Tumori
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In Oncology, little is known about dignity-related distress and the issues that influence the sense of dignity for patients. We validated the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) questionnaire in Italian patients on oncological active treatments. ⋯ The Italian version of PDI is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the dignity related-distress in out-patients with solid and hematological cancers, on active oncological treatments, in non advanced stages of the disease.
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The aims of this paper are to report the development of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in breast cancer at a single institution and to discuss the relevant issues on SNB still to be elucidated. ⋯ Overall and disease-free survival in patients with a negative SNB result and no further axillary surgery were equal to those in patients with negative ALND. Intraoperative assessment of the sentinel node in expert hands has a low false-negative rate and allows immediate ALND in patients with sentinel node metastases, avoiding the need for a second operation. ALND for sentinel node micrometastases may be safely omitted in most patients with early stage breast cancer.
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Clinical Trial
Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancers: preliminary results.
Electrochemotherapy is a tumor ablation modality providing delivery into the cell interior of impermeant or poorly permeant chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin and bleomycin. A locally applied electrical field enhances the membrane permeability allowing intracellular accumulation of the chemotherapeutic agent. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ECT for the treatment of a group of patients affected by recurrent of extended primary head and neck cancer and not suitable for standard therapeutic options. ⋯ Our study confirms the effectiveness of electrochemotherapy in the treatment or local control of recurrent or extended primary head and neck cancer in patients not suitable for standard therapeutic options.
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Although hope is a widely used term, the experience of hope in patients with chronic or even life-threatening diseases is often disregarded due to the scarcity of carefully designed and validated assessment tools. The aim of this study was to validate the Hope Herth Index (HHI) questionnaire in the Italian population of patients with solid or hematological malignancies during active cancer treatment. ⋯ The Italian version of HHI is a valid and reliable assessment tool - useful to initiate conversation with someone who is troubled but finds it difficult to talk - in patients with either solid or hematological malignancies on active cancer treatment during the non-advanced stages of the disease.