with palliative radiation therapy was given in 11 patients and curative treatment in two patients. The best response post-MCT was complete remission in two patients, partial remission in seven patients, stable disease in four patients, and progressive disease in two patients. The median estimated PFS was 148 days (95% confidence interval 95.47-200.52 days). For a median follow-up of 181 days, there were only three deaths. Grade 3-4 toxicity was seen in six patients (40%). Dose reduction was required in four patients (26.7%). CONCLUSION: The addition of erlotinib to an MCT schedule of methotrexate and celecoxib resulted in a promising PFS and should be tested in future studies.