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Background: Head and neck radiotherapy causes side effects such as stomatitis. In vitro studies demonstrated local dose enhancement due to backscatter radiation near metal restorations. The aim of this study was to analyze correlation between number of amalgam restorations with severity of oral mucositis in patients with head and neck radiotherapy. Method and materials: This cross-sectional study was accomplished on 80 patients under head and neck radiotherapy referred to Cancer Institute (Tehran, Iran) in 2014–2015. Severity of mucositis and pain were measured by three examinations according to WHO criteria and visual analogue scale. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient test used to analyze the data by IBM SPSS statistics V22.0. Results: There was no significant correlation between the number of amalgam restorations and severity of mucositis and pain on second and third examinations. However, severity of mucositis and pain were found to be significantly correlated with radiation dose per session (p = 0.013, rs = 0.276), (p = 0.032, rs = 0.240) and total radiation dose (p < 0.001 rs = 0.393), (p < 0.001, rs = 0.445) on second and third examinations respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that number of dental amalgam restorations have no impact on aggravation of oral mucositis caused by head and neck radiotherapy.

Breaking bad news to patients is an essential aspect of the physician-patient relationship, but in Iran, this relationship is often disrupted by patients’ families. This study investigates the views of patients' companions on breaking cancer news. In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study, we conducted research on 170 cancer patients’ companions and 170 non-cancer patients’ companions. We designed a questionnaire to investigate the subjects’ opinions and used CVI, CVR, Cronbach's alpha and ICC for evaluation. In order to compare groups, we used MannWhitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square tests and Spearman’s correlation. Most participants believed that patients should be informed of their diagnosis. Cancer patients' companions were more willing to learn the bad news in case they were diagnosed with cancer and were less likely to choose “despair” as the reason for non-disclosure (71% vs. 44%).There was no difference between the two groups in willingness to break the cancer news to patients, choosing who should be informed first, and the reasons for nondisclosure. Most participants believed the family should be the first to know the diagnosis. In this study, most participants believed that patients should be informed of their diagnosis. However, they preferred to learn about the diagnosis before the patient, which confirms the importance of educating the families about autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 could cause severe complications in those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer. Here, we aimed to assess the outcome of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with a history of cancer. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we extracted medical records of patients with any cancer history among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our patients were admitted between February 20th and July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was death, and the secondary outcomes were overall survival, COVID-19-specific mortality, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital stay. A group of individuals without cancer history was selected from the COVID-19 cohort and matched for age, gender, and pre-existing conditions. We utilized univariate and multivariate logistic regression to analyze the association between studied variables and primary outcomes. Results: We identified 46 patients with cancer and COVID-19. The median age was 63, and 54.3% were male. According to the univariate logistic regression analysis, death was 5.3 (CI95%: 1.75-15.85) times more probable in cancer patients than controls (p=0.003). The multivariate analysis adjusted for having cancer and sex, age, and having any comorbidity showing this figure was 5.5 (CI95%:1.8-16.8) (p=0.003). The 30- and 90-day COVID-19 specific mortality was 30% (CI95%:17-43) and 33% (CI95%: 20-46), respectively. Conclusion: Patients with COVID-19 with a history of cancer have a considerably higher risk of death irrespective of age, gender, and other pre-existing conditions. Patients with advanced cancers and concurrent bacterial infections need the most vigorous care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The first hospital palliative care unit (HPCU) in Iran (FARS‑HPCU) has been established in 2008 in the Cancer Institute, which is the largest referral cancer center in the country. We attempted to assess the performance of the HPCU based on a comprehensive conceptual framework. The main aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for assessment of the HPCU performances through designing a value chain in line with the goals and the main processes (core and support). Materials and Methods: We collected data from a variety of sources, including international guidelines, international best practices, and expert opinions in the country and compared them with national policies and priorities. We also took into consideration the trend of the HPCU development in the Cancer Institute of Iran. Through benchmarking the gap area with the performance standards, some recommendations for better outcome are proposed. Results: The framework for performance assessment consisted of 154 process indicators (PIs), based on which the main stakeholders of the HPCU (including staff, patients, and families) offered their scoring. The outcome revealed the state of the processes as well as the gaps. Conclusion: Despite a significant improvement in many processes and indicators, more development in the comprehensive and integrative aspects of FARS‑HPCU performance is required. Consideration of all supportive and palliative requirements of the patients through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]