The Association between Colorectal Cancer and Colonoscopic Conditions in Saudi Patients: A 10-Year Cross-Sectional-Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: In Saudi Arabia, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer in males and the third most common cancer in females. The current gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis is colonoscopy. Several concerns regarding the balance of ordering colonoscopy procedures for patients presenting with signs and symptoms. There are also several concerns regarding over-ordering the procedure when unnecessary. The current study aimed to evaluate the association between colorectal cancer and colonoscopic conditions in Saudi patients. METHODS: A 10-year cross-sectional study was conducted at Alnoor Specialty Hospital, Makkah, over the last ten years. Colonoscopy reports of patients were evaluated to identify the colonoscopy manifestations associated with mass, polyps, and bleeding. RESULTS: The current study evaluated 2158 cases admitted to the hospital for colonoscopic diagnosis. Results indicated that most of the patients were males (55.4%). Additionally, results showed a significant statistical association between tumor and bleeding, polyp, and hemorrhage. Moreover, it highlighted the association between polyps and bleeding, inflammation, and diverticulosis. CONCLUSION: CRC screening in Saudi Arabia is comprehensive; however, there are a few areas for improvement, including standardization of colorectal cancer pathology reporting to improve the health system's quality. Also, the current study identified conditions that are significantly associated with reported colon polyps and tumors, which could aid in stratifying patients selected for screening via colonoscopy

Patterns of Thyroid Cancer Mortality and Incidence in Saudi Arabia: A 30-Year Study

Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine cancer among the female population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the ninth most common in the male population in Saudi Arabia. Over the past years, an increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been reported in Saudi Arabia. However, the etiology of thyroid cancer is still not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate thyroid cancer incidence and mortality trends in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2019. The current study utilized the Global Burden of Disease and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation databases to extract prevalence data of thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2019. Moreover, the current project utilizes Global Burden of Disease (GBD) web-based tools to visualize these data. In total, 23,846 cases (17,220 females and 6626 males) were diagnosed with thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2019. The incidence is higher in females than in males. Over these 30 years, women’s incidence steadily increased by 15-fold versus a 22-fold increase in men. Moreover, there were 2056 deaths in total caused by thyroid cancer in KSA. The mortality rate in women steadily increased by threefold in the same period. However, the increase in mortality was higher in males (sixfold). A high percentage of YLLs was observed in males, with around 24.8% ranging from 30 to 34 and 40 to 45 years. Thyroid cancer incidence rates have increased exponentially between 1990 and 2019. The expansion of the incidence of thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia could be due to the increased development in detection and diagnosis. The current study provided evidence of the need to increase awareness and diagnosis in the male population