Medical literature does not have clear consensus on inter-rater reliability of PS assessment by different oncology health care professionals (HCPs) although it plays an important role in treatment decision and prognosis for oncology patients. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores are commonly used for this purpose by oncology HCPs around the world. This study was conducted to find variability or similarities in assessment of PS among the different oncology HCPs. A survey based on four hypothetical clinical scenarios was devised and sent to 50 oncology HCPs to assess the PS using ECOG PS tool. No significant variations in PS assessment by oncology HCPs was noted in our study sample.

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Calcifying fibrous tumors (CFT) are rare benign tumors. They usually affect children and young adults and the incidence is equal in males and females. The usual clinical presentation is that of a painless mass. A computed tomography scan typically reveals a well-demarcated calcified lesion. CFT usually presents as a solitary mass and the commonest sites of occurrence are in soft tissues, the pleura, or the peritoneum. Multifocal occurrences at the same site have also been reported. The first case of CFT was reported in 1988. We present a rare case of multiple calcifying fibrous tumors at multiple sites in the same patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever reported case of multifocal CFT atsix different anatomical sites in one patient.

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e24105 Background: Cancer care has been severely affected by covid 19 pandemic leading to medical, ethical and organizational issues. Oncology healthcare professionals face challenges due to reorganization of cancer services and increasing health care requirements resulting in uncertainty and psychological stress. Aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of covid 19 pandemic on psychological well being of oncology clinicians in the MENA region. Methods: We randomly invited 1500 oncology clinicians including medical oncologists, clinical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgical oncologists from 17 countries in the MENA region to complete a web based survey to determine the level of psychological stress during covid 19 pandemic from October 2020 to January 2021. The questionnaire was based on Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorders Scale (GAD-7) and WHO Well-being Index (WHO-5). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and difference between groups was measured by T-test and ANOVA. Results: Overall 520 (35%) oncology clinicians including 368 (71%) males and 152 (29%) females participated in the survey. Most of the participants were medical oncologists (38%) from teaching institutions (76%) and the public sector (84%). 46% (n = 242) participants were 35-45 years of age. Majority of clinicians reported moderate (45.6%) to severe (42.3%) anxiety on GAD-7 scale. Females had statistically higher levels of anxiety (average score;15.46 ±4.87, p = 0.04). On PSS, the majority of participants reported higher stress with average scores (29.64 ±3.83) for males and (30.23 ±4.62) for females. Average score for WHO wellbeing index was 62.95 (±20.52) for males and 74.3 (±20.87) for females denoting a preservation of general well being, even in a higher stress and anxiety situation. Female gender was significantly associated with anxiety level on GAD-7 scale (p = 0.04), but this difference in stress level and well being was not observed on PSS (p = 0.134) and WHO well being index (p = 0.709). Clinicians of ages 25-35 years had significantly higher anxiety levels on GAD-7 scale (p = 0.004) and higher stress on PSS (p = 0.000). Age over 55 years was associated with lower levels of anxiety and stress on GAD-7 and PSS. Oncology clinicians working in public sector experienced significantly lower stress as compared to private sector on PSS scale (p = 0.041) Conclusions: Covid 19 pandemic has significantly increased the anxiety and stress levels among oncology clinicians in the MENA region. Anxiety and stress were higher in females and young clinicians. Clinicians over 55 years of age and oncologists working in the public sector reported less stress and anxiety. General well being of clinicians was well preserved even in a highly stressful and anxious situation.

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ABSTRACT… Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in surgical patients. Study Design: An Observational Study. Setting: 4 Tertiary Hospitals in Faisalabad city. Period: 6 months from July 2015 to December 2015. Material & Methods: Clinical data sheets of surgical in patients of 4 teaching hospitals in Faisalabad city were retrospectively reviewed. Caprini assessment model (CAM) was used for VTE risk assessment and the patients were classified into very high risk (VHR), high risk (HR), moderate risk (MR) and low risk (LR) groups. The data was collected on an Excel spread sheet and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 17. Chi square test was carried out to assess the association of VTE risk with age, gender, BMI and surgical units. Results: We identified a total of 256 patients from July 2015 to December 2015. The median age was 42 years. 118 (46%) patients were male and 138 (54%) were female. 106 (41.4%) patients were VHR and 124 (48.4%) patients were HR for VTE according to CAM. Nineteen (7.4%) patients were MR and only 7 (2.7%) patients were LR. Higher age and male gender were found to be significantly associated with the high risk for VTE (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study shows that the postoperative surgical patients are at higher risk of developing VTE. There is statistically significant association between increasing age and male gender with risk of VTE in this group of patients.