Treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer: Experience from a tertiary Indian cancer center.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to look at the outcome of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer treated at a tertiary cancer center in India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 101 patients with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer diagnosed between May 2012 and July 2013 were identified from a prospectively maintained database at the tertiary cancer center. Overall survival (OS) was computed using the Kaplan–Meir product limit method and compared across groups using the log‑rank statistics. Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for a number of patient and tumor characteristics, was then used to determine factors prognostic for OS. RESULTS: Median age at diagnosis was 55 years (range: 21–81 years). 57.4% (n = 58) of patients were male, 22% (n = 22) had performance status (PS) of <2 at diagnosis and 89% received first‑line chemotherapy, while the rest received best supportive care. For the whole cohort, 6 month and 1‑year OS was 57% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 46–66%) and 47% (95% CI: 35–57%), respectively. In a multivariable model, PS <2 and oligometastatic disease were associated with a significantly decreased risk of death. CONCLUSION: Results from our analysis indicate that the prognostic outcome among Indian patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer is poor with survival outcomes similar to those reported in North America and Europe.

ICON 2013: Practical consensus recommendations for hormone receptor-positive Her2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

The management of hormone receptor‑positive Her2‑negative breast cancer patients with advanced or metastatic disease is a common problem in India and other countries in this region. This expert group used data from published literature, practical experience, and opinion of a large group of academic oncologists, to arrive at practical consensus recommendations for use by the community oncologists.

Pigmentary glaucoma

Pigment Dispersion Syndrome [PDS] is characterized by loss of pigment from the iris pigment epithelium, with radial mid - peripheral iris defects shown by transillumination, and associated with the deposition of pigment on the zonules, anterior and posterior lens surfaces, corneal endothelium [Krukenberg spindle] and trabecular meshwork. This clinical appearance with persistently elevated Intraocular Pressure [IOP] is termed Pigmentary Glaucoma [PG]. It is generally believed that the accumulation of pigment in the aqueous outflow system, leading to obstruction and damage of trabecular meshwork, causes elevation of IOP and the development of pigmentary glaucoma [PG]. Hence both pigment dispersion syndrome [PDS] and pigmentary glaucoma [PG] have the same clinical and gonioscopic features except for the presence of elevated intraocular pressure which occurs only in PG