International Journal of Cancer Management
Volume:14 Issue: 11, Nov 2021

Cancer cell metastasis is facilitated by matrix-metalloproteinases through degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and is a major cause of mortality. One of the most common remedies for cancer is chemotherapy, which has many side effects. Therefore, it seems necessary to find a way to reduce the side effects of these drugs while maintaining their anticancer effects. Quercetin (que) is a natural substance that has been reported to have anticancer activities.

This study aims at evaluating the effect of que in combination with doxorubicin (dox) on the migration of the MDA-MB231 breast cancer cell line.

The effects of que and dox on cell viability in 24h and 48 h was assessed by MTT assay. Also, the effects of the same drugs on the cancer cells migration were evaluated, using the wound healing assay. Lastly, the effects of que and dox were assessed on the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes.

The combination of 50 µM of que with 32 nM of dox was selected by CI comparison. The viability and migration of cancer cells and the gelatinases genes expression were decreased after treatment with individual drugs. The migration and the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes after treatment with the combination of que and dox was significantly reduced compared to the treatment with que and dox alone.

Que inhibits the viability and migration of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells and synergistically enhances the effects of dox on the survival and migration of these cells. Hence, we propose this drug combination as a path for further research on breast cancer therapy.

Many women with breast cancer in the process of diagnosing, treating, and surviving show psychological distress such as hopelessness and cancer-related stress. On the other hand, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a psychological intervention provides a good model for coping with the disease.

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of ACT on demoralization syndrome and cancer-related trauma in patients with breast cancer and survivors.

The present study was a clinical trial with pre-test and post-test. It was performed on 52 patients with breast cancer and survivors referred to the Golestan Cancer Patients Association in Gorgan in 2020. Initially, participants were selected by convenient sampling and randomly divided into two treatment groups (patients group and survivors group) and two control groups (patients group and survivors group). Then, the treatment groups underwent ACT for 8 consecutive weekly sessions, but the control groups did not receive any intervention. The data were obtained, using the Demoralization Scale (DS) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

The results of the study showed a significant difference in demoralization syndrome components and PCL-5 between the treatment groups of patients and survivors with control groups of patients and survivors (P < 0.05). Also, there was no significant difference between the treatment groups of patients and survivors in the components of demoralization and PCL-5 (P > 0.05) except for the feeling of failure component (P = 0.048).

According to the results, using ACT as a complementary treatment along with medical treatment to prevent and reduce demoralization syndrome and cancer-related trauma is recommended in patients with breast cancer and survivors.

According to previous studies, using the frozen section procedure during breast surgery reduces the rate of error and the need for re-surgery. We aimed at performing a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to provide reliable evidence on the diagnostic value of frozen section procedures in breast-conserving surgery (BCS).

A thorough search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for human diagnostic studies that used the frozen section in BCS. Meta-analyses were done to find the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR).

Human diagnostic studies used the frozen section in breast-conserving surgery and studies that reported the sensitivity and specificity of the frozen section in BCS or contained data that could be calculated the desired parameters were selected for this meta-analysis.

Assessment of studies quality was done and data was extracted from included papers. Then, the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool was used to assess the quality of included papers.

Thirty-five papers were entered into our study. The meta-analysis indicated the high sensitivity (83.47, 95%CI 79.61 - 87.32) and specificity (99.29, 95%CI 98.89 - 99.68) for the frozen section in BCS, which resulted in an accuracy of 93.77 (95%CI 92.45 - 95.10). We also found a significant PPV (93.26, 95%CI 91.25 - 95.27), NPV (92.17, 95%CI 90.22 - 94.11), PLR (7.99, 95%CI 6.01 - 9.96), and NLR (0.18, 95%CI 0.14 - 0.23).

The findings showed that intraoperative frozen section analysis has high sensitivity and specificity for evaluating lumpectomy margins in patients with early-stage breast cancer and significantly reduces the need for re-operation. Accordingly, re-operation costs are not imposed on the patient and reduce the anxiety of the patients.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease that characterized by aggressiveness features with increased metastasis and poor clinical prognosis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this highly malignant phenotype are still poorly understood. It has been well documented that the dysregulation of neural genes is profoundly implicated in cancer development and metastasis.

In the present study, the expression level of GABA receptor π subunit (GABRP) as the most up-regulated gene in TNBC and a hub node in the co-expression network were investigated.

In this study, the importance of GABRP as the most up-regulated gene in TNBC was discovered through integrative analysis of multiple microarray expression datasets, containing about 1000 samples. Furthermore, the co-expression network analysis was constructed based on the up-regulated genes. Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate of the GABRP expression in 50 TNBC compared to 33 non-TNBC tumors.

According to the bioinformatics analysis, GABRP occupies a key position in the co-expression network which is mainly enriched in the nervous systems development. The qRT-PCR results indicated that up-regulation of GABRP was highly concordant with integrative analysis findings. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that GABRP can be a potential biomarker to distinguish TNBC from non-TNBC samples.

Our study revealed that up-regulation of GABRP is among the most remarkable molecular signature in TNBC and may play a critical role in tumorigenesis. The results may provide a deeper insight into molecular mechanisms underlying the brain metastasis in TNBC tumors and propose the potential targets for therapeutic interventions

Breast cancer is considered themost commonmalignant disease in the female population. It is known as an emerging epidemy with a great burden on women’s health, which can be associated with poor outcomes. Some factors including histological type, immunohistochemistry (IHC), tumor grade, and tumor size can have effects on breast cancer.

This study aimed at assessing the effects of mentioned factors on IHC type of breast cancer.

This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 142 patients, who were referred to one of the referral centers for breast cancer in Mashhad. Information including age, histological type, familial history, menopause status, tumor grade, tumor size, and IHC properties was collected from the patient’s medical records. Allred score was used for reporting hormonal status. The data were analyzed by version 26 of SPSS software.

The mean age of patient was 50.2 ± 12.7. The frequency of luminal A and luminal B type was calculated as 29.7 and 18.9%, respectively. In addition, triple-negative IHC type has a prevalence of 24.3% and HER2 had a prevalence of 27%. There were no significant differences between age (P = 0.34), familial history (P = 0.42), menopause (P = 0.36), histological type (invasive: P = 0.11, in situ: P = 0.45), and IHC properties. However, tumor diameter (P = 0.0001) and tumor grading (P = 0.002) had significant association with IHC properties.

Factors including tumor size and pathological grade can have effects on the gene expression properties of breast cancers. Luminal IHC type A is more common in breast cancer and is associated with better outcomes. However, age, histological type, familial history, and menopause status had no effects on the IHC properties of breast cancer.

Determining the needs and challenges of women, who care for patients with cancer and providing appropriate strategies to empower them in the design and implementation of appropriate change programs pave the way for the promotion of these women's health and empowerment.

This study aims at identifying the needs and challenges of women and developing a program to empower women, who care for patients with cancer.

The present study is based on a participatory action research approach and uses the Kemmis and McTaggart model. The participatory action research of this study will be in 4 phases of planning, action, observation, and reflection. In the planning phase, the needs and challenges of female caregivers are examined from the perspective of women and the health team and, then, women's empowerment strategies in providing home-based supportive and palliative care for patients with cancer are determined, using the results of the qualitative phase and review of the literature by using the decision matrix. In the action phase, the selected strategies are implemented with the help of process owners. In the observation phase, combining different methods, data will be collected to measure the results of change. Finally, in the reflection phase, the results of the implementation of the strategies are evaluated and this cycle continues until the intended results are achieved.

Empowerment of the women, who care for patients with cancer requires awareness, motivation, and active participation of women and the health team. As many cultural and social factors affect the health and participation of these women, participatory research can involve them in promoting their health.