• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2195-2198
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• 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
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1797-1800
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• 2016

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.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3265-3270
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• 2012

Clinically, elevated cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) in blood predicts tumor burden in a woman's body, especially in the ovary, but cannot differentiate between malignant or benign. We here used intensive modern proteomic approaches to identify predictive proteins in the serum of women with elevated CA-125 to differentiate malignant from benign ovarian tumors. We identified differentially expressed proteins in serum samples of ovarian cancer (OC) patients, benign ovarian tumor (BT) patients, and healthy control women using mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics. Both the OC and BT patients had elevated CA-125. Quantitation was achieved using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation. We obtained 124 quantified differential serum proteins in OC compared with BT. Two proteins, apolipoprotein A-4 (APOA4) and natural resistance-associated macrophage 1, were verified using Western blotting. Proteome profiling applied to OC cases identified several differential serum proteins in the serum of women with elevated CA-125. A novel protein, APOA4, has the potential to be a marker for malignant tumor differentiation in the serum of women with elevated CA-125.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2012

Introduction: Breast cancer is the second leading cancer in Korean women. To assess potential genetic associations between the prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) gene in the chromosome 8q24 locus and breast cancer risk in Korean women, 13 SNPs were selected and associations with breast cancer risk were analyzed with reference to hormone receptor (HR) and menopausal status. Methods:We analyzed DNA extracted from buffy coat from 456 patients and 461 control samples, using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) based upon region-specific PCR followed by allelespecific single base primer extension reactions. Risks associated with PSCA genotypes and haplotypes were estimated with chi-square test (${\chi}^2$-test), and polytomous logistic regression models using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), by HR and menopausal status. Results: In case-control analysis, odds ratios (OR) of rs2294009, rs2294008, rs2978981, rs2920298, rs2976395, and rs2976396 were statistically significant only among women with estrogen receptor (ER) negative cancers, and those of rs2294008, rs2978981, rs2294010, rs2920298, rs2976394, rs10216533, and rs2976396 were statistically significant only in pre-menopausal women, and not in postmenopausal women. Risk with the TTGGCAA haplotype was significantly elevated in ER (-) status (OR= 1.48, 95% CI= 1.03~2.12, p<0.05). Especially risk of allele T of rs2294008 is significantly low in pre-menopausal breast cancer patients and AA genotype of rs2976395 in ER (-) status represents the increase of OR value. Conclusion: This report indicated for the first time that associations exist between PSCA SNPs and breast cancer susceptibility in Korean women, particularly those who are pre-menopausal with an estrogen receptor negative tumor status.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6783-6790
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is the commonest type of cancer among women, and in Malaysia 50-60% of the new cases are being detected at late stages. Do age, education level, income, ethnicity, relationship with breast cancer patients and knowledge of breast cancer risk factors influence breast screening practices? This study revealed interesting but significant differences. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and early detection measures among women in a high risk group. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey of one hundred and thirty one women relatives of breast cancer patients was carried out. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, during hospital visits. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: The majority of the respondents (71%) had poor knowledge of the risk factors for breast cancer. Income, relationship with a patient and practise of breast cancer screening predicted performance of mammography, $R^2$=0.467, F=12.568, p<0.0001. Conclusions: The finding shows inadequate knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and poor cancer screening practise among women with family history of breast cancer. Poor knowledge and practise of breast screening are likely to lead to late stage presentation of breast cancer disease. Some important predictors of breast cancer screening behaviour among women with positive family history of breast cancer were identified. An understanding of the strengths and significance of the association between these factors and breast screening behaviour is vital for developing more targeted breast health promotion.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5313-5318
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• 2012

Psycho-educational interventions are not a substitute for analgesics, but they may serve as adjuvant therapy. Nurses can provide psychoeducational programmes to cancer patients to assist them in optimizing behavior that strengthen adjustment. The aim here was to determine the effects of psychoeducation on levels of adjustment to cancer in stage I-II breast cancer patients who met the study criteria (experimental group: 38 women, control group:38 women). The psychoeducational program consisted of eight 90 minute weekly sessions and data were collected using a questionnaire and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale three times: before, six weeks and six months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistical methods as well as the Chi square test, the Mann Whitney U test, repeated measures analysis of variance, the matched pairs t test and the Post Hoc Bonferroni test. The results at 6 weeks and 6 months after the program revealed that the experimental group had higher levels of "fighting spirit", lower levels of "helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation and fatalism" but there was no significant change in levels of "avoidance/denial" compared to the control group with regard to adjustment to cancer. In this study, psychoeducation was shown to cause positive changes in levels of adjustment to cancer in breast cancer patients

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.723-726
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is worldwide the most common cancer in women and is a major public health problem. Genes with high or low penetrance are now clearly implicated in the onset of breast cancer, mostly the BRCA genes. All women in families at high risk of breast cancer do not develop tumours, even when they carry the familial mutation, suggesting the existence of genetic and environmental protective factors. Several studies have shown that consanguinity is linked to a decreased or an increased risk of breast cancer, but to the best of our knowledge, there is no study concerning the association between consanguinity and the occurrence of tumours in women with high risk of breast cancer. The objective of this study was to examine whether parental consanguinity in families with genetic predisposition to breast cancer affect the risk of siblings for having this cancer. Materials and Methods: Over a six-year period, 72 different patients with a histological diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer from 42 families were recruited for genetic counselling to the Department of Medical Genetics, Rabat. Consanguinity rate was determined in cases and compared to the consanguinity rate in the Moroccan general population. Results: Consanguinity rates were 9.72% in patients and 15.3% in controls, but the difference was statistically not significant (p>0.001) and the mean coefficient of consanguinity was lower in breast cancer patients (0.0034) than in controls (0.0065). Conclusions: Despite the relatively small sample size of the current study, our results suggest that parental consanguinity in Moroccan women might not be associated with an altered risk of breast cancer. Large scale studies should be carried out to confirm our results and to develop public health programs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5525-5528
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• 2012

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Improvements of early diagnosis modalities have led to longer survival rates. This study aimed to determine the 5, 10 and 15 year mortality rates of breast cancer patients compared to the normal female population. Materials and Methods: The follow up data of a cohort of 615 breast cancer patients referred to Iranian Breast Cancer Research Center (BCRC) from 1986 to 1996 was considered as reference breast cancer dataset. The dataset was divided into 5 year age groups and the 5, 10 and 15 year probability of death for each group was estimated. The annual mortality rate of Iranian women was obtained from the Death Registry system. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) of breast cancer patients were calculated using the ratio of the mortality rate in breast cancer patients over the general female population. Results: The mean age of breast cancer patients at diagnosis time was 45.9 (${\pm}10.5$) years ranging from 24-74. A total of 73, 32 and 2 deaths were recorded at 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively, after diagnosis. The SMRs for breast cancer patients at 5, 10 and 15 year intervals after diagnosis were 6.74 (95% CI, 5.5-8.2), 6.55 (95%CI, 5-8.1) and 1.26 (95%CI, 0.65-2.9), respectively. Conclusion: Results showed that the observed mortality rate of breast cancer patients after 15 years from diagnosis was very similar to expected rates in general female population. This finding would be useful for clinicians and health policy makers to adopt a beneficial strategy to improve breast cancer survival. Further follow-up time with larger sample size and a pooled analysis of survival rates of different centres may shed more light on mortality patterns of breast cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.526-538
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• 2016

Breast cancer surgery result in changes in clothing style due to changes in the size of the breast as well as body shape. This study provides basic data as a fashion therapy to improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients who have to change clothing habits after surgery. The regression results found that the most important factor are pain and the amount of breast loss for clothes style changes after breast cancer surgery. Breast cancer patients suffer pain relative to the proximity to the date of surgery and regardless of the breast cancer resection range. However, the changes in clothes style relates to the amount of pain and breast reduction range. The t-test results on the change of the clothing styles for before and after breast cancer surgery showed that women significantly prefer comfortable clothes with sleeves and consider a closure style on clothes to put on and take off instead of clothes that are tight-fitting, have thin fabric or deep neck lines. Painful breast cancer results in women who prefer closure style on clothes, front closure clothes and garments that hide body shape. However, the larger reduction range of breast cancer patients and those with painful breast cancer prefer garments that hide body shape and are looser size clothes with sleeves.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2689-2692
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• 2014

Purpose: To investigate the risk factors for appendiceal metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancer and compare findings with the previous studies. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty-four patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were assessed in this study. All of them had undergone a surgical procedure including appendectomy. Of these, 21 (15.7%) patients who had appendiceal metastasis were analyzed as the case group and the patients with no metastasis were the controls, compared according to stage, grade, histology of tumor, preoperative Ca125 levels, presence of ascites, peritoneal cytology, diameter and site of tumor considered as risk factors. Results: We found statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of stage, grade, right-sided tumor location, presence of ascites, diameter of tumor${\geq}10cm$ and positive peritoneal cytology (p<0.05). In the logistic regression model, stage, grade, presence of ascites, right-sided location and diameter of tumor were independent risk factors. ROC curve analysis showed that stage, grade and diameter of the tumor were discriminative factors for appendiceal metastasis. Conclusions: In epithelial ovarian cancer, stage, grade, presence of ascites, right-sided location and large tumor size have importance for estimation of risk of appendiceal metastasis. As we compare our findings with previous studies, there is no definite recommendation for the risk factors of appendiceal metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer and more studies are needed.