Quality of life of hospitalized patients after lung cancer operation and analysis of influencing factors

Objective:To explore the current status and influencing factors of quality of life in patients with lung cancer after surgery in a tertiary hospital in Hainan province.Methods:To investigate the influencing factors of quality of life of lung cancer patients after surgery in a tertiary hospital in Hainan province by cross‑sectional survey method.Results:The scores of insomnia,appetite loss,constipation and pain in 186 lung cancer patients after surgery in a tertiary hospital in Hainan Province were significantly higher than the reference value.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that older patients(>60 years)had lower scores in physical function domain(β=-0.193),and female patients had more appetite loss symptoms(β=0.245).Compared with other minority ethnic groups,Han ethnic group had lower scores in role function domain(β=0.179),more severe fatigue symptoms(β=-0.162),and higher general health level(β=0.166).Patients with employee medical insurance had lower scores of emotional function(β=0.194),cognitive function(β=0.281),the lowest score in social function(β=0.188),and severe pain in other parts(β=-0.227).Smokers had less cough symptoms(β=0.175)and more arm and shoulder pain symptoms(β=-0.21)than non‑smokers.Patients with secondhand smoke exposure had lower cognitive function scores(β=-0.158)and more obvious symptoms of oral ulcer(β=0.185).Patients who drank alcohol frequently(drinking frequency>1 time/day)had more severe cough symptoms(β=0.27).Patients with small number of children(0‑1)had milder cough symptoms(β=0.178).Patients who did not understand the disease had obvious symptoms of arm and shoulder pain(β=0.151).Patients with early pathological stage(stageⅠ‑Ⅱ)had more severe shortness of breath(β=-0.159)and pain(β=-0.181).The symptoms of appetite loss were more obvious in patients living in cities(β=0.192).The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy were more obvious(β=0.174).Patients who often consumed pickulated food had severe pain symptoms(β=-0.219),and pain in other parts was obvious(β=-0.149).Male patients had obvious alopecia symptoms(β=-0.306).Conclusion:Age,ethnicity,residence,type of medical insurance,number of children,pathological stage of lung cancer,smoking,second‑hand smoke exposure,alcohol consumption,and frequent consumption of pickled food were related to the quality of life of lung cancer patients in hospital after surgery.Medical staff and family members should pay attention to the emotional communication of patients during the treatment of lung cancer patients in hospital after surgery.Patients should avoid exposure to smoking,alcohol and second‑hand smoke,and reduce consumption of pickled food.

Application effect of case management nursing based on patient safety in patients with prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Globally,prostate cancer has become a major threat to men's health,with an increasing incidence and causes serious effects on the quality and length of life of patients.Despite the rapid development of medical technology,which provides treatments,including surgery,radiotherapy,and endocrine therapy,the treatment of patients with prostate cancer,especially with endocrine therapy,has become a major challenge in clinical treatment owing to the lengthy course of treatment,side effects of drugs,and impact of the disease on the psychological and physiological functioning of the patient,producing poor treatment adherence and a decline in quality of life.After the nursing intervention,the anxiety and depression scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).The quality of life score,sexual function,and hormone function were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Case management guidance based on patient safety effectively reduced anxiety and depression in patients undergoing endocrine therapy for prostate cancer and improved their quality of life,treatment compliance,and satisfaction.

EVALUATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE FOR GYNECOLOGIC CANCER PATIENTS

Objective: To compare the quality of life (QOL) for gynecologic cancer patients with different cancer sites and to assess the impact of patients’ characteristics, disease parameters, and treatments on the subscale and overall QOL. Methods: A prospective study was conducted including 146 gynecologic cancer patients. QOL data were collected using the general Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT- G) QOL questionnaire. Results: Advanced stage patients showed significantly poor physical well-being, emotional well-being, and functional well-being, as compared with early stage patients. QOL was reported higher in older patients (P=0.03), patients above high school education (P=0.004), and patients with help at home (P=0.009). Conclusion: Patients with later stage, multi- modality therapy, poor education, and little social support have the most significant impairments and need more support.

Quality of Life in Cancer Patients with Pain in Beijing

Objective： To investigate the quality of life （QOL） of cancer pain patients in Beijing, and explore the effect of cancer pain control on patients＇ QOL. Methods： Self-developed demographic questionnaire, numeric rating scale and SF-36 questionnaire were used together among 643 cancer pain patients in 28 Grade 2nd to 3rd general hospitals and 2 Grade 3rd cancer hospitals. Results： The SF-36 eight dimensions scores ranged from 31.75 to 57.22 in these cancer pain patients. The t test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare the QOL between pain controlled （PC） group and pain uncontrolled （PUC） group, and the results showed that patients in PC group had the higher O, OL scores in 6 areas of SF-36 （P〈0.05）. Binary logistic regression results found that pain management satisfaction scores （P〈0.001）, family average personal monthly income （P=0.029）, current receiving chemotherapy （P=0.009） and cancer stage （P〈0.001） were the predictors to cancer pain controlled results. Conclusion： Cancer patients with pain in Beijing had poor QOL. Pain control will improve the QOL of cancer pain patients.

Correlation between Subliminal Depression and the Quality of Life in Patients Preliminarily Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

Objective: To investigate the subthreshold depression and the quality of life in patients preliminarily diagnosed with breast cancer, and to explore their relationship. Methods: A total of 210 patients preliminarily diagnosed breast cancer were recruited by convenience sampling method to complete the self-made general questionnaire, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B). Results: The incidence rates of subthreshold depression was 48.6% in patients preliminarily diagnosed breast cancer, the total score of FACT-B in patients with subthreshold depression and non-subthreshold depression was (73.92 &plusmn;17.62) and (86.74 &plusmn;16.15). The total score of CES-D was significantly negatively correlated to the total score and factor scores of FACT-B (p Conclusion: The incidence rate of subthreshold depression in preliminarily diagnosed breast cancer patients is high, and it is closely related to the quality of life, so we should pay attention to the psychological status of preliminarily diagnosed breast cancer patients, to increase the psychological intervention, than improve their quality of life.

Patient-Reported Outcomes of Surgery of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Evaluation Based on the Questionnaires of Anti-Aging Quality of Life and the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire

Background: Patient-reported outcomes of the quality of life (QOL) after an open thoracotomy have not been studied. To determine the physical and mental changes in surgical patients is very important for medical staffs. The surgical patient’s satisfaction and overall healthy changes were evaluated by the patient-self assessment questionnaires. Materials and Methods: From July 2007 to April 2008, 26 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent surgical resection. The outcome of the QOL was evaluated by using two kinds of questionnaire surveys from the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the anti-aging QOL assessment (AA-QOL). The EORTC QLQ-C30 consisted of five domains (physical, role, cognitive, emotional, and social functionings) and global QOL. The AA-QOL contained 51 items;30 physical and 21 mental symptoms regarding the elderly and the aging population. The patients replied to the two questionnaires at two different times, i.e., at pre-surgery (baseline) and at post-surgery (2 weeks after the operation). The obtained data of these scores were averaged and compared between the two points of the pre-surgery and post-surgery. Results: Regarding the outcomes of the EORTC QLQ-C30, the physical and social functioning became significantly worse after the surgery. In contrast, the global QOL significantly became better after the surgery. For the symptom at post-surgery, three of which were “nausea and vomiting”, “pain”, and “appetite loss”, became significantly worse compared to those at pre-surgery. Regarding the outcomes of the AA-QOL, the physical symptoms (muscular pain/stiffness, palpitations, dyspnea, no feeling of good health, anorexia, and coughing and sputum) became significantly worse after the surgery. Regarding the mental symptoms, there were no significant differences. Conclusions: Regarding the outcomes based on the changes in the QOL after surgery, the physical symptoms became worse compared to the mental symptoms. To clarify the perioperative healthy changes of the QOL reported by patients with lung cancers is very important for multidisciplinary teamwork, which should play a role in providing the appropriate care and treatment and useful information for a preoperative patient’s decision making of receiving surgical treatment.

Quality of Life in Men Treated for Early Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Patient Preference Cohort Study

Objectives: In 1997, a study was launched to investigate the treatment of early prostate cancer. Using a patient preference design, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) and disease specific HRQOL was assessed prospectively to compare men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), hypo-fractionated conformal radiotherapy (CRT) or brachytherapy (BT). Methods: Patients with localised prostate cancer were counselled by a urological surgeon, clinical oncologist and specialist uro-oncology nurse. Patients received treatment according to individual preference. 430 men chose and received RP (n = 217), CRT (n = 161) and BT (n = 52). 354 (82%) completed pre-treatment RAND 36-Item Short-Form Health survey version-2 (SF36v2) and University of California, Los Angeles Prostate cancer index (UCLA-PCI) questionnaires. HRQOL score changes from baseline to 24 months were compared using Kruskall-Wallis test. Results: Pre-treatment, the CRT cohort scored lower for physical function (p = 0.0029) and general health perception (p = 0.0021). The BT cohort reported better baseline scores for urinary function (p = 0.0291), urinary bother (p = 0.0030), sexual function (p = 0.0009) and bowel bother (p = 0.0063). At 24 months, bowel function was similar for CRT and BT but both modalities were worse than RP (p = 0.0010). Urinary continence deteriorated most following RP (p < 0.0001) but BT had worse urinary bother (p = 0.0153). Sexual function deteriorated most following RP and BT (p < 0.0005). Percentages of patients achieving erections adequate for sexual activity (from baseline to 24 months) were 66% to 29% for RP, 62% to 49% for CRT and 88% to 65% for BT. Conclusion: This data demonstrates significant differences in disease specific quality-of-life between RP, CRT and BT and should be available for men with early prostate cancer making treatment decisions.

Relation between Family Functioning and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Patients with Terminal Cancer Hospitalized in General Wards

Caring for a patient with terminal cancer poses difficulties for family caregivers. Although families of patients with cancer have been classified by type, little is known about the relation between family functioning and quality of life (QOL) in family caregivers. This study aimed to develop a typology of family functioning in family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer and then examine the relation between the family functioning and QOL of family caregivers. From December 2013 to August 2014, fifty-one family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer were recruited at three hospitals in Tokyo, Japan. Perceptions of family functioning were assessed with the Family Relationship Index, and its three subscores were classified into three groups by cluster analysis. Caregivers’ QOL was measured with the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer. The average total FRI score among 51 caregivers was 8.5 (SD = 2.8). Family functioning was categorized into three clusters: supportive (n = 12), communicative (n = 30), or conflictive (n = 8). Their QOL was categorized into two groups: the communicative group, with relatively high confliction, showed high QOL comparable to the supportive group. Family functioning in the families of patients with terminal cancer hospitalized in general wards was not good. For improving the QOL of family caregivers, it may be important for the family members to express their feelings and distress if they have conflicts.

Human Care Theory and Influences on the Life Quality Index of Cancer Patients in Household Life

To investigatetheinfluences of the application of human care theory on the life quality and happiness of cancer patients after they receiveda community nursing care which was implemented by the human care theory. The quality life and the happiness index of 93 patients with cancer living in the six communities in Jillin were assessed, the assessment of the life quality was based on a life quality scale (SF-36) and that of the happiness index was based on Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH). The community nurses cared for these patients by applying the theory of human care and the life quality and the happiness index of the patients were observed after the care. The results showed that there were significant differences in the score of 5 dimensions in the eight dimensions of the life quality between before the care and after the care (<0.05), and there were significant differences in the average sores of the positive emotion, positive experience, negative emotion, negative experience and level of happiness included in the happiness index between before the care and after the care (<0.05), suggesting that the theory of human care can be used for the care of patients with cancer and the application of the theory can effectively improve the life quality and the happiness index of the patients, strengthen their problem-solving abilities and let them have a positive attitude towards their lives.

External validation of the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer colorectal(CR29)module:Monocentric study

BACKGROUND Quality of life(QoL)outcomes are a focal endpoint of cancer treatment strategies.AIM To externally validate the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC)QoL Questionnaire(QLQ)for colorectal cancer(CRC)patients(CR29).METHODS Both Moroccan Arabic modules of QLQ-CR29 and QLQ-C30 were administered to Moroccan CRC.Psychometric properties were retested by measuring Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for reliability and Intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)to examine test-retest reproducibility.The multitrait-scaling analysis was performed to demonstrate the validity of the instrument and known-groups comparison was used to test the score’s ability to discriminate between different groups of patients.RESULTS In total,221 patients were included in our study and 34 patients completed the questionnaire twice.The Urinary Frequency scale and Stool Frequency scale had good internal consistency with alpha Cronbach coefficients of 0.79 and 0.83 respectively,while the same coefficients were moderately lower for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale(0.61)and the Body Image scale(0.67).The ICCs ranged from 0.88 to 1 indicating good to excellent reproducibility.In multitrait scaling analyses,the criterion for item convergent and divergent validity was satisfactory.The known-group comparison showed statistically significant differences between patients according to age,gender,stoma status,tumor location,and radiotherapy.CONCLUSION The Moroccan Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-CR29 is a valid and reliable tool that can be used safely for research and clinical purposes in Moroccan CRC patients.

Comparison of short-term efficacy between totally laparoscopic gastrectomy and laparoscopic assisted gastrectomy for elderly patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Totally laparoscopic gastrectomy(TLG)entails both gastrectomy and gastrointestinal reconstruction under laparoscopy.Compared with laparoscopic assisted gastrectomy(LAG),TLG has been demonstrated in many studies to require a smaller surgical incision,result in a faster postoperative recovery and less pain and have comparable long-term efficacy,which has been a research hotspot in recent years.Whether TLG is equally safe and feasible for elderly patients remains unclear.AIM To compare the short-term efficacy of and quality of life(QOL)associated with TLG and LAG in elderly gastric cancer(GC)patients.METHODS The clinicopathological data of 462 elderly patients aged≥70 years who underwent LAG or TLG(including distal gastrectomy and total gastrectomy)between January 2017 and January 2022 at the Department of General Surgery,First Medical Center,Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively collected.A total of 232 patients were in the LAG group,and 230 patients were in the TLG group.Basic patient information,clinicopathological characteristics,operation information and QOL data were collected to compare efficacy.Compared with those in the LAG group,intraoperative blood loss in the TLG group was significantly lower(P<0.001),and the time to first flatus and postoperative hospitalization time were significantly shorter(both P<0.001).The overall incidence of postoperative complications in the TLG group was significantly lower than that in the LAG group(P=0.01).Binary logistic regression results indicated that LAG and an operation time>220 min were independent risk factors for postoperative complications in elderly patients with GC(P<0.05).In terms of QOL,no statistically significant differences in various preoperative indicators were found between the LAG group and the LTG group(P>0.05).Compared with the laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy group,patients who received totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy had lower nausea and vomiting scores and higher satisfaction with their body image(P<0.05).Patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy were more satisfied with their body image than patients in the totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION TLG is safe and feasible for elderly patients with GC and has outstanding advantages such as reducing intracorporeal blood loss,promoting postoperative recovery and improving QOL.

Quality of life in end stage renal disease patients

AIM:To understand factors associated with quality of life(QOL),examine types of QOL instruments,and determine need for further improvements in QOL assessment.METHODS:The method used databases(Pubmed,Google scholar) and a bibliographic search using key words QOL,end stage renal disease,Hemodialysis,Peritoneal dialysis,instruments to measure QOL,patients and qualitative/quantitative analysis published during 1990 to June 2014.Each article was assessed for sample size,demographics of participants,study design and type of QOL instruments used.We used WHO definition of QOL.RESULTS:For this review,109 articles were screened,out of which 65 articles were selected.Out of 65 articles,there were 19 reports/reviews and 12 questionnaire manuals.Of the 34 studies,82% were quantitative while only 18% were qualitative.QOL instruments measured several phenomenon such as physical/psychological health,effects and burdens of kidney disease,social support etc.those are associated with QOL.Few studies looked at spiritual beliefs,cultural beliefs,personal concerns,as per the WHO definition.Telemedicine and Palliative care have now been successfully used however QOL instruments seldom addressed those in the articles reviewed.Also noticed wasthat longitudinal studies were rarely conducted.Existing QOL instruments only partially measure QOL.This may limit validity of predictive power of QOL.CONCLUSION:Culture and disease specific QOL instruments that assess patients' objective and subjective experiences covering most aspects of QOL are urgently needed.

Are the data on quality of life and patient reported outcomes from clinical trials of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer important?

Majority of the patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC)experience two or more disease related symptoms,which may have a negative impact on their health-related quality of life(HR QOL).These patients prefer a therapy that would improve disease related symptoms,as opposed or treatment that slightly prolongs their survival without improving symptoms.The improvements of the symptoms augment the significance of improved response rates or progression free survivals.The choice of the questionnaires to evaluate patients-reported outcomes(PROs)and HRQOL benefits and methods of collecting the data and their interpretations are very important and are discussed in this manuscript.PROs and HR QOL outcomes are important in patients with advanced NSCLC only when the data are collected and analyzed correctly.Then they can be viewed as components of the total value of a treatment,providing a comprehensive picture of the benefits and risks of anticancer therapies.Enabling the patients to feel during the last months of their lives more comfortable and not be dependent on their loved ones is a very important task in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Quality of Life in Egyptian Children with Cancer

Background and Objectives: Cancer treatments leading to increased survival rates are reported to participate in the creation of debilitating physical and psychosocial deficits for cancer survivors. Measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are designed to tap such consequences of cancer treatment together with the impact of the disease itself. Methods: Parents of 67 included patients aged 8 - 12 years, were asked to complete the parent proxy report of PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module (Arabic version), as well as a separate sheet for socio-demographic data. Results: The ratio of Males to females was 1.8:1 among study patients with a median age of 8 years at diagnosis. Hematological malignancies represented 70.1% of the sample, with the highest proportion for ALL (52.2%). Total QOL showed to be relatively low with mean value of 62.29 for the whole group. Subscales with least scores were for;worry (44.11), perceived physical appearance (50.6), and procedural anxiety (55.34). On the other hand, the best score was 75.98 for communication, followed by 72.63 for cognitive problems. The impacts of some medical and socio-demographic variables on QOL and its subscales were elicited in our results. Conclusion: Increased treatment intensity, long duration of hospital admission, higher frequency of hospital visits, female sex, younger age at diagnosis, and large family size were all associated with a poorer total QOL and/or its subscales among Egyptian pediatric cancer patients.

Patient-Reported Outcomes of Chemotherapy Involving Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Evaluation by Questionnaires of Quality of Life Regarding Anti-Aging and Anti-Cancer Drugs

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of quality of life (QOL) during chemotherapy involving lung cancer are very important for the medical staffs. Patients’ satisfaction and healthy changes were evaluated by the patient-self assessment. Materials and Methods: From July 2007 to April 2008, a total of 19 patients received chemotherapy. The QOL data were collected by using the QOL questionnaire for cancer patients treated with anticancer drugs (QOL-ACD) and the anti-aging QOL assessment (AA-QOL). The AA-QOL contained 51 items: 30 of physical and 21 of mental symptoms of the elderly and the aging population. The patients replied to the questions at two different times, i.e., at pre-chemotherapy (baseline) and at post-chemotherapy (2 weeks after the chemotherapy). Results: Regarding the hematological toxicities, for the grade 3/4 toxicities, there were 12 neutropenia (12/19, 63.2%) and 3 thrombocytopenia (3/19, 15.8%). For the grade 3 febrile neutropenia, there were 5 cases (5/19, 26.3%). Regarding the non-hematological toxicities, there was no grade 3 and grade 4 toxicities. Based on the outcomes of the QOL-ACD, the three items (“physical condition”, “social attitude”, and “overall QOL”) at post-chemotherapy became significantly worse compared to the baseline. Regarding the outcomes of the AA-QOL, 4 items of physical symptoms (“thirst”, “anorexia”, “early satiety”, and “diarrhea”) became significantly worse compared to the baseline. Regarding the mental symptoms, 2 items (“nothing to look forward in life” and “a sense of uselessness”) became significantly worse compared to the baseline. Conclusion: Regarding the PROs of the QOL during the chemotherapy term, both the physical and mental symptoms had become worse. To clarify the changes in the QOL during chemotherapy is very important for multidisciplinary teamwork, which should play the role of providing the appropriate cares and treatment as patient-support.

Neuropathy experienced by colorectal cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin: A qualitative study to validate the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity scale

BACKGROUND Although oxaliplatin is widely established as a standard treatment in colorectal cancer(CRC),oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy has emerged as a prominent doselimiting side effect associated with quality of life decrements.Ongoing monitoring and management of neuropathy is important for CRC patient quality of life and adherence to treatment.Therefore,a validated self-reported measure of neuropathy would aid in the management and assessment of oxaliplatininduced neuropathy in clinical practice and research.We sought to evaluate the content validity of the 13-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity subscale(FACT/GOGNtx)for CRC patients receiving oxaliplatin.AIM To understand the neuropathy experiences of CRC patients and assess content validity of the FACT/GOG-Ntx.METHODS Semi-structured concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted with 31 CRC patients experiencing peripheral neuropathy from current or previous oxaliplatin treatment.Interview data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach,and data were mapped to the FACT/GOG-Ntx to assess content validity.RESULTS Mean age of the sample was 54(range 34-82).The sample was primarily Caucasian(84%)and consisted of nearly equal numbers of men and women.Participants described 28 unique neuropathy symptoms;hand tingling(experienced by 87%of respondents);feet tingling(81%);hand numbness(68%);and feet numbness(84%)were most frequently mentioned.Neuropathy symptoms occurring on the feet were most often identified as most bothersome by participants.Eleven of the 13 FACT/GOG-Ntx items exhibited moderate to strong evidence of content validity.Two items related to trouble hearing and ringing in the ears had weak support;however,these items represent severe neuropathy and could be useful for a patient reported outcome measure.CONCLUSION The FACT/GOG-Ntx represents the key neuropathy experiences of CRC patients treated with oxaliplatin.

Quality of life after total vs distal gastrectomy with Rouxen-Y reconstruction: Use of the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45

AIM To investigate the detrimental impact of loss of reservoir capacity by comparing total gastrectomy(TGRY) and distal gastrectomy with the same Rouxen-Y(DGRY) reconstruction. The study was conducted using an integrated questionnaire, the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale(PGSAS)-45, recently developed by the Japan Postgastrectomy Syndrome Working Party.METHODS The PGSAS-45 comprises 8 items from the Short Form-8, 15 from the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, and 22 newly selected items. Uni-and multivariate analysis was performed on 868 questionnaires completed by patients who underwent either TGRY(n = 393) or DGRY(n = 475) for stage I gastric cancer(52 institutions). Multivariate analysis weighed of six explanatory variables, including the type of gastrectomy(TGRY/DGRY), interval after surgery, age, gender, surgical approach(laparoscopic/open), and whether the celiac branch of the vagus nerve was preserved/divided on the quality of life(QOL).RESULTS The patients who underwent TGRY experienced the poorer QOL compared to DGRY in the 15 of 19 main outcome measures of PGSAS-45. Moreover, multiple regression analysis indicated that the type of gastrectomy, TGRY, most strongly and broadly impaired the postoperative QOL among six explanatory variables. CONCLUSION The results of the present study suggested that TGRY had a certain detrimental impact on the postoperative QOL, and the loss of reservoir capacity could be a major cause.

Determination of Carboplatin Dose by Area Under the Curve in Combination Chemotherapy for Senile Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

To preliminarily determine the appropriate dosage of carboplatin （CBP） at AUC of 5 mg-M1^-1·min^-1 in the combination chemotherapy for Chinese senile patients with non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Thirty-five Chinese senile patients with NSCLC in advanced stage （Ⅲ/Ⅳ） were given 96 cycles of combination chemotherapy. Chemotherapy schedules included Taxol＋CBP, Gemzar＋CBP and NVB＋CBE The dose of CBP was at 5 mg.mL^-1·min^-1 of area under the concentration-time curve （AUC）. Side effects and quality of life were observed before and after the chemotherapy. Myelosuppression was severe and commonly observed. Grade 3/4 of granulocytopenia was found in 47.9% （46/96） of the patients and grade 3/4 of thrombocytopenia was noted in 28.1% （27/96） of the subjects. However, other side effects were slight. The mean score of quality of life （QOL）, according to the criteria of QOL for Chinese cancer patients had reduced 6.8. At 5 mg.mL^-1·min^-1 by AUC, the hematological toxicity of CBP was severe and it had some negative effects on the QOL. The administration of CBP at 5 mg.mL^-1·min^-1 by AUC may be too high for Chinese senile patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Quality of life after surgery of the alimentary tract

In recent decades, patient-reported outcomes have become important in clinical medicine. Nowadays, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is considered a primary outcome in many clinical trials, and it is often the major criterion for judging treatment success. At the beginning of the 21st century, morbidity and mortality rates after surgery of the alimentary tract have dropped dramatically and they can no longer be considered the only outcome measures to determine the success of a surgical procedure. QOL can yield a definitely more patient-orientated measure of outcome that provides us with a more formal measure of the patient’s judgment and desires, which can influence treatment decisions. Nevertheless, despite a very large number of published papers on HRQOL, there is some skepticism on the value of HRQOL and other patientrelated outcomes. Therefore, this topic highlight aims to assess how QOL after surgery of the alimentary tract is covered in the medical literature. Different reviews have analyzed the topic according to different points of view: benign and malignant disease; curative and palliative treatment; open and minimally invasive surgical approach; traditional and newly introduced surgical procedures. This topic highlight does not aim to cover all the possible diseases or different surgical procedures, but it does describe the different approaches in order to give the reader a broad spectrum of analysis of QOL after surgery. This quick overview could stimulate the reader to form his/her own opinion about how to use this primary outcome measure.

Literature review and analysis of the application of health outcome assessment instruments in Chinese medicine

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the application of health assessment instruments in Chinese medicine. METHODS： According to a pre-defined search strategy, a comprehensive literature search for all articles published in China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted. The resulting articles that met the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for analysis. RESULTS： A total of 97 instruments for health outcome assessment in Chinese medicine have been used in fundamental and theoretical research, and 14 of these were also used in 29 clinical trials that were randomized controlled trials, or descriptive or cross-sectional studies. In 2 152 Chinese medicine-based studies that used instruments in their methodology, more than 150 questionnaires were identified. Among the identified questionnaires, 51 were used in more than 10 articles （0.5%）. Most of these instruments were developed in Western countries and few studies （4%） used the instrument as the primary evidence for their conclusions. CONCLUSION： Usage of instruments for health outcome assessment in Chinese medicine is increasing rapidly; however, current limitations include selection rationale, result interpretation and standardization, which must be addressed accordingly.