Body mass index and altered lipid profile as major risk markers for breast cancer progression: a cross-sectional study of postmenopausal women in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: In Pakistan, the death rate for post-menopausal women with breast cancer is significant due to late detection and delayed referral to proper facilities. There are a few reports on Pakistan's epidemiology and breast cancer risk factors. There are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors associated with the development of breast carcinoma; of which body mass index (BMI), central obesity, and lipid profile are considered as major risk markers. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analytical study. A total of 384 women constituted the present study sample. Purposive sampling was used to collect 192 confirmed new breast cancer cases throughout the study. By using basic random sampling, an equal number of controls were chosen. Studied parameters included age, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride, serum high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. The inclusion criteria of this study were post-menopausal women (45-65 years) in Pakistan. The confirmation of breast carcinoma was done through histopathology. Breast cancer occurrence was taken as a dependent variable, whereas BMI, central obesity, and lipid profile were taken as independent variables. RESULTS: Studied risk factors (cholesterol, BMI, and central obesity) significantly correlated with breast cancer. Cholesterol has a significantly high positive correlation (0.646) with breast cancer. BMI has a positive significant correlation (0.491) with breast cancer, and central obesity has a low but positive significant correlation (0.266) with breast cancer. Moreover, the binary logistic regression model also showed a significant association between biochemical factors and breast cancer occurrence. Regression analysis depicted a linear relationship between a dependent variable (breast cancer occurrence) and independent variables (central obesity, cholesterol, BMI). CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal overweight (central obesity), increased BMI and high cholesterol levels are major risk factors for breast cancer. Moreover, high total cholesterol proved to be the most significant risk marker for the occurrence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women of Pakistan.

Spermatic cord dedifferentiated liposarcoma: Review of literature and case report.

Spermatic cord malignancies are a scarce modality and liposarcoma of spermatic cord is even a rarer condition encountered. Liposarcoma is usually a slowly progressive, non-tender, well circumscribed mass of variable shapes owing to conformity to fascial compartments. We are reporting a case of 65-year-old male, with a two-month history of initially tender and later non-tender mass in the scrotum, above the testis. Ultrasonography showed a right mid inguinal mass measuring 6x3x3 cm at the superior pole of the right testis and small fluid around the right testis. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the right inguinal mass revealed a spindle cell neoplasm. The patient underwent right inguinal radical orchiectomy with local wide excision of the sarcoma of the spermatic cord origin. Final histopathology confirmed dedifferentiated liposarcoma. No adjuvant treatment was offered and the patient was put on surveillance. Follow-up of more than 10 months has not revealed any local recurrence, regional or non-regional lymph nodes, or systemic metastasis.

Response of various histological types of locally advanced rectal cancer to neoadjuvant multimodality therapy.

Objectives: To determine the response of various histological types of locally advanced rectal cancer to neoadjuvant multimodality therapy. METHODS: The non-randomised, quasi-experimental retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised data of patients treated between January 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021. The data retrieved related to histologically proven and locally advanced rectal cancer patients aged 18-70 years receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Radiotherapy dose was 45 gray to pelvis with a boost to gross tumour of 5.4 gray in 3 fractions by using volumetric arc therapy concurrently with capecitabine 625mg/m² daily. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of pelvis with contrast was done at 5-10 weeks before surgery. Histological response to neoadjuvant treatment of various histological types was evaluated using the Rectal Cancer Regression Grade. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 182 patients evaluated, 108(59.34%) were included; 64(59.3%) males and 44(40.7%) females. The overall mean age was 45.4±5.2 years. Regression status was grade 1 in 24(22%) patients, grade 2 in 43(40%) and grade 3 in 41(38%) (p=0.074). There were 12(11.11%) patients with signet ring cell and 10(83.3%) showed pathological tumour regression. There were 17(15.74%) patients with mucinous variant, and 12(70.5%) had tumour regression. There were 79(73.15%) patients with adenocarcinoma, and 59(74.6%) of them showed tumour regression. . CONCLUSIONS: There was less tumour regression in mucinous and signet ring cell variants of adenocarcinoma. Modification and intensification of neoadjuvant therapy may be required in such histologies.

Spermatic cord leiomyosarcoma in a young male: A case report and literature review.

Spermatic cord Leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare intrascrotal tumour. Owing to its rarity, no definitive management guidelines have been formulated as yet. The majority of published literature comprises of case reports or case series and show varying outcomes depending upon multiple patient- and disease-related factors. Almost all cases are older adults with majority in the sixth or seventh decades of life. It is commonly labelled as an indolent curable tumour if treated Spermatic cord Leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare intrascrotal tumour. Owing to its rarity, no definitive management guidelines have been formulated as yet. The majority of published literature comprises of case reports or case series and show varying outcomes depending upon multiple patient- and disease-related factors. Almost all cases are older adults with majority in the sixth or seventh decades of life. It is commonly labelled as an indolent curable tumour if treated early by radical orchiectomy. The role of lymphadenectomy, adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy is unclear. This case report concerns a young 38-year-old man who suffered from a painless firm left hemiscrotal mass for the past two years. Ultrasonography showed an intrascrotal paratesticular mass. Metastatic workup was negative. Left radical orchiectomy was performed and histopathology of the surgical specimen revealed leiomyosarcoma of the spermatic cord. The patient is on post-surgery follow-up and disease-free for six months. A literature review is also presented.