Inflammatory breast cancer: Epidemiologic data and therapeutic results.

Since the early description more than a century ago, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) remains an aggressive disease, with a different geographic repartition, with the highest ones incidence reported in the North of Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt), and the lowest incidence in Western countries (USA, Europe…). In this study, we reviewed the literature using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database compared to other published series. We observed that in the high incidence areas (North of Africa) when compared to "classical" breast cancer, IBC was associated to younger age (less than 50 years) with rapid evolution of signs and symptoms (in less than 3 up to 6 months), and more aggressive clinical and histopathological-molecular parameters, due to the predominance of triple-negative and HER2+ subtypes in around 60% of cases.

Navigating the Cancer Journey: Experiences and Perspectives of Young Adult Patients in Tunisia.

This study aimed to explore the experiences of young adult cancer patients within the Tunisian context. A total of 104 patients between the ages of 20 and 40, undergoing treatment for various types and stages of cancer, participated in a questionnaire-based survey. The survey encompassed topics related to the socioeconomic and psychological impacts of cancer, coping mechanisms, relationships, sexuality, and future aspirations.

Uncovering the clinical relevance of unclassified variants in DNA repair genes: a focus on negative Tunisian cancer families.

Recent advances in sequencing technologies have significantly increased our capability to acquire large amounts of genetic data. However, the clinical relevance of the generated data continues to be challenging particularly with the identification of Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUSs) whose pathogenicity remains unclear. In the current report, we aim to evaluate the clinical relevance and the pathogenicity of VUSs in DNA repair genes among Tunisian breast cancer families.

Obesity and cancer: focus on leptin.

Over the past decades, obesity has grown to epidemic proportions worldwide. It has been associated with an increased risk for different types of cancer. In addition, obesity has been associated with a poor prognosis, an increased risk of metastasis and mortality, and resistance to anti-cancer therapies.

Intimate partner violence after cancer diagnosis: an SOS call.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to measure the frequency and types of IPV among patients with cancer and evaluate risk factors.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study, conducted between January and April 2022, including 141 patients treated with cancer regardless of gender, site, or stage. We developed the study questionnaire by adapting items from the "WHO multi-country questionnaire on violence against women" and "The Women's Experiences with Battering Scale.

MARCKS as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most pro-metastatic form of breast cancer (BC). We previously demonstrated that protein overexpression of Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate (MARCKS) protein was associated with shorter survival in IBC patients. MARCKS has been associated with the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Association between epidemiological and clinico-pathological features of breast cancer with prognosis, family history, Ki-67 proliferation index and survival in Tunisian breast cancer patients.

Breast cancer has different epidemio-clinical characteristics in Middle East and North-African populations compared to those reported in the Western countries. The aim of this study is to analyze the epidemiological and clinico-pathological features of breast cancer in Tunisia and to determine prognostic factors with special interest to family history, Ki-67 proliferation index and comorbidity. We retrospectively reviewed epidemiological and clinico-pathological data from patients' medical records, treated in the Medical Oncology Department at Abderrahmane Mami Hospital, in the period 2011-2015.

Cognitive complaints during breast cancer endocrine therapy: aromatase inhibitors versus tamoxifen.

Objective: Previous data hypothesise that women receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs) exhibit worse cognitive functioning than patients on tamoxifen (TAM) since their oestrogen levels are lower. We aimed to compare cognitive complaints in both groups.

Methods: From September 2020 to January 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional study on patients with stage I-III breast cancer undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy for at least 6 months.

Health influenced by genetics: A first comprehensive analysis of breast cancer high and moderate penetrance susceptibility genes in the Tunisian population.

Significant advances have been made to understand the genetic basis of breast cancer. High, moderate and low penetrance variants have been identified with inter-ethnic variability in mutation frequency and spectrum. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) are widely used to identify disease-associated SNPs.

Docetaxel monotherapy induces necrotic acute pancreatitis.

Introduction: Drug-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) is uncommon and represents 0.1 to 2% of all AP cases. Chemotherapy-induced AP is very rare.

Prognostic impact of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in non-small cell lung carcinomas.

Introduction: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes represent a pivotal component of the host anti-tumor response. Thus, they considerably influence the evolution of cancers including non-small cell lung carcinomas. Even if, this important role is consensual, many discordant results are published in the literature about the prognostic role of the different populations of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Translation and Validation of the Comprehensive Score of Financial Toxicity for Cancer Patients Into Arabic.

We aimed to translate the Comprehensive Score of Financial Toxicity (COST) questionnaire into Arabic and to evaluate its reliability and validity. We applied the four-step translation method and conducted a pilot validation study over 179 medical oncology patients. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and test-retest stability.

Identification of Eleven Novel Mutations in Tunisia: Impact on the Clinical Management of Related Cancers.

Background: Breast cancer is the world's most common cancer among women. It is becoming an increasingly urgent problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where a large fraction of women is diagnosed with advanced-stage disease and have no access to treatment or basic palliative care. About 5-10% of all breast cancers can be attributed to hereditary genetic components and up to 25% of familial cases are due to mutations in /2 genes.

Identification of Double Heterozygous Breast Cancer Cases Using Whole Exome Sequencing: Phenotypic Expression and Impact on Personalized Oncology.

and are the most commonly mutated breast cancer susceptibility genes that convey a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Most or mutation carriers have inherited a single heterozygous mutation. In recent years, very rare cases with biallelic or trans double heterozygous mutations on and or have been identified and seem to be associated with distinctive phenotypes.

Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance: another challenge in cancer patients.

Introduction: We aimed to measure the acceptability towards the COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients and to investigate determinant factors associated with the patient's choice.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire delivered to 329 cancer patients in 3 oncology cancer centers in Tunisia between February-May 2021. Logistic regression was used to evaluate odds ratio predicting patient's intentions toward the vaccine.

Response to Induction Neoadjuvant Hormonal Therapy Using Upfront 21-Gene Breast Recurrence Score Assay-Results From the SAFIA Phase III Trial.

Purpose: Luminal, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer represents the most common subtype of breast malignancies. Neoadjuvant strategies of operable breast cancer are mostly based on chemotherapy, whereas it is not completely understood which patients might benefit from neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NAHT).

Materials And Methods: The SAFIA trial is a prospective multicenter, international, double-blind, neoadjuvant phase III trial, using upfront 21-gene Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score assay (recurrence score [RS] < 31) to select operable luminal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative patients, for induction hormonal therapy HT (fulvestrant 500 mg with or without goserelin) before randomly assigning responding patients to fulvestrant 500 mg (with or without goserelin) plus either palbociclib (cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor) or placebo.

Amenorrhea and elevated βhuman chorionic gonadotropin of unknown origin: An unexpected location of choriocarcinoma.

Choriocarcinoma is a rare malignancy originating from trophoblastic cells that is known to arise from the placenta. In this report, we describe the case of a 28-year-old female who consulted for amenorrhea and elevated βhCG mimicking a pregnancy of an unknown location, which ultimately turned out to be primary choriocarcinoma of the lung.

Germline copy number variations in BRCA1/2 negative families: Role in the molecular etiology of hereditary breast cancer in Tunisia.

Hereditary breast cancer accounts for 5-10% of all breast cancer cases. So far, known genetic risk factors account for only 50% of the breast cancer genetic component and almost a quarter of hereditary cases are carriers of pathogenic mutations in BRCA1/2 genes. Hence, the genetic basis for a significant fraction of familial cases remains unsolved.

Assessing the financial toxicity in Tunisian cancer patients using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST).

Background: Cancer care-related out-of-pocket expenses and financial toxicity (FT) are a rising burden for patients. We aimed to evaluate patient-reported FT and to identify relevant correlates within a Tunisian population.

Methods: We conducted a survey using the 11-item Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) that could range from 0 = high to 44 = low.

Identification of Novel and Mutations Associated With Breast Cancer Predisposition in Tunisian Patients.

Background: Deleterious mutations on genes are known to confer high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. The identification of these mutations not only helped in selecting high risk individuals that need appropriate prevention approaches but also led to the development of the PARP-inhibitors targeted therapy. This study aims to assess the prevalence of the most frequent mutation in Tunisia, c.

Leptin decreases BC cell susceptibility to NK lysis via PGC1A pathway.

Large prospective studies established a link between obesity and breast cancer (BC) development. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. Among the diverse adipocytokine secreted by hypertrophic adipose tissue, leptin is emerging as a key candidate molecule linking obesity and cancer, since it promotes proliferation and invasiveness of tumors.

Reproductive Risk Factors of Inflammatory Breast Cancer according to Luminal, HER2-Overexpressing, and Triple-Negative Subtypes: A Case Comparison Study.

Objective: We evaluated the risk factors of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) compared to non-IBC and according to histological subtype.

Methods: Cases of IBC (n = 160) and controls of non-IBC (n = 580) were collected from the cohort of breast cancer patients treated in two oncology centers matched based on age at cohort entry. Data about breast cancer risk factors were collected.