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Background&Objective: The presence of single or multiple nodules within the thyroid gland is a common clinical problem. It is immposible to differentiate benign and malignant follicular neoplasms in cytologic examinations.Estimation of risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules who are cytologically assumped to be follicular neoplasm has a critical importance.The aim of this research is evaluation of diagnostic value of thyroid FNA in follicular neoplasm. Materials&Methods: This survey was done on 476 patients with thyroid nodule whome were biopsied in a 7 years period (in 5th Azar hospital, Gorgan). Standard aspirations and biopsies techniques performed and nessassary smears prepared. Wet-fixed smear glass slides are placed immediately in alcohol (70%) 7-10 slides from the aspiration. The patients with cytologic report whome considered follicular neoplasm followed total thyroidectomy or lobectomy. Results: From 476 patients for thyroid nodules 412 cases(86.5%) are suitable for cytologic evaluation which 312 cases(77.9%) of them were benign and 14 cases(3.3%) were malignant.The rest(77 cases)reported to have follicular neoplsm, this patients also undergone thyroid surgery.The result of histological findings appeared in 32 cases(57.1%) follicular adenoma,15 cases(26.7%) non-neoplastic nodules,5 cases(8.9%) follicular carcinoma and 4 cases(7.1%)follicular type of papillary carcinoma. Conclusion: 9 cases (16%) found malignant among cases which cytologic reports considered as “follicular neoplasms” and subsequently undergone thyroid surgery (consist of follicular carcinoma and follicular type of papillary carcinoma), confirme the importance of histopathologic study of follicular lesions for differentiation between malignant and benign lesions.

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Background and Objective: Thyroid nodules are common among the general population and they increase the risk of thyroid malignancies. This study was done to evaluate the correlation of findings of ultrasound based on Thyroid Imaging and Reporting Data System (TIRADS) and cytology of fine needle aspiration (FNA) based on Bethesda system to evaluate of thyroid nodules.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study, was performed on 165 patients (152 females and 13 males) referred to the sonography center of Sayyad Shirazi Educational Hospital, Gorgan, northern Iran during 2018. Ultralosonographic features of nodules were recorded in the pre-filled checklist. According to TIRADS and endocrinologist clinical suspicion, couple of patients was eligible for FNA under the ultrasound guidance. The cytology of FNAs was reported based on the Bethesda system classification.
Results: The mean age was significantly lower in patients with malignant nodules (35.4 vs 44.8; P<0.05). Frequency of malignancy was 8 times higher among females than males (16 vs. 2). TIRADS 3 and 4 were the most common categories among the others with the prevalence of 44.4% and 32.3%, respectively. Bethesda 2 and 4 were the most prevalent categories with prevalence of 58.8% and 20.6%, respectively. The strongest agreement was observed between TIRADS 2 and Bethesda 2 that showed benign findings. Kappa index was 0.061 between TIRADS and Bethesda (P<0.05). Echogenicity, echogenic foci, shape, and margin of nodules were seen significantly more in malignancy.
Conclusion: The most accurate prediction of TIRADS belongs to benign nodules. The correlation between TIRADS and Bethesda was evaluated to be significant overall and the maximum level of correlation was at benign findings. Therefore, these two systems can efficiently be used in order to rule out malignancies and reduce the rate of invasive interventions.

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Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and considered to be leading causes of cancer death in the world. One of the problems with this type of cancer is its inability to be detected in early stage. The aim of present study was to evaluate the correlation between the serum levels of Fucosyltransferase-4 and galactin-3 in patients with early-stage of colorectal cancer.
Methods: This case-control study was done on 40 patients with early stages of colorectal cancer and 40 healthy subjects. ELISA method was used to measure the serum levels of Fucosyltransferase-4 and galactin-3. To examine the correlation between the variables, correlation test and Pearson correlation coefficient index were used.
Results: Fucosyltransferase-4 and galactin-3 levels were higher in patients with early-stage of colorectal cancer compared to healthy subjects. This difference was not significant. In patients with colorectal cancer, there was a significant relationship between the level of Fucosyltransferase-4 and galactin-3 (r=0.71, P=0.01).
Conclusion: Simultaneous measurement of Fucosyltransferase-4 and galactin-3 is useful in identifying early-stage of colorectal cancer as a non-invasive laboratory method.

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Background and Objective: Hemoptysis is defined as the expectoration of blood from the lower respiratory tract. Bronchiolitis, bronchogenic carcinoma, and bronchiectasis are the most common causes of hemoptysis in developed countries, while infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are the most common cause in endemic countries. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of causes of hemoptysis and some related factors.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done on 68 patients (37 men and 31 women, average age 56.85±17.27 years) who were referred to the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan, north of Iran during 2014-16 with the complaint of hemoptysis. Demographic information, cause of hemoptysis and history of illness or drug abuse were extracted from the patients’ records.
Results: Based on the results, 42.6%, 45.6%, and 17.6% of the patients had a history of smoking, drug abuse, and diabetes, respectively. The most frequent causes of hemoptysis were bronchiectasis (25%), pneumonia (20.6%), tuberculosis, and lung cancer (16.4%). Gender was determined as an independent risk factor for hemoptysis (P<0.05). The most common causes of hemoptysis were bronchiectasis, lung cancer and pneumonia in men, and tuberculosis and bronchiectasis in women. Age, drug abuse, smoking, and diabetes had no significant association with the occurrence of hemoptysis.
Conclusion: Bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer are the main causes of hemoptysis, and gender is an independent risk factor for hemoptysis in the study area.
 

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Background and Objective: Today, the role of family members in caring for cancer patients is becoming more important. Numerous cancer-associated problems affect both the patients and their caregivers. Little information is available about the social support and spiritual health of caregivers of cancer patients; therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the spiritual health and social support status of family caregivers of cancer patients in northeastern Iran.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 265 family caregivers of cancer patients. The subjects were selected by convenience sampling from inpatient wards and outpatient clinics of Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Data were collected using the Social Support Questionnaire (by Vaux), the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (by Paloutzian and Ellison), and a socio-demographic questionnaire.
Results: The mean scores of social support and spiritual health of family caregivers of cancer patients were 98.86±14.58 and 91.32±11.97, respectively, which are at a desirable level. The age of caregivers and the duration of cancer had no significant relationship with the score of spiritual health and social support.
Conclusion: According to our findings, family caregivers of cancer patients have a desirable level of social support and spiritual health.
 

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Background and Objective: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between nutritional status and breast cancer.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 210 women (105 breast cancer patients and 105 healthy individuals) aged 20-89 years in Azadshahr (Iran) in 2019. Nutritional status was assessed using a researcher-made checklist.
Results: The majority of cancer patients were in the 40-54 years age group (49.5%). There was a significant difference between the case and control groups in terms of consumption of solid oil (49.5% vs. 31.4%), hot food (19% vs. 9.5%), carbonated drinks (29.5% vs. 21%) and the average number of servings of fried foods per week (3.2±1.79 vs. 2.3±1.73) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of consumption of vegetables, type and amount of meat, animal oil, legumes, salt and tea.
Conclusion: The consumption of solid oil, hot food, carbonated drinks and fried foods could be associated with the risk of developing breast cancer.
 

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Background and Objective: Micro-ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) have introduced a new field in the molecular diagnosis of cancer. However, the role of circulating microRNAs in the plasma/serum of colorectal cancer patients is still unclear. This study was conducted to determine the expression of let-7d microRNA in patients with colorectal cancer.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 40 patients with colorectal cancer and 40 healthy people. In this study, 7 mL blood samples were collected from patients with colorectal cancer (both before and after tumor resection) and healthy individuals (only once). The serum samples were isolated and stored at - 80°C until molecular analysis. MicroRNAs were extracted from serum samples, and cDNA was synthesized. Let-7d expression was examined using the RT-qPCR method. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism v. 9 software. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, sensitivity, and specificity were also calculated for the let-7d microRNA data to introduce a diagnostic biomarker between the preoperative patient group and the control group.
Results: In the preoperative samples of the patients, the expression of let-7d microRNA was significantly lower than that of the control group (P˂0.05). The expression of let-7d microRNA significantly increased after tumor resection compared to before. The ROC analysis for let-7d microRNA in the preoperative patient group with the control group showed that the sensitivity was 33.3%, specificity was 92.3%, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.622.
Conclusion: Let-7d microRNA could potentially serve as a new noninvasive diagnostic biomarker for the early detection of colorectal cancer. However, further studies are required on this subject.

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Background and Objective: Gerotranscendence, as a component of spiritual health, influences their quality of life and adaptation to chronic diseases by creating meaning in life. It is an important approach to enhancing the dimensions of aging health. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between gerotranscendence and quality of life in the elderly with cancer.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 200 older adults with cancer who were selected from Firouzgar and Rasool Akram medical centers in Tehran, Iran, during 2021. The checklist of demographic characteristics, the Gerotranscendence Scale (GTS), and the quality of life questionnaire (LEIPAD) were used.
Results: Gerotranscendence had a statistically significant relationship with marital status, level of education, employment status, housing status, type of cancer, and type of treatment (P<0.05). Age had a statistically significant negative correlation with the quality of life (r=-0.206). Gerotranscendence also had a statistically significant positive correlation with the dimensions of quality of life (r=0.221, P=0.002), including depression and anxiety (r=0.146, P=0.04), mental performance (r=0.167, P=0.018), social performance (r=0.266, P<0.001), and satisfaction with life (r=0.256, P<0.001).
Conclusion: Increasing gerotranscendence increases the quality of life of the elderly.

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Background and Objective: Because of tissue variety, signs, symptoms, and higher mortality and morbidity, central nervous system (CNS) tumors are of special importance in diagnosis and treatment. Knowledge of the epidemiology of these tumors helps with health system planning. This study aimed to obtain more data on the epidemiologic specifications of these neoplasms.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study focuses on 141 patients (58 Male and 83 female) with CNS tumors who visited the 5th Azar Hospital, Gorgan, Iran, during 2013-17. All the data were obtained from hospital medical records in the Neurosurgery and Oncology Department. All demographic data were recorded, such as age, sex, tumor type, signs, symptoms, and risk factors. In cases with incomplete data, the files were completed with interviews and phone calls.
Results: The tumors in 94 (66.6%) patients were benign, and 47 (33.3%) patients had malignant and metastatic tumors. The most common signs were headache (n=43, 30.5%) and convulsion (n=24, 17%). No relationship was found between CNS tumors, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
Conclusion: Regarding the high mortality of CNS tumors, early adequate attention to signs and symptoms helps earlier diagnosis. However, more studies on larger samples are needed to find more risk factors.

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Background and Objective: Esophageal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, and due to the placement of Iran in the Asian belt of esophageal cancer, the use of modern therapeutic approaches is necessary. Betanin is a natural compound extracted from the red beetroot of Beta vulgaris species whose antioxidant properties and role in removing free radicals have been proven. The present study was conducted to determine the cytotoxic effect of red beetroot aqueous extract on esophageal cancer cell line KYSE30.
Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, esophageal cancer cell line KYSE30 was cultured and then underwent treatment with different concentrations of red beetroot aqueous extract (3, 30, 300, 1000, and 3000 µg/mL) in the three time intervals of 24, 48, and 72 hours. The anticancer effect of treated cells was evaluated by the tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay and the effect of viability was evaluated by the trypan blue assay.
Results: The viability of esophageal cancer cell line at concentrations of 30, 300, 1000, and 3000 μg/mL of red beetroot aqueous extract within 24 hours was statistically significantly reduced compared to the control cells (P<0.05). The viability of esophageal cancer cell line in concentrations of 1000 and 3000 μg/mL of red beetroot aqueous extract within 48 hours showed a statistically significant reduction compared to the control cells (P<0.05). The viability of esophageal cancer cell line at concentrations of 3, 30, 300, 1000, and 3000 μg/mL of red beetroot aqueous extract within 72 hours showed a statistically significant reduction compared to the control cells (P<0.05). The MTT assay results approved the trypan blue assay results. Also, the trypan blue assay indicated that the concentration of 3000 μg/mL significantly led to reduced viability of cells within 72 hours (64.14±3.29) compared to 24 hours (77.22±3.34) and 48 hours (66.93±5.57) (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Red beetroot aqueous extract has a cytotoxic effect on esophageal cancer cell line KYSE30.

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Renal cavernous hemangioma is a rare benign tumor. This case report describes a 44-year-old male who was incidentally found to have a renal mass during an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound. The patient's abdominal ultrasound revealed a mass, which was further evaluated with a CT scan. The CT findings suggested renal cell carcinoma. Suspecting malignancy, the patient underwent radical nephrectomy. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations ultimately diagnosed the mass as a cavernous hemangioma. Despite its benign nature, the patient was followed up with a control ultrasound three months post-surgery. This case is presented due to the significant clinical and radiological resemblance of this tumor to renal carcinomas, highlighting the importance of considering benign tumors in differential diagnoses.

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Background and Objective: Breast cancer has a high prevalence and mortality rate in the world and also in Iran. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is one of the treatment methods to improve patient survival. This study aimed to determine the response rate to NAC in patients with locally advanced breast cancer based on common molecular receptors.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 100 patients with breast cancer (mean age= 41.14±10.06 years) referring to the surgical clinic of the Fifth Azar Educational and Therapeutic Center in Gorgan, Iran during 2013-18. Patients without distant metastasis underwent NAC treatment regimen followed by surgery. Demographic characteristics, types of drugs, and molecular receptor characteristics, and their response to treatment were recorded in a checklist. Treatment response and overall patient survival were evaluated.
Results: The mean tumor size before NAC was 3.01±2.47 cm (range= 0-8, median= 2) and 16% were determined to be grade one, 52% were determined to be grade 2, and 32% were determined to be grade 3. Thirty-six percent of patients had a positive family history. Forty-six percent were estrogen receptor (ER) positive, 40% were PR positive, 22% were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) positive, and 78% were Her-2 negative. Thirty-six percent had a Ki-67 index greater than 30%. Eighteen percent of patients had a complete pathological response, and 82% had a partial or negative response. In terms of family history of breast cancer, Her2, ER, progestrone receptor (PR), Ki-67 receptor status, histological grade, tumor size, and axillary lymph nodes, there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups with and without complete pathological response (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The rate of complete pathological response to NAC in patients with locally advanced breast cancer was 18%.

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Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women. The use of parasites or parasite antigens is one of the newest therapeutic approaches for cancer, although it has not yet been used or approved in human trials. This study aimed to determine the cytotoxic effects of purified carbohydrates from the hyaline layer, fluid, and protoscolices of hydatid cysts on the human colorectal cancer cell line (LS174T).
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on two sheep and two cow livers infected with hydatid cysts, and the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (LS174T) purchased from the Pasteur Institute of Iran at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran during 2022. Cyst fluid, protoscolices, and the hyaline layer were isolated from the hydatid cyst-infected livers, and glycoproteins and glycolipids from different parts of the cyst were extracted using the chloroform-methanol method. Carbohydrates were purified using the beta-elimination method and their presence was confirmed using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The cytotoxicity of purified carbohydrates on the LS174T cell line was evaluated using the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay for 24 hours.
Results: Concentrations of 0.5 and 0.25 of purified carbohydrates from glycoproteins and glycolipids of hydatid cysts significantly inhibited the growth of LS174T cells (P<0.05). Initial cytotoxicity evaluation showed that purified carbohydrates from glycoproteins of sheep cyst fluid (38.60±1.33%), glycoproteins of cow cyst hyaline layer (36.61±1.76%), glycolipids of cow cyst hyaline layer (38.94±2.99%), glycoproteins of cow cyst protoscolices (40.27±3.66%), and glycolipids of sheep cyst protoscolices (37.94±1.99%) had significantly more pronounced inhibitory effects (P<0.05). Subsequent screening with the MTT assay revealed that purified carbohydrates from glycoproteins isolated from sheep hydatid cyst fluid (52.35±10.24%), glycolipids isolated from cow hydatid cyst hyaline layer (53.40±7.88%), and glycolipids isolated from sheep hydatid cyst protoscolices (53.05±5.06%) had significantly more pronounced inhibitory effects on the growth of LS174T cancer cells (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Carbohydrates isolated from glycoproteins and glycolipids of the hyaline layer, fluid, and protoscolices of hydatid cysts have significant anticancer effects on the LS174T colorectal cancer cell line.