Does hematology rotation impact the interest of internal medicine residents in considering hematology as a career?

Background: The ongoing need for hematologists is not met in many parts of the world. The hematology rotation during internal medicine residency is an opportunity to attract more physicians to the hematology field. This study aimed to assess the impact of a hematology rotation on internal medicine residents' interest in considering a hematology career.

Burden, Depression and Quality of Life in Carers of Newly Diagnosed Advanced Cancer Patients in Egypt.

Context: The goal of palliative care (PC) is to improve the quality of life (QoL) of patients with life-limiting illnesses as well as their families. Ideally, PC is integrated early in the course of life-limiting illnesses. Less attention has been paid to the need for early PC for family caregivers (FCs) in lower-income settings.

Palliative care journal publications by country as a metric for palliative care development level.

Objective: There is a growing interest in developing a scientific research metric to assess the level of palliative care (PC) development in countries. This study assesses a metric based on publishing in specialised PC journals as an indicator for the level of PC development.

Methods: A 3-year average articles per million population per year (3y-AAMY) metric was calculated using documents published in 19 specialised PC journals indexed in Scopus database.

Contribution of Eastern Mediterranean Region countries to palliative care journals from 1991 to 2020 and its relationship to the development of palliative care.

Background: Palliative care (PC) is in an early stage of development in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization. A metric based on publishing in specialized PC journals may be useful in assessing PC development. This study was conducted to describe the contribution of EMR countries to PC research and to study the relationship between this contribution and the levels of PC development.

Not Telling Patients Their Cancer Diagnosis in Egypt: Is It Associated With Less Anxiety and Depression and Better Quality of Life?

Purpose: In many countries, including Egypt, it is still believed that not telling patients their cancer diagnosis is associated with less psychological morbidity. This study was conducted to explore whether not telling Egyptian patients their cancer diagnosis is associated with less anxiety and depression and better quality-of-life (QoL) or not.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in two Egyptian cancer care facilities and included 292 adult patients with cancer of whom 197 (67%) were aware of their diagnosis and 95 (33%) were unaware.

Caregiver burden among family caregivers of incurable cancer patients in two eastern Mediterranean countries.

Background: Although family caregivers (FCs) play an important role in the care provided to incurable cancer patients in our region, little is known about the burden they experience. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of caregiver burden (CB) among FCs of incurable cancer patients in two Eastern Mediterranean countries and to identify factors that may be associated with significant CB.

Methods: The study included 218 FCs, 165 from Egypt and 53 from Saudi Arabia.

Diagnosis Disclosure Preferences of Cancer Patients in Egypt: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Although diagnosis disclosure to cancer patients has important roles in cancer care, it is not a routine practice in countries like Egypt. Respecting patients' autonomy and responding to their preferences are among the factors that should guide the practice of cancer diagnosis disclosure.

Objectives: To assess the preferences of Egyptian cancer patients regarding the disclosure of cancer diagnosis and to determine factors that may affect their preferences.

Mirtazapine in Cancer-Associated Anorexia and Cachexia: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.

Context: Few pharmacological interventions are available for cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia. Mirtazapine has been suggested for use in cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia.

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine in cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia.

Reliability and validity of the Arabic translation of the palliative performance scale.

Objective: The aim of this study was to translate the Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2) into Arabic and to test the reliability and validity of the PPS Arabic translation (PPS-Arabic).

Method: The PPSv2 was translated into Modern Standard Arabic using a forward-backward method. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities were tested in a pilot study that included 20 patients.

Transdermal fentanyl to parenteral morphine route switch and drug rotation in refractory cancer cachexia.

It is recommended not to use transdermal fentanyl (Fe) patches (TFP) in cancer cachexia but TFP may be the only available option for pain. Limited evidence suggests lower Fe absorption from TFP in cachexia. We describe a case of metastatic breast cancer with refractory cachexia.

Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Treatment of Chemotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis.

Oral mucositis (OM) is an unavoidable condition of the oral cavity that accompanies chemotherapy for various malignant cases. Chemotherapy-induced oral Mucositis (COM) is a frequent complication due to mucotoxic drugs and is known to deteriorate the general health significantly, while negatively affecting the quality of life (QOL). Studies have reported that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) promotes the tissue healing.

Preferred Place of Death for Patients With Incurable Cancer and Their Family Caregivers in Egypt.

Background:: Little is known about the place of death of patients with cancer in Eastern Mediterranean countries including Egypt, where palliative care is underdeveloped. Identifying the preferred place of death (PPoD) is important for the development of appropriate palliative care models in these countries.

Objectives:: To know the PPoD of Egyptian patients with incurable cancer and their family caregivers (FCGs) and to determine the factors that may impact their preferences.

The Use of the Chuang's Prognostic Scale to Predict the Survival of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Systemic Anticancer Therapy.

Background: With the increasing number of agents active against cancer, advanced cancer patients including metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients may continue receiving palliative systemic anticancer therapy (PSAT) near the end-of-life. Validated palliative prognostic models, such as the Chuang's prognostic scale (CPS), may be helpful in identifying mCRC patients with limited survival who are unlikely to benefit from PSAT.

Aim: To test the ability of the CPS to predict the survival of mCRC under treatment with PSAT.

Cancer diagnosis disclosure preferences of family caregivers of cancer patients in Egypt.

Objective: Family caregivers (FCs) of cancer patients are frequently seen as a barrier to honest communication with patients in Egypt. This study was conducted to investigate the attitude of FCs of cancer patients toward cancer diagnosis disclosure (CDD) and its determinants.

Methods: A structured interview was used to assess the preferences of 288 FCs regarding CDD.

Voluntary reporting to assess symptom burden among Yemeni cancer patients: common symptoms are frequently missed.

Background: Adequate symptom assessment is necessary to relieve the high symptom burden experienced by cancer patients. However, health care professionals may depend only on patient's voluntary reporting (VR) to assess symptoms and therefore some symptoms may be missed.

Objective: To assess the symptom burden experienced by Yemeni cancer patients by using VR and systematic assessment (SA).

Timing and Outcome of Referral to the First Stand-Alone Palliative Care Center in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Palliative Care Center of Kuwait.

Background: Compared to other regions of the world, palliative care (PC) in the Eastern Mediterranean region is at an earlier stage of development. The Palliative Care Center of Kuwait (PCC-K) was established a few years ago as the first stand-alone PC center in the region. This study was conducted to investigate the timing of referral to the PCC-K and its outcome.

The fear of using tramadol for pain control (tramadolophobia) among Egyptian patients with cancer.

Objectives: The fear of using tramadol for pain control (tramadolophobia) by Egyptian patients with cancer is a frequent problem in our practice. This study was conducted to explore the prevalence of and the reasons behind tramadolophobia among Egyptian patients with cancer.

Methods: A structured interview including open-ended and closed questions.

Emergency Department Visits at the End of Life of Patients With Terminal Cancer: Pattern, Causes, and Avoidability.

Frequent emergency department visits (EDVs) by patients with terminal cancer indicates aggressive care. The pattern and causes of EDVs in 154 patients with terminal cancer were investigated. The EDVs that started during working hours and ended by home discharge were considered avoidable.

The Relation Between the Timing of Palliative Care and the Frequency and Timing of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Among Cancer Deaths in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

The medical records of 246 in-hospital cancer deaths were reviewed to explore the relation between palliative care (PC) timing and the frequency and timing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) designation. The rate of DNR designation was 100% in patients referred to PC and 82% in those never referred (P < .001).

The place of death of patients with cancer in Kuwait.

Background: The place of death (PoD) has a significant effect on end-of-life care for patients dying of cancer. Little is known about the place of cancer deaths in our region.

Methods: To identify the PoD of patients with cancer in Kuwait, we reviewed the death certificates submitted to the Kuwait Cancer Registry in 2009.

Palliative care consultation versus palliative care unit: which is associated with shorter terminal hospitalization length of stay among patients with cancer?

Hospital length of stay (LoS) may be used to assess end-of-life care aggressiveness and health care delivery efficiency. We describe the terminal hospitalization LoS of patients with cancer managed by a hospital-based palliative care (PC) program comprising a palliative care consultation (PCC) service and an inpatient palliative care unit (PCU). A total of 328 in-hospital cancer deaths were divided into 2 groups.

The use of opioids at the end-of-life and the survival of Egyptian palliative care patients with advanced cancer.

Background And Aim: One of the barriers to cancer pain control and palliative care (PC) development is the misconception that the use of opioids may hasten death. This concern is exaggerated when higher doses of opioids are used at the end-of-life. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between survival and the dose of opioids used at the end-of-life of patients with advanced cancer in an Egyptian PC setting.