Publications by authors named "Ahmad Awada"

Background: Disparities in breast cancer (BC) prevention, screening, treatment access, and survival based on ethnicity have been described. Data in Arab population are limited. We aimed to dissect differences in BC characteristics and outcomes among patients of Maghreb versus non-Maghreb origin.

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Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has revolutionized the treatment of endometrial cancer (EC), providing a less invasive alternative to traditional open methods. In early-stage EC, RAS has shown similar oncological results compared to conventional techniques while offering notable improvements in perioperative outcomes, such as shorter hospital stays, less post-operative pain, and faster recovery times. Additionally, the robotic platform has seen widespread adoption in gynecologic oncology due to its ability to address the limitations of conventional laparoscopy, especially reduced conversion rate from minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to open/laparotomy.

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The understanding of coronary artery disease is evolving, with more attention given currently to the microcirculation compartment. Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is defined by any structural or functional alteration of the coronary microcirculation, and is prevalent in current clinical practice, being associated with pejorative cardiovascular prognosis. CMD can exist by itself as primary microvascular angina, or in association with a variety of cardiovascular diseases.

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Background: Immunotherapy is becoming a standard of care for non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The optimal chemotherapy partner for chemo-immunotherapy combinations remains unknown. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant avelumab-based regimens in patients with MIBC.

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The advent of advanced biomolecular technologies for detecting molecular and genomic signatures of individual tumors has transformed oncology care, introducing proven methodologies that can inform treatment with matched targeted therapies and predict response at the individual patient level. However, access to these technologies has been hampered by multiple barriers, most notably price and obtainability. Other barriers include lack of knowledge of available technologies, concerns about value, and outdated infrastructures that impede critical operations within the clinic or laboratory.

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Background: Effective balloon positionnking during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with a radiofrequency balloon (RFB) is crucial for optimal energy delivery, maximising lesion formation, and preventing gaps. Traditionally, fluoroscopy is used to guide pulmonary vein (PV) occlusion, however, this method exposes patients to radiation. Recently, RFBs equipped with 3D electroanatomical mapping (EAM) offer an alternative approach, potentially achieving the same results with reduced radiation exposure.

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A 74-year-old patient presented to the emergency department with aggravating asthenia and persistent fever over the course of the last 2 weeks. He benefited 3 years prior from a self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis, as he refused open heart surgery. The blood workup showed leukocytosis and high C-reactive protein levels.

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Introduction: Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) includes rare tumors from abnormal fertilization, ranging from benign hydatidiform moles to malignant choriocarcinomas (CCs) and rare placental-site trophoblastic tumors. Management of GTD depends on FIGO scoring, with low-risk cases treated conservatively and high-risk or ultra-high-risk cases requiring multi-agent chemotherapy, often EMA-CO, with induction therapy recommended for patients at very high risk of early death.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 37-year-old female patient who developed an acute respiratory failure, requiring mechanical ventilation, 2 months after term delivery by cesarean section.

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Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. Most patients will be treated and cured by surgery but a low percentage will develop advanced disease. The treatment of advanced disease is at first the use of radioiodine treatment in differentiated cancer then at progression will rely on molecular alterations and consequently in targeted treatments.

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Objective: To compare clinical outcomes of patients with early-stage, high-intermediate risk (HIR) endometrial cancer (EC) and isolated tumor cells (ITC) lymph node metastases treated with chemotherapy/radiotherapy (CRT) vs. external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)/vaginal brachytherapy (VBT).

Methods: We retrospectively identified all patients with early-stage HIR endometrioid EC and ITC treated with CRT or EBRT from our institutional database (January-2015 to December-2023).

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Following the publication of this article, a concerned reader drew to the Editor's attention that there appeared to be the duplication of a pair of western blots in each of Figs. 4 and 6, with the possibility of the bands in question having been resized in one of these cases. After having conducted an internal investigation, the Editorial Office also determined that there was a further instance of duplication of western bands comparing between Figs.

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Introduction: Neuroendocrine neoplasms encompass well-differentiated tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated carcinomas (neuroendocrine carcinomas [NECs]), which are distinguished by their clinical behavior and molecular characteristics. They can cause paraneoplastic syndromes, such as ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS), necessitating prompt recognition and management due to severe hypercortisolism.

Case Presentation: A 66-year-old patient with a 3-year history of metastatic mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm with a NEC and adenocarcinoma component originating from the vulva presented to the emergency department with dyspnea and fatigue.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the efficacy and safety of nadunolimab, an antibody targeting the IL-1 receptor, when combined with the chemotherapy regimen gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN) in patients with untreated locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
  • A total of 76 patients were enrolled, revealing that neutropenia was the most common severe adverse effect, and the median overall survival (OS) was 13.2 months, with a 1-year survival rate of 58%.
  • Results suggest that nadunolimab is both effective and safe, particularly showing better outcomes in patients with high baseline tumor IL1RAP expression, along with a correlation between reduced
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Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common gynecologic malignancy with a rising incidence due to obesity, comorbid conditions, and related lifestyle factors. The standard of care for primary disease consists of surgical resection with/without chemotherapy ± radiotherapy for select patients. Recurrence is common in patients with advanced-stage disease and/or high-risk features, who primarily are treated with systemic therapy.

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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is now the standard of care for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (BC). TIL scoring is prognostic and adds predictive value to the residual cancer burden evaluation after NAC. However, NAC induces changes in the tumor, and the reliability of TIL scoring in post-NAC samples has not yet been studied.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The article reviews current evidence and best practices for managing cancer-related VTE, highlighting complexities in treatment for patients with various tumors and specific health issues.
  • * Traditional treatments, like vitamin K antagonists and low-molecular-weight heparins, are being supplemented by new options like direct oral anticoagulants, though treatment must be tailored to individual patient circumstances.
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Objectives: External beam radiation with sensitizing platinum is the recommended therapy for locally advanced vulvar cancers not amenable to curative surgery and is associated with considerable acute and chronic side effects. Radical vulvectomy post-radiation for persistent disease is often compromised with poor wound healing. We describe clinical outcomes for patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus bevacizumab followed by radical vulvectomy for locally advanced vulvar cancer.

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Forchlorfenuron (FCF) is a widely used plant cytokinin that enhances fruit quality and size in agriculture. It also serves as a crucial pharmacological tool for the inhibition of septins. However, the precise target of FCF has not yet been fully determined.

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Introduction: Currently three antibody-drug-conjugates (ADC) are approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for treatment of breast cancer (BC) patient: trastuzumab-emtansine, trastuzumab-deruxtecan and sacituzumab-govitecan. ADC are composed of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting a specific antigen, a cytotoxic payload and a linker. Pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) distinguish ADC from conventional chemotherapy and must be understood by clinicians.

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