Featuring Trends in the Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Following the Publication of the National Cancer Strategy in Qatar.

OBJECTIVES: Qatar has witnessed significant reforms in its health care system, including the care of cancer patients. In 2011, the National Cancer Strategy was released with the aim to deliver a high standard of care to cancer patients across the country. We sought to investigate the featuring trends in the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of lung cancer in Qatar following the publication of the National Cancer Strategy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study documenting the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of primary lung cancer cases in Qatar diagnosed from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2018. RESULTS: The overall age-standardized incidence rate was 8.7 per 100 000 persons (11.6 per 100 000 and 5.4 per 100 000 persons for males and females, respectively). The one, three, and five-year overall survival rates were 67.0%, 48.0%, and 28.0%, respectively. The three-year overall survival rates for stages I, II, III, and IV were 97.0%, 78.0%, 52.0%, and 31.0%, respectively. The three-year survival rates for males and females were 43.0% and 64.0%, respectively (p = 0.029), for Qatari and non-Qatari nationals were 42.0% and 49.0%, respectively (p = 0.252), and for smokers and non-smokers were 39.0% and 69.0%, respectively (p ≤ 0.001). The overall age-standardized mortality rate was 5.5 per 100 000 persons. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histologic type. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low overall lung cancer incidence rate in Qatar, there is a rise in the incidence among females when compared to previous studies. Qatar has favorable five-year lung cancer survival rates compared to many developed and neighboring countries. Policymakers in the country should consider the changing patterns in lung cancer incidence when planning future preventive strategies.

Cancer incidence, mortality, and survival in Eastern Libya: updated report from the Benghazi Cancer Registry.

PURPOSE: Despite the increasing burden of cancer occurred over recent years in the African continent, epidemiologic data from Northern Africa area have been so far sparse or absent. We present most recently available data from the Benghazi Cancer Registry concerning cancer incidence and mortality as well as the most comprehensive survival data set so far generated for cases diagnosed during 2003 to 2005 in Eastern Libya. METHODS: We collected and analyzed data on cancer incidence, mortality and survival that were obtained over a 3-year study period from January 1st 2003 to December 31st 2005 from the Benghazi Cancer Registry. RESULTS: A total of 3307 cancer patients were registered among residents during the study period. The world age-standardized incidence rate for all sites was 135.4 and 107.1 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively. The most common malignancies in men were cancers of lung (18.9%), colorectum (10.4%), bladder (10.1%), and prostate (9.4%); among women, they were breast (23.2%), colorectum (11.2%), corpus uteri (6.7%), and leukemia (5.1%). A total of 1367 deaths for cancer were recorded from 2003 to 2005; the leading causes of cancer death were cancers of the lung (29.3%), colorectum (8.2%), and brain (7.3%) in males and cancers of breast (14.8%), colorectum (10.6%), and liver (7%) in females. The 5-year relative survival for all cancer combined was 22.3%; survival was lower in men (19.8%) than in women (28.2%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an updated report on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival, in Eastern Libya which may represent a useful tool for planning future interventions toward a better cancer control.

Modification and implementation of NCCN guidelines on breast cancer in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Published data from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region indicate suboptimal quality of cancer care, while the World Health Organization predicts an increase in cancer cases in developing countries. Major advances in breast cancer management mandate the development of guidelines to improve the quality and efficacy of oncology practice in the MENA region. A Breast Cancer Regional Guidelines Committee was organized and activated, comprising experts from various regional cancer institutions. The multidisciplinary team included 12 medical oncologists, 3 radiation oncologists, 2 radiologists, 2 surgeons, and 1 pathologist. The committee members agreed on adapting the current NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) on Breast Cancer for use in the MENA region to achieve common practice standards for treating patients. The members suggested several modifications to the guidelines, especially those related to risk factor profiles. United States-based NCCN experts reviewed these recommendations before final approval. The MENA-NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines modification process was the first initiative in the development of common practice guidelines in the region. This project may serve as a foundation for the development of evidence-based practice standards, and improve collaborative projects and initiatives.

Cancer incidence in eastern Libya: the first report from the Benghazi Cancer Registry, 2003.

Cancer registration in Northern Africa is still limited and, until now, there have been no population-based data available for Libya. In this paper, we present the first data collected and analyzed by the Benghazi Cancer Registry. Registration was carried out by active data collection; the registry staff routinely visited all hospitals and pathological laboratories in eastern Libya (1.6 million inhabitants) and collected information from all death registration offices. A huge archive of prevalent cases was established before the 2003 data were collected. A total of 997 cases of primary cancers were registered among residents in 2003. The world age-standardized incidence rate for all sites combined (except nonmelanoma skin) was 118 per 100,000 for men and 95 per 100,000 for women. The most frequently diagnosed malignancies in males were lung cancer (19%) and colorectal cancer (10%), followed by cancers of the head and neck (9%) and bladder (9%). Among females, they were breast cancer (26%), cancer of the colon and rectum (9%), uterus (7%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (5%). Our study provides data on cancer incidence in eastern Libya, and confirms that cancer incidence is much lower than in western countries. Moreover, observed patterns indicate that the incidence of many cancers, including those of the lung, breast, colon, rectum and bladder is quite different from previous estimates based on the data available from the neighboring countries.