Cancer incidence in the middle region of Libya: Data from the cancer epidemiology study in Misurata.

BACKGROUND: Cancer incidence and cancer registries are essential for local epidemiological information. In Libya, scarce evidence exists with regard to incidence rates and distribution. AIM: To estimate cancer incidence in Libya and draw trends of cancer type distribution compared to regional and worldwide data. Such incidence data are needed to inform strategic decisions on cancer facilities, training, and research in the given geographical area of Misurata, the major city in the middle region and third largest in Libya. METHODS: This is an observational, multi-centre, city-wide study to account for all cancer cases. All radiology (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) and pathology reports were examined across all public and private hospitals in and around Misurata. RESULTS: Four hundred and thirty cancer cases were identified to have been diagnosed during 12 months (July 2019-June 2020), yielding a cancer incidence of 71.7 per 100 000 population. Breast cancer (84, 19.5%), colorectal cancer (83, 19.3%), lung cancer (33, 7.7%), and prostate cancer (21, 4.9%) had the highest prevalence. CONCLUSION: Cancer incidence established in this study stands at 71.1, much lower than the worldwide reported incidence of 201.0. Several limitations lead to missing cancer cases from the survey period, mostly related to poor documentation, non-research friendly environment, and disorganised healthcare structure. Nevertheless, distribution by type represents a true contrast to the world cancer report. Finally, a national or regional inclusive cancer registry is essential to the flow of information that supports strategic planning and decision-making in developing cancer care in the country.

Does clinic-based education have a sustainable impact on asthma patient awareness?

Introduction: Asthma patient education is an essential component of asthma management, just as inhaler treatment adherence and inhaler technique education. These issues face challenges in the developed world communities and the literature demonstrates data of various validity supporting the need for educational activities. However, communities with poor health-care facilities and low socioeconomic status have seen little or no effort to tackle this challenging area of research. Methods: This interventional study aims to impact on sustained asthma awareness with clinic-based asthma patient education. The quasi-experiment recruited asthma patients from achest clinic within apoor healthcare system at desperate economic and political times. The educational intervention consisted of an educational video, posters and leaflets, in addition to the doctor's clinic encounter and inhaler technique education by clinic nurse. Results: 24 patients of the initially recruited 87 patients were re-assessed 4 to 12 weeks later, on the impact of the educational activity on certain asthma awareness parameters. Patients' awareness of their diagnosis of asthma did not improve despite the educational activity with p= 0.141. However, there was asignificant improvement with the awareness of patients for the need of long-term inhalers (p = < 0.0001), adherence to inhaler treatment (p = < 0.0001) and correct use of inhaler (p = < 0.021). Discussion & Conclusion: The study supports the feasibility and efficacy of asthma patient education in poor health-care circumstances at basic levels of asthma knowledge, adherence and inhaler technique. This interventional study is unique in the circumstances it was carried out under. Limitations include the large number of dropouts.