Are There Any Developments in the Attitudes and Practices of Oncologists Regarding Fertility Preservation in Saudi Arabia After 12 Years?

INTRODUCTION: The current practice of offering fertility preservation (FP) counseling and treatment has become one of the focal points in patient care throughout cancer treatment. The turning point was the approval of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars four years ago to freeze tissues from the ovarian membrane, the entire ovary, and the eggs for later use in reproduction to preserve the offspring. Thus, we aimed to assess any development in oncologists' knowledge, attitude, and referral practices regarding FP in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. We assessed oncologists' opinions on the importance of FP, their perception of the patient's preferences, and factors to consider when discussing the subject. Then, we assessed the knowledge and referral practices, including the timing of referral before starting cancer treatment. RESULTS: Most oncologists showed good knowledge and positive attitudes toward FP; however, their referral practices could be better. Most were familiar with FP options. The most significant factors influencing the oncologist-patient FP discussion were the number of existing children, marital status, cost, and type of cancer (96.6%, 76.7%, 65.7%, and 58.9%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant improvement in the knowledge and attitude of oncologists toward FP. However, patients' counseling and referral to fertility services still need to be improved. There is a shortfall in the clinical practice guidelines for FP in cancer patients in Saudi Arabia. The implementation of clinical practice guidelines would enhance FP. However, patients' counseling and referral to fertility services still need to be improved. The lack of proper guidelines on FP is affecting oncologists' practice.

Why cancer incidence in the Arab counties is much lower than other parts of the world?

Despite the relatively increased cancer incidence in the last few years in the Arab countries, it is still far from the figures reported from Western countries. Several mechanisms have been adopted to explain the significant decreased incidence of cancer in the Arab countries, among them fasting, food full of special recipes filled with spices, significant lower rates of smoking and alcohol drinking, and genetic predisposition. Clinical trials are warranted on a large population scales to study, discuss, and verify such mechanisms.

Nutritional Related Knowledge of Cancer Prevention among Primary Health Care Physicians.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the cancer prevention-related nutrition knowledge of primary health care physicians towards nutrition and its relation to the development of cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted among family physicians in Riyadh, between November 2019 and April 2020. The participants in the current study were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included socio-economic data and data related to the association between nutrition and cancer. RESULTS: The mean correct knowledge score for physicians is good but less than expected (26.5+5.8) 73.6%. Multiple regression revealed that age, position, and nationality to be significantly associated with knowledge of cancer prevention (P<0.05) among physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians have good knowledge about the relation between nutrition and cancer but not sufficient, they should have continuous nutrition educational training programs to ensure safe and sound nutritional advice to patients and for the public about the relation of nutrition and cancer.

Effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging-targeted biopsy for detection of prostate cancer in comparison with systematic biopsy in our countries with low prevalence of prostate cancer: our first experience after 3 years.

BACKGROUND: Some men are subjected to multiple repeated biopsies because of ongoing suspicion of prostate cancer, which might subject them to complications. The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/target fusion-guided biopsy in comparison with systematic biopsy in our low prevalence prostate cancer population, in terms of validity measure, case detection rate, and detection of clinically significant cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. All consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria (all men with persistent high prostate-specific antigen levels >4 ng/ml and/or subnormal finding in direct rectal examination, with suspicious regions identified on prebiopsy MRI) were subjected to transrectal MRI/ultrasound fusion-guided biopsy. RESULTS: A total of 165 cases met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The cancer detection rate (CDR) of target biopsy was significantly higher than that of standard biopsy (27.9% vs 14%, respectively), and 25 cases (52%) were missed by standard strategy and correctly classified by multiparametric MRI with targeted biopsy (MRI-TB). On the other hand, only 2 cases (4.3%) were misclassified by MRI-TB, and one of them was clinically significant. There was an exact agreement between the 2 strategies in 15 (31%) cases. Targeted biopsy diagnosed 41.5% more high-risk cancers vs systematic biopsy (41.6% vs 6.2%, P < .001). The difference between sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of MRI-TG varies between 80% and 98%. CONCLUSION: The CDR of prostate cancer in general and clinically significant cancer, in specific, is significantly higher with MRI-TG modality than with systematic modality. Yet, MRI-TG biopsy still misses some men with clinically significant prostate cancer. Hence, the addition of a 12-core biopsy is required to evade missing cases of clinically significant and insignificant cancer.

Fluorescence spectral detection of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML): A novel photodiagnosis strategy.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cell, showing a rapid growth of lymphoblastic immature cells. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells. Early diagnosis is crucial for the effective treatment of these patients. The current standard procedure of diagnosis is extensive blood count analysis, microscopic morphological investigations, bone marrow biopsy and flow-cytometer which are all time- consuming and expensive. Here we demonstrate the advantage a new technique for the diagnosis of ALL and AML based on the fluorescence spectra of blood plasma and RBCs samples from the above patients. Based on the 85 patients analyzed the results reveal that our approach could discriminate the two malignancies unambiguously from the normal with 88 % sensitivity and 80 % specificity. The abnormal decrease in the level of amino acid, tryptophan and coenzyme NADH and abnormal increase in the other amino acid, tyrosine and another coenzyme FAD, (both in comparison to the normal control) act as malignancy indicative biomarkers. Since the contrast parameter between the normal and malignant samples is four- fold, the potential for early detection of leukemia is high. The instrumentation and technique are new and simple; hence may have significant supplementary or complementary value with the existing diagnostic methods.

Vitamin D status and its correlates in Saudi male population.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin-D deficiency is a universal health problem caused primarily by inadequate exposure to sunlight. This study aimed to assess the vitamin D status and investigate the factors affecting vitamin D distribution among Saudi males. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Saud University Medical City from December 2015 to August 2016. Saudi males attending the outpatient primary health care clinics were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected on the current and past health status along with biochemical investigations for total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), blood sugar, and cholesterol. RESULTS: Majority of the participants (76.1%) had vitamin D deficiency. Blood sugar level, age, and cholesterol level were the most significant factors associated with vitamin D status. The highest percentage of deficiency was observed in the youngest age group (30-40 years). With increasing age, the percentage of deficiency decreased significantly. Those with normal blood sugar and cholesterol level had higher serum vitamin D levels compared to those with diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is still endemic in Saudi Arabia, particularly among younger males and those with diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Vitamin D screening, supplementations, and vitamin D-fortified foods should be provided especially for these groups.

Prostate cancer screening in a low prevalence population. Is it worth it?

OBJECTIVES: To embrace a national screening program for prostate cancer, putting into consideration the cost, and the attitude of the general population towards such screening. METHODS: Men aged greater than 45 and less than 70 years were invited to participate in the current prospective study conducted at  King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between December 2014 and July 2015. Those with confirmed high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (≥4 ng/ml) were referred to the urology clinic, then subjected to magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS:   The total cohort screened were 2898, we  found 118 cases with high PSA (≥4 ng/ml). Fifty-two cases (60.4%) were confirmed high PSA. All of them were subjected to MRI and biopsy. The confirmed prostate cancer were 7 cases (0.24%). The age of confirmed prostate cancer cases ranged from 49 years to 68 years, Gleason score for 4 cases was low grade (3+3), while it was 3+4 for 2 cases, and only one case had advanced cancer (3+5). Approximately 12% of cases with high PSA did not show up for confirmation of their results for further examination. CONCLUSIONS:   The present study recommends against mass screening among Saudi population; however, men before 50 years of age should start PSA blood testing until before 70 years after discussing the benefits and harms of such screening through shared decision making.

Comparison of escalating, constant, and reduction energy output in ESWL for renal stones: multi-arm prospective randomized study.

This study was designed to find out the optimized energy delivery strategy in Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL) that yield to the best stone-free rate (SFR). In this clinical trial, 150 consecutive patients were randomized into three groups: (a) Dose escalation, 1500 SW at 18 kV, followed by 1500 SW at 20 kV then 1500 SW at 22 kV. (b) Constant dose, 4500 SW at 20 kV. All patients undergo plain X-ray film of the urinary tract at day 1, 14, and 90 to assess stone-free rate (SFR) which was defined as no stones or painless fragments less than 4 mm. (c) Dose reduction, 1500 SW at 22 kV, followed by 1500 SW at 20 kV and then 1500 SW at 18 kV. The three treatment groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, stone size and distribution of the kidneys, and the need for Double J stent use. On day 90, the SFR achieved was 82, 90, and 84 % in the escalating, constant, and reduction energy groups, respectively. However, this rate was not statistically significant (x 2 = 1.38, p level = 0.28). At a slow rate of 60 shocks, there was no difference in stone-free rate between different voltages at 1, 14, and 90 days. Our randomized clinical trial showed no statistically significant difference in SFR between the three groups while using the slow SWL rate. Our trial is the first randomized trial comparing the three strategies. As such, a dose adjustment strategy while delivering SWL in slow rate was not recommended.

Knowledge and attitude of the population toward cancer prostate Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

AIMS: The aim of the following study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of men, in our region, regarding cancer prostate and its screening practices. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The field work was conducted in Riyadh City, during the period February through July 2011. It was a population - based cross-sectional study comprising 400 men over 40 years. In addition to socio-demographic data, history of the present and past medical illness, history of prostatic diseases and examination, family history of cancer prostate; participants were inquired about their knowledge and attitude toward prostate cancer (PC) and screening behavior using through two different Likert scales. RESULTS: Only 10% of the respondents had practiced a regular PC examination checkup. Their knowledge about PC was poor and their attitude toward examination and screening was fair, where the mean of total correct knowledge score was 10.25 ± 2.5 (51.25%), while the mean of total attitude score was 18.3 ± 4.08 (65.3%). The respondents identified the physicians as the main sources of this information (62.4%), though they were not the main motives for a regular checkup. Knowledge represented the only significant predictor for participants' attitude. CONCLUSION: Beliefs and attitudes have a great impact, at every stage of the cancer continuum, this attitudes depends mainly on level of knowledge and quantity of information provided to patients and their families. Such attitudes should rely on a solid background of proper information and motivation from physicians to enhance and empower attitudes toward PC screening behavior.