Report of a Patient with Cancer Being Admitted to Palliative Care Ward whose Rehabilitation Training outside the Hospital Led to the Intention to Start Treatment / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

Rehabilitation therapy is important for patients with cancer, especially for those with terminal stage cancer who have physical malfunction and psychological distress. By setting goals according to patients' wishes, rehabilitation therapy may positively affect physical activity. In this study, we reported the implementation of rehabilitation training outside the hospital as a rehabilitation treatment. A 64-year-old man was diagnosed as having multiple brain metastases from lung cancer. The patient was admitted to the palliative care ward without active treatment according to his wish and was referred to the rehabilitation department. The patient had mild right hemiplegia at the time of initial examination and therefore required assistance for walking and eating. On the 51st day of the intervention, he requested to visit the ramen restaurant of his friend, which recently opened. Going out independently to the restaurant served as his practical training for improving his quality of life (QOL). This outing further expanded his activities of daily living, which made him motivated to treat his cancer. On the 71st day of intervention, he was discharged from the hospital and underwent outpatient examination. Therefore, the role of treatment in palliative care is to achieve the highest possible QOL. In this case, providing options according to the patients' wishes, such as outing, is believed to be effective in cancer treatment

Biocharacters of Keratin Family and Their Relationships with Malignant Tumors / 中国普外基础与临床杂志

Objective To investigate the recent studies on the biocharacters of keratin family (e.g. genetic mutations and abnormal expressions) and their relationships with the malignant tumors. Methods The literatures of recent years on the biocharacters of keratin family (e.g. genetic mutations and abnormal expressions) and their relationships with the malignant tumors were reviewed. Results Keratin family is a kind of structural proteins in cell which plays an important role in cytomechanics and regulates cell-cycle. The mutations of keratin genes (mRNA) or the overexpression of keratin proteins would interfere with the order of cell-cycle or the integrity of cytomechanics, and lead to some diseases and malignant tumors finally. Conclusion The studies on biocharaters of keratin family (e.g. genetic mutations and abnormal expressions) are helpful in the diagnosis, staging and the evaluation of prognosis of some diseases and cancers, e.g. liver cirrhosis, breast cancer, rectum carcinoma, etc.