• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.5107-5110
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• 2015

The State of Punjab has been in focus because of aperceived increasing rate of cancer. Both print and electronic media have created an impression that Punjab, especially the cotton belt of Malwa Region, has become a high incidence cancer region. Actually the increased number of cancer patients might be at least partly because of increasing population and heightened health awareness and reporting. The purpose of this study is to find out the pattern of cancer amongst patients registered in Mukh Mantri Punjab Cancer Rahat Kosh Scheme (MMPCRKS), under cancer registry at Rajindra Hospital Patiala from the various districts of Punjab. The study covers 500 cancer patients registered under MMPCRKS at Rajindra Hospital Patiala, for free cancer treatment. Information regarding age, gender, religion, method of diagnosis and affected sites was obtained. Results were analyzed statistically. Of the 500 patients, 65% were females and 35% were males. The most affected female age groups were 50-54 and 60-64; while males in the age groups of 65-69 and 60-64 had the highest risk. The leading cancers in females were breast followed by cervix and ovary where as in males they were were colon followed by esophagus and tongue. The commonest histological type was adenocarcinoma followed by squamous cell carcinoma. The increasing trend of cancer in Punjab is alarming. Since this study is a preliminary investigation, it could provide a leading role in prevention, treatment and future planning regarding cancer in Punjab.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6261-6265
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• 2015

Background: Even though rarely found in Indonesia, the incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) is increasing every year. Bone involvement of MM is the most often a clinical disorder which leads to worsening clinical conditions and low quality of life of patients. Purpose: To determine the clinicopathology profile of bone involvement of MM patients in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study of MM conducted at Dharmais National Cancer Hospital (DNCH) by collecting data from medical records of MM patients who came to DNCH in period 2008-2012. Results: There were 39 MM patients all with age above 60 years. There were 56.4% male and 43.6% female patients. Most were diagnosed at stage III (32.4%), and 41% had obesity. The comorbid conditions were anemia (82.9%), hypoalbuminemia (60%), increased creatinine level (38.5%), increased ${\beta}2$ microglobulin level (94.1%), increased LDH level (23.1%) and plasmocytes above 30% (65%), but only 4.2% patients presented with hypercalcemia. Meanwhile, bone involvement occurred in 76.9% of MM patients with 4 lesions on average and a maximum of 16 lesions. The locations of bone lesions were spine (70%), skull (70%), pelvis (33.3%), humerus (30%), and femur (30%). Conclusions: The incidence of MM in Indonesia is increasing annually with bone involvement in more than three-fourths, but interestingly without hypercalcemia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3139-3144
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• 2014

Background: Medical treatment for eliminating the side effects of cancer therapy may not always be efficacious. Acupuncture is one of the most widely accepted alternative and complementary therapies in use today. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of acupuncture in patients experiencing cancer treatment side effects, including nausea, vomiting, pain, poor sleep quality and anxiety. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 inpatients who underwent chemotherapy between February and April 2013 in the Oncology Department of Numune Hospital were included in our study. Acupuncture was administered to the patients one day prior to chemotherapy, on the day of chemotherapy and one day after chemotherapy. The patients were evaluated on nausea, vomiting, pain, sleep quality and anxiety before the chemotherapy and on the $4^{th}$ day of chemotherapy. Results: Of the 45 patients included in the study, 18 (40%) were female and 27 (60%) were male. A total of 25 (55.6%) had an elementary school education; 32 patients (71%) had stage 4 cancer and were treated with palliative chemotherapy (the patient characteristics are shown in Table 1). Statistically significant decreases (p<0.001) in pain, nausea, vomiting, insomnia and anxiety scores were observed after the acupuncture treatment compared to baseline. There were no differences in the age, gender, education level, stage or metastasis levels between the patient groups whose symptoms improved or were unchanged. Conclusions: Our study showed that acupuncture has positive effects in cancer treatment patients who experience nausea, vomiting, pain, poor sleep quality and anxiety as side effects of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy-related side effects in cancer patients could be decreased by the concurrent use of acupuncture.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4177-4180
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• 2013

Background: The aim of this research was to perform an epidemiologic survey of esophageal cancer in Ardabil province. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 661 patients diagnosed with EC were studied from March 2002 to May 2011 e. The necessary data were collected with a checklist from the documents in Ardabil Cancer Registry (ACR) and analyzed by statistical methods with SPSS.18 software. Results: Of the total new cases of EC registered in ARC during study period, 430 (65.1%) of patients were male with the male to female standard ratio was 1.18, with a statistically significant gender bias. The most common morphology of EC was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 68.8%) followed by adenocarcinoma (28.5%). It was observed that in most of patients, EC lesions were in the middle third of esophagus. In addition, most patients were rural and about 40% had smoking habits. The age-standardized incidence rate of cancers was 48.4 per 100,000 among females and males. The annual incidence rates in males and females was 7.1 and 6.7 per 100,000; respectively. Conclusions: Results showed that the prevalence and annual incidence rate of cancer in Ardabil province is lower than other areas of the country with a male predominance and a relatively high proprortion of adenocarcinomas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5061-5065
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• 2013

Background: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common cancer diagnosed within the oral cavity worldwide. Many studies in India report OTSCC ranking among the top two most common subsites within the oral cavity. India is often labeled the oral cancer capital of the world. The incidence of tongue cancers in the population-based cancer registry (PBCR) of Chennai is showing an increasing trend. A majority of the oral cavity cancers (85%) in our cancer center present in advanced stages (III and IV). In contrast, early tongue cancers (stages I and II) constitute nearly 45% of all OTSCCs. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical profile and epidemiological trends in our early stage tongue cancer patients with an emphasis on tobacco and alcohol habits. Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis was based on a prospectively collected database of 458 consecutive early stage OTSCC in-patients at a tertiary care oncology centre in Chennai between 1995 and 2008. Results: Our study suggests that the earlier trends have clearly changed whereby nearly half of our patients are now never-tobacco users. The findings of the study indicate that a majority of the patients were never alcohol users (86.4%) and nearly half of them were never tobacco users (49.3%), and they had the best survival outcomes. This increasing trend of OTSCC among non-tobacco users is in contrast to our earlier experience of tongue cancer more than five decades ago.The median age of patients in our study was 53.3 years; the male to female ratio was approximately 2:1. The median follow up for the 458 patients was 53 months. Conclusions: Our study importantly as well as interestingly shows a conspicuous absence of association with the traditional risk factors, tobacco and alcohol.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2011

Purpose: In an effort to examine the clinicopathological characteristics of GC and the status of its surgical treatment, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) conducted a nationwide survey targeting surgically-treated gastric cancer patients in 2009. Materials and Methods: A standardized electrical case report was sent to every member institution of the KGCA via E-mail with detailed instructions regarding the survey data. Completed data forms were retrieved from each institution and analyzed by the KGCA information committee. Results: Data on 14,658 patients was collected from 59 institutions. The mean patient age was $59.2{\pm}11.9$ years with a male to female ratio of 2.05 : 1. Lower third cancer (56.0%) was the most common among all gastric cancers. The histological type revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (34.1%) to be the most common, and the Lauren classification revealed the intestinal type (50.0%) to be the most prevalent. Curative surgery was performed in 92.4% of patients with laparoscopic surgery in 25.8% of patients. A Billroth I reconstruction was performed most frequently after a distal gastrectomy (63.4% of distal gastrectomy). T1 cancers accounted for 57.6% of all cases, and 62.6% of patients showed no lymph node metastasis. Compared to previous reports, it was found that patients are becoming older, laparoscopic surgery is being performed increasingly, and the proportion of T1 cancer is increasing with time. Conclusions: This survey presented the clinicopathological characteristics and current status of the surgical treatment of gastric cancer in Korea. This survey is expected aid research studies as well as planning and evaluation programs targeting cancer control.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5121-5126
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• 2016

Objective: To investigate the impact of chemotherapy on quality of life (QoL) among breast cancer patients and to evaluate the relationship with age, cancer stage and presence of any comorbidity. Methods: A prospective study was conducted among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in Hospital Melaka from 1st January 2014 to 31st July 2014. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was given to patients to fill in prior chemotherapy (baseline) and after the third cycle of chemotherapy. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Result: Respondents were 32 female patients [mean age (SD): 49.7(9.93) years]. They reported a significant lower global health status (P < 0.01) and significant higher symptoms of nausea and vomiting (P < 0.01), loss of appetite (P = 0.028) and diarrhea (P = 0.026) after the third cycle of chemotherapy as compared to baseline. Compare to, this study showed significant better emotional functioning (P < 0.01) and social functioning (P < 0.01) than the EORTC QLQ-C30 Reference Values 2008 for breast cancer cases. Under symptom scales higher scores were noted for appetite loss (P = 0.017), nausea and vomiting (P < 0.01). Age, stage and comorbidity had no clear associations with global health status in our patients (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Chemotherapy did reduce the QoL of breast cancer patients. Management of chemotherapy-induced loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting should be improved for a better outcome.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.3-6
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• 2004

Background and Objectives: Nodal metastasis is one of the prognostic factors in salivary gland cancer. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors of nodal metastasis considered as a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with salivary gland cancer. Material and Methods: The authors retrospectively studied 82 patients with salivary gland cancer who underwent surgery from 1992 to 2002. We analyzed age, sex, tumor size, histologic type and 5-year survival rate to compare patients with and without nodal metastasis. Results: Mean age was 55.4 years, with a male-female ratio of 1 : 1.28. The overall 5-year survival rate was 85.5%. Among the 82 patients, 14 patients had nodal metastasis. There was no nodal metastasis in low grade malignancy. In patients without nodal metastasis, mean age was 52.5 years and the overall 5-year survival rate was 94.2%. In patients with nodal metastasis, mean age was 69.4 years and the overall 5-year survival rate was 42.9%. In patients with less advanced cancer (T1-T2 stage), the nodal metastasis was 7.5% and with advanced cancer (T3-T4 stage), 33.3%. Conclusion: Nodal metastasis significantly decreases survival in patients with salivary gland malignancy. High grade malignancy, large tumor size and old age are important risk factors of nodal metastasis. Nodal metastasis is more common in submandibular gland cancer compared with parotid gland cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7107-7110
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• 2013

Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO), an occasional complication in patients with advanced urological cancer, causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting leading to suffering which severely impairs quality of life (QOL). Drug therapy, especially octreotide, a synthetic analog of somatostatin, is reportedly effective in controlling the symptoms of MBO. In the present study, we administered octreotide to urological cancer patients with MBO and evaluated the improvement of subjective symptoms, oral intake, and nasogastric intubation. Fourteen terminally ill urological cancer patients suffering with MBO were included (age range 55-92, 10 male, 4 female). Octreotide was administered at $300{\mu}g/day$ to those patients subcutaneously as a continuous injection. Significant improvements in subjective symptoms were observed in thirteen patients (92.8%), and ten patients (71.4%) were able to resume oral intake. Four patients required nasogastric drainage before the administration of octreotide, but nasogastric intubation was discontinued in all these cases after the use of octreotide. Early initiation of octreotide resulted in better improvement of MBO symptoms, and no adverse event was observed in any of the patients. These results revealed that $300{\mu}g/day$ dose of octreotide is safe and effective for managing gastrointestinal symptoms of terminally ill urological cancer patients with MBO. We also recommend starting the treatment with ocreotide as soon as MBO is diagnosed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1375-1379
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• 2014

Background: Differences in clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer (GC) between young and older patients are controversial and a matter of debate. Determining the statistical significance of clinicopathological information with respect to age might provide clues for better management and treatment ofGC. Materials and Methods: A total ofl03 Indiao GC patients were enrolled for study and specimens were classified according to the AjCC-TNM system. Patients were grouped into two age-wise categories, young patients (<40 years; n=13) and older patients (${\geq}40$ years, n=90). The clinicopathological features of both groups were retrospectively examined and compared. p53 alterations were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism and immunohistochemistry methods at gene and protein levels respectively. The cases were considered p53 over-expressed if it was present in more than 25% of the tumor cells and p53 alterations was correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients as well as etiological factors for GC in both groups. Results: We found significant association of young patients with cancer stage (p=0.01), and very strong association with histology grade (p=0.064) and poorly differentiated (p=0.051) state of GC. However, neither young nor elderly patients showed associations with location, gender, etiological factors and p53 expression and alteration. Overall the male-to-female ratio of GC patients was 3.12 and the value was higher in the young (5.5) than in the older group (2.91). Conclusions: Clinicopathological features of GC like caocer stage, cell differentiation and histological grades were significantly different among young and old age cohorts. We observed a male predominance among the young group that decreased significantly with advancing age. More awareness of GC onset is required to detect cancer at an early stage for successful treatment.