METHOD: Data between 1996 to 2015 from a population-based cancer registry in Sarawak Malaysia was analyzed. Crude incidence rates and age-standardized rates (ASR) were calculated and compared between ethnic groups and locations (administrative division) and Joinpoint regression analysis was done to analyze trends.
RESULT: A total of 3643 cases of NPC were recorded with male to female ratio of 2.5:1. Annualised age-standardized incidence rates able 2) for men is 13.2 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI: 12.6, 13.7) and for women is 5.3 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI: 5.0, 5.6). The highest incidence rates were reported among the Bidayuh population and it ranks among the highest in the world. Trend analysis noted an overall reduction of cases, with a significant decrease between 1996 and 2003 (annual percentage reduction of incidence by 3.9%). Analysis of individual ethnic groups also shows a general reduction with exception of Iban males showing an average 5.48 per cent case increase between 2009 to 2015, though not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Comparing the incidences with other registries, the Bidayuh population in Sarawak remained among the highest in the world and warrants close attention for early screening and prevention strategies.
RESULTS: Further investigation into CL bioactive fraction (II-F7) revealed significant dose-dependent growth inhibitory effects on MCF-7 cells, which were attributed to the induction of apoptosis, as evidenced by the presence of apoptotic bodies, fragmented DNA, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, treatment with CL bioactive fraction (II-F7) upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (DDIT3, GADD45G and HRK) and significantly increased the activities of caspase-8 and caspase-9.
CONCLUSION: Overall, this study suggests that bioactive fraction (II-F7) from CL extract has significant and selective cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells through inducing apoptosis and has potential as a therapeutic agent for breast cancer treatment.
METHODS: This paper reviews devices invented for different cervical cancer screening methods, which are Pap smear test, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) or Lugol's iodine (VILI), and HPV (human papillomavirus)-DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) self-test in terms of functionality, performance in solving the limitations of screening procedure and additionally where applicable, the cervical cell collection efficacy and abnormality detection accuracy. The devices are either available in the market, published in research articles or published in international patent databases.
RESULT: The reviewed devices either simplified the screening procedure to improve the clinical efficiency and accuracy in screening, reduced the pain and discomfort experienced by women during screening procedures, or achieved both outcomes.
CONCLUSION: Many devices have been invented to improve the screening procedures which may potentially improve the uptake in cervical screening tests and encourage the organization of screening campaigns to reduce cervical cancer incidence.
METHOD: This cross-sectional study was done using convenience sampling method. In this study, 280 nursing students from different nursing schools in six cities of Saudi Arabia were recruited. A structured self-report questionnaire was used to collect data.
RESULT: About 49.2% of the participants received education about TC in their nursing schools. The findings showed lack of enough knowledge about TC among Saudi nursing students. Mostly, the participants reported that heredity factor and having family history of TC (48.9%) and age between 56 and 70 years (41.8%) were the most common risk factors of TC. According to the participants, physical examination was the most common diagnostic test usually used for early detection of TC (40.4%) and biopsy test was the most accurate test to confirm TC diagnosis (45.4%). Only one third of the participants (34.6%) knew that between 75% and 100% of TC cases can be cured in case of early detection. About half of the participants (51.8%) reported that surgical procedure was the most common treatment for TC. The nursing students who had high GPA (r=0.86, p<0.001), were unwilling to get more information on TC (r=0.24, p=0.04), had family history of TC (r= 0.53, p=0.02), medical problems with testicles (r= 0.69, p=0.01), received education about TC in their school of nursing (r=0.65, p=0.02), and were more self-confident in assessing and managing TC (r=0.38, p=0.03) had higher level knowledge about TC. Conclusion: Despite the importance of nurses' roles in assessing and managing TC, nursing students in Saudi Arabia still did not have enough knowledge about TC. Improving nursing programs' curricula and conducting health education programs are recommended.
METHODS: The estimation of treatment cost was a planned analysis of the Real World Evidence (RWE) study which included retrospective chart review of adult MF patients treated in Sarawak General, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri Hospitals. The study was approved by Sarawak General Hospital HRRC and MREC. The current study was conducted to estimate the cost of out-patient visits, hospitalisation, transfusion and medication from the perspective of MOH. Out-patient visits and hospitalisation costs were calculated using current unit costs for full fee-paying charges of MOH hospitals. Transfusion costs were estimated for packed cell and platelet transfusions. Medication costs were calculated using drug prices from IQVIA database for MOH hospital sub-sector in 2021. Unit costs were standardised to index year of 2021.
RESULT: Data from 63 patients was available for analysis. Mean annual health resource utilisation (HRU) was 6.13 clinic visits, 9.47 days of hospitalisation and 1.61 transfusions per patient per year. Mean HRU cost was RM23,320 (USD5,217) per patient per year, comprised of RM19,122 (USD4,278) in drug costs, RM3,030 (USD678) for hospitalisation, RM799 (USD178) for transfusions and RM368 (USD82) for outpatient cost.
CONCLUSION: The present analysis suggests that medication and hospitalisation were the main drivers of costs for MF treatment in Sarawak MOH hospitals. This study provides the first RWE estimate of the cost of MF in Malaysia and may provide insight into unmet clinical needs and a guide for further health economic research into the treatment of MF.
METHODS: An electronic data search in Web of Science, SCOPUS, and PubMed for relevant papers; those written in English; those reporting quantitative data; and those including more than one hundred patients who received just chemotherapy were included. Studies involving participants that received other kinds of anti-neoplastic therapies were excluded.
RESULTS: A total of 35 papers published between January 2000 and December 2021 were retrieved from the search databases of which (11612 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed that fatigue negatively affected QOL with a pooled prevalence of 49% (95% CI; 25.00-74.00) and the significant heterogeneity between articles was (I²=98%, P <0.001). Further, breast cancer contributed to the majority of selected articles with about 55 % (95%CI; 9:00- 94:00), followed by cancer (unspecified) 44% (95%CI; 5:00 - 92:00). Most studies (71%) (95%CI; 4:00 - 99:00) used the brief fatigue inventory (BFI) tool to assess severity of fatigue and 39% (95%CI; 17:00 -68:00) employed the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire to evaluate QOL among cancer survivors.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of fatigue in cancer patients is high and fatigue has a negative impact on QOL of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Directionality, fatigue needs to be addressed and treated properly for better improvement of health status and QOL in cancer patients.
METHODS: Adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed studies on cyclin D1-associated radioresistance in NPC from 2012 until 2023. From our search, 15 studies were included.
RESULTS: Cyclin D1's role in radiotherapy resistance is elucidated through several mechanisms, notably SHP-1 and B-catenin. Overexpression of SHP-1 led to an increase in cyclin D1, a higher proportion of cells in the S-phase, and radioresistance. Conversely, inhibiting β-catenin and cyclin D1 expression enhances radiation sensitivity.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Cyclin D1 has a strong correlation with radiation resistance; downregulation of the protein increases radiosensitivity, while overexpression of the protein promotes radioresistance.
METHODS: Thirty-three cell death-associated genes were selected from a literature review. The "DESeq2" R package was used to identify differentially expressed cell death-associated genes between normal prostate tissue (GTEx) and prostate cancer tissue (TCGA) samples. Biological functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed cell death genes was performed using R statistical software packages, such as "clusterProfiler," "org.Hs.eg.db," "enrichplot," "ggplot2," and "GOplot." Univariate Cox and LASSO Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify prognostic genes associated with the immune microenvironment using the "survival" package. Finally, a predictive model was established based on Gleason score, T stage, and cell death-associated genes.odel was established based on Gleason score, T stage, and cell death-associated genes.
RESULTS: Seventeen differentially expressed genes related to pyroptosis were screened out. Based on these differentially expressed genes, biological function enrichment analysis showed that they were related to pyroptosis of prostate cells. Based on univariate Cox and (LASSO) Cox regression analysis, four pyroptosis-related genes (CASP3, PLCG1, GSDMB, GPX4) were determined to be related to the prognosis of prostate cancer, and the immune correlation analysis of the four pyroptosis-related genes was performed. The expression of CASP3, PLCG1 and GSDMB was positively correlated with the proportion of immune cells, and the expression of GPX4 was negatively correlated with the proportion of immune cells. A predictive nomogram was established by combining Gleason score, T and pyroptosis genes. The nomogram was accompanied by a calibration curve and used to predict 1 -, 2 -, and 5-year survival in PAAD patients.
CONCLUSION: Cell death-associated genes (CASP3, PLCG1, GSDMB, GPX4) play crucial roles in modulating the immune microenvironment and can be used to predict the prognosis of prostate cancer.
METHODS: A nationally representative survey was employed in 900 elementary, junior high, and senior high schools that were located in 60 regions or 24 provinces of Indonesia. Each school's compliance with SFZ parameters was measured using a closed-ended questionnaire. The dataset was analyzed using frequency distribution, while the chi-square was performed to analyze the measurement effect of each parameter for SFZ compliance.
RESULTS: Java Island is the region with the largest proportion of school units (10%) studied in this study, and the largest group of the schools are high schools (36.1%). In terms of SFZ compliance, 413 (45.9%) of schools had perfect compliance scores of 8, followed by 183 schools (20.3%) with a score of 7 and 107 (11.9%) with a score of 6. It was found that parameter 5, namely cigarette butts found in the school environment, had the largest proportion when a school did not apply SFZ. Cigarette butts were found in 261 (29.0%) schools. Cigarette butts found in schools contributed 7.8 times to not applying SFZ compared to schools where no cigarette cutters were found.
CONCLUSION: Although the SFZ compliance rate in Indonesian schools is 66.2% at least on 7 of 8 existed parameters, this means most of schools still aren't fully complying with the regulations for SFZs. This recent evidence will help decisionmakers to enforce tobacco control, particularly among youth, which form the pillar of national development.
.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a systematic search via PubMed, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Cochrane library, Emerald Insight, and Google scholar for identifying studies published on BC risk factors up to March 2021. Pooled odds ratios (OR) are calculated using fixed and random-effect models. Data were processed using Review Manager 5.4 (RevMan 5.4).
RESULTS: From a total of 73 articles, seven case-control studies met the criteria for systematic review. Meta-analysis results showed that of the known modifiable risk factors for BC, diabetes mellitus (DM) had the highest odds ratio (OR = 4.97, 95% CI 3.00- 8.25) followed by hypertension (OR = 3.21, 95% CI 1.96-5.23), obesity (BMI >30 Kg/m2) (OR = 2.90, 95% CI 2.00- 4.21), and passive smoking (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.12- 2.02). Controversially, breastfeeding (OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.23- 0.61) was protective factor in BC. Of non-modifiable risk factors for BC has reached menopause had the highest odds ratio (OR = 3.74, 95% CI 2.64- 5.29), followed by family history of BC (OR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.07-6.44) and age (≥ 40 years) (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.43-4.34).
CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictors of BC in Palestine were DM, hypertension, passive smokers, age (>40), reached menopause, and family history of BC. Almost all these risk factors are consistent with known risk factors for breast cancer in other parts of the world.
.
MATERIALS AND METHOD: We evaluated cytoplasmic expression of MMP-13 based on staining index using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in epithelial cells, stromal fibroblasts of IDC (n=90) and benign epithelial breast (n=90) lesions. Correlation between IHC and tumor size, lymph node status, distance metastasis, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Her-2/neu was assessed.
RESULTS: MMP-13 expression was 45% and 38.8% in malignant epithelial cells and peritumoral fibroblasts, respectively. Only low level of MMP-13 expression was seen in benign breast lesions (8.8% in epithelial component and 2.2% in stromal fibroblasts), while high level of MMP-13 expression was noted in malignant tumors, mainly grade II or III. Cytoplasmic MMP-13 expressions in epithelial tumor cells was correlated significantly with peritumoral fibroblasts. MMP-13 expression was directly correlated with distant metastasis and tumor stage in epithelial tumoral cells and was inversely correlated with progesterone expression in both tumoral and stromal cells.
CONCLUSION: This study showed that MMP-13 was a moderator for tumor invasion and metastasis and could be an independent predictor of poor prognosis in breast cancer. The role of MMP-13 in predicting the risk of malignant transformation in benign lesions should be further investigated.
METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to select the 73 caregivers of children with ALL who participated in this cross-sectional study. The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to measure psychological distress.
RESULT: There was a low prevalence (11%) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the participants. Although all the criteria for PTSD were not met, a few post-traumatic symptoms remained, suggesting that PTSS was likely present. Most of the participants reported minimal symptoms of depression (79.5%) and anxiety (65.8%). Anxiety, depression, and ethnicity predicted the PTSS scores (R2 = .77, p =.000). Subsequently, depression predicted the PTSS scores (R2 = 0.42, p =0.000). Participants of 'Other' or 'Indigenous' ethnicity had lower PTSS scores and higher anxiety scores (R2 = 0.75, p =0.000) than participants of Malay ethnicity.
CONCLUSION: The caregivers of children with ALL experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, and anxiety. These variables co-exist and may have different trajectories in different ethnic groups. Therefore, healthcare providers should take ethnicity and psychological distress into consideration when providing paediatric oncology treatment and care.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three Malaysian public hospitals namely Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz and the National Cancer Institute using a multi-level sampling technique to recruit 630 respondents from February 2020 to February 2021. CHE was defined as incurring a monthly health expenditure of more than 10% of the total monthly household expenditure. A validated questionnaire was used to collect the relevant data.
RESULTS: The CHE level was 54.4%. CHE was higher among patients of Indian ethnicity (P = 0.015), lower level education (P = 0.001), those unemployed (P < 0.001), lower income (P < 0.001), those in poverty (P < 0.001), those staying far from the hospital (P < 0.001), living in rural areas (P = 0.003), small household size (P = 0.029), moderate cancer duration (P = 0.030), received radiotherapy treatment (P < 0.001), had very frequent treatment (P < 0.001), and without a Guarantee Letter (GL) (P < 0.001). The regression analysis identified significant predictors of CHE as lower income aOR 18.63 (CI 5.71-60.78), middle income aOR 4.67 (CI 1.52-14.41), poverty income aOR 4.66 (CI 2.60-8.33), staying far from hospital aOR 2.62 (CI 1.58-4.34), chemotherapy aOR 3.70 (CI 2.01-6.82), radiotherapy aOR 2.99 (CI 1.37-6.57), combination chemo-radiotherapy aOR 4.99 (CI 1.48-16.87), health insurance aOR 3.99 (CI 2.31-6.90), without GL aOR 3.38 (CI 2.06-5.40), and without health financial aids aOR 2.94 (CI 1.24-6.96).
CONCLUSIONS: CHE is related to various sociodemographic, economic, disease, treatment and presence of health insurance, GL and health financial aids variables in Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study on 57 archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of PT from the years 2015 to 2018 from two hospitals in East Coast Malaysia. The histopathological examination and immunohistochemical stain for Ki67 and p53 were analysed.
RESULTS: There was an association between clinical descriptive data of skin changes, lump size of more than 3 cm, cytological atypia, stromal hypercellularity, mitosis and immunohistochemistry with the clinical diagnosis of PT. Both marked expression of Ki67 and p53 were seen in borderline and malignant PT. Our study showed that in the presence of high mitotic figures, marked expression of Ki67 was only seen in cases of malignant PT.
CONCLUSION: We found a significant association of Ki67 and p53 expressions, high mitosis and other descriptive histopathological features in malignant PT. Further study with larger sample size is recommended to predict tumour grade and prognosis as well as the disease-free survival of the tumour.
.