Trends in lung cancer incidence in Lebanon by gender and histological type over the period 2005-2008

Introduction: Lung cancer incidence rates, overall and by histologic subtypes, vary substantially by gender and smoking. This study's aim was to review data regarding trends in the number of cases of different lung-cancer histologies and relate these to smoking habits by gender in Lebanon

Materials and methods: Lung cancer data using ICD-0, 3rd edition, from the Lebanese National Cancer Registry from 2005 to 2008 were stratified by gender for histology type for patients aged over 18 years. Results: Lung cancer cases among males were 2.5 times higher than those in females. The most common lung cancer histology type for males and females was adenocarcinoma for all observed years. The proportion of squamous cell carcinoma in incident cases was significantly higher in males than in females for the total period from 2005 to 2008, P = 0.032, but not in individual years. The ratio of adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma in incident cases between 2005 and 2008 was 2:45 for males and 3:15 for females

Conclusion: Lung cancer histology in Lebanon is following a pattern similar to that found in most countries of North America and in Europe, where adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent subtype among both males and females

sagittal pattello-femoral type [SPFT] in total knee arthroplasty a new parameter

Patient's satisfaction commonly goes beyond surgeon's satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty [TKA]. The authors aim at evaluating the correlation between patient's satisfaction and a new radiographic parameter, after TKA, the so-called "sagittal patello-femoral type" [SPFT]. The SPFT corresponds to the relationship between two radiographic lines drawn on the strict lateral knee radiograph: the patellar cut line and the posterior femoral cut line. A total of 69 knee replacements were retained for this retrospective study. They all fulfilled a number of inclusion criteria: 6 months of minimal follow-up, strict lateral radiograph of the operated knee in monopodal full weight bearing and full extension, and patient reported outcome using the Oxford Knee Score. Two types of SPFT were identified. In Type A, the patellar cut is parallel to the posterior femoral cut, while in type B the two lines are distally convergent. Oxford Knee Score was 78.34% for Type A and 72.34% for Type B; the difference was statistically significant according to Student t-test. The authors believe that SPFT reflects an important aspect of the patello-femoral relationship in TKA, and seems to be correlated to patient's satisfaction; patients with Type A have a higher rate of satisfaction. Nevertheless, the surgical steps the surgeon has to follow, in order to achieve parallel patellar and posterior femoral cuts, need to be clarified in the future