: Breast cancer, a life-threatening serious disease with high incident rate among women, is responsible for thousands of cancer-associated death worldwide. Numerous investigations have been evaluated the possible mechanisms related to this malignancy. Among of them, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) i.e., microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs have recently attracted attentions of researchers. In addition to recent studies for evaluating the role of ncRNAs in breast cancer etiology, some investigations have revealed that vitamin D has regulatory and therapeutic roles in breast cancer. Moreover, an important link between vitamin D and ncRNAs in cancer therapy has been highlighted. Herein, we aimed to discuss the available data on mentioned link in breast cancer.

Objectives: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect of various anticancer regimens with different sensory-motor abnormalities in patients. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using Costus sp. oil as a palliative treatment in such patients. Design: This was a pilot randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical study.

Objectives Insomnia and sleep disorders are common and can be severe amongst patients with cancer, especially during chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of lettuce seed syrup in breast cancer patients who suffer from insomnia or disordered sleep. Methods This pilot study was a double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in Shoha-e-Tajrish Hospital (Tehran, Iran) from September 2018 to June 2019. 50 adult patients with breast cancer with insomnia or sleep disorders were enrolled. Participants were randomly allocated to lettuce seed syrup (5 mL twice daily), or placebo syrup at the same dose for four weeks. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality before and after the intervention. Results Compared to placebo, the mean of the total PSQI score decreased significantly in participants who received lettuce seed syrup (p=0.014). In addition, there were statistically significant reductions in the mean scores of subject quality sleep (p=0.002), sleep duration (p=0.038), habitual sleep efficacy (p=0.029) and sleep disturbance (p=0.032) in patients who received lettuce seed syrup. Conclusions Lettuce seed syrup may improve self-reported sleep quality in participants with breast cancer. Larger trials are indicated in diverse samples of participants with caner to learn if these finds are generalizable.

Introduction: Fatigue is a common complaint in cancer patients and profoundly affects the quality of life of the patients. Therefore, we designed a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Jollab (containing saffron, honey, and rose water) as a tonic beverage in management of cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients. Methods: Seventy-five patients were randomly assigned into two groups, patients received either four weeks Jollab or the placebo (20 ml three times daily). Fatigue was assessed with Scores of Visual Analogue Fatigue Scale (VAFS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) at weeks 0 and 4 (before and after the intervention). Results: In the Jollab group, VAFS showed a significant decrease (P=0.000), but in the placebo group, there was no significant difference (P=0.258). In Jollab group, FSS decreased significantly (P=0.000), while in the placebo group, it slightly decreased (P=0.096). CFS physical and cognitive subscales also showed improvement of fatigue in Jollab group compared to placebo group (P<0.05), but affective subscale score did not show a significant change after the intervention in both groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Jollab beverage has significant positive effects on reducing fatigue in women with breast cancer. However, larger-scale trials with further sample size and longer period of the intervention are needed to confirm and develop our preliminary findings.

Background: In cancer patients, a prominent side effect of chemotherapy drugs is bone marrow suppression, which leads to decreased blood cell production. Herbal remedies and natural substances such as honey may fulfill a role in relieving this complication. The present study aimed to determine the efficiency of Jollab (a honey-based syrup) in the prevention of pancytopenia in female patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: In a pilot double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 70 patients were examined in terms of leukocyte count, platelet count, and hemoglobin level at the Shohaday-e Tajrish Cancer Clinic (Tehran, Iran) in 2020. The intervention group consumed 10 ml of Jollab syrup three times a day for four weeks, while the control group took a placebo with the same prescription. The independent sample t-test and chi-squared test were used for data analysis in this trial. Results: Our data revealed that the total number of leukocytes, hemoglobin levels, and platelet counts have no significant differences between the two groups at the end of the study, but significant changes were discovered for hemoglobin and platelet levels in intragroup analysis for both intervention and placebo groups. Conclusion: Although the use of Jollab was not found to be effective in augmenting the levels of blood cell parameters in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy, future studies of higher quality may demonstrate its supportive role provided the present limitations are addressed. [GMJ.2021;10:e1972]