Search

Background: The lipid profile and atherogenic risk indices in Nigerian breast cancer patients are largely unknown. This study evaluated the lipid profile and atherogenic risk indices of breast cancer patients in Nigeria., Methods: This study involved 45 primarily diagnosed breast cancer patients and 50 normal control subjects. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, and High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated according to Friedewald formula. Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), Atherogenic coefficient (AC), TC/HDL-C (Castelli I) and LDL-C/HDL-C (Castelli II) risk indices were all calculated. The Framingham risk assessment was calculated and categorized., Results: The study group had significantly higher triglycerides (TG), and atherogenic indices than the control group ( p  < 0.001), while HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in the study group ( p  < 0.001). Total cholesterol and LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) had a significant positive correlation with age ( r  = 0.283, p  < 0.018; r  = 0.272, p  < 0.023); TG was significantly positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure ( r  = 0.320. p  < 0.007; r  = 0.334, p  < 0.005); HDL-C had a significant negative correlation with BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure ( r = -0.252, p  < 0.035; r = -0.29, p  < 0.015; r = -0.329, p  < 0.005). The lipid ratios (TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C) were significantly positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The Framingham Risk Score showed that only 2 subjects in the study group (4.4%) were at a high risk of having a cardiovascular event., Conclusion: Breast cancer patients have a higher prevalence of dyslipidaemia, and cardiovascular risk than the normal population.

Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the associations between body composition, energy expenditure and caloric intake among 45 Nigerian breast cancer patients., Methods: Forty-five Nigerian breast cancer patients were measured and analysed for their body composition, energy expenditure and caloric intake. Statistical analyses included a chi-square test, Student's t -test, paired t -test, Spearman correlation and linear regression using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0., Results: The body fat indices (body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), and body fats percentage) show that more than 50% of breast cancer patients were either overweight or obese. The Spearman correlation showed that fat-free mass (FFM) was the most strongly correlated with energy expenditure ( r = 0.84). BMI and (FMI - fat mass in relation to height) were significantly correlated with the Harris-Benedict equation for energy expenditure ( p < 0.001; p = 0.002), but they were not correlated significantly with the Karnofsky performance status. A paired t -test showed that caloric intake was significantly higher than total energy expenditure ( p < 0.001). FFM was the best predictor of resting energy expenditure (REE)., Conclusion: In conclusion, FFM remains the best predictor of REE. High body mass and high caloric intake indicate the need for support from nutritional programmes., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience.)

Polyphenols are one of the largest plant-derived natural product and they play an important role in plants' defense as well as in human health and disease. A number of them are pleiotropic molecules and have been shown to regulate signaling pathways, immune response and cell growth and proliferation which all play a role in cancer development. Hematological malignancies on the other hand, are cancers of the blood. While current therapies are efficacious, they are usually expensive and with unwanted side effects. Thus, the search for newer less toxic agents. Polyphenols have been reported to possess antineoplastic properties which include cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis via multiple mechanisms. They also have immunomodulatory activities where they enhance T cell activation and suppress regulatory T cells. They carry out these actions through such pathways as PI3K/Akt/mTOR and the kynurenine. They can also reverse cancer resistance to chemotherapy agents. In this review, i look at some of the molecular mechanism of action of polyphenols and their potential roles as therapeutic agents in hematological malignancies. Here i discuss their anti-proliferative and anti-neoplastic activities especially their abilities modulate signaling pathways as well as immune response in hematological malignancies. I also looked at clinical studies done mainly in the last 10-15 years on various polyphenol combination and how they enhance synergism. I recommend that further preclinical and clinical studies be carried out to ensure safety and efficacy before polyphenol therapies be officially moved to the clinics., Competing Interests: The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Izuegbuna.)

Aim: To assess the relationship between nutritional status and inflammatory markers of breast cancer patients, and to identify predictors of malnutrition in these patients., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 45 patients with breast cancer assessed between January and June 2018. Nutritional status was evaluated by objective and subjective methods. The inflammatory markers and inflammation-based scores evaluated were C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), CRP/albumin ratio, and Albumin/CRP ratio., Results: A total of 45 patients were evaluated. Majority of the patients have high levels of both CRP and ESR (73.3% and 86.7% respectively). More than 70% of the patients were well nourished. There was no significant association between CRP ( P  = 0.067), ESR ( P  = 0.094) and SGA (Subjective Global Assessment) categories. Albumin ( P  < 0.001), Albumin/CRP ratio ( P  = 0.002), CRP/albumin ratio ( P = < 0.001), and GPS ( P  < 0.001) were significantly associated with SGA categories. On multivariate analysis, albumin ( P  < 0.001), Albumin/CRP ratio ( P  = 0.004), CRP/albumin ratio ( P  = 0.009), GPS ( P  = 0.01), and ECOG ( P  = 0.009) were the only markers independently related to malnutrition., Conclusion: The inflammation-based scores were significantly associated with malnutrition and can be used as biochemical nutritional assessment tools in cancer patients.

Fourty-five breast cancer patients and 50 apparently healthy sex-matched controls from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital were enrolled in this study. Plasma D-dimer and fibrinogen were found to be significantly higher than controls; APTT was significantly shorter than the controls. D-dimer and fibrinogen were also significantly positively correlated with ECOG, disease stage, lymph node involvement, and tumor size. On multivariate analysis, D-dimer and fibrinogen were found to be independently related to lymph node involvement. This study shows that plasma D-dimer and fibrinogen levels are elevated in breast cancer patients, and both are markers of disease progression.