Real-world clinical outcome of unresectable locally advanced & de-novo metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with limited treatment options yielding poor outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with locally advanced unresectable and de-novo metastatic PDAC in Saudi Arabia, providing regional data to compare with international benchmarks.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multicentre study involving 350 patients diagnosed with unresectable locally advanced or de-novo metastatic PDAC between January 2015 and November 2023.

Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with prostate cancer.: A single institution experience in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To describe the current real-world treatment landscape, sequence of therapies, and outcomes in patients with prostate cancer (PC).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study for PC patients diagnosed at King Abdullah Medical City Cancer Center in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2011 and December 2021. Data extracted from electronic medical records.

Impact of COVID-19 on Management and Outcomes of Oncology Patients: Results of MENA COVID-19 and Cancer Registry (MCCR).

Introduction: Despite extensive studies of the impact of COVID-19 on patients with cancer, there is a dearth of information from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Our study aimed to report pertinent MENA COVID-19 and Cancer Registry (MCCR) findings on patient management and outcomes.

Methods: MCCR was adapted from the American Society of Clinical Oncology COVID-19 Registry to collect data specifically from patients with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection from 12 centers in eight countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.

Staghorn Calculus with Adenomatoid Tumor: A Case Report.

Testicular adenomatoid tumor is very rare. More understanding of the tumor and treatment is required for better outcomes. A 63-year-old man visited a urologist for staghorn calculus.

Multicenter study on visual color difference thresholds. A secondary analysis of light, medium, and dark tooth-colored specimens.

Purpose: This secondary analysis further analyzed variations in the 50:50% perceptibility and acceptability thresholds (PT and AT, respectively) pertaining to light, medium, and dark tooth-colored specimen sets.

Methods: Primary raw data from the original study was retrieved. Visual thresholds (Perceptibility - PT and Acceptability - AT) were analyzed among the three specimen sets - light, medium, and dark.

Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Patients With Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review of Reported Cases.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) in patients with solid tumors is a rare and potentially fatal condition associated with anti-cancer treatment. Its outcome depends on awareness, identification of high-risk patients, and implementation of appropriate preventive measures. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines of case reports describing the occurrence of TLS in patients with solid tumors, primarily to identify potentially unrecognized or unusual clinical findings and outcomes.

Risk of Fatigue and Anemia in Patients With Prostate Cancer Treated With Novel Oral Anti-androgens: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Novel oral anti-androgens (NOAAs) represent a new class of drugs that are being approved for prostate cancer. However, fatigue and anemia are among the most common treatment-related symptoms. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate the relative risks (RRs) of fatigue and anemia associated with NOAAs.

Current Status of CRISPR/Cas9 Application in Clinical Cancer Research: Opportunities and Challenges.

Cancer is considered by not only multiple genetic but also epigenetic amendments that drive malignant cell propagation and consult chemo-resistance. The ability to correct or ablate such mutations holds enormous promise for battling cancer. Recently, because of its great efficiency and feasibility, the CRISPR-Cas9 advanced genome editing technique has been extensively considered for therapeutic investigations of cancers.

Peer-assisted versus expert-assisted learning in virtual chest x-ray interpretation: A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning (PAL) and expert-assisted learning (EAL) in terms of knowledge gain in virtual chest x-ray (CXR) interpretations. The secondary objective was to assess students' satisfaction levels between both groups.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, second-year medical students who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the PAL and EAL groups.

Cost-Effectiveness of First-Line Cetuximab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: Our objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of first-line cetuximab in relation to primary tumor location and after resection from the perspective of the Saudi healthcare system over a lifetime horizon.

Methods: Two standard partitioned survival models were developed in this study comprising 3 health states in each model. The first model was to simulate outcomes and costs of folinic acid, fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus cetuximab compared with FOLFIRI alone in 2 target groups-first, in RAS wild-type left-sided metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and second, in patients administered with 4 cycles of FOLFIRI plus cetuximab, who underwent a resection of liver metastases.

Suggested Modifications to the Management of Patients With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Web-Based Survey Study.

Background: Management of patients with cancer in the current era of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge to health care systems. Breast cancer is the most common cancer internationally. Breast cancer is a disease that involves surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and, more recently, immunotherapy in its management plan.

Level of Anxiety Among Healthcare Workers at a Comprehensive Cancer Center During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Objective The recent coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) has severely increased the burden on the field of oncology, leading to the implementation of new rules to overcome its negative impact. An important issue is the psychological impact of the pandemic on already vulnerable populations, such as oncology staff, as reported by oncology associations. This study assessed the anxiety level among oncology staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and related it to its risk factors and the effectiveness of departmental interventions that seek to provide coping methods.

Predictors of poor precautionary practices towards COVID-19 among cancer patients.

Our study goal was to evaluate the behavioral response and practices of cancer patients to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Middle East and north Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated anonymous 45-question survey administered via SurveyMonkey to cancer patients in 13 centers in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. During the study period (from 21 April to 30 May 2020), 3642 patients participated in the study.

Fluoropyrimidine-Induced Severe Toxicities Associated with Rare DPYD Polymorphisms: Case Series from Saudi Arabia and a Review of the Literature.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the major enzyme in the catabolism of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and its prodrug capecitabine. We report cases from our institute with colorectal cancer who experienced severe toxicities to standard dose 5-FU based chemotherapy. gene sequencing revealed rare different polymorphisms that prompted dose adjustments of administered 5-FU and capecitabine.

E-Learning for Undergraduate Medical Students.

Purpose: Disruption of education can lead to drastic changes and therefore, we need to maximize the benefits of e-technology. We aimed to explore changes in knowledge, attitudes, and challenges regarding e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine how e-learning has influenced academic performance.

Methods: We conducted a self-administrated electronic survey to collect information on undergraduate medical students' e-learning.

The willingness of the Saudi Arabian population to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine trial: A case-control study.

Objectives: This study examines the Saudi Arabian population's willingness to participate in clinical trials for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, comparing recovered cases' willingness with that of healthy volunteers.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on the Saudi Arabian population during September 2020. The data were collected from recovered COVID-19 participants as the case group, and healthy volunteers as the control group.

Emergency oncology admissions during COVID-19 pandemic: a major institution experience from Saudi Arabia.

Background: The WHO has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020. Cancer patients are considered a highly susceptible group. The effect of this pandemic on cancer mortality is still unknown.

Unusual Synchronous Association of Solid Tumors with Hematological Malignancies in Multiple Primary Cancers: Case Series and Literature Review.

The incidence of synchronous multiple primary malignancies (MPMs), which include both solid and hematological malignancy, is considered very rare. In addition, the involvement of sites such as brain, thyroid, and breast are among the least reported in such complex conditions. Here we report five different types of solid tumors including glioblastoma multiforme, thyroid papillary carcinoma, breast invasive ductal carcinoma, colon cancer, and gastric adenocarcinoma that were associated with synchronous five different hematological malignancies in the form of T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), nodal marginal zone NHL, diffuse large B-cell NHL, Hodgkin lymphoma, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue marginal zone NHL, respectively.

Mortality and morbidity of curative and palliative anticancer treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter population-based retrospective study.

Administration of effective anticancer treatments should continue during pandemics. However, the outcomes of curative and palliative anticancer treatments during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic remain unclear. The present retrospective observational study aimed to determine the 30-day mortality and morbidity of curative and palliative anticancer treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges Associated with the Rare Cardiac Metastasis Complicating Rectal Adenocarcinoma.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world. It typically metastasizes to the lymph nodes, liver or lungs. Cardiac involvement is considered the least likely metastatic complication of malignant tumors including CRC.

Suggested modifications in oncology/hematology inpatient service in Saudi Arabia during coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background: Management of cancer patients in the current era of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses significant challenges on health-care systems. However, it is mandatory to keep the required level of care of cancer patients while taking the necessary precautions to maintain the safety of both patients and health-care professionals (HCPs). The present survey explores suggested modifications of inpatient oncology/hematology care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thirty-Day Mortality After Curative and Palliative Anti-Cancer Treatment: Data Interpretation and Lessons for Clinical Implementation.

Purpose: Despite advancements in cancer therapeutics, mortality and morbidity due to anti-cancer treatments still occur but are not frequently reported. We aimed to report the 30-day mortality and morbidity of all curative and palliative anti-cancer treatments.

Patients And Methods: Adults with solid and hematological malignancies from two large cancer centers in Saudi Arabia, irrespective of the cancer stage and treatment type, were included in this retrospective observational study.

Optimizing the Communication with Cancer Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perspectives.

Background: During curfew, patients are self-isolated at home and worried. Patient-doctor interactions may be disrupted and therefore need to be replaced by alternative effective communication methods.

Purpose: To describe the preferences of cancer patients with respect to communication methods and the use of patient-accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs).

Testicular Mixed Germ Cell Tumor Combined with Malignant Transformation to Chondrosarcoma: A Very Rare and Aggressive Disease.

BACKGROUND Testicular mixed germ cell tumors (GCTs) represent a spectrum of malignancies that differ in terms of histopathology, clinical complications, and overall outcome. A variety of aggressive combinations containing different histological types have been described among such testicular tumors. However, a histopathology characterized by a combination of teratoma and choriocarcinoma, as seen in this case, in which the teratomatous component shows a secondary transformation to chondrosarcoma, is considered very rare.