Asia-Pacific journal of clinical oncology
-
Health literacy refers to one's ability to obtain, process and understand health information and services to enable sound health decision-making. This is an area of increasing importance due to the complexity of the health system, especially in the cancer setting. A certain level of health literacy is required for patients to fully understand health information and services to make sound decisions about their health care, including decisions about screening and treatment. ⋯ In addition, cancer patients who have a poor understanding of their disease may experience greater anxiety and be more dissatisfied with their care. Various strategies have been suggested to assist cancer patients with low health literacy. However, more work needs to be done to support all cancer patients with varying levels of health literacy, thus enhancing health experiences and health outcomes.
-
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol · Mar 2012
Pilot study evaluating the role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in monitoring adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for breast cancer.
To explore the incidence of subclinical cardiotoxicity in women treated with adjuvant trastuzumab in the early breast cancer setting using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI). ⋯ Tissue characterization using cMRI may provide a useful tool in defining trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity.
-
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol · Mar 2012
Quantification of trends in radiation oncology infrastructure in Pakistan, 2004-2009.
To provide objective estimates of radiation oncology infrastructure in Pakistan for the years 2004 and 2009 in order to quantify trends in radiotherapy facilities, patient load and to identify the future needs. ⋯ While there was an increase in number of radiotherapy centers, equipment and human resources available, this was insufficient to comply with international guidelines. An adequate enhancement in radiation oncology infrastructure is needed to cope with the predicted rise in cancer incidence.
-
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol · Jun 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyComparative effectiveness of bevacizumab plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy versus pemetrexed plus cisplatin treatment in East Asian non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients applying real-life outcomes.
To indirectly compare real-life clinical effectiveness of bevacizumab + cisplatin-based therapy from the Safety of Avastin in Lung (SAiL) phase IV clinical trial with published evidence from the phase III clinical trial for pemetrexed + cisplatin among East Asian patients with non-squamous metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ The results suggest that East Asian non-squamous NSCLC patients treated with bevacizumab-based therapy have a trend toward improved PFS outcomes compared to those treated with pemetrexed + cisplatin, even after adjusting for differences between the two trial groups.
-
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol · Jun 2011
ReviewClinical guidance on the perioperative use of targeted agents in solid tumor oncology.
The use of targeted anti-cancer agents is increasing. It is common to utilize a multi-modal treatment approach towards solid tumors, often including surgical resection, and it has become apparent that some targeted agents can impair wound healing or cause an increased risk of perioperative complications. This article reviews targeted agents used in solid tumor oncology with an emphasis on clinically relevant details. ⋯ The greatest amount of evidence exists for bevacizumab causing perioperative complications, possibly due to its extended half-life. There are limited data for cetuximab, sorafenib and sunitinib and very little for other solid tumor targeted agents. Our findings suggest that there should be heightened pharmacovigilence around targeted agents with respect to perioperative complications and increased post-surgical support for patients to aid early detection of postoperative complications until definitive data become available.