RESUMO
Sinonasal cancers are uncommon malignancies with a generally unfavorable prognosis, often presenting at an advanced stage. Their high rate of recurrence supports close imaging surveillance and the utilization of functional imaging techniques. Whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT has very high sensitivity for the diagnosis of sinonasal malignancies and can also be used as a "metabolic biopsy" in the characterization of some of the more common subgroups of these tumors, though due to overlap in uptake, histological confirmation is still needed. For certain tumor types, radiotracers, such as 11C-choline, and radiolabeled somatostatin analogs, including 68Ga-DOTATATE/DOTATOC, have proven useful in treatment planning and surveillance. Although serial scans for posttreatment surveillance allow the detection of subclinical lesions, the optimal schedule and efficacy in terms of survival are yet to be determined. Pitfalls of 18F-FDG, such as post-surgical and post-radiotherapy crusting and inflammation, may cause false-positive hypermetabolism in the absence of relapse.
RESUMO
The current study explored symptom clusters in a heterogenous sample that includes all age groups, and all types of cancer being treated with chemotherapy. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample comprise 393 cancer patients with a mean age of 52.1 years (SD 13.9). The most prevalent symptoms were tiredness (78.9%), lack of energy (71.8%), and irritability (66.9%) and the most distressing symptom was lack of appetite. Four clusters of the symptom experience: chemotherapy-related, psychological, fatigue and pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms, regardless of the dimension used, were identified. The content and number of symptoms within each cluster using the distress dimension were slightly different from the occurrence dimension. The findings call for an early comprehensive assessment and treatment of symptoms for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Also, healthcare providers especially nurses need to thoroughly assess and manage these symptoms to ease patients' experience, enhance their compliance and improve their quality of life.
