Research
Simulation model for breast cancer management in India
The natural history of cancer in a patient can be simulated in a flexible broad-based disease model. Such models describe events and outcomes at the person level, the results of which can be aggregated to estimate the population morbidity. With minimal assumptions regarding the natural history of disease, models could project outcomes of interventions for cancer screening and treatment. The same could be used for testing conventional treatment protocols and assess the reasons for failure of a particular strategy. Leads from the analysis can be utilized for proposing improvisations for the treatment protocol such as combinatorial strategies, which enables better suppression of tumor despite the resistant cells. This commentary describes relevant co ncepts associated with simulation modeling of tumor growth and tumor-host interactions, and summarizes some of the prominent approaches.
A narrative review on HPV vaccination among boys and men
Apart from cervical cancer, Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with head and neck as well as other anogenital cancers such as vulva, vagina, anus, and penis. HPV vaccine provides specific protection against the disease and its subsequent manifestations. Vaccination programs for men tend to improve population-level control of HPV infection and directly prevent HPV related disease such as anogenital warts and oropharyngeal cancers in males. HPV vaccine does not treat existing infection or lesions/cancer and is intended for individuals before initiation fo sexual activity or any other form of exposure to HPV. Many programs across the globe do not include vaccination for boys because of the cost and little recognition of the emerging epidemic of HPV associated cancers in men. In the Indian context, as screening is not feasible for non-cervical HPV associated cancers, its incidence mostly among men will continue to rise until the present generation of vaccinated adolescents reaches their middle-age. Vaccination will reduce transmission rates and increase herd immunity. This in-turn, will prevent not just cervical cancers but also other HPV-associated malignancies among men and women.
