Modification and Implementation of NCCN Guidelines™ on Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Abstract

A lung cancer committee from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was established to modify the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer to create a platform for standard care in the region. The committee comprised different experts in thoracic oncology from the region, including the disciplines of medical and clinical oncology, radiation oncology, thoracic surgery, pulmonary medicine, radiology, and pathology. The committee reviewed version 2 of the 2009 NCCN Guidelines on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and identified recommendations requiring modification for the region using published evidence and relevant experience. These suggested modifications were discussed among the group and with a United States-based NCCN expert for approval. The recommended modifications, with justification and references, were categorized based on the NCCN Guidelines flow. This article describes these recommended modifications. The process of adapting the first NCCN-based guidelines in the region is a step toward helping to improve lung cancer care in the region and encouraging networking and collaboration.

mRNA Expression and Clinical Significance of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1, TYMS and TUBB3 in Postoperative Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

“…They only depend on chemoradiotherapy to relieve the pathological condition, improve symptoms and prolong survival time, but 5-year survival rate is less than 15%. Evidence-based medicine evidences confirmed that for the patients with NSCLC at phases Ⅰ-ⅢA, the operation should be as the major therapeutic principle, and adjuvant chemotherapy should be performed after radical resection according to tumor staging (Gautschi et al, 2008;Jazieh et al, 2010). However, the therapeutic effect of adjuvant chemotherapy after NSCLC complete excision is not good enough, which mainly results from the drug resistance of tumor cells to anticarcinogen.…”

Correlation between BRCA1 and TopBP1 protein expression and clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapy

“…Evidence-based medicine evidences confirmed that for the patients with NSCLC at phases I-III A , the operation should be as the major therapeutic principle, and adjuvant chemotherapy should be performed after radical resection according to tumor staging [2,3].…”

Diagnosis and Predictive Molecular Analysis of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Africa-Middle East Region: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement

“…According to 2012 estimates, the highest incidence rates for lung cancer are seen in Central and Eastern Europe [1], and developing countries are now experiencing an increasing lung cancer burden [7,8]. Of note, lung cancer has the highest incidence rate of all cancers in 7 of 14 Arab countries [9]; across the World Health Organization-defined East Mediterranean region, which comprises countries from North Africa and the Middle East, it is the most common cancer among men and the third most common cancer overall [1].…”