Asian Pac J Cancer P
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Asian Pac J Cancer P · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyGender differences associated with pain characteristics and treatment in taiwanese oncology outpatients.
The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to examine gender differences relevant to pain intensity, opioid prescription patterns and opioid consumption in Taiwanese oncology outpatients. The 92 participants had been prescribed opioid analgesics for cancer-related pain at least once in the past week and were asked to complete the Brief Pain Inventory - Chinese questionnaire and to recall the dosage of each opioid analgesic that they had ingested within the previous 24 hours. For opioid prescriptions and consumption, all analgesics were converted to morphine equivalents. ⋯ However, there was no difference between males and females in opioid prescriptions on an ATC basis (t = 0.52, p = 0.60) or at an ATC + PRN basis (t = 0.40, p = 0.69). The results suggest that there may be a gender bias in the treatment of cancer pain, supporting the proposal of routine examination of the effect of gender on cancer pain management. These findings suggest that clinicians should be particularly aware of potential gender differences during pain monitoring and the consumption of prescribed opioid analgesics.
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Asian Pac J Cancer P · Jan 2013
Translation and validation of the activities of daily living scale with Iranian elderly cancer patients treated in an oncology unit.
This study evaluated the validity and reliability of applying the Katz's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale in an Iranian sample of elderly oncologic patients following initial cancer treatment. ⋯ The results suggest that the Iranian version of ADL applied for oncologic older adult patients following initial cancer treatment is a reliable and a valid clinical instrument and comparable to those reported in other studies.
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Asian Pac J Cancer P · Jan 2013
Effect of pre-procedural state-trait anxiety on pain perception and discomfort in women undergoing colposcopy for cervical cytological abnormalities.
Colposcopy is the gold standard procedure for evaluating cervical cytological abnormalities. Although it is essentially a minimally invasive intervention, referral for colposcopy may cause significant distress on patients. In this study, we aimed to determine if pre-procedural anxiety levels have a significant association with procedure related pain and discomfort in women undergoing colposcopy for evaluation of abnormal cervical cytology. We also assessed the impact of various clinical factors on anxiety, pain and discomfort in these patients. ⋯ Additional measures should be implemented in women that carry higher risk for experiencing pain and discomfort. Social, cultural and lifestyle issues may also affect women's experiences during colposcopy, therefore further studies are needed to define specific determining factors in various populations.
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Asian Pac J Cancer P · Jan 2013
Acidic pelvic drainage as a predictive factor for anastomotic leakage after surgery for patients with rectal cancer.
To demonstrate the value of sequential determinations of pelvic drainage in the identification of increased risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) after anterior resection for rectal cancer with a double stapling technique. ⋯ According to these results, an early and persistent declining of pH value of pelvic drainage fluid after rectal surgery with anastomosis, is a marker of AL. A cut-off value of 6.798 on POD3 maximizes sensitivity and specificity.
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Asian Pac J Cancer P · Jan 2013
Knowledge and attitudes toward palliative terminal cancer care among Thai generalists.
Our objective was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of Thai generalists (general physicians) toward palliative terminal cancer care (PC) in a primary care setting. ⋯ Formal education in palliative care and development of palliative care services are very much needed in Thailand to provide holistic care to terminally ill patients.