PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to explore the potential role and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in tumor shrinkage and resultant mandibular preservation in oral cancers compared with conventional surgical treatment. METHODS: This study was a single-center, randomized, phase II trial of treatment-naive histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity with cT2-T4 and N0/N+, M0 (American Joint Committee on Cancer, seventh edition) stage, necessitating resection of the mandible for paramandibular disease in the absence of clinicoradiologic evidence of bone erosion. The patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either upfront surgery (segmental resection) followed by adjuvant treatment (standard arm [SA]) or two cycles of NACT (docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil) at 3-week intervals (intervention arm [IA]), followed by surgery dictated by postchemotherapy disease extent. All patients in the IA received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, and patients in the SA were treated as per final histopathology report. The primary end point was mandible preservation rate. The secondary end points were disease-free survival and treatment-related toxicity. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients were enrolled over 3 years and randomly assigned to either SA (34 patients) or IA (34 patients). The median follow-up was 3.6 years (interquartile range, 0.95-7.05 years). Mandibular preservation was achieved in 16 of 34 patients (47% [95% CI, 31.49 to 63.24]) in the IA. The disease-free survival ( P = .715, hazard ratio 0.911 [95% CI, 0.516 to 1.607]) and overall survival ( P = .747, hazard ratio 0.899 [95% CI, 0.510 to 1.587]) were similar in both the arms. Complications were similar in both arms, but chemotherapy-induced toxicity was observed in the majority of patients (grade III: 14, 41.2%; grade IV: 11, 32.4%) in the IA. CONCLUSION: NACT plays a potential role in mandibular preservation in oral cancers with acceptable toxicities and no compromise in survival. However, this needs to be validated in a larger phase III randomized trial.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the survival impact of adding platinum to standard taxane-anthracycline neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: In this phase III trial, patients with TNBC were randomly assigned, after stratification by stage and menopausal status, to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy comprising once-per-week carboplatin (AUC-2) plus paclitaxel (100 mg/m ² ) for 8 weeks, followed by four cycles of anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide, or same chemotherapy without carboplatin. The primary end point was event-free survival (EFS), and secondary end points were overall survival (OS) and pathologic complete response. This is the prespecified primary analysis of this study. RESULTS: Of 720 patients randomly assigned between April 2010 and January 2020, 717 (platinum 361, control 356) were included in modified intention-to-treat analysis. At median follow-up of 67.6 months, in platinum and control arms, there were 111/361 and 131/356 EFS events (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.62 to 1.03]; two-sided unstratified P = .081), with 5-year EFS of 70.7% (95% CI, 65.8% to 75.6%) and 64.1% (95% CI, 59.0% to 69.2%), respectively, and 94/361 and 121/356 deaths (HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.97]; nominal P = .029), with 5-year OS of 74.4% and 66.8%, respectively. In premenopausal patients, EFS (HR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.84]; nominal P = .003; 5-year EFS 75.0% v 59.6%) and OS (HR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.40 to 0.82]; nominal P = .002; 5-year OS 78.2% v 64.6%) were significantly higher, while in postmenopausal patients, EFS (HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 0.80 to 1.78]; nominal P = .386) and OS (HR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.70 to 1.61]; nominal P = .772) were not significantly different, in platinum versus control arm. There was statistically significant interaction between study intervention and menopausal status for EFS and OS, with a benefit of adding platinum in premenopausal but not in postmenopausal patients. There was more grade ≥3 myelosuppression in carboplatin arm, but there was no difference in nonhematologic toxicities. CONCLUSION: Carboplatin did not significantly increase EFS but significantly increased the OS in patients with TNBC, with benefits confined to premenopausal patients.

PURPOSE: Virtual tumor board (VTB) via videoconference facility involving multiple specialists in the decision making for various tumors is well accepted, especially in high-income countries. Information on virtual tumor boards for head and neck cancers especially from low- and middle-income countries is sparse. In this study, we have audited the findings of the National Cancer Grid VTBs performed for head and neck cancers.METHODS: All patients discussed in the head and neck VTBs at our center between December 2016 and February 2022 were included in the study. Details such as the type of institute sending patients for discussion, its location, subsites within the head and neck region, histopathology, treatment setting or question for the VTB, and availability of guidelines for such patient scenarios were assessed. Also, a survey was sent to assess the usefulness of the VTBs.RESULTS: A total of 208 patients were discussed in 54 VTB sessions. The most common head and neck sites discussed in the VTBs were the oral cavity (n = 64, 30.7%) followed by skull base/nose and paranasal sinuses/eyelid-orbit tumors (n = 49, 23.5%). Nonsquamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathology discussed; recurrent cancers/residual diseases were the most common treatment settings (n = 134, 64.4%) for which there were no existing guidelines. Survey results showed that most VTB decisions were implementable, and respondents felt that VTBs were a useful educational tool as well.CONCLUSION: Our study affirms the feasibility of VTBs in low- and middle-income countries' health care systems for managing uncommon malignancies and clinical situations, which act as an important educational platform.

Introduction: The metastatic disease of the jaw bones is very uncommon and accounts for approximately 1% of all malignancies of jaw. The most common location is molar region of mandible. Metastasis may go undetected on a routine skeletal survey for assessment of metastasis and rarely includes jaw bones. Aims and Objective: The aim of the study is to analyze primary malignancies in metastatic jaw tumors. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied clinicopathological features of 12 patients of metastasis to jaw bones diagnosed at tertiary cancer center between 2003 and 2011. All H and E and immunohistochemical slides were reviewed by two pathologists and relevant details were noted. Results: There were eight female and four male patients, with age range 12–71 years with metastases to jaws. All of them involved mandible with one case also showing the involvement of frontal sinuses. The types of metastatic tumors include adenocarcinoma (six cases), papillary thyroid carcinoma (four cases), carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation (one case) and neuroblastoma (one case). The diagnosis was made on biopsies in eight cases and on hemimandibulectomy in four cases. The primary site was known at the time of presentation only in four cases, all of them being thyroid carcinomas. Primary site was determined in seven cases after immunohistochemical workup on metastatic tumor and further investigations, whereas the primary site of carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation was unknown. Conclusion: Metastasis to jaw bones is rare and may be the first manifestation of unknown primary. A lesion predominantly involving bone with unusual morphology should raise a possibility of metastasis.