Prognostic Significance of Lymph Node Yield on Disease-Free Survival and Overall Survival in Patients With Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Background Small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SB-NETs) are increasingly recognized gastrointestinal neoplasms with distinct biological behavior and a high tendency for lymphatic spread. Accurate pathological staging, particularly lymph node yield (LNY), plays a pivotal role in determining prognosis and guiding treatment strategies. Objective To evaluate the prognostic significance of lymph node yield and other clinicopathological features in relation to disease-free and overall survival in patients with SB-NETs.

Role of Lymphadenectomy in the Management of Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer.

Objective This study aimed to determine the role of pelvic lymphadenectomy by assessing nodal positivity on progression-free and overall survival in early-stage endometrial cancer. Materials and methods Eighty-nine women diagnosed with stage I/II endometrial cancer at presentation who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy during surgery from 2019 to 2023 were included in this retrospective study. Data was collected using the Hospital Information System (HIS), and patient identifiers were anonymized.

Impact of delay in interval debulking surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy on survival in ovarian cancer.

Objectives: To determine the impact of delay between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery on progression-free survival and overall survival in ovarian cancer cases.

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised data from January 2019 to January 2022 of women diagnosed with stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent subsequent interval debulking surgery. The patients were divided into groups A and B based on time to surgery within 6 weeks and time to surgery more than 6 weeks, respectively.

A case report of Castleman disease with paraneoplastic pemphigus and bronchiolitis obliterans: Challenges and key takeaways.

Introduction: Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, subdivided into three types: unicentric Castleman disease, idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) associated multicentric Castleman disease. The retroperitoneum comprises only 13 % of the cases.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 36-year-old female who presented with skin lesions in a dermatology clinic.

Incidence, Clinicopathological Features, and Outcomes of Signet Ring Colorectal Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

Background Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare subtype of colorectal cancer with significant variations in clinical characteristics and poor prognosis. However, there is limited data available in Pakistan. Therefore, we analyzed to examine the incidence, clinicopathological features, treatments, and outcomes of SRCC in colorectal cancer cases in Pakistan.

Risk Factors Associated With Anastomotic Stricture in Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: Experience From a High-Volume Center.

Background: Esophageal cancer is a prevalent cancer, with a high incidence in low socioeconomic category countries. Minimally invasive esophagectomy is increasingly being used to treat this malignant condition. However, anastomotic stricture is a serious complication post esophagectomy.

Quality of life after robotic versus conventional minimally invasive cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Optimizing postoperative quality of life (QoL) is an essential aspect of surgical oncology. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) decreases surgical morbidity and improves QoL outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to compare post-operative QoL after oncologic resections using different MIS modalities.

An assessment of public experiences and expectations with physicians: a cross sectional study from Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Although physicians are highly regarded members of society, patients are not always satisfied with their care, suggesting a mismatch between the public's expectations and reality. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the public's expectations regarding roles and responsibilities of a physician, to assess patient experiences, and to evaluate factors associated with the two outcomes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via face-to-face structured interviews from July 14th to August 2nd, 2023, in Karachi, Pakistan.

Laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal resection for low rectal cancer: The myth of reinventing the wheel.

Background & Objective: To review oncological outcomes of laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal excision (LAP-ELAPE) for low rectal cancer.In locally advanced low rectal cancer, ELAPE which is en-bloc resection of levator muscles along with the tumor in a prone position has significantly decreased the rate of having either positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) or tumor perforation. The aim of the study was to determine the oncological outcomes of laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal excision (LAP-ELAPE) for low rectal cancer.

Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline variants in an unselected pancreatic cancer patient cohort in Pakistan.

Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) are the most frequently investigated genes among Caucasian pancreatic cancer patients, whereas limited reports are available among Asians. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of BRCA1/2 germline variants in Pakistani pancreatic cancer patients.

Methods: One hundred and fifty unselected and prospectively enrolled pancreatic cancer patients were comprehensively screened for BRCA1/2 germline variants using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution melting analyses, followed by DNA sequencing of the variant fragments.

Rectosigmoid resection morbidity in ovarian cancer cytoreductive surgery.

This case series evaluated morbidity following rectosigmoid resection during cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore. The data of 20 female patients with complications corresponding to the Clavien-Dindo classification was included; the patients received treatment between January 2016 and January 2021. The mean age was 45.

Is age just a number or does it really affect the surgical and oncological outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy?

Objective: To review the impact of age on perioperative and postoperative outcomes in patients following pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised data from January 2014 to December 2018 of all patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. Postoperative morbidity and oncological outcomes were compared between patients aged ≤60 years in group A and those aged >60 years in group B.

Body Mass Index and Other Risk Factors Effects on Colon Cancer Prognosis in Pakistan.

Introduction: Asian developing countries share the burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) with rising mortality rates. This prospective study aims to apprehend the clinical relevance of age, gender, lifestyle choices (dietary habits and addiction) and body mass index (BMI) to the occurrence and progression of colon cancer (CC).

Methods: A cohort of non-cancer (NC) and CC patients of South-Central Asian origin registered for screening colonoscopy or surgery at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH and RC), Lahore, Pakistan, from 2015 to 2020 was identified.

Emergency esophagectomy: Experience of a high volume esophageal cancer center.

Objective: The objective of the study was to review the experience of dealing oncological emergency esophagectomies at a dedicated Cancer hospital.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of data of eleven esophagectomies at the Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore (SKMCH&RC) Pakistan, from 1 January, 2009 to 30 June, 2019. Out of 590 oncological esophagectomies, eleven patients had emergency resection.

Post-esophagectomy Anastomosis Leak: A 10-Year Experience at a Specialized Center for Cancer Surgeries in Pakistan.

Esophageal cancer has been reported to be the seventh most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of mortality. Use of advanced diagnostic techniques has increased the detection of preoperative metastases and resulted in better patient selection for further management by curative surgery. We carried out a study to evaluate the outcome of esophagectomy at our institute in terms of acute leak, mortality and hospital stay.

Multidimensional Quality of Life After Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Surgery for Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Maximizing patients' quality of life (QoL) is a central goal in surgical oncology. Currently, both laparoscopic and robotic surgery are viable options in rectal cancer (RC) resections. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the differences in postoperative QoL between the two operative modalities.

Contribution of germline PALB2 variants to an unselected and prospectively registered pancreatic cancer patient cohort in Pakistan.

Background: Partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2) is a pancreatic cancer (PC) susceptibility gene reported in Caucasians. However, limited data are available among Asians. We investigated the contribution of PALB2 germline variants to Pakistani PC patients.

Impact of COVID-19 and economic policy uncertainty on China's stock market returns: evidence from quantile-on-quantile and causality-in-quantiles approaches.

COVID-19 unexpectedly ensnared the entire world and wreaked havoc on global economic and financial systems. The stock market is sensitive to black swan events, and the COVID-19 disaster was no exception. Against this backdrop, this study explores the impact of COVID-19 and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on Chinese stock markets' returns for the period spanning January 23, 2020 to August 04, 2021.

Incidence and Survival Rates for Female Malignant Germ Cell Tumors: An Institutional Review.

Background Germ cell tumor survival rates have improved over the past few decades. However, there is a lack of data on survival rates and the incidence of female germ cell tumors. This study aims to determine the incidence and survival rates of female germ cell tumors in our institution.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Surgery.

Background In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) surgery. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gynecologic Oncology Section of the Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan. Using non-probability consecutive sampling technique, all patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery involving low anterior resection for EOC between January 2016 and January 2021 were included.

The impact of crude oil prices on Chinese stock markets and selected sectors: evidence from the VAR-DCC-GARCH model.

The interaction between oil and stock market returns is one of the most important relationships that have a significant influence on the economy of any country all over the world. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of crude oil prices on the Chinese stock market and selected industries by using the VAR-DCC-GARCH model over the period from December 26, 2001, to April 30, 2019. The empirical results show that the impact of Brent crude oil prices on the Shanghai Composite Index and selected industries is significant.

Non-compliance to social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative cross-sectional study between the developed and developing countries.

Background: Despite mass vaccination campaigns, the world has seen a steady rise in the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, with 178,765,626 cases and 3,869,994 COVID-19 related deaths by June 19th, 2021. Therefore, it is important to enforce social distancing to control its spread. With the variation observed in the severity of the pandemic in different countries, it is also imperative to study the social distancing behaviors amongst the population in developed and developing countries.