• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5811-5815
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• 2012

Background: Non-invasive oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) and invasive well-differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have similar histopathologic findings but different biological behavior. These two malignancies must be correctly differentiated by pathologists. The aim of this study was to determine immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Ki67 in OVC and well-differentiated OSCC. Methods: Expression of Ki67 was evaluated by IHC in 15 cases of epithelial hyperplasia with no dysplasia (A group), 15 cases of OVC (B group), 12 cases of microinvasive OSCC(C group) and 15 cases of well-differentiated OSCC (D group). Results: There was a significant difference in Ki67 expression based on pattern distribution of immunostaining positive cells, with quantitative and semi-quantitative analyses, among the four groups ; also, between A group and each of the other three groups (P=0.0001). But there was no significant difference between B and C, C and D, and B and D groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: The three evaluation methods of Ki67 expression showed Ki67 (Mib-1) is not a good immunohistochemical marker to assess invasion status and differentiate OVC from well-differentiated OSCC; also, it cannot be used as a diagnostic tool to distinguish between variants of OSCC with similar grade.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5805-5809
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• 2012

Aims: The study aimed to compare treatment compliance and nutritional outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients during chemoradiation. Methods: Clinical information of patients with NPC that underwent chemoradiation during 2004-2009 were retrieved from the hospital database and retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorised into a prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PPEG) group and a non-PPEG group. Clinical information including treatment compliance, weight, haematological and renal toxicity was compared. Results: A total of 219 patients were reviewed and categorised into PPEG (n=77) and non-PPEG (n=142). Significant differences in absolute percentage weight loss between groups were found from the $3^{rd}$ cycle of chemotherapy. There were 24.2, 20.3 and 24.8% in the third, the fourth and the fifth cycles of chemotherapy, respectively. Migration of grade 2 to grade 3 weight loss was obviously seen in the $3^{rd}$ cycle as well. A significant difference of grade 3 or more hypokalemia was found with values of 14.3% and 50% in the PPEG and non-PPEG groups, respectively. Other toxicity parameters and treatment compliance were not different between the groups. Conclusions: Use of PPEG resulted in decreased severe weight loss, reduced migration from grade 2 to grade 3 weight loss and reduced hypokalaemia. However, benefits in treatment compliance could not be detected. So consideration of PPEG in NPC patients requires care.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.351-360
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• 2012

Background: Identification of reliable predictors of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) will enable healthcare providers to intervene and change the patterns of LTPA in the population to improve community health. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence and pattern of LTPA among adult Saudis aged 18-65 years, and to define the socio-demographic determinants that correlate with LTPA in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2176 adult Saudis attending urban and rural primary health care centers were selected using a multistage proportionate sampling method. Participants were personally interviewed to gather information regarding socio-demographics, physical activity pattern using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Physical activity (PA) in each domain was expressed in metabolic equivalents (METs). Results: The median total METs minutes/week for LTPA for both genders was 256, higher for men (636 METs minutes/week) compared to women (249METs minutes/week). Overall, only 19.8% of the total PA was derived from LTPA. Of the sampled population 50.0% reported doing no leisure activity. Using the cut off of 600 METs-minutes/day or 150 minutes of moderate intensity over 5 or more days/week, only 21.0% of the included sample were considered as being sufficiently active and 10.4% were in the high active category with beneficial health effects. Multivariate regression analysis showed that male, younger age (<35 years), absence of chronic disease conditions and moderate level of total PA were significant predictors for being active in the LTPA domain. Conclusion: The prevalence and intensity of LTPA among the included sample demonstrated low levels. Nearly 80% of the included sample population did not achieve the recommended LTPA level with beneficial health effects. Female gender, urban residence and associated chronic diseases correlated with a low LTPA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4587-4592
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• 2012

Purpose: This study used receiver operating characteristic curve to analyze Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) neuroblastoma (NB) and other peripheral nerve cell tumors (PNCT) outcome data. This study found under usage of radiotherapy in these patients. Materials and methods: This study analyzed socio-economic, staging and treatment factors available in the SEER database for NB and other PNCT. For the risk modeling, each factor was fitted by a generalized linear model to predict the outcome (soft tissue specific death, yes/no). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was computed. Similar strata were combined to construct the most parsimonious models. A random sampling algorithm was used to estimate the modeling errors. Risk of neuroendocrine (other endocrine including thymus as coded in SEER) death was computed for the predictors. Results: There were 5261 patients diagnosed from 1973 to 2009 were included in this study. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 83.8 (97.6) months. The mean (SD) age was 18 (25) years. About 30.45% of patients were un-staged. The SEER staging has high ROC (SD) area of 0.58 (0.01) among the factors tested. We simplified the 4-layered risk levels (local, regional, distant, un-staged/others) to a simpler 3-tiered model with comparable ROC area of 0.59 (0.01). Less than 50% of PNCT patients received radiotherapy (RT) including the ones with localized disease. This avoidance of RT use occurred in adults and children. Conclusion: The high under-staging rate may have precented patients from selecting definitive radiotherapy (RT) after surgery. Using RT for, especially, adult PNCT patients is a potential way to improve outcome.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2004

To investigate a population-based survey of the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in South Korea, we performed Papanicolaou smears and tests for HPV DNA and anti-HPV antibody detection in 909 sexually active general women (age range; 20-74 years, median 44 years) who were randomly selected residents from S district of Busan City. The presence of DNA of 36 different HPV types was detected by means of a GP 5+/6+ primer-mediated PCR enzyme immunoassay in cervical exfoliated cells, and IgG antibodies against L1 virus-like particles (anti-VLPs) of 5 HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and 58 were tested by means of enzyme linked immunoassay. The incidence of cytologic abnormality was 5.2% in Pap smear. The positive rate of HPV DNA was 10.4%, high in young women younger than 35 years old and proportionally increased according to the cytologic grades. The most often found HPV type was HPV 70, followed by HPV 16 and 33, and high-risk HPV types were more frequent in women younger than 35 years old. The most common HPV type in abnormal cytologic smears was HPV 16, followed by HPV 58 and 66. Anti-VLPs was positive in 19.7% and the frequent anti-VLPs type was against HPV 18, followed by HPV 31 and 16. The concordance between the markers for each specific HPV type was noted in 10 women and HPV 16 was the most frequent one. The incidence of multiple HPV infection was 18.9% and that of multiple anti-VLPs antibodies was 31%. Among 103 self-reported virgins, 4.9% had anti-VLP antibodies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2547-2556
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• 2012

Objectives: Smoking among university students represents a formidable and global public health challenge. We assessed the associations between socio-demographic, health and wellbeing variables as independent variables, with daily smoking, attempts to quit smoking, and agreement with smoking ban as dependent variables. Methods: A sample of 3258 undergraduate students from eleven faculties at Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, completed a general health questionnaire. Results: Overall daily or occasional smoking in last three months prior to the survey was about 9% (8% occasional and 1% daily smokers), and smoking was generally more prevalent among males (male=17%, female=0.6%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for confounders, not having normal BMI and having a mother who completed at least bachelor's degree education was positively associated with daily smoking, and conversely, no history of illicit drug use was a protective factor. About 76% of smokers had attempted to quit smoking within the last 12 months prior to the survey. Although a large proportion of students agreed/strongly agreed with the banning of smoking at university altogether (87%), such agreement was less likely among smokers. Conclusion: There is need for implementation of non-smoking policies on university premises, as well as regular up-to-date information on, and the periodic/yearly monitoring of tobacco use by university students employing standardised data collection instruments and reference periods. In addition, it would be valuable to develop campus-based educational/ awareness campaigns designed to counteract tobacco advertisement directed towards young people in Middle East countries. Otherwise, the danger could be that the current relatively low smoking prevalence among university students may escalate in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.331-334
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• 2014

There is a scarcity of reports addressing patients with multiple primary malignancies (MPM), especially for Chinese cses. The aim of this study was to present a detailed analysis of Chinese patients presenting with at least two primary malignancies. Particularly, the clinical characteristics and survival between synchronous and metachronous MPM were compared. Out of 6,545 cases, 72 patients (1.1%) including 39 males (54.2%) and 33 females (45.8%) were diagnosed as MPM, giving a male: female sex ratio of 1.2:1. Of these, there were 16 (22.2%) cases of synchronous MPM (7 males, 9 females), 55(76.4%) metachronous (31 males, 24 females), and 1 "mixed form". For first tumor diagnosis time, synchronous MPM patients generally presented later than the metachronous cases. The top three sites for malignancies with metachronous MPM were colorectum, head and neck, and lung, while for synchronous they were lung, colorectum and breast. Among MPM patients, the median survival time was 15.7 years and the 5-year survival was 56%, and there was statistical difference in MPM categories (P < 0.05). The median survival time was 17.3 years and 3.8 years for metachronous and synchronous MPM patients, respectively. In comparison with synchronous MPM patients, those metachronous had a longer survival. This studies increase understanding of the clinical features of Chinese MPM patients and suggest that those presenting with metachronous cancers have a higher incidence and a better prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1227-1232
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• 2014

Background: Given that there are many Iranian women who have never had a Pap smear, this study was designed to develop and validate a measurement tool based on the Protection Motivation Theory to assess factors influencing the Iranian women's intention to perform first Pap testing. Materials and Methods: In this psychometric research, to determine the Content Validity Index (CVI) and the Content Validity Ratio (CVR), a panel of experts (n=10) reviewed scale items. Reliability was estimated through the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (n=30) and internal consistency (n=240). Also, factor analysis (exploratory and conformity) was performed on the data of the sample women who had never had a Pap smear test (n=240). Results: A 26-item questionnaire was developed. The CVI and CVR scores of the scale were 0.89 and 0.90, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis loaded a 26-item with seven factors questionnaire (perceived vulnerability and severity, fear, response costs, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and protection motivation (or intention)) that jointly accounted for 72.76% of the observed variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit for the data. Internal consistency (range 0.70-0.93) and test-retest reliability (range 0.72-0.96) of sub-scales were acceptable. Conclusions: This study showed that the designed instrument was a valid and reliable tool for measuring the factors influencing the women's intention to perform their first Pap testing.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9361-9365
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• 2014

Background: To estimate the pre-vaccination distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) types among women from urban Tunis. Materials and Methods: A total of 611 women aged 18-69 years were enrolled in three local gynaecological outpatient departments. All underwent a gynaecological examination with Pap test and dry swab for HPV detection and typing performed by linear array genotyping test (Roche). Cytological examination was conducted on conventional Pap smears. Results: HPV DNA was found in 6.5% of the women; the most frequent HPV types were HPV 16 and HPV 11 at 3.27% and 1.96%, respectively. The second most frequent high risk (HR) HPV type was HPV 58 (0.82%) followed by HPV 18, HPV 31 and HPV 33 found in only 0.33% of women. Single infections with HPV types, targeted by the quadrivalent vaccine (6, 11, 16, and 18), were detected in 3.6 % of the study patients (55% of positive women). HPV infection was found in 3.83% of women with normal cytology and in 47.4% of women with cytological abnormalities. No statistically significant trend in prevalence by age group emerged for any HPV type or for high or low risk types. Conclusions: These data show a relatively low prevalence of HPV infection in women from urban Tunis with a high proportion of HPV16 and HPV58. This should be considered in the upcoming screening programs and vaccination strategy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.787-792
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• 2015

Background: Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) is a heterogeneous group of malignancies, originating in the lymphatic organs, whose incidence is increasing in developed as well as developing countries. Epidemiological evidence suggests that aspirin may reduce the incidence and mortality of several cancers. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential relationship between using aspirin and development of NHL with a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: A total of 7 studies were included. Outcome was calculated and reported as odds ratios (ORs). Heterogeneity was assessed with Cochrane Q and $I^2$ statistics. Dissemination bias was evaluated by funnel plot visualization and trim-and-fill analysis. Results: Our analysis showed OR of developing NHL overall of 1(95% CI: 0.87-1.16, p=0.9), and in females this was 0.81 (95%CI: 0.72-.92, p=0.001) and in males 1.01 (95%CI: 0.82-1.26, p=0.86). The odds ratio (OR) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) was 0.85 (95%CI: 0.75-0.97, p=0.02), The ORs of follicular lymphoma (FL) and large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in individuals exposed to aspirin were 1.12 (95%CI: 0.86-1.45, p=0.37) and 1.03 (95%CI: 0.9-1.19, p=0.6) respectively. Conclusions: In conclusion, individuals taking aspirin do not demonstrate any change in risk of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.