Application of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients / 中国针灸

To analyze the application feasibility of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients. Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion adjusts the spirit to regulate emotions and fortifies the spleen to supplement and boost foundation of acquired (postnatal) constitution. And it could relieve adverse reactions after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, alleviate pain and regulate emotions in hospice care for terminal cancer patients, so as to promote the progress of hospice care for terminal cancer patients.

Report of One Case, Successfully Managed with Fentanyl for the Relief of Breathlessness in a Patient with Lung Cancer / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

Morphine is the only opioid that has been found effective for the relief of dyspnea in cancer patients. However, efficacy has not been fully demonstrated for other opioids such as fentanyl. Here, we report a case of lung cancer in which the use of fentanyl was effective for the relief of dyspnea. The patient was an 88-year-old man who had cT4N2M0, cStage IIIB lung cancer with right bronchial involvement and mediastinal lymph node metastases. Although the patient complained of dyspnea, he was not given morphine due to underlying renal dysfunction. He instead received oxygen therapy, and treatment with oral steroids and oxycodone. As oral administration became more difficult with subsequent lung cancer progression, the patient underwent opioid switching from oxycodone to subcutaneous injections of fentanyl. Dyspnea was not exacerbated following the switching, and was thereafter effectively managed by increasing the fentanyl dose and using rescue medication. Fentanyl is suggested to be a possible therapeutic option for dyspnea in cases where the use of morphine is difficult.

Integrated oncology and palliative care: five years experience at the National Cancer Institute of Mexico / Oncología integrada y cuidados paliativos: experiencia de cinco años en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología en México

Abstract Under the national plan for addressing cancer, prevention and detection play important roles. However, the cost of treatments and late diagnosis represent a significant burden on health services. At the National Cancer Institute, more than half of patients present with tumors in advanced stages, and approximately 10% of patients seen for the first time exhibit terminal-stage malignancies, where there are no feasible cancer treatment options, and the patients are instead admitted to the hospital exclusively for palliative symptomatic management. In 2010, the National Cancer Plan began implementing a model of integrative management of palliative care in oncology that has gradually come to include symptomatic palliative care, involving ambulatory, distant and hospitalized management of patients with cancer, in its final stages and, more recently, in earlier stages.

Resumen En el marco del plan nacional para abordar el cáncer, la prevención y la detección juegan un papel importante. Sin embargo, el costo de tratamientos y diagnóstico tardío representan una carga significativa en los servicios de salud. En el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, más de la mitad de los pacientes presentan tumores en etapas avanzadas, y aproximadamente10% de los pacientes que acuden a consulta por primera vez presentan malignidades en etapa terminal, donde no hay opciones factibles para de tratamiento del cáncer; en su lugar, los pacientes son admitidos en el hospital exclusivamente para manejo sintomático paliativo. En 2010, el Plan Nacional del Cáncer comenzó a implementar un modelo de gestión integral de los cuidados paliativos en oncología que ha logrado gradualmente incluir cuidados sintomáticos paliativos, incluyendo manejo ambulatorio, distante y hospitalizado de los pacientes con cáncer en fase final y, más recientemente, en las primeras fases.

Evaluación de la calidad de vida en pacientes con cáncer terminal / Assessment of quality of life in patients with terminal cancer

Introduction: research on life quality of cancer patients allows giving the attention back to the patient and his/her needs. Materials and Methods: FACT-G survey was performed to 77 terminal cancer patients on the Palliative Care and Pain Relief unit from Iquique's General Hospital. Results: physical welfare was evaluated with a 21.22 out of a maximum of 28, social/familiar welfare had a 12.57 over 28, emotional welfare was 16 over 24 and functional welfare had 17.33 over 28. Final score, which represents the sum of the four prior divisions, with a scale from 0 to 108, was 67.62 percent of the maximum score. Conclusions: performance of life quality surveys is feasible for cancer patients, and allows us to make specific interventions on the patient and his/her close ones to improve his/her life quality.

Introducción: los estudios de calidad de vida en pacientes oncológicos permiten devolver la atención al paciente y a sus necesidades. Material y Método: se realiza la encuesta FACT-G (Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment) a 77 pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer terminal pertenecientes al policlínico de cuidados paliativos y alivio del dolor del Hospital Ernesto Torres Galdames de Iquique. Resultados: el bienestar físico fue evaluado con 21,22 sobre un máximo de 28, el bienestar Social/Familiar obtuvo 12,57 de 28; el bienestar emocional obtuvo 16 sobre 24; el bienestar funcional obtuvo 17,33 sobre 28. El Score final, que representa la suma de las cuatro divisiones anteriores, con una escala de 0 a 108, fue de 67, que representa el 62 por ciento del puntaje máximo. Conclusiones: es factible la realización de encuestas de calidad de vida en pacientes con cáncer, las cuales nos permiten realizar intervenciones puntuales sobre el paciente y sus cercanos que mejoren su calidad de vida.