• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권4호
• /
• pp.1563-1566
• /
• 2014

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for most esophageal cancer in Asia, and is the sixth common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Previous studies indicated HOXB7 is overexpressed in ESCC tissues, but data on prognostic value are limited. Methods: A total of 76 advanced ESCC cases were investigated. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression levels of HOXB7 and Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models to determine prognostic significance. Stratified analysis was also performed according to lymph node (LN) status. Results: Kaplan-Meier curve analysis indicated that HOXB7 positive patients had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than HOXB7 negative patients. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated only TNM stage and HOXB7 expression to be independent predictors of overall survival of advanced ESCC patients. HOXB7 indicated poor OS in both lymph node negative (LN-) and lymph node positive (LN+) patients. Conclusion: HOXB7 predicts poor prognosis of advanced ESCC patients and can be applied as an independent prognostic predictor.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권11호
• /
• pp.6537-6540
• /
• 2013

Background: Music therapy is a common complementary and alternative therapy in addition to medical treatment for patients with cancer. If music therapy, which is known has a positive effect on human emotions and behaviors, is a useful additional therapy, it should be more integrated into pyscho-oncology. In this study, we aimed to determine medical oncologist attitudes to music therapy for patients with cancer and knowledge about musicology and music therapy in Turkey. Materials and Methods: This survey study included questions about participant attitudes and knowledge regarding music therapy as well as demographic characteristics. The population of the study were 402 physicians working in medical oncology in Turkey and the sample covered 112 participants in the the survey. For statistical analyses the chi-square test, Fischer exact test, and Mann-Whitney U analysis are applied. Results: In our study the rate for medical oncologists who were interested in music therapy was 28% (n=112). Some 30% (n=34) of medical oncologists recommended music therapy for their patients and 55% (n=61) recommended music therapy to prevent anxiety in patients with cancer. Conclusions: In this study, for more harmony with patients and in order to ensure management of adverse effect, it was concluded that music therapy should be regrded as an additional therapy in oncology clinics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권1호
• /
• pp.53-58
• /
• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the the efficacy of oral glutamine (GLN) in prevention of acute radiation-induced esophagitis in patients with lung cancer and determine the predictive role of clinical and dosimetric parameters. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients diagnosed with lung cancer were studied prospectively. Sixteen patients (50%) received prophylactic powdered GLN orally in doses of 10g/8h. Patients were treated 2 Gy per fraction daily, 5 days a week. We evaluated the grading of esophagitis daily at the end of each fraction of each treatment day until a cumulative dose of 50 Gy was reached. The primary end point was radiation-induced esophagitis. Results: All patients tolerated GLN well. Toxicity grade, weight loss, serum cytokine levels and esophageal transit times exhibited statistically significant improvement in the GLN receiving group. GLN suppressed the inflammation related to the disease and treatment and reduced toxicity with statistical significance. Conclusions: This study suggests a benefical role of oral GLN use in prevention and/or delay of radiation-induced esophagitis, in terms of esophageal transit time and serum immunological parameters, as well as weight loss.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권7호
• /
• pp.3081-3086
• /
• 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the level of social support and quality of life in Turkish patients with gynecologic cancer using a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 108 patients admitted to the gynecologic oncology clinic at a university hospital from September 2011 to January 2012 were included. Data were collected using patient information forms, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and The Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors Instrument (QOL-CS). Average age was $54.5{\pm}10.8$ years and it was determined that 65.7% of patients had ovarian cancer and 19.4% had cervical cancer. The total QOL-CS mean score was $5.59{\pm}1.10$. Average score of total MSPSS was found to be $69.7{\pm}14.64$. Comparing socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients and average scores of QOL-CS and MSPSS, it was found that there was not a statisticaly significant corelation (p>0.05). Statistically significant relation was found between the average scores of QOL-CS and MSPSS. These results showed that quality of life was moderate and perceived social support was high in Turkish patients with gynecologic cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권7호
• /
• pp.3071-3074
• /
• 2014

Background: To investigate the related risk factors of postoperative nosocomial pneumonia (POP) in patients withI-IIIa lung cancer. Methods: Medical records of 511 patients who underwent resection for lung cancer between January 2012 to December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Risk factors of postoperative pneumonia were identified and evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The incidence of postoperative pneumonia in these lung cancer patients was 2.9% (15 cases). Compared with 496 patients who had no pneumonia infection after operation, older age (>60), histopathological type of squamous cell carcinoma and longer surgery time (>3h) were significant risk factors by univariate analysis. Other potential risk factors such as alcohol consumption, history of smoking, hypersensitivity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and so on were not showed such significance in this study. Further, the multivariate analysis revealed that old age (>60 years) (OR 5.813, p=0.018) and histopathological type of squamous cell carcinoma (OR 5.831, p<0.001) were also statistically significant independent risk factors for postoperative pneumonia. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that being old aged (>60 years) and having squamous cell carcinoma histopathological type might be important factors in determining the risk of postoperative pneumonia in lung cancer patients after surgery.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권8호
• /
• pp.3443-3446
• /
• 2014

The aim of this study was to determine predictive factors for neutropenia after docetaxel-based systemic chemotherapy in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The study included 40 Korean CRPC patients who were treated with several cycles of docetaxel plus prednisolone from May 2005 to May 2012. Patients were evaluated for neutropenia risk factors and for the incidence of neutropenia. In this study, nine out of forty patients (22.5%) developed neutropenia during the first cycle of docetaxel-based systemic chemotherapy. Four experienced grade 2, three grade 3, and one grade 4 neutropenia. Multivariate analysis showed that pretreatment white blood cell (WBC) count (p=0.042), pretreatment neutrophil count (p=0.015), pretreatment serum creatinine level (p=0.027), and pretreatment serum albumin level (p=0.017) were significant predictive factors for neutropenia. In conclusion, pretreatment WBC counts, neutrophil counts, serum creatinine levels, and serum albumin levels proved to be significant independent risk factors for the development of neutropenia induced by docetaxel-based systemic chemotherapy in patients with CRPC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권13호
• /
• pp.5377-5381
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in quality of life in patients who received breast conserving surgery (BCS) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) for breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 women with breast cancer who underwent either BCS or MRM between September 2011 and April 2012 at a private health center and completed their chemotherapy and radiation therapy cycles were included in the study. To assess the quality of life, we used a demographic questionnaire, the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Quality of Life assessment in Breast Cancer (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Results: Using QLQ-C30, we found that patients who underwent BCS had better functional status and fewer symptoms than patients who underwent MRM. In QLQ-BR23, independent factors improving the functional scales were BCS, higher level of education and marital status (married); independent factors improving symptoms were BCS, higher level of education, younger age and low and normal body mass index (BMI). In QLQ-C30, independent factors affecting the functional and symptom scales were only BCS and higher level of education. Conclusions: We determined that patients who received BCS had better functional status and less frequent symptoms than patients who underwent MRM.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권sup3호
• /
• pp.175-177
• /
• 2016

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among the population as a whole and among females, yet it is highly curable if diagnosed at an early stage. Different methods are used to diagnose breast cancer. One of these methods features immunological tests using flow cytometry to determine T-lymphocyte (CD4/CD8) ratios in peripheral blood. One hundred patients with breast cancer (50 from Basra, Iraq, and 50 from Baku, Azerbaijan) confirmed to have breast cancer by histopathology were studied. Blood samples were collected from all patients before initiation of treatment and were used for analysis. The mean age of women from Basra was $51.2{\pm}10.7years$ and that of women from Baku was slightly higher at $54.8{\pm}12.2$. The mean CD4/CD8 ratio in Basra was 1.4 and in Baku was 1.8 with P value < 0.05. The percentage of Basra patients who have CD4/CD8 value less than 1 was 50%, while the percentage for Baku patients was 24 % (p < 0.05). While the CD4/CD8 T-lymphocyte ratio might be useful for early diagnosis in patients with breast cancer parallel with other confirmed tests factors involved in explaining variation between countries such as that observed here need to be taken into account.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권4호
• /
• pp.2195-2198
• /
• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women with wide differences in clinical profile from region to region. The present study aimed to describe the profile of breast cancer patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Marathwada region of Western India. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive retrospective study, we reviewed records of pathologically diagnosed patients of breast cancer managed at our center from years 2009 to 2015. Data with respect to demographic status, detailed past, medical, familial and personal history, findings of clinical examination and histological features were obtained. Patients were staged according to the Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) system. Results: Among 260 cases, mean age of presentation was 52.6, with average age of menarche of 11.3 and menopause of 52.6 years. The majority of patients were from urban regions and were postmenopausal (64.3%). Main clinical features presentation were breast lumps. Most patients were in stage II and had infiltrating duct carcinomas. Conclusions: Most common risk factors for breast cancer observed are increasing age, low parity and obesity. Breast cancer was more prevalent among postmenopausal women presenting in stage II with infiltating duct carcinoma in our region of India.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권4호
• /
• pp.2115-2118
• /
• 2016

Background: The study aimed to assess complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and their associated factors with breast cancer patients in Bandung, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: In total, 330 breast cancer patients were administered questionnaires on their CAM use and CAM predictive factors including socio-demographic parameters, clinical data and quality of life, trust in physicians, trust in hospitals, satisfaction and informational needs. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate log regreesion analysis. Results: Overall 33.3% of patients reported use of CAM. Lower income, lower education, presence of metastasis, prolonged diagnosis, less trust in physician were found to be highly associated with CAM use. Conclusions: CAM use by breast cancer patients can be interpreted as an attempt to explore all possible options, an expression of an active coping style, or expression of unmet needs in the cancer care continuum. Physicians need to openly discuss the use of CAM with their patients and identify whether they have other unmet supportive needs.