MyMedR

Unilateral exophthalmos caused by an extramedullary plasmacytoma: a case report

Ashraf M, Abdullah J, Ariff A, Biswal BM, Mokhtar I, Othman N

Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jan;10(1):95-9.

Solitary plasmacytoma of the head and neck is a rare disease entity. Its description in the literature consist of some case reports. Solitary plasmacytoma presenting with exophthalmos are rare. We report a case of intracranial solitary plasmacytoma in an elderly lady with involvement of the right orbitocranial region presenting with severe exophthalmos. The tumour was debulked and radiotherapy was given.

Fulltext Resection and reconstruction of malignant tumor involving sternum

Faisham WI, Ziyadi MG, Azman WS, Halim AS, Zulmi W, Biswal BM

Med J Malaysia, 2012 Apr;67(2):224-5.

PMID: 22822652 MyJurnal

We present a series of four cases of chest wall tumor, which underwent sternum resection. The methods of resection and reconstruction chest wall defect are discussed and the final outcome highlighted.

Fulltext Diagnosis delay of breast cancer and its associated factors in Malaysian women

Norsa'adah B, Rampal KG, Rahmah MA, Naing NN, Biswal BM

BMC Cancer, 2011;11:141.

PMID: 21496310 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-11-141

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Malaysia. Delayed diagnosis is preventable and has major effects on patients' prognosis and survival. The objectives of our study were to identify the magnitude of delayed diagnosis and its associated factors in women with breast cancer in Malaysia.

Fulltext Early Malaysian experience on the use of head and neck localizers in the precision radiotherapy of intra and extra cranial sites for first 28 cases

Zamzuri I, Idris NR, Mar W, Abdullah JM, Zakaria A, Biswal BM

Med J Malaysia, 2006 Dec;61(5):621-5.

PMID: 17623965 MyJurnal

Precision Radiotherapy at high doses require a fixed, referable target point. The frame system fulfills the required criteria by making the target point relocatable and fixed within a stereotactic space. Since December 2001, we have treated 28 central and peripheral nervous system lesions using either radiosurgery as a single high dose fraction or fractionated 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy using a lower dose and a multi-leaf collimator. Various pathological lesions either benign or malignant were treated. Eighty six percent of our treated lesions showed growth restraint, preventing them from causing new symptoms with a median follow-up duration of 20.5 months. However, the true benefit from this technique would require a long-term follow-up to document the progress.

Effect of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on the development of chemotherapy-induced fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients

Biswal BM, Sulaiman SA, Ismail HC, Zakaria H, Musa KI

Integr Cancer Ther, 2013 Jul;12(4):312-22.

PMID: 23142798 DOI: 10.1177/1534735412464551

Hypothesis. Withania somnifera is an herb with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antistress, and adaptogenic properties. Previous studies have shown its antistress effects in animals. Traditional Indian medicine has used it for centuries to alleviate fatigue and improve general well-being.

Intramedullary spindle cell hemangioendothelioma of the thoracic spinal cord--case report

Abdullah JM, Mutum SS, Nasuha NA, Biswal BM, Ariff AR

Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo), 2002 Jun;42(6):259-63.

PMID: 12116532

A 28-year-old Malay man presented with progressive paraparesis over a period of 6 months. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed a thoracic intramedullary spinal cord tumor at the T-7 level with homogeneous enhancement following intravenous gadolinium administration. Laminectomy and partial decompression of the tumor was performed. Histological examination of the tumor revealed features of spindle cell hemangioendothelioma. The patient was managed with limited field radiotherapy followed by systemic interferon therapy. Good neurological improvement was seen subsequently. The patient has survived 48 months with growth restraint at the primary site, although residual neurological deficit persists. Immunotherapy should be considered as a treatment modality for intramedullary hemangioendothelioma of the spinal cord after surgery and radiotherapy.

Fulltext Radiotherapy in locally advanced cancer of the cervix

Biswal BM, Rath GK, Joshi RC, Mohanti BK, Ganesh T, Singh R

Med J Malaysia, 1998 Mar;53(1):30-6.

PMID: 10968134

Radical radiotherapy is considered as the treatment of choice in locally advanced cancer cervix. In late stages radiotherapy produce optimum palliation and to some extent cure. Three hundred cases of cancer cervix (stage I-IV) comprising stage-I (7), stage-II (144), stage-III (145) and stage IV (4) were evaluated and treated with radiotherapy between April 1990 to July 1994. FIGO stage IB, IIA and IIB (early), were treated with predominant intracavitary radiotherapy (34 Gy X 2 fractions; within one week) followed by external pelvic radiotherapy to a dose of 36 Gy in 18 fractions; treating 200 cGy per fraction, 5 days a week. The late stage (stage-IIB, IIIA and IIIB, IVA) of disease were managed with initial external radiotherapy to a dose of 50 Gy, followed by a single intracavitary dose of 30 Gy to point-A. The median follow up was 33 months (range 12-72 months). The tumor volume less than 100 cc were associated with better survival than volume more than 100 cc (p < 0.05). The five year actuarial survival was 83%, 68% and 58% respectively in FIGO stage I-III disease. There were 0.33% and 2.6% late grade-III bladder and rectal complications. Our experience shows effectiveness of radiotherapy in the management of locally advanced cancer of the cervix.

Fulltext Aggressive giant cell tumour of bone

Faisham WI, Zulmi W, Halim AS, Biswal BM, Mutum SS, Ezane AM

Singapore Med J, 2006 Aug;47(8):679-83.

PMID: 16865207

The surgical treatment of Stage III or aggressive giant cell tumour of the bone, whether to perform intralesional or en-bloc resection, remains controversial. The aim of this study is to identify the effectiveness of en-bloc resection for local control and final oncological outcome of the disease.

Fulltext LINAC based radiosurgery and radiotherapy for neurosurgical diseases: what have we learnt so far

Zamzuri I, Badrisyah I, Rahman GI, Pal HK, Muzaimi M, Jafri AM, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2011 Oct;66(4):346-9.

PMID: 22299555 MyJurnal

Stereotactic radiosurgery uses a single fraction high dose radiation while stereotactic radiotherapy uses multifractionated lower dose focused radiation.

Fulltext Polymodal therapy for high grade gliomas: a case report of favourable outcomes following intraoperative radiation therapy

Zamzuri I, Rahman GI, Muzaimi M, Jafri AM, Nik Ruzman NI, Lutfi YA, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2012 Feb;67(1):121-2.

PMID: 22582564 MyJurnal

High grade gliomas, frequently with their infiltrative nature, often make the outcome from neurosurgical intervention alone unsatisfactory. It is recognized that adjuvant radiochemotherapy approaches offer an improved prognosis. For these reasons, we opted for surgical debulking, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in combination with whole brain irradiation therapy and chemotherapy (temozolamide cycles) in the management of a 42 year-old lady with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Her troublesome symptoms improved after 3 months of this polymodal therapy and remained independently functional for more than two years.

Gender-specific association of NFKBIA promoter polymorphisms with the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer

Tan SC, Suzairi MS, Aizat AA, Aminudin MM, Nurfatimah MS, Bhavaraju VM, et al.

Med Oncol, 2013 Dec;30(4):693.

PMID: 23996241 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-013-0693-6

The inhibitory protein IκBα, encoded by the NFKBIA gene, plays an important role in regulating the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B, a transcription factor which has been implicated in the initiation and progression of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the association of NFKBIA -826C>T (rs2233406) and -881A>G (rs3138053) polymorphisms with the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Malaysian population. A case-control study comprising 474 subjects (237 CRC patients and 237 cancer-free controls) was carried out. The polymorphisms were genotyped from the genomic DNA of the study subjects employing PCR-RFLP, followed by DNA sequencing. The association between the polymorphic genotypes and CRC risk was evaluated by deriving odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using unconditional logistic regression analysis. The two polymorphisms were in complete and perfect linkage disequilibrium (D' = 1.0, r (2) = 1.0). Overall, no statistically significant CRC risk association was found for the polymorphisms (P > 0.05). A similar lack of association was observed when the data were stratified according to ethnicity (P > 0.05). However, stratification by gender revealed a significant inverse association between the heterozygous genotype of the polymorphisms and the risk of CRC among females (OR 0.53, 95 % CI 0.29-0.97, P = 0.04), but not among males (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the heterozygous genotype of the polymorphisms could contribute to a significantly decreased CRC risk among females, but not males, in the Malaysian population.

Fulltext Preliminary Comparative Study of Oral7® Versus Salt-Soda Mouthwash on Oral Health Related Problems and Quality of Life among Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

Bachok N, Biswal BM, Razak NHA, Zainoon WMNW, Mokhtar K, Rahman RA, et al.

Malays J Med Sci, 2018 Sep;25(5):79-87.

PMID: 30914865 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2018.25.5.8

Background: This quasi-clinical trial compared the effects of Oral7® and salt-soda mouthwash on the development of dental caries, salivary gland function, radiation mucositis, xerostomia and EORTC QLQ H&N C35 scores in head and neck cancer patients who underwent radiotherapy.

Methods: We included patients with histopathologically diagnosed head and neck cancers who had received radiation, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1 and age range of 15-60 years. Patients with prior radiotherapy and chemotherapy, edentulous status, total parotidectomy, sicca syndrome or on xerosis-induced medications were excluded. We assigned 15 patients each to the Oral7® and salt-soda groups.

Results: There was no significant difference in the mean Decayed, Missing and Filling Teeth (DMFT) score between groups. Head and neck cancer patients who were on Oral7® had a significantly better quality of life than those on salt-soda in relation to the swallowing problems, social eating, mouth opening, xerostomia and illness scales. Patients who were on Oral7® had a significantly lower xerostomia score than patients on salt-soda mouthwash. Patients on Oral7® had a significantly lower mucositis score in week 5-7 compared to patients in the salt-soda group.

Conclusion: Oral7® showed advantages over salt-soda solution in relation to reducing xerostomia, easing radiation-induced mucositis, and improving quality of life, despite the non-significant difference in the dental caries assessment.

Molecular genetic analysis of anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma

Nasuha NA, Daud AH, Ghazali MM, Yusoff AA, Zainuddin N, Abdullah JM, et al.

Asian J Surg, 2003 Apr;26(2):120-5.

PMID: 12732498

A case of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma in a 10-year-old Malay boy is reported. The patient presented with headache and epilepsy. On computed tomography, a ring-enhancing low-density lesion was observed in the left fronto-temporal area. During surgery, a cystic tumour containing serous fluid was found and almost totally removed. Histologically, the tumour exhibited marked pleomorphism of oval and spindle-shaped cells intermixed with uni- and multinucleated giant cells, and xanthomatous cells with foamy cytoplasm. The tumour displayed pericellular reticulin and periodic acid-Schiff positive granules. Focally, six mitotic characters per 10 high-power fields were seen, and necrosis was confined only to the inner lining of the cyst. Mutational analysis showed that a frameshift mutation (a 4-bp deletion) in the p53 gene had occurred in codons 273 and 274 of exon 8. No mutation was detected in the p16 gene. No allelic loss and/or loss of heterozygosity were observed on chromosome 10 using microsatellite marker D105532. The patient was treated with postoperative radiotherapy because of histological anaplasia and the presence of residual tumour. The patient showed marked neurological recovery after a follow-up period of 2 years.

Prognostic factors and survival rate of osteosarcoma: A single-institution study

Faisham WI, Mat Saad AZ, Alsaigh LN, Nor Azman MZ, Kamarul Imran M, Biswal BM, et al.

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol, 2017 Apr;13(2):e104-e110.

PMID: 25870979 DOI: 10.1111/ajco.12346

AIM: Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant primary bone tumor. The study aim to evaluate the prognostic factors influencing the survival rate in our center.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients treated between January 2005 and December 2010.

RESULTS: We included 163 patients with an age range of 6-59 years (median = 19). The median follow-up was 47 months (range 36-84). The overall survival in patients who completed chemotherapy and surgery (n = 117) was 72% at 2 years and 44% at 5 years. Histologically, 99 (85%) had osteoblastic, 6 (5%) had chondroblastic and 3 (2.5%) had telangiectatic osteosarcoma. Limb salvage surgery was performed in 80 (49%) and 41 (25%) underwent amputation. However, 46 patients (28%) underwent no surgical intervention and incomplete chemotherapy. In total, 38/79 patients had a good chemotherapy response. There was a significantly better survival rate for limb salvage versus amputation. Independent prognostic factors for survival are compliance to treatment and presence of lung metastasis.

CONCLUSION: The overall survival of osteosarcoma patients was influenced by the presence of pulmonary metastases and compliance to treatment. Histological subtype, different chemotherapy regimens and histological necrosis after chemotherapy did not significantly influence survival. The patients who did not complete treatment had significantly poorer survival.

Displaying publications 21 - 34 of 34 in total