The results of our prospective study have revealed great diversity in the treatment regimens used to manage MM in real-life practice. This diversity was linked to factors such as novel agent accessibility and evolving treatment recommendations. Our results provide insight into associated clinical benefits.

In cases of contra-indication for high-dose chemotherapy for elderly patients with DLBCL, without complete remission, the Gemcitabine-based therapy protocol represents a more effective and less toxic than that of ESHAP.

Despite the availability of factor replacement to manage acute bleeding in haemophilia, haemarthrosis may occur due to delayed therapy or lack of detection, leading to joint damage. Orthopaedic surgery is one option to help improve patient quality of life. Assessment of current treatment patterns is required for physicians to optimize long-term management of patients; however, there are few studies available to determine the real-life situation in African/Middle-Eastern countries, such as Algeria. This was a multicentre, retrospective study of patients with haemophilia treated with on-demand factor replacement. Seven haematology centres in Algeria provided evaluable clinical data for 536 patients, including joint status and requirement for surgical intervention. Surgery was recommended in 326 (61%) patients (239 patients with severe haemophilia, 79 moderate and eight mild). Surgical procedures per patient age group were: 11 in patients ≤5 years, 34 in 6-10 years, 169 in 11-20 years, 183 in 21-30 years and 122 in ≥31 years. 14% of all procedures involved joint replacement, 56% other major surgeries and 30% minor surgeries (synoviorthesis). Minor surgery was most common in younger patients, while major surgeries increased proportionately with patient age. In Algeria, insufficient use of factor replacement has led to many patients with haemophilia experiencing haemarthrosis, leading to joint damage requiring surgery. This study aids assessment of the scale of the problem and identification of the surgical needs of patients. This may help plan targeted resourcing for patients most at risk of long-term disability and those likely to benefit from earlier surgical intervention.

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A 63-year-old woman presented with a massive proliferative growth in the urethral region. Fine needle aspiration and biopsy revealed nonHodgkin's lymphoma. No other tumor localization was found and complete remission occurred after 3 courses of chemotherapy. Primary localization of a lymphoma to the urethra is rare.

IntroductionIn a developing country like Algeria, such expensive therapy is not available. Alternative approaches are needed to help these adult. In Algeria ‘imatib’ (CIPLA-India) was introduced in 2006; but no study has been published yet in the North Africa region regarding response and outcome of this copy in CML patients. The goal of this multicenter study is to characterize newly adult CML in the western region of Algeria and to assess the effectiveness and safety of imatib (IM, copy) as frontline therapy for patients with CML.Patients and MethodsThe study was carried out in 7 hematology centers in the western Algeria. Patients, who were diagnosed to be suffering from CML between January 1st, 2007 and December 31st, 2014 were selected for data analysis. All patients received a copy preparation, consisting of the alpha crystal form of imatinib, (IM, copy) at an oral dose of 400 mg daily and monitored for tolerance and side effects while on therapy.ResultsBetween January 2007 and December 2014, 355 patients with CML were treated with imatib (Copy). The median follow- up of the study was 46 months (range: 13–107 months). Complete hematological response (CHR) was seen in 83% of patients within 3 months. According to the Sokal score, 72% patients with low, 78% with intermediate and 69% with high risk disease achieved a CHR in 3 months (p=0.26) and according to the EUTOS score, 81% of patients with low and 70% with high risk disease achieved a CHR in 3 months (p=0.08). The major molecular response (MMR) at six months (M6), M9, M12, M18 and M24 was 21%, 38%, 35%, 51% and 67% respectively and 34% of patients achieved a complete molecular response (CMR). The projected 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 83%. Side effects of imatib (copy) in this study were similar to those reported previously for the entire imatinib mesylate treatment study and only 8% of patients were intolerant to imatib (copy) and treated with a second generation of BCR-ABL inhibitor.ConclusionThis study reflects real world experience treating patients with CML in a developing country and thus sheds light on differences in this population compared to Western countries. In conclusion, imatib (copy) is effective and safe in treating patients with CML in chronic phase and proves to have a durable outcome. To our knowledge this is the first study reporting the response to imatib (copy) in an Algerian population.

Platelet count was 225 × 10⁹/l in 225 healthy male Algerians and 263 × 10⁹/l in 208 females. The mean platelet volume was 9.15 fl in the males and 9.30 in the females. The figures agree with those obtained in a British and an American population, but differed from those of an Australian population of immigrants from Mediterranean countries, essentially Italy and Greece. The prevalence of Mediterranean thrombocytopenia must therefore be low in Algeria.

An overall increase in the number of AML patients diagnosed nationwide over the last five years indicates a need for additional health care resources including curative and therapy-intense strategies, such as stem cell transplant facilities to optimize outcome. The relatively younger age of patients compared to the Western countries may be due to the demographic composition of our population.