Assessment of Information Needs of Patients with Breast Cancer: A Hospital-Based Study in Sri Lanka.

Objective: This study assessed the information needs of breast cancer (BC) patients who presented themselves to the outpatient clinics or wards of the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

Methods: Information needs were measured using the validated questionnaire in the vernacular (Sri Lankan Information Needs Assessment Questionnaire - BC).

Results: All affected women indicated a strong need for information related to the disease, treatment, and psychosocial service while the need for information on procedures for diagnosis and physical care was not strong.

Circulating leptin, soluble leptin receptor, free leptin index, visfatin and selected leptin and leptin receptor gene polymorphisms in sporadic breast cancer.

Leptin and visfatin are implicated in breast cancer risk but studies accounting for bioavailability of leptin are sparse. Reports on the association of leptin gene (LEP) and leptin receptor gene (LEPR) polymorphisms with breast cancer are also inconsistent. Only a very few studies have examined biochemical and genetic variables concomitantly in the same cohort.

Analysis of BRCA1and BRCA2 large genomic rearrangements in Sri Lankan familial breast cancer patients and at risk individuals.

Background: Majority of mutations found to date in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes in breast and/or ovarian cancer families are point mutations or small insertions and deletions scattered over the coding sequence and splice junctions. Such mutations and sequence variants of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were previously identified in a group of Sri Lankan breast cancer patients. Large genomic rearrangements have been characterized in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in several populations but these have not been characterized in Sri Lankan breast cancer patients.

Novel sequence variants and common recurrent polymorphisms of BRCA2 in Sri Lankan breast cancer patients and a family with BRCA1 mutations.

We previously reported BRCA1 mutations and sequence variants in Sri Lankan breast cancer patients. Mutations and sequence variants of the BRCA2 gene were studied in 149 study participants from the same cohort. There were 55 familial and 54 sporadic breast cancer patients, 20 at-risk individuals and 20 healthy controls.

Novel sequence variants and a high frequency of recurrent polymorphisms in BRCA1 gene in Sri Lankan breast cancer patients and at risk individuals.

Background: Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Sri Lankan women. Germline mutations in the susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 in hereditary breast/ovarian cancer, though low in prevalence, are highly penetrant and show geographical variations. There have been only a few reports from Asia on mutations in BRCA1/2 genes and none from Sri Lanka.