Sister Joseph nodule is a metastatic umbilical lesion secondary to a primary malignancy of any viscera. It can be a presenting symptom (a sign of undiagnosed malignancy) or a symptom or sign of progression or recurrence in a known case. Its incidence is 1–3% of all intra-abdominal or pelvic malignancies. Here, we present 4 such cases, with Sister Joseph nodule as a finding of (1) presentation in a case of gallbladder carcinoma, (2) progression in a case of malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumour, (3) recurrence in a case of ovarian carcinoma, and (4) presentation in a case of rectal carcinoma. The clinicopathologic features of all 4 patients are discussed, and the related literature is briefly reviewed.

Background and aims Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an extremely difficult pandemic to contain and it has affected more than 148 countries worldwide. The main aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive summary of clinical and laboratory parameters that are associated with and indicative of increased severity among COVID-19 patients. Material and methods All the available data from high-quality research articles relevant to the epidemiology, demographics, trends in hospitalization and outcomes, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnostic methods and treatment methods of COVID-19 were retrieved and evaluated for inclusion. Results As per our review, the mean age of patients in the severe group was 59.3 years compared to 46.5 years in non severe group. COVID-19 was more severe among men than women. Clinical presentation was variable among different studies. and dyspnea was the factor indicating severe disease. Laboratory parameters associated with increased severity were lymphopenia <0.8 × 10 9 /L, thrombocytopenia 100 × 10 9 /L, leucocytosis TC > 11 × 10 9 /L, procalcitonin >0.5 ng/mL, d dimer >2 mcg/mL, aspartate transaminase elevation >150U/L, LDH >250U/L. Conclusion This systematic review suggests that COVID-19 is a disease with varied clinical presentation and laboratory parameters. The commonest clinical symptoms were fever, cough and dyspnea. The laboratory parameters associated with severe disease were lymphopenia, elevated LDH, D dimer and Procalcitonin.

Objectives: Olanzapine, an antipsychotic agent, exhibits significant antiemetic properties due to its inhibitory activity on neurotransmitters at multiple receptors involved in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). CINV can have an immensely negative impact on patient's quality of life (QOL) and daily activities. Our objectives were to determine the effectiveness of adding olanzapine to standard antiemetic regimens for the prevention of CINV in cancer patients and to compare the QOL of such patients with those receiving standard antiemetic regimens. Methods:A prospective, observational, cohort study was done on patients receiving either highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC). The patients who received only the standard antiemetic regimens were considered as the control group and those who received 10 mg of olanzapine once daily on days 1-5 of chemotherapy in addition to the standard antiemetic regimens were considered to be the study group. The patients were assessed for grades of nausea and vomiting using National Cancer Institute common terminology criteria for adverse events and for QOL using European Organization in Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL questionnaire. Results:Patients were evaluated for a total of 168 cycles of chemotherapy. Compared to the control group, the study group patients showed significant improvement in response to acute nausea (p=0.02) but not in acute vomiting (p=0.09). However, response to delayed nausea and vomiting improved significantly (p=0.004 and p=0.05, respectively). The QOL of study group patients showed significant improvement in functional scales and symptom scales (p<0.02). Global health status also increased significantly (p=0.02) in the study group patients. Conclusion:Olanzapine containing pre-medication regimens can reduce acute and delayed nausea and delayed vomiting and improve the QOL of cancer patients receiving highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapeutic agents as compared to the standard pre-medication regimens.

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a disease with poor outcome. Alterations or mutations in epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) are found in GBM and may be targeted to improve outcomes. Aims We analyzed the frequency of EGFR variant III (vIII) mutations in patients with GBM and their outcomes after standard treatment. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study conducted in a single tertiary cancer center in south India. Forty patients with GBM who had their entire treatment done at this center were identified, and their primary tumor tissue blocks were retrieved. Genomic DNA was extracted, and molecular analysis was performed and analyzed. The results of mutational analysis were correlated with treatment outcome of the patients. Statistical Analysis Survival outcome was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The log-rank test was used to assess the association between the groups and various parameters. Results Our study showed a similar incidence of EGFR vIII alterations as published in world literature, but we did not find any difference in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with EGFR vIII mutation compared with nonmutant cohort. Conclusions Contrary to the existing literature which indicated EGFR vIII alterations to be a negative prognostic indicator, our study did not find it to be an independent predictor of prognosis among Indian GBM patients treated with present standard of care.

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Background: The treatment of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) comprises high dose Methotrexate (HDMTX) based chemotherapy followed by whole brain radiotherapy(WBRT), the major drawback of which is long term neurotoxicity. We intended to assess the feasibility of response adapted WBRT in patients with PCNSL. Methods: We screened 35 patients & enrolled 24 patients with PCNSL in a phase II trial. They underwent 5 two-weekly cycles of MVP chemotherapy with HDMTX, Vincristine & Procarbazine. Rituximab was added in 16 patients as per their preference & affordability. Patients with complete response (CR) to induction chemotherapy were given reduced dose WBRT 23.4Gy/13fractions/2.5weeks while those with partial response (PR), stable or progressive disease(PD) were given standard dose WBRT 45Gy/25fractions/5 weeks. Thereafter 2 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy with Cytarabine was given. The primary endpoints of the study were assessment of response rate & progression free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints were assessment of overall survival (OS), toxicity profile, serial changes in quality of life & neuropsychological parameters. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 50 years. Out of 20 patients who completed induction chemotherapy, 10(50%) achieved CR, 9(45%) had PR & 1 patient had PD. After a median follow-up period of 21.05 months, the median OS and PFS had not been reached. The actuarial rates of 3 year PFS & OS were 51% & 51.4% respectively. 4 patients in reduced dose WBRT arm had recurrence & 2 of them died of PD, whereas there was one recurrence and no cancer related death in standard dose WBRT arm. On univariate analysis of PFS, age60 years(p ¼ 0.004) & use of standard dose WBRT (p ¼ 0.047) led to significantly improved outcome. Serial neuropsychological assessments showed marked improvement in general cognition, verbal fluency & motor speed after induction chemotherapy & treatment completion. Conclusions: In patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL, reduced dose WBRT after CR to HDMTX based chemotherapy may lead to suboptimal clinical outcome due to higher risk of recurrence, progression & early death.

Background:Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, represents a new treatment option for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analyzed the data of patients who received Gefitinib for NSCLC in a tertiary care center in South India.Materials and Methods:Sixty-three patients with advanced NSCLC who had received Gefitinib either after failure of conventional chemotherapy or were previously not treated as they were unfit or unwilling for conventional treatment were included in the analysis.Results:The median follow-up for the cohort was 311 days (range 11-1544 days). Median time to progression was 161 (range 9-883) days. Complete and partial remission was seen in 1 (2%) and 6 (9%) patients, respectively, with overall response rate of 11%. Twenty-four (38%) patients had stable disease. Gefitinib was well tolerated with no significant side effects.Conclusion:Gefitinib shows anti-tumor activity in pretreated or previously untreated patients with advanced NSCLC. It has a favorable toxicity profile and is well tolerated. Gefitinib should be considered as a viable therapy in patients with NSCLC.

e12033 Background: There is increasing evidence that obesity is strongly associated with breast cancer (BC) and has a major impact on the patient tolerance, overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Chemotherapy dosing as per body surface area (BSA) or the actual body weight is a major dilemma among the oncologists. Moreover, the side effects of chemotherapy in obese patients in an Indian population has not been described previously in literature. We intended to evaluate the major toxicity, OS and PFS in obese BC patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy (ADC) with Adriamycin/cyclophosphamide (AC) and paclitaxel (T). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 331 patients of BC who received 4 cycles of adjuvant AC + T from a single tertiary centre in South India between 2006-2014 were included . All patients were treated as per their BSA which were capped at 2. Body Mass Index (BMI) was divided into normal (18-22.99), Overweight (23-24.99) and Obese ( ≥25 as per Asian guidelines). The toxicity was scored as per NCI-CTCAE criteria. Results: Out of 331 patients, 213 were obese. On comparison of normal and over weight with obese patients, 65 (30.5%) in obese group had significant all grade neuropathy (p = 0.027), 65 (30.5%) had Grade 2 and 3 myelosuppression (p <0.001), 31 (14.5%) had all grade emesis (p = 0.031) and 28 (13.1%) had myalgia (0.001). The 5 year OS and PFS were 93.7% and 82.3% respectively in obese patients, higher than the patients with normal weight with a 5 year OS and PFS of 92.4 % and 76.9% , but was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Higher rates of severe toxicities were seen in obese BC patients who received ADC as per their BSA. The 5 year OS and PFS was better in obese BC patients, but was not statistically significant. [Table: see text]