Hyperlipidemia and hyper glycaemia in breast cancer Patients is related to disease stage

Objective: The study was designed to determine the hyperlipidemia in breast cancer of patients at disease presentation, without any treatment and to correlate these variations with disease stage

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at Liaquat National teaching hospital in Karachi from 2006 to 2011, Age and family history of 208 breast cancer patients with infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma were compared with 176 matched control subjects. Married females were selected, with children and short breast feeding period. Cancer stage I-III was considered for the study and patients were grouped on the basis of Tumor grade, Tumor size, lymph node metastasis and disease free survival. Disease staging was based on tumor size and lymph node metastasis. Biochemical estimations included variations in random blood glucose level and lipid profile

Results: Lipid profile and random blood glucose level were found significantly high [p<0.05] compared to control subjects. Hyperlipidemia was significantly high in breast cancer patients with lymph node metastasis. On increase in tumor grade I to II, increase in total cholesterol [4%], LDL-cholesterol 23% and 11% increase in triglycerides was observed. On Tumor size increase from

Conclusion: Study suggests that variation in lipid profile and blood random glucose level is associated with disease stage. No independent correlation of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia was developed with disease free survival

Liver enzymes; alterations in the profile during breast cancer treatment of diabetic and cardiac patients

To study the effect of breast cancer treatment on liver enzymes in diabetic and cardiac breast cancer females. Cross-sectional type of study. Liaquat National Hospital Karachi. January 2008 to January 2010. Total 47 breast cancer patients. Out of these, 22 were diabetic and 25 were cardiac patients, visiting the oncology OPD of the hospital. Patients with metastasis to distant organs were excluded from the study. Treatment was carried under the supervision of an oncologist. Samples were collected twice during the study. First sample was collected at disease presentation before starting any type of treatment and second time, sample was collected 14 weeks after the last chemotherapy dose. Data was analyzed using statistical package [SPSS version 11.0]. "Students t-test" and analysis of variance [ANOVA] was used to analyze the means and standard deviations of quantitative/continuous variables. In all statistical analysis p<0.05 was considered significant. In all patient groups after treatment alkaline phosphatase was significantly high as compared to that before treatment [p<0.05] whereas alanine transaminase increased significantly without including Tamoxifen in the treatment. Variation pattern of liver enzyme was the same in both patient groups. Altered profile of liver enzyme was similar in both patient groups there for the variations cannot be attributed to hyperglycemia in diabetic females and the alterations in liver enzymes were attributed to liver damage by chemotherapy and fatty infiltration of liver induced by Tamoxifen

Risk profile for breast carcinoma and tumour histopathology of medical uninsured patients in Pakistan

Breast carcinoma is an unpredictable disease in the sense that some patients may die at early disease stage due to wide-spread metastasis within six months to one year, while others may survive longer. This study was aimed to evaluate the risk factors for breast carcinoma occurrence and histopathological features of breast carcinoma developed in the social and economical conditions of Pakistan. A total of 224 female breast cancer diagnosed patients with uncovered medical insurance visiting at the Oncology clinic of a teaching hospital at Karachi, Pakistan were selected for the study. Two hundred and twenty-four [224] healthy female subjects free of any cancer diagnosis were selected as control from different areas of the city. Information on stress, occupation, life history, and life style was obtained through personal interviews. Breast tumour pathology was evaluated for histological grade, lymph node metastasis and hormone receptor status by using standard methods. Student's t-test, Chi-square test and ANOVA were used for comparison. Breast cancer patients in significantly high percentage reported early marriages, abortion occurrence, stressful life style, family cancer history and past disease suffering from diabetes and hypertension. Life style including aerosol chewing and fat rich food intake was significantly high among the patients [p<0.05]. On histopathological analysis, patients at the age of 40 years and below were identified in significantly high percentage with tumour grade III, 1-3 lymph node metastasis and hormone receptor negative type. Increasing age was associated with low tumour grade and less percentage of lymph node metastasis. Significantly high percentage of patients were presented with hormone receptor positive tumour [p<0.05]. The contributing factors for breast carcinoma occurrence were related to life history and life-style of the patients. Medical insurance uncovered patients at initial diagnosis were presented in significantly high percentage with advanced disease including high tumour grade and lymph node metastasis due to less use of preventive and screening service which delays the diagnosis, effecting both survival and treatment cost