RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. As a chronic disease, associated with long-term treatment with antiseizure medication, it can have a negative impact on patients' quality of life. Moreover, patients are faced with a significant psychosocial burden associated with the stigma surrounding epilepsy. Medical professionals should be well educated and free of prejudices in order to provide adequate care for patients with epilepsy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of epilepsy among medical students of years 1-6 in Poland and examine if certain personality traits influence students' view of epilepsy. METHODS: The study was conducted using snowball sampling of 166 Polish medical students from Medical University of Gdansk and Medical University of Warsaw. Participants completed a survey which consisted of their subjective assessment of knowledge of epileptology, actual knowledge of epileptology, and their view of stereotypes about epilepsy. In addition, students completed the IPIP-BFM-20 personality questionnaire. RESULTS: Polish medical students have sufficient basic knowledge about epilepsy (mean scores of students from both universities is 14 out of 25 points). There is still room for improvement, especially in the field of epidemiology, semiology, factors provoking seizures, antiseizure medications, and most importantly about first aid during seizure (e.g., 7% of respondents believed it is necessary to put something between teeth of a patient during seizure). Age and the year of study were well correlated with knowledge score (p = 0.008) and level of awareness of the stereotypes. We found that most personality traits do not have a strong impact on the level of knowledge about epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Most students have a satisfying level of knowledge about epilepsy. Academic teachers should put more emphasis on first aid during seizures and awareness of psychosocial challenges associated with the disease. It is crucial for future physicians to not only possess sufficient theoretical knowledge, but also establish an empathetic doctor-patient relationship in order to provide better care for patients with epilepsy and other chronic diseases.
RESUMEN
Anti-EGFR antibodies combined with chemotherapy doublets are a cornerstone of the upfront treatment of colorectal cancer. RAS and BRAF mutations are established negative predictive factors for such therapy. The primary tumour located in the proximal colon has recently emerged as another negative predictive factor. We have conducted a retrospective multicentre study to collect data on real-world population characteristics, practice patterns, and outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated in a first-line setting with either cetuximab or panitumumab in combination with either FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy. The presented analysis focuses on the impact of the primary tumour location. 126 of 842 patients analysed (15.0%) had proximal primary. It was associated with a lower BMI at diagnosis, mucinous histology, and peritoneal metastases. It was also associated with inferior treatment outcomes in terms of response ratio: 59.4% vs. 74.22% (odds ratio [OR] 0.51, 95% CI 0.33-0.78, p = 0.010), and median depth of response: -36.7% vs. -50.0% (p = 0.038). There was only a borderline non-significant trend for inferior PFS in patients with proximal tumours. OS data was incomplete. The presented analysis confirms the negative impact of tumour sidedness on the efficacy of an upfront anti-EGFR-chemotherapy combination and provides valuable data on real-world population characteristics.