Causes of death among patients with cutaneous melanoma: a US population-based study

Abstract Research on mortality outcomes and non-cancer-related causes of death in patients with cutaneous melanoma (CM) remains limited. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of non-cancer-related deaths following CM diagnosis. The data of 224,624 patients diagnosed with malignant CM in the United States between 2000 and 2019 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We stratified our cohort based on their melanoma stage at diagnosis and further calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for each cause of death, comparing their relative risk to that of the general US population. The total number of fatalities among melanoma patients was 60,110, representing 26.8% of the total cases. The percentage of deaths is directly proportional to the disease stage, reaching 80% in distant melanoma. The highest fatalities among the localized melanoma group (25,332; 60.5%) occurred from non-cancer causes, followed by melanoma-attributable deaths (10,817; 25.8%). Conversely, melanoma is the leading cause of death in regional and distant melanoma cohorts. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were the most prevalent non-cancer causes of death among the three disease-stage cohorts. Compared to the general population, we did not observe an increased risk of death due to non-cancer causes in the localized CM cohort, while patients diagnosed with regional and distant CMs had a statistically significant higher risk of death from all the reported major causes of death

The Egyptian collaborative cardiac genomics (ECCO-GEN) Project: defining a healthy volunteer cohort

The integration of comprehensive genomic and phenotypic data from diverse ethnic populations offers unprecedented opportunities towards advancements in precision medicine and novel diagnostic technologies. Current reference genomic databases are not representative of the global human population, making variant interpretation challenging, especially in underrepresented populations such as the North African population. To address this, the Egyptian Collaborative Cardiac Genomics (ECCO-GEN) Project launched a study comprising 1,000 individuals free of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, we present the first 391 Egyptian healthy volunteers (EHVols) recruited to establish a pilot phenotyped control cohort. All individuals underwent detailed clinical investigation, including cardiac MRI, and were sequenced using a targeted panel of 174 genes with reported roles in inherited cardiac conditions (ICC). We identified 1,262 variants in 27 cardiomyopathy genes of which 15.1% were not captured in current global and regional genetic reference databases (here: gnomAD and Great Middle Eastern (GME) Variome). The ECCO-GEN project aims at defining the genetic landscape of an understudied population and providing individual-level genetic and phenotypic data to support future studies in CVD and population genetics

Genomics of Egyptian healthy volunteers: the EHVol study

ABSTRACT Comprehensive genomic databases offer unprecedented opportunities towards effective tailored strategies for the prevention and treatment of disease. The integration of genomic and phenotypic data from diverse ethnic populations is also key to advancements in precision medicine and novel diagnostic technologies. Current reference genomic databases, however, are not representative of the global human population, making variant interpretation challenging and uncertain, especially in underrepresented populations such as the North African population. To address this, a study of 391 Egyptian healthy volunteers (EHVols) was initiated as a milestone towards establishing the 1000 Egyptian Genomes project

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population