Quels facteurs influencent la qualité de vie des patients tunisiens atteints de cancer du poumon? / Which factors influence the quality of life of Tunisian patients with lung cancer?

Introduction - Les facteurs influençant la qualité de vie (QDV) des patients tunisiens atteints d'un cancer du poumon (CDP) sont méconnus.L'objectif de cette étude est d'identifier les facteurs influençant la QDV des patients tunisiens atteints d'un CDP. Méthodes - Un questionnaire médical a évalué les caractéristiques générales et spécifiques de 100 patients dont 90 hommes, et les questionnaires QLQ-C30 et QLQLC13 ont évalué la QDV. Résultats - Les femmes, les sujets âgés, les mariés et les analphabètes avaient une mauvaise QDV. Comparativement aux patients indemnes de comorbidités, ceux ayant une à deux comorbidités avaient des scores d'activités physiques et professionnelles/loisirs plus bas. Comparativement aux patients ayant un cancer datant de moins d'un an, ceux dont le cancer datait de plus d'un an avaient des scores de santé globale et d'activité physique plus bas, et des scores de nausées/vomissements, d'insomnie et d'anorexie plus élevés. Les patients en stade avancé avaient une mauvaise QDV en termes d'activités physique et émotionnelle, d'insomnie et de constipation. Les patients ayant des métastases avaient une mauvaise QDV en termes de score global, d'activité physique, de fatigue, d'insomnie, d'anorexie et de diarrhée. Le type histologique et le type de traitement n'influençaient pas la QDV. Le sexe n'influençait pas les scores du QLQ-LC13. Comparativement aux patients traités par chimiothérapie, ceux traités par la combinaison chimiothérapie et chirurgie avaient des scores de dyspnée et de neuropathie périphérique plus élevés. Conclusion - Les facteurs suivants influencent la QDV des Tunisiens atteints d'un CDP: le sexe, l'âge, l'état civil, le niveau de scolarisation, les comorbidités, le stade et la durée d'évolution du cancer, et les métastases. Comparativement aux patients traités par chimiothérapie, ceux traités par chimiothérapie et chirurgie avaient des scores de dyspnée et de neuropathie périphérique plus élevés

Introduction - No previous study has established the factors that influence the quality of life (QOL) of tunisian patients with lung cancer (LC).This study aims to identify the factors that influence QOL of tunisian patients with LC. Methods. A medical questionnaire assessed the general and specific characteristics of 100 patients (90 men), and structured questionnaires (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13) assessed QOL. Results -Women, elderly, married and illiterate patients had poor QOL. Compared to patients free from comorbidity, those with one to two comorbidities had lower scores of physical and life-role activities. Compared to patients with cancer discovered less than one year ago, those who's cancer appeared more than one year ago had lower scores of global health, physical activity, nausea/vomiting, and higher scores of insomnia and anorexia. Patients with advanced cancer had poor QOL in terms of physical and emotional activities, and insomnia and constipation items. Patients with metastases had a poor QOL in terms of global health, physical activity, fatigue symptom, insomnia, anorexia, and diarrhea. The histological and treatment types did not influence QOL. The QLQ-LC13 scores were not influenced by sex. However, compared to patients treated with chemotherapy, those treated with chemotherapy and surgery had higher scores of dyspnea and peripheral neuropathy. Conclusion - The following factors influenced QOL of Tunisian patients with LC: sex, age, civil status, schooling level, comorbidities, LC stage and duration, metastases. Compared to patients treated with chemotherapy, those treated with chemotherapy and surgery had higher scores of dyspnea and peripheral neuropathy

Les cancers broncho-pulmonaires primitifs à Ouagadougou

Le cancer bronchique primitif est la deuxieme cause de mortalite dans le monde apres les pathologies cardiovasculaires. En Afrique; l'introduction de l'endoscopie a entraine l'augmentation de son 'incidence. Pour avoir une recente idee sur cette affection; nous avons decide de mener une etude retrospective et descriptive a Ouagadougou du 1er janvier 2002 au 31 decembre 2011. Ainsi avons-nous observe une preponderance masculine et un age moyen de 58 ans. La consommation moyenne de tabac a ete evaluee a 15 paquets-annee. Il y avait une predominance de l'atteinte de l'arbre bronchique droit et du carcinome epidermoide. La place du tabagisme a encore ete confirmee comme facteur etiologique

Prevalence of neurological manifestations of lung cancer among adult sudanese patients

The objective: is to study the prevalence of neurological manifestations among adults Sudanese patients with lung cancer seen in the Radiation and Isotope Centre in Khartoum. Methods: This is a prospective cross sectional hospital based study; conducted at Radiation and Isotope Centre in Khartoum. Sample of 52 adults Sudanese patients with lung cancer were included in the study. The period of the study was from February 2006 to July 2006. Data were collected by self administered questionnaire; this was constructed in sections to address the different aspects of the study as follows: personal data; presentation; physical examination; and investigations. The results: showed that 41 patients were males. Most of the patients were above 50 years of age. Fifty percent of our patients' were from Khartoum state. All of our patients had chest findings except one. The most common symptoms observed were of cranial nerves involvement; headache; limb weakness; numbness; and sphincteric disturbance. More than half of the patients were smokers. Other extrapulmonary manifestations noticed include: clubbing; lymph node enlargement; bone metastasis or fracture; gynaecomastia; superior vena cava obstruction; hepatomegaly; and ascites. Chest X-ray abnormalities showed pleural effusion; consolidation; hilar lymphadenopthy; collapsed lung; and fibrosis in the majority of patients. Most of our patients had adenocarcinoma; followed by squamous cell carcinoma; poorly differentiated carcinoma; and small cell carcinoma. Conclusion: The common neurological manifestations of lung cancer were found to be cranial nerves palsies; followed by lower limbs weakness; numbness; and sphincteric disturbances

A review of the effects of wood dust and vapours at work

There are 350 carpenters in the Seychelles. Most of them do not wear dust masks or safety glasses or overalls. Nor is the dust locally extracted at the machine itself. Three of these carpenters in the single year were suspected having lung cancer. Ultimately two of the diagnoses were confirmed whilst; the third was found to be a pneumoconiasis. The use of modern machinery; which produces very fine dust particles; without the use of the protective apparel which is compulsory in the developed world; is likely to have been an important contributory factor to these 3 mens' respiratory diseases

Clubbing cured by surgery. [case report]

Finger clubbing developing in an adult leads to a search for underlying pathology. When the lungs are the seat of disease the cause is often a peripheral; non-oat cell bronchial carcinoma. An unusual cause of clubbing; which might have been deemed inoperable if the pre-operative diagnosis had been malignancy; is reported

Lung cancer in Malawi: experience of bronchoscopy in Zomba General Hospital

In 1987; 11 cases of primary lung cancer were diagnosed on fibreoptic bronchoscopy and six patients were found to have clinical and radiological signs of lung malignancy. 12 of these patients were from Zomba district. This gives an estimated annual incidence of diagnosed lung cancer for Zomba of nearly 3 in 100;000. This figure is most probably an underestimate. Lung cancer was known to be rare in Malawi until 1980. If the actual incidence of this malignancy in Zomba can be applied to the rest of the country; it may be concluded that primary lung cancer is more common in Malawi than previously thought