Epidemiology and clinical findings of colorectal carcinoma in two tertiary care hospitals in Benghazi, Libya

Clinical Characteristics and Main Findings of Colonoscopy in Tripoli Central Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1858 Patients

Introduction Colonoscopy is used to detect colorectal abnormalities, including inflammatory bowel disease, polyps, cancers, and other colorectal lesions. We aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics, main findings, and indications of patients who underwent colonoscopy in the Surgery department of Tripoli Central Hospital in Libya. Methods The study data were retrospectively extracted from the medical in and out-patient records of individuals who underwent colonoscopy procedures between December 2009 and December 2016 in the general surgery department of Tripoli General Hospital. Results A total of 1858 patients underwent colonoscopy during the study period with a mean age of 51.7 ± 18.5 years. Hematochezia was the most common patient complaint (530; 28.5%), followed by constipation (354; 19.1%), and weight loss (178; 9.6%), respectively. Seven-hundred sixty-five (765; 41.2%) participants completed the procedure, 420 (22.6%) did not, and 673 (36.2%) participants failed the colonoscopy. The most common reasons for procedure failure were failed preparation (609; 55.7%), followed by patient intolerance (251; 23.0%), and obstructive lesions (229; 21.0%). The most common finding was colonic masses, followed by polyps (29.0% and 20.8%, respectively). Conclusion This study describes the characteristics of colonoscopy patients in the largest surgical center in Libya over seven years. Hematochezia and chronic constipation were the most common complaints among the participants with reported complaints. Half of the colonoscopy procedures are incomplete or failed due to the lack of patient preparation. Colonic masses and polyps were the most common among the reported colonoscopic findings. Future research to increase the quality of colonoscopy service and patient preparations in Libya is required.

Cancer incidence in the Tobruk area, eastern Libya: first results from Tobruk Medical Centre

OBJECTIVES

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and it is an increasing problem in developing countries. Estimation of the incidence of cancer is important, especially in regions with limited epidemiological data on cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide an updated report on the incidence of cancers in the Tobruk region in eastern Libya.

METHODS

Data on cancer patients from the records of the Department of Histopathology of Tobruk Medical Centre from January 2013 to June 2020 were included.

RESULTS

In total, 402 cases were recorded. Men patients accounted for 30.3% (n=122) of cases, and women patients represented 69.6% (n=280). The overall mean age at the time of the first diagnosis was 49.0±17.1 years. The most common malignancies were breast and uterine cancer in women (18.4%, n=74; 15.9%, n=64, respectively), colorectal cancer (11.6%, n=47; 26 in women and 21 in men), bladder cancer (8.2%, n=33; 8 in women and 25 in men), and thyroid cancer (8.0%, n=32; 23 in women and 9 in men).

CONCLUSIONS

Breast and uterine cancers were the most common cancers in women, and bladder and colorectal cancer were the most common cancers in men, followed by colorectal cancer in both genders. These data will help health authorities launch preventive plans for cancer in the region. Further studies to identify aetiological factors and cancer-related risk factors need to be conducted in the region.

Efficacy and safety of Kanglaite injection combined with chemotherapy for colorectal cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer are high. Chemotherapy is currently the commonly used therapeutic scheme, but there are drug resistance and toxic and side effects. Kanglaite (KLT) injection is a broad-spectrum anticancer drug extracted from Semen Coicis (Yi Yi Ren), which has been widely used in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Clinical practice shows that KLT injection combined with chemotherapy has certain therapeutic advantages, but there is a lacking of evidence of evidence-based medicine. The purpose of this study is to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of KLT injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trials of KLT injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer were retrieved from English databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Chinese Biological and Medical database), as well as searching Baidu academic and Google academic manually, and the retrieval time was from their establishment to August 2020. Two researchers independently conducted data extraction and literature quality evaluation on the quality of the included literatures, and meta-analysis was conducted on the included literatures using RevMan 5.3 (developed by the UK's International Cochrane Collaboration).

RESULTS

This study assessed the efficacy and safety of KLT injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer by effective rate, Karnofsky Performance Status, Carcinoemybryonic Angtigen remission rate, pain remission rate, and incidence of adverse reactions etc. CONCLUSIONS:: This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence for the clinical application of KLT injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also will not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval is not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/EKVAF.

Is whole-colon investigation by colonoscopy, computerised tomography colonography or barium enema necessary for all patients with colorectal cancer symptoms, and for which patients would flexible sigmoidoscopy suffice? A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

For patients referred to hospital with suspected colorectal cancer (CRC), it is current standard clinical practice to conduct an examination of the whole colon and rectum. However, studies have shown that an examination of the distal colorectum using flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) can be a safe and clinically effective investigation for some patients. These findings require validation in a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the links between patient symptoms at presentation and CRC risk by subsite, and to provide evidence of whether or not FS is an effective alternative to whole-colon investigation (WCI) in patients whose symptoms do not suggest proximal or obstructive disease.

DESIGN

A multicentre retrospective study using data collected prospectively from two randomised controlled trials. Additional data were collected from trial diagnostic procedure reports and hospital records. CRC diagnoses within 3 years of referral were sourced from hospital records and national cancer registries via the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

SETTING

Participants were recruited to the two randomised controlled trials from 21 NHS hospitals in England between 2004 and 2007.

PARTICIPANTS

Men and women aged ≥ 55 years referred to secondary care for the investigation of symptoms suggestive of CRC.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Diagnostic yield of CRC at distal (to the splenic flexure) and proximal subsites by symptoms/clinical signs at presentation.

RESULTS

The data set for analysis comprised 7380 patients, of whom 59% were women (median age 69 years, interquartile range 62-76 years). Change in bowel habit (CIBH) was the most frequently presenting symptom (73%), followed by rectal bleeding (38%) and abdominal pain (29%); 26% of patients had anaemia. CRC was diagnosed in 551 patients (7.5%): 424 (77%) patients with distal CRC, 122 (22%) patients with cancer proximal to the descending colon and five patients with both proximal and distal CRC. Proximal cancer was diagnosed in 96 out of 2021 (4.8%) patients with anaemia and/or an abdominal mass. The yield of proximal cancer in patients without anaemia or an abdominal mass who presented with rectal bleeding with or without a CIBH or with a CIBH to looser and/or more frequent stools as a single symptom was low (0.5%). These low-risk groups for proximal cancer accounted for 41% (3032/7380) of the cohort; only three proximal cancers were diagnosed in 814 low-risk patients examined by FS (diagnostic yield 0.4%).

LIMITATIONS

A limitation to this study is that changes to practice since the trial ended, such as new referral guidelines and improvements in endoscopy quality, potentially weaken the generalisability of our findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Symptom profiles can be used to determine whether or not WCI is necessary. Most proximal cancers were diagnosed in patients who presented with anaemia and/or an abdominal mass. In patients without anaemia or an abdominal mass, proximal cancer diagnoses were rare in those with rectal bleeding with or without a CIBH or with a CIBH to looser and/or more frequent stools as a single symptom. FS alone should be a safe and clinically effective investigation in these patients. A cost-effectiveness analysis of symptom-based tailoring of diagnostic investigations for CRC is recommended.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN95152621.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 21, No. 66. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Cancer incidence, mortality, and survival in Eastern Libya: updated report from the Benghazi Cancer Registry

PURPOSE

Despite the increasing burden of cancer occurred over recent years in the African continent, epidemiologic data from Northern Africa area have been so far sparse or absent. We present most recently available data from the Benghazi Cancer Registry concerning cancer incidence and mortality as well as the most comprehensive survival data set so far generated for cases diagnosed during 2003 to 2005 in Eastern Libya.

METHODS

We collected and analyzed data on cancer incidence, mortality and survival that were obtained over a 3-year study period from January 1st 2003 to December 31st 2005 from the Benghazi Cancer Registry.

RESULTS

A total of 3307 cancer patients were registered among residents during the study period. The world age-standardized incidence rate for all sites was 135.4 and 107.1 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively. The most common malignancies in men were cancers of lung (18.9%), colorectum (10.4%), bladder (10.1%), and prostate (9.4%); among women, they were breast (23.2%), colorectum (11.2%), corpus uteri (6.7%), and leukemia (5.1%). A total of 1367 deaths for cancer were recorded from 2003 to 2005; the leading causes of cancer death were cancers of the lung (29.3%), colorectum (8.2%), and brain (7.3%) in males and cancers of breast (14.8%), colorectum (10.6%), and liver (7%) in females. The 5-year relative survival for all cancer combined was 22.3%; survival was lower in men (19.8%) than in women (28.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an updated report on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival, in Eastern Libya which may represent a useful tool for planning future interventions toward a better cancer control.