Meteb Al-Foheidi

Risk of second breast cancer in female Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors: a meta-analysis

BackgroundWomen treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) have an elevated risk of developing second breast cancer (SBC) compared with the general population. We planned this meta-analysis to quantify the long-term risk of SBC and analyze the contributing risk factors among HL survivors.MethodsAccording to predefined selection criteria, literature search identified 34 studies that were included in the analyses.ResultsAfter eliminating overlapping or duplicate data, 957 incidences of SBC were encountered in 24,505 females with HL over a median follow-up of 14.9 years. The medians: age at the diagnosis of HL, age at diagnosis of SBC, and latency since HL treatment to the development of SBC were 23.7, 35.0, and 17.7 years, respectively. The pooled relative risk (RR) of SBC was 8.23 (95% CI, 5.43-12.47, I2 = 96%), with a median absolute excess rate of 22.9 per 10,000 person-years. The RR was found inversely related to age at diagnosis of HL with the highest rate (68.7; [95%CI, 28.08-168.11], I2 = 79%), occurred in young patients (≤ 15 years old), where the RR in older women (≥ 40 years old) was not significant (0.55; [95% CI, 0.09-3.52]). Analysis of RR by 5-year increments since the treatment of HL showed that the risk was highest after 15–19 years of latency (13.87; [95% CI, 7.91-24.30], I2 = 89%). Analysis of the effect of treatment modalities showed that the RR rates were (4.70; [95% CI, 3.28-6.75], I2 = 74%), (5.65; [95%CI, 2.94-10.88], I2 = 91%), and (1.19; [95% CI, 0.50-2.82], I2 = 65%), for radiotherapy (RT) only, combined RT and chemotherapy (CT), and CT only, respectively. To investigate the demonstrated heterogeneity, meta-regression analysis was performed when feasible. In most such analyses, the natural logarithm of RR was inversely associated with age at HL diagnosis.ConclusionsWe conclude that, the current meta-analysis provided the most recent comprehensive estimate of the risk of SBC in a broad-range of HL survivors. Younger age at diagnosis proved to be a dominant risk factor. The obtained results would serve providing breast cancer screening recommendations for HL survivors.

Breast cancer screening: review of benefits and harms, and recommendations for developing and low-income countries.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The disease remains a public health concern as recent evidence indicates that the breast cancer burden has increased mainly in developing and low-income countries (DLICs). Despite the demonstrated benefits, the debate about the real benefits and harms of breast cancer screening is ongoing. Many experts believe that the benefits of screening, in terms of reduced breast cancer mortality, outweigh the harms, whereas others think the opposite. In this review, we assess the clinical utility of available screening modalities, present evidence, overdiagnosis, cost-effectiveness, and other pertinent issues. We also examine relevant data from DLICs to underscore the barriers and challenges that impede implementation of screening strategies in those populations. We also provide recommendations concerning rational preventive strategies for breast cancer control for women in DLICs.

The Prognostic and Predicting Roles of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The relationship between lymphocyte infiltrates (LIs) and breast cancer outcome remains controversial. We performed this meta-analysis to elucidate the relationship. Methods: A literature search identified 21 eligible studies. Results: 16,097 patients were included. Multivariate analyses data for patients with unspecified receptors status showed that rich LIs expression was associated with 52% (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.30-0.77), and 29% (HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.63-0.80) reduction in the risk of relapse and death, respectively. In the neoadjuvant setting, rich LIs predicted a 28% increase in complete pathological response rate. The prognostic and predictive utility of rich LIs was restricted to patients with estrogen receptor negative (ER-) or triple negative disease. Only rich CD8+ T cells tumors demonstrated clinical utility. Conclusion: LIs significantly correlated to outcome predominantly in ER- tumors. Integrating immunotherapy with conventional therapy may warrant future research in breast cancer.

Hodgkin Lymphoma Outcome: A Retrospective Study from 3 Tertiary Centers in Saudi Arabia

Background: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) exhibits considerable clinicopathological variations in different parts of the world. This study was prompted by the limited availability of HL data in developing countries (particularly long-term outcomes). Methods: We performed a retrospective review of eligible adult HL patients treated at 3 tertiary centers in Saudi Arabia between January 1997 and December 2012. Results: The review included 340 patients with a median age of 26 years (range 15-82 years); 53% were male, 74% had an advanced stage, 22% had bulky disease, and 70% had low-to-intermediate risk according to the International Prognostic Score. Nodular sclerosis was the most common histological subtype (59%). Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) was offered to 92% and radiotherapy to 43%. Initial therapy outcomes were complete response, partial response, and progressive disease in 91%, 5%, and 2% of patients, respectively. At a median follow-up of 39 months, the actuarial freedom from treatment failure at 5 years was 74%, with a 5-year overall survival of 91%. Multivariate analysis showed that advanced disease stage and high-risk international prognostic index independently predicted an adverse outcome. Conclusion: Our Saudi patient population exhibited outcomes that were comparable to those reported in developed countries.

Bleomycin pulmonary toxicity in adult Saudi patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma

BACKGROUND Bleomycin pulmonary toxicity (BPT) has been described in Hodgkins lymphoma (HL) patients treated with bleomycin-containing chemotherapy regimens. METHODOLOGY We reviewed the records of 164 consecutive HL patients. RESULTS BPT was observed in 24 of 164 patients (15%). Older age and history of concomitant lung disease were significantly associated with approximately threefold (odds ratio: 3.38; 95% CI: 1.25-9.13; p = 0.02) and sevenfold (odds ratio: 7.19; 95% CI: 2.64-19.54; p < 0.0001) increase in BPT risk, respectively. The actuarial 5-year progression-free and overall survival for BPT and non-BPT groups, were not significantly different. CONCLUSION In Saudi Arabian HL patients, the risk of BPT and its effect on survival outcome were comparable to that reported from developed countries.