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Background: Breast cancer prognosis is influenced by several histopathology and clinical factors including expression of Ki67 which may have a predictive role in lymph node negative breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess Ki67 expression in breast cancers without axillary lymph node involvement and to evaluate its prognostic value with regard to disease-free survival., Materials and Methods: Subjects were selected from non-metastatic invasive breast cancer patients who were referred to the oncology department of Ghaem hospital during 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2008. Ki67 levels were measured using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared with clinicopathological features. The relation of Ki67 expression with disease-free survival was also analysed., Results: A total of 106 women with a mean age of 49 were examined. Some 94.3% were classified as having invasive ductal carcinomas and the mean tumour diameter at the time of diagnosis was 2.8 cm. Some 50.9% of cases were ER positive and 47.2% were PR positive. P53 expression was positive in 48.1% of the cases. According to the IHC results, only 8.5% of the patients were Her2/neu positive. Ki67 was positive in 66 (62.3%) with a significant relation to lower age (p=0.0229) and P53 positivity (p=0.005). After an average of 40-months follow up, 13 (12.3%) demonstrated recurrence, most commonly systemic. Of 13 cases with relapse, 10 patients (77%) were Ki67 positive., Conclusions: In our population Ki67 appeared to be an independent prognostic factor for three-year survival. However, we stress that a survival study with a bigger sample size would help to support this conclusion.

Background: Male and female breast cancers were investigated for variation in the clinicopathologic characteristics and expression of steroid hormone receptors in the northeast of Iran., Materials and Methods: Tumor specimens of 17 males and 338 females with breast cancer were collected at the hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Immunohistochemical expression of hormone receptors and clinicopathologic features of breast cancer were compared between two groups., Results: The mean age in men was 15 years higher than women (p=0.000). Males and females were mainly in stage II and III respectively (p=0.007). Although more than 60% of male and female patients were grade II, the respective figures for grade I and III were 25% and 12.5% in men but 7.1% and 27.2% in women respectively (p=0.025). ER was significantly more positive in men against women; 82.3% versus 53.4% (p=0.016). The related measures for PR was 58.8% and 50.3%, respectively (p=0.424). Males also showed significantly more ER expression than postmenopausal females; 82.3% versus 48.9% (p=0.010)., Conclusions: Breast cancer in males and females contrasted in age at diagnosis, histological type, stage, grade and ER expression which emphasize they are separate diseases with different behaviors.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common form of cancer in Iranian women, and it remains a major health problem. An increasing number of young women are being diagnosed with BC, and therefore, there is an increasing likelihood that more women will survive breast cancer for many years. Many opine that self-disclosure of BC diagnosis is important because talking about cancer helps people to make sense of their experiences; in fact, self-disclosure appears to play an important role in many health outcomes. However, this has not yet been studied in BC patients in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the status of self-disclosure of BC diagnosis by Iranian women to friends and colleagues., Materials and Methods: All BC records for 2001-2011 of employed women were studied at five hospitals in Mashhad. Data about the self-disclosure of BC diagnosis were gathered through telephone interviews, and the participants filled out a questionnaire about their status of self-disclosure of BC diagnosis to various groups of people., Results: The mean age of employed women at the time of diagnosis was 44.3 ± 6.7 years. Over 60% self-disclosed to work colleagues and over 90% to bosses/managers. Seventy per cent reported that they had support from their family and husband's family, while 95% reported that they had support from parents, siblings, children and friends., Conclusions: Most employed women self-disclosed freely to family, friends, colleagues and bosses/managers. Apparently, self-disclosure of breast cancer diagnosis may have negative effects at work. About half of patients reported that they had support from family, managers and colleagues; however, for nearly 28% of employed women, disclosure had less positive effects. In particular, it altered their perception of others, produced difficulties with work and family and diminished closeness with the people who were told. However, the stigma of BC is far less than it once was.

Purpose: The anti- estrogen drug, tamoxifen, is one of the most important medications used in the treatment of both advanced and localized breast cancer. However, such tamoxifen use may have some risks related to the endometrium and ovaries. We followed a group of women with breast cancer on tamoxifen for the development of ovarian cysts., Methods: Based on a cross sectional study, 35 pre and post menopausal patients with breast cancer on tamoxifen were followed by pelvic exam and vaginal ultrasonography for 3 cycles of 3 month intervals; occurrence and outcome of ovarian cysts were evaluated., Results: Of the 35 tamoxifen-treated patients enrolled in this study, 21 were postmenopausal and 14 were premenopausal. Their average age was 48.1+/-8.7 (range: 29-65 yrs) years. The mean duration of tamoxifen therapy was 30.5+/- 14 months (range: 12-60 months). Ovarian cysts were diagnosed in 12 (34.3%) patients, with surgery required in 6; pathological examination revealed malignancy in two cases., Conclusion: Development of ovarian cysts is a rather frequent event in women with breast cancer on tamoxifen. The majority of cysts are simple, which may resolve spontaneously or with discontinuation of tamoxifen, but malignancy needs to be ruled out.