Impact of Diabetes on Patient Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients

Exploring the Relationship Between Diabetes and Breast Cancer in the United Arab Emirates

Introduction This study delves into the complex interplay between diabetes and breast cancer within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a subject of considerable global health concern. Given the increasing incidence of both diseases worldwide, this research investigates explicitly the potential influence of diabetes on the staging of breast cancer. The UAE, mirroring global trends, has experienced a surge in both conditions attributed to a blend of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The core objective of this investigation is to explore the link between diabetes and the stage at which breast cancer is diagnosed in UAE patients. Material and method To conduct this study, data were extracted from an extensive medical database consisting of anonymized records about breast cancer patients and their comorbid conditions. The research encompassed adult patients of all genders, all of whom had been definitively diagnosed with breast cancer. The data was analyzed using a suite of Python libraries, including Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, Scikit-learn, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were employed, focusing on the Chi-Square test and logistic regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between diabetes and the stages of breast cancer, considering other comorbidities as well. Results The analysis included 131 breast cancer patients, predominantly female (98.47%), with an average age of 54.2 years. Among these patients, 22.14% were diabetic. The prevalence of other comorbidities, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hypothyroidism, was also recorded. The Chi-Square test indicated no significant correlation between diabetes and the stages of breast cancer (χ² = 3.07, p = 0.381). Stage II was the most frequently diagnosed, irrespective of the presence or absence of diabetes. Conclusion In conclusion, this study finds no substantial link between diabetes and the stage of breast cancer diagnosis among patients in the UAE after adjusting for age and other comorbid conditions. These results underscore the need for early breast cancer detection approaches that are not exclusively dependent on the diabetic status of the patients. However, limitations such as the retrospective cohort design and the relatively small sample size highlight the necessity for further comprehensive studies. Such research would deepen the understanding of the relationship between diabetes and breast cancer and contribute to the advancement of breast cancer healthcare in the UAE.

Repurposable Drugs for Immunotherapy and Strategies to Find Candidate Drugs

Conventional drug discovery involves significant steps, time, and expenses; therefore, novel methods for drug discovery remain unmet, particularly for patients with intractable diseases. For this purpose, the drug repurposing method has been recently used to search for new therapeutic agents. Repurposed drugs are mostly previously approved drugs, which were carefully tested for their efficacy for other diseases and had their safety for the human body confirmed following careful pre-clinical trials, clinical trials, and post-marketing surveillance. Therefore, using these approved drugs for other diseases that cannot be treated using conventional therapeutic methods could save time and economic costs for testing their clinical applicability. In this review, we have summarized the methods for identifying repurposable drugs focusing on immunotherapy.