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Aims and Objectives: This retrospective study aims at correlating the pre- and post-therapy maximal standardized uptake values (SUV max ) of the whole-body 18-flourodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan with tumor response in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy. Materials and Methods: Data for this retrospective study were taken from the clinical records of 20 evaluable head and neck cancer patients who had availed treatment and evaluation at our institute during the previous year (March 2017–April 2018). All these above-mentioned patients had undergone chemoradiation at our center for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and had undergone pre- and post-therapy whole-body FDG PET scan. The posttherapy PET-computed tomography (CT) was advised after 8 weeks’ postcompletion of therapy. During the PET CT scan, images were acquired 1 h after injection of FDG. Pre- and post-therapy SUV max were recorded and correlated with immediate treatment response. Results: The mean pretherapy SUV Max of the primary tumor was 10.27 ranging from 4.5 to 26.17. The mean pretherapy SUV Max of the node was 5.34 ranging from 0 to 17.9. The mean time of recording the posttherapy SUV Max was 3 months (range 2–5 months). The mean posttherapy SUV Max of the primary tumor was 1.05 ranging from complete metabolic response to 6.4. The mean posttherapy SUV Max of the node was 0.7 ranging from complete metabolic response to 5.43. The statistical analysis based on Wilcoxon–Signed Rank test revealed a statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-therapy SUV max values for both primary tumor ( P < 0.001) and regional node ( P = 0.001). Majority of patients ( n = 15) showed clinical remission; however, five patients had progressive disease at the time of evaluation. Conclusion: Although the retrospective study revealed that complete responders had a statistically significant reduction in the posttherapy SUV max in comparison to the pretherapy SUV max it failed to identify a cutoff value for pretherapy SUV max which could predict the probable outcome of therapy. In view of the same further prospective studies need to be conducted with larger patient numbers including various other tumor metabolic markers for greater clarity.

Background: Herbal supplements (HS) are one of the most commonly used complementary and alternative medicines in cancer. Reduced therapeutic efficacy of prescription anticancer agents through unwarranted herb–drug interactions is a major efficacy/safety concern. In view of the rising cancer prevalence in India along with a high degree of reliance and cultural acceptability in favor of traditional medicine drugs, prevalence data exclusively of HS usage during cancer treatment are of considerable epidemiological significance. Methodology: This questionnaire-based prospective observational study aimed at estimating the prevalence of HS among cancer patients during treatment at our tertiary care medical center. Taken on a population of 220 patients within a period of 9 months, data were generated by a customized validated questionnaire and the same processed by IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version XXIV, Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Differences between HS use and nonuse with respect to demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics were assessed by Chi-square test. For examining the latter variables as possible predictors of HS usage, they were entered into bivariate logistic regression with odds ratio and confidence intervals calculated for each. Results: Out of 220 patients, 57 (26%) were HS users and 163 (74%) were nonusers. Majority of the users (42.1%) were on self-prepared folklore herbal medicine postdiagnosis of cancer (57.9%), the most common reason cited being symptom palliation (35.1%) on the advice of friends and family (64.9%). Fear of disapproval was the most common reason cited (68.4%) for not disclosing HS usage to the physician. Conclusion: Chemotherapy and unemployment are predictors of HS usage, and there is a significant association between occupation status and HS usage. This first study on HS prevalence among South Indian population proposes the need for a more robust evidence base for understanding all aspects of HS use in cancer.

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Background: Outcomes with conventional treatment are poor in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Treatment options are further limited for patients ineligible to receive platinum-based chemotherapy due to various factors such as geriatric age, comorbidity, and organ dysfunctions. The present study retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of nimotuzumab when added to radiation therapy in unresectable, locally advanced SCCHN patients who were ineligible for platinum-based chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 21 patients with unresectable, locally advanced head-and-neck cancer and histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma who were ineligible for platinum-based chemotherapy treated with nimotuzumab and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) from 2012 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The tumor response rate and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Patients were assessed for toxicity and adverse events (AEs) as per CTCAE version 4. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: The median number of doses of nimotuzumab received was 6, and median dose of radiotherapy was 60 Gy. The tumor response rate was calculated at 24 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy and was as follows: 76.2% (16) of patients showed complete response, 9.5% (2) of patients showed partial response, 4.8% (1) of patients showed stable disease, and 9.5% (2) of patients showed progression of disease. Median OS was 21 months, whereas 1-year survival rate was 63.7%. No Grade 3 or Grade 4 AEs were observed. Conclusion: Nimotuzumab with IMRT has achieved promising clinical outcomes in unresectable locally advanced SCCHN patients who are ineligible for platinum-based chemotherapy, without accumulation of toxicity.