• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.557-562
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• 2016

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and a major cause of death from cancer. One of the important indicators to compare the prevalence and incidence of the disease is a change in the trend. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the incidence of lung cancer in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted based on existing data obtained from a national registry of cancer cases and the Disease Management Center of Ministry of Health in Iran. All cases registered in the country were included during 2003-2008. Incidence rates were reported based on the direct method and standard population of World Health Organization. The study also examined the morphology of common lung cancers. Trends in incidence underwent joinpoint regression analysis. Results: Based on the results of this study, 14,403 cases of lung cancer have been recorded of which 10,582 cases were in men and 3,821 in women. Highest incidence rates were observed in the 80-84 age group. Considerable variation across provinces was evident. In females squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) demonstrated a reduction from 24% to 16% of lesions over the period of study, while adenocarcinoma rose from 21% to 29%. In males a similar reduction in SCC was apparent (42% to 29%, again with increase in AC (13 % to 18%). Conclusions: The results show that the increase in the incidence of lung cancer the trend is that more men than women and in men and may be caused by changes in smoking pattern. The incidence of lung cancer in the North West and West provinces was higher than in other regions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4169-4173
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• 2014

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is highly accurate in diagnosing mediastinal lymphadenopathies of lung cancer and benign disorders. However, the utility of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphomas is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of EBUS-TBNA in patients with suspected lymphoma. Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight patients with isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy and suspected of lymphoma were included in the study. EBUS-TBNA was performed on outpatients under moderate sedation. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA were calculated. Results: Sixty-four patients were diagnosed by EBUS-TBNA, but four patients with non-diagnostic EBUS-TBNA required surgical procedures. Thirty-five (51.5%) patients had sarcoidosis, six (8.8%) had reactive lymphadenopathy, nine (13.3%) had tuberculosis, one (1.5%) had squamous cell carcinoma, two (2.9%) had sarcoma and fifteen (22%) had lymphoma (follicular center cell, large B-cell primary, and Hodgkin lymphomas in three, two, and ten, respectively). Of the 15 lymphoma patients, thirteen were diagnosed by EBUS and two by thoracotomy and mediastinoscopy. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA for the diagnosis of lymphoma were calculated as 86.7%, 100%, 96.4%, and 97%, respectively. Conclusions: EBUS-TBNA can be employed in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphoma, instead of more invasive surgical procedures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3621-3625
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• 2012

Lymphadenopathy is one of the commonest and significant manifestations of local as well as systemic ailments, especially malignancies. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) helps in diagnosing the disease itself, in general, but more importantly ruling out malignancy, in particular. Hence it saves much of the cost and use of resources incurred with excision biopsy of such lymph nodes. This prompted us to study the cytologic patterns of lymphadenopathy in our setting and the diagnostic utility of FNAC in the evaluation of lymphadenopathy. In this retrospective observational study, 1,579 patients (953 males and 626 females) with lymphadenopathy who were subjected to FNAC over a period of three years (January 2009 to December 2011) were studied. The cervical region was involved in most of the cases (76%) followed by the axillary region (17.5%). Metastatic malignancy (38.2%) was the commonest cause of lymphadenopathy followed by reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (36.9%), tuberculosis (9.1%) and lymphomas (8.6%). Squamous cell carcinoma (32.2%) followed by adenocarcinoma (21.9%) were the most frequent metastatic tumors. FNAC is a useful diagnostic tool in the management of patients presenting with lymphadenopathy and should be considered before more invasive and costly procedures are performed, particularly in developing countries.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5749-5754
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• 2015

Cervical carcinoma is the main cause of cancer-related mortality in women and is correlated with more than 15 risk cofactors, including infection of cervical cells with high-risk types of HPV (hrHPV). Indeed, both aberrant methylation of the RASSF1A promoter and hrHPV infection are often observed in cervical carcinomas. The purpose of our meta-analysis was to evaluate the role of RASSF1A promoter methylation and hrHPV infection in cervical cancer. Our meta-analysis involved 895 cervical cancer patients and 454 control patients from 15 studies. Our results suggested that RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation increased the risk of cervical cancer (OR=9.77, 95%CI=[3.06, 31.26], P=0.0001, $I^2=78%$). By grouping cases according to cancer subtypes, we found that HPV infection was higher in cervical squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) than in cervical adenocarcinomas/adenosquamous cancers (ACs/ASCs) (OR=4.00, 95%CI=[1.41, 11.30], P=0.009, $I^2=55%$). Interestingly, HPV infection tended to occur in cervical cancers with relatively low levels of RASSF1A promoter methylation (OR=0.59, 95%CI=[0.36, 0.99], P=0.05, I2=0%). Our study provides evidence of a possible interaction between HPV infection and RASSF1A promoter methylation in the development of cervical cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5385-5389
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• 2013

Background: For more than 80 years, the standard treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer was radiotherapy. However, based on several phase III randomized clinical trials in the past decade, concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy is the current standard for this disease. Gemcitabine has potent radiosensitizing properties in preclinical and clinical trials, so it can be utilized simultanously with radiation. Materials and Methods: Thirty women with untreated invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix of stage IIB to stage IVA were enrolled in the study in the Radiation Oncology Department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran from September 2009 to September 2010. Sixty $mg/m^2$ gemcitabine followed by $35mg/m^2$ cisplatin were concurrently administered with radiotherapy to the whole pelvic region on day one of each treatment week for five weeks. One and three months after treatment, patients underwent a complete physical examination and MRI to determine the response to treatment. Results: The mean age of patients was $58.1{\pm}11.8$ (29-78) years. After 3 months of treatment, 73.3%had complete and 26.7% demonstrated partial response to treatment. Grade 3 anemia was seen in 10%, grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 3.3% and grade 3 leukopenia in 10% of the patients. Conclusions: According to the positive results of this study in stage IIB, further phase II and III clinical trials are suggested to evaluate the role of chemoradiation using Gemcitabine for advanced cervical cancers.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.79.1-79.14
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• 2021

Background: In contrast to human medicine, only a small number of serum tumor markers are established in veterinary medicine even though they are a non-invasive diagnostic tool. Objectives: This study examined whether survivin could be suitable as a potential canine serum tumor marker. Methods: This study measured the serum survivin concentrations of dogs with mammary tumors (n = 33), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 9), soft-tissue sarcoma (n = 18) and multicentric lymphoma (n = 22), using a commercially available, competitive immunoassay kit (BlueGene). The serum survivin concentrations were compared with those of a healthy control group (n = 20) and a control group of dogs with non-neoplastic diseases (n = 17). Results: Dogs with malignant tumors had serum survivin concentrations between 15 and 5,906 pg/mL (median, 72 pg/mL), those in the healthy group ranged from 7 to 99 pg/mL (median, 21 pg/mL) and those in the group of dogs suffering from non-neoplastic diseases from 15 to 93 pg/mL (median, 42 pg/mL). The differences in the survivin concentrations between the healthy dogs and dogs with malignant tumors and between the dogs with non-neoplastic diseases and those with malignant tumors were significant (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Conclusions: The serum survivin concentrations in dogs with malignant tumors, with some exceptions, are higher than in dogs with benign tumors and dogs that do not suffer from a malignancy. Therefore, survivin can provide information on the presence of malignant tumors and be used as a tumor marker in dogs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.403-411
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• 2023

Background: The concept of oligo-recurrence has not been generally applied in esophageal cancer. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of the number of recurrences in esophageal cancer. Methods: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma who underwent curative esophagectomy with R0 or R1 resection and who experienced a confirmed recurrence were included. The study included 321 eligible participants from March 2001 to December 2019. The relationship between the number of recurrences and post-recurrence survival was investigated. Results: The mean age was 63.8±8.1 years, and the majority of the participants (97.5%) were men. The median time to recurrence was 10.7 months, and the median survival time after recurrence was 8.8 months. Multiple recurrences with simultaneous local, regional, and distant locations were common (38%). In terms of the number of recurrences, single recurrences were the most common (38.3%) and had the best post-recurrence survival rate (median, 17.1 months; p<0.001). Patients with 2 or 3 recurrences showed equivalent survival to each other and longer survival than those with 4 or more (median, 9.4 months; p<0.001). In the multivariable analysis, the significant predictors of post-recurrence survival were body mass index, minimally invasive esophagectomy, N stage, R0 resection, post-recurrence treatment, and the number of recurrences (p<0.05). Conclusion: After esophagectomy, the number of recurrences was the most significant risk factor influencing post-recurrence survival in patients with esophageal cancer. In esophageal cancer, oligo-recurrence can be defined as a recurrence with three or fewer metastases. More intensive treatment might be recommended if oligo-recurrence occurs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.511-514
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• 2013

Background: A small but significant proportion of cases with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) may harbour CIN 2-3, or even invasive carcinoma. Although immediate colposcopy, HPV-DNA testing or expectant management are three recommended options in ASCUS triage, a consensus does not currently exist on which one of these approaches is the most efficient. In this study, we aimed to compare the performance and cost of immediate colposcopy and colposcopy based on the human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for detecting histologically confirmed high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in women with ASCUS. Materials and Methods: Records of 594 women with an index Papanicolaou smear showing ASCUS were retrospectively analyzed. Women in the immediate colposcopy arm were referred directly to colposcopy (immediate colposcopy group, n=255) and those in the HPV triage arm were proceeded to colposcopy if the high-risk HPV (hrHPV) test was positive (HPV triage group, n=339). High grade CIN (CIN2+) detection rate and treatment costs were compared between the groups. Results: The detected rate of CIN2+ was higher in the HPV triage group compared to immediate colposcopy group (8% vs. 1.6%, p=0.011). In the HPV triage group, the total cost, cost per patient, and the cost for detecting one case of high grade CIN were higher than the immediate colposcopy group (p<0.001). Conclusions: In women with ASCUS cytology, HPV DNA testing followed by colposcopy is more costly than immediate colposcopy, but this approach is associated with a higher rate of CIN2+ detection. This findings suggest that HPV DNA testing combined with cervical cytology could reduce the referral rate to colposcopy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.616-623
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• 1994

Objectives: Careful evaluation about mediastinal involvement is important in the management of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Invasive staging procedure such as mediastinoscopy is advocated because of the unreliability of noninvasive staging methods such as CT, MRI. We compared differences between pre- and postoperative staging in non-small cell lung cancer without lymphadenopathy on CT scan and investigated the methods for more accurate preoperative staging. Methods & Results: 1) Records of a total of 41 patients with preoperative $T_{1-3}N_0M_0$ non-small cell lung cancer were reviewed and the histologic types of tumors were squamous cell carcinoma in 32 cases, adenocarcinoma in 6 cases and large cell carcinoma in 3 cases. Twenty-four cases were central lesions and seventeen cases were peripheral lesions. 2) Among the 32 cases with preoperative $T_2$, 2 cases were identified postoperatively as $T_3$ with invasion of chest wall and among 6 cases with preoperative $T_3$, 1 case was identified postoperatively as $T_4$ with invasion of aorta and pulmonary arteries. 3) After the operation of 35 cases with $T_{1-2}$, 5 cases were $N_1$ and 3 cases were $N_2$ postoperatively. After the operation of 6 cases with $T_3$, 2 cases were $N_1$ and 3 cases were $N_2$ postoperatively. Preoperative $T_3$ showed more intrathoracic lymph node metastases and higher $N_2/N_1$ involvement ratio than preoperative $T_{1-2}$. 4) Complete surgical resections were done in 34 out of 41 cases. Incomplete resection were done in all postoperative $N_2$ tumors. Conclusion: Invasive staging procedures such as mediastinoscopy should be considered in the case of preoperative $T_3$ non-small cell lung cancer even though mediastinal lymphadenopathy is not recognized on the CT scan of the chest.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.212-220
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• 2012

Objectives: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ($^{18}F$-FDG PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for many human cancers wherein glucose uptake transporter-1 (GLUT-1) acts as a main transporter in the uptake of $^{18}F$-FDG in cancer cells. Increased expression of glucose transporter-1 has been reported in many human cancers. In this study, we investigated the correlation between $^{18}F$-FDG accumulation and expression of GLUT-1 in oral cancer. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 42 patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and malignant salivary gland tumor as confirmed by histology. 42 patients underwent pre-operative $^{18}F$-FDG PET, with the maximum standardized uptake value ($SUV_{max}$) measured in each case. Immunohistochemical staining was done for each histological specimen, and results were evaluated post-operatively according to the percentage (%) of positive area, intensity, and staining score. Results: For OSCC, $SUV_{max}$ significantly increased as T stage of tumor classification increased. For malignant salivary gland tumor, $SUV_{max}$ significantly increased as T stage of tumor classification increased. For OSCC, GLUT-1 was expressed in all 36 cases. GLUT-1 staining score (GSS) increased as T stage of tumor classification increased, with the difference statistically significant. For malignant salivary gland tumor, GLUT-1 expression was observed in all 6 cases; average GSS was significantly higher in patients with cervical lymph node metastasis than that in patients without cervical lymph node metastasis. Average GSS was higher in OSCC ($11.11{\pm}1.75$) than in malignant salivary gland tumor ($5.33{\pm}3.50$). No statistically significant correlation between GSS and $SUV_{max}$ was observed in OSCC or in malignant salivary gland tumor. Conclusion: We found no statistically significant correlation between GSS and $SUV_{max}$ in OSCC or in malignant salivary gland tumor. Studies on the various uses of GLUT during $^{18}F$-FDG uptake and SUV and GLUT as tumor prognosis factor need to be conducted through further investigation with large samples.