• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1543-1545
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• 2012

Breast cancer accounts for about 26% of all newly diagnosed cancers in women aged 20 to 59 years. As part of a basic program for cancer control, the present cross sectional descriptive study was conducted with the objective of determining the epidemiology of breast cancer in Ardabil province during 2003-2010. Necessary information on 469 recorded cases of breast cancer in the registry were collected by check list from patient's files and then analyzed by statistical methods with SPSS.16 software. Some 455 of the patients (97%) were female, 329 (70.1%) residing in Ardabil. The mean age was $46.8{\pm}13.6$ and most were in the age group of 40 - 60. The most prevalent pathologic form was infiltrative ductal carcinoma with 316 cases (67.4%), the largest proportion being grade II (30.6%), but very many belonged to grades III and IV (40.5%). Breast cancer in Ardabil province appeared to slightly increase over the period studied. The results were similar to other places in Asia. With regard to this, more widespread studies are required to determine factors influencing the prevalence at low age and also how to promote early detection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2009

Dung beetles (family Scarabaeidae) are one of the largest families of beetles worldwide. Due to biological behavior of these arthropods, they are considered to play an important role in the life cycle of some helminths. In the present study, dung beetles collected from cattle pastures in rural areas of Ardabil province, north-west of Iran were examined for infection with larval stages of helminths. According to the results, nematodes of 2 genera were identified including Rhabditis and Gongylonema. The more common species was Rhabditis sp. which was found in 9 species of beetles. Out of 15 different species of dung beetles, Copris lunaris was the only scarabaeid to be found naturally infected with the larval stages of Gongylonema sp. Our new findings introduce C. lunaris as a potential biological vector for transmission of Gongylonema sp. to vertebrates in the surveyed region.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.323-329
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• 2012

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is a widely used drought index to provide good estimations of the intensity, magnitude and spatial extent of droughts. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial pattern of drought by SPI index. In this paper, the patterns of drought hazard in Iran are evaluated according to the data of 40 weather stations during 1967-2009. The influenced zone of each station was specified by the Thiessen method. It was attempted to make a new model of drought hazard using GIS. Three criteria for drought were studied and considered to define areas of vulnerability. Drought hazard criteria used in the present model included: maximum severity of drought in the period, trend of drought, and the maximum number of sequential arid years. Each of the vulnerability indicators were mapped and these as well as a final hazard map were classified into 5 hazard classes of drought: one, slight, moderate, severe and very severe. The final drought vulnerability map was prepared by overlaying three criteria maps in a GIS, and the final hazard classes were defined on the basis of hazard scores, which were determined according to the means of the main indicators. The final vulnerability map shows that severe hazard areas (43% of the country) which are observed in the west and eastern parts of country are much more widespread than areas under other hazard classes. Overall, approximately half of the country was determined to be under severe and very severe hazard classes for drought.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8345-8349
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• 2014

Background: Cancer is an increasing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Incidences of common cancers has been growing in different provinces of Iran in recent years but trends in Khuzestan which shares a border with Iraq and is located in south west of Iran have not been investigated. This study aimed to assess secular changes in incidences of common cancers in Khuzestan province from 2004 to 2008. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from Khuzestan cancer registry which is a branch of Iranian Ministry of Health Cancer Registry (http://ircancer.ir) for the period 2004-2008. Data were presented as incidence rates by site, sex, age, using the crude rate and age-standardized rate (ASR) per $10^5$ persons. A direct method of standardization was applied according to the WHO guideline and data analysis was performed using the SPSS package. Results: During the 2004-2008 period, 14,893 new cases of cancer were registered in Khuzestan cancer registry. The age-standardized incidence rate of all cancers was 153.7 per $10^5$ in males and 156.4 per $10^5$ in females. The incidence was increased over the period of five years. The most incident cancers among males were skin cancer ($ASR=18.7/10^5$), stomach cancer ($ASR13.8/10^5$), lung cancer ($ASR12.9/10^5$), leukemia ($ASR=12.6/10^5$) and prostate cancer ($ASR=12.4/10^5$). In females, the most incident cancers were breast cancer ($ASR=41/10^5$), skin cancer ($ASR=16.4/10^5$), colorectal cancer ($ASR=10.0/10^5$), leukemia ($ASR=8.1/10^5$) and lung cancer ($ASR=6.9/10^5$). Conclusions: Incidences of various cancers are rising in Khuzestan. It is necessary to develop and implement comprehensive cancer control programs in this region which could be monitored and evaluated by the future trend data from Khuzestan cancer registry.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.295-298
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is a very common health problem in Iranian women. The HER2-neu gene is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase with homology to members of the EGF receptor family. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HER2-neu oncogene status with prognostic factors of breast cancer in Kermanshah province, Iran. Materials and Methods: Relationship between HER2-neu and prognostic factors of 130 cases of breast cancer were evaluated during two years in Imam Reza hospital in Kermanshah, Iran. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the T-test and Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test using SPSS 19. Results: The mean age for the patients was $46.0{\pm}8.0years$, all being female. Among the predictive factors for breast cancer were family history, stage of disease, involvement of the lymphovascular system, number of involved lymph nodes in axillaries, grading and hormone receptor status with HER2-neu oncogene had direct correlation and between factors, tumor location, patient age and histological characteristics and HER2-neu oncogene had no significant relationship. We found significant correlation between HER2 with ER and PR and also HER2 with ER, PR negative. Conclusions: HER2-neu is risk factor that can be a good prognostic and also predictive factor. For these reasons, we recommend that it be evaluated for all types of BC.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2023

Objectives: Socioeconomic inequality in metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains poorly understood in Iran. The present study examined the extent of the socioeconomic inequalities in MetS and quantified the contribution of its determinants to explain the observed inequality, with a focus on middle-aged adults in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease cohort study. A sample of 9975 middleaged adults aged 35-65 years was analyzed. MetS was assessed based on the International Diabetes Federation definition. Principal component analysis was used to construct socioeconomic status (SES). The Wagstaff normalized concentration index (CI_n) was employed to measure the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in MetS. Decomposition analysis was performed to identify and calculate the contribution of the MetS inequality determinants. Results: The proportion of MetS in the sample was 41.1%. The CI_n of having MetS was 0.043 (95% confidence interval, 0.020 to 0.066), indicating that MetS was more concentrated among individuals with high SES. The main contributors to the observed inequality in MetS were SES (72.0%), residence (rural or urban, 46.9%), and physical activity (31.5%). Conclusions: Our findings indicated a pro-poor inequality in MetS among Iranian middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of persuading middle-aged adults to be physically active, particularly those in an urban setting. In addition to targeting physically inactive individuals and those with low levels of education, policy interventions aimed at mitigating socioeconomic inequality in MetS should increase the focus on high-SES individuals and the urban population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7517-7522
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• 2013

Background: Cancer incidence rates are increasing particularly in developing countries. It is crucial for policy makers to know basic cancer epidemiology in each region to design comprehensive prevention plans. There have hitherto been no population-based data available for cancer in Khuzestan province. The present report is a first from the regional population-based cancer registry for the period of 2002-2009. Materials and Methods: Data were collected retrospectively reviewing all new cancer patients whom were registered in Khuzestan province cancer registry during an 8-year period (2002-2009). All cases were coded based on the ICD-O-3 coding system and collected data were computerized using SPSS (Chicago, IL) software, version 11.5. The age standardized incidence rates (ASRs) per 100,000 person-year for all cancers were computed using the indirect method of standardization to the world population. Results: During the 8-year study period, 16,801 new cancer cases were registered. Based on the computed ASRs, the five most frequent malignancies in females were breast (26.4 per 100,000), skin (13.6), colorectal (5.72), stomach (4.31) and bladder(4.07) and in males, the five most frequent were skin (16.0 per 100,000), bladder (10.7),prostate (7.64), stomach (7.17), and colorectal (6.32).The ASR for all malignancies in women was 92.5 per 100,000, and that for men was 87.4. Conclusions: The observed patterns from the analysis of Khuzestan cancer registry data will lead to better understanding of the epidemiology of various malignancies in this part ofthe country and consequently provide a useful guide for authorities to make efficacious decisions and policies about a cancer control program for south-west Iran.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3939-3943
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• 2016

Background: According to recent statistics, the breast cancer rate is growing fast in developing countries. In North West of Iran, the incidence of breast cancer after esophageal and gastric cancers has the highest rate. Previous studies have also indicated that women in this region show reluctance to do breast cancer screening. There is a great need for change to promote breast cancer screening among women. Social marketing is a discipline that uses the systematic application of commercial marketing techniques to promote the adoption of behavior by the target audience. Materials and Methods: In the present qualitative study, thirty-two women with breast cancer were interviewed about their experiences of breast cancer screening. A semi-structured interview guide was designed to elicit information specific to the 4 P's in social marketing. Results: Three main categories emerged from the analysis: price, service and promotion. Subcategories related to these main categories included factors effective in increasing and decreasing cost of screening, current and desirable features of screening services, and weakness of promotion. Conclusions: Screening programs should be designed to be of low cost, to meet patients' needs and should be provided in suitable places. Furthermore, it is essential that the cultural beliefs of society be improved through education. It seems necessary to design an executive protocol for breast cancer screening at different levels of primary health care to increase the women's willingness to undergo screening.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2022

Background: Potato is the main crop of Ardabil Plain (accounting for one-fifth of potato production in Iran). Its health hazard risk to farmers is rising due to the increasing rate of pesticide use. The present study analyzes potato farmers' health hazard risk in the use of chemical pesticides. Methods: The rate of pesticide use by farmers (n = 370) was first compared with the recommended dosage (on pesticide label). Then, a composite index was employed to estimate the health hazard risk of farmers during pesticide use, and the variables accounting for pesticide overuse and nonoveruse were analyzed. Safety behavior was examined in four steps, namely of pesticide purchase and storage, preparation, application, and postapplication. Results: It was found that 74.6 percent of potato farmers used pesticides in higher concentrations than the recommended dosage. The higher average rate of pesticide use versus recommendation (label instruction) was related to Chlorpyrifos and Trifluralin, and the highest average health hazard risk among farmers was related to the use of Chlorpyrifos and Metribuzin. Farmers with a higher risk of health hazard displayed much lower safety behavior than the other farmers at all steps of pesticide use. Conclusion: The most important variables discriminating the health hazard risk of farmers' overuse included health behavior identity, attitude, knowledge and awareness, and cues to action. Therefore, using social media, holding local exhibitions, and engaging local leaders and skilled farmers in the region to improve farmers' attitudes and health behavior identity toward the dangers of chemical pesticides can play a significant role in motivating farmers' display of overuse preventive behaviors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4863-4867
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• 2015

Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 Her2 negative and accounting for 10-17% of all breast carcinomas, is only partially responsive to chemotherapy and suffers from a lack of clinically established targeted therapies. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the patterns of treatment and clinicopathology figures in Kurdish patients with triple-negative breast cancer, and to compare these to other reports. Materials and Methods: Between 2001 and 2014, 950 breast cancer patients were referred to our clinic. There were 74 female patients with TNBC, including 70 patients was invasive ductal carcinoma entered into our study. ER and PR positivity was defined as positive immunohistochemical staining in more than 10% of tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry assay with anti-HER2 antibodies was used to identify HER negative (0 and 1+) or positive (2+ and 3+). HER2 gene amplification was determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Overall survival (OS) was plotted with GraphPad Prism 5 Software using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests for comparison of results. Results: The mean age in the first diagnosis for 70 patients with triple TNBC and invasive ductal carcinoma was 49.6 years that range of age was 27-82 years. All of the patients were female. Of 70 patients, 23 patients had metastasis. Thirty-two patients (45.7%) were treated with tamoxifen and 39 (55.7%) with radiotherapy. Three-year, 5-year and 10-year OS rates for all patients were 82%, 72% and 64%, respectively. Conclusions: The OS in our West Iran TNBC patients is less than reported elsewhere. However, treatment with combination of tamoxifen plus radiation increases the OS and reduces the mortality rate.