ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: PET/CT and radioisotope therapy are diagnostic and therapeutic arms of Nuclear Medicine, respectively. With the emergence of better technology, PET/CT has become an accessible modality. Diagnostic tracers exploring disease-specific targets has led the clinicians to look beyond FDG PET. Moreover, with the emergence of theranostic pairs of radiopharmaceuticals, radioisotope therapy is gradually making it's way into treatment algorithm of common cancers in India. We therefore would like to discuss in detail the updates in PET/CT imaging and radionuclide therapy and generate a consensus-driven evidence based document which would guide the practitioners of Oncology.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Nuclear Medicine , Humans , Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography/methods , Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Positron-Emission Tomography/methods , Radiopharmaceuticals/therapeutic use , Radioisotopes , Fluorodeoxyglucose F18ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Compliance to antihypertensive therapy reduces the risk of complications. It is important to understand the factors affecting compliance in patients so that the goal of successful treatment is not jeopardized. OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of participants' compliant to treatment and various factors associated with compliance of antihypertensive treatment. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 330 hypertensive patients on treatment attending the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: It was conducted over 8 weeks using a validated, pretested questionnaire including information on the individual's sociodemographic profile, compliance to antihypertensive therapy and lifestyle advice assessed using a 4-point Likert scale. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were entered into MS Excel 2007 and analyzed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 55.2 ± 12.6 years. 39.4% were compliant to their treatment. Common reasons for frequently skipping the dose - forgetfulness (41.2%) and discontinued the medication when feeling well (30.3%). Factors positively associated with compliance were gender and illiteracy. The proportion of noncompliance among smokers and alcoholics was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Forgetfulness and subjective feeling of wellness were the prevalent reasons for noncompliance. Controlling habits such as smoking and alcohol may prove as key factors for compliance.
