Clinical pathological characteristics and treatment outcomes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC): a retrospective study from Sudan.

Background: Worldwide, renal cell carcinoma comprises 2.2% and 1.8% of global cancer incidence and mortality, respectively. Studies of epidemiology, treatment modalities and outcomes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Sudan are scarce. To address this shortcoming, we evaluated baseline information on the epidemiology, types of treatment and outcomes of RCC at Gezira Hospital for Renal Diseases and Surgery (GHRDS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Methods: We performed a retrospective, descriptive study of all patients with RCC, who were treated in GHRDS and NCI from January 2000 to December 2015. Results: A total of 189 patients with RCC were identified over the study period. Tumours were more common among male patients (56%) and involved the left kidney in 52% of cases. The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range: 21-90 years). Loin pain was the most frequent symptom (n = 103 patients) followed by weight loss (n = 103 patients) and haematuria (n = 65 patients). The most common histopathologic type of RCC was clear cell (73.5%), followed by papillary (13.8%) and chromophobe (1.6%). The relative frequencies of stages I-IV were 3.2%, 14.3%, 29.1% and 53.4%, respectively. The overall median survival rate was 24 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 40%. The 5-year survival rate in stages I-IV was 95%, 83%, 39%, and 17%, respectively. Advanced stages and higher-grade tumour were associated with worse survival. The median survival of stage IV patients was better for patients who underwent nephrectomy (11.0 months) compared to those who did not undergo nephrectomy (4.0 months) (p value = 0.28). Conclusion: Our findings reveal poor outcomes for patients with RCC in Sudan, which is most likely due to the high proportion of patients presenting with advanced stages at the time of initial presentation.

Yellow Fever outbreak in Darfur, Sudan in October 2012; the initial outbreak investigation report.

INTRODUCTION: Sudan is subject to repeated outbreaks, including Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF), which is considered to be a very serious illness. Yellow Fever (YF) outbreaks in Sudan have been reported from the 1940s through 2005. In 2012, a new outbreak of YF occurred in the Darfur region. OBJECTIVE: To identify the potential for an outbreak, to diagnose the disease and to be able to recognize its cause among the initial reported cases. METHODOLOGY: >This is a descriptive and investigative field study that applies standard communicable disease outbreak investigation steps. The study involved clinical, serological, entomological and environmental surveys. RESULTS: The field investigation confirmed the outbreak and identified its cause to be YF. CONCLUSION: National surveillance systems should be strong enough to detect VHFs in a timely manner. Local health facilities should be prepared to promptly treat the initial cases because the case fatality ratios (CFRs) are usually very high among the index cases.

Lipid profile in post renal transplant patients treated with cyclosporine in Sudan.

Lipid profile abnormality places kidney graft recipients at an increase risk for cardiovascular diseases.This study was undertaken to determine the impact of cyclosporine A (CsA) on lipid profile of transplant patients in Gezira Hospital for Renal Diseases, Medani, Sudan. We studied 78 renal transplant patients with mean age of 42.1 years and mean transplant duration of 3.8 years. Cyclosporine A (CsA), total cholesterol (Tch), triglyceride (TG), HDL cho-lesterol (HDLch), LDL cholesterol (LDLch), and VLDL cholesterol (VLDLch) were estimated. 62.8% of the patients showed significant lipoprotein abnormalities. Renal allograft recipients showed significantly high levels of TG (p< 0.002), Tch (p< 0.00), LDLch (p< 0.01), and VLDLch (p< 0.05) compared with age and sex matched normal subjects. Increased CsA was reported in females and hypertensive patients. A significant negative correlation was noted between post-transplant duration and VLDLch. The study confirms the existence of dyslipidemia in renal trans-plant patients in our patients.