Quality of life in gynecologic cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: A descriptive study for evaluating the variables which influence the quality of life was performed in women with gynecologic cancer undergoing various kinds of treatment. METHODS: The study was based on a chart review of 104 women with gynecologic cancer and analyses of their compiled FACT-G (V4); (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General) questionnaires. Patients were assessed before and 3 months after treatment.The relationship of a number of biomedical variables with quality of life outcomes was tested. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 50.13 years. The most involved organ was ovary (42.3%).The mean of socio-familial, emotional, functional well-being and overall quality of life 3 months after the treatment were greater than previously. The mean of physical well-being after 3 months of treatment was lower than before that (p<0.05). There were no statistical difference between the mean of overall quality of life before treatment and that 3 months after treatment for variables such as marital status, qualification, job, parity, co-morbidity diseases, organ involved, and stage of cancer (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: More studies must utilize quality of life as a primary endpoint. As gynecologic cancers are usually discovered in late stages, strategies for supportive care need to focus on symptom management.

Knowledge and attitudes of physicians in Iran with regard to chronic cancer pain.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The knowledge and attitudes of health care professionals with regard to pain and its impact on the patient are among identified barriers that prevent health care professionals from providing effective treatment for pain. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate knowledge about and attitudes towards cancer pain and its management in Iranian physicians with patient care responsibilities. METHODS: We surveyed 122 physicians in six university hospitals in Tehran. Fifty-five (45.1%) questionnaires were completed. RESULTS: The majority of physicians (76%) recognized the importance of pain management priority and about one half of the physicians acknowledged the problem of inadequate pain management in their settings. Most cited inability to access professionals who practice specialized methods in this field, and inadequate staff knowledge of pain management as barriers to good pain management. A large majority of them expressed dissatisfaction with their training for pain management in medical school and in residency. Furthermore a considerable widespread knowledge deficit among all medical subspecialties and all levels of experience was noted which was significantly more profound in the non-oncologists group and only correlated poorly with number of total treated patients in past 6 months. CONCLUSION: The most significant barrier to the effective management of pain in cancer patients in Iran is deficit in knowledge as identified in this survey. A combination of an active continuing education program on both the international guidelines with routine professional education and dissemination of guidelines is needed to bring about significant improvement in cancer pain control.

Accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for early detection of cervical dysplasia in Tehran, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of visual inspection with 5% acetic acid (VIA) when used to detect cervical cancer and its precursors. METHODS: The study population included women attended Family Planning and Gynecological Clinic in Bagher Abad Health Center and Mirza Koochak Khan Hospital for regular cervical screening tests. After obtaining informed consent from each woman, VIA was performed. One hundred with a positive VIA test and 100 women with a negative VIA test were randomly selected for this study. Cytology and colposcopy examination were performed for all 200 cases and cervical biopsies were conducted for those individuals showing abnormal colposcopic findings. RESULTS: Nine cases in VIA-positive group and two cases in VIA-negative group had an abnormal cytology. Ninety five women in the VIA-positive group and 25 in the VIA-negative group had abnormal colposcopic findings. From biopsy examination, 67 (71%) of cases in the VIA-positive group and 3 (12%) cases in the VIA-negative group had a final diagnosis of dysplasia. Among biopsied samples, only 7 cases of VIA-positive group showed abnormal result and the remaining were normal. Based on these results, VIA test sensitivity and specificity were 95.7% and 44.0% respectively, while they were 10% and 92% for cytology tests. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that although VIA is a sensitive screening test for detection of cervical dysplasia, it can not be used by itself. Applying VIA along with Pap smears helps to detect a higher number of cases with cancer precursor lesions.

Knowledge and concerns about cancer in patients with primary gynecologic cancers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure the level of knowledge about cancer among patients with primary gynecologic cancers and the rate of awareness for diagnosis. METHODS: Two hundred patients with primary gynecologic cancers in Vaie Asr & Mirza Kochak Khan hospitals, Tehran/Iran, participated and entered the study and were interviewed by trained nurses. The interview included questions about knowledge of their cancer and risk factors. RESULTS: One hundred fifteen of 200 subjects (58%) knew that their disease was malignant, of which 56 were aware of the exact diagnosis. Fifty six percent of the subjects believed that doctors must say the true diagnosis. The level of general knowledge about cancer was poor in 34%of cases. Regarding cancer risk factors, 47% had a poor level of knowledge. Misconception about injury and depression as predisposing factors were common. Level of general knowledge was significantly higher in younger than in older patients (p<0.05). Also patients with a greater length of formal education had a higher level of knowledge (p<0.0001). Patients who received information from medical personnel and who were aware of diagnosis had a higher level of knowledge (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge about cancer should be promoted in both the general public and in patients. Medical personnel may play a great role in this field.