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Background & Aim: Prostate carcinoma is the most common cancer among men and the second lethal cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the prostate cancer screening behaviors and its related cognitive psychological factors among men over 50 years of age using the health belief model.
Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was performed on 300 men over 50 years of age in Hamadan, selected by cluster sampling method. Data collecting tool was a questionnaire consisted of three sections: demographic information, prostate cancer screening behaviors and health belief model constructs. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression through the SPSS software version 18.
Results: Findings revealed that 12% and 9% of the participants reported having a digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing respectively. Perceived benefits and perceived barriers were the predictors of prostate cancer screening behaviors (P<0.05). Also, there was a significant relationship between prostate cancer screening behaviors and age and a history of prostate problems (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Given that the health belief model is effective in predicting prostate cancer screening behaviors, using these findings in designing educational interventions for people over 50 is recommended.
 

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Background & Aim: Female genital cancers are the third most common type of malignancy among women. Considering the importance of these cancers, the present study was conducted to determine the age-standardized rate (ASR) of female genital cancers in Iran.
Methods & Materials: In this systematic review, six international databases (Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar), and four national databases (Scientific Information Database, MagIran, IranMedex, and IranDoc) were searched in 2017. Thereafter, Persian and English papers referring to the ASR of female genital cancers in Iran were included. The Joanna Briggs checklist was used to evaluate the quality of studies. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers.
Results: A total of 264 papers were found in the initial search of the databases, and 27 papers were included for final analysis. Based on the random-effect model, the ASR was 2.07 (95% CI, 1.83-2.31) for cervical cancer, 3.15 (95% CI, 2.75-3.54) for ovarian cancer, and 1.52 (95% CI, 1.32-1.73) per 100,000 for uterine cancer.
Conclusion: The ASR of female genital cancers in Iran was lower than other countries of the world. It should be noted that the results of this review must be judged with caution because of the high heterogeneity of the studies.
 

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Background & Aim: Women with cancer face many stresses. Social support can facilitate coping skills and improve active coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to assess perceived stress and its relationship with perceived social support in women undergoing chemotherapy for genital cancers.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive, correlational study was conducted from March to May 2016 on 151 patients undergoing chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers in oncology wards of Alzahra and Shahid Ghazi hospitals in Tabriz. The perceived stress scale (PSS) and perceived social support scale (PRQ-85-part2) were completed through interviews with patients. Data analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation test, one-way ANOVA and independent t-test.
Results: Mean (and standard deviation) total score of perceived stress for women was 42.26 (3.97) in the score range of 0-56. Mean (and standard deviation) total score of perceived social support for women was 127.55 (16.64) in the score range of 25-175. Based on the Pearson correlation test, no statistically significant correlation was observed between perceived stress and perceived social support (P=0.324, r=0.08).
Conclusion: The findings indicated that the perceived stress score for women with genital cancers was high. Nevertheless, no relationship was observed between perceived stress and perceived social support. Therefore, further studies are needed in this area.
 

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Background & Aim: Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of death from cancers in men. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT) on prostate cancer prevention behaviors in men 50 to 75 years old.
Methods & Materials: This study is a randomized controlled trial with control group conducted on 100 men referred to the retirement centers in Hamadan in 2017. Participants were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental (n=50) and control groups (n=50). A self-administered questionnaire including demographic information and PMT constructs was completed by the participants. Educational intervention was administered over four sessions in the experimental group. The questionnaires were completed by the two groups two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 16 using independent t-test, Chi-square and the analysis of covariance.
Results: Before the intervention, the two groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics and the PMT constructs (perceived rewards, perceived response cost, fear, perceived self-efficacy), and cancer screening behavior. The intervention could improve all the PMT constructs in the experimental group compared to the control group. Also, Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening behavior was 38(76) in the experimental group and 16(32) in the control group (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that protection motivation theory can be used as a framework for designing educational programs to perform prostate cancer screening.