Colorectal cancer liver metastasis trends in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To elucidate colorectal cancer (CRC) disease patterns, demographics, characteristics, stage at presentation, metastases, and survival rates of patients, particularly those with liver metastases, at our center as the first report from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective, single-center database study based on the histological diagnosis of CRC in patients seen at the King Khalid University Hospital between 2007 and 2011. RESULTS: 427 cases of CRC with a mean age at diagnosis of 55.47 ΁ 12.85 years, out of which 96% were resected. Stage II was predominant at presentation, followed by both stage III and IV, with the remainder being stage I. One hundred patients had distant metastases, of which the liver was the only location in 54 patients. Mean survival was 3.0 years. Overall survival rates for CRC patients with liver metastases who underwent resection were 30% at 2 years and 17% at 5 years, and the mean survival rate was 1.4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Both the mean survival rate of our CRC patients with resectable liver metastases and the 5-year survival rate of these patients are lower than global averages. This discrepancy is likely due to late diagnoses rather than more aggressive disease.

A history of childhood maltreatment among spouses predicts violence against women.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Violence against women (VAW) is a worldwide problem that adversely affects women physically, psychologically, sexually, and financially. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the rate of self-reported physical violence from husbands among women who presented to outpatient clinics of a major teaching hospital (2) the variables associated with VAW and (3) the pattern and the consequences of abuse on the victims' health. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in December 2009 at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Women attending outpatient clinics regularly at KKUH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were eligible for the study. The WHO VAW Instrument was used with some modifications to accommodate for the local culture. RESULTS: A total of 222 Saudi women whose age ranged from 15 to 70 years were enrolled in the study. The rate of physical violence in the current study was 12.2%. Statistically significant associations were found between the self-reporting of VAW and the physical abuse of their husbands during childhood (odds ratio [OR]=8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2, 28.5, P=.002). Similarly living in rented houses resulted in higher likelihood of the wife being abused (OR=4.23, CI: 1.706, 10.49, P=.002). The likelihood increased if there was a history of wives being abused as a child (OR=3.563, CI: 1.438, 8.824, P=.008) and if their husbands were unemployed (OR=5.29, CI: 1.6, 17.57, P=.012). Furthermore, women who described family life as bad or disastrous were found more likely to be physically abused (OR=5.8, CI: 2.3, 14.5, P=.001). CONCLUSION: VAW is a significant social and public health problem in the Saudi society. Health professionals may need to consider the diagnosis, when the risk factors identified in the current study are found.