Araboncology

“Symposium on Leukemia Update”

Date: January 27, 2010

Venue: Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibition, Dhahran

Symposium Chairman : Dr. Ibrahim F. Al-Sheneber
Scientific Chairperson : Dr. Yusra Alawami


TIME
ACTIVITY
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
8:00am - 9:00am
Registration
9:00am - 9:10am
Welcome Remarks / Introduction to SCF
Dr. Ibrahim F. Al-Sheneber
Session I – Moderator: Dr. Riyad Al-Daabil
09:10am - 09:30am
Epidemiology of Leukemia in KSA
Dr. Adil Al-Khatti, Saudi Aramco Hospital
09:30am - 09:50am
Molecular Biology & Bone Marrow Features of CML
Dr. Rehab Bu-Khamsin, Dammam Regional Lab
09:50am - 10:10am
CML Guidelines, and Challenges in Management of CML Patients in KSA
Dr. Yusra Al-Awami, Saudi Aramco Hospital
10:10am – 10:30am
Discussions
10:30am – 10:50am
Coffee Break
Session 2 – Moderator: Dr. Sharhabel Ammous
10:50am – 11:10am
Update in the Treatment of Pediatric ALL
Dr. Basil Abushullaih, Saudi Aramco Hospital
11:10am – 11:30am
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia with Pregnancy
Dr. Sahar Sunnari, Saudi Aramco Hospital
11:30am – 11:50am
Discussions
11:50am – 12:30pm
Prayer
Session 3 – Moderator: Dr. Yusra Al-Awami
12:30pm – 12:50pm
ASH 2009:Emerging Data in the Management of CML
Dr. Ahmed Al-Sagheer, KFSHD
12:50pm – 01:10pm
CML Therapy with TKIs: What is the end point?
Dr. Philipp Le Coutre, France
01:10pm – 01:30pm
Discussions & Closing
01:30pm – 01:50pm
Award Ceremony Followed By Lunch

Pubmed

Morcos B, Baker B, Al Masri M, Haddad H, Hashem S.
Department of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.
AIM: Adequate lymph node resection in rectal cancer is important for staging and local control. This study aims to verify the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation, as well as some clinicopathological features, on the yield of lymph nodes in rectal carcinoma. METHODS: Data on consecutive patients who had total mesorectal excision for rectal adenocarcinoma at a single cancer center between January 2003 and July 2008 were reviewed. No patient had any prior pelvic surgery or radiotherapy. Patients had neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy if they were stage II or III. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients were included. The mean age was 53 years (range 29-83). Fifty-nine patients (51%) received neoadjuvant therapy before resection. The mean number of lymph nodes removed was 18 (range 4-67) per specimen. There was less lymph node yield in patients who received neoadjuvant therapy (16 vs. 19, p = 0.008). Only 64% of patients who had preoperative therapy had 12 lymph nodes or more in the specimen as opposed to 88% of those who had surgery upfront (p = 0.003). Other factors associated with lower lymph node yield included: female sex (p = 0.03) and tumour location in the lower rectum (p = 0.002). Age, tumour stage and grade, type of operation and surgical delay did not affect the number of lymph nodes removed. CONCLUSION: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer results in reduction in lymph node yield. Female sex and lower rectal tumours are also associated with retrieval of fewer lymph nodes. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pubmed

El-Shazly M, Bakry R, Tohamy A, Ali WM, Elbakry S, Brown SE, Weatherley-White RC.
From the *Department of Plastic Surgery, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; daggerOperation Smile Egypt, Cairo, Egypt; double daggerOncological Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; section signDepartment of Psychiatry, Banha University, Banha, Egypt; paragraph signDepartment of Anthropology, University ofConnecticut, Storrs, CT; and ||Operation Smile Inc, Norfolk, VA.
Many charitable organizations conduct overseas missions to correct cleft lip and palate where surgical care is hard to obtain. However, little is known about genetic backgrounds, cultural and societal attitudes regarding the cleft deformity. A questionnaire has been designed to elicit these attitudes.The questionnaire was administered to 50 families of children with cleft lip seeking care at Operation Smile missions in each of 2 disparate rural communities, one in the state of Gujarat in India and the other in the upper Nile valley in Egypt.Saliva and blood samples were collected from all patients to investigate MSX1, IRF6, PVRL1, MHC class I chain related (MICA), TP73L, MTHFR, TGF-beta3, and RAR alpha genes, within a proposed multinational genetic research project for cleft causation using micro-array and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. All patients had been operated and experienced good results through the follow-up period, which was ranging from 3-24 months.Demographic data defined literacy and educational level; answers established the degree of social isolation, the impact on the family, and the expectations of what surgery would accomplish for the child. Beliefs concerning the causation of the cleft were explored in detail.Knowledge of these issues is important for the more complete care of children in an unfamiliar cultural environment.

Pubmed

Mokaddas E, Khan ZU, Ahmad S.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait.
Despite close genetic and phenotypic relationship of Candida dubliniensis with Candida albicans, its role in human disease is mostly restricted to oral colonisation, particularly among HIV-infected patients. The prevalence of C. dubliniensis in association with other disease conditions has been infrequently reported. In this study, we present data on the prevalence of C. dubliniensis among yeast species isolated from cancer patients over a 5-year period. A total of 1445 yeast isolates recovered from respiratory specimens, blood, urine and oral swabs were analysed. Candida dubliniensis isolates were provisionally identified by phenotypic methods and their identity was further confirmed by species-specific amplification and/or sequencing of internally transcribed spacer region of rDNA. Antifungal susceptibility for fluconazole was determined by Etest. The number of isolates identified as C. dubliniensis, C. albicans and other yeast species were 71 (4.9%), 862 (59.6%) and 512 (35%) respectively. All the C. dubliniensis isolates originated from respiratory (5.9%) or oral (3.2%) specimens with an overall prevalence of 4.9%, and were found to be susceptible to fluconazole. The isolation of C. dubliniensis from respiratory or oral specimens and not from blood or urine specimens suggests that this species has preference to colonise these sites of human body.

“Symposium on Leukemia Update”
Date: January 27, 2010
Venue: Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibition, Dhahran

Symposium Chairman : Dr. Ibrahim F. Al-Sheneber
Scientific Chairperson : Dr. Yusra Alawami


TIME
ACTIVITY
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
8:00am - 9:00am
Registration
9:00am - 9:10am
Welcome Remarks / Introduction to SCF
Dr. Ibrahim F. Al-Sheneber
Session I – Moderator: Dr. Riyad Al-Daabil
09:10am - 09:30am
Epidemiology of Leukemia in KSA
Dr. Adil Al-Khatti, Saudi Aramco Hospital
09:30am - 09:50am
Molecular Biology & Bone Marrow Features of CML
Dr. Rehab Bu-Khamsin, Dammam Regional Lab
09:50am - 10:10am
CML Guidelines, and Challenges in Management of CML Patients in KSA
Dr. Yusra Al-Awami, Saudi Aramco Hospital
10:10am – 10:30am
Discussions
10:30am – 10:50am
Coffee Break
Session 2 – Moderator: Dr. Sharhabel Ammous
10:50am – 11:10am
Update in the Treatment of Pediatric ALL
Dr. Basil Abushullaih, Saudi Aramco Hospital
11:10am – 11:30am
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia with Pregnancy
Dr. Sahar Sunnari, Saudi Aramco Hospital
11:30am – 11:50am
Discussions
11:50am – 12:30pm
Prayer
Session 3 – Moderator: Dr. Yusra Al-Awami
12:30pm – 12:50pm
ASH 2009:Emerging Data in the Management of CML
Dr. Ahmed Al-Sagheer, KFSHD
12:50pm – 01:10pm
CML Therapy with TKIs: What is the end point?
Dr. Philipp Le Coutre, France
01:10pm – 01:30pm
Discussions & Closing
01:30pm – 01:50pm
Award Ceremony Followed By Lunch

Pubmed

Despite close genetic and phenotypic relationship of Candida dubliniensis with Candida albicans, its role in human disease is mostly restricted to oral colonisation, particularly among HIV-infected patients. The prevalence of C. dubliniensis in association with other disease conditions has been infrequently reported. In this study, we present data on the prevalence of C. dubliniensis among yeast species isolated from cancer patients over a 5-year period. A total of 1445 yeast isolates recovered from respiratory specimens, blood, urine and oral swabs were analysed. Candida dubliniensis isolates were provisionally identified by phenotypic methods and their identity was further confirmed by species-specific amplification and/or sequencing of internally transcribed spacer region of rDNA. Antifungal susceptibility for fluconazole was determined by Etest. The number of isolates identified as C. dubliniensis, C. albicans and other yeast species were 71 (4.9%), 862 (59.6%) and 512 (35%) respectively. All the C. dubliniensis isolates originated from respiratory (5.9%) or oral (3.2%) specimens with an overall prevalence of 4.9%, and were found to be susceptible to fluconazole. The isolation of C. dubliniensis from respiratory or oral specimens and not from blood or urine specimens suggests that this species has preference to colonise these sites of human body.

Saudi Gazette - Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, has donated SR500,000 to support the second phase of the breast cancer awareness campaign.

The campaign is aimed at raising national awareness to fight breast cancer and early detection through self examination, medical checkups and focusing on the importance of regular mammogram screening.

The Zahra Breast Cancer Association, headed by Princess Haifa Bint Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz strives to implement awareness programs on this issue.

Moreover, the society carries out a comprehensive survey across the Kingdom and encourages qualified Saudi nationals in the areas of breast cancer research through training programs, education and scholarships for further research in this area.

Pubmed

Dey S, Hablas A, Seifeldin IA, Ismail K, Ramadan M, El-Hamzawy H, Wilson ML, Banerjee M, Boffetta P, Harford J, Merajver SD, Soliman AS.
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objective In previous studies, we have shown a three to four times higher urban incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers in the Gharbiah Province of Egypt. We investigated the urban-rural incidence differences of gynaecologic malignancies (uterine, ovarian and cervical cancers) to explore if they show the same trend that we found for breast cancer. Design Cancer registry-based incidence comparison. Setting Gharbiah population-based cancer registry (GPCR), Tanta, Egypt. Sample All patients with uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer in GPCR from 1999 to 2002. Methods We calculated uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer incidence from 1999 to 2002. For each of the three cancers, we calculated the overall and age-specific rates for the province as a whole, and by urban-rural status, as well as for the eight districts of the province. Results Incidence of all three cancer sites was higher in urban than in rural areas. Uterine cancer showed the highest urban-rural incidence rate ratio (IRR = 6.07, 95% CI = 4.17, 8.85). Uterine cancer also showed the highest urban incidence in the oldest age group (70+ age category, IRR = 14.39, 95% CI = 4.24, 48.87) and in developed districts (Tanta, IRR = 4.14, 95% CI = 0.41, 42.04). Incidence rates by groups of cancer sites showed an increasing gradient of urban incidence for cancers related to hormonal aetiology, mainly of the breast and uterus (IRR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.86, 8.61). Conclusions The higher urban incidence of uterine cancer, coupled with our previous findings of higher incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in urban areas in this region, may be suggestive of possible higher exposure to environmental estrogenic compounds, such as xenoestrogens, in urban areas.

Pubmed

BACKGROUND:: Colorectal cancer is exceedingly rare in children and adolescents. Reports from small series indicate that poor prognostic factors are more common in children than in adults, resulting in worse outcome for the pediatric population. METHODS:: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was searched for records of children/adolescents with colorectal cancer, and the features and outcomes were compared with those of adults. RESULTS:: From January 1973 through December 2005, only 159 children/adolescents (ages 4-20 years) were reported with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The most common sites of involvement were the rectum (27%) and the transverse colon (26%). Adenocarcinoma was the most common histiotype in both adults and pediatric patients; however, children/adolescents had more unfavorable histiotypes (ie, mucinous adenocarcinoma [22%] and signet ring cell carcinoma [18%]) when compared with adults (10% and 1%, respectively; P < .001). Poorly differentiated and undifferentiated tumors (grades III and IV, respectively) and distant stage were more common in children/adolescents (P < .001). The 5-year relative survival estimates in children/adolescents and adults were 40% +/- 4.2% and 60% +/- 0.10%, respectively, confirming a worse outcome in the pediatric age group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:: Children/adolescents represent a minority of patients with colorectal cancer and have high-risk features and worse outcome than adults. The small number of patients in this age group was an impediment to the development of meaningful clinical trials. Thus, the principles of management for adult colorectal cancer should be used in the treatment of children and adolescents. Cancer 2010. (c) 2009 American Cancer Society.

Pubmed

Arabic immigrants are a relatively new group of immigrants and one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Yet, information about their disease patterns is limited because Arabic is not a recognized minority group in population statistics. We tested whether population-based cancer registry data were useful to describe cancer patterns of the first generation of Arabic immigrants, compared with non-immigrants as well as the first generation of other immigrants. Information on invasive cancer cases with only one primary and known age was extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) public use data (1973-2004) and software. Immigrants were divided by place of birth; Arabic: born in the Arab League countries, and other immigrants: born in countries other than the United States or Arab League, whereas US-born were used as a reference population. Information on place of birth was frequently absent for non-deceased cases, therefore data were limited to deceased cases. Age- and gender-standardized proportional ratios (SPR) were calculated for 24 aggregated cancer sites. Significantly high or low SPRs were observed for Arabic immigrants for the following cancer sites: liver (3.15), gallbladder & other biliary (1.87), thyroid (1.74), stomach (1.54), leukemia (1.41), lymphoma (1.36), pancreas (1.36), ovary (1.29), brain and other nervous system (1.23), lung (0.80), prostate (0.72), oral cavity and pharynx (0.64), esophagus (0.39), and skin melanoma (0.33). These patterns were similar for the other immigrants; however, ovary and brain were Arabic-specific, and thus may deserve further investigation for specific environmental or genetic exposures among Arabic immigrants.