[The role of a family doctor in oncological care of the population]. / Funktsiiï simeinoho likaria v onkolohichnii dopomozi naselenniu.

The actual tasks faced by the family physician in the field of oncology can be considered in eight lines of activities according to successive stages of management of patients, that include identification and monitoring of risk factors; screening of early forms of cancer; diagnosis that must be based on results of the screening during the regular health checkups of patients and their applying for medical advice; primary finding out the extent of the process (staging); rendering the patient and his/her family phychological support; the family physician's work together with that of the oncologist; keeping the patient and his/her family under medical surveillance; terminal stages management.

[The pharmacoeconomics of testicular cancer in Ukraine]. / Farmakoekonomika raku iaiechok v Ukraïni.

An ever-growing cost of health care in Ukraine attest to the need for an optimum employment of resources in diagnosing and treating disorders of major public health significance, testicular carcinoma (TC) among their number. The authors consider it expedient to ascertain TC costs and design an analytical framework for the diagnostic and therapeutic options to be assessed properly. The following combination chemotherapy regimens were found to be associated with high response rates and acceptable longterm survival: BEP, PE programmes for primary treatment and PEI programme for recurrent or refractory TC. The minimum cost of the above regimens in one course of treatment (with 2 to 4 usually prescribed) for one patient, his height 175 cm, weight 75 kg--S = 1.9 m2, is US$ 613.0, 385.9, 813.5 for BE100P, PE100, and PEI respectively. In the Lviv region with the population about 2,750,000 TC cytostatic therapy is estimated to be about US$ 75,168.6 this being 62.6% of the annual budget appropriation for drug therapy of all malignant diseases taken together. The importance is emphasized of pharmaco-economic principles in the clinical management of patients allowing for decisions to be made with taking account of the cost and expected outcome of the therapy instituted.

[The prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting during cancer chemotherapy]. / Profilaktyka ta likuvannia nudoty i bliuvannia pry khimioterapiï raku.

From the point of view of patients nausea and vomiting is a very important side effect of chemotherapy. The above events can be successfully controlled with modern antiemetic therapy. Use of high doses of metoclopramide in combination with dexamethasone and lorazepame is one of the routine means of administration of chemotherapeutic treatments with the benefit being derived in 30 to 70% of patients. Introduction into the clinical practice of a new group of medicines such as antagonists of receptors to serotonin (5-HT3-blockers) opens up good prospects for the nausea and vomiting prophylaxis and treatment in chemotherapy of cancer.

[New approaches to the therapy of hypercalcemia in cancer]. / Novi shidkhody do terapiï hiperkal'tsiiemiï pry raku.

An overview of the published literature provides current information about pathogenesis and treatment of hypercalcemia, and focuses on its treatment with a new class medications, such as biphosphonates (ethidronate, clodronate and pamidronate). Use of these drugs permits reducing complications caused by metastases of malignant tumors to bones.

[Genetic mechanisms for the regulation of natural killer cell activity]. / Geneticheskie mekhanizmy reguliatsii deiatsel'nosti estestvennykh killernykh kletok.

The problems on genetic mechanisms of regulation of natural killer cells, participation of major histocompatibility complex in these processes are considered. The examples of mutations and hereditary diseases accompanied by disfunction of the natural killer activity are presented. It is supposed that genetic predisposition of natural killer activity depression can promote an increase in the risk of malignant and autoimmune diseases.