Long-term follow-up of ninety eight Iranian patients with primary immune deficiency in a single tertiary centre

PURPOSE

The aim was to describe the clinical manifestations, complications and long-term outcome of a cohort of Iranian patients with primary immune deficiency (PID).

METHOD

We retrospectively studied the demographic, clinical and immunological characteristics of the PID patients in a single tertiary centre, from January 1989 to July 2014. The patients were classified according to the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee on PID.

RESULTS

98 patients were diagnosed with and followed-up for 15 disorders. The mean age at onset and diagnosis and the diagnostic delay were 8±10, 14.2±13.1 and 6.1±7 years, respectively. Parental consanguinity rate was 57%. Predominantly Antibody Deficiency was the most common diagnosis (n=63), followed by congenital defects of phagocytes (n=16), combined immunodeficiencies (n=12), well defined syndromes (n=4) and defects in innate immunity (n=3). Recurrent sinopulmonary infection was the most common presentation. Active infections were treated appropriately, in addition to prophylactic therapy with IVIG and antimicrobials. Not all the patients were compliant with prophylactic regimens due to cost and unavailability. One SCID patient underwent successful bone marrow transplantation. The total mortality rate was 19% during the follow-up period (7.8±7.6 years). The mean age of living patients at the time of study was 23±11.7 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians awareness of PID has been rising dramatically in Iran, ensuring an increasing number of patients being diagnosed and treated. More effective treatment services, including health insurance coverage and drug availability are needed to improve the outcome of PID patients.

Large body size and sedentary lifestyle during childhood and early adulthood and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a high-risk population

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the association of obesity and physical activity at young ages with subsequent risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 2003 and 2007, we conducted a case-control study in a high-risk population in northeastern Iran. Three hundred ESCC cases and 571 matched controls were recruited. Each individual was shown a standard pictogram, to report body size at ages 15 and 30. Demographic and health-related information, including physical activity at these ages was also collected.

RESULTS

In the fully adjusted models, very obese body size (last two pictograms) at age 15 [odds ratio (OR) 3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-7.7] and age 30 (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.1-8.5) were associated with ESCC in women, but not in men. Sedentary work at age 15 (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.3-8.3) and 30 (OR 18.2, 95% CI 3.9-86.2) were also associated with ESCC risk in women only. The increased risk in women at age 15 remained high after later reduction in body size, while women who became very obese only at age 30 did not show a significantly increased risk.

CONCLUSION

These results highlight the importance of early lifestyle modifications in the context of cancer prevention, particularly in women.

Esophagitis may not be a Major Precursor Lesion for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a High Incidence Area in North-Eastern Iran

BACKGROUND Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is usually detected in advanced stages resulting in a very poor prognosis. Early diagnosis needs identification of clinically relevant precancerous lesions which could become the target of screening and early treatment. Our aim was to check whether esophagitis could serve as a relevant histological precursor of ESCC in Northern Iran. METHODS During 2001-2005, all adult patients who were referred to Atrak clinic for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy were enrolled. Atrak clinic is a major center for upper gastrointestinal cancer research in eastern Golestan. All subjects had been complaining of upper GI symptoms and were under further investigation to rule out cancer. Biopsies from the endoscopically normal mid-esophagus and also just above the esophago-gastric junction were obtained in all subjects whose esophagus appeared normal during endoscopy and from endoscopically normal appearing mucosa at the proximal vicinity of any detected mass. Microscopic examinations for the verification of the presence or absence of esophagitis was performed by independant histological examination of the samples by two pathologists. All the discrepant diagnoses were resolved in joint diagnostic sessions. RESULTS During the study period 836 patients were enrolled including 419 non cancer patients (endoscopy clinic controls), 387 cancer patients, and 30 subjects with clinical diagnosis of malignancy referred for histological reconfirmation of diagnosis by repeated biopsy. Mild or marked mid-esophagitis was diagnosed in 39 (9.3%), 47 (12.5%) and 12 (40%) of endoscopy clinic controls, cancer patients and those who were suspicious for upper gastrointestinal malignancies. CONCLUSION Our observation does not show evidence for esophagitis to be a predisposing factor for ESCC in Gonbad region In North Eastern Iran.

Opium, tobacco, and alcohol use in relation to oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a high-risk area of Iran

The very high incidence of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Golestan Province in northeastern Iran was suggested by studies in the 1970s as partly due to opium use, which is not uncommon in this area, but based on limited numbers. From December 2003 to June 2007, we administered a validated structured questionnaire to 300 ESCC cases and 571 controls, matched on neighbourhood of residence, age (±2 years), and sex. We used conditional logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) adjusted for potential confounders. Compared with those who used neither tobacco nor opium, risk of ESCC was increased in those who used tobacco only (OR, 95% CI: 1.70, 1.05–2.73), in those who used opium only (2.12, 1.21–3.74), and in those who used both tobacco and opium (2.35, 1.50–3.67). All forms of tobacco use (cigarettes, hookah, and nass) were associated with higher ESCC risk. Similarly, use of both crude opium and other forms of opium were associated with higher risk. Alcohol consumption was seen in only 2% of the cases and 2% of the controls, and was not associated with ESCC risk.

Germline BRCA2 mutations and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is very high among the Turkmen population of Iran. Family studies suggest a genetic component to the disease. Turkmen are ethnically homogenous and are well suited for genetic studies. A previous study from China suggested that BRCA2 might play a role in the etiology of ESCC. We screened for mutations in the coding region of the BRCA2 gene in the germline DNA of 197 Turkmen patients with ESCC. A nonsense variant, K3326X, was identified in 9 of 197 cases (4.6%) vs 2 of 254 controls (0.8%) (OR=6.0, 95% CI=1.3-28; P=0.01). This mutation leads to the loss of the C-terminal domain of the BRCA2 protein, a part of the region of interaction with the FANCD2 protein. We observed nine other BRCA2 variants in single cases only, including two deletions, and seven missense mutations. Six of these were judged to be pathogenic. In total, a suspicious deleterious BRCA2 variant was identified in 15 of 197 ESCC cases (7.6%).