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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.