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Objective: To determine the impact of the information seminar on breast cancer awareness among the medical and nursing students of CMH institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) Multan Pakistan. Study Design: Prospective Comparative Study. Place and Duration of Study: One-day seminar at CMH Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) Multan Pakistan. Methodology: A one-day seminar on breast cancer awareness was arranged at CMH Institute of Medical Sciences Multan Pakistan for 3rd and 4th-year MBBS and 3rd-year BSc Nursing students. A total of 137 participants were recruited. Participants were selected by non-probability consecutive sampling. A validated 13-question questionnaire was designed to assess participants' basic knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE). Results: The mean age of participants was 21.27±0.99 years. 30(21.9%) were males and 107(78.1%) were female students. Before the seminar, approximately half of the students were correct about the demographics and presentation of breast cancer which increased to more than 80% in all avenues post-seminar (p<0.001). The most significant improvement was the correct responses regarding the age at which BSE should begin. Its frequency and correct technique pre-seminar were 75(54.7%), 51(37.2%) and 23(16.8%), which in post-seminar were 98(71.5%), 106(77.4%) and 75(54.7%) respectively (p<0.001). Conclusion: This one-day educational seminar played a significant role in increasing awareness among medical and nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse the frequency and management outcome of Neutropenia in women with breast cancer receiving Anthracycline chemotherapy. Study Design: Comparative Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Oncology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Feb to Nov 2021. Methodology: This study was conducted on 200 patients who have breast cancer who were put on an Anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimen. They underwent three or four cycles of chemotherapy as per the treatment plan. A complete blood picture was carried out on all patients after the cycle, and Neutropenia was graded according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Toxicity Criteria. Grade III and IV neutropenia patients were administered Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and the response was observed. Results: A total of 200 patients with breast cancer receiving Anthracycline-based chemotherapy were included. The mean age of the patients was 54.775±9.649 years. Seven hundred sixty-two cycles were recorded on these patients during the study period. Of these 762 cycles, 245(32.1%) episodes of Neutropenia were recorded. 60(24.4%) had either Grade III or IV neutropenia. Out of those having Grade III or IV neutropenia, 50(83.3%) had improvement after administration of G-CSF, while 10(16.7%) did not show any improvement. The advancing age of patients had a statistically significant relationship (p-value-0.001) with poor response to G-CSF treatment in our study participants. Conclusion: Considerable number of post-menopausal patients with advanced breast cancer taking Anthracycline-based chemotherapy showed the presence of Neutropenia. G-CSF emerged as an effective treatment for high-grade Neutropenia in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the presence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in post-menopausal breast cancer patients receiving hormonal therapy. Study Design: Comparative Cross-sectional Study. Place and Duration of Study: Oncology Department, Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Dec 2020 to May 2021. Methodology: This study was conducted on 200 post-menopausal female breast cancer patients who had been taking Aromatase inhibitors for more than six months. All the study participants underwent a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to measure bone mineral density. As a result, they were classified as having osteoporosis or osteopenia based on bone mineral density. In addition, age, duration of therapy, tumour stage and molecular subtypes of breast cancer were correlated with the presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis in the study participants. Results: A total of 200 post-menopausal patients with breast cancer using hormonal therapy for more than six months were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the patients was 56.331 ± 6.744 years. In addition, 55 (22.5%) patients had normal bone mineral density, 92 (46%) had osteopenia, while 53 (26.5%) had osteoporosis on a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. Molecular subtypes of the tumour, the advancing age of patients and the long duration of hormonal therapy were statistically significantly associated with the presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis (p-value <0.05) in our study participants. Conclusion: Considerable number of post-menopausal patients with advanced breast cancer taking hormonal therapy showed the presence of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Molecular subtyping, the advanced age of patients and the long duration of hormonal therapy significantly predicted osteopenia/osteoporosis in patients included in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroendocrine breast carcinoma (NEBC) is histologically a rare type of invasive breast cancer. It constitutes only 0.2-0.5% of all invasive breast cancers. In this case series, we are presenting five cases having primary neuroendocrine breast cancers that had been reported at a high-volume cancer centre in Pakistan. In this study, neuroendocrine breast cancer patients at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Peshawar were evaluated. We had retrospectively collected information on demographic characteristics of our patients, physical examination, radiological findings, surgical procedures with their outcomes, histopathological and immuno-histochemical characteristics, systemic adjuvant/neoadjuvant therapy and follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the factors associated with adverse effects in elderly women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. Study Design: Comparative Cross-sectional Study. Place and Duration of Study: Oncology Department, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Dec 2020 to Nov 2021. Methodology: This study was conducted on 145 female patients (>65 years) with breast cancer who were taking chemotherapy of any type and had undergone one cycle. All the study participants underwent detailed clinical evaluation by a consultant oncologist to assess the presence of various adverse effects of chemotherapy. In addition, the association of Anthracycline use, >3 months of treatment, low haemoglobin at baseline and abnormal liver functions at baseline were studied with adverse effects in the study participants. Results: The final analysis included one hundred fortyfive elderly female patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. The mean age of the patients was 69.731±8.794 years. 89(61.4%) patients had no adverse effects, while 56(38.6%) had one or more adverse effects during chemotherapy. Anaemia 26(17.9%) was the commonest adverse effect, followed by fatigue 18(12.4%) and abnormal liver function tests 18(12.4%). It was revealed that the use of Anthracyclinebased chemotherapy and long duration of chemotherapy were statistically significantly associated with adverse effects (p-value<0.05) in our study participants. Conclusion: Considerable number of elderly patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy showed the presence of adverse effects. In addition, patients using Anthracyclinebased chemotherapy and taking chemotherapy for more than three months were more at risk of developing adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]