J Buon
-
Comparative Study
The use of computed tomography in radiotherapy treatment planning for breast cancer. How does conventional radiotherapy planning compare with virtual?
To compare, in terms of ballistics and dosimetry, a conventional and a virtual simulation in 14 patients without changing the set-up. ⋯ The high incidence of breast cancer, the essential role of radiotherapy in its treatment and the potential ensuing toxicity explain why so many studies are devoted to the improvements brought to the techniques of this treatment. The virtual planning of the treatment, however, comes up against many difficulties. The countering of the CTV is complex and necessitates a combination of clinical examination and imagery. The choice of margins around the CTV has not been standardised and is largely dependent both on the equipment used and the quality control methods.
-
Clinical Trial
Emotional distress in cancer patients at the beginning of chemotherapy and its relation to quality of life.
The present study sought to determine the prevalence of emotional distress and evaluate demographic and clinical factors related to anxiety and depression in treatment-naïve cancer patients at the beginning of chemotherapy. Another objective was to explore the associations between emotional distress and quality of life (QoL), an endpoint of great importance in current cancer care. ⋯ Our results indicate that a significant proportion of Greek cancer patients experience intense anxiety and depression prior to chemotherapy, and confirm the adverse impact of psychological morbidity on patients' QoL. Standardized and timely screening of emotional distress across all phases of cancer will help to effectively identify patients whose symptoms warrant attention. Future studies should continue to develop and evaluate rapid measures for detecting significant emotional distress in cancer patients, and to devise appropriate interventions to treat distress and enhance patients' QoL.
-
To report our preliminary experience in the combined treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) using cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). ⋯ Our preliminary data suggest that the combined treatment of cytoreduction plus HIPEC for PC is associated with acceptable mortality and morbidity and offers an improved survival in these patients. An optimal patient selection and establishment of experienced centres are of paramount importance.