Cancer research in Lebanon: Scope of the most recent publications of an academic institution (Review)

Abstract

Cancer may be considered one of the most interesting areas of study, and although oncology research has grown markedly over the last decade, there is as yet no known cure for cancer. The objective of the present review is to examine various approaches to cancer research from a single institution, summarize their key conclusions and offer recommendations for future evaluations. The review examined 72 cancer-associated studies that were published within six years from 2017 to 2022. Published works in the subject fields of 'cancer' or 'oncology' and 'research' that were indexed in Scopus and Web of Science were retrieved and sorted according to article title, author names, author count, citation count and key words. After screening, a total of 28 in vitro/animal studies and 46 patient-associated published studies were obtained. A large proportion of these studies comprised literature reviews (20/72), while 20 studies were observational in nature. The 72 publications included 23 in which various types of cancer were examined, while the remaining studies focused on specific types of cancer, including lung, breast, colon and brain cancer. These studies aimed to investigate the incidence, prevalence, treatment and prevention mechanisms associated with cancer. Despite the existence of extensive cancer research, scientists seldom contemplate an ultimate cure for cancer. However, it is crucial to continuously pursue research on cancer prevention and treatment in order to enhance the effectiveness and minimize potential side effects of cancer therapy.

Keywords: cancer; evaluation; publications; recommendations; research.

Figure 1.

Diagram of the study selection process. LAU, Lebanese American University; WOS, Web of Science.

Figure 2.

Percentage of cancer-associated publications per year.

Figure 3.

Types of studies included in the Lebanese American University research directory between 2017 and 2022.

Figure 4.

Types of cancer studied at the Lebanese American University between 2017 and 2022.

Figure 5.

Cancer study types at the Lebanese American University between 2017 and 2022.

Figure 6.

Different types of cancer studied at the Lebanese American University between 2017 and 2022.