Journal of cancer & allied specialties最新文献

{"title":"Outcomes of Methotrexate-Based Therapy for Paediatric Osteosarcoma: A Decade of Experience from a Cancer Centre in Pakistan.","authors":"Duraksh Arshad, Muhammad Osama, Haleema Saeed, Ilyas Rafi, Usman Hassan, Saliha Sarfraz, Irfana Ishaq Sindhu, Alina Sadaf","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0018","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Osteosarcoma is the most common bone malignancy in children. We describe the survival outcomes of children diagnosed with osteosarcoma at a tertiary care cancer centre in Pakistan treated with a methotrexate-based treatment regimen.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This was a retrospective review of electronic medical records at our institute for patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma between January 1st, 2011, to December 31st, 2020. Kaplan Meier curves were generated. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from diagnosis to death or last follow up. Event-free survival (EFS) was defined as time from diagnosis to death, progression, relapse, treatment abandonment, or last follow up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 372 medical charts, of which 35 were excluded (34 abandoned prior to therapy, 1 chondrosarcoma), leaving 337 records for analysis. Median age was 13.8 years (range 2.4 - 17.9 years). At baseline, 295 patients (87.5%) had localized disease, and the lower extremity was the most common primary tumour site (286, 84.9%). The median follow-up time was 55 months (range, 1-149 months), during which 100 deaths were observed (75 attributed to disease progression, 18 infection-related, 7 due to cardiotoxicity), while 42 (12.5%) patients abandoned active treatment. The median overall survival was not reached. The estimated 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year overall survival rates with 95% confidence intervals were 72% (67 - 78%), 65% (59 - 71%), and 55% (44 - 69%), respectively. The median EFS was 26.6 months. The estimated 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year EFS rates with 95% CI were 43% (39 - 49%), 40% (35 - 46%), and 25% (16 - 40%), respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Survival outcomes for localized osteosarcoma with a methotrexate-based treatment regimen are near regional estimates but reflect a high rate of infection-related mortality, treatment abandonment, and amputations.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"114-121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13561394/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148946183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-Term Survival Patterns in Childhood B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Resource-Constrained Countries.","authors":"Irfana Ishaq Sindhu, Muneeba Jalil, Fatima Iqbal, Arooba Zafar, Afshan Khanum, Najma Shaheen, Naeem Akram Butt, Aqeela Rashid","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0019","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) of childhood and adolescence are among the fifth most common pediatric malignancies worldwide. We conducted a retrospective study and evaluated risk factors influencing long-term survival outcomes in patients with B-cell NHL treated at a tertiary cancer care hospital.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center. This study included data of patients diagnosed with B-cell NHL from January 2016 to December 2020, following approval from the institutional review board. Statistical significance was defined as a two-tailed p-value < 0.05. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated in SPSS version 27 (IBM Corporation). Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from diagnosis to death or last follow-up. Event-free survival (EFS) was defined as the time from diagnosis to death, progression, relapse, treatment abandonment, or last follow-up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 276 patients with B-cell NHL were registered between January 2016 and December 2020. The median age of the patients was 5 years (IQR: 2). Baseline LDH was strongly associated with mortality, with a greater proportion of deaths occurring among patients with LDH ≥ 2× the upper limit of normal (54.1% vs 19.6%; p<0.01). Advanced stage, tumor lysis syndrome, and poor reassessment response were significantly associated with mortality (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, patients with TLS had a 2.9-fold higher risk of death compared with those without TLS (2.86; 95% CI: 1.837-4.456; p<0.001). The estimated 5-year overall survival rate was 63.7%, and the event-free survival rate was 62%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study emphasized that the long-term survival outcome of pediatric B-cell NHL in LMIC is significantly inferior in comparison to developed countries due to high disease burden at presentation, along with tumor lysis syndrome, which led to complications such as sepsis. Sepsis was the major cause of death in our population.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"136-144"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13561392/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148946233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outcomes of Pediatric Precursor B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Tertiary Care Cancer Center Experience from a Lower-Middle-Income Country.","authors":"Naeem Akram Butt, Najma Shaheen, Irfana Ishaq Sindhu, Amina Anwar, Saba Sattar, Hafiz Muhammad Mubashir Waheed, Hiba Asif, Ammarah Tahir, Aqeela Rashid","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0017","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy. While cure rates in high-income countries (HICs) exceed 90%, outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain suboptimal. This study evaluated treatment outcomes for pediatric pre-B cell ALL patients at a tertiary cancer hospital in an LMIC.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Pediatric precursor B-cell ALL patients treated at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Pakistan between September 2017 and September 2022 were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 436 pediatric patients were analyzed, with a median age of 3 years and a male predominance (61.5%). Most patients (96.3%) were classified as standard risk, while CNS and testicular involvement were rare. Among standard-risk patients, 81.8% achieved complete remission, and 17.4% remained minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive after induction. For high-risk patients, 75% achieved complete remission, and 25% remained MRD-positive at the end of induction. In total, 374 patients achieved remission, but 56 (14.9%) relapsed, most often as isolated bone marrow relapse (53.6%). Early relapse was most common. Overall mortality was 26.1%, with induction mortality at 11.7%. Sepsis was the leading cause of death (59.7%), followed by relapse (29%). Five-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 75.8% and 66.4%, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study demonstrates good outcomes for pediatric precursor B-cell ALL in a resource-limited LMIC setting. Sepsis and relapse were the main causes of mortality.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"129-135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13561390/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148931999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Systemic treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer: A Comprehensive Review.","authors":"Jamshed Ali, Maria Qubtia, Amer Rehman Farrooqi, Irfan Ul Islam Nasir, Muhammad Fahd Shah, Syed Irfan Kabir","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0020","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Importance: </strong>Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an uncommon but potentially catastrophic diagnosis with historically poor prognosis. It is the tenth most prevalent cancer in the US & UK. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 10%. Despite increasing understanding of its molecular biology, systemic treatment options for advanced disease remain limited, and survival outcomes have improved only modestly over the past decade.</p><p><strong>Observations: </strong>This narrative review traces the evolution of systemic therapy for advanced PDAC from gemcitabine monotherapy through the landmark FOLFIRINOX (PRODIGE trial) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (MPACT trial) combination regimens, which remain the standard of care. Second-line options including liposomal irinotecan plus 5-FU/LV (NAPOLI-1) and maintenance olaparib for germline BRCA1/2-mutated disease (POLO) are also reviewed. Emerging data on sequential treatment strategies (SEQUENCE trial), biomarker-driven treatment selection (PRIMUS-001, PASS-01), and precision medicine approaches targeting actionable molecular subgroups, including dMMR/MSI-H, NTRK fusions, and homologous recombination deficiency are discussed. Real-world evidence comparing FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel is critically appraised, including the challenges of patient selection, tolerance, and applicability outside clinical trial settings.</p><p><strong>Conclusion and relevance: </strong>Despite incremental progress, the treatment landscape of advanced PDAC remains challenging. Molecular stratification and biomarker-driven precision oncology represent the most promising path forward. This review serves as a clinical reference for physicians managing advanced pancreatic cancer, highlighting current evidence, evidence limitations, and future research priorities including prospective biomarker-driven trials and improved access to genomic testing.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"145-152"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13561391/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148946162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Treatment Patterns and Long-Term Survival Outcomes in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Decade-Long Single-Institution Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Fajar Rafi Ranjha, Asma Rashid, Abdullah Adnan, Muhammad Kashif, Ikrama Tanveer, Tabinda Sadaf, Zile-Huma Hashmi, Amna Munawar","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0016","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is an aggressive malignancy with heterogeneous treatment approaches and outcomes. Long-term survival data from real-world settings remain limited. We evaluated treatment patterns and 10-year survival outcomes in a large single-institution cohort of patients with MIBC.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study included 349 patients with MIBC who were treated at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Pakistan between 2010 and 2020. Treatment strategies comprised neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy or definitive chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy, upfront cystectomy, definitive bladder-preserving chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy alone, and palliative treatment. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median age was 57 years, with male predominance of 82.2%. High-grade disease was present in 88.5% of patients. At last follow-up, 67.9% of patients were alive. Overall survival differed significantly across treatment strategies (log-rank p < 0.001). Median overall survival was not reached in curative-intent treatment groups, whereas patients treated with palliative intent had an inferior median overall survival of 30 months. In multivariate analysis, Stage IV disease (adjusted HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.33 to 4.37) and palliative treatment (adjusted HR 3.30, 95% CI 1.49 to 7.31) were independently associated with worse survival. After adjustment, no statistically significant differences in overall survival were observed between definitive surgical and bladder preserving approaches, noting the limitations of non-randomized treatment allocation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Definitive treatment was associated with durable long-term survival in appropriately selected patients. Disease stage and treatment intent remained the dominant determinants of outcome. Bladder-preserving chemoradiotherapy was an effective definitive option in selected patients in this real-world cohort.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"122-128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13561393/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148946229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-Term Outcomes and Prognostic Analysis of Endometrial Cancer: A 10-Year Tertiary Care Experience.","authors":"Sadia Anjum, Anas Tahseen, Aqueel Shahid, Tabinda Sadaf, Anusha Haider, Abdul Subhan, Rameesha Jahangir, Fajar Rafi Ranjha","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0015","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a common gynecologic malignancy with rising incidence globally, including in low- and middle-income countries. Local data on clinicopathological characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes remain limited in Pakistan.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study included 622 women aged ≥18 years with histologically confirmed EC treated at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre between 2010 and 2020. Clinical, pathological, treatment, and outcome data were extracted from the institutional electronic medical records. Survival outcomes were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and prognostic factors were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan (IRB exemption number EX-17-12-25-01).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median age was 56 years (range 24-87), and 36.3% were aged ≥60 years. Mean BMI was 32.8 kg/m², reflecting a high prevalence of obesity. Most patients presented with FIGO stage I disease (71.4%), and deep myometrial invasion (≥50%) was present in 47.7%. Nodal metastasis was identified in 5.8%. Primary surgical treatment was performed in 94.4% of patients, with frequent use of adjuvant radiotherapy (57.2%), brachytherapy (60.6%), and chemotherapy (83.6%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 88.6% (95% CI: 85.6-91.7). On multivariate analysis, FIGO stage, nodal status, age and BMI were independent predictors of Overall Survival (OS).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Key prognostic factors in EC, including age, stage, nodal involvement, histology, and performance status, are consistent with international and Asian data. Regional differences in age at diagnosis, obesity prevalence, and histologic distribution highlight the need for context-specific management strategies in LMICs. Prospective studies incorporating molecular profiling may further refine risk stratification and improve outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"97-104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13533287/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outcomes and Long-term Follow-up of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Experience from the Lead Cancer Center of Pakistan.","authors":"Jamshed Ali, Mahnoor Raza, Muhammad Umer Khayyam Azam, Farhana Badar, Junaid Khan","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0014","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0014","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"105-113"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13533288/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pancreato-duodenal cancers in Pakistan: Patterns of presentation, disease burden and outcomes at a tertiary cancer facility.","authors":"Sibgha Aimon, Muhammad Anas-Bin-Akhtar, Syed Tatheer Abbas, Jamshed Ali, Farhana Badar, Muhammad Aasim Yusuf, Aamir Ali Syed, Syed Irfan Kabir","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0013","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cancers of the pancreato-duodenal region carry a poor prognosis and are resource-intensive to manage. Long-term data from specialized cancer centers in Pakistan are limited. We aimed to determine the long-term outcomes of patients with duodenal, peri-ampullary, distal bile duct, and pancreatic cancers treated at a tertiary cancer center in Pakistan.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>We retrospectively evaluated data from all patients with pancreaticoduodenal cancer registered at our institute between January 2000 and December 2020. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine significant differences in survival distributions across subcategories, with results considered significant at an alpha level of 0.05. SPSS 27 was used for descriptive and comparative data analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age at presentation was 53 years, with peri-ampullary cancers being the most common histology. Pancreatic cancers were associated with poor prognosis as compared to duodenal cancers and pancreatic Neuro-Endocrine Tumors (pNET). For patients with pNET undergoing resection, the 5-year overall and disease-free survival was 90% and 75%, respectively. Patients who achieved textbook outcomes after surgery had better OS and DFS.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The current study showed that in our part of the world, patients are younger and have advanced stages at the time of diagnosis of pancreato-duodenal cancers. We also found that the long-term survival is associated with an early stage at diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"85-96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13431234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148671426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic Challenge of Gastric Glomangioma Mimicking Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: A Case Report.","authors":"Muhammad Imran, Sameen Bin Naeem, Nahel Chaudhry, Saad Ehsan, Muhammad Awais Majeed","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0010","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Gastric glomus tumors (GGTs) are rare benign mesenchymal neoplasms of the stomach, often mistaken preoperatively for more common submucosal lesions such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Accurate diagnosis requires a combination of endoscopic ultrasonography, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><strong>Case description: </strong>We report a 51-year-old female with a two-year history of epigastric burning, anorexia, and unexplained weight loss. Initial evaluation included EUS, which identified a 1.8 × 2.4 cm hypoechoic submucosal lesion arising from the muscularis propria at the gastric antrum. Contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated a 2 cm avidly enhancing antral lesion with persistent venous-phase enhancement; no evidence of lymphadenopathy or metastasis was noted. Subsequent EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy (FNB) demonstrated an epithelioid neoplasm. Initial immunohistochemistry excluded GIST (CD117-, DOG1-), leiomyoma (desmin-), and schwannoma (S100-). Additional glomus tumor-specific markers were not performed at this stage due to limited biopsy material and a stepwise diagnostic approach. Given the peri-pancreatic location, diagnostic uncertainty, and lesion size exceeding 2 cm, the decision was made to proceed with laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. Final histopathology confirmed glomangioma, positive for SMA and vimentin; Ki-67 ~1%; 0 mitoses per 50 high-power fields (HPF); no atypia, necrosis, lymphovascular invasion, or clear margins. Postoperative surveillance CTs showed no recurrence; no adjuvant therapy was indicated.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This case highlights the clinical and radiologic overlap between GGT and other submucosal gastric lesions. Comprehensive immunohistochemistry and careful surgical planning are essential for accurate diagnosis and management.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"65-69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13323606/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148378346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outcome of Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma - A Single Center Study.","authors":"Nouman Nawaz Ali, Natasha Ali, Mohammad Usman Shaikh, Madiha Noor, Munira Moosajee, Salman Naseem Adil","doi":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0011","DOIUrl":"10.2478/jcas-2026-0011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), the preferred treatment is autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after receiving high-dose chemotherapy (HDC). Here, we describe and discuss the single-center experience, including outcomes and associated factors.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>To provide insight into our experience, our single-center retrospective cohort study included 33 patients (aged 18 years or older at the time of diagnosis) who received HDC/ASCT at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2013 to December 2023.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen (42.4%) patients experienced post-transplant relapse, while 10 (30.3%) patients died. The transplant-related mortality (TRM) was seen in 2 (6.1%) patients. Median overall survival (OS) was 65 months, while the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 31 months. The 2-year PFS and OS were 62.1% (95% CI: 45.8-84.1%) and 77.9% (95% CI: 64.6-93.8%), respectively. On univariate analysis, factors associated with lower survival rates included a relapse within one year of initial chemotherapy and the failure to achieve complete remission (CR), both before and after transplantation. Multivariate analysis was not performed due to the small sample size and limited number of events.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study emphasizes that disease status before and after transplant affects outcomes, showing that achieving CR before ASCT yields better outcomes than achieving PR.</p>","PeriodicalId":73631,"journal":{"name":"Journal of cancer & allied specialties","volume":"12 1","pages":"70-77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13323605/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148378416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}