Incidence patterns of gynecological sarcomas in Iran analysis of National Cancer Registry data between 2009 and 2014.

AIM: Gynecological sarcomas (GS) are rare malignant tumors arising in the female genital organs. Due to the low incidence and diverse histology, information on the epidemiology of these tumors is sparse. We aimed to investigate the incidence rates of GS in Iran that in our knowledge is the first report from Eastern Mediterranean Region. METHODS: In this retrospective study, all malignant tumors with a sarcoma morphology arising in the female genital organs diagnosed between 2009 and 2014 were extracted from the Iran National Cancer Registry dataset. All the cancer cases were categorized according to ICD-O-3 morphologic and topographic codes. Age-standardized incidence rates, age-specific incidence rates, morphologic and geographic distribution of all cases were analyzed and compared with other parts of the world. RESULTS: A total of 1174 cases were diagnosed over the period 2009-2014. The overall age-standardized incidence rate for all sites combined was 6.13 per million females. Analysis of trends in incidence did not show a significant change over time according to annual average percent change analysis (P-value = 0.300). The most common anatomical site was the uterus, accounting for 77% of all cases. The mean (±SD) age at diagnosis, irrespective of tumor site, was 52.3 (±15) years. In terms of morphology, leiomyosarcoma was the most frequently observed subtype, constituting 34% of all GS. Also, the highest ASIR was observed in women aged 60-64 years. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, GS are relatively rare tumors that occur more in old women. The results of this study provide a comprehensive picture of GS incidence patterns in Iran for more investigation.

Vascularized gastroepiploic lymph node transfer significantly improves breast cancer-related lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is a surgical treatment for lymphedema. Multiple methods have been described and each has significant disadvantages. STUDY DESIGN: We performed VLNT in patients with upper extremity lymphedema resulting from breast cancer surgery. We used lymph nodes of the greater curvature of the stomach (VLNTg). We describe outcomes of the patients suffering from postmastectomy lymphedema who received VLNTg for treatment of lymphedema. Harvest from the periphery of the left gastroepiploic vessel was conducted. RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed data of 24 female patients suffering from lymphedema following breast cancer treatment who underwent lymph node transplantation from 2012 to 2017. Axillary lymphadenectomy had been performed in all cases. In 18 patients, upper limb lymphedema was present for at least 1 year (mean = 5.6 years; range, 1-15 years). In 6 patients, it was present for only a few months (mean = 5 months; range, 3-8 months). CONCLUSIONS: The greater curvature of the stomach nodes (VLNTg) is an excellent option for the treatment of upper extremity lymphedema because there is no risk of complications and the scar is easily concealed. Improvement from lymphedema can be expected in a majority of patients.

Characterizing Iranian Pediatric Patients With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Through Gene Expression Profiling of Common ATP Binding Cassette Transporters Subfamily C.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between gene expression of ABCC transporters and recurrence as a treatment failure in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an unsolved problem in scientific associations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of ABCC1-6 gene expression pattern for estimating recurrence in Iranian pediatric patients with ALL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Iranian pediatric patients with approved ALL enrolled in this study as 2 groups of case (relapsed ALL) and control (treated individuals who lasted for >3 years following their final treatment). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was done with GAPDH for expressing ABCC1-6 transporter genes. Cumulative doses of Vincristine, Daunorubicin, and L-Asparginase were checked for each patient. Gathered data analyzed with SPSS version 22 and REST 2009 software. RESULTS: Thirty-nine samples as 23 relapsed ALL and 16 controls enrolled. High expression of ABCC2-6 and low expression of ABCC1 were detected in pediatric patients with relapse. ABCC3 and ABCC4 had significant relation with high-risk patients of NCI group. Also, ABCC4 and ABCC6 had more expression with high doses of Daunorubicin and L-Asparginase. CONCLUSIONS: Designed expression pattern have the predictive value for estimating of conferring relapse in Iranian pediatric patients with diagnosed ALL. The authors suggest of designing a multiple childhood malignancy center project to evaluate this pattern in a cohort study.

Preventive effects of oxytocin and oxytocin receptor in breast cancer pathogenesis.

AIM: Modifications of oxytocin (OT) concentration and OT receptor (OXTR) expression level have different effects on breast cancer-derived cells. This study was conducted to evaluate OT variation in breast cancer patients and to evaluate OXTR expression changes in breast cancer tissues. METHODS: The plasma concentrations of OT in both breast cancer patients and healthy individuals' samples were assessed. OXTR variations were then assessed in both cancerous and noncancerous breast tissues. RESULTS: OT had an increase in breast cancer patients and expression of OXTR in contralateral breast was more than cancerous tissues. CONCLUSION: Despite the high levels of OT concentration in breast cancer patients, it seems that a lower expression of OXTR in cancerous tissues can be effective in the breast cancer progression.

Multivariate disease mapping of seven prevalent cancers in Iran using a shared component model.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to model the geographical variation in incidence and risk factors of seven prevalent cancers in Iran. METHODS: The data for cancers of esophagus, stomach, bladder, colorectal, lung, prostate, and female breast along with their risk factors in all 30 provinces of Iran for the year 2007 were included into study. Smoking, overweight, inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables, socioeconomic status and low physical activity were studied as risk factors. Standardized incidence ratios were estimated using full bayesian model. In addition, the shared component model was used to explore the spatial pattern of the cancers and to estimate the relative importance of their corresponding risk factors. RESULTS: Fars and the Northwestern provinces were observed as high risk areas and Hormozgan (a Persian Gulf coastal province), Sistan and Baluchestan, South Khorasan, and Kerman provinces located in Southeast were areas of low risk for most cancers. For all five risk factors, larger effects on incidence of the relevant cancers were found in the Northern provinces compared to other areas. Smoking, overweight, inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetable, socioeconomic status, and low physical activity were found to have more effects on incidence of stomach, breast, esophagus, and breast cancers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the high risk areas for seven cancers were in accordance with the results for spatial patterns of related risk factors and their relative weights on relevant cancers. The multivariate shared component model of the seven cancers achieves a considerable improvement in terms of Deviance Information Criterion over the individual modeling of diseases.

Crude and age-specific incidence rate patterns for histopathologic subtypes of ovarian cancer in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report age-specific incidence rates of histopathological subtypes of ovarian cancer in Iran. METHODS: Data published by the pathology-based Cancer Registry, Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education for the year 2004, was utilized. This study included 793 new ovarian cancer cases which were analyzed by SPSS software (version 13). RESULTS: There were 45 different histologies reported in 793 new cases which were categorized into ten major groups. Epithelial tumors displayed the highest age specific incidence rate, followed by germ cell tumors. Serous epithelial tumors were the most common in the epithelial group. CONCLUSION: The age-specific incidence rate of ovarian cancer varies based on histology.