Guidelines for breast cancer management in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, accurate data on the status of breast cancer are lacking due to the absence of a central registry. Multiple international guidelines imply that institutions that monitor breast cancer patients should have optimal therapeutic options for treatment. In addition, there have been several international consensus guidelines written on the management of breast cancer. Application of consensus guidelines has previously been demonstrated to have a positive influence on breast cancer care. The importance of specialty breast centers has previously been reported. As part of the 2021 Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) conference in Mostar, a round table of multidisciplinary specialists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the diaspora was held. All were either members of BHAAAS or regularly participate in collaborative projects. The focus of the consortium was to write the first multidisciplinary guidelines for the general management of breast cancer in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Guidelines were developed for each area of breast cancer treatment and management. These guidelines will serve as a resource for practitioners managing breast cancer in the Bosnia and Herzegovina region. This might also be of benefit to the ministry of health and any future investors interested in developing breast cancer care policies in this region of the world.

The Oncology Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina's recommendations for fertility preservation in oncologic patients.

Malignancy is one of the major public health problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with breakthroughs in specific oncological therapy, improving the quality of life of cancer patients and management of therapy-induced side effects need to be recognized as a priority in the comprehensive cancer patient care. Fertility loss after cancer treatment is a field requiring special attention due to its various consequences on patients themselves.  Although oncofertility is well-recognized area of oncology, low- to middle-income countries are facing issues with its implementation in everyday practice. Increased awareness about fertility preservation is of high priority for all specialists who participate in the medical care of cancer patients. The absence of a systemic solution and lack of expertise led to the founding of Fertility Preservation Working Group of the Oncology Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have made recommendationsas an expert consensus with the ultimate goal of making the first step towards enhancement of oncofertility implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2020 consensus guideline for optimal approach to the diagnosis and treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The HERe2Cure project, which involved a group of breast cancer experts, members of multidisciplinary tumor boards from healthcare institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was initiated with the aim of defining an optimal approach to the diagnosis and treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer. After individual multidisciplinary consensus meetings were held in all oncology centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a final consensus meeting was held in order to reconcile the final conclusions discussed in individual meetings. Guidelines were adopted by consensus, based on the presentations and suggestions of experts, which were first discussed in a panel discussion and then agreed electronically between all the authors mentioned. The conclusions of the panel discussion represent the consensus of experts in the field of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The objectives of the guidelines include the standardization, harmonization and optimization of the procedures for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, all of which should lead to an improvement in the quality of health care of mentioned patients. The initial treatment plan for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer must be made by a multidisciplinary tumor board comprised of at least: a medical oncologist, a pathologist, a radiologist, a surgeon, and a radiation oncologist/radiotherapist.

Prevention of trismus with different pharmacological therapies after surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molar.

Aim To assess prevention and reduction of trismus after surgically extracted impacted mandibular third molars with individual and combined therapy with corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory analgesics. Methods The research included 60 randomly selected patients (3 groups) attended to the Dental Oral Surgery of the Public Institution Healthcare Center Zenica during the period January-December 2008. Patients of both genders, 18-45 years of age, were presented without pain and other inflammatory symptoms at the time of surgery. According to a scheme established in the research protocol, two medications were administered orally: methylprednisolone(corticosteroid) 32 mg and meloxicam (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, NSAID) 15 mg as a single drug, or a combination of both drugs. The level of trismus is assessed on the basis of differences of preoperative and postoperative values of interincisal spaces when fully opening the mouth on the second and the seventh post-operative day. The differences between groups of patients were evaluated by means of Tukey's HSD test. Results On the second and on the seventh post-operative day significantly better results were registered in the group that received only corticosteroids and in the group that received both, corticosteroids and NSAIDs compared to the group that received only NSAIDs. A tendency of trismus reduction was present in all patient groups for the second and seventh day after surgery. Conclusion Prevention and control of postoperative trismus after surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars with combined therapy is effective and superior comparing to individual therapy with meloxicam-or methylprednisolone alone.

Therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of bolus application of chemotherapy protocol in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

AIM: To compare efficacy and toxicity of bolus application of chemotherapy protocol, oxaliplatin, fluorouracil (bolus), leucovorin (folfox) between two groups of patients in the therapy of metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC). METHODS: A total of 63 patients were treated for mCRC in the period January 2009 - January 2010 at the Department of Oncology of the Cantonal Hospital Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina (first group, 30 patients) and at the Department of Oncology of the Clinical Hospital Centre Bezanijska kosa in Belgrade, Serbia, in the period January 2005 - January 2006 (second group, 33 patients). The patients were treated according the same protocol, i.v. bolus infusion, but in different day intervals (D), 1, 8, 15/28 days or D1-D5/28 days, respectively. In all patients the following factors were analyzed: tumor response, overall survival (OS), progression free survival, hematological and non-hematological toxicity . RESULTS: Colon was the primary localization in almost two thirds of patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups according to the age, hematological and non-hematological toxicity, as well as in achieved OS. Progression free survival expressed in months was in average 5 months though with a large range between minimal and maximal survival time. CONCLUSION: Both groups have shown equivalent efficacy to applied chemotherapy protocols. Overall survival in the two groups matched data from the literature. Further research should confirm success of the combination of chemotherapy protocols and their combination with the biological therapy.

[Comparison of efficiency and toxicity of two chemotherapy protocols in treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed at comparing the efficiency and tolerability of two reference protocols Cisplatin and Etoposide and Cisplatin and Vinorelbine in advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 60 patients (two groups consisting of 30 patients) were treated for advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer during the period from January to December 2005 according to the reference protocols (Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 D1; Vinorelbine 30 mg/m2 D1, D8 on 4 weeks) and (Cisplatin 100 mg/m D1; Etoposide 100 mg/m2 D1, D3, D5 on 4 weeks) at the Department of Oncology of KBC "Bezanijska kosa". All patients were analysed for tumour response, progression free survival as well as for toxicity. X2 test, Kaplan Meiers curves and Log rank test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Although the recorded response rates were a bit lower than in previously published trials, they were not significantly different p = 0.485. No statistically significant difference was recorded in either progression free survival or overall survival. The chemotherapeutical Cisplatin/Etoposide protocol proved to be more toxic both in hematologic (3% vs. 10%) and total toxicities (p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: Our study proved both protocols to have equivalent efficacy. However, the Cisplatin, Vinorelbine protocol could be recommended because of its less expressed toxic effects.