West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Targeted Silencing of Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins with siRNAs: A Potential Anti-cancer Strategy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma 4943 4952 28058 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies, with a very poor prognosis.Despite significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment in recent years, the long-term therapeutic efficacyis poor, partially due to tumor metastasis, tecurrence, and resistance to chemo-or radio-therapy. Recently, it wasfound that a major feature of tumors is a combination of unrestrained cell proliferation and impaired apoptosis.There are now 8 recogized members of the IAP-family: NAIP, c-IAP1, c-IAP2, XIAP, Survivin, Bruce, Livinand ILP-2. There proteins all contribute to ingibition of apoptosis, and provide new potential avenues of cancertreatment. As a powerful tool to suppress gene expression in mammalian cells, RNAi species for inhibiting IAPgenes cab be directed against cancers. This review will provide a brief introduction to recent developments ofthe application IAP-siRNA in tumor studies, with the aim of inspiring future treatment of HCC.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28058_7ca07e8cf5eedc03e96a658a461c6d85.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Genetic Factors, Viral Infection, Other Factors and Liver Cancer: An Update on Current Progress 4953 4960 28061 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Primary liver cancer is one of the most common cancers at the global level, accounting for half of all cancersin some undeveloped countries. This disease tends to occur in livers damaged through alcohol abuse, or chronicinfection with hepatitis B and C, on a background of cirrhosis. Various cancer-causing substances are associatedwith primary liver cancer, including certain pesticides and such chemicals as vinyl chloride and arsenic. Thestrong association between HBV infection and liver cancer is well documented in epidemiological studies. It isgenerally acknowledged that the virus is involved through long term chronic infection, frequently associatedwith cirrhosis, suggesting a nonspecific mechanism triggered by the immune response. Chronic inflammation ofliver, continuous cell death, abnormal cell growth, would increase the occurrence rate of genetic alterations andrisk of disease. However, the statistics indicated that only about one fifth of HBV carries would develop HCCin lifetime, suggesting that individual variation in genome would also influence the susceptibility of HCC. Thegoal of this review is to highlight present level of knowledge on the role of viral infection and genetic variationin the development of liver cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28061_b9e0f254f6ec9a374f08734086df593d.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Cancer Care Management through a Mobile Phone Health Approach: Key Considerations 4961 4964 28062 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Greater use of mobile phone devices seems inevitable because the health industry and cancer care are facingchallenges such as resource constraints, rising care costs, the need for immediate access to healthcare data of typessuch as audio video texts for early detection and treatment of patients and increasing remote aids in telemedicine.Physicians, in order to study the causes of cancer, detect cancer earlier, act in prevention measures, determinethe effectiveness of treatment and specify the reasons for the treatment ineffectiveness, need to access accurate,comprehensive and timely cancer data. Mobile devices provide opportunities and can play an important role inconsulting, diagnosis, treatment, and quick access to health information. There easy carriage make them perfecttools for healthcare providers in cancer care management. Key factors in cancer care management systemsthrough a mobile phone health approach must be considered such as human resources, confidentiality andprivacy, legal and ethical issues, appropriate ICT and provider infrastructure and costs in general aspects andinteroperability, human relationships, types of mobile devices and telecommunication related points in specificaspects. The successful implementation of mobile-based systems in cancer care management will constantlyface many challenges. Hence, in applying mobile cancer care, involvement of users and considering their needsin all phases of project, providing adequate bandwidth, preparation of standard tools that provide maximummobility and flexibility for users, decreasing obstacles to interrupt network communications, and using suitablecommunication protocols are essential. It is obvious that identifying and reducing barriers and strengtheningthe positive points will have a significant role in appropriate planning and promoting the achievements of mobilecancer care systems. The aim of this article is to explain key points which should be considered in designingappropriate mobile health systems in cancer care as an approach for improving cancer care management.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28062_67248d7d4ab8c29e2867d82970b8fba3.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Cancer: a Systematic Literature Review 4965 4972 28063 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 This study aimed to discuss the consumption of alcohol as a risk factor for major cancers. We performed asearch in the PubMed database, using the following inclusion criteria: meta-analysis published in English inthe last 10 years that addressed the relationship between alcohol and the risk of developing cancer. The resultsindicate that moderate to heavy consumption of alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavityand pharynx, esophagus, stomach, larynx, colorectum, central nervous system, pancreas, breast and prostate.This review did not find any association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancers of thelung, bladder, endometrium and ovary. It was also observed that alcohol consumption may be inversely related tothyroid cancer. Our systematic review has confirmed consumption of alcohol as a risk factor for the developmentof several types of cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28063_99f34b4a64ac443a124b39d3e581d682.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Correlation between Low Gleason Score and Prostate Specific Antigen Levels with Incidence of Bone Metastases in Prostate Cancer Patients: When to Omit Bone Scans? 4973 4976 28064 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To identify correlation and incidence of bone metastases in prostate cancer patient withlow Gleason scores (GS) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Materials and Methods: This descriptiverestrospective study covered patients with prostate cancer in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in 2006-2011. Of atotal of 478, those who had PSA values, histological examination, and bone scan were included, resulting in 358eligible cases. PSA values were measured using the sandwich electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. Histologicalexamination was graded according to Gleason’s grading system and divided into 3 categories: well differentiated(GS≤6), moderately differentiated (GS 7) and poorly differentiated (GS 8-10). Bone scans were performed usinga radiopharmaceutical agent (Tc 99m methylenen diphosphonate) with images captured by gamma camera. Results: The mean age was 67.5±7.8, mean GS was 7.7±1.3 and median PSA was 56.9 (range: 0.48-17000 ng/mL). There were 11 patients (3.0%) with positive bone scan with PSA<20 ng/mL and GS<8. Furthermore, therewere 2 patients (0.6%) with GS≤6 and PSA<10 ng/mL showing bone metastasis. Conclusions: In our study, therewere still small percentage of patients with bone metastasis even when low values of PSA (PSA<10 ng/mL) andGS (GS≤6) were applied.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28064_2f65ef9539438e4585717e4813c21b20.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Barriers and Facilitating Factors Perceived in Turkish Women’s Behaviors Towards Early Cervical Cancer Detection: A Qualitative Approach 4977 4982 28065 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate perceived inhibiting and facilitating factorsconcerning cervical cancer early diagnosis behavior in Turkish women over the age of 40. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out by qualitative focus group interview with 35 participating women, in theperiod between April-June 2010. A semi-structured interview questionnaire based on the Health Belief Modeland the Health Promotion Model was used. Content analysis was applied to the study data. Results: Barrierssuch as lack of knowledge of women as regards to the cervical cancer and early detection, lack of sensitivitynegligence,forgetting, fear, inadequacy of health insurance and transportation, financial problems, inability toget an appointment, lack of female doctors, embarassment, fatalist approach were frequently addressed. As forfacilitating factors, these included provision of information, health professionals showing interest and tolerance,free services, provision of transportation means and reminding telephone calls. Conclusions: Focus groupinterviews were found to beeffective in determining inhibiting and facilitating factors concerning cervical cancerearly diagnosis behavior. In line with the results of the study, preparation of structured national and regionaleducation programs and their addition to curriculum programs may be effective in realizing and maintainingpositive early detection behavior.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28065_a046a0700091f481368690168788f7e4.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Mechanistic Analysis of Taxol-induced Multidrug Resistance in an Ovarian Cancer Cell Line 4983 4988 28066 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objectives: To establish a taxol-resistant cell line of human ovarian carcinoma (A2780/Taxol) and investigateits biological features. Methods: The drug-resistant cell line (A2780/Taxol) was established by continuous stepwiseselection with increasing concentrations of Taxol. Cell morphology was assessed by microscopy and growth curveswere generated with in vitro and in vivo tumor xenograft models. With rhodamine123 (Rh123) assays, cell cycledistribution and the apoptotic rate were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). Drug resistance-related and signalassociated proteins, including P-gp, MRPs, caveolin-1, PKC-α, Akt, ERK1/2, were detected by Western blotting. Results: A2780/Taxol cells were established with stable resistance to taxol. The drug resistance index (RI) was430.7. Cross-resistance to other drugs was also shown, but there was no significant change to radioresistance.Compared with parental cells, A2780/Taxol cells were significantly heteromorphous, with a significant delay inpopulation doubling time and reduced uptake of Rh123 (p < 0.01). In vivo, tumor take by A2780 cells was 80%,and tumor volume increased gradually. In contrast, with A2780/Taxol cells in xenograft models there was notumor development. FCM analysis revealed that A2780/Taxol cells had a higher percentage of G0/G1 and lowerS phase, but no changes of G2 phase and the apoptosis rate. Expression of P-gp, MRP1, MRP2, BCRP, LRP,caveolin-1, PKC-α, Phospho-ERK1/2 and Phospho-JNK protein was significantly up-regulated, while Akt andp38 MARK protein expression was not changed in A2780/Taxol cells. Conclusion: The A2780/Taxol cell line isan ideal model to investigate the mechanism of muti-drug resistance related to overexpression of drug-resistanceassociated proteins and activation of the PKC-α/ERK (JNK) signaling pathway.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28066_02e3edd666ca6f47fa27ad293eb93f75.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Comparison of p16INK4a Immunocytochemistry with the HPV Polymerase Chain Reaction in Predicting High Grade Cervical Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions 4989 4992 28067 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Aim: To compare p16INK4a immunocytochemistry with the HPV polymerase chain reaction in predictinghigh grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. Materials and Methods: This diagnostic case-control studywas conducted from January 2010 until December 2010. We obtained 30 samples, classified according to thedegree of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN): 11 samples for CIN 1, 9 samples for CIN 2, and 10 samples forCIN 3. HPV PCR, p16INK4a immunocytochemistry, and histopathological examination were performed on allsamples. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0. Results: In predicting CIN 2-3, we found p16INK4ato have similar specificity and positive predictive value as HPV PCR (95%, 97.2% vs 96.7%), but better sensitivity(87.5% vs 72.5%) and negative predictive value (82.1% vs 67.6%). The most prevalent types of high-risk HPVin our study were HPV 33, 35, 58, 52, and 16. Conclusions: p16INK4a has better diagnostic values than HPVPCR and may be incorporated in the triage of ASCUS and LSIL to replace HPV PCR. Genotype distribution ofHPV differs in each region, providing a challenge to develop HPV vaccines based on the epidemiology of HPVin that particular region.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28067_5bbc32c9afba59134c275a9994628052.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Audit of Cancer Patients from Eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP), India: A University Hospital Based Two Year Retrospective Analysis 4993 4998 28068 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: A retrospective analysis of all cancer patients attending the radiotherapy outpatient department(OPD) of a single unit during the period of January 2005 till December 2006 was conducted to know thegeographical distribution and incidence of the most common cancers, their stage of presentation, treatmentcompliance among the patients and follow-up. Materials and Methods: A total of 4,484 patients were registeredin the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University during the period of January 2005- December2006; of which 1,975 registered in an individual unit were included for the retrospective analysis. Results: Mostof the patients hailed from the various districts of UP and Bihar. Females outnumbered males with a ratio of1.33:1. Females mostly belonged to the age group of 40-59 years; whilst males were a decade older. Major cancersites in females were cervix and breast followed by head and neck. Leading cancer sites in males were head andneck, brain, bone, soft tissue and lung. Most of the cases presented in advanced stage of disease (74%). Squamouscell carcinoma was the most common histopathology (56%). A significant proportion of patients defaulted afterundergoing preliminary investigations (16%). Only 53.9% of females and 58.5% of males took treatment out ofwhich 68% and 63% completed the prescribed treatment. Compliance with follow-up was poor. Conclusions: Theoutcome of this study will significantly help us to define region specific strategies needed for cancer managementin eastern Uttar Pradesh.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28068_c9eb1c6837462da45ab1531b9c32eefd.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Expression of the Proto-oncogene Pokemon in Colorectal Cancer - Inhibitory Effects of an siRNA 4999 5005 28069 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: This study aimed to investigate expression of the proto-oncogene POK erythroid myeloid ontogenicfactor (Pokemon) in colorectal cancer (CRC), and assess inhibitory effects of a small interference RNA (siRNA)expression vector in SW480 and SW620 cells. Methods: Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerasechain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry were performed to determine mRNA and protein expressionlevels of Pokemon in CRC tissues. Indirect immunofluorescence staining was applied to investigate the locationof Pokemon in SW480 and SW620 cells. The siRNA expression vectors that were constructed to express a shorthairpin RNA against Pokemon were transfected to the SW480 and SW620 cells with a liposome. Expressionlevels of Pokemon mRNA and protein were examined by real-time quantitative-fluorescent PCR and westernblot analysis. The effects of Pokemon silencing on proliferation of SW480 and SW620 cells were evaluated withreference to growth curves with MTT assays. Results: The mRNA expression level of Pokemon in tumor tissues(0.845 ± 0.344) was significantly higher than that in adjacent tumor specimens (0.321 ± 0.197). The positiveexpression ratio of Pokemon protein in CRC (87.0%) was significantly higher than that in the adjacent tissues(19.6%). Strong fluorescence staining of Pokemon protein was observed in the cytoplasm of the SW480 andSW620 cells. The inhibition ratios of Pokemon mRNA and protein in the SW480 cells were 83.1% and 73.5%at 48 and 72 h, respectively, compared with those of the negative control cells with the siRNA. In the SW620cells, the inhibition ratios of Pokemon mRNA and protein were 76.3% and 68.7% at 48 and 72 h, respectively.MTT showed that Pokemon gene silencing inhibited the proliferation of SW480 and SW620 cells. Conclusion:Overexpression of Pokemon in CRC may have a function in carcinogenesis and progression. siRNA expressionvectors could effectively inhibit mRNA and protein expression of Pokemon in SW480 and SW620 cells, therebyreducing malignant cell proliferation.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28069_b8fd1bfab76821ba3953dc766e03f618.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 HSP27 is Commonly Expressed in Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions of Brazilian Women 5007 5010 28070 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that may be constitutively present in cells protecting them fromvarious stresses, such as extreme temperature, anoxia or chemical agents. Cervical cancer is the second mostprevalent malignancy of women. In this study, we analyzed the expression of Hsp27 by immunohistochemistryin cervical intraepithelial lesions of Brazilian women, along with samples from non neoplasic lesions (NN).Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I (CIN I), II (CIN II) and III (CIN III)/in situ carcinoma and squamous cellcarcinoma (SCC) were included. Immunostaining was observed in 30 (100%) samples of NN, 46 (92%) in CIN I,50 (100%) in CIN II, 52 (98.11%) in CIN III/CIS, and 46 (98.11%) in SCC. In group NN Hsp27 immunostainingwas heterogeneous, more intense in basal and parabasal layers of the epithelium and less or absent in theintermediate and superficial layer. The majority of the samples of CIS and SCC presented strong staining inallepithelial layers. Metaplasic cells, when present, were strongly stained. In this study, Hsp27 protein was foundto be commonly expressed in cervical epithelial cells.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28070_7c67259a609cf25f658e128909e885ad.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Is there an Association between Variants in Candidate Insulin Pathway Genes IGF-I, IGFBP-3, INSR, and IRS2 and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the Iranian Population? 5011 5016 28071 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Several epidemiological studies have shown associations between colorectal cancer (CRC) riskand type 2 diabetes and obesity. Any effects would be expected to be mediated through the insulin pathway.Therefore it is possible that variants of genes encoding components of the insulin pathway play roles in CRCsusceptibility. In this study, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in the genes involving the insulin pathway areassociated with risk of CRC. Materials and Methods: The associations of four single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in IGF-I (rs6214), IGFBP-3 (rs3110697), INSR (rs1052371), and IRS2 (rs2289046) genes with the riskof CRC were evaluated using a case–control design with 167 CRC cases and 277 controls by the PCR–RFLPmethod. Results: Overall, we observed no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between thecases and controls for the IGF-I, IGFBP-3, INSR, IRS2 gene variants and CRC before or after adjusting forconfounders (age, BMI, sex, and smoking status). However, we observed that the IRS2 (rs2289046) GG genotypecompared with AA+AG genotypes has a protective effect for CRC in normal weight subjects (p=0.035, OR=0.259,95%CI= 0.074-0.907). Conclusions: These findings do not support plausible associations between polymorphicvariations in IGF-I, IGFBP-3, INSR, IRS2 genes and risk of CRC. However, the evidence for a link betweenthe IRS2 (rs2289046) variant and risk of CRC dependent on the BMI of the subjects, requires confirmation insubsequent studies with greater sample size.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28071_9ed304ad33a1253e2aa347a6439648a9.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 MicroRNA-122 Promotes Proliferation, Invasion and Migration of Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Through the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway 5017 5021 28072 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a small class of non-coding, single-stranded RNAs with a criticalrole in genesis and maintenance of renal cancer mainly through binding to 3’-untranslated regions (3’UTR) oftarget mRNAs, which causes a block of translation and/or mRNA degradation. The aim of the present studywas to investigate the potential effects of miR-122 in human renal cell carcinomas. Methods: The expressionlevel of miR-122 was quantified by qRT-PCR. MTT, colony formation, invasion and migration assays were usedto explore the potential functions of miR-122 in human renal cell carcinoma cells. Results: Cellular growth,invasion and migration in two A498 and 786-O cells were significantly increased after miR-122 transfection.Further experiments demonstrated that overexpression of miR-122 resulted in the increase of phospho-Akt(Ser473) and phospho-mTOR (Ser2448), then activation of mTOR targets, p70S6K and 4E-BP1. Conclusions:The up-regulation of miR-122 may play an important role in the progress of renal cancer through activatingPI3K/Akt signal pathway and could be a potential molecular target for anti-cancer therapeutics.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28072_89edf438f279c5691c498a26c7a33bd0.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Screening in the Era of Economic Crisis: Misperceptions and Misuse from a Longitudinal Study on Greek Women Undergoing Benign Vacuum-assisted Breast Biopsy 5023 5029 27418 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To evaluate knowledge about screening tests and tests without proven screening value in a GreekBreast Unit population undergoing benign vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB). Materials and Methods: Thisstudy included 81 patients. Three knowledge-oriented items (recommended or not, screening frequency, age ofonset) were assessed. Regarding screening tests two levels of knowledge were evaluated: i). crude knowledge(CK), i.e. knowledge that the test is recommended and ii). advanced knowledge (AK), i.e. correct response toall three knowledge-oriented items. Solely CK was evaluated for tests without proven screening value. Riskfactors for lack of knowledge were assessed with multivariate logistic regression. A second questionnaire wasadministered 18 months after VABB to assess its impact on the performance of tests. Results: Concerningscreening tests considerable lack of AK was noted (mammogram, 60.5%; Pap smear, 59.3%; fecal occult bloodtesting, 93.8%; sigmoidoscopy, 95.1%). Similarly lack of CK was documented regarding tests without provenscreening value (breast self-examination, 92.6%; breast MRI, 60.5%; abdominal ultrasound, 71.6%; bariummeal, 48.1%; urine analysis, 90.1%; chest X-Ray, 69.1%; electrocardiogram, 74.1%; cardiac ultrasound,75.3%). Risk factors for lack of AK were: place of residence (mammogram), age (Pap smear), personal income(sigmoidoscopy); risk factors for lack of CK included number of offspring (breast MRI, chest X-Ray), BMI(abdominal ultrasound), marital status (urine analysis), current smoking status (electrocardiogram). VABB’sonly effect was improvement in mammogram rates. Conclusions: A considerable lack of knowledge concerningscreening tests and misperceptions regarding those without proven value was documented.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_27418_d928522135f5efc8098825aed4e05215.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Nabag (Zizyphus spina-christi) Extract Prevents Aberrant Crypt Foci Development in Colons of Azoxymethane-Treated Rats by Abrogating Oxidative Stress and inducing Apoptosis 5031 5035 27419 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Zizyphus spina-christi (ZSC) fruit is a rich source of bioactive compounds but any medicinal properties inchemoprevention of colon cancer have hitherto not been studied. The aim of the present study was to examinein vivo protective effects of ZSC water extract on colon carcinogenesis in azoxymethane (AOM)–treated rats.Our results showed that ZSC significantly reduced AOM-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci development andAOM-induced oxidative stress as indicated by restoration of endogenous glutathione depletion and abrogating theimpairment of total antioxidant capacity. Caspase-3 cleavage, which has been considered as an apoptotic index,was almost undetectable in AOM-treated rats and ZSC exhibited pro-apoptotic effects evidenced by increasedlevels of cleaved caspase-3. In the studied model, our findings provide the first in vivo evidence that ZSC extractcould inhibit the early stage of colon carcinogenesis by preventing oxidative stress and inducing apoptosis.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_27419_49efbd17bb657a2145db42068a92be78.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 rs12904 Polymorphism in the 3’UTR of EFNA1 is Associated with Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility in a Chinese Population 5037 5041 28073 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Accumulated evidence has indicated that Ephrin A1 (EFNA1) is associated with angiogenesis and tumorigenesisin various types of malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). In the current study, we performed anonline search using the public microarray database to investigate whether EFNA1 expression might be alteredin CRC tissues. We then conducted a case-control study including 306 subjects (102 cases and 204 well-matchedcontrols) in Xiaoshan County to assess any association between genetic polymorphisms in EFNA1 and CRCsusceptibility. Searches in the Oncomine expression profiling database revealed EFNA1 to be overexpressed inCRC tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue. The rs12904 G-A variant located in the 3’ untranslated region(UTR) of EFNA1 was observed to be associated with CRC susceptibility. Compared with the AA homozygousgenotype, those carrying GA genotype had a decreased risk of developing CRC (odds ratio (OR) =0.469, 95%confidence interval (CI): 0.225-0.977, and P =0.043). The association was stronger among smokers and teadrinkers, however, no statistical evidence of interaction between rs12904 polymorphism and smoking or teadrinking on CRC risk was found. Our results suggest that EFNA1 is involved in colorectal tumorigenesis, andrs12904 A>G polymorphism in the 3’ UTR of EFNA1 is associated with CRC susceptibility. Larger studies andfurther mechanistic investigations are warranted to confirm our findings.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28073_54174576e388ec05b4fb5e33106d5903.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Low Income and Rural County of Residence Increase Mortality from Bone and Joint Sarcomas 5043 5047 28074 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: This is a part of a larger effort to characterize the effects on socio-economic factors (SEFs)on cancer outcome. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) bone and joint sarcoma (BJS) datawere used to identify potential disparities in cause specific survival (CSS). Materials and Methods: This studyanalyzed SEFs in conjunction with biologic and treatment factors. Absolute BJS specific risks were calculatedand the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were computed for predictors. Actuarialsurvival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier method. Kolmogorov-Smirnov’s 2-sample test was used tofor comparing two survival curves. Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis. Results:There were 13501 patients diagnosed BJS from 1973 to 2009. The mean follow up time (SD) was 75.6 (90.1)months. Staging was the highest predictive factor of outcome (ROC area of 0.68). SEER stage, histology, primarysite and sex were highly significant pre-treatment predictors of CSS. Under multivariate analysis, patientsliving in low income neighborhoods and rural areas had a 2% and 5% disadvantage in cause specific survivalrespectively. Conclusions: This study has found 2-5% decrement of CSS of BJS due to SEFs. These data maybe used to generate testable hypothesis for future clinical trials to eliminate BJS outcome disparities.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28074_63be644325aaa4fc65a0258a508a1113.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Cost of Treatment for Cancer: Experiences of Patients in Public Hospitals in India 5049 5054 28075 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To assess the treatment pattern and expenditure incurred by cancer patients undergoingtreatment at government tertiary hospitals in India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 508 cancerpatients randomly selected from tertiary cancer hospitals funded by central/state governments located in majorcities of five states in India, namely Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Mizoram, during March- May 2011 was conducted. Information related to direct costs, indirect costs and opportunity costs incurredon investigations and treatment, major source of payment and difficulties faced by patients during the courseof treatment was collected. Results: About 45% of the patients used private health facilities as the first point ofcontact for cancer related diseases as against 32% in public hospitals. About 47% sought private health facilitiesfor cancer investigations, 21% at district/sub-district hospitals, and about 4% contacted primary health carefacilities. A majority of the patients (76%) faced financial problems while undergoing treatment. Conclusions: Theresults highlight the importance of involving the primary health care system in the cancer prevention activities.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28075_83bdfd0b53095d0037e9f7b10e4d4d20.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Overexpression of Twist and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 with Metastasis and Prognosis in Gastric Cancer 5055 5060 28076 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: Twist, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, plays a key role in the metastatic progressionof human cancer. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is an endopeptidase that digests basement membranetype IV collagen, therefore being possibly related to tumor progression. It has been reported that Twist andmatrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) are expressed in gastric cancers. However, the exact roles of Twist andMMP-9 in tumor metastasis and prognosis remain unclear. The aim of this study was to casts light on thisquestion. Methods:Twist and MMP-9 expression in tissue sections of 37 gastric carcinomas was evaluated withimmunohistochemistry. The staining results were compared with clinicopatholgic features and to patients’outcome. Results: Twist positive expression was significantly increased in gastric cancer cases with lymph node metastasis(P=0.023). But no correlations were found between MMP-9 overexpression and clinicopathologic features, suchas recurrence, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. Overall survival (OS) was significantly correlated withrecurrence, serosa invasion, TNM stages, distant metastasis, and MMP-9 (P=0.027, 0.021, 0.000, 0.024 and 0.036,respectively). Disease-free survival (DFS) was prominently related to recurrence location, serosa invasion andTNM stages (P=0.000, 0.038 and 0.003, respectively). In the Cox regression multivariate analysis, TNM stage,distant metastasis and MMP-9 were significantly associated with prognosis of gastric cancer (P=0.002, 0.019, and0.032, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed Twist positive expression to be significantly correlated withlymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. MMP-9 overexpression is associated with OS, suggesting that MMP-9is a prognostic indicator for survival in patients with gastric cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28076_746c0c7b68ae2fc953c4aa46bae66d80.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Early Stage Oral Tongue Cancer among Non-Tobacco Users - An Increasing Trend Observed in a South Indian Patient Population Presenting at a Single Centre 5061 5065 28077 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common cancer diagnosed within theoral cavity worldwide. Many studies in India report OTSCC ranking among the top two most common subsiteswithin the oral cavity. India is often labeled the oral cancer capital of the world. The incidence of tongue cancersin the population-based cancer registry (PBCR) of Chennai is showing an increasing trend. A majority of theoral cavity cancers (85%) in our cancer center present in advanced stages (III and IV). In contrast, early tonguecancers (stages I and II) constitute nearly 45% of all OTSCCs. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze theclinical profile and epidemiological trends in our early stage tongue cancer patients with an emphasis on tobaccoand alcohol habits. Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis was based on a prospectively collecteddatabase of 458 consecutive early stage OTSCC in-patients at a tertiary care oncology centre in Chennai between1995 and 2008. Results: Our study suggests that the earlier trends have clearly changed whereby nearly halfof our patients are now never-tobacco users. The findings of the study indicate that a majority of the patientswere never alcohol users (86.4%) and nearly half of them were never tobacco users (49.3%), and they had thebest survival outcomes. This increasing trend of OTSCC among non-tobacco users is in contrast to our earlierexperience of tongue cancer more than five decades ago.The median age of patients in our study was 53.3 years;the male to female ratio was approximately 2:1. The median follow up for the 458 patients was 53 months. Conclusions: Our study importantly as well as interestingly shows a conspicuous absence of association withthe traditional risk factors, tobacco and alcohol.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28077_f77534f583fa310eb3c6cd45d6d08e27.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3KCA) Oncogene Mutation Analysis and Gene Expression Profiling in Primary Breast Cancer Patients 5067 5072 28078 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway plays a significant role in apoptosis, cellularproliferation and motility. The aim of the present study was to analyze mutations and gene expression profilesof the PI3KCA gene to determine any role in breast carcinomas. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 38 breastcancers for mutations in the two PIK3CA hotspots in exons 9 and 20 by direct sequencing of DNA obtainedfrom biopsy samples. We have also analyzed expression of the PI3KCA gene in 38 breast carcinoma tumor andcorresponding control tissue samples at the mRNA level by RT-PCR. The Fisher’s exact test (252 only) wasperformed using MedCalc software for to examine associations with mRNA levels. Results: In the present study atotal of 13 cases demonstrated somatic mutations. In 9/13 cases 1633 G>A (E545K) were found in exon 9, whereasin exon 20, 4/13 cases had 3140A>G mutation. Our combined analysis showed PI3KCA mutations present in34% of human breast cancer patients. In our study, we have also clearly found significantly higher expressionin breast cancer tissues in comparison with control tissues (p=0.001). Conclusions: PIK3CA mutation is anemerging tumor marker that, in the future, might be used in the process of choosing a treatment. The detectionof PI3KCA mutation might have important clinical implications for diagnosis, progression and therapy.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28078_17f00385947501683f96f22177af419d.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Involvement of MicroRNA-198 Overexpression in the Poor Prognosis of Esophageal Cancer 5073 5076 28079 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the miR-198 expression level is related to clinicopathologicalfactors and prognosis of esophageal cancer. Methods: MicroRNA was extracted from esophageal cancer patientswho underwent surgery for assessment using the Taqman@ MicroRNA assay. The correlation between miR-198expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed, and the significance of miR-198 as a prognostic factorand its relationship with survival was determined. Results: MicroRNA-198 (miR-198) expression was higher inpatients with poor prognosis than those with good prognosis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis results showedthat the miR-198 expression level had a significant correlation with survival time (P = 0.030) and that patientswith a higher expression of miR-198 had a shorter survival time. Cox multi-factor model analysis showed thatpatient prognosis (P = 0.014), tumor length (P = 0.040) and expression (P = 0.012), and survival time had asignificant correlation; the corresponding risks were 7.268, 1.246, and 3.524, respectively. Conclusion: miR-198 overexpression is involved in the poor prognosis of esophageal cancer and can be used as a biomarker forselection of cases requiring especial attention.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28079_0a2cebe3af44cefb1f5b6470a6e0860f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Epidemiological Correlates of Breast Cancer in South India 5077 5083 28080 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women globally and represents the second leadingcause of cancer death among women (after lung cancer). India is going through epidemiologic transition. It isreported that the incidence of breast cancer is rising rapidly as a result of changes in reproductive risk factors,dietary habits and increasing life expectancy, acting in concert with genetic factors. Materials and Methods:In order to understand the existing epidemiological correlates of breast cancer in South India, a systematicreview of evidence available on epidemiologic correlates of breast cancer addressing incidence, prevalence,and associated factors like age, reproductive factors, cultural and religious factors was performed with specificfocus on screening procedures in southern India. Results: An increase in breast cancer incidence due to variousmodifiable risk factors was noted, especially in women over 40 years of age, with late stage of presentation,lack of awareness about screening, costs, fear and stigma associated with the disease serving as major barriersfor early presentation. Conclusions: Educational strategies should be aimed at modifying the life style, earlyplanning of pregnancy, promoting breast feeding and physical activity. It is very important to obtain reliabledata for planning policies, decision-making and setting up the priorities.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28080_756d7513dae18249457879ff0d56cc7a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 High Temperature of Food and Beverage Intake Increases the Risk of Oesophageal Cancer in Xinjiang, China 5085 5088 28081 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The north-western region of China has a high incidence of oesophageal cancer. This studyaimed to investigate whether the intake of food and beverage at high temperature is associated with the risk ofoesophageal cancer among adults residing in this remote part of China. Materials and Methods: A case-controlstudy was undertaken in Urumqi and Shihezi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, between 2008 and2009. Participants were 359 incident oesophageal cancer patients and 380 hospital-based controls. Informationon temperature of food and beverage intake was obtained by face-to-face interview. Logistic regression analyseswere performed to ascertain the association between intake temperature and the risk of oesophageal cancer. Results: The oesophageal cancer patients consumed foods and beverages at higher temperatures than controls,p<0.001. High temperature of tea, water and food intake appeared to increase the risk of oesophageal cancerby more than two-fold, with adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of 2.86 (1.73-4.72), 2.82 (1.78-4.47)and 2.26 (1.49-3.45), respectively. Conclusions: Intake of food and beverage at high temperature was positivelyassociated with the incidence of oesophageal cancer in north-western China.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28081_d26023e813cf1eb5a273e944274e60f2.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 BCRP Expression in VX2 Rabbit Liver Tumours and its Effects on Tumour Recurrence, Metastasis and Treatment Tolerability 5089 5093 28082 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of BCRP expression on tumor recurrence, metastasisand treatment tolerability. Methods: A VX2 rabbit liver tumor model was established. Division was randomlyinto 4 groups: namely saline control group; A group, given hydration lipiodol; B group, Ad-p53; and C group,Ad-p53+hydration lipiodol. After the intervention, samples were collected to detect the BCRP, MMP-2, VEGFand PCNA. Results: The expression of BCRP, MMP-2, PCNA and VEGF in tumors in Group A had no significantdifference when compared with the control group, while in B and C group, the values were significantly lower(P < 0.05). BCRP positive expression in metastatic lesions significantly increased (P < 0.05), and was correlatedwith MMP-2 (X2=6.172, P = 0.0131). Conclusions: BCRP may play an important role in mediating liver cancermultidrug resistance to chemotherapy, and may be correlated with tumor recurrence and metastasis, whichleads to weakened treatment effect. Ad-P53 can down-regulate the expression of related genes, playing a role inmultidrug resistance reversal and increased sensitivity in liver cancer treatment.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28082_1937f7e7d9b9667585d85f6443a86b58.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Breast Cancer in Young Women from a Low Risk Population in Nepal 5095 5099 28083 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The overall incidence of breast cancer in South Asian countries, including Nepal, is low comparedto Western countries. However, the incidence of breast cancer among young women is relatively high. Breastcancer in such cases is characterized by a relatively unfavorable prognosis and unusual pathological features.The aim of this study was to investigate clinico-pathological and biological characteristics in younger breastcancer patients (<40 years) and compare these with their older counterparts. Materials and Methods: Ninehundred and forty four consecutive female breast cancer patients, admitted to the Department of Surgery,Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal between November 1997 and October 2012, wereretrospectively analyzed. Results: Out of the 944 female breast cancer patients, 263 (27.9%) were <40 years. Themean age was 34.6±5.0 years among younger patients compared to 54.1±9.9 for those ≥40 years. The mean age atmenarche was also significantly lower (13.5±1.5 vs 14.2±1.5 years p=0.001) while the mean duration of symptomswas significantly longer (7.6 vs 6.5 months p=0.004). Family history of breast cancer was evident in 3.0% of theyoung women versus 0.3% in the older one. Mammography was performed less frequently in younger patients(59.7%), compared to older (74.4%), and was of diagnostic benefit in only 20% of younger patients compared to85% of older ones. At diagnosis, the mean tumor diameter was significantly larger in young women (5.0±2.5 vs4.5±2.4cm, p=0.005). Axillary lymph nodes were positive in 73% of younger patients and 59% of older patients.In the younger group, the proportion of stage III or IV disease was higher (55.1% vs 47.1%, p≤0.05). Theproportion of breast conserving surgery was higher in young patients (25.1% vs 8.7%) and a higher proportionof younger patients receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (9.9% vs 2.8%). The most common histological type wasductal carcinoma (93.1% vs 86%). The proportion of histological grade II or III was higher in younger patients(55.9% vs 24.5%). Similarly, in the younger group, lymphatic and vascular invasion was more common (63.2%vs 34.3% and 39.8% vs 25.4%, respectively). Patients in the younger age group exhibited lower estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positivity (34.7% vs 49.8%). Although statistically not significant, the proportion oftriple negative tumors in younger age group was higher (22.4% vs 13.6%). Conclusions: Breast cancer in youngNepalese women represents over one quarter of all female breast cancers, many being diagnosed at an advancedstage. Tumors in young women exhibit more aggressive biological features. Hence, breast cancer in young womenis worth special attention for earlier detection.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28083_28e43993f1ef9e67afc7492106219cd1.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Opportunistic Screening for Cervical Cancer in a Tertiary Hospital in Karnataka, India 5101 5105 27420 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The incidence and mortality of cervical cancer remains high in India even after sixty years of introductionof the Pap smear (cervical cytology) which is an effective means of identifying preinvasive lesions of carcinomacervix. The morbidity and mortality due to cervical cancer has come down drastically in countries with wellestablished screening programmes at national level. This study aims at screening women for cervical canceropportunistically during their visit to hospital and to study various types of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesionsof the cervix by cervical smear study (Pap smear study). In the present study, a total of 350 cervical smearswere studied. The age of patients ranged from 19 years to 80 years with mean age being 37.5 years. Out of 350cases, the diagnosis of neoplasia was given in 43 cases and 258 cases were diagnosed as inflammatory smears.Forty-cases were normal and 9 cases were inadequate to evaluate. Forty-three patients who were found to haveneoplastic lesions on cytology were referred for further investigations like colposcopy and biopsy to confirm thediagnosis and avail proper treatment. Limitation of the present study was small sample size as all female patientsaged between 20 and 60 years visiting hospital were not included in the screening, other screening tests like VIA(visual inspection with acetic acid test) and HPV DNA (human papilloma virus) tests were not done. Until thetime centrally organised screening programmes for cervical cancer are established in India, arrangements shouldbe made for hospital based opportunistic screening for all women attending hospital. The cost effectiveness ofdifferent screening tests for cervical cancer should be evaluated.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_27420_ab8425e4f63e7851c5c45527a975444b.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Can Reproductive Characteristics Predict Bladder Cancer in Women with Haematuria? 5107 5110 27421 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Among women with haematuria, defining individuals under high risk for bladder cancer basedon reproductive factors prior to cystoscopy would be of great benefit in the management of this condition. Theaim of this study was to compare age and reproductive factors such as menopausal status, parity, age at firstdelivery and age at the last delivery between women who have haematuria with or without bladder cancer.Materials and Methods: A total of 463 patients underwent diagnostic cystoscopy in Düzce University Faculty ofMedicine between 1 June 2008 and 1 June 2013. Female patients who presented with persistent microscopic ormacroscopic haematuria and underwent standard evaluation for haematuria including urinalysis, urine culture,urine cytology, urinary tract imaging with excretory urography or computerized tomography with contrastenhancement and endoscopic evaluation of the urethra and bladder were included in this study. Exclusion criteriawere tobacco use and high risk occupations for bladder cancer such as textile, dry cleaning, painting and etc.Forteen women had hematuria due to benign conditions, and 18 due to bladder cancer. Data were retrospectivelyretrieved from the medical records of Duzce University Hospital. Results: Patients with haematuria due tobenign reasons did not significantly differ from patients who were found to have bladder cancer in terms of age(p=0.28), menopausal status (p=0.29), mean parity (p=0.38), being nulliparous (p=0.57), parity ≥3 (p=0.22), age≤18 years at first delivery (p=1.00), age ≥30 years at last delivery (p=0.26), age ≥35 years at last delivery (p=0.23)and percentage of the patients with advanced age (≥65 years) (p=0.18). Conclusions: It is difficult to predict ahigh risk for developing bladder cancer in women with haematuria based solely on reproductive factors.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_27421_1c8db8ad2741b29313a0483931115aec.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Social Determinants of Health and 5-year Survival of Colorectal Cancer 5111 5116 27422 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Early in the 21st century, cancers are the second cause of death worldwide. Colon cancer isthird most common cancer and one of the few amenable to early diagnosis and treatment. Evaluation of factorsaffecting this cancer is important to increase survival time. Some of these factors affecting all diseases includingcancer are social determinants of health. According to the importance of this disease and relation with thesefactors, this study was conducted to assess the relationship between social determinants of health and coloncancer survival. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study for patients with coloncancer registered in the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, from April2005 to November 2006, performed using questionnaires filled by telephone interview with patients (if patientshad died, with family members). Data was analyzed with SPSS software (version 19) for descriptive analysis andSTATA software for survival analysis including log rank test and three step Cox Proportional Hazard regression. Results: Five hundred fifty nine patients with ages ranging from 23 to 88 years with mean± standard deviationof 63±11.8 years were included in the study. The five year survival was 68.3%( 387 patients were alive and 172patients were dead by the end of the study). The Cox proportional hazard regression showed 5-year survivalwas related to age (HR=0.53, p=0.042 for>50 years versus<50 years old) in first step, gender (HR=0.60, p=0.006for female versus male) in second step, job (HR=1.7, p=0.001 for manual versus non manual jobs), region ofresidency (HR=3.49, p=0.018 for west versus south regions), parents in childhood (HR=2.87, p=0.012 for havingboth parents versus not having), anatomical cancer location (HR=2.16, p<0.033 for colon versus rectal cancer)and complete treatment (HR=5.96, p<0.001 for incomplete versus complete treatment). Conclusions: Socialdeterminants of health such as job, city region residency and having parents during childhood have significanteffects in 5-year survival of colon cancer and it may be better to consider these factors in addition to developingcancer treatment and to focus on these determinants of health in long-time planning.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_27422_491d331eae329c6bc478d18a630143e1.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 PIK3CA and AKT Gene Polymorphisms in Susceptibility to Osteosarcoma in a Chinese Population 5117 5122 28084 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Purpose: To explore the association between PIK3CA and AKT single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) andosteosarcoma susceptibility. Methods: TaqMan polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was used to detect the genotypesof SNPs (rs7646409, rs6973569 and rs9866361) in peripheral blood samples from 59 patients with osteosarcomaand from 63 healthy controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation betweenSNPs and osteosarcoma risk. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between osteosarcomapatients and healthy controls in the genotype of AKT rs6973569 (P = 0.7). However, after stratified analysis, thegenotype AA of AKT rs6973569 carried a higher risk of osteosarcoma metastasis (OR:2.94, 95%CL:1.00-8.59);the difference of rs7646409 genotype distributions between the case and control groups was statistically significant(P = 0.032). Taking genotype TT as a reference, the risk of osteosarcoma increased three fold in patients withgenotype CC (OR:3.47, 95%CL:1.26-9.56). A statistically significant difference was found between the allelesC and T (P=0.005). Further analysis showed that the risk factor was more pronounced in male patients withEnneking’s stage IIB and osteoblastic osteosarcoma. PIK3CA rs9866361 did not fit Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P < 0.05). Conclusions: Genotype CC in locus PIK3CA rs7646409 may increase the risk of osteosarcoma in theChinese population.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28084_7f82e013dc5aa7bd67bf7cb1fd5f2ce6.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Relationships between Breast Cancer and Common Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors: an Ecological Study 5123 5125 28085 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Breast cancer is one the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide.The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of dietary factors and health status indicators on breastcancer (BC) incidence. Materials and Methods: Risk factor data (RFD) of 89,404 individuals (15-64 years old)were gathered by questionnaire and laboratory examinations through a cross sectional study from the Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (NCDSC) of Iran. BC incidences of all provinces through 2001-2006segregated by age and gender were obtained from the Cancer Registry Ministry of Health (CRMH). Results:a significant positive relationship was seen between diabetes mellitus, fish consumption, percent of academiceducation and non-consumption of fruit, and breast cancer in women. However, non fish consumption, percentage illiteracy and taking fruit showed a significant negative relationship with the incidence of breast cancer. Inaddition, multiple linear regression analysis showed associations among percentage with academic education,fruit consumption and diabetes. Conclusions: We conclude that dietary factors such as fish and fruit consumption,dairy products, health status indicators, academic education, and some diseases like diabetes mellitus can affectthe BC incidence, although the results of ecologic studies like this must naturally be interpreted with caution.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28085_8bc5c0d7040b00dd7ac037c717c4798a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Can Capecitabine be used Instead of Concurrent Bolus 5-FU in Postoperative Chemoradiotherapy for Gastric Adenocarcinoma? 5127 5131 28086 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: 5-fluoro-uracil (FU) is a common agent in postoperative chemoradiation in gastricadenocarcinoma. However, FU is not well tolerated in a significant proportion of patients. Capecitabine (CA) isan orally administered fluoropyrimidine carbamate which is preferentially converted to active 5-FU and is oneof the agents used instead of FU in such cases. We compared the toxicity, local and distant control and survivalrates with FU or oral CA during the course of concurrent radiotherapy to assess the role of CA used instead ofFU. Materials and Methods: We conducted an analysis of survival, disease control and toxicity data in 46 patientstreated with postoperative chemoradiation following total or subtotal gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinomawith either FU or CA between January 2008 and December 2012. Results: Median follow-up was 19 months(range: 3-59), median survival time was 23 (±6.08) months and 1-3 years overall survival (OS) rates were 64.9-39% for all patients. Compared with the CA regimen, the incidence of treatment interruption was higher withFU (p=0.023), but no significant differences were seen in local control (p=0.510), distant recurrences (p=0.721)and survival rates (p=0.866) among patients. Conclusions: Concurrent CA with radiotherapy seems to be a moretolerable and an equally effective regimen for the postoperative treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma whencompared to FU.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28086_c0a04e57db16c9dda3a2a154d8e8db7a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Influence of Perineural Invasion on Survival and Recurrence in Patients with Resected Pancreatic Cancer 5133 5139 28087 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Perineural invasion (PNI) has been reported as one of the sources of locoregional recurrence inresected pancreatic cancer (PC). However the impact of PNI in resected pancreatic cancer remains controversial.The purpose of this study was to determine the association between PNI status and clinical outcomes. Methods:Publications were identified which assessed prognostic significance of PNI status in resected pancreatic cancerup to February 2013. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the association between PNI status and clinicaloutcomes. Results: A total of 21 studies met the inclusion criteria, covering 4,459 cases. Analysis of these datashowed that intrapancreatic PNI was correlated with reduced overall survival only in resected pancreaticductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients (HR=1.982, 95%CI: 1.526-2.574, p=0.000). Extrapancreatic PNI wascorrelated with reduced overall survival in all resected pancreatic cancer patients (HR=1.748, 95%CI: 1.372-2.228, p=0.000). Moreover, intrapancreatic PNI status may be associated with tumor recurrence in all resectedpancreatic cancer patients (HR=2.714, 95%CI: 1.885-3.906, p=0.000). Conclusion: PNI was an independent andpoor prognostic factor in resected PDAC patients. Moreover, intrapancreatic PNI status may be associated withtumor recurrence.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28087_cae938bafd0332389718452195382476.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Outcomes of Local Excision for Early Rectal Cancer: a 6-year Experience from the Largest University Hospital in Thailand 5141 5144 28088 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: This study aimed to determine clinical outcomes of local excision for early rectal cancer from aUniversity Hospital in Thailand. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 22 consecutivepatients undergoing local excision for early rectal cancer (clinical and radiological T1/T2) from 2005-2010 at theFaculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok. Data were collected from patients’ medicalrecords, including demographic and clinical characteristics, pathological report and surgical outcomes. Results:This study included 10 males and 12 females, with average age of 68 years. Nineteen patients (86%) underwenttransanal excision and the others had trans-sacral excision. Median operative time was 45 minutes. Postoperativecomplications occurred in 2 patients (9%); 1 fecal fistula and 1 wound infection following trans-sacral excision.There was no 30-day postoperative mortality. Median hospital stay was 5 days. Pathological reports revealedT1 lesion in 12 cases (55%), T2 lesion in 8 cases (36%) and T3 lesion in 2 cases (9%). Eight patients receivedadditional treatment; one re-do transanal excision, two proctectomies, and five adjuvant chemoradiation. Duringthe median follow-up period of 25 months, local recurrence was detected in 4 patients (18%); two cases of T2lesions with close or positive margins, and two cases of T3 lesions. Three patients with local recurrence underwentsalvage abdominoperineal resection. No local recurrence was found in T1/T2 lesions with free surgical margins. Conclusions: Local excision is a feasible and acceptable alternative to radical resection only in early rectal cancerwith free resection margins and favorable histopathology.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28088_df93b22dda838ad7cd8c048abe3283ef.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Association of DNA Base-excision Repair XRCC1, OGG1 and APE1 Gene Polymorphisms with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Susceptibility in a Chinese Population 5145 5151 28089 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Numerous carcinogens and reactive oxygen species (ROS) may cause DNA damage includingoxidative base lesions that lead to risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Genetic susceptibility has been reported toplay a key role in the development of this disease. The base excision repair (BER) pathway can effectively removeoxidative lesions, maintaining genomic stability and normal expression, with X-ray repair crosscomplementing1(XRCC1), 8-oxoguanine glycosylase-1 (OGG1) and apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) playingimportant roles. Aims: To analyze polymorphisms of DNA BER genes (OOG1, XRCC1 and APE1) and exploretheir associations, and the combined effects of these variants, with risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Materialsand Methods: We detected SNPs of XRCC1 (Arg399Gln), OGG1 (Ser326Cys), APE1 (Asp148Glu and -141T/G)using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with peripheral blood samples from 231 patients with NPC and 300healthy people, furtherly analyzing their relations with the risk of NPC in multivariate logistic regression models. Results: After adjustment for sex and age, individuals with the XRCC1 399Gln/Gln (OR=1.96; 95%CI:1.02-3.78; p=0.04) and Arg/Gln (OR=1.87; 95%CI:1.29-2.71; p=0.001) genotype variants demonstrated a significantlyincreased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with those having the wild-type Arg/Arg genotype. APE1-141G/G was associated with a significantly reduced risk of NPC (OR=0.40;95%CI:0.18–0.89) in the smokinggroup. The OR calculated for the combination of XRCC1 399Gln and APE1 148Gln, two homozygous variants,was significantly additive for all cases (OR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.27-3.47; p=0.004). Conclusion: This is the first studyto focus on the association between DNA base-excision repair genes (XRCC1, OGG1 and APE1) polymorphismand NPC risk. The XRCC1 Arg399Gln variant genotype is associated with an increased risk of NPC. APE1-141G/G may decrease risk of NPC in current smokers. The combined effects of polymorphisms within BERgenes of XRCC1 399Gln and APE1 148Gln may contribute to a high risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28089_4cf07d8bddffec7cf780fa0803ad2b55.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Reproductive Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study in Khon Kaen, Thailand 5153 5155 28090 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Because of the gender disparity in the incidence of thyroid cancer, this study aimed to determinethe association between reproductive factors and thyroid cancer. Methods: A total of 10,767 eligible women fromthe Khon Kaen Cohort, recruited and interviewed between 1990 and 2001, were followed up until 2011. Thedata were linked to the Khon Kaen Population-Based Cancer Registry to detect thyroid cancer cases. Results:There was 17 thyroid cancer cases detected, an incidence of 11.2 per 100,000 person-years, of which 70.6 % werepapillary tumors. The incidence was apparently greater among those with an early age of menarche, nulligravidawomen, and oral contraceptive users. Conlusions: There was a trend for thyroid cancer to develop in relationto longer estrogen exposure. This evidence is inconclusive but warrants further investigation.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28090_7d5839aedea329e143d7dca6965bf51a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Evaluation of the Knowledge, Behavior and Health Beliefs of Individuals over 50 Regarding Colorectal Cancer Screening 5157 5163 28091 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The aim of the study was to evaluate of the knowledge, behavior and health beliefs of individuals over 50regarding colorectal cancer screening, with a descriptive and cross-sectional design at Karabuk Life and HealthCenter in Turkey. A total of 160 people meeting set criteria were included in the study. The questionnaireconsisted of two parts. The first part was composed of questions on characteristics of participants and the secondpart of questions derived from the Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale. Only 15.0% of participants (n=24)had undergone a fecal occult blood test (FOBT), 11.3% (n=18) had had colonoscopy and 4.4% (n=7) had hadsigmoidoscopy. Some 90.6% of the participants had low levels of risk awareness about the colorectal cancer. Itwas found that the average point of severity subscale of participants over 65 is higher than that of participantsunder 65 (p<0.05). In conclusion, because of the many barriers and health beliefs for the colorectal cancerscreening program, the rate of participation in screening programs is not sufficient. Healthcare providers haveimportant responsibilities for increasing rate of attendance in colorectal cancer screening programs.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28091_923be89ba8dd0bbfc0fdc41a7befc673.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prognostic Value of Pathological Characteristics of Invasive Margins in Early-stage Squamous Cell Carcinomas of theUterine Cervix 5165 5169 28092 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To evaluate the pathological characteristics of invasive margins in early-stage cervical squamouscell carcinomas and their association with other clinicopathological features including clinical outcomes. Materialsand Methods: Patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical squamous cell carcinomas who received surgical treatmentand had available follow-up information were identified. Their histological slides were reviewed for prognosticvariables including tumor size, grade, extent of invasion, lymphovascular invasion, involvement of vaginal marginor parametrium, and lymph node metastasis. The characteristics of invasive margins including invasive pattern(closed, finger-like, or spray-like type), degree of stromal desmoplasia, and degree of peritumoral inflammatoryreaction were evaluated along the entire invasive fronts of tumours. Associations between the characteristics ofinvasive margins and other clinicopathological variables and disease-free survival were assessed. Results: A totalof 190 patients were included in the study with a median follow-up duration of 73 months. Tumour recurrencewas observed in 18 patients (9%). Spray-like invasive pattern was significantly more associated as comparedwith closed or finger-like invasive pattern (p=0.005), whereas the degree of stromal desmoplasia or peritumoralinflammatory reaction was not. Low degree of peritumoral inflammatory reaction appeared linked with lymphnode metastasis (p=0.021). In multivariate analysis, a spray-like invasive pattern was independently associatedwith marked stromal desmoplasia (p=0.013), whilst marked desmoplasia was also independently associated withlow inflammatory reactions (p=0.009). Furthermore, low inflammatory reactions were independently associatedwith positive margins (p=0.022) and lymphovascular invasion (p=0.034). The patients with spray-like invasivepattern had a significantly lower disease-free survival compared with those with closed or finger-like pattern(p=0.004). Conclusions: There is a complex interaction between cancer tissue at the invasive margin and changesin surrounding stroma. A spray-like invasive pattern has a prognostic value in patients with early-stage cervicalsquamous cell carcinoma.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28092_dcb07eb9704828619c408bf45dd37003.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 No Association of XRCC1 and CLPTM1L Polymorphisms with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in a Non-Smoking Han Chinese Population 5171 5174 28093 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: This study aimed to explore potential associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of the x-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) and cleft lip and palate transmembrane protein1-like (CLPTM1L) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) susceptibility in non-smoker Chinese patients. Methods: A total of 200 NSCLC patients and 200 healthy controls with matched age and gender were recruitedfor genotyping of XRCC1 SNPs (rs2256507 and rs1001581) and CLPTM1L SNPs (rs401681 and rs4975616).Association of these SNPs with NSCLC risk was evaluated by computing the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidenceinterval (CI) from multivariate unconditional logistic regression analyses with adjustment for gender and age. Results: The frequencies of genotype and allele in these four loci (rs2256507, rs1001581, rs401681, and rs4975616)were not significantly different between the cases and controls, or between either of the histological subgroups(adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) and controls. Conclusions: Although these SNPs are associatedwith NSCLC risk in patients with a tobacco-smoking habit, this study demonstrated that XRCC1 and CLPTM1Lgene SPNs are not linked with NSCLC risk in non-smoking patients, indicating that molecular mechanisms ofNSCLC betwee tobacco smokers and non-smokers may be different. Future studies are needed to uncover theunderlying molecular mechanisms for NSCLC in non-smokers.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28093_104f6c4d4e410edfedcd9ae9084be2af.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prognostic Value of Osteopontin in Patients Treated with Primary Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer 5175 5178 28094 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The prognostic value of tumor osteopontin (OPN) in patients with squamous-cell head and neckcancer (SCHNC) was investigated. Materials and Methods: OPN expression was assessed by immunohistochemicalmethods in 50 patients, who were treated with primary radiotherapy (RT) for locally advanced SCHNC. Theeffects of OPN on clinical parameters, local-regional control after RT and metastasis-free survival, was assessed. Results: The rate of OPN expression in tumor tissue was 76%. OPN positive cases had lower Hb levels (p=0.088).Mean time to local recurrence was 53.8 months (SE 3.9) in OPN-negative cases and 39.1 months (SE 4.7) inOPN-positive cases (p=0.047). OPN increased the risk of local recurrence 5.9 times (p=0.085). It had no effecton metastasis-free (p=0.116) or overall survival (p=0.123). OPN was positive in 12 of 19 cases that developedgrade 3-4 acute radiation dermatitis (p=0.096). Conclusions: OPN expression is associated with an increase inlocal recurrence in patients who were treated with primary RT for locally advanced SCHNC.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28094_53187c5d9c4295ab2ea0a0db429344a5.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Clinical Effectiveness of Preoperative Embolization for Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma 5179 5183 28095 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The cerebellar hemangioblastoma (CHB) has an abundant blood supply and deep anatomical location.Complete surgical resection is generally very difficult. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness ofpreoperative embolization followed by surgical resection of CHB in a large cohort of patients. A database of 125CHB patients with surgical resection in Beijing Tiantan Hospital between July 2006 and July 2012 was reviewed.Of those, 46 cases (experimental group) received preoperative embolization, 79 cases (control group) underwentsurgery without embolization. Patient demographics, tumor size, duration of surgery, blood loss, blood transfusion,complications and follow-up results were collected and analyzed retrospectively. In the experimental group, theKamofsky score (KS) was 80-100 in 40 cases (86.9%), 40-70 in 4 cases (8.7%), and below 40 in 2 cases (4.3%).Among 31 cases with follow-up, KS was 80-100 in 27 cases (87.1%), 40-70 in 2 cases (6.5%), and 0 in 2 cases(6.5%). In control group, KS was 80 -100 in 65 cases (82.2%), 40-70 in 6 cases (7.6%), 10-30 in 3 cases (3.8%),and 0 in 3 cases (3.8%). Among 53 cases with follow-up, KS was 80-100 in 44 cases (83.0%), 40-70 in 4 cases(7.5%), 10-30 in 1 case (1.9%), and 0 in 4 cases (7.5%). There were statistically significant differences betweenthe experimental and control groups in tumor size, duration of surgery, amount of intraoperative blood loss andtransfusion (p <0.01). However, complications (p = 0.31) and follow-up results (p = 0.76) showed no significantdifferences between groups. Selective preoperative embolization of those CHB patients with richer blood supply,higher hemorrhage risk, is safe and effective, and is a reliable adjuvant therapy for complete surgical resectionof CHB.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28095_d1f488653eb21eb32b78b41d84e4a3c7.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Salvage Treatment Experience in Advanced Synovial Sarcoma: a Multicenter Retrospective Analysis of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology 5185 5188 28096 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: We aimed to evaluate prognostic factors and response rates to various treatment approaches topatients with synovial sarcoma in an advanced setting. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed themedical records of 55 patients (18 pts; 32.7% women) diagnosed with synovial sarcomas. Twenty had metastaticdisease at the time of diagnosis while the remainder of the study group consisted of patients who developedmetastatic or inoperable locally advanced disease during follow up. Results: The median follow up time was 15months (range: 1-53). Regarding outcomes for the 55 patients, 3 and 5 year overall survival rates were 26% and14%, respectively. In univariate analyses among demographic factors female gender was associated with a betteroutcome (p=0.030). Patients with early progressing disease (<2 years) had a worse prognosis when comparedto patient group with late relapse, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.056). Accordingto multivariate Cox regression analysis patients who had undergone metastasectomy had a significant survivaladvantage (p=0.044). The overall response rate to different salvage chemotherapy regimens given as second linetreatment was around 42.9-53.9% for all regimes. There were no statistically significant differences betweenchemotherapy regimens given in either second or third line settings in terms of overall survival. Conclusions: Weobserved no major differences in terms of response rate and survival between different salvage chemotherapyregimens. Although metastatic disease still carries a poor prognosis, metastasectomy was found to be associatedwith improved survival

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28096_7bfc1a9d1307ff568fc2b6b636a15801.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Association of Dietary Intake of Folate, Vitamin B6 and B12 and MTHFR Genotype with Breast Cancer Risk 5189 5192 28097 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Aim: We aimed to investigate the associations of dietary intake of folate, vitamin B6 and B12 and MTHFRgenotype with breast cancer in a Chinese population. Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted, and435 patients with newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed breast cancer and 435 controls were collected. Thefolate intake, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 were calculated, and MTHFR C665T, C677T and A1298C were analyzedby PCR-RFLP. Results: We found vitamin B12 was likely to reduce the risk of breast cancer, and MTHFR 665TTwas associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Folate intake, vitamin B12 intake and variants of MTHFRC677T and MTHFR A1298C demonstrated no association with risk of breast cancer. However, we found patientswith low intake of vitamin B6 and MTHFR 665TT genotype had a higher risk of breast cancer (OR=1.87, 95%CI=1.29-2.77), the association being less pronounced among subjects with a moderate intake of vitamin B6 andMTHFR 665TT genotype (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.03-2.49, P=0.03). Conclusion: Our study indicated that theMTHFR C665T polymorphism and vitamin B6 are associated with risk of breast cancer, which indicated rolesfor nutrients in developing breast cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28097_28c92c97f22a5b8ab207c777d3b6c23e.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Dietary Patterns and the Associated Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case-control Study 5193 5198 28098 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) have been considered risk factors for breast cancer, butassociation studies of breast cancer risk using simple GI and GL might be affected by confounding effects of theoverall diet. A total of 357 cases and 357 age-matched controls were enrolled, and dietary intake was assessedusing a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with 103 food items. GI and GL dietary patterns werederived by reduced rank regression (RRR) method. The GI and GL pattern scores were positively associatedwith breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women [OR (95%CI): 3.31 (1.06-10.39), p for trend=0.031; 9.24(2.93-29.14), p for trend<0.001, respectively], while the GI pattern showed no statistically significant effects onbreast cancer risk, and the GL pattern was only marginally significant, among premenopausal women (p fortrend=0.043). The GI and GL pattern scores were positively associated with the risk of breast cancer in subgroupsdefined by hormone receptor status in postmenopausal women. The GI and GL patterns based on all food itemsconsumed were positively associated with breast cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28098_6672e31db8a7283a3d8a0b111450652f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Effects of the Hippo Signaling Pathway in Human Gastric Cancer 5199 5205 28099 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background/Aim: The Hippo signaling pathway is a newly discovered and conserved signaling cascade,which regulates organ size control by governing cell proliferation and apoptosis. This study aimed to investigateits effects in human gastric cancer. Methods: Tumor tissues (n=60), adjacent non-tumor tissues (n=60) andnormal tissues (n=60) were obtained from the same patients with primary gastric cancer (GC). In addition,70 samples of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) tissues were obtained from patients with intestinal metaplasia(IM) by endoscopic biopsy. Hippo signaling molecules, including Mst1, Lats1, YAP1, TAZ, TEAD1, Oct4 andCDX2, were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Protein expression of Mst1, Lats1,YAP1, TEAD1 and CDX2 was assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results: Mst1, Lats1and Oct4 mRNA expression showed an increasing tendency from GC tissues to normal gastric tissues, while themRNA expression of YAP1, TAZ and TEAD1 was up-regulated (all P<0.01). Mst1 and Lats1 protein expressionpresented a similar trend with their mRNA expression. In addition, YAP1 and TEAD1 protein expression in GCwas significantly higher than in the other groups (all P<0.01). CDX2 mRNA and protein expression in the CAGgroup were higher than in the other groups (all P<0.01). In GC, mRNA expression of Mst1, Lats1, Oct4, YAP1,TAZ, TEAD1 and CDX2 had a close correlation with lymphatic metastasis and tumor TNM stage (all P<0.01).Furthermore, protein expression of Mst1, Lats1 ,YAP1, TAZ, TEAD1 and CDX2 had a close correlation betweeneach other (P<0.05). Conclusion: The Hippo signaling pathway is involved in the development, progression andmetastasis of human gastric cancer. Therefore, manipulation of Hippo signaling molecules may be a potentialtherapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28099_53ad66fb9db3bc45127267334828d073.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Physical Inactivity, Water Intake and Constipation as Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer among Adults in Jordan 5207 5212 28100 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Physical activity has been found to play a role in cancer prevention. The purpose of this matchedcase-control study was to investigate the association between physical activity levels, water intake, constipationand colorectal cancer (CRC). Materials and Methods: Two hundred and thirty-two patients diagnosed withCRC (125 male, 107 female) were enrolled in this case-control study. Cases were matched to 271 populationcontrols (137 male, 134 female). Results: Drinking more than 4 cups of water daily decreased the risk of CRC by33-42%; however, this effect was non-significant. Having constipation was found to be a significant risk factorfor developing CRC with an OR=6.284 (95%CI=2.741-14.40). With reference to sedentary behavior, minimumactivity (600-3000 Metabolic Equivalents Task (MET)) had 43% protection against CRC and the level of HealthEnhancing Physical Activity OR was 0.58 (at 95%CI; 0.37-0.92). A significant negative association was foundbetween CRC and physical activity levels expressed as both METs and MET-hours/week (p for trend=0.017 and0.03, respectively). Among females, a significant trend of reduction in CRC by 62% was observed with increasingthe level of physical activity expressed in MET (p for trend=0.04). Conclusions: The risk of CRC may be reducedby adopting a healthy lifestyle and practicing physically activity regularly, especially among females. Consumingadequate amounts of water and healthy bowel motility could also reduce the risk of CRC.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28100_dc7572bfa939b648ae1498f2e4e23b71.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Association of TAP1 and TAP2 Gene Polymorphisms with Hematological Malignancies 5213 5217 28101 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Transporter associated with antigen presenting (TAP) 1 and TAP2 genes are localized in the majorhistocompatability complex (MHC) class II region and form a heterodimer playing a key role in endogenouspathways for antigen presentation. Defects of these genes have been reported to be common in different typesof cancer. Polymorphisms identified in these loci have also been investigated and reported to be associated withseveral autoimmune disorders, viral infections and neoplasms. In the present study, for the first time, the alleleand genotype frequencies of TAP1-333, TAP2-565, TAP2-651 and TAP2-665 were determined in patients withhematological malignancies (HM) using a PCR-RFLP method and compared with the frequencies in the controlgroup. Our results suggested an association of TAP1-333 polymorphism with multiple myeloma-MM and TAP2-565 polymorphism with chronic lymphoid leukemia-CLL. In addition, it could be concluded that the TAP2-665GG genotype might be a risk factor for all types of hematological malignancies included in this study.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28101_fcab3f6495e4f14d6a7c650de2b041be.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Metastatic Axillary Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) is Prognostically Superior to pN Staging in Patients with Breast Cancer - Results for 804 Chinese Patients from a Single Institution 5219 5223 28102 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The number of axillary lymph nodes involved and retrieved are important prognostic factors in breast cancer.The purpose of our study was to investigate whether the lymph node ratio (LNR) is a better prognostic factor inpredicting disease-free survival (DFS) for breast cancer patients as compared with pN staging. The analysis wasbased on 804 breast cancer patients who had underwent axillary lymph node dissection between 1999 and 2008in Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center. Optimal cutoff points of LNR were calculated using X-tile softwareand validated by bootstrapping. Patients were then divided into three groups (low-, intermediate-, and high-risk)according to the cutoff points. Predicting risk factors for relapse were performed according to Cox proportionalhazards analysis. DFS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The5-year DFS rate decreased significantly with increasing LNRs and pN. Univariate analysis found that the pT ,pN, LNR, molecule type, HER2, pTNM stage and radiotherapy well classified patients with significantly differentprognosis. By multivariate analysis, only LNR classification was retained as an independent prognostic factor.Furthermore, there was a significant prognostic difference among different LNR categories for pN2 category,but no apparent prognostic difference was seen between different pN categories in any LNR category. Therefore,LNR rather than pN staging is preferable in predicting DFS in node positive breast cancer patients, and routineclinical decision-making should take the LNR into consideration.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28102_bc01b31caf1bb25b3a92f4574ad4a18e.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Elevated Serum IL-17A but not IL-6 in Glioma Versus Meningioma and Schwannoma 5225 5230 28103 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: There is a Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance and expression of IL-17 in patients with brain tumours.We aimed to compare the levels of IL-17A and IL-6 in sera of glioma, meningioma and schwannoma patientsas well as in healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: IL-17A and IL-6 levels were measured in sera of 38glioma, 24 meningioma and 18 schwannoma patients for comparison with 26 healthy controls by commercialELISA assays. Results: We observed an increase in the IL-17A in 30% of glioma patients while only 4% and5.5% of meningioma and schwannoma patients and none of the healthy controls showed elevated IL-17A in theirsera (0.29±0.54, 0.03±0.15 and 0.16±0.68 vs. 0.00±0.00pg/ml; p=0.01, p=0.01 and p=0.001, respectively). Therewas also a significant decrease in the level of IL-6 in glioma patients compared to healthy controls (2.34±4.35 vs.4.67±4.32pg/ml; p=0.01). There was a direct correlation between the level of IL-17A and age in glioma patients(p=0.005). Glioma patients over 30 years of age had higher IL-17A and lower IL-6 in their sera compared tothe young patients. In addition, a non-significant grade-specific inverse trend between IL-17A and IL-6 wasobserved in glioma patients, where high-grade gliomas had higher IL-17A and lower IL-6. Conclusions: Ourdata suggest a Th17 mediated inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of glioma. Moreover, tuning of IL-6and IL-17A inflammatory cytokines occurs during progression of glioma. IL-17A may be a potential biomarkerand/or immunotherapeutic target in glioma cases.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28103_8bb2f73a686d53f4aa9a2d42f96c0cfb.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Nrf2 Overexpression Predicts Prognosis and 5-FU Resistance in Gastric Cancer 5231 5235 28104 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is activated in several human malignancies. However, the role ofNrf2 in gastric cancer (GC) remains incompletely understood. In this study, we therefore analyzed associationsof Nrf2 expression status with clinical features and chemotherapeutic resistance in GC. Materials and Methods:A total of 186 samples from GC patients who underwent gastrectomy were used for prognostic assessment.A further 142 samples from GC cases who received first-line combination chemotherapy were applied forinvestigation of chemoresistance. The Nrf2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in GC samples,and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters and chemotherapy sensitivity was analyzed. The effectof Nrf2 gene silencing on chemotherapy resistance was also examined by cell viability assay in vivo. Results: Ofthe 186 patients with GC, 104/186 (55.9%) showed high expression for Nrf2. The overexpression of Nrf2 was anindependent predictor of overall survival [OS, hazard ratio (HR) 3.9; P=0.011] and disease-free survival (DFS,HR 4.3; P=0.002). The gene silencing of Nrf2 reduced resistance to cell death induced by 5-FU in GC cell lines. Conclusion: Our data show that Nrf2 is an independent prognostic factor in GC. Furthermore, Nrf2 confersresistance to chemotherapeutic drug 5-FU in GC cells. Taken together, Nrf2 is a potential prognostic markerand predictive for 5-FU resistance in GC.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28104_fb383cf8f8a08e3088c07e56c4d8119a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Are Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Platelet/Lymphocyte Rates in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Associated with Treatment Response and Prognosis? 5237 5242 28105 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Inflammation is a critical component of tumor progression. Many cancers arise from sites ofinfection, chronic irritation, and inflammation. It is now becoming clear that the tumour microenvironment,which is largely orchestrated by inflammatory cells, is an essential participant in the neoplastic process, promotingproliferation, survival and migration. Platelets can release some growth factors such as platelet-derived growthfactor, platelet factor 4, and thrombospondin. Such factors have been shown to promote hematogenous tumourspread, tumor cell adhesion and invasion, and angiogenesis and to play an important role in tumor progression.In this study, we aimed to investigate effects of the pretreatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and theplatelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on survival and response to chemoradiotherapy in patients with non-small-celllung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: Ninety-four patients with non-metastatic NSCLC were includedand separated into two groups according to median valuse of NLR and PLR (low:<3.44 or high:≥3.44 andlow:<194 or high≥194, respectively). Results: Pretreatment high NLR and PLR were associated with significantlyshorter disease-free and overall survival rates. Multivariate analysis revealed that the overall survival rateswere significantly linked with PLR (OR: 1.87, CI: 1.20-2.91, p: 0.006) and response to chemoradiotherapy (OR:1.80, CI: 1.14-2.81, p: 0.012) and the disease-free survival rates were significantly associated with NLR (OR:1.81, CI: 1.16-2.82, p: 0.009) and response to chemoradiotherapy (OR: 2.30, CI: 1.45-3.66, p: 0.001). There wasno significant difference between patients with high and low NLR in terms of response to chemoradiotherapy.Similarly, there was no significant influence of the PLR. Conclusions: Pretreatment NLR and PLR measurementscan provide important prognostic results in patients with NSCLC and assessment of the two parameters togetherappears to better predict the prognosis in patients with NSCLC. The effect of inflammation, indicators of NLRand PLR, on survival seems independent of the response to chemoradiotherapy.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28105_44a7797e90bf73b63a263c6ce3659e47.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Synergism of Cytotoxicity Effects of Triptolide and Artesunate Combination Treatment in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines 5243 5248 28106 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Triptolide, extracted from the herb Tripteryglum wilfordii Hook.f that has long been used as anatural medicine in China, has attracted much interest for its anti-cancer effects against some kinds of tumoursin recent years. Artesunate, extracted from the Chinese herb Artemisia annua, has proven to be effective andsafe as an anti-malarial drug that possesses anticancer potential. The present study attempted to clarify iftriptolide enhances artesunate-induced cytotoxicity in pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Methods:In vitro, to test synergic actions, cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed after treatment of pancreatic cancercell lines with the two agents singly or in combination. The molecular mechanisms of apoptotic effects were alsoexplored using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. In vivo, a tumor xenograft model was established in nude mice,for assessment of inhibitory effects of triptolide and artesunate. Results: We could show that the combinationof triptolide and artesunate could inhibit pancreatic cancer cell line growth, and induce apoptosis, accompaniedby expression of HSP 20 and HSP 27, indicating important roles in the synergic effects. Moreover, tumor growthwas decreased with triptolide and artesunate synergy. Conclusion: Our result indicated that triptolide andartesunate in combination at low concentrations can exert synergistic anti-tumor effects in pancreatic cancercells with potential clinical applications.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28106_03cfc0d2a1185ea6ab555d19a8876130.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 A Single Measure of Cancer Burden in Korea from 1999 to 2010 5249 5255 28107 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a single measure of cancer burden (SMCB), which canprioritize cancer sites by considering incidence and mortality. Materials and Methods: Incidence data from 1999to 2010 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. Mortality data from 1999 to 2010 were obtainedfrom Statistics Korea. The SMCB was developed by adding incidence and mortality scores. The respective scoreswere given such that incidence and mortality were classified by ten ranges of equal intervals. Results: Accordingto the SMCB in 2010, stomach cancer ranked 1st in males with 20 points, and colorectal cancer was 2nd with 11points. Breast cancer and thyroid cancer were joint 1st with 11 points for females. The SMCB for females wasless than that for males. The burden of stomach cancer was 1st in males from 1999-2010. The incidences oflung cancer and liver cancer decreased, whereas thyroid cancer and colon cancer increased during the period.Breast cancer and thyroid cancer burden showed tendencies to increase in females. Comparison of SMCB withdisability-adjusted life years (DALY) and socioeconomic costs in 2005 showed that the top five cancer sites weresimilar, but there were differences in the size of the cancer burden. Conclusions: The SMCB indicated that theburdens of stomach cancer in males and thyroid and breast cancers in females were large. The single measureshowed an advantage, reflected as the equivalent dimensions of incidence and mortality, whereas DALY andeconomic costs showed tendencies to reflect premature death.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28107_e1db4082486270b2da56cf53fa709d66.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Micronucleus Expression and Acute Leukemia Prognosis 5257 5261 28108 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The micronucleus frequency (MNF) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) is a biomarker of chromosomaldamage and genome instability in human populations.The relationship of micronucleus frequency with prognosisof patients with acute leukemia is not clear. We therefore investigated MNF in mitogen-activated peripheralblood lymphocytes from patients with hematologic diseases and solid tumours. Patients included 50 with acuteleukemia, 49 diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 54 with benign blood diseases, and 45 with solidtumours, examined with 50 healthy controls. The mean MNF was significantly higher in cases of hematologicdiseases and solid tumor patients than in healthy controls (P<0.001). There was no evident difference betweenMNF in the acute leukemia (7.15±2.18) and solid tumor groups (7.11±1.47), but both were higher than in the MDSgroup (5.12±1.29) and benign blood diseases group (3.08±1.08). Taking 7.15‰, the average MNF of the acuteleukemia group as standard, and dividing 50 cases of acute leukemia patients into high MNF group (MNF≥7.15‰)and low MNF group (MNF<7.15‰). The overall response (complete remission + partial remission) rates of thelow MNF group were significantly higher than in the high MNF group (P=0.001). The high MNF group furthershowed lower overall survival rates than the low MNF group. MNF expression and progression-free survivalseemed to have a opposite relationship, with a correlation coefficient of -0.702. These data indicate that MNFin peripheral blood lymphocytes is important for evaluation of prognosis of acute leukemia patients, and it canreflect progression of disease to a certain degree.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28108_c7f00979e812e2e7a5fbeabc32910f13.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Two-Week Combination Chemotherapy with Gemcitabine, High-Dose Folinic Acid and 5 Fluorouracil (GEMFUFOL) as First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancers 5263 5267 28109 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a gemcitabine, 5-fluorouraciland leucovorin (GEMFUFOL) chemotherapy regimen as first line treatment of metastatic biliary tract cancer.Materials and Methods: All patients received folinic acid 400 mg/m2 on day 1, 5-fluorouracil bolus 400 mg/m2 on day 1, IV infusion of 5-fluorouracil 2400 mg/m2 over 46 hours, and gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 on day 1. Results: A total of 29 patients with metastatic biliary tract cancer received GEMFUFOL regimen as the firstlinetreatment. The mean follow-up was 22.1 months (95%CI, 12.5-31.8). One patient (3.4%) achieved completeresponse, 5 (17.2%) had partial response, and 4 (13.8%) had stable disease. The median progression-free survivalwas 3.3 months (95%CI, 2.9-3.7), and the median overall survival was 8.8 months (95%CI, 3.5-14). The 1-yearand 2-year survival rates were 58.6% and 30%, respectively. Grade 3 and 4 toxicity included neutropenia in4 patients (13.7%), thrombocytopenia in 2 (6.8%), anemia in 2 (6.8%), and alopecia in 1 (3.4%). Two patients(6.8%) developed febrile neutropenia. A dose reduction was achieved in 8 patients (27.6%) while 5 patientshad extended-interval dosage (17.2%) for toxicity. Conclusions: The GEMFUFOL chemotherapy regimen wasgenerally efficacious and tolerable as a first-line treatment of metastatic biliary tract cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28109_8c3e1948190c9509cb242f6fd2f9e809.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Variants of Interleukin-16 Associated with Gastric Cancer Risk 5269 5273 28110 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Aim: We conducted a case-control matched study to investigate the role of IL-16 gene polymorphisms,rs4072111, rs1131445, rs4778889 and rs11556218, in the risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population, alsoperforming subgroup analysis by subsites. Methods: To test the hypothesis of involvement, we analyzed the fourSNPs of IL16 in 347 cancer patients and 368 controls. Demographic data and other information were collectedusing a newly designed questionnaire. Genotyping of IL16 (rs4072111, rs1131445, rs4778889 and rs11556218)was performed in a 384-well plate format on the MassARRAY® platform. Results: In our study, we found thegastric cancer patients were more likely to be male and have a family history of cancer (P < 0.05). We foundthe rs4778889 CC and rs11556218 GG genotype was significantly associated with 1.97 and 1.84-fold increasedrisk of non-cardia gastric cancer, while we did not find significant association between the four IL-16 SNPs andcardia gastric cancer. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study indicated that IL-16 rs4778889 CC and rs11556218GG genotypes are associated with an increased risk of non-cardia gastric cancer in a Chinese population. Ourresults offer insights into the influence of IL-16 on development of gastric cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28110_00bc5c73b4aed453a4fe17b14d7f944b.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 The Codon 399 Arg/Gln XRCC1 Polymorphism is Associated with Lung Cancer in Indians 5275 5279 28111 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The XRCC1 (X-ray repair cross complimenting group-I) gene in BER (base excision repair)pathway is essential for DNA repair process. Polymorphisms in this gene are associated with variations in the repairefficiency which might predispose individuals to development of various cancers. Two variants of XRCC1gene(at codon 399), Gln/Gln and Arg/Gln, have been shown to be related to lowered DNA repair capacity andincreased genomic instability in multiple studies. Hence our investigation focused on genotyping these variantsto correlate with other multiple risk factors in lung cancer (NSCLC) patients since we hypothesized that thesevariants of the XRCC1 gene might influence disease susceptibility. Materials and Methods: We examined thefrequency of the polymorphism in one hundred cases and an almost equal number of controls after recordingtheir demographics with a structured questionnaire. Genomic DNA from blood samples was extracted for PCRstudies, followed by RFLP to determine the variants. The significance of the data was statistically analyzed. Results: The three genotypes in cases and controls were Arg/Arg (40% and 54.45%); Gln/Gln (19% and 9.90%),and Arg/Gln (41.0% and 35.64%) respectively. Among these 3 genotypes, we found Gln/Gln and Arg/Gln toshow association with lung cancer. Correlating these genotypes with several parameters, we also found that thesetwo variants were associated with risk in males (p<0.05) and with smoking habits (p<0.05). In females Arg/Glngenotype showed association with stage of the disease (p=0.04). This is the first report in South Indian scenariowhere Arg399Gln genotypes were found to be associated with stage of the disease in females. Conclusions: Itis concluded that XRCC1 genotypes Gln/Gln and Arg/Gln may influence cancer susceptibility in patients withsmoking habits and these functional SNPs in XRCC1 gene may act as attractive candidate biomarkers in lungcancer for diagnosis and prognosis.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28111_a58bef9d3fa96e05c4c6912636d3793a.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Identifying Differentially Expressed Genes and Small Molecule Drugs for Prostate Cancer by a Bioinformatics Strategy 5281 5286 28112 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Purpose: Prostate cancer caused by the abnormal disorderly growth of prostatic acinar cells is the mostprevalent cancer of men in western countries. We aimed to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs) andexplore small molecule drugs for prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: The GSE3824 gene expression profileof prostate cancer was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database which including 21 normal samplesand 18 prostate cancer cells. The DEGs were identified by Limma package in R language and gene ontology andpathway enrichment analyses were performed. In addition, potential regulatory microRNAs and the target sitesof the transcription factors were screened out based on the molecular signature database. In addition, the DEGswere mapped to the connectivity map database to identify potential small molecule drugs. Results: A total of 6,588genes were filtered as DEGs between normal and prostate cancer samples. Examples such as ITGB6, ITGB3,ITGAV and ITGA2 may induce prostate cancer through actions on the focal adhesion pathway. Furthermore,the transcription factor, SP1, and its target genes ARHGAP26 and USF1 were identified. The most significantmicroRNA, MIR-506, was screened and found to regulate genes including ITGB1 and ITGB3. Additionally, smallmolecules MS-275, 8-azaguanine and pyrvinium were discovered to have the potential to repair the disorderedmetabolic pathways, abd furthermore to remedy prostate cancer. Conclusions: The results of our analysis bearon the mechanism of prostate cancer and allow screening for small molecular drugs for this cancer. The findingshave the potential for future use in the clinic for treatment of prostate cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28112_0bece6d1476235fe49f98e46d7d1df51.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prevalence and Type Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Infection Using the INNo-Lipa Assay, Kerman, Southeast Iran 5287 5291 28113 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The human papilloma virus (HPV) causes skin and mucous membrane infections. It crosses from one personto another by skin-to-skin contact, such as sexual contact. There are more than 100 types of HPV that caninfluence different parts of the body. Some types of HPV can cause cancer (such as cervical or anal cancer) andothers can cause warts (such as genital or plantar warts). HPV infection is one of the most common sexuallytransmitted infections (STIs) in Iran and around the world. Considerable molecular evidence suggests a role forhuman papilloma virus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of carcinoma. Epidemiological studies on human papillomaviruses (HPVs) infections in general population are critical for the performing of health policy guidelines fordeveloping the strategies to hinder the primary and secondary different cancer. In different parts of Iran, thereis a lack of population-based studies to determine the prevalence of HPV in the general population. The aim ofthis population-based study was therefore to report the prevalence ratse of HPV types among Iranian patients.To study the risk of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, we managed a retrospective study in Kermanprovince, southeast of Iran. For this purpose, 410 patients tested for the presence of HPV DNA using PCR andINNo- Lipa assays. HPV DNA was detected in 108 out of 410 patients (26.34%), while it was not detected in anyof the control group samples. Patients included 23 (21.1%) males and 86 (78.8%) females. HPV type 6 was themost common (49%) followed by HPV type 16 (10.1%), and also HPV type11 (9.2%). The prevalence of HPV inIran is comparable to those reported in other regions of the world. In a similar manner, it seems that HPV types6, 16 and11 are the most common types in Kerman. Additional studies on larger group of patients, particularlyin those with pre-invasive forms of disease, are needed to explain the roles of different HPV types in this locationof Iran.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28113_db0bfc0ec2e21abeec0618dc2ba2d6d7.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Serum BMP-2 Up-regulation as an Indicator of Poor Survival in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients 5293 5299 28114 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Purpose: High levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMPs) have been reported in patients with lung cancer.This study was conducted to assess correlations between serum BMP-2 levels and prognostic outcome in patientswith non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Blood samples from 84 patients with advanced NSCLCand 42 healthy controls were analyzed and quantitated for serum BMP-2 levels before and after two cycles ofchemotherapy using a commercially available ELISA kit. Results: The median level of BMP-2 was 146.9 pg/ml in patients with NSCLC vs. 87.7 pg/ml in healthy controls (P<0.01). A significant correlation was observedbetween pretreatment serum BMP-2 level and ECOG PS, disease stage and number of organs with metastases(P<0.05). Serum BMP-2 level decreased significantly in patients who achieved objective response after twocycles of chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis showed that increased BMP-2 level and advanced clinical stagewere significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Thes erum BMP-2 level is positively correlatedwith clinical stage, ECOG PS and metastatic burden and may serve as an independent negative predictor forprognosis. Decreased BMP-2 after chemotherapy could be a reliable marker for efficacy of treatment.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28114_f5312548de4b9c1f0c37562587940d46.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Relationships Between Clinical Behavior of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Expression of VEGF, MMP-9 and E-Cadherin 5301 5310 28115 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The biological mechanisms of cancer and associations with behavior of tumours need to be studied tounderstand progression and determine appropriate treatments. Here we investigated expression of VEGF,MMP-9 and E-cadherin in laryngeal SCCs and their relations with clinical behavior. This prospective study wasbased on 38 surgical specimens from patients with primary laryngeal SCC and data recorded in their cards.Expression of the three factors in tumor tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry and correlationswith clinical parameters of primary tumors, regional lymph node metastases, stage of disease, histopathologicdifferentiation, and vascular/cartilage invasion were investigated. Regarding the cases with positive MMP-9expression, the difference between well and moderately/poorly differentiated tumors was statistically significant.However, differences between early stage (stage I and II) and late-stage (stage III and IV) tumours, and betweenpositive and negative for pLN metastasis were not. No significant relationship between positive VEGF and tumordifferentiation or stage was apparent, but E-cadherin levels significantly differed between well and moderately/poorly differentiated tumours and with the presence of pLN metastasis. E-cadherin staining did not vary betweenMMP-9 positive and negative cases. In conclusion, MMP-9 may be a negative predictor of differentiation inlaryngeal SCC, while E-cadherin is a predictor of differentiation and nodal metastases. Even if the differencebetween VEGF expression and tumor stage was not statistically significant, it seems that there exists somerelationship, which might be clarified with a greater number of cases.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28115_9073c57cbba6dd9a81bba0cd4c0cea31.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Effects of the NQO1 609C>T Polymorphism on Leukemia Susceptibility: Evidence from a Meta-analysis 5311 5316 28116 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 A functional polymorphism in the NQO1 gene, featuring a 609C>T substitution,leading to proline to serineamino-acid and enzyme activity changes, has been implicated in cancer risk. However, individually publishedinvestigations showed inconclusive results, especially for leukemia. In this study, we therefore performed a metaanalysisof 21 publications with a total of 3,634 cases and 4,827controls, mainly for leukemia. We summarized thedata on the association between the NQO1 609C>T polymorphism and risk of leukemia and performed subgroupanalyses by ethnicity and leukemia type. We found that the variant TT homozygous genotype o was associatedwith a modestly increased risk of leukemia (TT versus CT/CC: OR = 1.23, 95%CI = 1.00 - 1.51, heterogeneity= 0.76; I2 = 0%). Following further stratified analyses, increased risk was only observed in subgroups ofCaucasians. This meta-analysis suggests that the NQO1 609T allele is a high-penetrance risk factor for leukemiain Caucasians. The effect on leukemia may be modified by ethnicity and leukemia type, and the small samplesizes of the subgroup analyses suggest that further larger studies are needed.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28116_44ef86039f8b3e7b825caa0541aa37e2.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Antioxidant and Apoptotic Effects of an Aqueous Extract of Urtica dioica on the MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line 5317 5323 28117 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer and one of the leading causes of death among women in the world.Plants and herbs may play an important role in complementary or alternative treatment. The aim of this studywas to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-proliferative potential of Urtica dioica. The anti oxidant activity of anaqueous extract of Urtica dioica leaf was measured by MTT assay and the FRAP method while its anti-proliferativeactivity on the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and fibroblasts isolated from foreskin tissue was evaluatedusing MTT assay. Mechanisms leading to apoptosis were also investigated at the molecular level by measuringthe amount of anti and pro-apoptotic proteins and at the cellular level by studying DNA fragmentation andannexin V staining by flow cytometry. The aqueous extract of Urtica dioica showed antioxidant effects with acorrelation coefficient of r2=0.997. Dose-dependent and anti-proliferative effects of the extract were observedonly on MCF-7 cells after 72 hrs with an IC50 value of 2 mg/ml. This anti proliferative activity was associatedwith an increase of apoptosis as demonstrated by DNA fragmentation, the appearance of apoptotic cells inflow cytometry analysis and an increase of the amount of calpain 1, calpastatin, caspase 3, caspase 9, Bax andBcl-2, all proteins involved in the apoptotic pathway. This is the first time such in vitro antiproliferative effectof aqueous extract of Urtica dioica leaf has been described for a breast cancer cell line. Our findings warrantfurther research on Urtica dioica as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28117_2543938b5537cd0e74f48042c8d5a10d.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Clinical Risk Factor Analysis for Breast Cancer: 568,000 Subjects Undergoing Breast Cancer Screening in Beijing, 2009 5325 5329 28118 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objectives: Although there are many reports about the risk of breast cancer, few have reported clinicalfactors including history of breast-related or other diseases that affect the prevalence of breast cancer. This studyexplores these risk factors for breast cancer cases reported in Beijing in 2009. Materials and Methods: Datawere derived from a Beijing breast cancer screening performed in 2009, of 568,000 women, from 16 districts ofBeijing, all aged between 40 and 60 years. In this study, multilevel statistical modeling was used to identify clinicalfactors that affect the prevalence of breast cancer and to provide more reliable evidence for clinical diagnosticsby using screening data. Results and Conclusion: Those women who had organ transplants, compared withthose with none, were associated with breast cancer with an odds ratio (OR) = 65.352 [95% confidence interval(CI): 8.488-503.165] and those with solid breast mass compared with none had OR = 1.384 (95% CI: 1.022-1.873). Malignant tendency was strongly associated with increased risk of breast cancer, OR = 207.999(95%CI: 151.950-284.721). The risk of breast cancer increased with age, OR1 = 2.759 (95% CI: 1.837-4.144, 56-60 vs.40-45), OR2 = 2.047 (95% CI: 1.394-3.077, 51-55 vs. 40-45), OR3 = 1.668 (95% CI: 1.145-2.431). Normal resultsof B ultrasonic examination show a lower risk among participants, OR= 0.136 (95% CI: 0.085-0.218). Thosewomen with ductal papilloma compared with none were associated with breast cancer, OR=6.524 (95% CI:1.871-22.746). Therefore, this study suggests that clinical doctors should pay attention to these high-risk factors.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28118_d588e7247fc6b635ec1001b772bd96c9.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Chemopreventive Effect of Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Blume Tuber Against Aberrant Crypt Foci and Cell Proliferation in 1, 2-Dimethylhydrazine Induced Colon Carcinogenesis 5331 5339 28119 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death, both in men and women. This study investigatedthe effects of Amorphophallus campanulatus tuber methanolic extract (ACME) on aberrant crypt foci (ACF)formation, colonic cell proliferation, lipid peroxidative damage and the antioxidant status in a long term preclinicalmodel of 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. Male Wistar rats were dividedinto six groups, viz., group I rats served as controls; group II rats treated as drug controls receiving 250 mg/kg body weight of ACME orally; group III rats received DMH (20 mg/kg body weight) subcutaneously once aweek for the first 15 weeks; groups IV, V and VI rats received ACME along with DMH during the initiation,post- initiation stages and the entire period of the study, respectively. All the rats were sacrificed at the end of 30weeks and the intestinal and colonic tissues from different groups were subjected to biochemical and histologicalstudies. Administration of DMH resulted in significant (p≤0.05) intestinal and colonic lipid peroxidation (MDA)and reduction of antioxidants such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-Stransferaseand reduced glutathione. Whereas the supplementation of ACME significantly (p≤0.05) improvedthe intestinal and colonic MDA and reduced glutathione levels and the activities of antioxidant enzymes inDMH intoxicated rats. ACME administration also significantly suppressed the formation and multiplicity ofACF. In addition, the DMH administered rats showed amplified expression of PCNA in the colon and decreasedexpression of this proliferative marker was clearly noted with initiation, post-initiation and entire period ofACME treatment regimens. These results indicate that ACME could exert a significant chemopreventive effecton colon carcinogenesis induced by DMH.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28119_003b3bc6c72d52355ddcced6b5ae4f49.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Associations Between Age, Cytogenetics, FLT3-ITD, and Marrow Leukemia Cells Identified by Flow Cytometry 5341 5344 28120 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objectives: To explore the relationships between age, cytogenetic subgroups, molecular markers, and cellswith leukemic aberrant immunophenotype in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: In thisstudy, we evaluated the correlations between age, cytogenetic subgroups (normal, balanced and unbalancekaryotype), molecular mutations (NPM1, FLT3-ITD, and CEBPA mutations) and marrow leukemia cells (LC)identified by flow cytometry in 256 patients with de novo AML. Results: From age group 10-19 years to agegroup ≥ 60 years, the percentage of LC decreased from 67.0 ± 18.4% to 49.0 ± 25.1% (F = 2.353, P = 0.041).LC percentage was higher in patients with balanced karyotypes (65.7 ± 22.4%), than those with unbalancedkaryotypes (46.0 ± 26.6%) (u = 3.444, P = 0.001) or a normal karyotype (49.9 ± 22.1%) (u = 5.093, P < 0.001).Patients with FLT3-ITD (64.3 ± 19.5%) had higher LC percentages compared with those without (54.2 ± 24.3%)(u = 2.794, P = 0.007). Conclusions: Associations between age, cytogenetics, molecular markers, and marrowleukemia cells may offer beneficial information to understand the biology and pathogenesis of AML.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28120_8a46c5c89cb262ce631ab815da3c189c.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Development of an Educational Program to Prevent Cervical Cancer among Immigrants in Korea 5345 5349 28121 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: This study developed and measured the effects of a cervical cancer prevention program formarried women immigrants. Materials and Methods: A nonequivalent control group pre-test/post-test design wasused with a group of married women immigrants registered at the multi-cultural center in the city of “J.” Dataon for 30 participants in the intervention group and 27 participants in the control group (N=57) were used foranalysis. The intervention group attended a 4-session cervical cancer prevention program. Results: The knowledgeof the intervention and control groups about cervical cancer post-intervention was significantly different (F=12.55,p<0.001). The perceived susceptibility score before and after the experiment, for the intervention group, and29.4 and 28 for the control group, was significantly different (t=2.063, p=0.043). After the program, cancerprevention behavior was significantly different in the intervention group (t=2.646, p=0.010). Conclusions: Theresults obtained in this study indicate that the cervical cancer preventive program was effective in increasingcervical cancer knowledge, perceived susceptibility, and cancer prevention behavior.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28121_5ac68c5cbdec2b8bd0500ce8cf836a67.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Predictors of Long-term Abstinence Among Chinese Smokers Following Treatment: The Role of Personality Traits 5351 5354 28122 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Four hundred and thirty-five Chinese smokers who had attended the first smoking cessation clinic and receivedstage-matched individualized cessation counseling in Hong Kong during the period of August 2000 to January2002 were successfully followed-up between February and August 2008. Some 38% of the participants (165/495)had stopped smoking during the 12-month follow-up after treatment. Participants with higher conscientiousnessscore (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.09 – 2.48) and lower openness to experience score (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45 – 0.92)showed a greater likelihood of quitting smoking after controlling the effect of daily cigarettes smoked and stageof readiness at baseline. The study suggests an important role of conscientiousness and openness to experienceon long-term quitting behaviors following treatment, and provides useful information for the development ofmatched intervention for smoking cessation among Chinese smokers.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28122_3d400c24a261d804fe7741050b562101.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prognostic Impact of Histology in Patients with Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma and Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma 5355 5360 28123 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Clarifying the prognostic impact of histological type is an essential issue that may influence thetreatment and follow-up planning of newly diagnosed cervical cancer cases. This study aimed to evaluate theprognostic impact of histological type on survival and mortality in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma(SCC), adenocarcinoma (ADC) and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC). Materials and Methods:All patients with cervical cancer diagnosed and treated at Chiang Mai University Hospital between January1995 and October 2011 were eligible. We included all patients with SNEC and a random weighted sample ofpatients with SCC and ADC. We used competing-risks regression analysis to evaluate the association betweenhistological type and cancer-specific survival and mortality. Results: Of all 2,108 patients, 1,632 (77.4%) hadSCC, 346 (16.4%) had ADC and 130 (6.2%) had SNEC. Overall, five-year cancer-specific survival was 60.0%,54.7%, and 48.4% in patients with SCC, ADC and SNEC, respectively. After adjusting for other clinical andpathological factors, patients with SNEC and ADC had higher risk of cancer-related death compared with SCCpatients (hazard ratio [HR] 2.6; 95% CI, 1.9-3.5 and HR 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5, respectively). Patients with SNECwere younger and had higher risk of cancer-related death in both early and advanced stages compared with SCCpatients (HR 4.9; 95% CI, 2.7-9.1 and HR 2.5; 95% CI, 1.7-3.5, respectively). Those with advanced-stage ADChad a greater risk of cancer-related death (HR 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7) compared with those with advanced-stageSCC, while no significant difference was observed in patients with early stage lesions. Conclusion: Histologicaltype is an important prognostic factor among patients with cervical cancer in Thailand. Though patients withSNEC were younger and more often had a diagnosis of early stage compared with ADC and SCC, SNEC wasassociated with poorest survival. ADC was associated with poorer survival compared with SCC in advancedstages, while no difference was observed at early stages. Further tailored treatment-strategies and follow-upplanning among patients with different histological types should be considered.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28123_851b6324b3d05d13473cd3983b08d7a3.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Association Between the c.3751G>A Genetic Variant of MDR1 and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in a Chinese Han Population 5361 5365 28124 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of a genetic variant in the multidrug resistance 1 gene(MDR1) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk. This case-control study was conducted in a Chinese populationof 645 HCC cases and 658 cancer-free controls. The genotype of the c.3751G>A genetic variant in the MDR1 genewas investigated by created restriction site-polymerase chain reaction (CRS-PCR) and DNA sequencing methods.Our data demonstrated significantly differences detected in the allelic and genotypic frequencies between HCCcases and those of cancer-free controls. Association analyses indicated that there were statistically increasedrisk of HCC in the homozygote comparison (AA versus (vs.) GG: OR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.51-3.27, χ2 = 16.90, P< 0.001), dominant model (AA/GA vs. GG: OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.00-1.55, χ2 = 3.98, P = 0.046), recessive model(AA vs. GA/GG: OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.47-3.09, χ2 = 16.68, P < 0.001) and allele comparison (A vs. G: OR = 1.33,95% CI 1.13-1.57, χ2 = 11.66, P = 0.001). The allele-A and genotype-AA may contribute to HCC susceptibility.These preliminary findings suggest that the c.3751G>A genetic variant in the MDR1 gene is potentially relatedto HCC susceptibility in a Chinese Han population, and might be used as a molecular marker for evaluatingHCC susceptibility.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28124_489e47f85ec11d079eee2cc90bc3966f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Estimation of Esophageal Cancer Incidence in Tehran by Loglinear Method using Population-based Cancer Registry Data 5367 5370 28125 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Having knowledge or estimation of cancer incidence is necessary for planning and implementationof any cancer prevention and control programs. Population-based registries provide valuable information toachieve these objectives but require extra techniques to estimate the incidence rate. The present study aimed toestimate the esophageal cancer incidence using a log-linear method based on Tehran population-based cancerregistry data. Materials and Methods: New cases of esophageal cancer reported by three sources of pathologyreports, medical records, and death certificates to Tehran Metropolitan Area Cancer Registry Center during2002-2006 were entered into the study and the incidence rate was estimated based on log-linear models. We usedAkaike statistics to select the best-fit model. Results: During 2002-2006, 1,458 new cases of esophageal cancerwere reported by the mentioned sources to the population-based cancer registry. Based on the reported cases,cancer incidence was 4.5 per 100,000 population and this was estimated to be 10.5 per 100,000 by the log-linearmethod. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that an estimated incidence for 2004 of8.3 per 100,000 population could be a good benchmark for the incidence of esophageal cancer in the populationof Tehran metropolis.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28125_d5e25fb080394e58487ae62f2bd85267.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Efficacy of Multiple Low-dose Photodynamic TMPYP4 Therapy on Cervical Cancer Tumour Growth in Nude Mice 5371 5374 28126 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging therapeutic procedure suitable for the treatmentof cervical cancer. However, the side effects of PDT are severe, including skin ulceration, so we designed anexperiment to examine the effects of multiple low- dose photodynamic therapy of 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl) porphyrin (Tmpyp4) on tumour growth by utilizing a model in nude mice implantedwith Hela cervical cancer cells. Materials and Methods: Female BALB/c nude mice (aged 5–6 weeks, weighing18–20 g) were used. Hela cervical cancer cells were injected subcutaneously (1×107 cells/200 μL). Ten days afterinjection, the mice were divided into three groups (n=6), the A group of controls without any treatment, the Bgroup receiving a single-treatment with Tmpyp4 (10 mg/kg, intratumor injection) and irradiation (blue laser, 108J/cm2), and the C group given three-treatments with Tmpyp4 (10 mg/ kg, intratumor injection) and irradiationat intervals of two days. After starting treatment, tumours were measured every two days, to assess growth.At 2 weeks after the last treatment of C group, tumour tissue and organs were collected from each mouse toevaluate tumor histology and organ damage. Results: Tumour growth in C group was significantly inhibitedcompared with A and B groups (P <0.05), without any injury to the skin and internal organs. Conclusion: Ournovel findings demonstrated that multiple low-dose photodynamic therapy of Tmpyp4 could inhibit cervicalcancer growth significantly with no apparent side effects.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28126_a7eeb7a14ff77735a1eddfbba1527212.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Surgical Outcomes of Patients with Stage IA2 Cervical Cancer Treated with Radical Hysterectomy 5375 5378 28127 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate the surgical outcomes of patients with stage IA2 cervicalcancer treated with radical hysterectomy. Data for 58 patients who underwent modified radical hysterectomyor radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy between January 2003 and December 2012 at ChiangMai University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The analysis included clinico-pathological risk factors(nodal metastasis, parametrial involvement), adjuvant treatment, 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overallsurvival. All pathologic slides were reviewed by a gynecologic pathologist. Follow-up methods included at leastcervical cytology and colposcopy with directed biopsy if indicated. Univariate analysis was performed to identifyfactors associated with median survival. At the median follow up time of 73 months, the 5-year disease-freesurvival and the 5-year overall survival were 97.4% and 97.4%, respectively. Two (3.4%) patients had pelviclymph node metastases. In a univariate analysis, there was no statistically significant association between survivaland prognostic factors such as age, histological cell type, lymph-vascular space invasion, vaginal margin statusand lymph node status. Surgical and survival outcomes of women with stage IA2 cervical cancer are excellent.No parametrial involvement was detected in our study. Patients with stage IA2 cervical cancer may be treatedwith simple or less radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28127_db4885bcbeae4ad26773d227792e358e.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Stimulation of Osteogenic Differentiation in Stromal Cells of Giant Cell Tumour of Bone by Zoledronic Acid 5379 5383 28128 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Therapeutic effects of zoledronic acid (ZOL) on giant cell tumour of bone (GCT) have been proven. Apoptosisinduction was considered to be one of the mechanisms of ZOL tumour inhibition. In this study, we presentedthe possibility of an osteogenic differentiation stimulation mechanism of ZOL and further investigated dosageand time effects. We treated stromal cells of GCT (GCTSC) with ZOL for 48 hours at different concentrations(0 μM, 0.01 μM, 0.1 μM, 1 μM, 5 μM, 30 μM) and assessed apoptotic and osteogenic differentiation markerswith immunohistochemical techniques and real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Our results suggested that ZOLenhanced mRNA expression of Cbfa-1, osterix and osteocalcin genes with a maximum effect at 1μM in GCTSC.Time course experiments indicated a time dependent osteogenic differentiation effect. In conclusion, ZOL maybe considered as an adjuvant in the treatment of GCT not only by inducing apoptosis but also by stimulatingosteogenic differentiation of remaining tumor stromal cells after surgery.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28128_5b65b0ab96e16e1ba4348d8648986b90.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Concurrent Chemoradiation with Weekly Gemcitabine and Cisplatin for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer 5385 5389 28129 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: For more than 80 years, the standard treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer wasradiotherapy. However, based on several phase III randomized clinical trials in the past decade, concurrentcisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy is the current standard for this disease. Gemcitabine has potentradiosensitizing properties in preclinical and clinical trials, so it can be utilized simultanously with radiation.Materials and Methods: Thirty women with untreated invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix of stageIIB to stage IVA were enrolled in the study in the Radiation Oncology Department of Imam Khomeini Hospitalin Tehran from September 2009 to September 2010. Sixty mg/m2 gemcitabine followed by 35mg/m2 cisplatinwere concurrently administered with radiotherapy to the whole pelvic region on day one of each treatment weekfor five weeks. One and three months after treatment, patients underwent a complete physical examination andMRI to determine the response to treatment. Results: The mean age of patients was 58.1±11.8 (29-78) years.After 3 months of treatment, 73.3%had complete and 26.7% demonstrated partial response to treatment. Grade3 anemia was seen in 10%, grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 3.3% and grade 3 leukopenia in 10% of the patients. Conclusions: According to the positive results of this study in stage IIB, further phase II and III clinical trialsare suggested to evaluate the role of chemoradiation using Gemcitabine for advanced cervical cancers.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28129_cf02334b9e53fc99e9f0ea3dbe303bf4.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Lentivirus Mediated GOLPH3 shRNA Inhibits Growth and Metastasis of Esophageal Squamous Cancer 5391 5396 28130 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Aim: To investigate the role of Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) in tumour growth and metastasis ofesophageal squamous cancer. Methods: A lentiviral shRNA-vector was utilized to stably knockdown GOLPH3in Eca-109 esophageal squamous cancer cells. mRNA transcription and protein expression of GOLPH3 wereexamined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation activity was assessedby MTT assay and invasion and migration potentials by matrigel invasion and transwell motility assays. Results:Stable knockdown in the GOLPH3 cell line was established. PD-A gene expression was significantly suppressedby lentivirus-mediated RNAi, which resulted in reducing the capacity for cell proliferation, migration, invasionand adhesion in vitro. In vivo, GOLPH3 depletion resulted in inhibition of tumour growth, with stable decreasein the expression of GOLPH3 in tumor xenografts. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lentivirus mediatedsilencing of the GOLPH3 gene has a significant anti-tumour effect on esophageal squamous cancer in vitro andin vivo. In addition, the results indicate that GOLPH3 might be an effective molecular target for gene therapyin esophageal squamous cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28130_a56e262c1ca230126c574d3cff27c88d.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Anti-metastatic Potential of Ethanol Extract of Saussurea involucrata against Hepatic Cancer in vitro 5397 5402 28131 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The rates of morbidity and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not lessened because ofdifficulty in treating tumor metastasis. Mongolian Saussurea involucrata (SIE) possesses various anticanceractivities, including apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. However, detailed effects and molecular mechanisms of SIEon metastasis are unclear. Thus, the present study was undertaken to investigate antimetastatic effects on HCCcells as well as possible mechanisms. Effects of SIE on the growth, adhesion, migration, aggregation and invasionof the SK-Hep1 human HCC cell line were investigated. SIE inhibited cell growth of metastatic cells in dose- andtime-dependent manners. Incubation of SK-Hep1 cells with 200-400μg/mL of SIE significantly inhibited celladhesion to gelatin-coated substrate. In the migration (wound healing) and aggregation assays, SIE treated cellsshowed lower levels than untreated cells. Invasion assays revealed that SIE treatment inhibited cell invasioncapacity of HCC cells substantially. Quantitative real time PCR showed inhibitory effects of SIE on MMP-2/-9and MT1-MMP mRNA levels, and stimulatory effects on TIMP-1, an inhibitor of MMPs. The present study notonly demonstrated that invasion and motility of cancer cells were inhibited by SIE, but also indicated that sucheffects were likely associated with the decrease in MMP-2/-9 expression of SK-Hep1 cells. From these results, itwas suggested that SIE could be used as potential anti-tumor agent.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28131_c2f5504491553b93b73984d955bce515.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 CXCL12-CXCR4 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Pancreatic Cancer Cells 5403 5408 28132 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: CXCL12 exerts a wide variety of chemotactic effects on cells. Evidence indicates that CXCL12,in conjunction with its receptor, CXCR4, promotes invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Our objective was toexplore whether the CXCL12-CXCR4 biological axis might influence biological behavior of pancreatic cancercells. Methods: Miapaca-2 human pancreatic cancer cells were cultured under three different conditions:normal medium (control), medium + recombinant CXCL12 (CXCL12 group), or medium + CXCR4-inhibitorAMD3100 (AMD3100 group). RT-PCR was applied to detect mRNA expression levels of CXCL12, CXCR4, matrixmetalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and human urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). Additionally, cellproliferation and invasion were performed using CCK-8 colorimetry and transwell invasion assays, respectively. Results: CXCL12 was not expressed in Miapaca-2 cells, but CXCR4 was detected, indicating that these cells arecapable of receiving signals from CXCL12. Expression of extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes MMP-2, MMP-9, and uPA was upregulated in cells exposed to exogenous CXCL12 (P<0.05). Additionally, both proliferationand invasion of pancreatic cancer cells were enhanced in the presence of exogenous CXCL12, but AMD3100intervention effectively inhibited these processes (P<0.05). Conclusions: The CXCL12-CXCR4 biological axisplays an important role in promoting proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28132_782ce587b33d96c3692da563734b12f8.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Sonographic Pattern Recognition of Endometriomas Mimicking Ovarian Cancer 5409 5413 28133 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To assess the accuracy of ultrasound in differentiating endometrioma from ovarian cancer andto describe pattern recognition for atypical endometriomas mimicking ovarian cancers. Materials and Methods:Patients scheduled for elective surgery for adnexal masses were sonographically evaluated for endometriomawithin 24 hours of surgery. All examinations were performed by the same experienced sonographer, who hadno any information of the patients, to differentiate between endometriomas and non-endometriomas using asimple rule (classic ground-glass appearance) and subjective impression (pattern recognition). The final diagnosisas a gold standard relied on either pathological or post-operative findings. Results: Of 638 patients availablefor analysis, 146 were proven to be endometriomas. Of them, the simple rule and subjective impression couldsonographically detect endometriomas with sensitivities of 64.4% (94/146) and 89.7% (131/146), respectively. Of52 endometriomas with false negative tests by the simple rule, 13 were predicted as benign masses and 39 weremistaken for malignancy. Solid masses and papillary projections were the most common forms mimicking ovariancancer, consisting of 38.5% of the missed diagnoses. However, with pattern recognition (subjective impression),32 from 39 cases mimicking ovarian cancer were correctly predicted for endometriomas. All endometriomassubjectively predicted for ovarian malignancy were associated with high vascularization in the solid masses. Conclusions: Pattern recognition of endometriomas by subjective assessment had a higher sensitivity than thesimple rule in characterization of endometriomas. Most endometriomas mimicking ovarian malignancy couldbe correctly predicted by subjective impression based on familiarity of pattern recognition.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28133_c31bb8f9b84de1f9b5808a6d55d5fc61.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 P53 Arg72Pro and MDM2 SNP309 Polymorphisms Cooperate to Increase Lung Adenocarcinoma Risk in Chinese Female Non-smokers: A Case Control Study 5415 5420 28134 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Cell cycle deregulation is a major component of carcinogenesis. The p53 tumor suppressorgene plays an important role in regulating cell cycle arrest, and mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) is a keyregulator of p53 activity and degradation. Abnormal expression of p53 and MDM2 occurs in various cancersincluding lung cancer. Methods: We investigated the distribution of the p53 Arg72Pro (rs1042522) and MDM2SNP309 (rs2279744) genotypes in patients and healthy control subjects to assess whether these single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with an increased risk of lung adenocarcinomas in Chinese female nonsmokers.Genotypes of 764 patients and 983 healthy controls were determined using the TaqMan SNP genotypingassay. Results: The p53 Pro/Pro genotype (adjusted OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.17–2.06) significantly correlated withan increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma, compared with the Arg/Arg genotype. An increased risk was also notedfor MDM2 GG genotype (adjusted OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.27–2.21) compared with the TT genotype. Combinedp53 Pro/Pro and MDM2 GG genotypes (adjusted OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.54–4.60) had a supermultiplicativeinteraction with respect to lung adenocarcinoma risk. We also found that cooking oil fumes, fuel smoke, andpassive smoking may increase the risk of lung adenocarcinomas in Chinese female non-smokers who carry p53or MDM2 mutant alleles. Conclusions: P53 Arg72Pro and MDM2 SNP309 polymorphisms, either alone or incombination, are associated with an increased lung adenocarcinoma risk in Chinese female non-smokers.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28134_1d40d1c6e3e1c9db15e48888b66c76be.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Antioxidant Effects of Gamma-oryzanol on Human Prostate Cancer Cells 5421 5425 28135 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: To assess the antioxidant effects of gamma-oryzanol on human prostate cancer cells. Materialsand Methods: Cytotoxic activity of gamma-oryzanol on human DU145 and PC3 prostate cancer cells wasdetermined by proliferation assay using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol, 2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT)reagent. mRNA levels of genes involved in the intracellular antioxidant system, superoxide dismutase (SOD),catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GSR) were determined by reversetranscription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cancer cell lysates were used to measure lipid peroxidationusing thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS). Glutathione contents of the cell lysates were estimatedby the reaction between sulfhydryl group of 5, 5’-dithio (bis) nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) to produce a yellowcolorof 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid using colorimetric assay. Catalase activity was also analysed by examiningperoxidative function. Protein concentration was estimated by Bradford’s assay. Results: All concentrationsof gamma-oryzanol, 0.1-2.0mg/ml, significantly inhibited cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent fashionin both prostate cancer cell lines, DU145 and PC3. Gene expression of catalase in DU145 and PC3 exposed togamma-orizanol at 0.5mg/ml for 14 days was down regulated, while mRNA of GPX was also down regulated inPC3. The MDA and glutathione levels including catalase activity in the cell lysates of DU145 and PC3 treatedwith gamma-oryzanol 0.1 and 0.5mg/ml were generally decreased. Conclusions: This study highlighted effectsof gamma-oryzanol via the down-regulation of antioxidant genes, catalase and GPX, not cytotoxic roles. Thismight be interesting for adjuvant chemotherapy to make prostate cancer cells more sensitive to free radicals. Itmight be useful for the reduction of cytotoxic agents and cancer chemoprevention.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28135_28c4b7065e5e290b95ffba61c97e6106.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Alteration of Runt-related Transcription Factor 3 Gene Expression and Biologic Behavior of Esophageal Carcinoma TE-1 Cells after 5-Azacytidine Intervention 5427 5433 28136 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 5-Azacytidine (5-azaC) was originally identified as an anticancer drug (NSC102876) which can causehypomethylation of tumor suppressor genes. To assess its effects on runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3),expression levels and the promoter methylation status of the RUNX3 gene were assessed. We also investigatedalteration of biologic behavior of esophageal carcinoma TE-1 cells. MTT assays showed 5-azaC inhibited theproliferation of TE-1 cells in a time and dose-dependent way. Although other genes could be demethylated after5-azaC intervention, we focused on RUNX3 gene in this study. The expression level of RUNX3 mRNA increasedsignificantly in TE-1 cells after treatment with 5-azaC at hypotoxic levels. RT-PCR showed 5-azaC at 50 μMhad the highest RUNX3-induction activity. Methylation-speciﬁc PCR indicated that 5-azaC induced RUNX3expression through demethylation. Migration and invasion of TE-1 cells were inhibited by 5-azaC, along withgrowth of Eca109 xenografts in nude mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the RUNX3 gene can be reactivatedby the demethylation reagent 5-azaC, which inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophagealcarcinoma TE-1 cells.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28136_b832f7b065d24b5ae205cc353e91eca2.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Retrospective Appraisal of Cancer Patients from Vientiane Capital City, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Seeking Treatment in Thailand 5435 5440 28137 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Recent estimates suggest that in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) the burden ofcancer in terms of DALYs lost is amongst the highest in South East Asia. As such, increasingly cancer is becomingan important public health concern in the country. Lao PDR however has no population-based cancer registryand only one hospital-based registry. Cancer treatment within the country is extremely limited. Patients who can,may travel to neighboring countries for treatment, but little information about this is available in the country.The aim of this study was to estimate some of the otherwise largely unknown parameters of the cancer burdenin Lao PDR. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study based on the records of 847 Laocancer cases treated with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University,in Thailand between 1988 and 2010. Results: The annual rate of registration of Lao cancer cases fluctuated, butshowed an increasing trend. Most cancers were diagnosed by histology (65.2%), and a combination of endoscopyand radiology (15.6%). In most cases (70.2%) the stage of cancer at diagnosis could not be determined. In thosewhose stage could be identified, 54.0% were at the final stage (Stage IV). Among males, the commonest cancersites were the liver (16.1%), blood (12.3%) and nasopharynx (10.6%). Those in female patients were the cervix(22.2%), breast (14.6%) and blood (8.1%). Conclusions: This study indicates that despite some fluctuations, thenumber of Lao cancer patients presenting at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, gradually increased between1988 and 2010. The unfavorable pattern of late-stage cancer diagnosis among male and female patients suggestsa need for cancer control interventions and the establishment of cancer registration and treatment facilitieswithin Lao PDR.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28137_32dd3fbdcd5a6fcc0f9d452c61382b49.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Acidic Pelvic Drainage as a Predictive Factor For Anastomotic Leakage after Surgery for Patients with Rectal Cancer 5441 5447 28138 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Purpose: To demonstrate the value of sequential determinations of pelvic drainage in the identification ofincreased risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) after anterior resection for rectal cancer with a double staplingtechnique. Patients and Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2011, data for the daily postoperativepH of pelvic drainage fluid in 753 consecutive patients with rectal cancer who initially underwent anteriorresection with a double stapling technique were reviewed. All patients experienced a total mesorectal excision.Patients with anastomotic leakage (Group AL, n=57) were compared to patients without leakage (Group nAL,n=696). Patients with perioperatively abdominopelvic implants that were likely to affect pH value (determinedat 25 ℃) other than leakage were excluded. Mean postoperative values were compared. Results: Anastomoticleakage was noted in 57 (7.6%) of 753 patients with rectal cancer. The diagnosis of anastomotic leakage wasmade between the 6th and 12th postoperative day (POD; mean 8th POD). There was no significance of the dailyaverage values of pH on POD1 & 2 in group AL while a significantly sharp declining mean pH value reachedits diagnostic point of AL (p<0.001) on POD3. A cut-off value of 6.978 on the 3rd POD maximized the sensitivity(98.7.0%) and specificity (94.7%) in assessing the risk of leakage. Conclusion: According to these results, anearly and persistent declining of pH value of pelvic drainage fluid after rectal surgery with anastomosis, is amarker of AL. A cut-off value of 6.798 on POD3 maximizes sensitivity and specificity.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28138_7f8fdaa17093b71aaa86d8f1d386f1b4.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Combined Germline Variations of Thrombophilic Genes Promote Genesis of Lung Cancer 5449 5454 28139 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: A large variety of familiar and non-familiar lung carcinomas (LC) are caused by long termexposure to chemical carcinogens that are present in tobacco smoke. We aimed to investigate the prevalenceof 5 thrombophilic germ-line mutations in patients with lung carcinomas. Materials and Methods:A total of 52LC patients and 212 healthy controls from same population were analyzed for FV Leiden, factor V H1299R(R2), PAI-1, MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, ACE I/D, and Apo E genes and compared. Results: Overall,heterozygous and/or homozygous point mutations in FV Leiden Apo E2, PAI-1 and MTHFR C677T genes wereassociated with LC in the current cohort. There was no meaningful association between LC and ACE I/D genemarkers. Conclusions: The current results showed that LC is related to combined thrombophilic gene mutationsand individuals with homozygosity of 4G in PAI-1 and MTHFR C677T genes and heterozygosity of FV Leiden,Apo E4 genes have a germ-line risk for LC tumorigenesis.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28139_315b242ec520686c16f0614074f58dcf.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Should Cut-Off Values of the Risk of Malignancy Index be Changed for Evaluation of Adnexal Masses in Asian and Pacific Populations? 5455 5459 28140 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: The risk of malignancy index (RMI) for the evaluation of adnexal masses is a sensitive tool incertain populations. The best cut off value for RMI 1, 2 and 3 is 200. The cut off value of RMI-4 to differentiatebenign from malignant lesions is 450. Our aim was to evaluate the efficiency of four different malignancy indexes(RMI1-4) in a homogeneous population. Materials and Methods: We evaluated a total of 153 non-pregnantwomen with adnexal masses who did not have a history of malignancy and who were above 18 years of age. Results: A cut-off value of 250 for RMI-1 provided 95.9% inter-observer agreement, yielding 95.9% specificity,93.5% negative predictive value, 75.0% sensitivity and 82.8% positive predictive value. A cut-off value of 250for RMI-1 showed high performance in preoperative diagnosis of invasive malignant lesions than cut-off valueof 200 in our population. A cut-off value of 350 for RMI-2 provided 94.5% inter-observed agreement, yielding94.2% specificity, 93.4% negative predictive value, 75.0% sensitivity and 77.4% positive predictive value. RMI-2showed the higher performance when the cut-off value was set at 350 in our population. A cut-off value of 250provided 95.2% inter-observer agreement, yielding 95.0% specificity, 93.2% negative predictive value, 75.0%sensitivity, and 88.0% positive predictive value. RMI-3 showed the highest performance to diagnose malignantadnexal masses when the cut-off value was set at 250. In our study, RMI-4 showed similar statistical performancewhen the cut-off value was set at 400 [(Kappa: 0.684/p=0.000), yielding 93.8% inter-observer agreement, 93.4%specificity, 93.4% negative predictive value, 75.0% sensitivity, and 75.0% negative predictive value]. Conclusions:We showed successful utilization of RMIs in preoperative differentiation of benign from malignant masses.Many studies conducted in Asian and Pacific countries have reported different cut-off values as was the case inour study. We think that it is difficult to determine universally accepted cut-off values for RMIs for commonuse around the globe.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28140_5789eb552310d2557ccec94fc6e333ae.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Menadione (Vitamin K3) Induces Apoptosis of Human Oral Cancer Cells and Reduces their Metastatic Potential by Modulating the Expression of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Markers and Inhibiting Migration 5461 5465 28141 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Oral cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide, decreasing the patient’s survival ratedue to tumor recurrence and metastasis. Menadione (Vitamin K3) is known to exhibit cytotoxicity in variouscancer cells but the present study focused on its effects on viability, apoptosis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition(EMT), anchorage independent growth and migration of oral cancer cells. The results show that menadioneis more cytotoxic to SAS (oral squamous carcinoma) cells but not to non-tumorigenic HEK293 and HaCaTcells. Menadione treatment increased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and p53, with a concurrentdecrease in anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and p65. Menadione induced the expression of E-cadherin but reducedthe expression of EMT markers, vimentin and fibronectin. Menadione also inhibited anchorage independentgrowth and migration in SAS cells. These findings reveal and confirm that menadione is a potential candidate inoral cancer therapy as it exhibits cytotoxic, antineoplastic and antimigratory effects besides effectively blockingEMT in oral cancer cells.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28141_221f7f42403ecec24159c14286e68129.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Impact of Co-transfection with Livin and Survivin shRNA Expression Vectors on Biological Behavior of HepG2 Cells 5467 5472 28142 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: To construct short hairpin RNA (shRNA) eukaryotic expression vectors targeting Livin andSurvivin genes, and to explore the impact of co-transfection of Livin and Survivin shRNA expression vectors onthe biological behavior of HepG2 cells. Methods: shRNA eukaryotic expression vectors pSD11-Livin and pSD11-Survivin were designed and constructed then transfected into HepG2 cells separately or in combination. mRNAand protein expression in transfected cells was assessed by quantitative fluorescence PCR and Western blotting,respectively. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and cell apoptosis by TUNEL assay. Results: TheLivin and Survivin shRNA eukaryotic expression vectors were successfully constructed and transfected intoHepG2 cells. The relative mRNA expression levels of Livin and Survivin in HepG2 cells co-transfected withpSD11-Livin and pSD11-Survivin were 0.12 ± 0.02 and 0.33 ±0.13, respectively, which was significantly lower thanlevels in cells transfected with either pSD11-Livin or pSD11-Survivin (P<0.05). The relative protein expressionlevels of Livin and Survivin in the co-transfected cells were also significantly decreased compared to singletransfection(P<0.05). The inhibition rate of cell growth in the co-transfection group was higher than that in thesingle-transfection groups at 48 h, 60 h, or 72 h after transfection (P<0.01). The apoptotic rate increased to thegreatest extent in the co-transfection group relative to any other group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Co-transfectionwith pSD11-Livin and pSD11-Survivin was more efficient than transfection with either vector alone in reducingthe mRNA and protein expression of Livin and Survivin genes in HepG2 cells. Co-transfection also inhibited theproliferation of transfected cells more than the other groups, and induced cellular apoptosis more effectively.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28142_e84fc35ba7b91f2a741abc9a85418645.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prognostic Significance of Basic Laboratory Methods in Non-Small-Cell-Lung Cancer 5473 5476 28143 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: In our study, the LDH, albumin, hemoglobin, neutrophile, thrombocyte, lymphocyte countsand prognostic significance of neutrophile-lymphocyte and thrombocyte-lymphocyte ratios in NSCLC derivedfrom these counts obtained during regular examinations of patients were examined. Materials and Methods:Histopathologically diagnosed non-small-cell-lung cancer patients between 2008 and 2010 were included inthe study. Before the treatment, full blood count including routine lymphocyte count, blood biochemistryexaminations including liver (AST, ALT, total protein, Albumin), LDH and kidney (BUN, Cre) function testswere performed. Results: A total of 156 patients, 76 of whom (48.7%) were female and 80 of whom (51.3%) weremale were included. Mean hemoglobin level was determined as 12. Overall survival was found to be significantlydependent on whether patients were anemic or not (p: 0.005). Mean LDH level was determined as 233.4. Therewas nosurvival difference between patients with and without high LDH (p: 0.532). In patients where NLR showedsystemic inflammatory response, overall survival was 10.8 months whereas this duration was 19.6 months inpatients where the systemic inflammatory response was negative (p: 0.012). In patients where TLR showedsystemic inflammatory response, overall survival was 13.6 months whereas this duration was 21.9 months inpatients where the systemic inflammatory response was negative (p: 0.04). Conclusions: Molecular methodshave been changing rapidly in today’s world and they manage the treatment besides defining the prognosis ofpatients. However, easily accessible and cheap laboratory parameters should be considered in the prognosis ofpatients besides these new methods.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28143_f163783ea6bc62e887574e90f2a7924f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Exploring Communication Difficulties in Pediatric Hematology: Oncology Nurses 5477 5482 28144 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Communication plays an important role for the well being of patients, families and also healthcare professionals in cancer care. Conversely, ineffective communication may cause depression, increased anxiety,hopelessness and decreased of quality life for patients, families and also nurses. Objective: This study aimed toexplore communication difficulties of pediatric hematology/oncology nurses with patients and their families,as well as their suggestions about communication difficulties. Materials and Methods: It was conducted in apediatric hematology/oncology hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Qualitative data were collected by focus groups, with21 pediatric hematology/oncology nursing staff from three groups. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Findings were grouped in three main categories. The first category concerned communication difficulties,assessing problems in responding to questions, ineffective communication and conflicts with the patient’s families.The second was about the effects of communication difficulties on nurses and the last main category involvedsuggestions for empowering nurses with communication difficulties, the theme being related to institutionalissues. Conclusions: Nurses experience communication difficulties with children and their families during longhospital stays. Communication difficulties particularly increase during crisis periods, like at the time of firstdiagnosis, relapse, the terminal stage or on days with special meaning such as holidays. The results obtainedindicate that pediatric nurses and the child/family need to be supported, especially during crisis periods. Feelingof empowerment in communication will improve the quality of care by reducing the feelings of exhaustion andincompetence in nurses.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28144_bd31c63957b1fc6dd3b17cee84024a55.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Associations Between XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His Polymorphisms and Risk of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis 5483 5487 28145 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Associations between Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp and Arg280His polymorphisms of the XRCC1 geneand risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) have been widely studied but the findings are contradictory. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis in the present study using STATA 11.0 software to clarify any associations.Electronic literature databases and reference lists of relevant articles revealed a total of 10, 6 and 6 publishedstudies for the Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp and Arg280His polymorphisms, respectively. Results: No significantassociations were observed between Arg399Gln and DTC risk in all genetic models within the overall andsubgroup meta-analyses, while the Trp/Trp vs Arg/Arg and recessive model of the Arg194Trp polymorphismwas associated with DTC susceptibility, and the dominant model of Arg280His polymorphism contributed toDTC susceptibility in Caucasians. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggests that XRCC1 Arg194Trp may be arisk factor for DTC development.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28145_6b9153ae8ee7de8403bba692ffc1c306.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Prevelance of Common YMDD Motif Mutations in Long Term Treated Chronic HBV Infections in a Turkish Population 5489 5494 28146 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 In the current study we aimed to show the common YMDD motif mutations in viral polymerase gene inchronic hepatitis B patients during lamivudine and adefovir therapy. Forty-one serum samples obtained fromchronic hepatitis B patients (24 male, 17 female; age range: 34-68 years) were included in the study. HBV-DNAwas extracted from the peripheral blood of the patients using an extraction kit (Invisorb, Instant Spin DNA/RNA Virus Mini Kit, Germany). A line probe assay and direct sequencing analyses (INNO-LIPA HBV DR v2;INNOGENETICS N.V, Ghent, Belgium) were applied to determine target mutations of the viral polymerasegene in positive HBV-DNA samples. A total of 41 mutations located in 21 different codons were detected in thecurrent results. In 17 (41.5%) patients various point mutations were detected leading to lamivudin, adefovir and/or combined drug resistance. Wild polymerase gene profiles were detected in 24 (58.5%) HBV positive patients ofthe current cohort. Eight of the 17 samples (19.5%) having rtM204V/I/A missense transition and/or transversionpoint mutations and resistance to lamivudin. Six of the the mutated samples (14.6%) having rtL180M missensetransversion mutation and resistance to combined adefovir and lamivudin. Three of the mutated samples (7.5%)having rtG215H by the double base substituation and resistance to adefovir. Three of the mutated samples (7.5%)having codon rtL181W due to the missense transversion point mutations and showed resistance to combinedadefovir and lamivudin. Unreported novel point mutations were detected in the different codons of polymerasegene region in the current HBV positive cohort fromTurkish population. The current results provide evidencethat rtL180M and rtM204V/I/A mutations of HBV-DNA may be associated with a poor antiviral response andHBV chronicity during conventional therapy in Turkish patients.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28146_64e80ea46218481ff6b1864f58c00dd5.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Alu Hypomethylation in Smoke-Exposed Epithelia and Oral Squamous Carcinoma 5495 5501 28147 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Alu elements are one of the most common repetitive sequences that now constitute more than10% of the human genome and potential targets for epigenetic alterations. Correspondingly, methylation of theseelements can result in a genome-wide event that may have an impact in cancer. However, studies investigatingthe genome-wide status of Alu methylation in cancer remain limited. Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC) presents with high incidence in South-East Asia and thus the aim of this study was to evaluate the Alumethylation status in OSCCs and explore with the possibility of using this information for diagnostic screening.We evaluated Alu methylation status in a) normal oral mucosa compared to OSCC; b) peripheral bloodmononuclear cells (PBMCs) of normal controls comparing to oral cancer patients; c) among oral epithelium ofnormal controls, smokers and oral cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Alu methylation was detected bycombined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) at 2 CpG sites. The amplified products were classified into threepatterns; hypermethylation (mCmC), partial methylation (uCmC+mCuC), and hypomethylation (uCuC). Results:The results demonstrate that the %mCmC value is suitable for differentiating normal and cancer in oral tissues(p=0.0002), but is not significantly observe in PBMCs. In addition, a stepwise decrease in this value was observedin the oral epithelium from normal, light smoker, heavy smoker, low stage and high stage OSCC (p=0.0003).Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses demonstrated the potential of combined%mC or %mCmC values as markers for oral cancer detection with sensitivity and specificity of 86.7% and 56.7%,respectively. Conclusions: Alu hypomethylation is likely to be associated with multistep oral carcinogenesis, andmight be developed as a screening tool for oral cancer detection.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28147_562bd10107260db1391e70898012006f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Relationship Between the Body Mass Index and Abnormal Pap Smears 5503 5506 28148 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 This cross-sectional analytic study aimed to investigate any relationship between the body mass index (BMI)and an abnormal Pap smear. The subjects were 7,720 women aged 30-69 years who lived in Khon Kaen Province,Thailand, and had been recruited as participants in the Khon Kaen Cohort Study during 1990-2001. All hadreceived Pap smear screening for cervical cancer. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferentialstatistics. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between body mass index andan abnormal Pap smear. The mean BMI was 24.53kg/m2 (SD=3.98), and 2.14% had abnormal Pap smears.Compared with the reference group of women with a BMI ≤22.9kg/m2, those with a body mass index of 23.0-24.9kg/m2 had a reduced risk of an abnormal smear (ORadj=0.92, 95%CI: 0.57-1.47), but women with a BMI25.0-29.9kg/m2 were found to have an approximately 1.24 times higher risk (ORadj=1.24, 95%CI: 0.86-1.80),and those with a BMI ≥30.0kg/m2 had an approximately 1.63 times higher risk (ORadj=1.63, 95%CI: 0.98-2.69).The results indicated that the risk of Pap smear abnormalities is increased in women who have a higher thannormal body mass index, but this finding was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, public health personnelshould encourage women to maintain their BMI in the normal range to reduce the possible future risk of cervicalcancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28148_05880c684f12bc4f99d640bddab86fbf.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 DNA Repair Capacity in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Predicts Efficacy of Platinum-based Chemotherapy in Patients with Gastric Cancer 5507 5512 28149 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Objective: To investigate the correlation between ERCC1 expression levels in tumor tissue and peripheralblood lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with gastric cancer and assess the relationship between PBL DNA repairrate (DRR) and the efficacy of platinum chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 53 patients with gastric cancerreceiving surgery and 20 controls were studied. ERCC1 protein expression in tumour tissue and PBL weredetermined by immunohistochemical staining. The PBL DRRs of 47 advanced patients and 20 controls wereestimated by comet assay. Results: The positive expression rates of ERCC1 were 67. 9%, 56. 6% and 10.0% intumour tissues, PBLs of gastric cancer patients, and PBLs of the control group. PBL ERCC1 expression correlatedwith that in tissue (χ2=15. 463, p=0.000). Pearson contingency coefficient=0.475). DRRs of cancer patients bytail length (TL) (Z=4. 662, p=0.000) and tail moment (TM) (Z=3. 827, p=0.000) were significantly lower thanthat of control group. When TL was applied as an indicator, the correlation between DRR and chemotherapyefficacy was significant (Spearman rank correlation r=0.327, p=0.032). Patients with low levels of DRR in PBLpresented better short-term efficacy of chemotherapy than those with high levels of DRR. Conclusions: TheERCC1 expression in PBLs may indirectly reflect ERCC1 expression in gastric cancer tissues. Compared withnon-cancer populations, patients with gastric cancer may have lower DNA repair capacity. DRR in PBL maypredict the short-term efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28149_8ec3d3fe9a27be0f465780f76578d8a4.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Anti-proliferation Effects of Interferon-gamma on Gastric Cancer Cells 5513 5518 28150 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 IFN-γ plays an indirect anti-cancer role through the immune system but may have direct negative effects oncancer cells. It regulates the viability of gastric cancer cells, so we examined whether it affects their proliferationand how that might be brought about. We exposed AGS, HGC-27 and GES-1 gastric cancer cell lines to IFN-γand found significantly reduced colony formation ability. Flow cytometry revealed no effect of IFN-γ on apoptosisof cell lines and no effect on cell aging as assessed by β-gal staining. Microarray assay revealed that IFN-γchanged the mRNA expression of genes related to the cell cycle and cell proliferation and migration, as well aschemokines and chemokine receptors, and immunity-related genes. Finally, flow cytometry revealed that IFN-γarrested the cells in the G1/S phase. IFN-γ may slow proliferation of some gastric cancer cells by affecting thecell cycle to play a negative role in the development of gastric cancer.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28150_d8fdbaa731f88ca1637609da1722549f.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 Detection of Human Papillomavirus in Male and Female Urine by Electrochemical DNA Chip and PCR Sequencing 5519 5525 28151 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Thai women after breast cancer. Currently,the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is the recommended procedure for cervical cancer screening in Thailand, butonly a relatively small percentage of women follow this screening program. An alternative method to detectHPV genotypes associated with cervical cancer is self-sampling of urine, which is a more widely acceptedmethod. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HPV in Thai women using urine and cervical swabsand prevalence of HPV in Thai men using urine samples. Materials and Methods: Tumorigenic HPV detectionwas accomplished by electrochemical DNA chip and PCR/direct sequencing. In addition to HPV prevalence,we report the concordance between different methods and sample types. One-hundred and sixteen women and100 men were recruited. Histological examination revealed normal cytology in 52 women, atypical squamouscells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) in 9, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) in 24, andhigh-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) in 31. One-hundred men were classified as heterosexuals(n=45) and homosexuals (n=55). Results: The most prevalent HPV genotype in our study was HPV16. The HPVdetection rate was generally lower in urine samples compared with cervical samples. Overall, there was goodagreement for the detection of carcinogenic HPV from female cervical samples between the DNA chip and PCR/sequencing, with 88.8% total agreement and a kappa value of 0.76. In male urine samples, the level of agreementwas higher in heterosexuals compared with homosexuals. Conclusions: Further improvement is required toincrease an overall yield of HPV DNA detection in urine samples before clinical application of a urine-basedHPV screening program. The electrochemical DNA chip test is a promising technique for carcinogenic HPVdetection.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28151_2958e5095d3232ff1c07a5467fbeb26e.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 The Blood Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Survival in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Sorafenib 5527 5531 28152 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Background and Aim: Increasing evidence correlates the presence of systemic inflammation with poorsurvival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate theprognostic significance of the blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with advanced HCC whoreceived sorafenib monotherapy. Methods: A total of sixty-five patients with advanced HCC, not eligible forlocoregional therapy, treated with sorafenib were enrolled. Potential prognostic factors such as age, gender,tumoral characteristics, performance status and NLR were analyzed. Results: Median OS and TTP for the entirecohort were 10.0 months (95%CI, 7.6-12.3 months) and 4.5 months (95% CI, 4.0-4.9 months). The mean NLRat baseline was 2.89. The median OS of patients with a high NLR (>4) was 6.5 months (95%CI, 5.2-7.7 months)compared with 12.5 months (95%CI, 9.9-15.0) for patients with a normal NLR (≤4) (P=0.01). Age ≤65, NLR>4, extrahepatic metastases and vascular invasion were all predictors of poorer overall survival. Multivariateanalysis showed that NLR > 4, vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastases were independent predictors ofpoorer overall survival. The median TTP of patients with a high NLR was 2.5 months (95%CI, 1.4-3.6 months)compared with 4.5 months (95%CI, 3.9-5.1 months) for patients with a normal NLR (P=0.012). Conclusions: Highbaseline NLR was associated with worse OS and TTP for patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28152_8575619f573605348d3b8e877c325b9d.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 miR-10b Promotes Migration and Invasion in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells 5533 5537 28153 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 MicroRNA-10b (miR-10b) has been reported to play an important role in some types of cancer, but the effectsand possible mechanisms of action of miR-10b in the metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (NPC) havenot been explored. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function of miR-10b in nasopharyngealcarcinoma and to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying its action. The MTT assay was used toassess proliferation of CNE-2Z cells. Wound healing and transwell migration assays were applied to assesscell migration and invasion, while and expression of E-cadherin and MMP-9 were detected using Western blotanalysis. Real-time PCR was employed to detect the expression of genes related to migration and invasion andthe 2-ΔΔCt method was used to calculate the degree of expression. MTT assay showed the expression of miR-10bto have no effect on the proliferation of NPC cell lines. The wound healing assay showed that miR-10b mimicspromoted the mobility and invasion of NPC cell lines. Inhibitors of miR-10b reduced the ability of NPC cell linesto migrate and invade. In addition, the expression of genes related to migration and invasion, such as E-cadherin,vimentin, and MMP-9, were confirmed to be different in the CNE-2Z NPC cell line transfected with miR-10bmimics and with miR-10b inhibitors. In the present study, miR-10b was found to upregulate the expression ofMMP-9 and knockdown of miR-10b was found to significantly downregulate the expression of E-cadherin. Onthe whole, these results showed that miR-10b plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of NPCcells.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28153_69f92e7adec1c3efe0fbaefbee9a2294.pdf

West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 14 9 2013 09 01 View Point: How to Make Women Familiar with their Breasts? 5539 5542 28154 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 There is a consensus among researchers about the fact that women should be familiar with their breasts butthere is a lot of argument as to how to make them aware of what is normal for them. For over decades breast selfexamination (BSE) was advocated for the same but as an outcome of work conducted by researchers in variouscountires a controversy has been raised in the West. In a country like India, where breast cancer screening isnot popular and limited resources are available we should question what would be the best strategy to makewomen familiar with their breasts to facilitate best use of BSE.

https://journal.waocp.org/article_28154_287bddc7b634c36267d26499f108d8a7.pdf