Cancer risk in persons with HIV/AIDS in India: a review and future directions for research

Background India has a large and evolving HIV epidemic. Little is known about cancer risk in Indian persons with HIV/AIDS (PHA) but risk is thought to be low. Methods To describe the state of knowledge about cancer patterns in Indian PHA, we reviewed reports from the international and Indian literature. Results As elsewhere, non-Hodgkin lymphomas dominate the profile of recognized cancers, with immunoblastic/large cell diffuse lymphoma being the most common type. Hodgkin lymphoma is proportionally increased, perhaps because survival with AIDS is truncated by fatal infections. In contrast, Kaposi sarcoma is rare, in association with an apparently low prevalence of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. If confirmed, the reasons for the low prevalence need to be understood. Cervical, anal, vulva/vaginal and penile cancers all appear to be increased in PHA, based on limited data. The association may be confounded by sexual behaviors that transmit both HIV and human papillomavirus. Head and neck tumor incidence may also be increased, an important concern since these tumors are among the most common in India. Based on limited evidence, the increase is at buccal/palatal sites, which are associated with tobacco and betel nut chewing rather than human papillomavirus. Conclusion With improving care of HIV and better management of infections, especially tuberculosis, the longer survival of PHA in India will likely increase the importance of cancer as a clinical problem in India. With the population's geographic and social diversity, India presents unique research opportunities that can be embedded in programs targeting HIV/AIDS and other public health priorities

Use of cytology fluid samples for predictive biomarker testing in lung cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: To provide a method of directly using cytology fluid samples for predictive biomarker testing in lung cancer patients and to determine the efficacy of a variety of fluid sample types. METHOD: A review of our in-house data from a range of cytology samples including endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) fine-needle aspirate (FNA) needle washings (NW) and serous effusions tested on the Biocartis Idylla platform. All fluid samples were originally tested using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Using our method for fluid samples all of our cytology samples tested for epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) yielded valid results on this platform and all variant cases identified. The data showed serous fluids provided the best quality DNA, and variant genotype reports were obtained within 150 minutes. CONCLUSION: Cytology fluid samples can be used for predictive biomarker testing for lung cancer patients to provide in-house results with all fluids providing good-quality DNA.Published version, accepted version (12 month embargo)RD&E staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted

From haematuria to nephroureterectomy via urine cytology-A case study

Published version, accepted version (12 month embargo)RD&E staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted

Pretracheal ectopic thymoma: A diagnostic challenge in endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology

Ectopic thymomas (ETs) are rare thymic neoplasms that arise from atypical anatomical sites and present a diagnostic challenge for clinicians as they can be mistaken for other pathological entities on fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology.RD&E staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted.Published version, accepted version (12 month embargo

Papillary carcinoma thyroid presenting as a choroidal metastasis. Report of a case and brief review of literature.

A patient of papillary thyroid carcinoma, who initially presented with a choroidal metastasis and secondary intractable glaucoma is reported. The orange-coloured tumour posed a diagnostic difficulty, until histopathology of the enucleated eye confirmed the metastasis from the thyroid. The initial presentation of distant metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer is rare

Case-based discussion from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust: a painful paradox

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Accuracy of Fine Needle Cytology in Histological Prediction of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Variants: a Prospective Study

Fine needle cytology (FNC) is a crucial procedure in the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid tumors. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), in its classic variant (cPTC), is the most common malignant neoplasm of the thyroid. Several histological variants of PTC have been described, each one with its own characteristics and prognosis. The ability of FNC to identify the variants represents a challenge even for a skilled pathologist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic cytological accuracy of FNC in PTC and to look for specific features that could predict the different variants. This was a single center prospective study on 128 patients who received a diagnosis of PTC on FNC. The smears were blindly reviewed by two cytopathologists to create a frequency score (0, 1, 2, 3) of the features for each variant. The cytological parameters were divided into three groups: architectural, nucleo-cytoplasmic, and background features. Univariate analysis was performed by chi-square test with Yates correction and Fisher exact test as appropriate. Multiple regression analysis was performed among the variables correlated at the linear correlation. The correlation study between cytology and histology showed an accuracy of FNC in classic, follicular, and oncocytic PTC variants of 63.5, 87.5, and 87% respectively. Familiarity with cytological features may allow an early diagnosis of a given PTC variant on FNC samples. This is fundamental in a preoperative evaluation for the best surgical approach and subsequent treatment