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Introduction: Autophagy is an intracellular process that plays a key role in the cellular homeostasis. Recently, it has been described as a potential therapeutic target in oncology, whether by activating or inhibiting its different cascades. Autophagy inhibitors interact with different molecular processes of the hallmarks of cancer. Areas covered: Multiple proteins of the autophagy cascade could be aimed by specific inhibitors in many tumors, notably bladder cancer. In fact, bladder cancer has been increasing in prevalence over the last decade, and resistance to conventional treatment has been extensively reported in the literature. Autophagy inhibitors in bladder cancer have been described in preclinical studies to increase the sensitivity of the tumor to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This paper is a review of the literature, which selected randomized trials, cohort studies, and case--control studies documenting the relationship between autophagy inhibitors and bladder cancer treatment. Expert opinion: Autophagy is a promising pathway for cancer cell targeting that opens the horizons for a potential new therapeutic area in particular the multidisciplinary management of bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To obtain routine clinical practice data on the usage patterns and outcomes (safety and effectiveness) of targeted therapies in the management of mRCC in a single tertiary center in a developing country. Methods: A retrospective review of mRCC patients of any pathological subtype treated with targeted therapies between June 2006 and January 2013 was performed. Patients' characteristics, effectiveness and safety of treatment were reported. Results: 86 patients were screened of whom 70 were metastatic. Median age at diagnosis was 61.5 years, 79% of patients were men, 77.9 % underwent nephrectomy and 77% of the tumors were clear-cell carcinoma. Patients were diagnosed at a metastatic stage in 39.5% of the cases with more than one metastatic site (79 %). The majority of patients (73%) were of low and intermediate-risk category according to the MSKCC score. Forty nine patients received targeted therapy that consisted mainly of Sunitinib as first line (75.6%) and Everolimus as second line (52.6%). Median OS was 12 months (1-79) and PFS was 8 months (1-72). Side effects of more than grade 2 were noted in 84 % of treated patients. Conclusion: The study shows that the targeted therapies for mRCC offer significant benefit. It highlights the importance of developing better ways in evaluating patients and of making more efforts to get patients more closely followed. Finally, it shows the need to develop a prospective real-life studies to better understand the routine practice of the management of mRCC that goes beyond the simple application of guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research in the field of informational needs of breast cancer patients is scarce. In the few published articles, these needs were usually not satisfied. The main objective of this study was to evaluate satisfaction regarding informational needs in women with breast cancer. The long-term goal was to guide physician-patient communication to meet these needs., Materials and Methods: A survey with 21 questions was completed by 84 female patients receiving chemotherapy in a one-day hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. All patients were aware of their disease and agreed to participate in the survey., Results: The doctor was the major source of information for patients followed by media (radio and television). The level of knowledge of patients concerning their disease was proportional to the number of information sources. Women aged younger than 45 years, diagnosed during the last three months before the survey and certified from high school were less satisfied with information given by the oncologist. The missing information was in relation with the steps of the treatment after the chemotherapy regimen, the risk of a family member (sisters and daughters) of developing the disease and management of lymphedema., Conclusions: This study generated a scale for the degree of satisfaction of information received by women with breast cancer from their oncologist. The physician can use this scale to improve his or her skills of communication to patients and diminish their level of fear and anxiety.