The impact of the Polish mass breast cancer screening program on prognosis in the Pomeranian Province

Trends in Breast Cancer Mortality Between 2001 and 2017: An Observational Study in the European Union and the United Kingdom

PURPOSE

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, representing 25.4% of the newly diagnosed cases in 2018. The past two decades have seen advancements in screening technologies, guidelines, and newer modalities of treatment. Our study reports and compares trends in breast cancer mortality in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used the WHO Mortality Database. We extracted breast cancer mortality data from 2001 to 2017 on the basis of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision system. Crude mortality rates were dichotomized by sex and reported by year. We computed age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) per 100,000 population using the world standard population. Breast cancer mortality trends were compared using joinpoint regression analysis.

RESULTS

We analyzed data from 24 EU countries, including the United Kingdom. For women, breast cancer mortality was observed to be downtrending in all countries except Croatia, France, and Poland. For the most recent female data, the highest ASDR for breast cancer was identified in Croatia (19.29 per 100,000), and the lowest ASDR was noted in Spain (12.8 per 100,000). Denmark had the highest change in ASDR and the highest estimated annual percentage change of -3.2%. For men, breast cancer mortality decreased in 18 countries, with the largest relative reduction observed in Denmark with an estimated annual percentage change of -27.5%. For the most recent male data, the highest ASDR for breast cancer was identified in Latvia (0.54 per 100,000).

CONCLUSION

Breast cancer mortality rates have down trended in most EU countries between 2001 and 2017 for both men and women. Given the observational nature of this study, causality to the observed trends cannot be reliably ascribed. However, possible contributing factors should be considered and subject to further study.

A Prospective Pilot Study on Use of Liquid Crystal Thermography to Detect Early Breast Cancer

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. While mammography is the standard for early detection in women older than 50 years of age, there is no standard for younger women. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to assess liquid crystal contact thermography, using the Braster device, as a means for the early detection of breast cancer. The device is intended to be used as a complementary tool to standard of care (sonography, mammography, etc). Patients and Methods: A total of 274 consecutive women presenting at Polish breast centers for prophylactic breast examination were enrolled to receive thermography; 19 were excluded for errors in thermographic image acquisition. The women were divided according to age (n = 135, <50 years; n = 120, ≥50 years). A control population was included (n = 40, <50 years; n = 23, ≥50 years). The primary endpoint, stratified by age group, was the C-statistic for discrimination between breast cancer and noncancer. Results: In women with abnormal breast ultrasound (n = 95, <50 years; n = 87, ≥50 years), the C-statistic was 0.85 and 0.75, respectively (P = .20), for discrimination between breast cancer and noncancer. Sensitivity did not differ (P = .79) between the younger (82%) and older women (78%), while specificity was lower in the older women (60% vs 87%, P = .025). The false-positive rate was similar in women with normal and abnormal breast ultrasound. Positive thermographic result in women with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) 4A on ultrasound increased the probability of breast cancer by over 2-fold. Conversely, a negative thermographic result decreased the probability of cancer more than 3-fold. Breast size and structure did not affect the thermography performance. No adverse events were observed. Conclusions: Thermography performed well in women <50 years of age, while its specificity in women ≥50 years was inadequate. These promising findings suggest that the Braster device deserves further investigation as a supporting tool for the early detection of breast cancer in women younger than 50 years of age.

Ultrastructure of gap junction and Cx43 expression in gastric cancer tissues of the patients

INTRODUCTION

Gap junctions are intercellular channels formed by connexin facilitating communication between cells by allowing transfer of ions and small signaling molecules. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the most ubiquitous connexin in human tissues. Ample evidence suggests the role of gap junction and its connexins such as connexin 43 in human cancers including gastric cancer, which has an important place in the worldwide incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths. Due to a number of contradictory studies and insufficient detailed examination in specific cancers, such as gastric cancer, more data on the role of gap junctions and their connexins such as Cx43 involved in gastric cancer remain necessary.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to show the ultrastructure damage of the gap junction in the gastric carcinoma tissue as well as the expression of Cx43 protein and mRNA, respectively.

RESULTS

Ultrastructure damage of the gap junction in gastric carcinoma tissue was shown while poorly differentiated tissue experienced greater damage. The expression of Cx43 protein and mRNA was higher in healthy gastric tissue than in carcinomatous gastric tissue (p < 0.05). There was higher expression of Cx43 protein and mRNA in high-medium differentiation than in poor differentiation (p < 0.05). Cx43 protein and mRNA expression is not statistically significant for different ages and sex (such as for > 56 and ≤ 56 years) (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrastructural changes of gap junctions with abnormal Cx43 expression are associated with occurrence and development of gastric cancer, which provides a new research direction for gastric cancer pathogenesis and targeted therapy.

The utility of Leventhal's model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of familial cancer - a literature review

INTRODUCTION

We aim to highlight the utility of this model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of family cancer, presenting the scientific literature that used Leventhal's model as the theoretical framework of approach.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A systematic search was performed in six databases (EBSCO, ScienceDirect, PubMed Central, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) with empirical studies published between 2006 and 2015 in English with regard to the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSMR) and familial/hereditary cancer. The key words used were: illness representations, common sense model, self regulatory model, familial/hereditary/genetic cancer, genetic cancer counseling. The selection of studies followed the PRISMA-P guidelines (Moher et al., 2009; Shamseer et al., 2015), which suggest a three-stage procedure.

RESULTS

Individuals create their own cognitive and emotional representation of the disease when their health is threatened, being influenced by the presence of a family history of cancer, causing them to adopt or not a salutogenetic behavior. Disease representations, particularly the cognitive ones, can be predictors of responses to health threats that determine different health behaviors. Age, family history of cancer, and worrying about the disease are factors associated with undergoing screening. No consensus has been reached as to which factors act as predictors of compliance with cancer screening programs.

CONCLUSIONS

This model can generate interventions that are conceptually clear as well as useful in regulating the individuals' behaviors by reducing the risk of developing the disease and by managing as favorably as possible health and/or disease.

Cognitive-Behavioral Coping, Illness Perception, and Family Adaptability in Oncological Patients with a Family History of Cancer

Aim. The study investigated the differences between patients with and without a family history of cancer regarding coping strategies, illness perception, and family adaptability to the disease. Material and Methods. A total of 124 patients diagnosed with cancer were included in the research (55 of them with a family history of cancer). The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Strategic Approach to Coping Scale, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale, and the Illness Perception Questionnaire were applied. The data were processed using the SPSS 21 software. Results. Patients with previous records of cancer in the family get significantly higher scores for the illness coherence factor. Family satisfaction is significantly higher for patients with a genetic risk, compared to the one reported by patients who suffer from the disease but have no genetic risk. Cognitive-behavioral coping strategies and family cohesion are factors that correlate with an adaptive perception of the illness in the case of patients with a family history of cancer. Conclusion. Results are important for the construction of strategies used for patients with a family history of cancer.