Basic and Clinical Cancer Research
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Spring 2014

Many training programs have been conducted, aiming to encourage women to perform breast self-examination for early detection of breast cancer. This study aimed to review studies performed on efficacy of educational interventions to correct women’s behavior in breast self-examination. Through systematic search of MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science databanks to retrieve titles and abstracts of articles containing results of educational interventions associated with women’s breast self-examination, the articles that focused on determining efficacy of educational interventions were selected. Eventually, results obtained from reviewing full text of 19 selected articles were analyzed. The majority of educational programs were designed for training skills, and most trainers were healthcare staff, and in some cases, educators were made up of peers and families of breast cancer patients. A huge diversity was observed in studies in terms of demographics, such as age, race, education, and occupation, and in some cases, first degree relatives of breast cancer patients were educated as the most important at-risk group. Teaching breast self-examination, with regard to knowledge, attitude, and behavior, plays an essential role in increasing cases of early detection and treatment of breast cancer. More effective education is provided by nurses and other medical staff compared to doctors. Attention to finding a suitable location for education, including healthcare centers and workplace, attributes to success.

During the past few years, HESA-A, a herbal-marine mixture, has been used to treat cancer as an alternative medicine in Iran. However, weight of the evidence is not sufficient to accept or refuse the use of this compound as a cytotoxic drug. We investigated the selective anticancer effects of HESA-A on breast, prostate, colon, and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) neoplastic cell lines. MTT-based cytotoxicity assay was performed on HCT-116 (colon adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), PC-3 (prostate adenocarcinoma), U-87MG (GBM), and HDF-1 (normal dermal fibroblast) cell lines using different concentrations of HESA-A (0, 1, 3.3, 10, 33 and 100 µg/ml) and doxorubicin as positive control (10 µM). If there was seen an inhibitory response, median inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined. We defined the cytotoxicity as the extrapolated IC50 became equal to or lower than 50 µg/ml. HESA-A at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL) significantly inhibited the growth of HCT-116 cell line (P = 0.003; compared to control). Percentage growth inhibition of HESA-A at this concentration was determined as 40.13%. IC50 of this compound on HCT-116 cell line was extrapolated 117.28 µg/mL. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean absorbance measures of HESA-A treated groups in other cell lines. This study showed that HESA-A doesn''t fulfill the predetermined criterion of cytotoxic agents. More preclinical investigations are needed to assess the efficacy of HESA-A in cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females that will cause death ifit does not be recognized and cured. One out of eight Iranian women in 40-55years old is likely to develop breast cancer. Early detection of breast cancerby screening programs is a useful approach in controlling the disease. In this descriptive study, 196 female healthcare providers were selected from52 Tabriz health centers by proportional cluster random sampling and theirhealth beliefs about breast cancer early detection behaviors are assessed byusing Champion’s Health Belief Model (CHBM) questionnaire. Data analyzed bySPSS software.The mean age of participants was 37.01 (S.D= ± 7.54), and 73.5% of them weremarried and the job of 45.6% were midwife. 73.2% of participants have performedBSE, but only 26.9% of them performed it regularly. 26.6% of them had mammogramand 10.7% reported performance of CBE. The BSE performance was higher amongnurses and midwifes. BSE and mammography performance were higher in marriedhealth workers. Health workers who performed mammography and CBE were older(P> 0.05).In spite of good knowledge of healthcare providers in compare with otherpeople; the results of this study showed that the rate of BSE, mammography andCBE performance is low in Tabriz healthcare providers. So providing educationalprograms with focus on performance of breast cancer early detection behaviorsis strongly recommended by health service policy makers.Keywords:health beliefs, breast cancer, early detection behaviors, female health careproviders.

This study was set to determine the optimal technique of breast cancerwith supraclavicular fossa irradiation. Three techniques were compared in this study. Techniques were two pointsymmetric (2p-sym), two point asymmetric (2p-asym) and single point (SP). In 2p-symall of beams were symmetric, in 2p-asym Tangential and supraclavicular beams respectivelywere symmetric and asymmetric, in SP all of beams were asymmetric. In this studyhas been done dosimetry by gafchromic films in phantom with compact accelerator. Techniqueswere analyzed by DVHs treatment’s volumes and organ at risk (OAR) volumes. There are no notable differences between dose distributions in three techniquesbut hot spot in the junction of treatment’s beams in single point (SP) technique was 115%and 118% for other techniques. The analysis of DVHs showed a decrease in OAR’s doseswith SP technique. There was a significant difference of V20%, V20, V30 for lungs andV10, V40 for heart in SP technique compared to other techniques. The profiles of dosethat obtained from films showed a gap in matchline, while matchline’s dose distributionin software was right and there was no gap. Observed gap in gafchromic films was created because of mechanical limitationsin accelerators. Correction methods for this limitation were offered in many articles. SP technique is optimal technique compared to other techniques if correctionmethods are done. It seems that Iranian radiotherapy clinics don’t pay attention tothis correction methods.