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. The Registry included data on patients and disease characteristics, treatment, and patient outcomes. Logistic regression was used to assess associations with mortality. Results: Between November 29, 2020, and June 8, 2021, data were captured on 2008 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from the beginning of the pandemic. Median age was 56 years (16-98), 56.4% were females, and 26% were current or ex-smokers. Breast cancer (28.5%) was the leading diagnosis and 50.5% had metastatic disease. Delays of planned treatment (>14 days) occurred in 80.3% for surgery, 48.8% for radiation therapy, and 32.9% for systemic therapy. Significant reduction in the delays of all three treatment modalities occurred after June 1, 2020. All-cause mortality rates at 30 and 90 days were 17.1% and 23.4%, respectively. All-cause mortality rates at 30 days did not change significantly after June 1, 2020; however, 90-day mortality increased from 33.4% to 42.9% before and after that date (p = 0.015). Multivariable regression analysis showed the following predictors of higher 30- and 90-day mortality: age older than 70 years, having metastatic disease, disease progression, and being off chemotherapy. Conclusion: Patients with cancer in the MENA region experienced similar risks and outcome of COVID-19 as reported in other populations. Although there were fewer treatment delays after June 1, 2020, 90-day mortality increased, which may be attributed to other risk factors such as disease progression or new patients who presented with more advanced disease.

Africa Guidelines for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Buildup Process.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fourth most common cancer in Africa, has a dismal overall survival of only 3 months like in sub-Saharan Africa. This is affected by the low gross domestic product and human development index, absence of coherent guidelines, and other factors. METHODS: An open forum for HCC-experienced health care workers from Africa and the rest of the world was held in October 2021. Participants completed a survey to help assess the real-life access to screening, diagnoses, and treatment in the North and Southern Africa (NS), East and West Africa (EW), Central Africa (C), and the rest of the world. RESULTS: Of 461 participants from all relevant subspecialties, 372 were from Africa. Most African participants provided hepatitis B vaccination and treatment for hepatitis B and C. More than half of the participants use serum alpha-fetoprotein and ultrasound for surveillance. Only 20% reported using image-guided diagnostic liver biopsy. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer is the most used staging system (52%). Liver transplant is available for only 28% of NS and 3% EW. C reported a significantly lower availability of resection. Availability of local therapy ranged from 94% in NS to 62% in C. Sorafenib is the most commonly used systemic therapy (66%). Only 12.9% reported access to other medications including immune checkpoint inhibitors. Besides 42% access to regorafenib in NS, second-line treatments were not provided. CONCLUSION: Similarities and differences in the care for patients with HCC in Africa are reported. This reconfirms the major gaps in access and availability especially in C and marginally less so in EW. This is a call for concerted multidisciplinary efforts to achieve and sustain a reduction in incidence and mortality from HCC in Africa.

Middle East and North Africa Registry to Characterize Rate of RAS Testing Status in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Rat sarcoma virus mutational status guides first-line treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer. This study was a multi center, multi-country ambispective, observational study in the Middle East and North Africa assessing regional rat sarcoma virus testing practices in newly diagnosed patients. METHODS: The retrospective arm (2011-2014) included adults with metastatic colorectal cancer who had initiated first-line therapy with ≥1 post-baseline visit and survival data. The prospective arm (2014-2019) enrolled newly diagnosed patients with histologically proven metastatic colorectal cancer with ≥1 measurable lesion per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, and tissue availability for biomarker analysis. Data look-back and follow-up were 2 years; the rate of RAS mutation was evaluated. RESULTS: RAS testing was ordered for patients in retrospective (326/417) and prospective (407/500) studies. In the former, testing was typically prescribed after first-line treatment initiation, significantly more in patients with stage IV disease (P < .005), resulting in the addition of targeted therapy (41.8% anti-epidermal growth factor receptor, 30.2% anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) in wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer, and significantly impacted the treatment of left-sided tumors (P = .037). In the latter, 58.4% were RAS wild-type; 41.6% were RAS mutant. Non-prescription of RAS testing was attributed to test unavailability, financial, or medical rea sons; predictors of testing prescription were older age, primary tumor in ascending colon, and high tumor grade. RAS status knowledge resulted in the addition of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (20.4%) or anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy (21.2%). CONCLUSION: Before 2014, RAS testing in patients with colorectal cancer in the Middle East and North Africa was often performed after first-line treatment. Testing is more routine in newly diagnosed patients, potentially shifting early treatment patterns.

The first Middle East and North Africa expert consensus recommendations for the management of advanced colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the third most prevalent and the second deadliest cancer worldwide. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the number of CRC cases increased over the past decades and will nearly double by 2030. The lack of clear MENA guidelines for the management of patients with CRC represents a step backwards in the fight against this burden. Therefore a panel of 24 MENA experts in the field of gastrointestinal oncology developed, using a Delphi process, the first consensus recommendations for the management of patients with advanced CRC. Forty-seven different statements were formulated in the areas of epidemiology, screening, biomarkers and treatment. These recommendations will guide, standardize and unify the management of this cancer in the MENA region.

Cancer Burden Among Arab World Males in 2020: The Need for a Better Approach to Improve Outcome.

PURPOSE: Cancer is a leading cause of increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. This work aims to study the Arab world males' cancers (AMCs) and the similarities and disparities with the world males' cancers (WMCs) from different burden points of view. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive review of the 2020 Global Cancer Observatory revealed AMCs compared with the 2020 WMCs and the 2018 AMCs. Data on the top 27 AMCs were compared among the region's countries and the world groups. RESULTS: In 2020, a total estimate of 217,203 new AMCs, 2.2% of WMCs, with an average age-standardized rate of 133.5/100,000 population, compared with 222/100,000 population of WMCs, was observed. Death estimates were 148,395, 2.7% of WMCs, with an average age-standardized rate of 95/100,000 population, compared with 120.8/100,000 population of WMCs. The five-year prevalence was observed in 442,014, 1.8% of WMCs. The average AMC mortality to incidence ratio (MIR) was 0.68, compared with 0.55 in WMCs and 0.54 in Arab females. Lung cancer was the top in incidence and mortality, whereas penile cancer was the lowest. The range of MIRs among the 27 cancer types was 0.19-0.96. CONCLUSION: The descriptive review of the 2020 males' cancers in the Arab world revealed a relatively high MIR, compared with males' cancers worldwide and the females' cancers in the Arab world. This requires further evaluation to discern the underlying causes and address them systematically. More cancer control actions are warranted.

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

Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: During the study period (from 21 April to 30 May 2020), 3642 patients participated in the study. The majority of patients (84.81%) were worried about contracting the infection. The reported strict adherence to precautions included avoiding the following actions: hand-shaking (77.40%), hugging and kissing (82.89%), social gathering (90.09%), meeting friends (84.68%) and visiting markets (75.65%). In a multivariate analysis, patients with poor precautionary practices were about twice as likely to cancel their medical appointment or a treatment session. Conclusion: Improving cancer patients' knowledge of and adherence to precautionary measures is needed not just to reduce the risk of acquiring infection but also to minimize the interruption of their medical care.

Lay abstract COVID-19 poses a higher risk for patients with cancer than other patients; therefore, it is prudent that they adhere to precautionary measures to protect themselves from the infection. We conducted a study to evaluate the behaviors and practices of these patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle, East and North Africa. We developed a survey of 45 questions that was distributed in 13 centers in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Saudi Arabia between 21 April and 30 May 2020. About 85% of the 3642 patients who participated in the study were worried about contracting the infection. A substantial percentage of them (10­30%) were not adhering to various precautions and social distancing rules. On the other hand, 16% of them canceled medical appointments and 12% canceled treatment sessions. Our study showed the need for better adherence of patients with cancer to the infection precautions and most importantly, the need to have a better compliance with their treatment plans, such as keeping their scheduled appointments, to avoid harms from treatment delays.

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. The objectives of this interim analysis were to assess the feasibility of upfront RS determination on core biopsies in the Middle-East and North Africa region and evaluate the efficacy of induction NAHT in patients with an RS < 31. RESULTS: At the time of this interim analysis, 258 patients with relative risk were accrued, including 202 patients (RS < 31% to 78.3%) treated with induction NAHT and 182 patients evaluable so far for response. The feasibility of performing the Oncotype DX assays on core biopsy specimens was optimal in 96.4% of cases. Overall, 93.4% of patients showed hormone sensitivity and no difference in NAHT efficacy was noticed between RS 0-10, 11-25, and 26-30. Interestingly, patients with high RS (26-30) showed a trend toward a higher major response rate (P = .05). CONCLUSION: The upfront 21-gene assay performed on biopsies is feasible in our population and has allowed us to select patients with high hormone sensitivity (RS < 31). This approach could be an alternative to upfront surgery without significant risk of progression, particularly during pandemic times.

National approaches to managing cancer care: responses of countries in the MENA region to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents serious challenges to cancer care because of the associated risks from the infection itself and the disruption of care delivery. Therefore, many professional societies have published recommendations to help manage patients with cancer during the current pandemic. The objective of our study is to assess the national responses of Middle East North Africa (MENA) countries in terms of publishing relevant guidelines and analyse various components of these guidelines. METHODS: A survey based on the preliminary review of the literature regarding cancer care adaptations has been developed and then completed by a group of oncologists from the following Arab countries affected by the pandemic: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The survey inquired about COVID-19 cases, national recommendations regarding general measures of COVID-19 prevention and patient care in oncology as well as their implementation about cancer care adaptations during the pandemic. RESULTS: Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic-related guidelines revealed at least 30 specific recommendations that we categorised into seven essential components. All included countries had national guidelines except one country. Estimated full compliances with all specific category recommendations ranged from 30% to 69% and partial compliance ranged from 23% to 61%. CONCLUSION: There is a very good response and preparedness in the Arab Middle East and North Africa region surveyed. However, there are inconsistencies in the various components of the guidelines across the region, which reflects the evolving status of the pandemic in each country as well as the lack of clear evidence-based guidelines for many of the issues in question. There is a need for a clear framework on essential components that should be included in these guidelines to assure providing the best guidance to the oncology community.

Incidence of lung cancer in males and females in Algeria: The lung cancer registry in Algeria (LuCaReAl).

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. However, few data on incidence, histologic types and mortality rates of lung cancer were available for Algeria. METHODS: LuCaReAl is an ongoing descriptive, non-interventional, national, multicenter, prospective and longitudinal study conducted in Algeria, among oncologists and pulmonologists in public community and university hospitals. Median and interquartile ranges are displayed. RESULTS: Between July 2016 and July 2017, 897 patients were included. Overall incidence of lung cancer was 3.4 [3.2;3.6] cases per 100,000 inhabitants; overall incidence by sex was 5.8 [5.4;6.2] for males and 1.0 [0.8;1.1] for females. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histologic type of cancer. Most tumors were diagnosed at Stage IV. CONCLUSION: The first results from the LuCaReAl study in Algeria showed that most patients are diagnosed with lung cancer at an advanced stage. The ongoing follow-up will next provide data on the survival and mortality rates.

Expression of Immune Response Markers in Arab Patients With Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a marker for checkpoint inhibitor use in the management of solid tumors, especially in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our study was aimed at determining the patterns of PD-L1 expression and cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) immunostains in patients with NSCLC in the Arab population. METHODS: Archival tumor tissue from patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NSCLC were obtained and stained for PD-L1 with antibody 22C3, using immunohistochemistry staining and giving the tumor proportion score (TPS) as a percentage from 0%-100% of stained tumor cells. Tumors were categorized into negative expressers (TPS < 1%), low positive (TPS, 1%-49%), and high positive (TPS, 50%-100%). Correlation of expression with clinical and pathologic features, including CD8-positive (CD8+) lymphocyte density, was also analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred patients with NSCLC were included in the study from 6 centers in Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Median age was 65 years (28-93 years), and the majority were men (75%) with stage 4 NSCLC (64%). The TPS was high in 37 patients (18%), low in 60 patients (30%), and negative in 103 patients (52%). In a univariate analysis, the following were significant predictors of any PD-L1 expression (> 1%): male sex, being Saudi national patients, high expression of CD8+, and presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. In the multivariate analysis, only high expression of CD8+ cells (≥ 2+) was significant, with an odds ratio of 4.4 (95% CI, 1.5 to 12.9; P = .003). CONCLUSION: PD-L1 expression in our population is similar to the published literature and correlated with the density of CD8+ cells. Validation of the predictive value of this marker in our population and identifying easier and reliable methods to test for it are warranted.

A review of the international early recommendations for departments organization and cancer management priorities during the global COVID-19 pandemic: applicability in low- and middle-income countries.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus that has never been identified in humans before. COVID-19 caused at the time of writing of this article, 2.5 million cases of infections in 193 countries with 165,000 deaths, including two-third in Europe. In this context, Oncology Departments of the affected countries had to adapt quickly their health system care and establish new organizations and priorities. Thus, numerous recommendations and therapeutic options have been reported to optimize therapy delivery to patients with chronic disease and cancer. Obviously, while these cancer care recommendations are immediately applicable in Europe, they may not be applicable in certain emerging and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this review, we aimed to summarize these international guidelines in accordance with cancer types, making a synthesis for daily practice to protect patients, staff and tailor anti-cancer therapy delivery taking into account patients/tumour criteria and tools availability. Thus, we will discuss their applicability in the LMICs with different organizations, limited means and different constraints.

OSSMAR: An Observational Study to Describe the Use of Sunitinib in Real-Life Practice for the Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Sunitinib offers improved efficacy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). To provide better disease management in the Middle East, we studied its use in mRCC in real-life practice in this region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with mRCC and started on sunitinib between 2006 and 2016 from 10 centers in Africa and the Middle East region were studied in this regional, multicenter, observational, retrospective trial to obtain routine clinical practice data on the usage patterns and outcomes of sunitinib in mRCC in real-life practice. RESULTS: A total of 289 patients were enrolled. Median age at diagnosis was 58.7 years. The patient characteristics were as follows: 73.6% of patients were males; 85.8% had clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC); 97.5% had unilateral RCC; 66.3% had metastatic disease at initial diagnosis; 56.3% received previous treatment for RCC, among which 98.7% had undergone surgery; and 15.2% and 31.4% were classified in the favorable and poor-risk groups (expanded Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center criteria), respectively. On treatment initiation, the mean total sunitinib dose was 48.1 mg, and 87.6% of patients were started on a sunitinib dose of 50 mg. The mean duration of sunitinib treatment was 9.6 months. Overall response rate was 20.8%, with a median duration of 8.2 months. Median time to progression was 5.7 months. Median follow-up time was 7.8 months. By months 12 and 24, 34.3% and 11.4% of patients, respectively, were still alive. Seventy-six patients (60.9%) experienced 314 adverse events. Twenty-three patients (8.0%) experienced 28 serious adverse events. Overall, 83 patients (28.7%) discontinued their sunitinib treatment. CONCLUSION: The results are indicative of the general treatment outcomes of patients with mRCC in the Middle East using sunitinib in routine clinical practice. Reported adverse events are similar to those described in the literature but at lower frequencies.

Patterns of diagnostic procedures for lung cancer pathology in the Middle East and North Africa.

BACKGROUND: Accurate pathological diagnosis is the first critical step in the management of lung cancer. This step is important to determine the histological subtype of the cancer and to identify any actionable targets. Our study aimed at evaluating the patterns of procedures used to obtain pathological diagnosis of lung cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. METHODS: Data of consecutive patients with the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were collected from participating centers from different countries in the MENA Region. Methods of obtaining tissue diagnosis and workup were analyzed to determine the practice patterns of obtaining tissue diagnosis of lung cancer. RESULTS: A total of 566 patients were recruited from 10 centers in 5 countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Lebanon and Algeria. Majority of patients were males (78.1%) with a median age of 61 years (range, 22-89 years). Obtaining tissue diagnosis was successful in the first attempt in 72.3% of patients, while 16.4% and 6.3% of patients required 2nd and 3rd attempt, respectively. The success in first attempt was as follows: image guided biopsy (91%), surgical biopsy (88%), endobronchial biopsy (79%) and cytology (30%). The success in the second attempt was as follows; surgical biopsy (100%), image guided biopsy (95%), endobronchial biopsy (65%), cytology (25%). CONCLUSIONS: More than quarter of the patients required repeated biopsy in the MENA Region. Image guided biopsy has the highest initial yield. Implementing clear process and multidisciplinary guidelines about the selection of diagnostic procedures is needed.

Survey of utilization of multidisciplinary management tumor boards in Arab countries.

Multidisciplinary management (MDM) of cancer patients provides better care and is recommended by all authorities and published guidelines. There is very little documentation of MDM practices in low and middle income countries. A survey of 338 practicing oncology specialists from various Arab countries was conducted at four major pan-Arab oncology conferences in the first half of 2010. While 72% of respondents reported having an MDM tumor board, only 49% reported that their tumor boards met on a weekly basis. Of those who do not have a tumor board, 57% attend a tumor board meeting at another hospital within their country. 60% of respondents attend tumor board meetings to seek group opinion and help in the management of their patients. 93% of physicians surveyed agreed that tumor boards should be mandatory. The vast majority of physicians agreed that in the absence of all specialties, "mini tumor boards" should be organized between available specialists at all hospitals that treat cancer patients.