[Rehabilitation of cancer patients as a basis for improving the quality of life].

Rehabilitation of a cancer patient should be aimed not only at eliminating the disease itself and restore natural functions of the body but also at the maximum acceptable recovery of the human abilities to live with the disease and after it. Rehabilitation is carried out by efforts various professionals who in their work should take into account the state of a cancer patient and the features of his personality. Rehabilitation is one of factors in improving the quality of life of cancer patients.

[Physician and medical psychologist: complementary approaches in providing psychological care to cancer patient].

In providing psychological care to an oncological patient a physician and a medical psychologist come from a variety of professional positions that require different approaches and methods. It is proposed a three-phase model of the dynamics of the psychological state of the person in the situation of cancer reflecting the process of psychological adaptation of a particular patient. Focusing on this model, the authors conclude that psychological care to cancer patient, performed by a doctor and a medical psychologist, are different kinds of psychological care that does not replace but complement each other.

[Communication skills in oncologist's work].

During the process of own professional activities any oncologist has to interact with a patient who experiences severe psycho-emotional stress, accompanied by painful sufferings. Successful communication between a doctor and a patient influences on patient's attitude to treatment. An oncologist should be able to possess professional communication skills, which allow interacting more effectively with patients. Among communication skills the authors consider the following items: presence, empathy, sharing of feelings, active listening, marking the temporal and spatial boundaries.

[Attitude to the illness of patients with malignant lymphomas on various stages of disease].

In 138 patients with malignant lymphomas on different stages of the disease there were considered attitude to the illness and treatment, which included relation to the diagnosis, the subjective perception of the disease and attitude to treatment. Using a technique of studying psychological attitude to the disease there were studied details of personal response to the disease. Along with the general trends in relation to the disease, specific to cancer patients of different tumor sites, there have been identified particular features related to attitude of malignant lymphoma patients: a long period of denial of a malignant nature of the disease and their greatest psychological trauma during relapse. The necessity of professional psychological support was showed.

PPARγ agonists regulate the expression of stemness and differentiation genes in brain tumour stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Brain tumour stem cells (BTSCs) are a small population of cancer cells that exhibit self-renewal, multi-drug resistance, and recurrence properties. We have shown earlier that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists inhibit the expansion of BTSCs in T98G and U87MG glioma. In this study, we analysed the influence of PPARγ agonists on the expression of stemness and differentiation genes in BTSCs. METHODS: The BTSCs were isolated from T98G and DB29 glioma cells, and cultured in neurobasal medium with epidermal growth factor+basic fibroblast growth factor. Proliferation was measured by WST-1 (4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2 H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulphonate) and 3H thymidine uptake assays, and gene expression was analysed by quantitative reverse--transcription PCR and Taqman array. The expression of CD133, SRY box 2, and nanog homeobox (Nanog) was also evaluated by western blotting, immunostaining, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found that PPARγ agonists, ciglitazone and 15-deoxy-Δ(12,14)-ProstaglandinJ(2), inhibited cell viability and proliferation of T98G- and DB29-BTSCs. The PPARγ agonists reduced the expansion of CD133(+) BTSCs and altered the expression of stemness and differentiation genes. They also inhibited Sox2 while enhancing Nanog expression in BTSCs. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that PPARγ agonists inhibit BTSC proliferation in association with altered expression of Sox2, Nanog, and other stemness genes. Therefore, targeting stemness genes in BTSCs could be a novel strategy in the treatment of glioblastoma.

[Mentality of cancer patients].

Cancer ruins the patient's daily routine and causes anxiety thus affecting adaptation. An analysis of past conversations gives a glimpse of psychological problems tormenting cancer patients. The paper gives a glimpse in adaptation at the crux of a crisis and evaluates the role and potential of anxiety which can help go through it.

[Role of anosognosia in development of attitude toward Hodgkin's disease].

A psychodiagnostic investigation included 71 patients with Hodgkin's disease and 61--with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at different stages. It was shown that anosognosia, i.e. involuntary protective rejection of the disease, may play a dual role in formation of attitude. It may range from alleviation of psychological trauma to mis-assessment of the situation. Proper understanding of psychological processes involved in such disease may help when dealing with cancer patients.

[Knowledge of lung cancer patients about their disease and their psychological adaptation].

Among 42 patients with primary lung cancer, 11 refused, 20 admitted while 11 admitted partially the fact of their disease. Later on, compensatory mental dysadaptation in the first group was followed by inadequate attitude to the disease. The growing awareness of the disease involved neurotic symptom enhancement which was an adequate response under the circumstances. On the other hand, adequate self-assessment and finding ways of self-expression promoted psychological adaptation. The better the patient was informed of his or her condition, the more their sense of responsibility for it was stimulated.