Minimally invasive esophagectomy via Sweet approach in combination with cervical mediastinoscopy is a valuable approach for surgical treatment of esophageal cancer / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#To compare the short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes in patients with esophageal cancer between minimally invasive esophagectomy via Sweet approach in combination with cervical mediastinoscopy (MIE-SM) and minimally invasive esophagectomy via McKeown approach (MIE-MC), and to evaluate the value of MIE-SM in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer.@*METHODS@#A prospective, nonrandomized study was adopted. A total of 65 esophageal cancer patients after MIE-SM and MIE-MC from June 2014 to May 2016 were included. Among them, 33 patients underwent MIE-SM and 32 patients underwent MIE-MC. Short-term outcomes (including the duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss volume, ICU stay time, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital stay, reoperation, open surgery, number of dissected lymph nodes, and 30-day mortality), mid-term outcomes, [including Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the esophageal site-specific module (QLQ-OES18)], long-term outcomes [including overall survival and disease-free survival] were compared between the 2 groups.@*RESULTS@#Radical resection (R0) were achieved in all patients. There were no significant differences in the duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss volume, ICU stay time, postoperative complications, and postoperative hospital stay between the 2 groups (all @*CONCLUSIONS@#MIE-SM appears to be a safe surgical approach, which may get better quality of life, suffer less pain, and can achieve the same therapeutic effect as MIE-MC. Therefore, MIE-SM should be considered as a valuable approach for the treatment of middle and lower esophageal cancer.

Validity and reliability of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 – Tagalog among adult Filipinos with differentiated Thyroid Cancer / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

Objective@#This study aims to determine the convergent and discriminant validity and internal consistent reliability of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) Tagalog among adult Filipinos with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).@*Methodology@#104 adult Filipinos with DTC at various disease stages self-administered the EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3 Tagalog and Short Form-36 (SF-36) version 2 Tagalog. Concurrent validity between conceptually-related scales from both tools was determined. Convergent and discriminant validity of multi-item scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 Tagalog were assessed by Spearman’s correlation. Cronbach's α was computed.@*Results@#The EORTC QLQ-C30 Tagalog showed moderate correlation with similar scales in the SF-36 Tagalog particulary for physical, role and social functioning, pain, and global health (r=0.42-0.48, p<0.001). It showed satisfactory item-domain convergent and discriminant validity for all scales except pain, fatigue, physical and cognitive functioning. Internal consistent reliability was good with cronbachs α ranging from 0.77 to 0.88 for global health, emotional and role functioning and symptom scale of nausea/vomiting.@*Conclusion@#The EORTC QLQ-C30 Tagalog had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity and internal consistent reliability for the scales of global health, role, social and emotional functioning and nausea/vomiting when applied among adult Filipinos with DTC.

Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Oncology Patients and Its Association with Quality of Life / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The primary aim of the study was to compare two nutritional status evaluation tools: the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002). Using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the second aim was to provide constructive advice regarding the quality of life of patients with malignancy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study enrolled 312 oncology patients and assessed their nutritional status and quality of life using the PG-SGA, NRS-2002, and EORTC QLQ-C30.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The data indicate that 6% of the cancer patients were well nourished. The SGA-A had a higher sensitivity (93.73%) but a poorer specificity (2.30%) than the NRS-2002 (69.30% and 25.00%, respectively) after comparison with albumin. There was a low negative correlation and a high similarity between the PG-SGA and NRS-2002 for evaluating nutritional status, and there was a significant difference in the median PG-SGA scores for each of the SGA classifications (P < 0.001). The SGA-C group showed the highest PG-SGA scores and lowest body mass index. The majority of the target population received 2 points for each item in our 11-item questionnaire from the EORTC QLQ-C30.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The data indicate that the PG-SGA is more useful and suitable for evaluating nutritional status than the NRS-2002. Additionally, early nutrition monitoring can prevent malnutrition and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.</p>

Nutritional Status and Quality of Life of Oncology Patients Prior to Pelvic Radiotherapy

Introduction: Malnutrition among cancer patients is associated with a higher risk of gastrointestinal toxicity which develops during treatment and may affect quality of life (QOL). Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the nutritional status and QOL of 30 oncology patients (mean age 50.0+10.7 years) prior to pelvic radiotherapy at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru. Methods: Patients were assessed for anthropometry measurements, 24-h diet recall and nutritional status using Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) questionnaire while the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Care Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess QOL two weeks prior to the initiation of pelvic radiotherapy. Results: Mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of patients was 23.3+3.3kg/m2 and 33% of patients experienced weight loss prior to pelvic radiotherapy. The PG-SGA rating indicated that 63% of patients were at Stage A (well-nourished) and 37% were in Stage B (moderate malnutrition). The PG-SGA numerical score was a significant predictor of QOL, after adjusting for socio-demographic factors (R2=0.861, p<0.05). Conclusion: In general, the low nutritional status of the patients indicates the need for early nutritional assessment, education and intervention in ensuring optimal nutritional status throughout the pelvic radiotherapy treatment.

Effect of Wheat-sized Moxibustion on the Quality of Life and IL-10 in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Tumor / 上海针灸杂志

ObjectiveBy observing and comparing the effect of wheat-sized moxibustion on the quality of life and interleukin (IL)-10 expression in stageⅢ~Ⅳtumor patients of two different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patterns by using QLQ-C30 questionnaire, to see whether wheat-sized moxibustion can improve the quality of life, regulate oncology-related immune system, and enhance the survival rate of the stageⅢ~Ⅳtumor patients.MethodForty-two tumor patients were randomized into a treatment group and a control group and were differentiated into TCM patterns. The treatment group was intervened by conventional Chinese and Western medicine plus 2 weeks of wheat-sized moxibustion. QLQ-C30 questionnaire was adopted for evaluation before and after treatment, and peripheral blood was drawn to detect the expression of IL-10.ResultWheat-sized moxibustion improved the quality of life, especially fatigueand poor appetite; the expression of IL-10 dropped after wheat-sized moxibustion.Conclusion Wheat-sized moxibustion can improve the quality of life of the tumor patients and down-regulate the expression of IL-10.

Quality of Life among Female Breast Cancer Patients in a University Hospital in Malaysia.

Aims: To assess the Quality of Life (QOL) among female breast cancer patients in a university hospital in Malaysia. Study Design: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Surgery and Oncology Clinic in University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) between 22nd May 2014 and 27th June 2014. Methodology: A total of 133 female breast cancer patients were selected by universal sampling, out of which 117 patients responded. The QOL was measured both by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and breast cancer specific supplementary module (QLQ-BR23). Results: The global health status/QOL mean score was 67.81 (SD±18.92). Mean age of the respondent was 54 years (SD±18.39). Nearly half of the Malay breast cancer patients (45.6%) diagnosed at the stage of III & IV. In the functional scales, the highest mean score was observed for cognitive functioning 83.19 (SD±22.26); whereas emotional functioning had the lowest mean score 62.96 (SD±26.39). The respondents were satisfied with their body image with a mean score of 81.34 (SD±24.26) but greatly affected by sexual functioning with a mean score of 31.48 (SD±26.96). Most prevalent general symptoms reported in this study were fatigue, insomnia, pain, appetite loss and financial difficulties; and most prevalent breast cancer specific symptom was found upset by hair loss. Conclusion: Specific measures should be taken for the routine breast cancer screening, awareness and education programmes to promote early detection and diagnosis of the breast cancer. The planned rehabilitation protocol should be addressed by health care professionals to further improve the QOL among breast cancer patients.

A Comparative Study on the Assessment of the Quality of Life by Older Cancer Patients and Caregivers and Assessment of Performance Status by Medical Staff

BACKGROUND: The study examined the correlations among the results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (QLQ-C30) completed by elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-performance status (PS) evaluated by medical doctors. METHODS: The study sample included 269 persons with cancer aged 55 years or older and their family caregivers recruited from hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The results of the ECOG-PS evaluated by medical doctors were obtained from medical records. Intra-class correlation analysis was used to assess rater reliability between the elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers. Correlations among the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the ECOG-PS were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearmen's correlation. RESULTS: The results showed that four subscales of quality of life (physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and global health status) and three items under symptoms (fatigue, pain, and financial difficulties) in the EORTC QLQ-C30 were highly consistent between patients and their family caregivers. From the EORTC QLQ-C30 results, social functioning, role functioning, health status, fatigue, pain, and appetite loss (patients results) and physical functioning (family caregivers results) were highly consistent with the results of the ECOG-PS by the physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that when the older persons with cancer have difficulty expressing their own thoughts or feelings, the EORTC QLQ-C30 completed by their family caregivers and the results of the ECOG-PS completed by the physicians could be used as substitutes.

Preferential solvation of xylitol in ethanol + water co-solvent mixtures according to the IKBI and QLQC methods / Solvatación preferencial del xilitol en mezclas cosolventes etanol + agua según los métodos IKBI y QLQC / Solvatação preferencial do xilitol no misturas cosolventes etanol + água acordo o métodos IKBI e QLQC

The preferential solvation parameters, i.e., the differences between the local around the solute and bulk mole fractions of the solvents in solutions of xylitol in ethanol + water binary mixtures are derived from their thermodynamic properties by means of the inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals (IKBI) and quasi-lattice quasi-chemical (QLQC) methods. According to IKBI method it is found that xylitol is sensitive to solvation effects, so the preferential solvation parameter δxE,S, is slightly positive in water-rich and negative in mixtures beyond 0.25 in mole fraction of ethanol. In different way, according to QLQC method, negative values of δxE,S are found in all the compositions evaluated. The more solvation by ethanol observed in water-rich mixtures could be due mainly to polarity effects. Otherwise, the preference of this compound for water in ethanol-rich mixtures could be explained in terms of the bigger acidic behavior of water interacting with hydrogen-acceptor hydroxyl groups in xylitol.

Partiendo de algunas propiedades termodinámicas clásicas se calcularon los parámetros de solvatación preferencial del xilitol (dxE,S) en mezclas etanol + agua mediante el método de las integrales inversas de Kirkwood-Buff (IKBI) y el método cuasi-enrejado-cuasi-químico (QLQC). Los parámetros dxE,S corresponden a las diferencias entre las fracciones molares locales alrededor del soluto y en el grueso de la solución. Con base en estos valores, se encuentra que este compuesto es altamente sensible a los efectos específicos de solvatación según la composición cosolvente. Así, según el método IKBI, los valores de dxE,S son positivos en mezclas ricas en agua pero negativos en composiciones desde 0.25 en fracción molar de etanol hasta el etanol puro. Sin embargo, según el método QLQC, los valores de dxE,S son negativos en todas las composiciones co-solventes analizadas. En mezclas ricas en agua la mayor solvatación por las moléculas de etanol podría deberse principalmente a efectos de polaridad. De otro lado, la preferencia que manifiesta este compuesto por el agua en mezclas ricas en etanol podría explicarse en términos del mayor comportamiento ácido del agua que estaría interactuando con los grupos aceptores de hidrógeno presentes en el soluto.

Começando a partir de algumas propriedades termodinâmicas clássicos neste trabalho, foram calculados os parâmetros de solvatação preferenciais de xilitol (δxE,S) em misturas etanol + água pelo método de integrais inversas de Kirkwood-Buff (IKBI) e o método quase-reticulado quase-químicas (QLQC). Parâmetros δxE,S correspondem às diferenças entre as fracções molares locais ao redor do soluto na solução e a granel. Com base nestes valores se verifique que este composto é extremamente sensível aos efeitos específicos de solvatação por composição de cosolvente. Assim, de acordo com o método IKBI, valores δx E,S são positivas em misturas ricas em água, mas negativas em composições 0,25 de fracção mole de etanol a etanol puro. No entanto, de acordo com o método QLQC, os valores de δxE,S são negativas em todas as composições testadas. Solvatação de xilitol por moléculas de etanol em misturas ricas em água pode ser devido por polaridade. Por outro lado, a preferência de este composto por água em misturas em etanol pode ser explicada em termos de comportamento ácido de água com os grupos aceitadores de hidrogénio presentes no soluto.

Evaluation of QOL in cancer patients under intervention by a palliative care team

<b>Purpose</b>: We assessed the efficacy of a palliative care team (PCT) in improving quality of life (QOL) among Japanese cancer patients. <b>Patients and methods</b>: This prospective study involved adult patients treated in the Division of Respiratory Medicine and Medical Oncology/Hematology at Kobe University Hospital between November 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010. Every patient had requested intervention by the PCT. Patients were asked to complete the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire at baseline and 1 and 4 weeks after initiation of the PCT intervention. <b>Result</b>: Of the 35 patients enrolled, 26 patients and 15 patients completed the assessments at 1 and 4 weeks after starting the intervention, respectively. Pain subscale (PA) was improved at 1 week after starting the intervention (p<0.05). Dyspnea subscale (DY) and PA were improved at 4 weeks after starting the intervention (p<0.05). <b>Conclusion</b>: We prospectively showed that QOL of cancer patients was improved with the intervention of the PCT, using the Japanese version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL. Even if the PCT can only provide short-term care for cancer patients, this intervention appears worthwhile to improve QOL of cancer patients.

Autologous stem cell transplantation improves quality of life in economically challenged, brazilian multiple myeloma patients

OBJECTIVES: 1) To characterize the impact of multiple myeloma on the quality of life of patients treated in two public institutions in São Paulo State, Brazil, using a generic Short Form 36 Health Survey and a questionnaire specific for oncologic patients (QLQ-C30) upon diagnosis, after the clinical treatment, and at day +100 after autologous stem cell transplantation; 2) to evaluate whether autologous stem cell transplantation can improve the quality of life of our economically challenged population aside from providing a clinical benefit and disease control. METHODS: We evaluated 49 patients with multiple myeloma (a total of 70 interviews) using the two questionnaires. The scores upon diagnosis, post-treatment/pre-autologous stem cell transplantation, and at D+100 were compared using ANOVA (a comparison of the three groups), post hoc tests (two-by-two comparisons of the three groups), and paired t-tests (the same case at two different times). RESULTS: Of the included patients, 87.8 percent had a family budget under US $600 (economic class C, D, or E) per month. The generic Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaire demonstrated that physical function, role-physical, and bodily pain indices were statistically different across all three groups, favoring the D+100 autologous stem cell transplantation group (ANOVA). The questionnaire specific for oncologic patients, the QLQ-C30 questionnaire, confirmed what had been demonstrated by the Short Form 36 Health Survey with respect to physical function and bodily pain, with improvements in role functioning, fatigue, and lack of appetite and constipation, favoring the D+100 autologous stem cell transplant group (ANOVA). The post hoc tests and paired t-tests confirmed a better outcome after autologous stem cell transplantation CONCLUSION: The questionnaire specific for cancer patients seems to be more informative than the generic Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaire and reflects the real benefit of autologous stem cell transplantation in the quality of life of multiple myeloma patients in two public Brazilian institutions that provide assistance for economically challenged patients.

The effect on short-term quality of life in patients with esophageal carcinoma received concurrent chemoradiotherapy / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose: Most of the patients with esophageal cancers were late stage cases when diagnosed clinically. Since the prognosis is very poor, it is extremely important to improve the quality of life (QOL) of these patients. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is an effective modality for esophageal cancer. However, effects on quality of life of chemoradiotherapy are rarely reported domestically. Our purpose was to assess the immediate effect on the quality of life in patients with primary esophageal carcinoma. Methods: QOL was assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) Chinese edition. Fifty-two patients were randomized to receive either concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or late course accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy (LAHF). QOL questionnaires were given before therapy and at the 4th week during radiotherapy, the completion of radiotherapy, and then after 1 and 3 months after the completion of radiotherapy, respectively. Results: It has been observed that the scores of global health status, physical functioning,role functioning and social functioning during the radiotherapy and from completion of radiotherapy to 1 month post radiotherapy in CRT and LAHF groups, deteriorated temporarily, but it were not significant when compared with those before radiotherapy (P>0.05). However, global health status scores, physical functioning scores, role functioning scores were significantly improved in patients who received CRT at 3 months post radiotherapy. Mean scores were improved by 12.0±3.7 (P=0.012),8.1±2.9 (P=0.023) and 14.8±5.2 (P=0.015), respectively. Nausea and vomiting, pain and appetite loss scales scores rapidly recovered to the baseline level after therapy, although they were worsened during therapy.Conclusion: Global health status scores, physical functioning scores and role functioning scores were significantly improved at 3 months after radiotherapy in patients treated by CRT. In terms of QOL, CRT is a feasible modality for esophageal cancer.

Effect of Bailong Jieyu Granules on Qulity of Life of Patients with Cancer-ralated Depression / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the influence of Bailong Jieyu Granules on quality of life (QOL) of patients with cancer-ralated depression. Methods A prospective and self-control clinical trial was carried out. Sixty seven patients with cancer-ralated depression were chosen and treated with Bailong Jieyu Granules. EORTC QLQ-C30 3.0 scores of patients were assessed before and after the treatment. Results After treatment of Bailong Jieyu Granules, the scores of role function, emotional function and global quality of life were increased, while the scores of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, insomnia and appetite loss were decreased, there were significant differences (P