• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.5049-5052
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of oncological death for women, in both developed and developing countries. In Iran, breast cancer ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women. The aim of this study was to present the burden of this cancer including incidence, mortality and years life lost (YLL) due to breast cancer in Iranian women. Materials and Methods: National incidence data from the Iranian annual National Cancer Registration reports from 2003 to 2009 and national death statistics reported by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 1995 to 2010, stratified by age group, were included in this analysis. Also calculated YLLs provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 were employed to express the years lost due to BC for Iranian women. Results: The general mortality rate of breast cancer increased during these years from 0.96 to 4.33 per 100,000 and incidence increased from 16.0 to 28.3 per 100,000 for the years under study. YLLs calculated by IHME showed both increasing and decreasing patterns, with a tendency for stabilization. Conclusions: The burden of breast cancer for Iranian women is still increasing. Thus, health education programs to inform women regarding the signs and risk factors, and national screening to facilitate early diagnosis are needed for the female community in Iran.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.191-194
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• 2015

Purpose: To estimate the incidence of breast cancer in Yemeni female patients presenting with a breast mass. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out with 595 female patients with palpable breast lumps, attending to Alkuwait university hospital, Sana'a, Yemen. Triple assessment, including breast examination, mammography and biopsy (FNAC, core needle, or excision), for all patients were performed. Results: The incidences of benign and malignant lesions was calculated. Some 160 (26.9%) of 595 patients had malignancies; 213 (35.8%) were fibroadenomas; 12 (2.0%) were fibrocystic change; 143 (24.03%) were inflammatory lesions (including mastitis and ductectasia); 62 (10.4%) were simple cysts, while 5 (0.8%) were phyllodes tumors. The mean age of patients with malignant lumps was 44.3 years. Conclusions: Among Yemeni female patients with palpable breast lumps, the rate of breast cancer is high, with occurrence at an earlier age than in Western countries. Improving breast cancer awareness programs and increasing breast cancer screening centers inb different areas of Yemen are needed to establish early diagnosis and offer early and optimal treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.2959-2964
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• 2014

While several reproductive and lifestyle-related factors are already well-known as established risk factors for breast cancer, environmental factors have attracted attention only recently. The objective of the current study was to assess the association between the breast cancer incidences in females, the mortality rate and the number of motor vehicles on the one side and the consumption of gasoline which could work as a major source of air pollution at the other side. The breast cancer incidences and the mortality trends were compared with various indices of westernization like dietary patterns or industrialization with 10 years lag of time. Geographical variations with 10, 15 and 20 years lag of time were assessed between the breast cancer incidence in 2010 and the number of motor vehicles as well as the consumption of gasoline. The upward trend of motor vehicle numbers proved to be comparable to those of breast cancer incidence and mortality. However, the consumption of gasoline started to decrease since the mid-1990s. The geographic distribution of motor vehicle numbers and gasoline consumption in 1990 is in a positive correlation with the breast cancer incidence rates in 2010 and the 20-year lag time ($R^2$ 0.379 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.345 with consumption of gasoline). In a linear relationship between the breast cancer incidences in 2010 and the log transformed number of motor vehicles, the log transformed consumption of gasoline in 2000 also showed a positive relationship ($R^2$ 0.367 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.329 with consumption of gasoline). The results of the current study indicate that there may be a positive relation between the number of vehicles, gasoline consumption and the incidence of breast cancer from the aspects of long-term trends and geographical variation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3105-3112
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• 2014

Purpose: To examine breast cancer (BC) incidence trends in relation to mammographic screening and risk factor prevalence in South Australia (SA). Materials and Methods: Trends in annual BC incidence rates were calculated using direct standardisation and compared with projected incidence derived from Poisson regression analysis of pre-screening rates. Annual percentage change and change time points were estimated using Joinpoint software. Biennial mammography screening participation rates were calculated using data from BreastScreen SA. Trends in overweight/obesity, alcohol use and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use were examined using 1991-2009 Health Omnibus Survey data. Trends in total fertility were examined using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Results: BC incidence increased around the time BreastScreen commenced and then stabilised in the mid-1990s. However rates have remained higher than projected, even though the proportion and age distribution of first time screening attendees stabilised around 1998. A decrease in BC incidence was observed among women aged 50-59yrs from the late-1990's but not among older women. Obesity and alcohol use have increased steadily in all age groups, while HRT use declined sharply from the late-1990s. Conclusions: BC incidence has remained higher than projected since mammography screening began. The sustained elevation is likely to be due to lead time effects, though over-diagnosis cannot be excluded. Declining HRT use has also impacted incidence trends. Implications: Studies using individual level data, which can account for changes in risk factor prevalence and lead time effects, are required to evaluate 'over-diagnosis' due to screening.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2895-2899
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• 2016

Background: Increasing breast cancer (BC) incidence rates have been reported from India; causal factors for this increased incidence are not understood and diagnosis is mostly in advanced stages. Trivandrum exhibits the highest BC incidence rates in India. This study aimed to estimate trends in incidence by age from 2005-2014, to predict rates through 2020 and to assess the stage at diagnosis of BC in Trivandrum. Materials and Methods: BC cases were obtained from the Population Based Cancer Registry, Trivandrum. Distribution of stage at diagnosis and incidence rates of BC [Age-specific (ASpR), crude (CR) and age-standardized (ASR)] are described and employed with a joinpoint regression model to estimate average annual percent changes (AAPC) and a Bayesian model to estimate predictive rates. Results: BC accounts for 31% (2681/8737) of all female cancers in Trivandrum. Thirty-five percent (944/2681) are <50 years of age and only 9% present with stage I disease. Average age increased from 53 to 56.4 years (p=0.0001), CR (per $10^5$ women) increased from 39 (ASR: 35.2) to 55.4 (ASR: 43.4), AAPC for CR was 5.0 (p=0.001) and ASR was 3.1 (p=0.001). Rates increased from 50 years. Predicted ASpR is 174 in 50-59 years, 231 in > 60 years and overall CR is 80 (ASR: 57) for 2019-20. Conclusions: BC, mostly diagnosed in advanced stages, is rising rapidly in South India with large increases likely in the future; particularly among post-menopausal women. This increase might be due to aging and/or changes in lifestyle factors. Reasons for the increased incidence and late stage diagnosis need to be studied.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4237-4245
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• 2015

Breast cancer is a menacing cancer, primarily affecting women. Continuous research is going on for detecting breast cancer in the early stage as the possibility of cure in early stages is bright. There are two main objectives of this current study, first establish statistics for breast cancer and second to find methodologies which can be helpful in the early stage detection of the breast cancer based on previous studies. The breast cancer statistics for incidence and mortality of the UK, US, India and Egypt were considered for this study. The finding of this study proved that the overall mortality rates of the UK and US have been improved because of awareness, improved medical technology and screening, but in case of India and Egypt the condition is less positive because of lack of awareness. The methodological findings of this study suggest a combined framework based on data mining and evolutionary algorithms. It provides a strong bridge in improving the classification and detection accuracy of breast cancer data.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.59-64
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• 2016

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in females (27% of the total) and the main cause of death (16%) due to cancer in women in developed and developing countries. Variations in its incidence rate among geographical areas are due to various contributing factors. Since there have been a lack of studies on this topic in our country, the present spatial analysis of breast cancer incidence in Iran in 2009 was conducted using data from the national cancer registry system. The reported incidences of the disease were standardized according to the World Health Organization population and the direct method. Then data was inserted into the GIS software and finally, using the Hot Spot Analysis (Geties-Ord Gi), high-risk areas were drawn. Provinces with incidences 1.96 SD higher or lower than the national average were considered as hot spots or cold spots, at the significance level of 0.05%. In 2009, a total of 7,582 cases of BC occurred in Iran. The annual incidence was 33.2 per hundred thousand people. Our study showed that the highest incidence of BC in women occurred in the central provinces of the country, Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Markazi and Fars. The results of hot spots analysis showed that the distribution of high-risk BC was focused in central parts of Iran, especially Isfahan province (p <0.01). The other provinces were not significantly different from the national average. The higher incidence in central provinces may be due to greater exposure to carcinogens in urban areas, a Western lifestyle and high prevalence of other risk factors. Further epidemiological studies about the etiology and early detection of BC are essential.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9607-9610
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• 2014

Breast cancer, a leading cause of death among women in most countries worldwide, is rapidly increasing in incidence in Vietnam. One of biomarkers is the disruption of the genetic material including epigenetic changes like DNA methylation. With the aim of finding hypermethylation at CpG islands of promoter of BRCA1 gene, belonged to the tumor suppressor gene family, as the biomarker for breast cancer in Vietnamese population, sensitive methyl specific PCR (MSP) was carried out on 115 samples including 95 breast cancer specimens and 20 normal breast tissues with other diseases which were obtained from Ho Chi Minh City Medical Hospital, Vietnam. The result indicated that the frequency of BRCA1 hypermethylation reached 82.1% in the cases (p<0.001). In addition, the DNA hypermethylation of this candidate gene increased the possibility to be breast cancer with high incidence via calculated odd ratios (p<0.05). In conclusion, hypermethylation of this candidate gene could be used as the promising biomarker application with Vietnamese breast cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4411-4416
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• 2014

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females all over the world with approximately one million new cases each year as well as one of second leading causes of death among females. In Pakistan, the most frequently diagnosed cancer among females is also breast cancer, accounting for nearly one in nine female patients. Its incidence in Pakistan is 2.5 times higher than that in neighboring countries like Iran and India. The risk factors associated with breast cancer are age, family history, early menarche, intake of combined estrogen and progestin menopausal hormones, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, low socioeconomic status and lack of awareness regarding the disease. This mini-review article aims to provide awareness about breast cancer as well as an updated knowledge about the prevalence, risk factors and disease knowledge of breast cancer in Pakistan.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5249-5255
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• 2013

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a single measure of cancer burden (SMCB), which can prioritize cancer sites by considering incidence and mortality. Materials and Methods: Incidence data from 1999 to 2010 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. Mortality data from 1999 to 2010 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The SMCB was developed by adding incidence and mortality scores. The respective scores were given such that incidence and mortality were classified by ten ranges of equal intervals. Results: According to the SMCB in 2010, stomach cancer ranked $1^{st}$ in males with 20 points, and colorectal cancer was $2^{nd}$ with 11 points. Breast cancer and thyroid cancer were joint $1^{st}$ with 11 points for females. The SMCB for females was less than that for males. The burden of stomach cancer was $1^{st}$ in males from 1999-2010. The incidences of lung cancer and liver cancer decreased, whereas thyroid cancer and colon cancer increased during the period. Breast cancer and thyroid cancer burden showed tendencies to increase in females. Comparison of SMCB with disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and socioeconomic costs in 2005 showed that the top five cancer sites were similar, but there were differences in the size of the cancer burden. Conclusions: The SMCB indicated that the burdens of stomach cancer in males and thyroid and breast cancers in females were large. The single measure showed an advantage, reflected as the equivalent dimensions of incidence and mortality, whereas DALY and economic costs showed tendencies to reflect premature death.