Epidemiology and trends of gastrointestinal cancer in Iran (2004-2008)

Aim

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is among the most common cancers in Iran. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the time trends of stomach, colon and rectum, and esophageal cancer during the past decade in Iran.

Materials and Methods

In this cross-sectional study, the study population was all cases of GI cancers diagnosed in Iran between 2004 and 2008. Cancer incidence data for the years 2004-2008 were obtained from the cancer registry system of the Ministry of Health. All incidence rates were directly age standardized to the world standard population. Age-Satndardized incidence rate (ASR)per 10⁵ persons was calculated using direct standardization and the world standard population. The crude rate was calculated in this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 17) and Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

Results

During the 2004-2008 period, the ASR and crude rates of GI cancers, including esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, among males were 5.05, 15.02, and 8.29 and 4.01, 11.81, and 6.4, respectively, and among females were 6.52, 7.055, and 7.75 and 4.40, 4.85, and 5.49, respectively. The most common cancers in women were colon and rectum, and stomach cancer had the highest incidence in males. In this study, most cases of stomach cancer were adenocarcinoma adenocarcinoma (Nos) in both women and men. The most common type of colorectal cancer was adenocarcinoma, which was greater in men than women. The most common type of esophageal cancer was squamous cell carcinoma in both sexes. The north and northwestern regions of Iran have the highest risk of GI cancer.

Conclusion

According to this study, a significant increase was observed in the incidence of cancers in the north and western regions of Iran. Hence, screening and early detection programs are highly recommended in these high-risk areas.

Epidemiologic Study of Gastric Cancer in Iran: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers in Iran. Knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease is essential in planning for prevention. So this study aimed to investigate the epidemiological aspects of gastric cancer including prevalence, incidence, mortality, and risk factors of Iran.

METHODS

This systematic review study was based on articles published in both English and Persian languages during the years of 1970-2020 in international databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus) and national databases (including SID, Magiran, and IranDoc). Papers related to epidemiological aspects of the disease including mortality, prevalence, incidence, and risk entered the final review.

RESULTS

According to the studies, the minimum and maximum prevalence of gastric cancer in northwestern Iran (Ardabil) is between 0.2 and 100 per 100,000. Also, the death rate per 100,000 people ranged from 10.6 to 15.72 and the ASMR ranged from 4.2 to 32.2%. On the other hand, the incidence of GC was higher in men than in women (74.9 vs 4.6%). The GC risk ratio was 8-times higher in the elderly than in the other age groups (HR=8.0, 2.7-23.5). The incidence of gastric cancer in patients with H. pylori infection was 18-times and that of smokers 2-times higher than other populations. Low level of economic situation and food insecurity increased the odds of GC by 2.42- and 2.57-times, respectively. It should be noted that there was a direct relationship between consumption of processed red meat, dairy products, fruit juice, smoked and salty fish and legumes, strong and hot tea, and consumption of salt and gastric cancer incidence. There was also an inverse relationship between citrus consumption, fresh fruit, garlic, and gastric cancer. In addition, the mRNA genes are the most GC-related genes.

CONCLUSION

Given the high incidence of GC in Iran, changing lifestyle and decreasing consumption of preservatives in food, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, and improving the lifestyle can be effective in reducing the incidence of this disease.

Prevalence of cancers diagnosed in Jamhuriyat Hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan

BACKGROUNDS

Throughout the world, there exists a clear need for the maintenance of cancer statistics, forming an essential part of any rational programme of cancer control, health-care planning, etiological research, primary and secondary prevention, benefiting both individuals and society. The present work reports only on the prevalence of cancers in the Oncology Department of Jamhuriyat Hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan following several decades of war.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A quantitative retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using the medical records of patients diagnosed and treated from October 2015 to December 2017. Data includes information on gender, age, economic status, address and types of cancer diagnosed. The data was transferred to a customized form and analysed using Microsoft Excel program to classify cancer types.

RESULTS

The total number of patients with completed documents were 1025. Of these, 403 (39.3%) were male and 622 (60.7%) female. Most of the patients were in the age range of 20-70 years old. The most common cancers in women were breast cancer (45.8%), followed by oesophagus (12.5%), colorectal (4.8%), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (4.7%), sarcoma (4.7%), ovary (3.8%), both stomach and liver (2.6%) and cervix uteri (1.9%). Contrarily to men, esophageal cancer was highest (21.8%), followed by stomach (12.2%), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (9.4%), sarcoma (8.9%), gastroesophageal junction (8.9%), colorectal (8.6%), Hodgkin lymphoma (4.7%), testis (4.2%), liver (3.2%), lung (2.7%) and Nonmelanoma skin squamous cell carcinoma 9 (2.2%).

CONCLUSION

Results showed that the most frequent cancers among Afghans were breast and oesophagus. The most common cancer in men was oesophagus and stomach at the age range of 50-70 years while in women, breast and oesophagus cancers were common and within the age range of 25-65 years old.

A Survey on the Relationship between Religiosity and Quality of Life in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Study in Iranian Muslims

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the relationship between religiosity and quality of life (QoL) in patients with breast cancer in a Muslim population.

METHODS

This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 84 Muslim patients with breast cancer who were admitted to Ahvaz Shafa Hospital, Iran, during 2015. QoL and religiosity were measured with the Short Form-36 questionnaire and Muslim Religiosity questionnaire based on the Glock and Stark model, respectively. Data were analyzed using a software program for descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation, and an independent sample t-test.

RESULTS

Most patients had high religiosity (69%) and moderate QoL (46.5%) scores. Total scores and all subscales scores for QoL were significantly higher in patients with high religiosity than patients with moderate religiosity (P < 0.0001). Moreover, a direct correlation was found between religiosity (total and all subscales) and QoL (total and all subscales) (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

A significant relationship was found between religiosity and QoL in patients with breast cancer. Accordingly, care team members, especially midwifery and nursing staff, should pay more attention to religious beliefs among these patients to improve their QoL.

UBE2Q1 in a Human Breast Carcinoma Cell Line: Overexpression and Interaction with p53

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is a principal mediator of growth arrest, senescence, and apoptosis in response to a broad array of cellular damage. p53 is a substrate for the ubiquitin-proteasome system, however, the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) involved in p53 ubiquitination have not been well studied. UBE2Q1 is a novel E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme gene. Here, we investigated the effect of UBE2Q1 overexpression on the level of p53 in the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell line as well as the interaction between UBE2Q1 and p53. By using a lipofection method, the p53 mutated breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-468, was transfected with the vector pCMV6-AN-GFP, containing UBE2Q1 ORF. Western blot analysis was employed to verify the overexpression of UBE2Q1 in MDA-MB-468 cells and to evaluate the expression level of p53 before and after cell transfection. Immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down protocols were used to investigate the binding of UBE2Q1 to p53. We established MDA-MB-468 cells that transiently expressed a GFP fusion proteins containing UBE2Q1 (GFP-UBE2Q1). Western blot analysis revealed that levels of p53 were markedly lower in UBE2Q1 transfected MDA-MB-468 cells as compared with control MDA-MB-468 cells. Both in vivo and in vitro data showed that UBE2Q1 co-precipitated with p53 protein. Our data for the first time showed that overexpression of UBE2Q1can lead to the repression of p53 in MDA-MB-468 cells. This repression of p53 may be due to its UBE2Q1 mediated ubiquitination and subsequent proteasome degradation, a process that may involve direct interaction of UBE2Q1with p53.

Epidemiology and trend of common cancers in Iran (2004-2008)

BACKGROUND

Cancer is one of the most important causes of mortality worldwide. It includes approximately 13% of death cases. This study aimed to investigate the incidence trend of common cancers in Iran during 2004-2008 to improve reporting distribution the disease.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study. The study population was all cases of cancer diagnosed in Iran during 2004-2008. The crude incidence rate of cancers was calculated per 100 000 people by age groups and sex. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) were calculated using direct standardisation and the world standard population. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 17) and Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

RESULTS

In this study, a total of 301 055 cases of cancer were diagnosed. ASRs were 60.51 and 84.51 in women and men respectively. Most common cancers in men were skin (ASR = 18.85), stomach (15.02), bladder (ASR = 11.25), prostate (ASR = 8.93) and colorectal (ASR = 8.29). Most common cancers in women were breast (ASR = 18.24), skin (ASR = 12.01), colorectal (ASR = 7.75), stomach (ASR = 7.05) and haematocyte (ASR = 4.01).

CONCLUSION

A significant increase was observed in the incidence of cancers in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to perform screening, early diagnosis and treatment in early stages of cancers.

Red and Processed Meat Consumption Increases Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A PRISMA-Compliant Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

The association between consumption of red and processed meat and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of the published observational studies to explore this relationship.We searched databases in MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify observational studies which evaluated the association between consumption of red and processed meat and risk of NHL. Quality of included studies was evaluated using Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Random-effects models were used to calculate summary relative risk (SRR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).We identified a total of 16 case-control and 4 prospective cohort studies, including 15,189 subjects with NHL. The SRR of NHL comparing the highest and lowest categories were 1.32 (95% CI: 1.12-1.55) for red meat and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.07-1.29) for processed meat intake. Stratified analysis indicated that a statistically significant risk association between consumption of red and processed meat and NHL risk was observed in case-control studies, but not in cohort studies. The SRR was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04-1.18) for per 100 g/day increment in red meat intake and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.08-1.53) for per 50 g/day increment in processed meat intake. There was evidence of a nonlinear association for intake of processed meat, but not for intake of red meat.Findings from our meta-analysis indicate that consumption of red and processed meat may be related to NHL risk. More prospective epidemiological studies that control for important confounders and focus on the NHL risk related with different levels of meat consumption are required to clarify this association.

Lack of association between using aspirin and development of non-Hodgkins lymphoma: a meta-analysis

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 I2 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.