Perceived benefits: a predictor of participation in prostate cancer screening.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed major cancer and the second cause of cancer-related deaths among men. With early detection through screening and timely treatment, 9 out of 10 men will survive a minimum of 5 years. However, with late diagnoses, only 3 out of 10 men will have a 5-year minimum survival rate. Guided by a conceptual map, this correlational research examined perceived benefits as a predictor of participation in free prostate cancer screening. Perceived benefits are the personal belief and valuing of screening for early detection of prostate cancer. All subjects received one of four educational interventions: traditional, peer educator, client navigator, or combination. Participation in prostate cancer screening was measured by compliance with the American Cancer Society's Guidelines, which included a digital rectal exam (DRE) and/or a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. The purposive sample (n = 1,522) of men, ages 40 to 70 years, was recruited from randomly selected churches, barbershops, industries, housing projects, and car dealerships in a southeastern state. Seventy-two percent of the sample was African American. Predictors of participation in free prostate cancer screening were these: perceived benefits, being white, having at least a high school education, being married, and receiving the client navigator or combination educational intervention. The Benefits Scale was significant (p = 0.013, odds ratio (OR) = 1.059) as a predictor for participation in screening when all demographic variables and educational interventions were controlled. Practice implications for nursing are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.

Penetration of chemotherapy into vitreous is increased by cryotherapy and cyclosporine in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether cryotherapy, which induces a serous effusion in retina, might increase access of systemic chemotherapy into the vitreous. METHODS: The right eyes of 18 rabbits were treated with triple or single freeze-thaw cryotherapy at 1 or 2 locations, 1 day before administering intravenous carboplatin with or without cyclosporine. Control left eyes received no cryotherapy. The rabbits were killed 2 or 24 hours after chemotherapy, and carboplatin concentrations were measured in the vitreous of each eye and in blood. RESULTS: A significant increase was found in intravitreal carboplatin concentrations when cryotherapy was applied (P < .001) or high-dose cyclosporine was administered (P < .001) and if 2 locations were frozen compared with 1 location frozen (P = .02). Intravitreal carboplatin concentrations were always significantly greater after cryotherapy, either when the corresponding blood carboplatin concentrations were high (2 hours after completing treatment) or when they had dropped to much lower levels (at 24 hours). The triple freeze-thaw technique did not yield significantly better results than a single freeze-thaw technique. CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy administered 24 hours before chemotherapy significantly increased the intravitreal penetration of carboplatin, and this strategy may enhance the capacity of chemotherapy to cure intraocular retinoblastoma, particularly avascular tumors such as vitreous seeds.