فصلنامه بیماری های پستان ایران
سال شانزدهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 63، زمستان 1402)

Various members of the Tripartite-motif protein family contribute to different types of cancer, although the role of these factors in breast cancer is unclear. TRIM14 and TRIM29 have been reported to be overexpressed and play oncogenic roles in specific cancers.

A total of 40 pairs of tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues of breast cancer patients were obtained. Relative gene expression of TRIM14 and TRIM29 were determined through quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)  using specific primers.

TRIM14 and TRIM29 were both overexpressed in breast tumor samples. The expression of TRIM14 was associated with tumor size, stage, and invasiveness. Nonetheless, no association was found between TRIM14 and the grade of the tumor. Also, TRIM29 gene expression was positively correlated with tumor size, stage, grade, and invasiveness. No correlation was found between the expression of TRIM14 and TRIM29.

Based on our results, we propose TRIM14 and TRIM29 as potential tumor markers in breast cancer.

A change in the expression of estrogen receptor α, as a key mediator of the response to estrogen in breast tissue, plays a role in the susceptibility to breast cancer. In the present study, the relationship between ER-NE T>C functional polymorphism (rs9478245) in the regulatory region of the ESR1 gene and the risk of breast cancer was investigated.

In this case-control study, the rs9478245 polymorphic genotype was determined by PCR-RFLP technique in 200 breast cancer patients and 172 healthy individuals. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS23 software using a logistic regression test with a significance level of p < 0.05.

The results showed that allele C, as well as TC and CC genotypes of rs9478245 polymorphism, significantly increase the risk of breast cancer.

It seems that the ER-NE T>C functional polymorphism affects the susceptibility to breast cancer so that the C allele as a dominant allele increases the risk of breast cancer.

The prevalence of depression and anxiety, or a combination of both, in women following a diagnosis of breast cancer is twice more than that in the general female population. Consequently, numerous psychological interventions have been implemented to manage these conditions. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of logotherapy, either alone or in conjunction with yoga, on the levels of anxiety, depression, and happiness in survivors of breast cancer.

This randomized clinical trial study focused on breast cancer patients who completed their treatment and entered the study after providing informed consent. Participants were randomly assigned to either the logotherapy group, with or without the inclusion of yoga, for eight weeks. At both the baseline and end of the study, participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Oxford Happiness Inventory questionnaires. The alterations in outcome scores were then compared between the two groups within the study.

A total of  89 patients aged 49-51 years, all diagnosed with depression, successfully completed all sessions of the intervention. The majority of these participants were married housewives with a diploma-level education, and most were diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. The results indicated that following yoga and logotherapy interventions in both groups, there was a significant reduction in the mean levels of depression and anxiety (P<0.001), alongside a significant increase in the mean happiness score (P<0.001). Furthermore, the research demonstrated that while the reduction in anxiety and depression following the interventions in the logotherapy and yoga group was not significant, the increase in happiness was significant, in comparison with the other two variables (anxiety and depression) (P˂0.026).

As evidenced by the obtained results, logotherapy sessions alone or in combination with yoga showed significant beneficial effects on reducing anxiety and depression and increasing happiness in breast cancer patients. Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate these psychological interventions (logotherapy sessions, both with and without yoga) as a complementary form of treatment.

The impact of cultural context on the psychological adaptation of women to breast cancer (BC) has been recognized as significant. Consequently, the primary objective of this study was to gain insight into women's life experiences, taking into account the role of culture in forming BC-related experiences.

This research was conducted with a qualitative phenomenological design to detect the experiences of women living with BC. The statistical population of this research included Iranian women with BC who referred to educational and oncology centers affiliated with the medical sciences universities in Iran and were members of the Tehran BC virtual group. The samples were selected using purposeful and snowball sampling methods. The required data were collected by holding semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 11 women in stages 1, 2, and 3 of BC in the age range of 29 to 51 years. The interview guide was semi-structured questions.

The main concepts indicating cultural factors affecting BC adaptation were extracted. In this regard, the challenges of women with BC were as follows: fear of cancer, financial and occupational problems, changes in motherhood role, perceived concerns about the unpredictability of social conditions, unhealthy sympathy from relatives and community members, and the issue of cancer as a taboo. Moreover, some strategies were adopted to cope with the threatening conditions of this disease: Spirituality, perceived support, maintaining individual abilities, and emotional expression.

Individuals' culture affects the formation of their experiences and adaptation to BC. Interventions culturally tailored to individuals’ needs can play a more effective role by using a common language (i.e., culture).

Breast cancer can lead to a decrease in people's hope and affect their lives; therefore, planning to maintain or improve hope in these patients with training focused on self-compassion seems necessary. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effect of self-compassion program implementation on the hope of female patients with breast cancer.

In this quasi-experimental study, 60 female patients with breast cancer in Zahedan in 2023 were selected via the available method and were randomly assigned to two groups of 30 cases: intervention and control. For patients in the intervention group, eight sessions of a self-compassion training program were held. Before and three months after the implementation of the intervention, patients' hope was measured using Snyder's hope questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS (version 21) software using independent t, paired t, and chi-square statistical tests.

The t-test demonstrated a significant increase in the mean total score of hope and components of agentive thinking and strategic thinking three months after the completion of the educational intervention in the intervention group (P=0.001). Moreover, the independent t-test results three months after the educational intervention pointed to a statistically significant difference between the control and intervention groups in the mean total score of hope, agentive thinking, and strategic thinking (P=0.001).

The findings of the present study indicated the positive effect of the self-compassion program on the hope of breast cancer patients. Therefore, the mentioned educational communication program, which is an easy, inexpensive, applicable, safe, and effective method, can be used to boost hope among patients after breast cancer diagnosis.

Breast cancer has a destructive effect on the couple relationship. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of emotion- focused couple therapy (EFCT) on marital burnout and sexual intimacy in couples with a wife suffering from breast cancer.

The research method was interventional. The statistical population of the study consisted of all women suffering from breast cancer in Tabriz and their spouses who visited Al-Zahra Hospital in Tabriz in the period of four months from June to the end of 2023, i.e. 711 people. After administering the 21-question questionnaire on marital burnout by Pines (2003) and the 30-question questionnaire on sexual intimacy by Bagaroozi (2001) to 220 couples who were willing to participate in the present study, 140 couples were one standard deviation above or below the average score in these questionnaires, 16 couples were selected according to the criteria for participation in the study and using the available sampling method and were randomly divided into two intervention groups (8 couples) and control groups (8 couples). The intervention group received EFCT in 10 sessions of 1.5 hours (two and a half months, one session per week) as a group, according to Johnson's treatment plan; however, the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The mean ± SD scores for marital burnout and sexual intimacy were 106.06±5.68 and 72.81±4.41 in the experimental group and 108.25±4.92 and 73.81±4.30 in the control group, respectively (P>0.05). EFCT significantly reduced marital burnout (101.19±5.54) and increased sexual intimacy (78.56±4.08) in couples with spouses with breast cancer compared to the control group (marital burnout: 108.75±4.02 & sexual intimacy: 73.50±4.29) (p<0.001). In the follow-up phase, the effect of EFCT on marital burnout (101.38±5.63) and sexual intimacy (78.44±4.94)  was lasting (p<0.001).

The results of this study suggest that emotion- focused  couples therapy reduced marital boredom and increased sexual intimacy in couples with a spouse suffering from breast cancer.

Breast cancer is among the main reasons for most cancer-associated loss of life in women worldwide. The use of autologous lipotransfer has become increasingly popular for breast reconstruction. With the emerging data on the efficacy of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) in oncological safety and survival rates, although many studies have focused on improving the preservation of fat graft volume with this material, questions regarding safety and efficacy still remain. The present study aimed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of SVF in fat grafting, especially in its preservation.

Our search was conducted on published research between 2000 and 2022 using several international databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We also reviewed additional evidence from relevant published articles.

Although the SVF is easier to isolate than adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), it contains a heterogeneous mix of cells. The SVF may act through angiogenesis promotion by endothelial/progenitor cells and immunomodulation by ADSCs. The SVF-enhanced fat grafts improve volume retention in animal models. Although limited clinical data supports improved breast augmentation with SVF without increased cancer recurrence, optimal SVF isolation and cell ratios require further research. 

 Based on the obtained findings, although SVF shows promise to improve fat grafting outcomes in breast reconstruction, more clinical studies on oncologic safety and technical considerations are warranted.