Ibrahim Alkhawaldeh1, Mostafa Hossam El Din Moawad2, Mohammad Al-Jafari1, Layan H Darwish1, Amro K AlQurm3, Sadeen Zein Eiddin1, Mahmoud Shaban4, Hamza K. Alsalhi5, Safa G Odeh5, Yasmeen Jamal Alabdallat5
1Mutah University, 2Alexandria University, 3Jordan University of Science and Technology, 4Ainshams University, 5The Hashemite University
Objective:
To investigate current and future neuro-oncological research in the Middle East and address existing deficits in the field.
Background:
It is evident that the burden of brain tumors in the Middle East is not reflected by the current state of conducted research in the region.
Design/Methods:
We conducted a comprehensive computer-based search of the literature using the following databases: (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles related to brain tumors in the Middle East. The extraction of data was done by four authors using Microsoft Excel sheets. Studies were classified according to many perspectives, including the type of research, study design, discussed topic, and the collaborative type between authors. Statistical analysis was performed using Rstudio 4.2.3 to determine frequencies and percentages of categorical variables. Rstudio 4.2.3 was utilized to generate all charts and figures.
Results:
Our scoping review analyzed a total of 1451 research articles on Central nervous system (CNS) cancer. We found that primary research accounted for the majority of the studies at 69.2%, followed by 19% of other types of research and 11.8% of secondary research. Among the primary research articles, Turkish and Iranian authors contributed to the majority of the studies. In terms of study designs, case reports were the most common at 23.7%, followed by retrospective studies at 15.9%. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that clinical studies comprised the largest percentage at 89.5%, while public health and experimental studies accounted for 2.75% and 7.75%, respectively. Regarding the types of CNS cancer, gliomas were found to be the most prevalent with 301 (20.7%) articles, Followed by astrocytomas at 98 (6.8%), and meningiomas at 90 (6.2%) articles.
Conclusions:
High-quality neurosurgical programs and centers need to be more accessible in the Middle East to meet growing demands of the researchers. The absence of sufficient institutional planning could highly contribute to the deficient accessibility.