Context:We describe the treatment of cancer patients carried out in a Government of India-designated, dedicated coronavirus disease (COVID) hospital (DCH) in a COVID hotspot in India. Aims: The aim was to study the change and delay in the management of cancer patients during the pandemic and its complications. Settings and Design: This was an observational cohort study conducted at a tertiary care center, which was also a DCH. Subjects and Methods: Cancer patients receiving cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in our DCH, during the lockdown, were studied. Results: A total of 864 patients received treatment for cancer in our hospital during the period of March 20, 2020 -May 31, 2020. There were no COVID-related complications. The treatment of 109/864 patients (12.61%) was delayed due to the pandemic and lockdown situation and the treatment plan was changed for 84/864 (9.72%) patients. There were 21 deaths in these 864 patients (2.43%), but only two deaths were COVID related. Symptomatic patients were tested for COVID, and 3/864 patients (0.34%) were detected to be COVID positive. Conclusions: We successfully delivered cancer treatment to patients in our DCH. The percentage of adverse effects, symptomatic COVID infection, and related mortality has been very low in our study. Cancer care can be continued with due diligence even during this pandemic.

Background Radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) in patients with head and neck cancer may lead to significant morbidity. OM may result in erythema, ulceration, and pseudomembrane formation. The usual time of onset is second or third week of radiotherapy (RT), after the doses of 16 to 18 Gy. OM may cause severe pain, significant weight loss, increased resource use, interruption or discontinuation of the treatment, and added cost of supportive care. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent RT and chemoradiation (CTRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) from 2015 to 2016 were included. The patients who were treated with the add-on Ayurveda gargle regimen (AGR) of sapthachhadadi gandoosham were evaluated against patients treated with standard symptomatic care (SSC). Statistical Analysis Chi-square test was used to compare the difference between the two groups in the present study with SPSS (SPSS version 20 for Windows package SPSS Science, Chicago, IL, USA). software. Result Grade III to IV OM was lower in the AGR group when compared with the SSC group (p < 0.001). Onset of OM was significantly delayed in patients from the AGR group (p < 0.001). Conclusion The AGR with sapthachhadadi gandoosham is effective in delaying the onset and reducing severity of OM in HNSCC, without compromising the rate of locoregional recurrence.

No abstract

Endometriosis is a common and painful condition. We present a case of a 33-year-old woman who had delivered triplets after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for male factor infertility. She did not have any clinical features suggestive of endometriosis before the IVF treatment. The patient presented 7 years after conception, with premensural and postmenstrual abdominal pain and intense pain on defecation. The patient was diagnosed to have endometriosis in the tract of transvaginal ovum pick up in the right pouch of Douglas and right distal uterosacral ligament. The patient underwent excision of a nodule of endometriosis. The patient is asymptomatic 1 month after surgery. Histopathology analysis revealed features suggestive of endometriosis. The needle ovum pick up tract must have implanted the endometriotic tissue near the pararectal tissue. This is an unreported and late complication of IVF treatment.

No abstract