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Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have recently been used as prognostic markers in several tumors particularly more studied in gastrointestinal cancers. Impact of these markers on breast cancer is less studied. We evaluated the correlation of pretreatment NLR and PLR with pathological complete response (pCR) rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) treatment in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients in addition to analyze the association of these parameters with other clinicopathological parameters. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four early or locally advanced TNBC patients who received NACT and subsequent breast surgery from January 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed. Complete blood profiles done within 1 week of start of NACT were recorded and NLR and PLR were calculated. Pathological responses to NACT after surgery were recorded. The correlation of NLR and PLR with pCR rate and other clinicopathological parameters were evaluated. Results: The median age of presentation was 47 years. Eighteen patients (24.3%) had achieved pCR in this study. The pCR rate was higher in patients with low pre-treatment NLR (≤2.2) versus high NLR (>2.2) (P = 0.038) and low pre-treatment PLR (≤195.8) versus high PLR (>195.8) (P = 0.039). Both the pretreatment NLR and PLR values had no significant association with other clinicopathological profiles such as age, menopausal status, histopathological types and grade of differentiation, and initial clinical stage whereas there is an increase trend of ≤50 years of age group presentation in low NLR/PLR patients. On multivariate analysis, pre-NACT NLR and PLR were found to be independent predictive biomarker for pCR in TNBC patients. Conclusion: The study observed that the pre-NACT NLR and PLR are an indicator of pCR to NACT in TNBC unfolding its potential in future as a cost-effective prognostic and predictive biomarker.

Background: Primary tracheal cancers (PTC) are uncommon, and the treatment methods vary considerably. Aim: The aim of the present study was to explore the clinical features, management, and prognosis of PTC in an Indian context. Methods: Nineteen patients of PTC were retrieved from the medical records over a period from January 2013 to December 2019. The clinical profile, histological features, and treatment details were recorded and outcomes are analyzed in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Histological distribution for the cases were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (n = 12), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) (n = 6) and small cell carcinoma (n = 1). All the patients were symptomatic. SCC was located more (7 out of 12 cases; 58.33%) in the lower third of the trachea than ACC (2 out of 6 cases; 33.33%). At initial diagnosis, five patients had metastatic disease and all the cases were of SCC histology (4 cases treated with palliative chemotherapy and 1 case received best supportive care). Among nonmetastatic cases (n = 14), 4 patients (SCC: 2; ACC: 2) were considered for primary surgery and the rest were considered unresectable and treated with other modalities except one case of ACC who did not come for treatment after diagnosis. The median PFS for ACC patients was higher than SCC (32 months vs. 10 months; P = 0.013). The median OS for ACC was higher than SCC cases (34.5 months vs. 11.2 months; P = 0.009). Conclusions: SCC followed by ACC are the most common histology types for PTC. ACC has a better prognosis compared to SCC.

Background: Head-and-neck cancers (HNCs) collectively are the sixth most common malignancy diagnosed worldwide and treatment in recurrent/metastatic setting is challenging. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of carboplatin and paclitaxel as first-line treatment in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M HNCs). Materials and Methods: A total of 182 patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNC who received carboplatin and paclitaxel combination 3 weekly as first-line therapy at medical oncology department of our tertiary care cancer institute in Bangalore between January 2018 and January 2020 were reviewed. The patients who progressed during chemotherapy were receiving oral metronomic chemotherapy or best supportive chemotherapy. The patients were followed up every 2 monthly. Results: At the completion of treatment, the overall response rate was 15.4%. The median progression-free survival was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9–5.6), and the median overall survival was 8.2 months (95% CI: 6.8–9.7). The main toxicities in the present study were Grade 3–4 hematologic 19.8%, mucositis 1.6%, and diarrhea 2.7%, and the rate of febrile neutropenia was 6.6%. None of the patients died of treatment-related toxicity. Conclusion: The combination of carboplatin with 3-weekly paclitaxel is effective in R/M HNC patients.