Hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) early breast cancer (EBC) is associated with a persistent risk of recurrence despite optimal local therapy and adjuvant endocrine therapy, particularly in patients with high-risk clinicopathologic features. Adjuvant cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors have demonstrated significant benefits in randomized clinical trials; however, real-world data from Indian populations remain limited. This study evaluates real-world outcomes, tolerability, and treatment adherence to adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitors in HR+/HER2 - EBC patients treated at a tertiary cancer center in India.

This single-center, retrospective observational study included consecutive adult patients with HR+/HER2 - EBC who received adjuvant endocrine therapy in combination with either ribociclib or abemaciclib following definitive surgery between January 2023 and December 2025. Demographic, clinicopathologic, treatment, toxicity, and outcome data were extracted from institutional medical records. Adverse events were graded using common terminology criteria for adverse events. The primary endpoints were treatment tolerability and invasive disease-free survival (iDFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival, dose modifications, and treatment discontinuation rates. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

A total of 75 patients (median age: 52 years) were analyzed. Stage III disease was present in 69.3% of patients, including IIIA/IIIB/IIIC, and ≥4 positive lymph nodes were observed in 70.6%, representing a high-risk group. Node-negative status was seen in 10 (13.3%) patients. Ribociclib was administered to 55.3% of patients and abemaciclib to 43.4% of patients, and dose modifications were required in 14.2% and 18.1% of patients, respectively, while permanent discontinuation occurred in 3.6% of ribociclib-treated patients and none in the abemaciclib group. Grade ≥3 toxicities were infrequent. In the ribociclib group, grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 6.0%, anemia in 4.7%, thrombocytopenia in 2.3%, and diarrhea in 2.3% of patients. In the abemaciclib group, grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in 6.0%, anemia in 3.0%, thrombocytopenia in 3.0%, and diarrhea in 12.1%, the latter being the most frequent severe adverse event. At a median follow-up of 6.35 months, iDFS was 100% at 6 months and 90.6% at 12 months.

In this real-world Indian cohort, adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitors demonstrated favorable tolerability, low rates of severe toxicity and permanent discontinuation, and encouraging early disease control in high-risk HR+/HER2 - EBC patients. These findings support the feasibility and applicability of adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy in routine clinical practice in India, while emphasizing the need for longer follow-up and larger multicenter studies.

Gastric cancer ranks as the fifth most prevalent malignancy worldwide. Although predominantly affecting individuals aged 50-70 years, a small proportion presents at a younger age, often displaying distinct biological behavior and adverse outcomes. We assessed the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of young patients with gastric cancer and compared them with those of older individuals.

A retrospective analysis of gastric cancer patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2022 at a tertiary cancer center compared younger (<45 years) and older (≥45 years) groups across demographic, pathological, treatment, and survival variables. Kaplan-Meier analysis assessed disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Among 296 patients, 147 (49.6%) were ≤45 years, with a median age of 40 years. Male predominance was less evident among younger patients (1.45:1 versus 3.65:1, P = 0.0003). Younger patients had more high-grade tumors ( P = 0.0018) and peritoneal metastases. The 3-year DFS and OS in young and older patients with localized disease were 32%, 38% and 33%, 38%, respectively ( P = 0.8338 and P = 0.7713, respectively). The 3-year PFS and OS of young and older patients with metastatic disease were 11%, 14% and 8%, 12%, respectively ( P = 0.5756 and P = 0.8072, respectively).

Nearly 40% of patients were below 45 years. Despite a higher prevalence of aggressive features and metastatic presentation, survival outcomes were similar across age groups when managed with comparable treatment protocols.

To evaluate the prognostic impact of perineural invasion (PNI) on oncological outcomes in oral cavity carcinoma patients.

Chart review of 781 patients undergoing surgery for oral cavity carcinoma between 2013 to 2021 was done. All patients underwent surgery (per primum/post neoadjuvant chemotherapy) followed by adjuvant treatment as per histopathological report.

There were 653 male patients (83%) and the median age of the cohort was 48 years. Six hundred and thirty-two (80.8%) patients had locally advanced stage (III/IV). Three hundred and forty (44%) patients had PNI reported. PNI positivity correlated with higher pT stage, pN stage, overall stage and poor differentiation. Median follow-up was 51 months. At last follow-up, 571 patients (73%) were alive, of which 527 were disease free. Incidence of distant metastasis was significantly higher in patients having PNI (25% versus 13%, P = 0.001). On univariate analysis, patients with PNI-positive disease had significantly worse 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) (56% versus 68%, P = 0.001), locoregional control (LRC) (62% versus 72%, P = 0.001), and overall survival (OS) (57% versus 75%, P = 0.001) as compared to patients with PNI-negative disease. On multivariate analysis, PNI was significant factor only for OS ( P = 0.05), not for DFS ( P = 0.152) or LRC ( P = 0.174). For PNI-positive cohort, patients with perinodal extension had poor OS ( P = 0.01).

PNI-positive disease had poor outcomes despite aggressive multimodality treatment. PNI positivity correlated with higher pT stage, pN stage, overall stage and poor differentiation. PNI may be considered an independent prognostic factor for OS in oral cavity cancers and should be evaluated further in a randomized controlled setting. Added presence of perinodal extension defines poor outcomes. Sub-classification of PNI may be tested for determining impact on outcomes.

The most frequent malignancy of the oral cavity is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which accounts for up to 80-90% of all malignant neoplasms of the oral cavity. It results from the gradual accumulation of diverse genetic alterations. Alcohol use, tobacco use, betel quid chewing, human papillomavirus (HPV) and poor nutrition are significant risk factors for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The cancer suppressor gene E-cadherin establishes a cutoff for Wnt-catenin signaling. Cell-cell adhesion is lost as a result of the Wnt signaling pathway being amplified when E-Cadherin expression is diminished. An antiapoptotic protein called B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) interacts with and is controlled by P53. It is a component of the regulatory network that manages the cell cycle and triggers apoptosis.

A retrospective study was conducted on 60 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, comprising 20 cases each of well-differentiated, moderately differentiated, and poorly differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Diagnosis was based on hematoxylin and eosin staining, with oral mucosa serving as the control.

In increasing grades of OSCC, E-cadherin was downregulated and Bcl-2 was overexpressed; the difference was statistically significant.

The relationship between E-cadherin and Bcl-2 was shown to be inverse. Both predictive and therapeutic uses of the indicators are possible.

This article offers a comprehensive analysis and updates using GLOBOCAN 2022, Cancer Atlas, National Cancer Registry Programme 2022, and many more available sources for information on cancer incidence and deaths in 2022 and their projections for 2025. As per reports, an estimated 20 million new instances of skin cancer, including non-melanoma cases, were reported globally, with 9.7 million of those cases resulting in fatalities and poor health. A cursory look at the Indian data reveals that the nation experiences over 1.4 million new instances of cancer each year, translating into 9 lakh fatalities. According to estimates, breast cancer has overtaken all other cancers and is now the most common cancer in the nation, accounting for 1.9 lakh (about 13.6%) of new cases. Cancers of the lip, oral cavity, and cervix uteri account for 10.2% and 9.0% of new cases, respectively. It was also discovered that breast cancer ranked highest in terms of mortality, accounting for about 98,337 fatalities (10.7%). The most common malignancies detected in males and women, respectively, were lip, oral cavity, and breast cancers (both cases and deaths). In 2025, it is also anticipated that the number of cases of lung and breast cancer will be 81,219 for males and 2,32,832 for females, respectively. Between 2015 and 2025, there will likely be a 27.7% rise in cancer cases across every site when taken into account. Given the likelihood that cancer incidence and deaths will rise in the future, attention must be paid to the factors that contribute to the disease to improve health and well-being.

Axillary lymph node status is a key prognostic factor in breast cancer and guides treatment decisions. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard staging method in clinically node-negative patients; however, it remains invasive. Inflammatory indices derived from complete blood counts, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), have been investigated as potential markers of nodal involvement.

This study aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of NLR, PLR, and LMR for axillary lymph node positivity and SLNB outcomes in breast cancer.

This single-center retrospective study included 203 female patients with histopathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer. All patients underwent preoperative axillary ultrasonography, and suspicious lymph nodes were evaluated using fine-needle aspiration biopsy. SLNB was performed in 91 patients with imaging-negative axillae. Preoperative hemogram parameters were recorded, and NLR, PLR, and LMR were calculated. These indices were compared between axillary lymph node (ALN)-positive and ALN-negative patients, and between SLNB-positive and SLNB-negative subgroups.

NLR and LMR values were significantly higher, whereas PLR values were significantly lower ( P < 0.001), lymphocyte counts were also higher ( P < 0.05) in patients with ALN positivity group, while neutrophil and platelet counts showed no significant differences. Among patients undergoing SLNB, no significant differences in inflammatory indices were observed, and these parameters failed to distinguish micro- from macrometastatic disease.

Hemogram-derived inflammatory indices are associated with axillary nodal positivity but are insufficient to predict low-volume nodal disease detected by SLNB and should be considered complementary tools in axillary staging.

We present the case of a 69-year-old male patient with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the root of the tongue, who was enrolled in the clinical trial 'prospective clinical study of envafolimab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and transformation therapy for head and neck SCC.' After three cycles of envafolimab combined with chemotherapy, the tumor completely subsided, achieving complete remission as confirmed by re-examination through neck enhanced computed tomography and electronic nasopharyngolaryngoscopy. The patient was subsequently treated with envafolimab alone, achieving a progression-free survival of more than 20 months to date. During maintenance treatment, the patient developed adrenocortical dysfunction induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors, which improved after symptomatic treatment and did not affect the patient's quality of life. This article is the first to report the use of a new immune checkpoint inhibitor for SCC of the root of the tongue, achieving clinical cure.

Cervical lymph node status is a major prognostic determinant in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this study, the prognostic significance of lymph node yield (LNY) and lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients with OSCC undergoing cervical lymphadenectomy was evaluated.

Total of 151 patients with previously untreated primary OSCC who underwent surgical treatment between 2006 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. LNY was defined as the total number of lymph nodes retrieved during surgery, and LNR was calculated as the number of positive lymph nodes divided by the total number of retrieved lymph nodes. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models.

A total of 3087 lymph nodes were retrieved, with a median LNY of 19 (range 5-78). In the overall cohort, an LNY cutoff of 18 was significantly associated with improved OS. Multivariate analysis identified LNY as an independent prognostic factor for OS, DFS, and local recurrence. Among pN0 patients, an LNY value of ≥15 was associated with improved OS. Among pN + patients, an LNY value of ≥25 indicated better OS, and LNR of <0.06 was associated with improved OS in univariate analysis. In exploratory subgroup analysis, postoperative radiotherapy was associated with improved OS in pN + patients with LNR of <0.136.

LNY and LNR were significantly associated with survival outcomes in OSCC after cervical lymphadenectomy. Higher LNY was consistently associated with improved survival, whereas the prognostic value of LNR was less consistent across analyses.

This study aimed to design a multifunctional balloon catheter carrying radioactive iodine-125 (I-125) seeds for the treatment of patients with esophageal cancer with incomplete obstruction.

I-125 seeds were uniformly loaded into three microcatheters embedded in the balloon wall. The catheter was nasally inserted and positioned at the obstructive esophageal segment with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) guidance. The balloon was gradually inflated in accordance with tumor compression. Five patients were treated using this catheter, with documentation of placement success rate, procedural duration, and complications. In addition, DSA was performed biweekly to verify seed positioning. Swallowing was assessed at 2 months postprocedure using the Stooler grading system, along with contrast passage evaluation.

Successful placement was achieved in all five cases (100%), with a mean procedural time of 11 min. No significant complications (insertion difficulty, major bleeding, or chest pain) occurred intraoperatively. At the 2-month follow-up, all patients showed improved dysphagia (three cases: from Stooler grade 3 to grade 2; two cases: from Stooler grade 4 to grade 3), with confirmed contrast passage through the obstruction.

Results confirmed the safety and patient tolerance of the balloon-mounted I-125 seed catheter. This integrated device simultaneously provides enteral nutrition, localized brachytherapy, and mechanical dilation, representing a novel therapeutic approach for advanced esophageal cancer with incomplete obstruction.

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic sensitivity of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), core-needle biopsy (CNB), and their combination in malignant superficial lymph nodes while identifying key influencing factors.

A total of 390 patients with malignant superficial lymph nodes undergoing simultaneous FNAB and CNB were included in this retrospective study. Sensitivity and false-negative rates were calculated for each method. McNemar's test was used for pairwise comparisons, and factors associated with false-negative results were analyzed via logistic regression.

The overall sensitivity reached 89.23% for FNAB, 96.92% for CNB, and 97.44% for the combined approach. In particular, CNB showed significantly higher sensitivity than FNAB, especially in lymphoma (100% versus 51.52%) and lymph nodes >3 cm (98.46% versus 86.15%). By contrast, the combined strategy showed only a marginal increase in sensitivity (+0.52%). McNemar's test revealed 32 FNAB false negatives versus two CNB false negatives ( P < 0.001). The longitudinal-to-transverse diameter ratio was an independent predictor of false negatives for both methods (FNAB: OR 0.26, P < 0.01; CNB: OR 0.21, P < 0.01).

CNB exhibits superior sensitivity over FNAB for malignant lymphadenopathy. On the contrary, the combined approach adds minimal benefit (+0.52%), and it is not justified for routine use. Thus, CNB should be the preferred first-line biopsy method.