Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Mar 2004
Multicenter Study[Reliability and validity of the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual (FACIT-Sp) Japanese version in cancer patients--a preliminary study].
The reliability and validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp), Japanese version, which was developed in the United States for a simple survey of QOL related to spirituality, was evaluated. The survey simultaneously covered FACIT-Sp and HADS, an anxiety and depression scale, using 64 cancer patients as the subjects of the study. ⋯ The correlation with HADS depression and anxiety scales was -0.54 and -0.56, respectively, showing that the emotional and spiritual scales are independent of each other. The findings suggest that The Japanese version of FACIT-Sp is associated with satisfactory reliability and validity and is an effective tool in the study of spirituality among cancer patients.
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Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), the most common submucosal tumor in the gut, express the KIT protein. Gain-of-function mutations in the KIT or PDGF-R alpha gene is involved in oncogenesis and growth of GISTs. ⋯ Now, imatinib is in the first-line for non-resectable GISTs. Resistance against imatinib, however, is proved after long-standing use of the drug.
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Feb 2004
Review[Controversies in breast conservation treatment for breast cancer].
Breast conservation treatment has become the standard treatment for early breast cancer patients, after the equivalence of mastectomy and breast conservation treatment was demonstrated in prospective, randomized trials and large retrospective studies. New questions, such as the feasibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in improving breast conserving rate, the appropriateness of breast conservation treatment in ductal carcinoma in situ, the effectiveness of radiation therapy in patients treated by breast conservation, and patient selection for breast conservation without radiation, are now being raised. Future work that needs to be done to answer these questions is discussed in this review.
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Feb 2004
[Current controversy on the effectiveness of mammographic screening for breast cancer in western nations].
In 2000, Olsen and Gøtzsche raised doubt about the results of randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the effectiveness of mammography screening. The paper aroused much criticism, and on October 20, 2001, Olsen and Gøtzsche again published the results of meta-analysis on the effectiveness of screening for breast cancer using mammography. ⋯ Their article in 2001 created worldwide controversy on the effectiveness of screening for breast cancer using mammography. However, breast cancer mortality has declined after introducing the screening mammography in many Western nations, and the guidelines for breast cancer screening were not changed in the countries.
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In Yamaguchi Red Cross Hospital, hospice services are provided under coordination of palliative care for outpatients and for inpatients and home palliative care. The Home Nursing Center plays the central roles in home palliative care and needs to exclusively provide home medical services. ⋯ In the future hospice and palliative home care services, the system to allow patients to choose in-hospital care/outpatient care/home palliative care should be established. Home palliative care should be disseminated under the coordination of local municipalities, medical institutions and welfare service organizations so that patients and families can live meaningful lives at their home where they long lived as the place they chose to live.