Geriatric radiotherapy in a war-torn country: Experience from Iraq

Gendari, Ali H.; Ameen, Hazha Abdulla M; Ramzi, Zhian Salah; Amin, Asso; Mohammed, Shwan Ali; Majeed, Sazgar Star; Ali, Jalil S.; Saeed, Nyan Othman; Muhsin, Bamo M.; Mohammed, K; Mula‐Hussain, Layth

doi:10.1016/j.jgo.2018.03.006

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The present results on patients showed that high age frequency of cancer occurred between (45-80) years old.The mean and standard deviation of age for lung cancerpatients when compared with control group, as showed in table (2).The current results on patients showed that high age frequency of cancer occurred between (45-80) years old, this due to the lung cancer incidence is very low before age 25 years and increases with increasing age up to 40 years due to several causes such as environmental factors, the nutrition, poor health education, radiation exposure, smoking, repeated injuries, and previous lung disease [16] .The current results agree with many studies in Iraq performed on lung cancer [17][18][19] , they expected that the risk of lung cancer is higher in middle age and elderly Men and women than in younger, this risk increase as a woman and Men ages, rising sharply after the age of 50 years old.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…VEGFR-2 is a type V receptor tyrosine kinase mainly known to be expressed in vascular endothelial cells and encoded by theKDR gene [10] . This receptor responds to the signal of VEGF binding, which initiates a phosphorylation cascade that ultimately involves nuclear regulatory targets resulting in enhancement of endothelial proliferation, angiogenesis and cell migration [11] .The VEGF gene is located at chromosome 6p21.3, covering14 kb in length with 8 exons and 7 introns [12] .Being highly polymorphic, about 30 single SNPs have beenidentified and described [13] .Several SNPs of VEGF havebeenreported to be associated with individual susceptibilityto cancer and can alter the VEGF expression and proteinproduction [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Investigation the Association of the VEGFR-2 and -2578C\A Polymorphism as a Risk Factor for Incidence of Lung Cancer in Babylon Province

Dahir¹,

Al-Awad²,

Al‐Gazally³

2020

IJFMT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: VEGF gene polymorphisms can induce either increase or inhibition of VEGF secretion, with altered promoter activity. Aim:We investigated the association of the VEGFR-2 and -2578C\A polymorphism in the VEGF gene with Lung cancer risk in Babylon province. Methodology: VEGFR-2 level was measured by Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbant Assay ELISA and Genotyping of the VEGF-gene variation (-2578A\C) was performed using the amplification refractory mutation system PCR. We investigated the association of VEGF gene variants with different clinicopathological features of lung cancer patients.Results: No significant difference was seen of the VEGFR-2 levels in lung cancer patients when compared with control group (P=092), the allelic frequency of -2578 A\C VEGF gene no difference was seen in patients lung cancer (p=0.652). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium showed a significant difference cases group (p=0.016), also revealed A allele exhibits a pathological behavior and it appears in over-dominant model (p=0.05), this proves that there is significant association of -2578A\C VEGF gene in lung cancer patients. Conclusion:Our results showed no significant association of the VEGFR-2 in lung cancer patients while showed a significant association of the VEGF -2578C\A polymorphism with LC susceptibility in Babylon province .The VEGF -2578C\A heterozygote significantly increases the risk and can be useful as a predisposing genetic marker.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation the Association of the VEGFR-2 and -2578C\A Polymorphism as a Risk Factor for Incidence of Lung Cancer in Babylon Province

Dahir¹,

Al-Awad²,

Al‐Gazally³

2020

IJFMT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In some cases, it was clear that the conflict hampered the progression of Iraq's cancer services, for example, by causing nuclear medicine training programmes to be halted in 1996. 15 However, in other cases, such as Iraq's lack of national screening programmes, 24 it is difficult to separate the effects of the conflict from preexisting factors. For example, national cervical screening programmes were not introduced in the UK until 1988 and still do not exist in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15 17 18 The resultant lack of radiotherapy machines has also had implications for geriatric radiotherapy; it has increased waiting times and caused many patients who live long distances from treatment centres to refuse treatment. 24 There has been slow progress in the availability of radiotherapy machines, moving from 4 in 2002, to 6 in 2012 and then 34 by the end of 2022. 11 25 26 Still, this number is inadequate and covers around 42.5% of the Iraqi population's needs (two machines per million population).…”

Section: Structural Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

HealthCare Access Barrier (HCAB) framework for the barriers to cancer care during conflicts: perspective from Iraq

Mohsin,

Mula-Hussain,

Gilson

2024

bmjonc

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Iraqi population has lived under four decades of conflicts, warfare and political instability. The health consequences of the protracted conflict continue to persist. This work critically analyses Iraq’s barriers to delivering and accessing cancer care during the conflicts that Iraq passed through from 1980 to 2017. To identify the barriers to accessing and delivering cancer care services, we used the HealthCare Access Barriers framework, which categorises the barriers into three groups: financial, structural and cognitive. Moreover, a structured search was performed in multidisciplinary databases. To produce a comprehensive body of literature, further materials were retrieved using alternative methods, such as hand-searching and snowballing. The key findings and themes identified in the literature were issues related to funding and affordability (within the financial), destruction and inaccessibility of facilities, therapeutic and diagnostic shortages, workforce and human resources and lack of national guidelines and awareness programmes (within the structural), awareness and knowledge and finally attitudes and beliefs (within the cognitive). These results demonstrated that the barriers to cancer care delivery are complex and inter-related. The financial and structural barriers were particularly intertwined with the protracted conflict, but this relationship was not demonstrable within the findings of the cognitive barriers. We concluded that the barriers facing the delivery and access to cancer care in Iraq are intertwined mainly with its protracted conflict. To ensure that future generations do not continue to pay the price of war, improved reconstructive efforts and further research are necessary.

show abstract

“…10 Brain drain occurs dramatically, because the most highly skilled and competent physicians and academics may leave the in-war state 12 as scientific refugees. The need for continuing education, practicing professionals' accreditation and certification, qualified board-certified trainers, clinical training institutions and complete students' training 3,9,12,13 may influence decisions taken in the scientific capital of the threatened country.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%