Comprehensive Analysis of Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Real-World Data From the Middle East.

Purpose: Metastatic prostate cancer (Pca) is a complex disease with diverse clinical characteristics and outcomes across the geographical distribution. Herein, we present a series of patients from the Middle East, aiming at identifying disease outcomes and prognostic factors specific to this regional context.

Methods And Materials: This is a retrospective study of patients with metastatic Pca, diagnosed at King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan, between 2006 and 2018.

Association between muscle mass and overall survival among colorectal cancer patients at tertiary cancer center in the Middle East.

Recent reports have shown that pre-treatment low muscle mass may lead to poorer outcomes for cancer patients. We explored the correlation between Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT), Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue (SAT), and Muscle Mass (MM) as measured by CT scans, and overall survival (OS) following diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). We conducted a retrospective review of medical records and CT scans of patients diagnosed with CRC between 2007 and 2018.

Comparative analysis through propensity score matching in thyroid cancer: unveiling the impact of multiple malignancies.

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer is on the rise worldwide, with childhood exposure to radiation being the sole acknowledged catalyst for its emergence. Nonetheless, numerous other factors that may pose risks are awaiting thorough examination and validation. This retrospective study aims to explore the malignancies linked to thyroid cancer and contrast the survival rates of those afflicted with a solitary tumor versus those with multiple primary neoplasms (MPN).

Mapping the supportive care needs and quality of life of adult survivors of childhood cancer at a comprehensive cancer center in the Middle East.

Assessing unmet needs is crucial to achieving quality care and patient satisfaction. Between September and December 2021, we assessed unmet supportive care needs in a consecutive sample of adult survivors of childhood cancer at KHCC (King Hussien Cancer Center). Two hundred and ninety-seven adult survivors of childhood cancer completed the study questionnaire.

Systemic Barriers to Optimal Cancer Care in Resource-Limited Countries: Jordanian Healthcare as an Example.

This narrative review explores the multifaceted barriers hindering access to quality cancer care in Jordan. A literature-based narrative review was undertaken to explore the current identified barriers to cancer care in Jordan. Four databases were searched using relevant keywords to identify key insights on barriers and proposed solutions.

Unravelling the predictors of late cancer presentation and diagnosis in Jordan: a cross-sectional study of patients with lung and colorectal cancers.

Objectives: Late presentation or diagnosis of cancer results in a poor clinical prognosis, negatively affects treatment and subsequently lowers one's chances of survival. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with late lung and colorectal cancer presentation and diagnosis in Jordan.

Design: This correlational cross-sectional study was based on face-to-face interviews and medical chart reviews from a cancer registry database.

Cancer registration in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region: A tale of conflict, challenges, and opportunities.

Cancer registration is a core component of national and regional cancer control strategies. In the Middle East, North-Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region, capacity and resources for cancer registration is variable and shaped by multiple contextual challenges. This viewpoint maps out practical recommendations around cancer registration, in an attempt to inform cancer control planning, policy, and implementation.

Comorbidity between lung cancer and COVID-19 pneumonia: role of immunoregulatory gene transcripts in high -expressing normal lung.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) elicits a T-cell antigen-mediated immune response of variable efficacy. To understand this variability, we explored transcriptomic expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor) and of immunoregulatory genes in normal lung tissues from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: This study used the transcriptomic and the clinical data for NSCLC patients generated during the CHEMORES study [ = 123 primary resected (early-stage) NSCLC] and the WINTHER clinical trial ( = 32 metastatic NSCLC).

Transcriptomics in Tumor and Normal Lung Tissues Identify Patients With Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With High Risk of Postsurgery Recurrence Who May Benefit From Adjuvant Therapies.

Purpose: The prognosis of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), traditionally determined by anatomic histology and TNM staging, neglects the biological features of the tumor that may be important in determining patient outcome and guiding therapeutic interventions. Identifying patients with NSCLC at increased risk of recurrence after curative-intent surgery remains an important unmet need so that known effective adjuvant treatments can be offered to those at highest risk of recurrence.

Methods: Relative gene expression level in the primary tumor and normal bronchial tissues was used to retrospectively assess their association with disease-free survival (DFS) in a cohort of 120 patients with NSCLC who underwent curative-intent surgery.

Supportive Care Needs Assessment for Cancer Survivors at a Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Middle East: Mending the Gap.

Background: Cancer survivors are often underprepared for what to expect post-treatment, and there are knowledge gaps regarding cancer survivors' supportive care needs in Jordan and neighboring Arab countries. This study aimed to identify gaps in supportive care needs among adult cancer survivors seen at King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, and explore predictors of unmet needs.

Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study using a modified version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey 34 item short form (SCNS-SF34).

Phase III study of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life cancer survivorship core questionnaire.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Group (EORTC QLG) questionnaire that captures the full range of physical, mental, and social health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues relevant to disease-free cancer survivors. In this phase III study, we pretested the provisional core questionnaire (QLQ-SURV111) and aimed to identify essential and optional scales.

Methods: We pretested the QLQ-SURV111 in 492 cancer survivors from 17 countries with one of 11 cancer diagnoses.

Waterpipe Smoking among Bladder Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study of Lebanese and Jordanian Populations.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most reported cancer in Lebanon and the fifth in Jordan. Its risk factors are mainly smoking and occupational exposure to aromatic amines. In these countries where smoking and bladder cancer are highly prevalent, the role of waterpipe smoking (WPS) in bladder cancer is less investigated.

Frequency of Mismatch Repair Protein (MMRP) Deficiency among Young Jordanians Diagnosed with Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC).

Purpose: Microsatellite instability (MSI) caused by mismatch repair protein (MMRP) deficiency is detected in 15% of sporadic colorectal cancers (CRCs). Our aim is to investigate the frequency of MMRP deficiency in young CRC patients, using immunohistochemical analysis.

Methods: This study targeted cases of CRC at King Hussein Cancer Center from 2004 until 2012 in patients 45 years of age or younger at the time of diagnosis.

Global celebrities' effect on health awareness among Jordanians: A study using the case of Angelina Jolie.

Celebrities' health decisions have long been associated with heightened awareness and health trend changes. This is the first study conducted in an Arab population investigating the impact of international celebrity news on local communities using the case of Angelia Jolie's (AJ) prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy surgeries. The objective was to measure the effect of publicized medical information on cancer genetic testing knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP).

Proportion of cancers attributable to major lifestyle and environmental risk factors in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Cancer is a major contributing cause of morbidity and mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The aim of the current study was to estimate the cancer burden attributable to major lifestyle and environmental risk factors. We used age-, sex- and site-specific incidence estimates for 2012 from IARC's GLOBOCAN, and assessed the following risk factors: smoking, alcohol, high body mass index, insufficient physical activity, diet, suboptimal breastfeeding, infections and air pollution.

Burden of Cancer Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan.

The Syrian crisis, which started in 2011, has had a profound impact on the entire region. Jordan, with its limited resources, now has the second highest ratio of refugees to inhabitants in the world (89 to 1,000). The actual number of Syrians in Jordan is hotly contested: more than 630,776 refugees registered in November 2015 compared with 1,265,514 reported by the national census conducted at the same time.

Validation of the Survival Benefits of Metformin in Middle Eastern Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose Epidemiologic data from several populations suggest that metformin may decrease cancer risk and mortality in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and type II diabetes mellitus (DM). Although type II DM and CRC are major health problems in the Middle East, no investigations have been performed to test the effect metformin has on the outcome of patients with type II DM and CRC who are also treated with metformin. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1,902 patients diagnosed with CRC at King Hussein Cancer Center between January 2004 and December 2012, and identified 349 patients (18%) with type II DM; we censored the data of 28 patients because their antidiabetic medications were unknown.

Hematologic Markers of Lung Metastasis in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Many studies showed an association between absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute monocyte count (AMC), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with poor overall survival (OS) in patients with cancer. However, only a few studies were conducted to further investigate this association in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Clinical data from 299 stage IV CRC patients treated at King Hussein Cancer Center from 2004 to 2012 have been retrospectively reviewed.

Germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations among high risk breast cancer patients in Jordan.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jordanian women. With a median age of 50 years at diagnosis, a higher prevalence of hereditary breast cancer may be expected. The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate, for the first time, the contribution of germline mutations in BRCA1/2 to breast cancer among Jordanian patients.

Profile of cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean region: The need for action.

Background: Many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) are undergoing marked demographic and socioeconomic transitions that are increasing the cancer burden in region. We sought to examine the national cancer incidence and mortality profiles as a support to regional cancer control planning in the EMR.

Methods: GLOBOCAN 2012 data were used to estimate cancer incidence and mortality by country, cancer type, sex and age in 22 EMR countries.

Outcomes of Penetrating Keratoplasty With Imported Corneas Compared With Local Corneas.

Purpose: The outcomes of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) were compared using local corneas obtained at the same hospital in which they were transplanted with corneas obtained from the United States and grafted at the Jordan University Hospital.

Methods: A retrospective, nonrandomized review included the medical records of 484 patients who underwent PK at the Jordan University Hospital from 2007 to 2009. Patients with at least 18 months of follow-up included 71 patients in the local group and 75 patients who received imported corneas.

A simplified interventional mapping system (SIMS) for the selection of combinations of targeted treatments in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Targeted monotherapies produce high regression rates, albeit for limited patient subgroups, who inevitably succumb. We present a novel strategy for identifying customized combinations of triplets of targeted agents, utilizing a simplified interventional mapping system (SIMS) that merges knowledge about existent drugs and their impact on the hallmarks of cancer.

Perception and attitude of Jordanian physicians towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in oncology.

Purpose: To determine general perception and attitudes to CAM among Jordanian physicians at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), and challenges facing formal integration of CAM into conventional practice.

Method: A cross-sectional survey of KHCC physicians using a semi-structured questionnaire.

Results: Response rate was 71%(71/100).

A phase I and pharmacokinetic trial of erlotinib in combination with weekly docetaxel in patients with taxane-naive malignancies.

Purpose: This study aimed to define the maximum tolerated dose of weekly docetaxel combined with daily erlotinib, an oral epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Experimental Design: Patients with any solid tumor received 150 mg erlotinib with escalating doses of docetaxel (20, 25, 30, and 35 mg/m(2)) on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days. The pharmacokinetics of docetaxel and erlotinib was determined on cycle 2, day 1.

Phase I and pharmacologic study of sequential topotecan-carboplatin-etoposide in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer.

The inhibition of topoisomerase I by topotecan results in a compensatory increase in topoisomerase II associated with increased in vitro sensitivity of tumors to etoposide. Maximal synergy has been observed for the sequence of topotecan followed by etoposide. Carboplatin has clinical activity when combined with either of these two agents.