Early vs. Late Androgen Suppression Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer.

Editor's note: The mission of Cochrane Nursing is to provide an international evidence base for nurses involved in delivering, leading, or researching nursing care. Cochrane Corner provides summaries of recent systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library. For more information, see https://nursing.cochrane.org.

Educating children and families about growth hormone deficiency and its management: part 1.

The management of growth hormone deficiency is long term. Children may be diagnosed at pre-school age meaning relationships with the paediatric endocrine team may last more than 15 years. The education role of the paediatric endocrine nurse specialist is essential in working in partnership with families over a long period of time. Children and young people have changing needs for information to help them understand their condition and growth hormone deficiency treatment as they grow up. Developing positive working relationships with parents, children and young people enables their developmental needs and the context in which they live their lives to be central to any educational planning for them. Addressing developmental needs when providing information on growth hormone deficiency to children and young people reinforces the need for education to be an ongoing process and not a one-off event. This is part one of a two-part article. The second part will be published in the March issue of Nursing Children and Young People and it focuses on educating children, young people and their parents about the condition, and includes case studies.

Beneficios de la soja en la menopausia / Benefits of soy on menopause

Los datos epidemiológicos sugieren que el consumo de productos de soja está correlacionado con la mejora de los problemas asociados con la menopausia y la incidencia de enfermedades crónicas, como la osteoporosis y ciertos tipos de cáncer. Aunque la evidencia actual no es concluyente, sugiere que la soja podría constituir una opción alternativa a la terapia de sustitución hormonal (TSH) para aliviar la sintomatología menopáusica, considerando la posibilidad de emplearla únicamente en períodos de corta duración en mujeres sin antecedentes de cáncer. Son necesarios estudios bien diseñados para establecer, entre otros aspectos, la dosis óptima de consumo para conseguir los efectos beneficioso. La soja no es la única fuente de fitoestrógenos y su efecto podría deberse a la calidad de la dieta. Una dieta completa, variada y equilibrada es un pilar fundamental como prevención de la salud (AU)

Epidemiological data suggest that consumption of soy products is correlated with the improvement of the symptoms associated with menopause and the incidence of chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Although current evidence is not conclusive, suggests that soy could be an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to relieve menopausal symptoms, considering the possibility of use only for short periods in women with no history of cancer. Well-designed studies are needed to establish, among other things, optimal dose to achieve the beneficial effects. Soy is not the only source of phytoestrogens and their effect may be due to the overall quality of the diet. A complete, varied and balanced diet is a mainstay in health prevention (AU)

Relationship between severity of symptoms and quality of life in patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe symptoms and quality of life (QOL) of patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy and to examine possible relationships between the two measurements. DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational study. SETTING: An oncology clinic within a tertiary medical center in Israel. SAMPLE: Convenience sample of 132 patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer receiving hormonal therapy. METHODS: Data collection was conducted through the self-administered Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy endocrine subscale and a sociodemographic and medical information questionnaire. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: QOL and symptoms of hormonal therapy. FINDINGS: Ten symptoms were categorized by more than 20% of the participants as "very much" or "quite a bit." The mean QOL score for the participants was higher than that for a healthy population, although a correlation was found between fewer symptoms and higher QOL. Mood swings and irritability were the symptoms most strongly associated with a decrease in QOL. Patients who exercised had higher QOL scores. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant hormonal therapy did not affect the QOL of a majority of patients with primary breast cancer. A reduced number of symptoms indicated a higher QOL. Mood swings and irritability have a negative impact on QOL. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: A need exists to design a program to follow up on hormonal symptoms and the QOL of patients receiving hormonal therapy and to encourage patients to engage in regular exercise.

Treating hot flashes in breast cancer survivors: a review of alternative treatments to hormone replacement therapy.

As the number of breast cancer survivors continues to grow, factors associated with quality of life are receiving increased clinical and research attention. This attention is imperative given the aftermath of psychological and physiologic side effects that commonly result from a cancer diagnosis and cancer-related treatments, including menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes, the most prevalent of these symptoms, have been shown to significantly decrease quality of life in women. Although manageable with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), hot flashes often are especially problematic in breast cancer survivors, a population that typically is not treated with HRT because of controversial evidence of a relationship among estrogen and/or progesterone and breast cancer recurrence and mortality. Furthermore, hot flashes commonly are more severe in premenopausal women who experience acute menopause as a result of chemotherapy treatment. In recent years, several treatment alternatives to HRT have been investigated. Given the significant number of women affected by breast cancer and the negative impact that hot flashes can have on their quality of life, this article reviews alternatives to HRT for reducing hot flash symptoms in breast cancer survivors.

Orientações de enfermagem à mulher climatérica quanto à terapia de reposição hormonal: uma abordagem ética / Nursing orientation to climacteric woman as regards hormonal replacement therapy: an ethical approach

Nas últimas décadas, a utilização da terapia de reposição hormonal para a mulher climatérica, tem sido questionada pelos estudiosos da área no que concerne as vantagens da referida terapêutica. Daí, a necessidade de uma reflexão ética no tocante às orientações dos profissionais de saúde envolvidos na assistência ao climatério...

A nurse's guide to hormone replacement therapy.

Menopause is a natural event most women experience as they enter their 5th decade. As human life expectancy has lengthened, health issues concerning women in mid-life have become a major focus in holistic, preventive health care, which is heavily influenced by nurses. Controversy continues about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women during their years of perimenopause and postmenopause. Evidence is compiling, however, that indicates the benefits of exogenous hormones may outweigh these concerns. As nurses, we must have a current knowledge of hormone replacement therapy to counsel our patients effectively. This article presents information to assist the nurse in meeting this goal.