pedram fadavi

More than 90% of cervical cancers are related to chronic inflammation caused by HPV. Several studies have shown that laboratory hematological parameters can detect the severity of systemic inflammation.

Our current cohort study investigated the predictive role of pretreatment hematological parameters for response to definitive chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).

Prospectively, patients with LACC who candidates for definitive chemoradiation at Shohadaye Haftom-e-Tir and Firozgar Hospitals (Tehran, Iran) were included in our study between April 2021 and December 2022. Hematological parameters were obtained from the blood sample test and peripheral blood smear before treatment. All patients diagnosed in stage IB to IVA received a similar treatment protocol and follow-up. Patients were divided into complete clinical (CR) and non-complete clinical responses (Non-CR). Leukocyte, Lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet, hemoglobin (Hb), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were documented and then compared between two groups of responders. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to investigate the predictive value of these hematological parameters.

Out of 34 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 25 (73/5%) patients were complete responders and 9 (26.5%) were non-complete responders. The average number of neutrophils, leukocytes, and NLR was significantly higher among Non-complete responders. Hemoglobin in patients with non-complete responses was significantly lower than that of the other group of responders. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the optimized cut-off values for pretreatment Hb and NLR were 11 and 2.1, respectively. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio cut-off point > 2.1 is significantly associated with larger tumor size, low Hb, high platelet, and high leukocyte.

hematological markers such as NLR can be a simple and inexpensive predictive factor to evaluate therapeutic response to chemoradiation in LACC patients.

The aim of this study was to determine whether mammographic and sonographic features of malignant breast lesions are correlated with tumor  istologic grade, hormonal receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki?67 status.

In this retrospective study, imaging and histopathological findings of 187 biopsy?proven breast cancer cases from November 2019 to  February 2021 were reviewed. The Chi?square test was used to examine the potential correlation between mammographic and sonographic characteristics with histopathological features such as hormonal receptor, HER2 status, Ki?67 labeling index, and histological grade.

We observed that microlobulated margin as well as oval/round morphology in mammograms correlate with triple?negative intrinsic subtype (P = 0.006 and P = 0.004). The presence of calcification in sonography was significantly higher in the luminal?B subtype (P = 0.002).  urthermore, ill?defined margins in mammography were significantlyhigher in amplified HER2 expression (P = 0.004) in the same manner as an oval/round shape in higher levels of Ki?67 (P = 0.030).

Mammography and sonography features may reflect the biological behavior of various subtypes of breast cancer and can detect more aggressive breast cancers that can mimic benign or less malignant appearing lesions. These findings may be an excellent predictor for some subtypes like triple?negative breast cancer. Studying the range of these imaging characteristics may help in betterunderstanding the prognosis, choosing a treatment strategy, and predicting response to treatment.

 The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) training on reducing depression and anxiety and increasing the quality of life in women with breast cancer in Tehran.

 This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, control group, and follow-up. The statistical population included all women with breast cancer undergoing treatment in Tehran hospitals in 2022. A total of 30 volunteers were selected through purposive sampling and assigned to experimental and control groups. Beck's Depression and Anxiety Inventory and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaire were used for assessment. Pre-tests for depression, anxiety, and quality of life were administered to both groups before the intervention. The experimental group received CFT training according to an educational protocol over eight sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Post-tests were conducted for both groups after the intervention and again 45 days later.

 Data were analyzed using a mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that CFT training was effective in reducing depression and anxiety and increasing the quality of life in women, with these effects remaining stable after 45 days (p < 0.05).

 Given the effectiveness and stability of CFT training, it is recommended that health and medical centers utilize such therapeutic methods to improve the mental health of cancer patients.

Laryngeal damages after chemoradiation therapy (RT) in nonlaryngeal head‑and‑neck cancers (HNCs) can cause voice disorders and finally reduce the patient’s quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to evaluate voice and predict laryngeal damages using statistical binary logistic regression (BLR) models in patients with nonlaryngeal HNCs.

This cross‑section experimental study was performed on seventy patients (46 males, 24 females) with an average age of 50.43 ± 16.54 years, with nonlaryngeal HNCs and eighty individuals with assumed normal voices. Subjective and objective voice assessment was carried out in three stages including before, at the end, and 6 months after treatment. Eventually, the Enter method of the BLR was used to measure the odds ratio of independent variables.

In objective evaluation, the acoustic parameters except for F0 increased significantly (P < 0.001) at the end treatment stage and decreased 6 months after treatment. The same trend can be seen in the subjective evaluations, whereas none of the values returned to pretreatment levels. Statistical models of BLR showed that chemotherapy (P < 0.05), mean laryngeal dose (P < 0.05), V50 Gy (P = 0.002), and gender (P = 0.008) had the greatest effect on incidence laryngeal damages. The model based on acoustic analysis had the highest percentage accuracy of 84.3%, sensitivity of 87.2%, and the area under the curve of 0.927.

Voice evaluation and the use of BLR models to determine important factors were the optimum methods to reduce laryngeal damages and maintain the patient’s QOL.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019 in China and exhibited as a highly contagious viral infection which led to a high level of mortality and morbidity. It is followed by a great deal of complications, such as serious psychological disorders. There are a few studies evaluating the psychological status of COVID-19 on the patients with cancer in Iran. This was a cross-sectional study carried out on 94 patients with cancer who referred to Haft-e-Tir hospital for radiotherapy and chemotherapy from 20 April to 15 may, 2020. The data collection tool was the impact of events scale-revised (IES-R). The prevalence of anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder based on past psychiatric history in the patients was 11.7% and 2.1%, respectively. The results revealed that age was significantly related to avoidance dimension score (B = -0. 209, 95% CI: -0.084 to - 0.335). Regarding hyper arousal dimension score, the results were as follows: rural residency (B = 5.091, 95% CI: 0.610 to 9.573), past psychiatric history (PPH) (B = 8.312, 95% CI: 4.314 to 12.310), and radiotherapy (B = -2.976, 95% CI: -5.878 to -0.074) had a statistically significant relationship with the hyper arousal dimension score. The patients with cancer had a severe form of COVID-19. Individuals with cancer who had a previous psychiatric history are more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after trauma.

Two-dimensional (2D) radiographic parameters have been used to estimate the amount of heart and lung irradiated for minimizing heart and lung complications in breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between traditionally used 2D radiographic and dose-volume parameters during adjuvant radiotherapy of breast cancer.  

In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 121 female patients treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) using two-field radiotherapy (2FRT) or three-field radiotherapy (3FRT) technique. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT)-planning. Two-D parameters, including central lung distance (CLD), maximum lung depth (MLD), maximum heart length (MHL), maximum heart distance (MHD), and chest wall separation (CWS), were measured using digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) and CT images. DVHs for lung, heart, and target were created. The Pearson correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between 2D radiographic and dose-volume parameters.  

There was a correlation between CLD and ipsilateral lung V5-20Gy and Dmean and between MLD and ipsilateral lung V5-20Gy. In 2FRT, only moderate correlation between CLD and ipsilateral lung V20Gy (r = 0.453, P = 0.003) and between MLD and ipsilateral lung V20Gy (r = 0.593, P <0.001) were observed. Poor correlation of MHL and heart V25Gy (r = 0.409, P = 0.007) was seen only in 3FRT. There was a correlation between MHD and heart dose-volume data, with a strong correlation between MHD and heart V5-25Gy and Dmean (r = 0.875-0.934, P<0.001) in the 2FRT group. No correlation between CWS and breast Dmax was found.  

There was a correlation between 2D parameters (i.e., CLD, MLD, and MHD) and the heart and lung dose-volume parameters during adjuvant breast radiotherapy. Although CLD was correlated to ipsilateral lung V5-20Gy and Dmean, the correlation between CLD and ipsilateral lung V20Gy was greater than other dose-volume parameters. MHD provided a close estimation of heart dose-volume parameters.

The use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation has enhanced local control in rectal cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of adding a high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BRT) boost in locally advanced rectal cancer.

This retrospective trial was conducted based on the medical records of patients with rectal cancer, who were referred to a tertiary hospital for neoadjuvant treatment. Fifteen patients who were treated with HDR brachytherapy boost after completion of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and concurrent chemotherapy were enrolled in the intervention group and 15 patients who were clinically matched (age, sex, stage, and distance of tumor from anal verge) were selected as the control group. EBRT schedule and concurrent chemotherapy regimen were similar in the two groups. The rate of pathological complete response (PCR), downstaging (T staging), and frequency of side effects were compared between the two groups of the study.

The mean age of patients was 57.97 ± 9.11 years and 18 patients (60%) were male. The results showed that T 3 and N 1 rectal cancer had the highest frequency among patients. Downstaging was observed in 66.7% and 80% of the control and intervention groups, respectively (P: 0.40). The rate of PCR was not different in the two groups (13.3% in both groups, P > 0.99). There were no significant differences in terms of treatment complications between the two groups, as well.

HDR-BRT boost for rectal cancer is feasible and might improve downstaging in rectal cancer, but not PCR

Sleep disorder is one of the main complaints of patients with cancer that could affect their quality of life and clinical outcomes. We aimed to investigate major contributors of poor quality sleep in patients with cancer that underwent treatment.  We performed a cross-sectional study on 250 patients with cancer referred to the oncology department of Shohaday-e-Haftome-Tir Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Sleep quality as the main outcome of the study was evaluated using the Persian version of the self-report PSQI questionnaire. Global PSQI score >5 was categorized as the poor quality sleep. We also collected demographic and clinical data and physical performance status based on ECOG scale which grading is from 0:Fully active to 12:Death. Collecting the data regarding each patient was performed through medical records and face-to-face interviews. Mean age (±SD) of the study participants was 52.8 (±11.9) and 177 (70.8%) patients were female. The overall proportion of poor quality sleep was 66.8%. Sleep disorders were observed more frequent in patients with partial (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.0, 3.8) and complete (OR=7.4, 95% CI=1.5, 36.4) physical dysfunction (p-value<0.05). There was also a strong association between a history of sleep disorder and cancer-related insomnia (OR=4.4, 95% CI=1.9, 10.1). No association was found between age, marital status, metastasis status, and cancer location with poor quality sleep. Poor sleep quality had a high prevalence among our patients. Patients with physical functional impairment and those with psychiatric disorders (mood disorder) and pre-existing insomnia were the main groups of patients with a higher likelihood of cancer-related insomnia.

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare tumor with mesodermal origin. There are more than 100 different types of histology in sarcoma, which present different clinical behaviors. Liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma are among the most common pathologies

The patient was a 46-year-old man with 2 masses. The pathology of chest-wall mass (250 × 187 mm) was compatible with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS). Arm mass (42 × 29 mm) pathology was suggestive of low-grade epithelioid leiomyosarcoma with smooth muscle differentiation. He received two cycles of mesna and doxorubicin and ifosfamide (MAI) regimen chemotherapy due to large and multiple masses, but the tumor size did not change. After consultation with an orthopedic oncosurgeon, wide masses resection was done. Adjuvant chemotherapy with an MAI regimen was continued for a total of 6 courses and radiation with a 60 Gy total dose to the posterior aspect of the chest wall. No recurrence or complications was observed after 4 months of follow-up.

Multiple STS is rare; nevertheless, its probability, either synchronous or metachronous, should be considered during patient examine and follow-up. In the case of a secondary lesion, different histology is probable, and the patient should be biopsied and imaged.

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in considerable overloading of health care systems in almost all regions of the world. Among different malignancies, breast cancer can be considered as a typical example of how the decision-making process for radiation treatment can be adapted to unusual situations. There exist several international guidelines in order to modify radiotherapy treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, some of their recommendations are not applicable in regions with limited resources. In this manuscript, we provided guidance to deliver radiotherapy to patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic based on our available nationwide resources.

A team of expert radiation oncologists convened multidisciplinary and cross-institutional meetings and reviewed the major internationally published guidelines and relevant literature in the field of breast radiotherapy during the COVID19 pandemic in order to establish recommendations for the safe application of radiation regimens based on the national limited resources.

Practical guidance in order to deliver radiotherapy to patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic based on available nationwide resources was developed.

Many of the international recommendations on the breast cancer radiotherapy during COVID-19 outbreak are not applicable in countries with limited resources. Therefore, modifying the guidelines based on the available resources is mandatory in order to achieve the best possible results.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers. Researchers are trying to diagnose the disease through easier and safer methods. Serum markers such as ferritin and vitamin D level would be very helpful. This research could pave the way for more comprehensive studies on how to use this serum factor in breast cancer screening, as well as early detection of the disease in its early stages.

This study consisted of two groups, the first group comprising patients diagnosed with breast cancer before undergoing any treatment and the second group as control were healthy people. Serum ferritin and vitamin D levels were measured. Pathological information of the patientchr('39')s tumor, including ER, HER2, KI67, lymphovascular invasion, and disease stage, were collected as well. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS advanced statistics version 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). P-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant.

Eighty-eight subjects were enrolled in this study, 29 (33%) breast cancer patients and 59 (67%) healthy women. In breast cancer patients, serum ferritin levels were 106.55±111.25, which were higher than healthy women’s serum ferritin 52.71±36.95 (p=0.083). Furthermore, 18 (66.7%) of breast cancer patients and 55 (93.2%) of healthy women had low serum ferritin levels (p=0.001). 3 (11.1%) patients in the cancer group had serum vitamin D deficiency, while all subjects in the control group had serum vitamin D higher than 10 ng/dl (p =0.009).

The results of this study showed a correlation between breast cancer and vitamin D deficiency, and elevated ferritin. Perhaps with further studies, there could be a role in predicting the prognosis and screening of breast cancer for these associations.

Radiation-induced rectal toxicities remain as a major risk during prostate radiotherapy. One approach to the reduction of rectal radiation dose is to physically increase the distance between the rectal wall and prostate. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the application of the rectal retractor (RR) can reduce rectal dose and toxicity in prostate cancer 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT).

Overall, 36 patients with localized prostate cancer were randomized into the 2 groups, 18 patients with RR in-place and 18 without RR. All patients underwent planning computed tomography (CT). Patients were treated with 70 Gy in 35 fractions of 3D-CRT. In the RR group, RR was used during cone-down 20 treatment fractions. Acute and late gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were assessed using EORTC/RTOG scoring system weekly during radiotherapy, 3, and 12 months after treatment. Device-related events were recorded according to CTCAE version 4.0. Patient characteristics, cancer differences, and dosimetric data for the RR and non-RR groups were compared using a Man-Whitney U test for continuous variables, and Fisher exact test for categorical data. The EORTC/RTOG scores for the 2 groups were compared using Fisher exact test. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

A RR significantly reduced mean dose (Dmean) to the rectum as well as rectal volume receiving 50% to 95% (V50-95%) of prescribed dose. The absolute reduction of rectal Dmean was 10.3 Gy. There was no statistically significant difference in acute GI toxicity between groups during treatment or at 3 months. At 12 months, 2 patients in the RR group and 9 in the control group experienced late grade ≥ 1 GI toxicity (p=0.027). No patients in the RR group reported late grade ≥ 2 GI toxicity, whereas 3 patients in the control group experienced late grade 2 GI toxicity. In the RR group, 6 patients reported grade 1 rectal discomfort and pain according to CTCAE version 4.0.

The application of the RR showed a significant rectum sparing effect, resulting in substantially reducing late GI toxicity.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is one of the main treatment approaches in esophageal cancer treatment, which can improve outcomes of a patient with esophageal cancer. In the current study, we aimed to compare the response rate and side effects of 2 distinctive neoadjuvant chemoradiation protocols.

The study was a randomized clinical trial that was performed on 70 patients with esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer in Iran. The study participants were randomly assigned to 1 of our treatment groups. The first group received capecitabine (625 mg/m2/TID) and oxaliplatin (50 mg/m2/weekly), while the second group was given a combination of carboplatin (AUC:2/weekly) and paclitaxel (75mg/m2/weekly). Both groups were given weekly 50.4-54 Gy dose of RT. Chi square and Fisher exact tests have been used for data analysis. All statistical tests were performed using SPSS software Version 22.0 and the significance level was set at 0.05.

Complete pathological response was detected in 18(51.4%) of patients in group I and 8 (22.8%) in group II (p=0.013). We also observed higher thrombocytopenia in CarTax arm 19 (54.2%) in comparison to CapOX arm 8(22.8%), and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.007). No statistical difference was found regarding neutropenia, fatigue, anorexia, esophagitis, and diarrhea.   

The CapOxRT regime provides more favorable outcomes and also it is more tolerated by patients.

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare form of extranodal lymphoma. The most common pathology is diffuse large B cell lymphoma and most patients are diagnosed at stages 1 and 2. The therapeutic options available so far include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy

The patient was a 54-year old woman with localized primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The patient underwent 6 courses of chemotherapy with an R-CHOP regimen followed by radiotherapy of the breast and regional lymph nodes with a dose of 40 Gy. In PET scan done three months later, the patient was in complete remission. Around one year later, the patient experienced relapse in the contralateral breast.

In the pattern of lapse of patients, there is a tendency for extranodal relapse. In some studies it has been speculated that there is a high probability of relapse in central nervous system (CNS) and some authorities advocate CNS prophylaxis in these patients. The best outcome would be for patients treated with chemotherapy including rituximab followed by radiation. We reviewed some studies regarding treatment modalities and site of relapse.

Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients

The objective of this study was to determine and compare Cystatin C changes before and after radiotherapy in patients with stomach cancer who were candidate for radiotherapy. This study was conducted as a prospective cohort one. Eighteen patients with definite diagnosis of stomach cancer under treatment by radiotherapy who presented to Radiotherapy-Oncology Center of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran-Iran, and the treatment in all cases was simultaneous chemoradiation with Xeloda were included. In all patients before radiotherapy and after radiotherapy serum creatinine (Cr) and Cystatin C were measured simultaneously. Mean cystatin level before treatment (1.2±0.4) was significantly lower than that of post-treatment (1.6±0.36), (P=0.001). Serum Cr level before treatment was 1.15±0.33 and after radiotherapy was 1.08±0.24 and did not show significant difference. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of the patients before radiotherapy was -46.8 ± 21.0 and after radiotherapy was 43.8±15.8 that did not have significant difference (P=0.146) and also blood urea nitrogen (BUN) before radiotherapy was 20.72±3.7 and 20 ± 6.38 after radiotherapy that did not have significant difference (P=0.6). Comparison of the Cystatin C difference with total radiation dose of the kidneys that are put in three dose groups in radiotherapy field had association that in dose of less that 18 gray (Gy) the Cystatin C change showed significant and positive association (P=0.027; r=0.52) and about 18-24 Gy the Cystatin C difference showed significant and negative association (P=0.023, r=-0.53). It seems that for evaluating the renal function, serum Cystatin C measurement is preferable than serum Cr. level.