ecancermedicalscience最新文献

Background: Cancer registries are valuable resources for cancer control and research. To justify their purpose, their data should be of satisfactory quality by being comparable internationally, complete in their coverage, valid in their values and timely in reporting. This study aimed to assess the quality of the Ratnagiri Population Based Cancer Registry's data for the years 2017-18 across the four dimensions of data quality.

Methods: Regarding comparability, the registry procedure was reviewed vis-à-vis the rules they follow for cancer registry operation. We have used four methods for validity: re-abstraction and re-coding, diagnostic criteria methods- like the percentage of microscopically verified (MV%) and of death certificate only (DCO%) cases, missing information like proportion of cases of primary site unknown (PSU%) and internal validity. Semi-quantitative methods were employed for assessing completeness. Timeliness for all years of registry functioning was assessed qualitatively.

Results: The overall accuracy rate of the registry was found to be 91.1% (94.7% for demographic and 88% for tumour details). Mortality to incidence ratios were found to be 0.50 for females and 0.59 for males. MV% was found to be 90.8% for males and 91.5% for females. The average number of sources per case was found to be 1.5. DCO% was found to be 2.7%. PSU% was 7.4%.

Conclusion: We have positive results regarding the data's validity and comparability, but there is scope for improvement concerning completeness. Continuous training of the registry personnel and monitoring of the registry is recommended.

Cancer medicines have become one of the most dominant global medical technologies. They generate huge profits for the biopharmaceutical industry as well as fuel the research and advocacy activities of public funders, patient organisations, clinical and scientific communities and entire federal political ecosystems. The mismatch between the price, affordability and value of many cancer medicines and global need has generated significant policy debate, yet we see little change in behaviours from any of the major actors from public research funders through to regulatory authorities. In this policy analysis we examine whether, considering the money and power inherent in this system, any rationale global consensus and policy can be achieved to deliver affordable and equitable cancer medicines that consistently deliver clinically meaningful benefit.

Research is an essential element in the practice of healthcare, and hospitals play a fundamental role in its promotion. Research in hospitals can improve the quality of care, knowledge of diseases and the discovery of new therapies. Hospitals can conduct research in various fields, including basic research, clinical research, population-based research and even hospital management research. The findings of hospital research can be directly applied to clinical practice and management, thereby enhancing the quality of patient care, a central paradigm in translational health. This article details the experience of the National Cancer Institute of Chile over the past 8 years in its role as a high-complexity public hospital, specialised institute, healthcare centre, teaching institution, and research facility. It reviews the work of generating and strengthening its institutional research model since its redesign in 2018, the key elements that underpin it, and discusses the challenges the institute faces in its growth amidst the increasing cancer epidemiology in Chile, the recent enactment of a National Cancer Law, the post-pandemic scenario that has left a significant waiting list of oncology patients, and the initiation of the design and construction process for the new institute building.

Background: Gallbladder cancer is a rare malignancy characterised by poor survival with lack of durable response to treatment. Thus, novel biomarkers are needed to prognosticate patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to examine the role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet count (PC) and serum immune inflammation index in predicting the survival of patients with gallbladder cancer.

Materials and methods: A systematic search was done using PubMed, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov and Google Scholar for articles published from inception until 8 February 2022. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled and subgroup analyses were conducted according to treatment, region and cut-offs. The primary outcome of interest was overall survival (OS). Data were summarised using RevMan version 5.4.

Results: Twenty studies comprising 5,183 patients were included in the analysis. High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.47-2.02), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.72), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.46-1.64), PC (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02-1.40) and serum inflammation index (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.36-2.18) were all associated with worse survival. The association was consistent across most subgroups on race and cut-offs with a trend towards poor survival for PC above 252.5.

Conclusion: High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-lymphocyte ratio, PC and SII are associated with worse OS in gallbladder cancer and are potential biomarkers for prognostication. Prospective studies are recommended to further evaluate their use.

Despite the high cancer burden in low-middle-income-countries, medical students often have inadequate exposure to oncology. This may contribute to reduced interest in pursuing training in the field. The second ecancer TMC Oncology Congress at Kolkata on 30th September and 1st October 2023 was planned primarily to introduce undergraduate medical and allied health science students to oncology. There were separate sessions on breast cancer, thyroid cancer, myeloma and research methods so that students get exposure to a wide range of topics. Multi-disciplinary case-based discussions on common clinical presentations helped the students grasp the way a modern cancer hospital functions. Eighty-two percent (131/159, 82%) of the pre-registered delegates attended the congress alongside 44 national and international faculty from surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiology, histopathology, psychiatry and palliative medicine. Of those who offered written anonymous feedback, 76% (70/91, 76%) rated the congress to be excellent. Broadly the following themes emerged from the qualitative feedback a) Delegates positively viewed the opportunity to 'interact and learn from some of the best of minds in the field of medicine' b) Suggestions included 'more interactive sessions through case histories, demonstrations of techniques, videos, quizzes, etc.' to make the learning experience more engaging. c) Considerable appreciation was expressed for learning about 'scientific writing' d) A few delegates were also inspired by the 'style' of some of the presentations and felt that this would help to design their presentations in the future. Introducing oncology early during their career may inspire undergraduate students to explore the option of pursuing a career in oncology and allied specialties. A video summarising the event is available at https://ecancer.org/en/video/11672-introducing-oncology-to-undergraduate-medical-and-allied-health-sciences-students. All the talks presented during the conference are available at https://ecancer.org/en/conference/1505-2nd-ecancer-tmc-kolkata-oncology-congress.