ABSTRACT
Background: The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) for oral cancer has incorporated additional pathological features like depth of invasion (DOI) and extranodal extension (ENE) into T and N staging. The incorporation of these two factors will impact the staging and, hence, the treatment decisions. The aim of the study was to clinically validate the new staging system in predicting the outcome in patients treated for carcinoma oral tongue. The study also examined the correlation of pathological risk factors with survival. Methods: We studied 70 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue who underwent primary surgical treatment at a tertiary care center in the year 2012. All these patients were restaged pathologically according to the new AJCC eighth staging system. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Akaike information criterion and concordance index were calculated between both staging systems to identify a better predictive model. Log-rank test and univariate Cox regression analysis were conducted to find out the significance of different pathological factors on outcome. Results: Incorporation of DOI and ENE resulted in 47.2% and 12.8% stage migration, respectively. DOI less than 5 mm was associated with a 5-year OS and DFS of 100% and 92.9%, respectively, compared to 88.7% and 85.1%, respectively, when the DOI was more than 5 mm. Presence of lymph node involvement, ENE, and perineural invasion (PNI) were associated with inferior survival. The eighth edition had lower Akaike information criterion and improved concordance index values compared with the seventh edition. Conclusion: The eighth edition of AJCC allows better risk stratification. Restaging of cases based on the eighth edition AJCC staging manual resulted in significant upstaging with difference in survival.
ABSTRACT
Background: Cervical cancer in India accounts for one-fifth of the global burden. Well-defined precancerous stages help early detection of the disease. Apart from human papillomavirus, the risk factors include age, education, occupation, early age at marriage and first delivery, abortions, and multiple sexual partners. Prevalence and risk factors for cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) among women by Pap smear screening in south India were analyzed through a cross-sectional study. Methods: Women from rural and urban area were motivated by local accredited social health activists to attend pre-fixed Pap smear clinics in government hospitals. Pap smears collected in these clinics were taken to the Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, processed, and cytology reports were prepared. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for SIL and high-grade SIL (HSIL). Results: The number of SIL was 67 out of 10,580 and HSIL was 39. Having higher education (Odds Ratio, OR:0.05(95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.01-0.2), being married but living single (OR : 5.3, 95%CI:2.4-11.5), Having >2 abortions (OR:21, 95% CI:4.5-24), having younger age at delivery (OR : 0.1, 95% CI:0.01-0.3) and having unhealthy cervix (OR: 16.4, 95% CI:6.2-42.7) were the factors found to be the associated risk factors in multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: Pap smear screening can be focused on women with risk factors such as low education, married but living single, having >2 abortions, younger age at delivery, and unhealthy cervix on per speculum examination.
ABSTRACT
Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) form a heterogeneous group of cancers typically exhibiting an aggressive behavior resulting in increased risk of locoregional relapse (LRR) and distant metastases. The effect of radiotherapy on LRR risk and overall survival (OS) in women treated with mastectomy alone for early-stage TNBC remains unclear. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the locoregional recurrence rate, disease-free survival (DFS), and OS following breast conservation therapy (BCT) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) alone in women with stage I and IIA TNBC and to assess the impact of tumor and treatment-related factors. Materials and Methods: Patients with early-stage (pT1-2, N0) TNBC-treated between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011, were identified from the hospital-based registry records. The mean age was 48 years. Forty-nine patients underwent BCT, and 121 underwent MRM. The majority of the patients in both groups had T2 and grade 3 disease. None of the patients had margin positive status after surgery. Five patients had lymphovascular invasion (LVI). Results: At a median follow-up of 50 months (range: 4–83 months), there was no locoregional recurrence (LRR) in either arm. Eight patients relapsed, six developed distant metastases, and one patient each had a new primary in the contralateral breast and ovary. Two patients died of disseminated cancer, one each in the BCT and MRM groups. The five-year DFS was 95.8% and 91.1% for the BCT group and MRM group, respectively, (P = 0.83). The corresponding 5-year OS was 98% and 97.5% (P = 0.527). There was no statistically significant difference in outcome based on age, grade, LVI, or margin status between both groups. Conclusion: This retrospective analysis identified no statistically significant difference in outcome regarding LRR, DFS, or OS in patients treated without adjuvant radiation for women with pT1-T2N0 TNBC who underwent MRM in comparison to BCT