ABO blood groups in oral cancer: a first case-control study in a defined group of Iranian patients

Association of ABO phenotype, rhesus factor, platelet count and hemoglobin level with oral hygiene status and severity of chronic periodontitis

Background

The development of periodontal diseases has multifactorial causes including genetic factors. Limited investigations have been conducted to explore the association between ABO blood groups and the development and progression of periodontal diseases.

Aim

To evaluate and assess the association of ABO Phenotype and Rhesus factor with oral hygiene status, severity of chronic periodontitis and blood parameters like hemoglobin level and Platelet count in localized and generalized chronic periodontitis.

Material and methods

Study was carried out on 100 patients, out of which 80 patients of Generalized Chronic Periodontitis and 20 patients of Localized Chronic Periodontitis. Patients were categorized into Mild, Moderate and Severe Periodontitis.

Result

A highly significant association was found between severity of periodontitis and blood groups with blood group B and O were found to be at a greater risk to develop moderate to severe form of chronic periodontitis. Also subjects with blood group B and O showed worst oral hygiene among all the blood groups. Also patients suffering from chronic periodontitis showed a general trend towards lower limit of both hemoglobin level and platelet.

Conclusion

Genetic factors such as ABO blood group antigens may act as a risk influencer that plays a role in progression and severity of the chronic periodontitis, with blood group B and O being worst affected. Another observation was that a long standing case of chronic periodontitis can lead to anemia thus having systemic implications.

ABO blood types and head and neck cancer: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies

OBJECTIVES

This research aims to explore the correlation between ABO blood groups and neoplasms in the head and neck region, specifically investigating the susceptibility of different blood groups to tumours.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

CNKI, WANFANG DATA, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were systematically searched from inception to January 2024.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All studies of ABO blood type and head and neck tumours will be included in this study.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

A systematic literature review was performed using digital platforms on CNKI, WANFANG DATA, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for meta-analysis. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of included studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Comparisons were made between blood types A, B, AB and their combined group versus O, along with subgroup analyses. Systematic analysis was performed by using Review Manager V.5.4 and Stata V.18 statistical software.

RESULTS

30 articles were included, involving 737 506 subjects, among which 21 382 were patients with head and neck tumours. The overall analysis indicated a significant association between type AB blood (OR 0.762, 95% CI 0.637 to 0.910) and a reduced risk of head and neck tumours. In the Caucasoid race, type A blood is significantly linked to an elevated likelihood of head and neck tumours (OR 1.353, 95% CI 1.076 to 1.702), while in the Mongoloid race, type AB blood is significantly linked to a reduced likelihood of developing tumours in the head and neck area (OR= 0.732, 95% CI 0.588 to 0.910). No significant associations were found in the subgroup analysis by gender. Regarding different types of cancer, type A blood is significantly associated with an increased risk of salivary gland tumours (OR 1.338, 95% CI 1.075 to 1.665), and type AB blood is significantly linked to a lower likelihood of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (OR 0.590, 95% CI 0.429 to 0.812).

CONCLUSION

A correlation exists between ABO blood groups and tumours in the head and neck region. However, the link between blood type and head and neck tumours requires further confirmation through more prospective studies.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42024510176.

Nutritional Management of Oncological Symptoms: A Comprehensive Review

Throughout their experience of illness and during the course of treatment, a substantial proportion of cancer patients are prone to develop nutritional and/or metabolic disturbances. Additionally, cancer patients often encounter long-term side effects from therapies, which may lead to impaired digestion, nutrient absorption or bowel motility. Therefore, the preservation and maintenance of an optimal and balanced nutritional status are pivotal to achieving a better prognosis, increasing the tolerance and adherence to cancer therapies and improving the overall quality of life. In this context, personalized nutritional programs are essential for addressing conditions predisposing to weight loss, feeding difficulties, digestion problems and intestinal irregularity, with the goal of promoting adequate nutrient absorption and minimizing the detrimental effects of treatment regimens. The focus of this research is to examine the most common clinical conditions and metabolic changes that cancer patients may experience, including stomatitis, xerostomia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dysphagia, sub-occlusion, dysgeusia, dysosmia, anorexia, and cachexia. Furthermore, we present a pragmatic example of a multidisciplinary workflow that incorporates customized recipes tailored to individual clinical scenarios, all while maintaining the hedonic value of the meals.

Evaluation of Risk Factors in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Case Control Study

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Since there are many factors that influence the development of cancer, identifying risk factors plays an important role in cancer prevention. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the risk factors for HNSCC in Mashhad, Iran.

METHODS

In this case-control study, 76 patients with HNSCC were included as the case and 91 healthy people as the control group. A checklist of risk factors was completed for each participant and the two groups were compared for the presence of risk factors. Chi-square, t test, and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare the data. Odds ratios (ORs) for several factors have also been determined.

FINDINGS

The educational level and body mass index (BMI) of the patients in the case group were significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.001). Moreover, there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of risk factors such as tobacco smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and its duration (P=0.001, P<0.001, P=0.05), as well as the duration of hookah smoking, opium consumed per day and use of alcohol (P=0.023, P<0.001, P=0.015).

CONCLUSION

There was a direct relationship between HNSCC and risk factors such as cigarette smoking, number of cigarettes smoked per day, duration of cigarette consumption and hookah, opium consumed per day, and alcohol use. However, extensive studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better assess the impact of these factors and generalize the results.

The effect of topical chamomile in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To clinically assess the effectiveness of topical chamomile oral gel in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A parallel single-blind randomized clinical trial conducted on 45 patients who were undergoing chemotherapy. Patients were assigned to three equal groups. Group I received conventional symptomatic treatment that included antifungal agents (Miconaz oral gel, Medical Union Pharmaceuticals), topical anesthetics, and anti-inflammatory agent (BBC oral spray, Amoun Pharmaceutical Company) three times per day for three weeks, group II received 3% chamomile topical oral gel, whereas group III patients were given both conventional symptomatic treatment and chamomile topical oral gel. All patients were clinically assessed for pain and oral mucositis severity at three separate time intervals: 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks.

RESULTS

Most patients experienced oral mucositis with more severity reported in the conventional group (grade III = 6.7%) compared to the other two groups, neither of which developed more than grade II. Mean pain scores showed no significant difference between the groups, but intragroup analysis showed that pain score increased in the conventional treatment group more than the other two groups.

CONCLUSION

Topical chamomile 3% gel has demonstrated in this study to lower the severity of the mucositis with lower pain scores compared to the other two groups.

ABO Blood Groups and Its Association with Oral Cancer, Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Submucous Fibrosis- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective:

The study aimed to evaluate the association between ABO blood groups and oral cancer, other potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), and oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF).

Materials and methods:

A search was conducted in Medline, Cochrane databases, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for studies evaluating ABO blood groups as risk factors for oral cancer and OPMD among cases and controls. The PRISMA guidelines were followed for the meta-analysis. Participants included patients with oral cancer, and OPMD diagnosed using histopathologic investigations. Sub-group analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between blood groups and OSMF. Quality was evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment tool. Fixed effects model was used to assess the odds ratio for the association.

Results:

There were 1,352, 414, and 299 cases of oral cancer, OPMD, and OSMF and 11,699, 7,382 and 7,307 controls for analysis respectively. Blood group A was significantly associated with both oral cancer (Odds ratio: 1.27 [95% CI, 1.10, 1.47], P= 0.001) and OPMD (Odds ratio: 1.33 [95% CI, 1.01, 1.47], P= 0.04). No association was noted between blood group B and AB with oral cancer, OPMD, and OSMF. Blood group O was significantly associated with lower chances of oral cancer (Odds ratio: 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71, 0.93], P= 0.002).

Conclusion:

Meta-analysis suggests blood group A has a greater risk for developing oral cancer and OPMD. Blood group O was associated with lower chances of oral cancer. No association was noted between ABO blood group system with OSMF.

Peripheral Exophytic Oral Lesions: A Clinical Decision Tree

Diagnosis of peripheral oral exophytic lesions might be quite challenging. This review article aimed to introduce a decision tree for oral exophytic lesions according to their clinical features. General search engines and specialized databases including PubMed, PubMed Central, Medline Plus, EBSCO, Science Direct, Scopus, Embase, and authenticated textbooks were used to find relevant topics by means of keywords such as “oral soft tissue lesion,” “oral tumor like lesion,” “oral mucosal enlargement,” and “oral exophytic lesion.” Related English-language articles published since 1988 to 2016 in both medical and dental journals were appraised. Upon compilation of data, peripheral oral exophytic lesions were categorized into two major groups according to their surface texture: smooth (mesenchymal or nonsquamous epithelium-originated) and rough (squamous epithelium-originated). Lesions with smooth surface were also categorized into three subgroups according to their general frequency: reactive hyperplastic lesions/inflammatory hyperplasia, salivary gland lesions (nonneoplastic and neoplastic), and mesenchymal lesions (benign and malignant neoplasms). In addition, lesions with rough surface were summarized in six more common lesions. In total, 29 entities were organized in the form of a decision tree in order to help clinicians establish a logical diagnosis by a stepwise progression method.

Herbs in Oral Mucositis

Oral mucositis is an inflammatory mucosal destruction as a result of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, which in severe cases can impair patients' quality of life. Moreover, mucosal infection and/or systemic involvement due to compromised immunity leads to delay or discontinuation of the treatment. Many strategies and agents have been suggested for the management of this condition. Because of their lower side effects compared to chemical drugs, general interest in evaluating therapeutic effects of herbs has been increased intensively. Herbal plants apply their effect through different mechanisms of action: antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiseptic, and anticarcinogenic activity. Recently, various natural agents in plants have been noticed in mucositis, which may improve the symptoms through different interventions. The purpose of this review is to focus on the preventive or therapeutic use of herbal medicine to alleviate oral mucositis.

[Effects of DNA methylation on ABO gene expression in leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the impact of promoter CpG island methylation on ABO mRNA expression in leukemia. Methods: 25 cases of leukemia and 20 cases of normal control were studied, and the leukemia cell lines K562、HL-60 and Jurkat were treated with different concentrations of decitabine. PCR-SSP was used to identify ABO genotype, RQ-PCR for ABO mRNA expression and bisulfite sequencing PCR for DNA methylation status. Results: ① The methylation of ABO promoter in acute myeloid leukemia patients (10 cases) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients (10 cases) were 53.85% and 18.22% respectively, which were obviously higher than those in control (20 cases, 2.33%) and chronic myeloid leukemia patients (5 cases, 2.12% ). ② ABO genotype of K562 was O1O1, which has changed little before and after decitabine treatment. ABO genotype of HL-60 and Jurkat could not been identify before treatment, but showed as O1A1 and A1O2 after treatment. ③ABO mRNA expression of K562 was 1 275.67 ± 35.86, which was obviously higher than that in HL-60 (0.54 ± 0.07, P<0.05) and Jurkat (0.82±0.16, P<0.05). ④The methylation of ABO promoter in K562, HL-60 and Jurkat were 0, 58.14%, and 96.74%. As concentration of decitabine increased, the methylation of ABO promoter were decreased and the expressions of ABO mRNA were increased in HL-60 and Jurkat, which had significant differences compared with that before treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: The methylation of ABO promoter shows a negative correlation with ABO mRNA expression. DNA methylation was an important aspect of ABO antigens decrease in acute leukemia.

Is There a Relation between ABO Blood Groups and Clinical Outcome in Patients with Pemphigoid? A Case-Control Study

Background. Relationship between blood groups and dermatologic diseases remains controversial and was not yet fully elucidated nor explained clearly. The aim of this study was to examine if any relation exists between different types of pemphigoid diseases and ABO blood group. Methods. In this case-control study, 159 pemphigoid patients and 152 healthy matched-controls were evaluated. All blood group (including Rh status) data for the study was obtained from the hospital medical records. Statistical comparisons were completed with chi-square test and logistic regression. Results. Blood group “O” was found in 32.9% of patients and 38.2% of control group. Blood group “A” was found among 30.8% of patients and 34.2% of control group, while group “B” was reported in 27.4% of cases and 21.1% of controls and “AB” was identified among 8.9% of patients and 6.6% of control group. 84.9% of patients were Rh positive, while in the control group 86.2% of patients were Rh positive. No significant differences were found regarding ABO blood groups (P = 0.46) or Rh (P = 0.76) between pemphigoid patients and control group. Also, older females had the higher risk of developing bullous pemphigoid. Conclusion. We found no relationship between ABO blood groups and pemphigoid disease.

Significance of ABO-Rh blood groups in response and prognosis in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

To evaluate whether ABO-Rh blood groups have significance in the treatment response and prognosis in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated files of 335 patients with breast cancer who were treated between 2005 and 2010. Demographic data, clinic- pathological findings, treatments employed, treatment response, and overall and disease-free survivals were reviewed. Relationships between clinic-pathological findings and blood groups were evaluated.

RESULTS

329 women and 6 men were included to the study. Mean age at diagnosis was 55.2 years (range: 26-86). Of the cases, 95% received chemotherapy while 70% were given radiotherapy and 60.9% adjuvant hormone therapy after surgery. Some 63.0% were A blood group, 17.6% O, 14.3% B and 5.1% AB. In addition, 82.0% of the cases were Rh-positive. Mean follow-up was 24.5 months. Median overall and progression-free survival times were 83.9 and 79.5 months, respectively. Overall and disease-free survival times were found to be higher in patients with A and O blood groups (p<0.05). However rates did not differ with the Rh-positive group (p=0.226). In univariate and multivariate analyses, ABO blood groups were identified as factors that had significant effects on overall and disease-survival times (p=0.011 and p=0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

It was seen that overall and disease-free survival times were higher in breast cancer patients with A and O blood groups when compared to those with other blood groups. It was seen that A and O blood groups had good prognostic value in patients with breast cancer.

Evaluation of Salivary Secretor Status of Blood Group Antigens in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between secretion or nonsecretion of blood group antigens into the saliva and oral lichen planus (OLP).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In this study, 30 patients (women: 22, men: 8) with OLP were examined as the case group and 30 subjects without OLP matched for age and gender as the control group. Diagnosis of OLP was confirmed by clinical and histopathological examinations according to WHO criteria. The control group was randomly selected from healthy individuals without pathological oral changes seeking dental treatment. In both groups, blood group type was determined by hemagglutination, and unstimulated saliva was collected using the Navazesh technique. Establishment of salivary secretor status was carried out using the Wiener agglutination test. The data were analyzed using a Χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

The patients with OLP (cases), including 22 (36.7%) women and 8 (13.3%) men with a mean age of 51 ± 14.16 years, were compared with healthy subjects (controls), comprised of 25 (41.7%) women and 5 (8.3%) men with a mean age of 50.7 ± 13.56 years. A large majority of the people examined in both groups were secretors of blood group A. On the other hand, most OLP patients were blood group B. In the case group, 25 subjects (84.4%) were secretors and 5 (16.6%) were nonsecretors. In the control group, 24 subjects (80.0%) were secretors and 6 (20.0%) were nonsecretors. There was no significant difference between the case and control groups for secretor status (p = 0.73).

CONCLUSION

The present study did not indicate a significant difference in salivary secretor status between OLP patients compared to controls.

Evaluation of Relationship Between Demographics and Dental Status in a Defined Group of Iranian Paediatric Patients Undergoing Cancer Therapy

CONTEXT

Cancer is a major cause of death in children under 15 years of age.

AIMS

This study aimed to evaluate relationship between demographics and dental status in a defined group of Iranian paediatric patients undergoing cancer therapy.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

This cross-sectional study was accomplished on 161 subjects age ranging 8-12 years. There were 76 cancerous patients hospitalized at Mahak Hospital (one of the major children's cancer centers in Tehran) as the study group and 85 healthy children attending at Dental School, International Branch of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran from 2012 to 2013.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Demographics were gathered by using data-form. Oral examination and DMFT Index were used to describe teeth status in all teeth and in the first permanent molars. According to Becker's definition, "D" stands for untreated decayed teeth, "M" indicates missing teeth, and "F" shows Filled teeth. It is noteworthy that full coverage crowns are considered as "F" in this Index.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, Student's t-tests and Logistic Regression were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The most frequent type of cancer was acute lymphoblastic/lymphocytic leukemia (33.3%). Patients were significantly shorter than controls (p=0.03), and their fathers and mothers were of lower educational achievement (p=0.01, p= 0.001). Although DMFT of all dentition showed significantly higher score in cancerous children (p=0.001), DMFT of four first permanent molars (left, right, upper, and lower) was borderline significantly higher in patients (p= 0.06). Moreover, frequency of cancer was borderline significantly higher in children with lower birth order (p= 0.05). According to Logistic Regression, in as much as patients grew elder 1 year, DMFT index increased 1.5 units.

CONCLUSION

Patients under cancer therapy were shorter than healthy ones, and their parents were of lower educational levels. In addition, their teeth status was poorer than controls.