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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the patients and health providers' (doctors and nurses) knowledge and understanding of the disease-related pain, and the perception of pain drugs (opioids) in South Lebanon., Patients and Methods: This was a pilot study conducted at different hospitals in South Lebanon among patients with confirmed cancer diagnosis and providers. Data was collected using patients' and providers' questionnaires., Results: 43 patients and 42 providers were included. 22 (52%) patients were male. Nine (21%) patients were aware of their diagnosis and only 60% talked about their pain to their oncologist. Pain was not optimally controlled with 25 (58%) patients having uncontrolled pain and 18 (42%) patients having continuous pain. Morphine was negatively perceived with 55.8% of patients believing that morphine causes addiction and 59% taking pain medications only when the pain is maximal. This led to a 58% short duration control of intermittent pain. 60% of the providers were certain that cancer pain cannot be relieved by morphine while only 33% believed that morphine can cause complete relief. Addiction seemed to be the main obstacle for morphine use with 37 (89%) thinking that narcotics causes addiction and 51% considering morphine withdrawal if side effects appear. Finally, 30% suggested to discontinue morphine in the terminal stages of cancer., Discussion and Conclusion: Major misconceptions in cancer patients are observed in the approach to antalgic treatment in our population. With good education, better knowledge and optimal palliative care units, misconceptions about opioids can be corrected with best management of cancer pain.

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare gastrointestinal neoplasms. The spontaneous rupture of a jejunal GIST is very rare and spontaneous rupture of liver metastasis from an intestinal GIST is even rarer with only a few cases reported in the literature. CASE REPORT In this article, we reported a case of spontaneous rupture of a liver metastasis from a malignant jejunal GIST that presented with active tumoral bleeding, hypovolemic shock, and hemoperitoneum. The patient was successfully treated with arterial embolization of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS In appropriately selected patients, arterial embolization appears to be an effective safe treatment for a GIST metastasis rupture.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by peripheral blood cytopenias, blood cells dysplasia, and increased risk for progression to acute leukemia.Physicians should be vigilant in diagnosing MDS and should be aware of the contemporary therapies that are always in progress. Most of the data on MDS epidemiology and management comes from developed countries. The incidence and features of MDS in the Arab countries, among them Lebanon, are not known. We undertook a nationwide epidemiological registry study of all newly diagnosed MDS cases through 2010-2011. Patients were referred by 21 hematologists/oncologists practicing in 17 hospitals and medical centers distributed across the entire country. 58 patients (29 males and 29 females) with confirmed MDS were included. The calculated incidence rate of MDS was 0.71 per 100,000 people. The median age at diagnosis was 73 years (range 16-86). The most common complaints on presentation were fatigue (70.7%), weakness (60.3%) and pallor (43.1%). Most patients were diagnosed as refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB; 36.2%) and refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD; 32.8%). This paper constitutes the first epidemiological report on the incidence and specific subtypes of MDS in Lebanon.

This paper presents two case reports of amniotic fluid embolism quite identical in the onset of symptoms, 1,20 hr, respectively 1,40 hr after extraction of the fetus during delivery by caesarean section, both births were induced by prostaglandins. Both newborns were male. One patient died with autopsy providing evidence of massive pulmonary embolism, laboratory findings showed hemolysis. The second patient survived with neurological disorders, laboratory findings temporarily showed nonspecific antibodies. Both patients were subdued to hysterectomy, no trace of amniotic fluid components were found in the uterine vessels in either one of them.

Purpose: Vinorelbine plus cisplatin is a commonly used doublet for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of oral vinorelbine as maintenance therapy in advanced NSCLC., Methods: This multicenter phase II open-label, non-comparative study was designed to evaluate the three-weekly combination of cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) on day 1 in combination with oral vinorelbine on day 1 and 8 in advanced NSCLC., Results: Thirty-nine patients were enrolled; median age was 63 years (range 42-82). In the response-evaluable population (n = 38), objective response after induction therapy was observed in 18 (47 %) patients with two (5 %) patients achieving complete response. Stable disease was observed in nine (24 %) patients. The median duration of response was 6 months. Eighteen (46 %) patients received oral vinorelbine as maintenance therapy. The median PFS for the whole population and for the maintenance therapy group was 4.9 [95 % CI (2.8-6.9)] and 6.7 [95 % CI (3.7-9.7)] months, respectively, while the overall survival was 8.7 [95 % CI (5.4-11.9)] and 11 [95 % CI (8.3-13.7)] months, respectively. The main observed overall hematologic toxicities were grade 3 anemia (8 %) and grade 3/4 neutropenia (8 %)., Conclusion: Maintenance therapy with single-agent oral vinorelbine is feasible and well tolerated; it seems to extend the efficacy of the combination regimen with the advantage of being convenient to patients.

Background: Hypertension is a common adverse effect of certain anti neoplastic therapy. The incidence and severity of hypertension are dependent mainly on the type and the dose of the drug., Methods: We reviewed the literature for studies that reported the effect of anti neoplastic agents on blood pressure in patients with malignancies. The medical databases of PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for articles published in English between 1955 and June 2012. The effects of specific agents on blood pressure were analyzed., Results and Conclusions: Hypertension is a prevalent adverse effect of many of the new chemotherapy agents such as VEGF inhibitors. Approximately 30% of patients treated for cancer will have concomitant hypertension, and crucial chemotherapy can sometimes be stopped due to new onset or worsening severe hypertension. The importance of a timely diagnosis and optimal management of HTN in this group of patients is related to the facts that HTN is a well established risk factor for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity and if left untreated, can alter cancer management and result in dose reductions or termination of anti-cancer treatments as well as life-threatening end organ damage., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The role of the VEGF signaling pathway in angiogenesis has been extensively investigated, and many new targeted anti-angiogenic drugs have evolved from this knowledge. The recent approval and introduction of these anti-neoplastic drugs has revolutionized the treatment of many types of cancers, but has also revealed numerous toxicities to the skin and its adnexae. Since these cutaneous side effects may have a significant impact on the physical, emotional and psychosocial health of patients, it is important for dermatologists and oncologists alike to be aware of the cutaneous complications of these drugs in order to properly diagnose and treat them. This review will detail the presentation of the cutaneous complications of the anti-angiogenic drugs, most notably bevacizumab, sorafenib and sunitinib, and shed light on the management of such adverse reactions., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Incidence of various Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes and association with viruses in Lebanon are not known. We undertook a nationwide study of 272 patients diagnosed with lymphoma in 2007. HL comprised 32.7 % (n = 89) of cases while NHL represented 67.3 % (n = 183). Consistent with the literature, nodular sclerosis was the most predominant HL subtype (n = 57/89). Among NHL, B-cell NHL represented 88 % (n = 161/183), T-cell NHL 9 % (n = 17/183), whereas in 2.7 % it was not classifiable. The B-cell NHL comprised predominantly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (46 %) and follicular lymphoma (23 %). 81 cases were reviewed by a panel of pathologists with 87.6 % concordance rate. Serology was negative for hepatitis C in 122 tested cases. HIV was positive in 2 cases. Two adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma were HTLV-I positive. EBV IgG were positive in 88.5 % of cases. 38 EBV seropositive cases [27 NHL (24 B-cell, 3 T-cell) and 11 HL] were studied for EBV genome expression using EBV-encoded RNA (EBER)-in situ hybridization. EBER expression was positive in 8 (21 %) cases (6 HL, 2 T-cell NHL). The distribution of lymphoma subtypes in Lebanon appears similar to that of Western countries. The high rate of EBV positivity in HL and T-cell lymphoma by EBER deserves further investigation.

The search for innovative therapeutic agents in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has witnessed a swift evolution. The number of targeted drugs that can improve patient outcomes with an acceptable safety profile is steadily increasing. In this review, we highlight current drugs that have already been approved or are under evaluation for the treatment of patients with NSCLC, either in monotherapy or combined therapy for both the first- and second-line settings. Experience with drugs targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor, as well as the epidermal growth factor receptor is summarized. Moreover, we provide an overview of more novel targets in NSCLC and initial experience with the respective therapeutic agents.

Introduction: Docetaxel has become the standard chemotherapy for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We wanted to assess the efficacy and safety of a weekly high-dose calcitriol, docetaxel and zoledronic acid combination in CRPC., Patients and Methods: Thirty patients were enrolled to receive calcitriol 0.5 µg/kg orally in 4 divided doses over 4 h on day 1 of each treatment week, docetaxel 36 mg/m(2) i.v. infusion on day 2 of each treatment week and zoledronic acid 4 mg i.v. on day 2 of the first and fifth week of each cycle. Treatment was administered weekly for 6 consecutive weeks on an 8-week cycle., Results: Out of 23 evaluable patients, there was a response of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in 11 patients (47.8%); 6 (26.1%) had a stable PSA level for a median of 4.2 months. The median survival time was 15 months (95% confidence interval 13.9-16.1 months). The regimen was generally tolerated; anemia was the only grade 3/4 hematological toxicity in 2 patients., Conclusions: This regimen was tolerated, and half of the patients had a PSA response. Although our response rates are inferior to some studies using docetaxel, we believe our response rates are acceptable knowing that we are treating CRPC, which still has variable outcomes., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Despite major advances in cancer therapeutics, the prognosis for lung cancer patients is still poor and the median survival for patients presenting with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is only 8-10 months. Angiogenesis is an important biological process and a relatively early event during lung cancer pathogenesis. Anti-angiogenic agents are used in treating patients with NSCLC, and their molecular biomarkers are also being assessed to predict response. A better understanding of the biology of angiogenesis in NSCLC may reveal new targets for treating this malignancy. In this article, we review the expression and prognostic impact of the angiogenic growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor, in NSCLC., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Objective: Gemcitabine and platinum-based compounds represent the new standard combination therapy for bladder cancer. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine and carboplatin followed sequentially by paclitaxel in 27 patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma., Methods: This phase II multicentre study was based on the doublet gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 and carboplatin area under the concentration-time curve 2 on days 1 and 8 every 21 days for 4 cycles, followed sequentially by paclitaxel 60 mg/m(2)/w for 12 consecutive weeks. The disease was assessed after each sequence., Results: Primary tumor was localized in the bladder and renal pelvis in 25 and 2 patients, respectively. Twenty patients completed all 4 cycles of the gemcitabine and carboplatin sequence. Mean number of cycles was 3.5 (range 1 to 4). Toxicities were mainly hematologic, including Grade 3 neutropenia and anemia in 3 patients. OBJECTIVE response was noted in 11 pts (40.7%), including 1 complete response (CR) and 10 partial responses (PR). Three patients had stable disease and 11 progressed. Among the 20 patients, 14 received the second sequence. Mean number of paclitaxel injections was 7 (range 2 to 12). Toxicities were limited to diarrhea and neurotoxicity in 1 patient each. OBJECTIVE response was documented in 6 patients (30%) (3 CR and 3 PR), including the improvement of PR into CR in 2 patients. Median duration of response was 6 months. After a median follow-up of 7 months, 21 patients died and 6 remained alive, including 2 who maintained CR and 1 PR.Sixteen patients had locally advanced disease and 11 had metastatic disease, better prognostic was noticed with patients with locally advanced disease., Conclusion: the sequential approach of treatment for advanced urothelial cancer using gemcitabine and carboplatine followed by paclitaxel seems to be a safer alternative to the combined triplet, but due to the limited number of patients this study failed to improve outcome. Further investigations with larger population are required.

Unlabelled: Following the proven efficacy and tolerability of Navcap and Navcap followed by docetaxel in the treatment of MBC, a phase II randomized study was initiated to assess the ORR of both arms in the first-line setting of MBC. Patients with no prior chemotherapy for MBC and HER-2/neu negative were eligible. All patients received Navcap (V 25 mg/m2 on d1 and d8 and C 825 mg/m2 bid D1-14 q3w) for a total of 4 cycles. Patients progressing under Navcap were withdrawn and received docetaxel as second-line treatment. Patients responding or stable were randomized to 2 arms: 4 cycles of Navcap (A) or 12 weekly docetaxel (25 mg/m²/week) (B). From July 2004 to July 2008, a total of 106 patients were enrolled. Ninety-four patients were evaluable before randomization, with a clinical benefit of 58%. Twenty-one patients (22%) had disease progression and were therefore not randomized. Forty-one patients were randomized to arm A and 29 patients to arm B. ORRs were 56 and 71% in arms A and B, respectively. The median time to progression and overall survival were 10 and 35 months in arm A and 12 and 37 months in arm B. Adverse events were mild. Arm A: grade 3-4 neutropenia (10%), grade 3 anemia (5%). Arm B: grade 3 neutropenia (6%), grade 3 anemia (6.2%), and grade 2 alopecia (12%)., Conclusion: Both Navcap and Navcap followed by Docetaxel regimens were tolerated with manageable toxicity, offering consistent activities in terms of response rate for metastatic breast cancer patients.

The role of platinum-based compounds (PBCs) in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been extensively studied. As single agents, high response rates have been observed in first-line therapy, while results in pretreated patients were discouraging. Regimens containing cisplatin/carboplatin together with taxanes showed the highest efficacy and safety as both first-line and second-line therapy. When administered with vinorelbine, the combination was also active and well tolerated in anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated patients. Combining PBCs with etoposide or nucleoside analogues showed moderate activity, yet high toxicity in the case of etoposide. The overall results for the combination with anthracyclines were disappointing. Addition of trastuzumab to PBC combinations showed remarkable activity and good tolerability in patients with HER2/neu overexpression. The use of cisplatin or carboplatin alongside novel targeted therapeutics for patients with triple-negative MBC seems promising and is being further evaluated. The use of PBCs against MBC requires careful patient selection and combination with the right chemotherapeutic agent., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Chemotherapy has a proven role in advanced and metastatic gastric cancer (AMGC) significantly improving quality of life and prolonging survival compared with best supportive care alone. Multiple regimens have been explored. The choice of treatment should be individualized and tailored to the patient's overall conditions and preference. This manuscript is divided into two sections. The first section illustrates the results of a phase II trial combining weekly irinotecan and low dose capecitabine in the management of untreated AMGC patients. The second section aims to identify the current optimal place of this combination in the management of AMGC in the light of the latest advances. In this manuscript we detail our phase II trial which showed objective response rate of 47% (15 patients), disease stabilization of 28% (9 patients), and overall tumor control rate of 75% (24 patients). Median time to progression and overall survival were 5.8 and 8 months, respectively. Grades III-IV toxicities were reported in 7 cases. Low-dose capecitabine plus irinotecan is effective in the treatment of AMGC with an acceptable toxicity profile. Compared to the recent published data, this combination is indicated in the second-line treatment of AMGC and in the first-line treatment where a contraindication for docetaxel- and/or oxaliplatin-based regimen is present.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. So far, the only curative treatment for gastric cancer is surgery. However, approximately half of all patients present with nonoperable tumors. Therefore, combination chemotherapy regimens are being accepted nowadays as first-line treatment for this disease. Despite the numerous efforts of randomized trials on advanced gastric cancer, no globally accepted regimen has yet been established. Historically, the most widely adopted protocols use 5-fluorouracil or platinum-based therapy with a response rate not exceeding 50% in combination therapy with a high rate of toxicity. Recently, many new drugs have emerged on the market and have been used in treating advanced or metastatic gastric cancer allowing the creation of new combination regimens with better clinical benefit. The combination of irinotecan plus capecitabine is one of these new combinations that seem to provide an acceptable response rate and good toxicity profile. In this article, we review the efficacy, tolerability, and feasibility of this combination for the treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric cancer and we summarize the clinical trials using this regimen.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) is increasingly recognized as a serious complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Our objective was to determine the prevalence of PHTN and identify factors associated with PHTN among children and young adults with SCD in Lebanon., Procedure: From June 2004 to June 2008, 90 patients were studied. Correlation of TRV with LDH, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), fetal hemoglobin (HbF), hydroxyurea use, and G6PD deficiency was performed. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was performed during steady-state at each patient's initial visit and yearly thereafter. PHT was defined as a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV) > or =2.5 m/sec., Results: Twenty-seven patients (31.8%) were found to have PHTN. They had significantly higher LDH levels (P = 0.008) and MCV (P = 0.024). There was a higher percentage of patients on hydroxyurea in the group with PHTN (78% vs. 50%, P = 0.015). Furthermore, five children, mean age 9.8 years (range, 6-13 years), with initially normal TRV developed PHTN while on hydroxyurea for at least 3 years, at a mean dose of 19.2 mg/kg/day (range, 14-24). PHTN clustered in families and was found in all members with SCD in 7 of the 21 families studied; they contributed 16 of the 27 patients with PHTN. None of the 21 patients with PHTN were G6PD deficient compared to 4 of 36 without PHTN., Conclusions: PHTN was common, associated with increased hemolysis but not G6PD deficiency, and clustered in families. Moreover, PHTN developed despite hydroxyurea therapy in five patients., (Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: Cancer of the oral cavity is rare and unusual in Down's syndrome patient. The over all risk is similar to that in adult population., Case Presentation: This case report describes a 27 years old male with Down's syndrome, non-smoker, who developed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. The patient underwent a hemiglossectomy without neck dissection followed by a postoperative locoregional radiation therapy to a total tumor-bed dose of 56 Gy and 45 Gy to the neck. Three months later, the patient presented with local tongue recurrence and was treated by Docetaxel and Carboplatin chemotherapy with no significant response. The patient died one month later, 9 months after his initial diagnosis., Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case of tongue carcinoma arising in a patient with Down's syndrome. This unique case might not be sufficient to make a significant conclusion on the prognosis and survival of these patients but will increase the awareness about this possibility and will help in the appropriate management of Down's syndrome patients.

Treatment options for patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) showed unsatisfactory outcomes. Docetaxel-based combinations could offer more promising and tolerated results. A phase II trial was conducted with the combination of zoledronic acid, docetaxel and estramustine. Eligibility consisted of metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma with objective progression or rising prostate specific antigen levels (PSA) despite androgen deprivation therapy. Zoledronic acid was given at a dose of 4 mg on day 1, docetaxel (25 mg/m2) on days 1, 8 and 15, and estramustine orally at 140 mg two times daily on days 1 to 21 of a 28-day cycle. Twenty-seven patients were enrolled between October 2002 and November 2004. Median age was 68 years (53-83 years). A total of 124 cycles were administered with a median of 4.6 cycles per patient (1-8 cycles). The major toxicities were grades 1 to 3 anemia (55%), fatigue (15%), alopecia (11%) and hypocalcemia (11%). Two patients presented with deep venous thrombosis and died from pulmonary embolism. Another third patient died from Stevens-Johnson syndrome and grade 4 hepatic toxicity. Out of the 25 patients assessed for efficacy, 13 (52%) had a biologic response (>50% PSA decline). Three (21%) patients among the 14 with measurable disease had objective response: 1 complete response (CR) and 2 partial responses (PR). Response duration was 2 months for PR and 4 months for CR. A total of 12 patients (48%) experienced clinical benefit with pain reduction. This combination seemed effective; however toxic deaths especially from venous thrombosis counterbalanced the advantage of this regimen.

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the activity and toxicity of the combination docetaxel and irinotecan as first-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Materials & Methods: Twenty-two chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB with pleural effusion or stage IV NSCLC received irinotecan 50 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15, and docetaxel 50 mg/m2 on day 2, every 28 days until disease progression., Results: Median follow-up was 10 months (range: 2-28 months). The overall response rate was 36.4% (8/22 patients; 95% confidence interval: 16.8-56.0), with no complete responses. Median time to disease progression was 5 months (range: 1-24 months) and median overall survival was 10 months (range: 2-28). Grade 3-4 diarrhea was observed in 2 patients (9.1%). Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 2 patients (9.1%): 1 episode of febrile neutropenia in one patient, and 1 death due to neutropenic sepsis in another patient. One patient received transfusion for grade 4 anemia., Conclusions: Irinotecan showed a moderate response rate and overall survival of clinical interest. Diarrhea was the main toxicity. This regimen may be suitable for patients unable to tolerate cisplatin-based therapy, for elderly and/or for patients with poor performance status, and should be investigated in a larger trial.

Background: The prognosis of gastric tumor is generally poor because most tumors are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Chemotherapy has a proven palliative role in advanced gastric cancer and several combination regimens were explored in the last 10 yr. Nevertheless, none of them showed a convincing improvement resulting in an enhancement of response rate and overall survival without discrimination of the quality of life. Irinotecan (CPT11) has been evaluated in multiple trials alone or in combined therapy with promising results and good tolerance. Thus, a review of the importance and impact of CPT11 in this indication is detailed., Methods: This article reviews the evidence for the use of CPT11 in the treatment of gastric cancer based on a computerized MEDLINE search of literature published until August 2006 leading to a total of 91 publications., Results: CPT11 was frequently used and showed a good response rate varying from 14% to 23% as single agent and 45% to 70% in combination with a median time to progression of 3 mo in single agent and 4-6 mo in combination, and median overall survival of approx 7 mo in single agent and up to 10.58 mo in combination., Conclusion: The overall response of irinotecan-based chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer was shown to be as effective as other combined chemotherapy. The hematological and digestive toxicity were tolerable and mild, especially in weekly regimen. Thus, irinotecan-based chemotherapy should be considered as one of the preferred choices in front line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.

This study was designed to determine the safety and efficacy of the combination therapy of gemcitabine plus carboplatin when used as a second-line treatment in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). From February 2002 to May 2003, 30 previously treated patients with adenocarcinoma of the breast received gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 plus carboplatin to an area under the curve (AUC) of 5 on day 1. The carboplatin dose was changed to an AUC of 4.5 because of toxicity, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks. Among 30 patients enrolled, 25 were assessable for response rate (RR). There was no complete response; 9 patients (30%) had partial response, for an overall RR of 30%. The median time to progression for the study group was 20.47 weeks (range, 8-46 weeks). Treatment-related toxicities included grade 3/4 neutropenia in 50% of patients (20% of whom had febrile neutropenia), grade 3/4 anemia in 26.6% of patients, and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in 30%. Eleven patients (36.67%) had grade 1 alopecia, and 1 patient (3.33%) had grade 2 alopecia. Moderate nausea was observed in 8 patients (26.67%), and vomiting occurred in 7 patients. Four patients had asthenia and 3 (10%) experienced stomatitis. Three patients discontinued treatment because of hematologic toxicity (thrombocytopenia) and 2 patients are still receiving treatment. Carboplatin plus gemcitabine is an active combination for patients with MBC despite significant but manageable hematologic toxicity.