Biobanking in the Developing World; Maximum Specimens, Minimum Infrastructure

Background: Exercise has positive effects on breast cancer evolution, including prevention, medical treatment, and aftercare clinical settings. Plus, elevated serum levels of CEA and CA15-3 as prognostic indicators were identified in patients with breast cancer. So, this study aimed to investigate the changes of CEA and CA15-3 biomarkers in the breast cancer patients following eight weeks of aerobic exercise.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 15 females with breast cancer with mean age (44.46±17.15 years), weight (70.53±5.18 kg) and body mass index (27.58±2.18 kg/m2) were randomly selected and performed aerobic training (for 8 weeks,3 sessions per week, with an intensity of 30%-60% heart rate reserve). Before and after the intervention, while all patients were fasting for 12 hours, the levels of CEA and CA15-3 were measured. The data obtained were analyzed, using paired sample t-test at a significance level of P<0.05.Results: Findings showed that the tumor marker (CA15-3) decreased following 8 weeks of aerobic exercise although it was not significant (P=0.091); CEA level did not change significantly after exercise, either (P=0.542), but a significant decrease was observed in body mass index, body fat percentage and weight values after exercise (p=0.001). Conclusion: Elevated CA15-3 and CEA which are considered as the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer was not observed in the study. Exercise could reduce CA15- 3 insignificantly. Also, aerobic exercise for eight weeks improved body composition indices, without increasing the level of fatigue or stress values, which may contribute to the prevention of the cancer prevalence in middle-aged women.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with poor survival, which is usually diagnosed at advanced stages. In recent years, increasing evidence has revealed that circulating miRNAs exhibit great potential in screening and early detection of various types of cancers including lung cancer. miR-21 is one of the most highly expressed members of the microRNA family in many human cancer types. Methods: The authors analyzed miR-21 expression in matched tumor and normal tissues and plasma in 17 patients affected with non-small cell lung cancer. Samples were collected from the NSCLC patients before surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Expression levels of tissue miR-21 were assessed, using TaqMan RT-PCR assay. Expression levels of plasma miR-21 were assessed, using LNA™ RT microRNA PCR primer set and SYBR green qRT-PCR assay.Results: miR-21 expression was higher in 9 out of 17 patients’ plasma samples. No change in miR-21 expression was observed in 8 plasma samples. In lung tissues, ten patients showed up-regulation of miR-21 and six patients were down-regulated. One patient had no change in miR-21 expression level in tissue samples. The expression level of mir-21 in tissue and plasma was concordant in 6 patients.Conclusion: It seems that the level of miR-21 in plasma samples of NSCLC patients as a marker for screening needs more investigation.

Background: We aimed to explore opinions of breast cancer patients and clinicians in Iran about a patient decision aid (PDA) for breast-conserving surgery. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study and evaluated the opinions of breast cancer patients and clinicians about a PDA for breast-conserving surgery in the Cancer Institute of Iran. We applied Barun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach for data analysis. We categorized the results into three themes including “perceived advantages”, “perceived disadvantages”, and “suggested strategy” and seven subthemes. Results: Both patients and clinicians believed that PDA was useful for improvement of breast cancer conserving surgery and quality of care among Iranian patients. In contrast to the clinicians, the patients were interested in knowing more about surgery techniques. Both groups believed that considering the cultural issues in the adaptation process is essential and families (i.e. husband) should be involved in the decision-making process in Iran.Conclusion: PDA is a useful tool for implementation of breast cancer conserving surgery in Iran and other low and middle-income countries. However, it should be adapted based on the context and cultural issues in each country. We recommend implementing PADs in the routine practice for increasing breast-conserving surgery in Iran. However, further research is needed to reach an optimal PDA for Iranian patients.

Soft tissue metastases are extremely rare in differentiated thyroid cancers. We hereby present a man with a history of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) at the age of 46, who was referred to cancer Institute due to raised serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and a new mass in the thigh. Imaging studies were suggestive of recurrence of the disease in the tumor bed, neck nodes and lungs, and also a mass in his left thigh, based on positron emission tomography (PET) scan, without radioactive iodine uptake. The excision of the mass revealed metastatic PTC. After management of symptomatic local recurrence with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), he received sorafenib. After three years he is doing well and serum Tg is stable. 

The Occupational/Environmental Cancer Workshop was organized as part of the International Congress on Cancer Prevention & Early Detection in Tehran, January 29-30, 2017. There were 42 participants representing professionals from ministry of health, public health sector, medical universities, and for health sector on issues of national cancer and archiving the information national exposures, asbestos and silica , wresearch organizations., as well as the young scientists, postdoctoral and PhD-students. The participants were intensively engaged in the workshop, the discussions were very active and various proposals were prepared in 4 subgroups dealing with environment, occupational exposures, issues on the use of asbestos and silica, and on the registration and recognition of environment/work –related cancers.