Summary This is a study of 5595 head and neck cancer patients treated during 1987-89 at TMH, Mumbai. The study included 1970 oral cancers , 1495 oropharyngeal cancers (ICD 1410(ICD , 1453, 1255 hypopharyngeal cancers (ICD 148), 125 nasopharyngeal cancers (ICD 147) and 750 laryngeal cancers (ICD 161). The clinical extent of disease at presentation was based on TNM group staging (UICC 1978). For the majority of sites, patients attended the hospital during stage IlIl and stage IV of the disease; the only exception was for cancers of the lower lip, anterior tongue and vocal cord when between 46.2% and 56.5% of patients with localized cancer (stage and 11) were seen. Generally, surgery either alone or with radiation has been administered for oral cancer patients whereas radiation either alone or in combination with chemotherapy was administered for other head and neck sites. The overall 5-year survival rate was in the range of 20-43% for oral cancer, 8-25% for pharyngeal cancers and 25-62% for laryngeal cancer. The 5-year relative survival rates were more or less in agreement with the results published by the Eurocare study for head and neck cancers. The importance of primary prevention in head and neck cancer is stressed.Keywords: head and neck cancer; survival; TNM; stage; treatment Incidence data that are available from six metropolitan cities and one rural registry in India indicate that head and neck cancer is a common problem there (IARC, 1992). Many epidemiological studies carried out in the sub-continent have shown the association of tobacco, alcohol and some dietary items with head and neck cancer. Although primary prevention may be the ideal choice for the control of head and neck cancer, secondary prevention through therapeutic intervention has an equal and important role to play. Management of head and neck cancer in a high-risk population and its response to conventional treatment and survival have not been reported in detail. The aim is to analyse individual sites of head and neck cancer according to stage of the disease, primary treatment and other prognostic factors for 5-year survival.Comparison is also made with survival in European countries. PATIENTS AND METHODSThis is a retrospective analysis of 5595 eligible head and neck cancer patients who were diagnosed and treated at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, during the period 1987-89. The eligibility criteria for inclusion of patients in the study were: (1) no prior cancer-directed treatment at the time of registration; (2) histologically confirmed epithelial cancer; (3) treatment with chemotherapy together with surgery or radiation but not as the only treatment; and (4) at least 50 cases in each subsite of head and neck cancer. The excluded subsites MO and T2 N MO and stage IV comprising T4No MO, T4 N MO, and any T, N2 or N3 MO and any T any N M,. Periodic updating of followup information was carried out either by scrutiny of medical records of attending patients or by postal enquiry responses. In some cases, follow-up information was also obtaine...

The present surgical option seems to be an effective measure for the prevention of erosion and pseudoaneurysm formation of the GDA after PD.

An on-chip lectin microarray based glycomic approach is employed to identify glyco markers for different gastritis and gastric cancer. Changes in protein glycosylation have impact on biological function and carcinogenesis. These altered glycosylation patterns in serum proteins and membrane proteins of tumor cells can be unique markers of cancer progression and hence have been exploited to diagnose various stages of cancer through lectin microarray technology. In the present work, we aimed to study the alteration of glycan structure itself in different stages of gastritis and gastric cancer thoroughly. In order to perform the study from both serum and tissue glycoproteins in an efficient and high-throughput manner, we indigenously developed and employed lectin microarray integrated on a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip platform. We analyzed serum and gastric biopsy samples from 8 normal, 15 chronic Type-B gastritis, 10 chronic Type-C gastritis, and 6 gastric adenocarcinoma patients and found that the glycoprofile obtained from tissue samples was more distinctive than that of the sera samples. We were able to establish signature glycoprofile for the three disease groups, that were absent in healthy normal individuals. In addition, our findings elucidated certain novel signature glycan expression in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. In silico analysis showed that glycoprofile of chronic gastritis and gastric adenocarcinoma formed close clusters, confirming the previously hypothesized linkage between them. This signature can be explored further as gastric cancer marker to develop novel analytical tools and obtain in-depth understanding of the disease prognosis.

Two rare cases of adenocarcinoma of the caecum and ascending colon concomitant with tuberculosis at the same site are reported. The plausibility of an aetiological relationship between the two pathological conditions has been discussed along with a review of the relevant literature. Tuberculosis complicating malignant disease is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge; and the likelihood of the two occurring together should be kept in mind especially in tuberculosis endemic areas and in patients with equivocal symptoms.

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