Researchers surveying breast cancer management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) say they have identified barriers to applying international guidelines in this area.They are now calling for localised best practice.The MedicalSurveys-17 Research Group, a group of oncologists working in different institutes across the Middle East, has set up the Middle East and North Africa Breast Cancer Guidelines Project in order to tackle this problem.Although international cancer management guidelines are considered best practice, the study shows that they do not reflect specific challenges faced in the MENA region. These include a younger age at presentation, a lack of national breast screening programmes, a lack of reliable data registries, and various socioeconomic factors.The need for specific regional guidelines for the management of breast cancer was agreed upon by 90.6 per cent of survey respondents.Corresponding author Dr Adel Aref, medical oncologist and PhD student at the University of Adelaide, Australia, said: “One of the main factors affecting breast cancer patients and their outcome is the availability of facilities. Regional guidelines should be developed with an understanding of available resources and needs.”

Source: The North Africa Journal December 04, 2017 17:26 UTC