ecancermedicalscience最新文献

{"title":"Conference report: Introducing oncology to undergraduate medical and allied health sciences students: reflections from 2nd <i>e</i>cancer TMC Oncology Congress 2023 at Kolkata, India.","authors":"Soumitra Shankar Datta, Sanjit Agrawal, Prateek Jain, Jeevan Kumar, Arnab Bhattacharjee, Ayush Bansal, Shagun Mahajan, Dibakar Podder, Kapila Manikantan, Gaurav Kumar, Bidisha Samanta, Sohini Sarkar, Soumita Ghose, Niladri Ghosal, Mary Guevera, Danny Burke","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1647","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1647","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the high cancer burden in low-middle-income-countries, medical students often have inadequate exposure to oncology. This may contribute to reduced interest in pursuing training in the field. The second ecancer TMC Oncology Congress at Kolkata on 30th September and 1st October 2023 was planned primarily to introduce undergraduate medical and allied health science students to oncology. There were separate sessions on breast cancer, thyroid cancer, myeloma and research methods so that students get exposure to a wide range of topics. Multi-disciplinary case-based discussions on common clinical presentations helped the students grasp the way a modern cancer hospital functions. Eighty-two percent (131/159, 82%) of the pre-registered delegates attended the congress alongside 44 national and international faculty from surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiology, histopathology, psychiatry and palliative medicine. Of those who offered written anonymous feedback, 76% (70/91, 76%) rated the congress to be excellent. Broadly the following themes emerged from the qualitative feedback a) Delegates positively viewed the opportunity to 'interact and learn from some of the best of minds in the field of medicine' b) Suggestions included 'more interactive sessions through case histories, demonstrations of techniques, videos, quizzes, etc.' to make the learning experience more engaging. c) Considerable appreciation was expressed for learning about 'scientific writing' d) A few delegates were also inspired by the 'style' of some of the presentations and felt that this would help to design their presentations in the future. Introducing oncology early during their career may inspire undergraduate students to explore the option of pursuing a career in oncology and allied specialties. A video summarising the event is available at https://ecancer.org/en/video/11672-introducing-oncology-to-undergraduate-medical-and-allied-health-sciences-students. All the talks presented during the conference are available at https://ecancer.org/en/conference/1505-2nd-ecancer-tmc-kolkata-oncology-congress.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"17 ","pages":"1647"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10898876/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139982650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Localised breast cancer: neoadjuvant chemotherapy impact evaluation on the pathological complete response (PCR) in a lower middle-income country","authors":"G. Adjadé, H. A. Tafenzi, H. Jouihri, Nadin Shawar Al Tamimi, Yousra Bennouna, G. Négamiyimana, K. Cisse, I. Essâdi, Mohammed El Fadli, R. Belbaraka","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1648","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery remains the current recommended therapeutic strategy for the management of locally advanced breast cancer. The standard chemotherapy protocol is sequential with anthracycline followed by tax-anes. However public hospitals in Morocco are confronted with a shortage in healthcare products. We, therefore, evaluated the efficacy of the different protocols proposed to patients, by evaluating the clinical response after chemotherapy especially through the pathological complete response (PCR) after surgery. Methods: We focused on the database of the medical oncology department of the only public hospital covering middle and southern Morocco. We included patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2020. Two groups of patients distinguished in group A (GA) received the standard therapy, and group B (GB) received a non-standard protocol. The therapeutic response was assessed clinically before surgery and then by pathological examination of the surgical specimens. The Sataloff classification defined the histological response for both tumour and lymph nodes. We included both groups in one variable to determine their impact on outcomes. A logistic regression-based analysis was adopted to define variables related to the PCR. Results: Over the study period, 120 patients met our inclusion criteria. They were distinguished at 72% in GA and 28% in GB. 60.8% over 120 got a partial response, whereas, only 33.3% achieved a complete response. The general PCR rate was 28% with 14.3% in GB and 85.7% in GA. The tumour PCR was obtained in 40 (33.3%) over 120 patients and 51.7% of lymph node PCR. The multivariate logistic regression analysis results show no relative factors associated with general PCR achievement. Conclusion: These first interesting results from an institutional database inform us about our clinical practice and require additional research using prospective randomised controlled studies.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"13 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138998091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tritesting in Battor, Ghana: an integrated cervical precancer screening strategy to mitigate the challenges of multiple screening visits and loss to follow-up","authors":"K. Effah, Ethel Tekpor, Comfort Mawusi Wormenor, Nana Owusu Mensah Essel, Seyram Kemawor, Edna Sesenu, Stephen Danyo, Yohane Teye Kitcher, G. B. Klutsey, Georgina Tay, Faustina Tibu, Kofi Antwi Abankroh, Bernard Hayford Atuguba, P. Akakpo","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1645","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing is more sensitive than cytology for detecting cervical precancer; however, increasing reports of high-risk HPV (hr-HPV)- negative cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and even malignancy motivate the use of combined testing. We present our experience with ‘tritesting’, defined as the performance of HPV DNA testing, cytology and visual inspection in a single session at the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre, Ghana. We further determined the prevalence rates of hr-HPV infection, abnormal cytology and cervical lesions among women screened using tritesting. Methods: This descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study assessed all women screened via tritesting between April 2019 to April 2023. HPV DNA testing was performed using the Sansure MA-6000, GeneXpert or AmpFire platforms. Visual inspection was performed using enhanced visual assessment mobile colposcopy or visual inspection with acetic acid. Liquid-based cytology was performed using cervical samples taken with a Cervex-Brush® and fixed in PreservCyt, while samples for conventional cytology were taken using an Ayre spatula and cytobrush.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"27 26","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138589475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Erratum: Quality and reliability of YouTube videos in Arabic as a source of patient information on prostate cancer.","authors":"Laith Baqain, Deborah Mukherji, Humaid O Al-Shamsi, Ibrahim Abu-Gheida, Akram Al-Ibraheem, Kamal Al Rabii, Ala'a Farkouh, Mohammed Shahait","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1646","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1646","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2023.1573.].</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"17 ","pages":"1646"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10898871/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139982651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Re-challenge of immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab with concurrent tocilizumab after prior grade 3 pneumonitis","authors":"Chitrakshi Nagpal, S. Rastogi, S. Shamim, Sneha Prakash","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1644","url":null,"abstract":"Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with specific immune-related adverse events (irAEs) which are unique compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy. For life-threatening adverse events including grade 3 or more, permanent discontinuation of the ICIs is recommended, albeit without much robust evidence. Safe re-challenge of ICIs with concurrent immunosuppression has been reported with irAEs like gastrointestinal toxicity and arthritis. Here we present a case of a lady with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma with programmed death ligand1 expression, who showed a complete response to pembrolizumab used as third-line therapy. However, it had to be stopped after 22 doses when the patient developed grade 3 pneumonitis. In view of progression off pembroli-zumab, and lack of other effective alternatives, pembrolizumab was re-challenged with concurrent interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade using tocilizumab. This was based on preliminary evidence on the role of IL-6 in mediating the irAEs, especially pneumonitis. The patient re-attained a complete response with pembrolizumab. There was no recurrence of the pneumonitis after rechallenging, and there was partial radiographic resolution of the ICI-interstitial lung disease after the combination therapy.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138586378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cervical cancer prevention methods: awareness and use among urban Ghanaian women in Cape Coast, West Africa","authors":"Abdoul Azize Diallo, Nathaniel Nii A Codjoe, Sebastian Ken-Amoah, Evans Kofi Agbeno","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1626","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent malignancy and common cause of mortality in women worldwide, despite being one of the most preventable female cancers. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the awareness and knowledge of patients about cervical cancer prevention methods and the use of these methods by women in an urban setting. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed. A census was conducted to include all women ( n = 153) who met the inclusion criteria and attended the gynaecology clinic of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital from May to July 2022 for various gynaecological reasons. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Cervical Cancer Knowledge Prevention-64. Results: The mean age was 40.0 years and ranges between 18 and 78 years. The majority of study participants had at least a secondary school level of education (78.8%), and almost all had at least a primary school education (95.4%). Most of the respondents (64.7%) were not aware of cervical cancer. Among those who had awareness, 64.8% of them knew about the existence of prevention methods; pap smear was the most common known method of prevention. There was a statistically significant association between the respondent’s educational level and knowledge of the existence of cervical cancer prevention methods and the usage of pap smear. Only 16.3% of our study population has ever used a preventive method. Conclusion: More than half of the participants were not aware of cervical cancer and its preventive methods, and those who were aware had insufficient knowledge, which translated to very low usage of cervical cancer preventive methods. There is an urgent need to intensify public education on cervical cancer.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"63 7","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136347744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prostate cancer clinical trials in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"Sattam A Halaseh, Amro Al-Karadsheh, Deborah Mukherji, Abdelrahman Alhjahaja, Ala’a Farkouh, Akram Al-Ibraheem, Ibrahim Abu Gheida, Sultan Al-Khateeb, Humaid Al-Shamsi, Mohammed Shahait","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1629","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related death in men. In an era of evidence-based medicine, clinical trials play a critical role, and adherence to best practices is crucial in managing complicated and non-communicable diseases, such as prostate cancer. For this reason, extrapolating research conducted in high-income countries (HICs","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"22 25","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136281978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaling up availability, accessibility, quality and equity – highlights from the 4th Uganda conference on cancer and palliative care, held in Kampala, Uganda","authors":"Julia Downing, Nixon Niyonzima, Eddie Mwebesa, Lisa Christine Irumba, Judith Asasira, Bernadette Basemera, Diana Basirika, Alfred Jatho, Immaculate Mbarusha, Harriet Nalubega, Dorothy Olet Adong, Deirdre Ryan, Danait Tesfai, Cynthia Kabagambe, Joyce Zalwango, Catherine Amuge, Cissy Nassolo, Edward Kakungulu, Jackson Orem, Mark Mwesiga","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1628","url":null,"abstract":"The 4th Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care was held from the 14 th –15 th September 2023. It was run jointly by the Uganda Cancer Institute and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The conference was held at the Speke Resort, Munyonyo and 450 participants came together for a face-to-face conference following the virtual one held in 2021. It was an opportunity for all those working in the fields of cancer and palliative care to come together, to share lessons and learn from each other, as well as celebrate 30 years since specialist palliative care came to Uganda. The conference was officially opened by the Commissioner for Non-Communicable Diseases on behalf of the Minister of Health, who reiterated the Government’s commitment to reducing the burden of cancer and expanding the provision of palliative care within Uganda. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebresus, the Director General of the World Health Organization welcomed participants to the conference, and the Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese, the Right Reverend Hannington Mutebi shared his experience of living with cancer. The conference was organised into six tracks: Innovations and new technologies; Education, advocacy, policy and law; Health promotion, prevention and early detection; Family and community involvement and empowerment; Clinical care and symptom management; and, Psychological, social and spiritual care. The themes of paediatrics, vulner-able populations, service development and research were integrated throughout the tracks, and workshops were held that explored topics such as governance, access to essential medi-cines, national data reporting, research and education, and aging and ageism. Throughout the conference there was a sense of optimism, of resilience and a commitment to the ongoing development of cancer and palliative care services within the country.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"22 19","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136281982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disparities in the consensus for treatment of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia","authors":"Liana Hambardzumyan, Henrik Grigoryan, Maria Badikyan, Heghine Khachatryan, Nelly Sargsyan, Arliette Sulikhanyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Justin Stebbing","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1627","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1627","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is an arduous complication of chemotherapy to be dealt with, and there are many unmet needs in this field to be addressed on the global front. We have conducted this study to contribute to the understanding of existing knowledge gaps of CIT management and highlight the direction to focus future investigations. Methods: This was an academic single-institution report on a cross-sectional study evaluating CIT management practices using platelet (PLT) transfusions by haematologists and oncologists in Armenia. Results: Physicians’ opinions differed significantly when it came to defining thrombocytopenia by PLT levels. 13.2% of those surveyed considered thrombocytopenia to be when PLT counts fall below 180 × 10 9 /L, 42.1% defined thrombocytopenia to have a PLT threshold of 150 × 10 9 /L, 15.8% and 21.0% specialists setting their thresholds at 140 × 10 9 /L and 100 × 10 9 /L, respectively. All physicians managed CIT by performing PLT transfusions for prophylactic purposes (i.e., when PLT count falls below a certain threshold) with none of them transfusing PLTs only on-demand to address active bleeding. 73.3% haematologists (adult), 57.1% medical oncologists, and 50% paediatricians deemed 10 × 10 9 /L as the threshold PLT count for transfusing afebrile patients with haematologic malignancies (besides acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL)) and solid tumours. PLT products availability varied among the respondents, with only 53% of them responding that they had 24/7 access. Conclusion: CIT is a complication of interest to physicians worldwide and has not been resolved yet. This is the first conducted survey regarding CIT and the initial step for further research.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"32 8","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136346497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochemical outcome after curative treatment for localized prostate cancer with external beam radiotherapy: a cross-sectional study","authors":"Joseph Daniels, Kofi Adesi Kyei, Kikelomo Adeola Badejoko–Okunade, Samuel Anim-Sampong, Samuel Nii Adu Tagoe, William Kwadwo Antwi, Joana Ainuson-Quampah, Adewumi Alabi, Anthonia Sowunmi, Judith Naa Odey Tackie","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2023.1625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1625","url":null,"abstract":"Although many patients who receive definitive radiotherapy (RT) for localised prostate cancer (CaP) experience long-term disease-free survival and better quality of life, some also have biochemical progression during follow-up. Oftentimes this implies additional treatment for patients with the accompanying challenges of cumulative treatment side effects, inconvenience and financial toxicity. This study retrospectively assessed the clinicopathological characteristics and biochemical outcomes of patients treated for localised CaP with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) between 2015 and 2020 at a major cancer treatment centre in Accra, Ghana. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from their hospital records and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. Biochemical failure (BCF) was defined as an increase in the level of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >2 ng/mL above the nadir after curative therapy based on the Phoenix definition. The mean age was 67.6 years (SD ± 6.2). The majority of the study participants ( n = 79, 64.8%) had initial PSA >20 ng/mL, with the highest recorded value of 705 ng/mL. All the patients had biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland. Some patients received 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) on a cobalt-60 teletherapy machine whereas others were treated with either 3DCRT or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on a 6 MV Linac. In all, 13.1% of the patients experienced BCF after receiving EBRT after an average follow-up of 31.3 months. This study demonstrated a low rate of BCF among patients treated with EBRT for localised CaP in Ghana. Strong prognostic factors of biochemical outcome demonstrated in this study were the percentage of cores positive, grade group, and risk stratification. Diar-rhaea and desquamation experienced by treated CaP patients were exclusively attributable to EBRT. RT produced a complete resolution of symptoms in some of the patients.","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"116 11","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135137447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}