Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Treatment Updates Regarding Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma And Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma, Khurshid Ahmed Khan, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi, Nasir Ali

Department of Radiation Oncology

Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma / Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma (AO/AOA) is a WHO Grade-III primary brain tumor. These tumors comprise about 5 - 10% of all gliomas, which make them the third most common primary brain tumors after glioblastoma multiforme and astrocytomas. For many years standard of treatment remained Maximum Safe Resection (MSR) followed by Radiotherapy (RT). These tumors have also been known to be sensitive to alkylator-based chemotherapy particularly the subset having 1p/19q co-deletion signature. There is robust data showing that these tumors are responsive to chemotherapy in recurrent or progressive setting. Recently, up front chemotherapy has been added to standard post-surgery RT. …

Leishmania Donovani Bodies In Bone Marrow, Natasha Ali, Shabneez Hussain

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

We report a case of a 5-year-old female, resident of Afghanistan, who presented with fever and massive splenomegaly. Bone marrow revealed Leishmania donovani bodies (LD bodies) in macrophages characterized by a kinetoplast and characteristic double dot appearance. She was diagnosed as visceral leishmaniasis which is transmitted by sandflies (Phlebotomus).

Vincristine-Induced Vocal Cord Palsy And Successful Re-Treatment In A Patient With Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report, Zarka Samoon, Munira Shabbir-Moosajee

Department of Radiation Oncology

Background: Vincristine, a type of vinca alkaloid, is widely used in the treatment of various childhood and adult malignancies. A well-known side effect of vincristine is its neurotoxicity and it is rarely indicted in vagus nerve involvement. Vincristine induced vocal cord palsy is a potentially reversible condition, with the mainstay of therapy being withdrawal of the offending drug. However, there are no clear guidelines regarding the possibility of re-treatment with the causative agent.CASE PRESENTATION: A 58 year old Asian male presented with constipation and abdominal distension. Diagnostic investigations revealed stage IVB diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The patient was …

Promoter Hypermethylation Of Tumor Suppressor Genes Correlates With Tumor Grade And Invasiveness In Patients With Urothelial Bladder Cancer, Bilgrami S. M, Qureshi S. A, Shahid Pervez, Abbas F

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Purpose: To investigate the promoter methylation status at selected loci which encode for key proteins involved in apoptosis, DNA repair, cell cycle control and progression in urothelial cell carcinoma of bladder and compare the findings from tissue samples with that of plasma.

Methods: Total genomic DNA was isolated from 43 non-muscle invasive (low grade) and 33 muscle invasive (high grade) urothelial bladder cancer samples along with 10 control cases of normal bladder mucosa. Promoter methylation status was investigated for RASSF1A, APC, MGMT, CDKN2A and CDKN2B genes using real-time methylation-specific PCR with SYBR® green. Plasma samples from 16 patients with muscle …

Novel Anticancer Agents In Clinical And Preclinical Trials, Adnan Salim

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

Mediastinal Synovial Sarcoma., Niaz Hussain Soomro, Sanaullah Junejo, Aneeqa Ahsan Zafar, Shirin Siddiqi, Ghulam H

Department of Medicine

The mediastinum is an uncommon site of synovial sarcoma which is a rare soft tissue malignancy. An 18 year old boy was admitted for right sided chest pain since one year. Based on the CT scan chest findings, tru-cut biopsy of the mass was performed and histopathology initially reported as neurofibroma. The tumor was excised via posterolateral thoracotomy and excisional biopsy established the diagnosis of primary synovial sarcoma arising from the mediastinum. Patient was started on adjuvant chemotherapy at the oncologist tumor board’s recommendation and he received 6 cycles of adriamycin and ifosfamide. At last follow up he is free …

Effect Of L-Type Calcium Channel Blocker (Amlodipine) On Myocardial Iron Deposition In Patients With Thalassaemia With Moderate-To-Severe Myocardial Iron Deposition: Protocol For A Randomised, Controlled Trial, Amarah Shakoor, Maaman Zahoor, Alina Sadaf, Najveen Alvi, Zehra Fadoo, Arjumand Rizvi, Farheen Quadri, Fateh Ali Tipoo, Mohammad Khurshid, Zaffar Sajjad, Steven Colan, Babar S Hasan

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: Sideroblastic cardiomyopathy secondary to repeated blood transfusions is a feared complication in thalassaemia. Control of myocardial iron is thus becoming the cornerstone of thalassaemia management. Recent evidence suggests a role for L-type Ca²⁺ channels in mediating iron uptake by the heart. Blocking the cellular iron uptake through these channels may add to the benefit of therapy to standard chelation in reducing myocardial iron. We aim to determine the efficacy of amlodipine (a calcium channel blocker) as an adjunct to standard aggressive chelation in retarding myocardial iron deposition in thalassaemics with or without cardiomyopathy.
Outcomes: The primary outcome …