Depression and anxiety among cancer patients visiting a tertiary care cancer hospital

BACKGROUND Cancer patients frequently experience psychological problems related to reactions to cancer diagnosis,cancer type and stage,treatment effects,recurrence,fear of end-of-life,survivorship,and financial burden.Depression and anxiety are both psychological and physiological disturbances among cancer patients.AIM To assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety among cancer patients attending a tertiary care cancer hospital.METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Kathmandu Valley among 220 cancer patients aged from 18 years to 70 years.Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of CiST College.Convenient sampling was used to interview patients with the standardized Patient-Health Questionnaire(PHQ-9)for Depression and Hospital Anxiety and Depression sub-scale(HADS-A)for anxiety.Epi-Data was used for data entry and transferred to SPSS Version 25 for analysis.RESULTS The study revealed that of 220 patients,most of the respondents belonged to the age group 51-60 years.More than half 131(59.6%)of the respondents were female,most of them had depression,and one-third had anxiety.Among the respondents,124(56.4%)had mild depression,70(31.8%)had moderate depression,and 3(1.3%)had severe depression;79(35.9%)had mild anxiety,64(29.1%)had moderate anxiety,and 4(1.8%)had severe anxiety.CONCLUSION Most respondents were depressed and one-third had anxiety.More than half and nearly one-third had mild and moderate depression,respectively,and nearly one-third had mild and moderate anxiety,which is higher than other studies.

Perspectives and Challenges of Family Members in Providing Mental Support to Cancer Patients:A Qualitative Study in Beijing,China

This study explores the perspectives and challenges faced by family members providing mental support to cancer patients in Beijing,China.The primary objective is to understand the emotional and practical roles family members undertake and the difficulties they encounter.Utilizing a qualitative research design,data were collected through semi-structured interviews with family caregivers of cancer patients.Thematic analysis revealed several key themes:the dual burden of emotional support and caregiving responsibilities,the impact on daily life and personal well-being,the role and effectiveness of external support systems,perceptions of medical staff support,and the common challenges and conflicts faced in caregiving.The findings highlight the critical need for comprehensive support systems that address both the emotional and practical needs of family caregivers.Recommendations for enhancing family-centered support programs in oncology settings are discussed.

Progress in Research on the Impact of Religious Psychological Coping on the Holistic Well-Being of Cancer Patients and Relevant Factors

This study reviews the historical development,current applications,and multifaceted impacts of religious psychological coping on the physical and mental health of cancer patients.As a method for coping with life’s pressures through religious beliefs or activities,religious psychological coping has been proven to alleviate the negative emotions of cancer patients and enhance their spiritual well-being and quality of life(QOL).Research indicates that religious faith can alleviate the physical symptoms of cancer patients,extend survival time,reduce the fear of death,assist in coping with treatment side effects,and improve self-efficacy and overall quality of life.Additionally,this study explores factors influencing religious psychological coping,including demographic and sociological characteristics,the faith status of caregivers,types of religion,the relationship between the course of the disease and the duration of belief,and psychological factors.Considering the cultural differences between China and other countries,this study calls for further research into the real experiences of cancer patients with religious beliefs and provides theoretical guidance for clinical nursing practices to achieve holistic care for the body,mind,and spirit of cancer patients.

The Impact of Social Support on the Mental Health of Cancer Patients:Evidence from China

Exploring the relationship between social support and the mental health of cancer patients is a vital endeavor for enhancing mental well-being.The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between social support and psychological well-being in cancer patients and to provide new empirical evidence for psychological improvement in cancer patients.This research holds significant practical implications for optimizing China’s public health system and strengthening the development of a healthy China.Using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS)database,we empirically examined the influence of social support on the mental health of cancer patients.Models such as Ordered Probit and OLogit were used to provide empirical evidence and theoretical insights for enhancing the mental health of cancer patients in a context marked by a high prevalence of cancer.The findings indicated that both formal and informal social support mechanisms were effective in improving the mental health of cancer patients.Furthermore,we utilized the propensity score matching(PSM)model to eliminate the endogeneity issue associated with sample selectivity bias.The results obtained through PSM demonstrated robustness,underscoring the importance of addressing sample selectivity bias when assessing the impact of social support on the mental health of cancer patients.Therefore,the Chinese government is recommended to prioritize the use of social support as a means to proactively enhance the mental health of cancer patients,thereby continuously elevating their overall quality of life.

Preoperative malnutrition in elderly gastric cancer patients and adverse postoperative outcomes of radical gastrectomy

Malnutrition is not only a prevalent condition among the elderly but also a common comorbidity in elderly people with gastric cancer(GC).Malnutrition is closely linked to high rates of postoperative complications and poor wound healing in elderly GC patients,which may lead to a higher incidence and mor-tality rate of GC.Malnutrition decreases the physical function of elderly GC patients after surgery,severely affecting their postoperative life quality and hindering subsequent treatments.This retrospective study was conducted by Zhao et al,focusing on the clinical baseline data,postoperative complications,and hospitalization times of elderly GC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy.Additionally,the underlying causes of poor outcomes for patients were discussed.This study may provide a solid basis for the clinical treatment of elderly GC patients in the future.Therefore,malnutrition can serve as a negative prognostic factor for curative surgery in GC patients.Addressing malnutrition and its adverse effects can benefit elderly GC patients from surgical treatment.

Family resilience of cancer patients:a concept analysis

Objective:The concept of family resilience of cancer patients was discussed through literature review,which provided reference for nursing of cancer patients.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang Database,SinoMed,PubMed,Web of Science,and Embase were systematically searched,and the concept analysis method proposed by Walker and Avant was adopted.Results:In this study,we defined the concept of family resilience,identified attributes,and analyzed the antecedents and consequences.The proposed operational definition of family resilience was:After a family member is diagnosed with cancer,the whole family can actively explore its own unique internal and external resources and advantages,strengthen self-regulation,jointly cope with the crisis by establishing close family relationships,providing mutual support to family members,and interacting with the outside world.Conclusions:The definition of family resilience of cancer patients is conducive to the development of measurement tools and the improvement of family outcomes of adult cancer patients by intervening family resilience factors.

Effect of modified ShengYangYiwei decoction on painless gastroscopy and gastrointestinal and immune function in gastric cancer patients

BACKGROUND Painless gastroenteroscopy is a widely developed diagnostic and treatment technology in clinical practice.It is of great significance in the clinical diagnosis,treatment,follow-up review and other aspects of gastric cancer patients.The application of anesthesia techniques during manipulation can be effective in reducing patient fear and discomfort.In clinical work,the adverse drug reactions of anesthesia regimens and the risk of serious adverse drug reactions are increased with the increase in propofol application dose application dose;the application of opioid drugs often causes gastrointestinal reactions,such as nausea,vomiting and delayed gastrointestinal function recovery,after examination.These adverse effects can seriously affect the quality of life of patients.AIM To observe the effect of modified ShengYangYiwei decoction on gastrointestinal function,related complications and immune function in patients with gastric cancer during and after painless gastroscopy.METHODS A total of 106 patients with gastric cancer,who were selected from January 2022 to September 2022 in Xiamen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for painless gastroscopy,were randomly divided into a treatment group(n=56)and a control group(n=50).Before the examination,all patients fasted for 8 h,provided their health education,and confirmed if there were contraindications to anesthesia and gastroscopy.During the examination,the patients were placed in the left decubitus position,the patients were given oxygen through a nasal catheter(6 L/min),the welling needle was opened for the venous channel,and a multifunction detector was connected for monitoring electrocardiogram,oxygen saturation,blood pressure,etc.Naporphl and propofol propofol protocols were used for routine anesthesia.Before anesthesia administration,the patients underwent several deep breathing exercises,received intravenous nalbuphine[0.nalbuphine(0.025 mg/kg)],followed by intravenous propofol[1.propofol(1.5 mg/kg)]until the palpebral reflex disappeared,and after no response,gastroscopy was performed.If palpebral reflex disappeared,and after no response,gastroscopy was performed.If any patient developed movement,frowning,or hemodynamic changes during the operation(heart rate changes during the operation(heart rate increased to>20 beats/min,systolic blood pressure increased to>20%of the base value),additional propofol[0.propofol(0.5 mg/kg)]was added until the patient was sedated again.The patients in the treatment group began to take the preventive intervention of Modified ShengYangYiwei decoction one week before the examination,while the patients in the control group received routine gastrointestinal endoscopy.The patients in the two groups were examined by conventional painless gastroscopy,and the characteristics of the painless gastroscopies of the patients in the two groups were recorded and compared.These characteristics included the total dosage of propofol during the examination,the incidence of complications during the operation,the time of patients'awakening,the time of independent activities,and the gastrointestinal function of the patients after examination,such as the incidence of reactions such as malignant vomiting,abdominal distension and abdominal pain,as well as the differences in the levels of various immunological indicators and inflammatory factors before anesthesia induction(T0),after conscious extubation(T1)and 24 h after surgery(T2).RESULTS There was no difference in the patients’general information,American Society of Anesthesiologist classification or operation time between the two groups before treatment.In terms of painless gastroscopy,the total dosage of propofol in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05),and the time of awakening and autonomous activity was significantly faster than that in the control group(P<0.05).During the examination,the incidence of hypoxemia,hypotension and hiccups in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.01).In terms of gastrointestinal function,the incidences of nausea,vomiting,abdominal distension and abdominal pain in the treatment group after examination were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.01).In terms of immune function,in both groups,the number of CD4+and CD8+cells decreased significantly(P<0.05),and the number of natural killer cells increased significantly(P<0.05)at T1 and T2,compared with T0.The number of CD4+and CD8+cells in the treatment group at the T1 and T2 time points was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05),while the number of natural killer cells was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).In terms of inflammatory factors,compared with T0,the levels of interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients in the two groups at T1 and T2 increased significantly and then decreased(P<0.05).The level of IL-6 at T1 and T2 in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The preoperative use of modified ShengYangYiwei decoction can optimize the anesthesia program during painless gastroscopy,improve the gastrointestinal function of patients after the operation,reduce the occurrence of examination-related complications.

Effect of internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy

BACKGROUND Patients with colorectal cancer may need postoperative nursing to improve prognosis,and conventional nursing is not effective.Clinical research is needed to explore nursing methods that can more effectively improve postoperative conditions on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.AIM To explore the effect of internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.METHODS Data from 187 patients with colostomy treated in our hospital from May 2019 to March 2022 were collected and divided into three groups,A(n=62),B(n=62)and C(n=63),according to different intervention methods.Group A received internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care.Group B received internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care.Group C received usual care intervention.Complications were compared among the three groups.The stoma self-efficacy scale,Hamilton Anxiety Scale,RESULTS The complication rate of group A,B and C(16.13%,20.97%and 60.32%,respectively)was significantly different(all P<0.05).The incidence of complications in groups A and B was lower than that in group C,and there was no significant difference between groups A and B(P>0.05).After intervention,the scores of ostomy care,social contact,diet choice,confidence in maintaining vitality,confidence in self-care of ostomy,confidence in sexual life,confidence in sexual satisfaction and confidence in physical labor in the three groups were all higher than before intervention,and the scores of groups A and B were higher than those of group C,with statistical significance(P<0.05).The Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale scores of the three groups after intervention were lower than those before intervention.The scores of groups A and B were lower than those of group C,and the score of group A was lower than that of group B,all with statistical significance(all P<0.05).There was a statist-ically significant difference in cancer-induced fatigue among the three groups(P<0.05).After intervention,the scores of physical health,psychological health,social health and mental health of the three groups were lower than before the intervention.The scores of group A and B were lower than that of group C;and the score of group A was lower than that of group B,all with statistical significance(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION Internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care can effectively improve self-efficacy,bad mood,cancer-related fatigue and life quality of colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.

Sex differences in the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment in 19,528 cancer patients

Background:The scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment(PG-SGA)has been widely used to assess the nutritional status of cancer patients.The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in PG-SGA scores and the 7 domain scores of the PG-SGA in male and female cancer patients.Methods:This study was conducted at 72 hospitals from July 2013 to December 2018,a part of the Investigation on Nutritional Status and its Clinical Outcomes of Common Cancers.The PG-SGA was recorded to evaluate the nutritional status of patients.A total of 19,528 patients with 13 common malignancies were included in this study.Student t test and the χ^(2) test were applied to analyze the sex diferences in the 7 domain scores.The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database was used to analyze the expression levels of symptom-related genes.Results:There were significant sex dfferences in the PG-SGA(P=0.032),notably in patients with gastric cancer(male vs female:9.09±4.86 vs 9.58±5.07,P=0.005)and esophageal cancer(9.64±4.90 vs 10.46±4.96,P=0.011)and the average total PG-SGA of female patients was slightly higher than that of male patients(7.64±4.98 vs 7.77±5.14).The differences were mainly related to the weight,eating,symptom,as well as activity and physical function scores in the stratified analysis.Possible causes of the sex differences were the rates of nausea,vomiting,dry mouth,and other symptoms,in both gastric and esophageal cancer patients.Analysis of the TCGA database suggested that most of the related genes were sex neutral,except for genes related to dysphagia in gastric cancer(VEGFC was higher in female patients,VEGFA and VEGFB higher in male patients).Conclusions:There are sex differences in the PG-SGA scores in patients with various tumor types(female patients generally had higher scores than male patients),with differences mainly in the weight,eating,symptom,as well as activity and physical function scores.The sex differences in PG-SGA scores might be due to the differences in the clinical manifestations of the disease,and further studies should be carried out to investigate other factors influencing the PG-SGA scores in cancer patients.This study provides basic data supporting the individualized nutritional treatment of cancer patients in clinical practice.

Summary of the Best Evidence for the Evaluation and Management of Chemotherapy-Related Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Patients

Objective: To summarize the best evidence for the evaluation and management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients, so as to promote the standardized management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Methods: A computer search was conducted for all evidence on chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting interventions, including guidelines, expert consensus, best clinical practice information booklet, recommended practice, evidence summary, and systematic review. The search period is from April 30, 2022. After the literature quality evaluation, the evidence extraction and summary of the literature meeting the quality standards. Results: A total of 16 literatures were included, including 9 guidelines, 5 systematic reviews and 2 expert consensus papers. 46 pieces of best evidence on the assessment and management of chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients were summarized, including 6 aspects including risk assessment and management, non-drug management, drug management, multidisciplinary cooperation, education and training, and health education. Conclusion: This study summarized the current best evidence on the assessment and management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Clinical staff should apply evidence according to specific clinical scenarios, professional skills and patients’ wishes in order to reduce the degree and incidence of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients and improve the quality of care.

Study on the Influencing Factors of Chemotherapeutic-Related Taste Changes in Cancer Patients

Objective: To investigate the current situation of chemotherapy-related taste changes of cancer patients in Jingzhou area, and analyze the influencing factors of chemotherapy-related taste changes of cancer patients. Methods: In this study, 233 patients with malignant tumors who were confirmed by pathological examination and expected survival time of more than 6 months after admission to a tertiary general hospital in Jingzhou from January 2018 to October 2018 were selected by convenience sampling method. The Chinese version of The chemotherapy-induced Taste Alternation Scale (CiTAS) was used to investigate the baseline data and occurrence status, and multiple regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors. Results: In this study, 171 tumor patients experienced chemotherapy related taste changes, accounting for 73.4% (171/233);The vast majority of chemotherapy patients have different types and severity of taste changes;Multiple regression analysis showed that the duration of chemotherapy, the number of consecutive days of chemotherapy, and dry mouth were the main influencing factors for chemotherapy related taste changes in cancer patients (p Conclusion: Nursing personnel should pay attention to the occurrence of chemotherapy-related taste changes in tumor patients, and provide predictive nursing interventions to improve their taste experience for tumor patients who have a long course of chemotherapy, many consecutive days of chemotherapy, or have dry mouth conditions.

Validation And Reliability of Distress Thermometer in Chinese Cancer Patients

Objective：To examine the validation and reliability of the distress thermometer（DT） recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network（NCCN） in Chinese cancer patients.Methods：A total of 574 Chinese cancer patients from Beijing Cancer Hospital completed the detection of DT,the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale（HADS） and Symptom Checklist 90（SCL-90）,Receiver Operating Characteristic（ROC） curve and Area Under the Curve（AUC） were used to analyze the validation relative to HADS and SCL-90.The patients with DT≥4 and whose distress caused by emotional problems were interviewed with the MiNi International Neuro-psychiatric Interview（MINI）（Chinese Version 5.0）.This version was used to analyze cancer patients＇ psychological and Psychiatric symptoms during the cancer process;3.Another 106 cancer patients in rehabilitation stage and stable condition were asked to fill in DT two times,at the base time and after 7-10 days.Results：Data of ROC indicates that a DT cutoff score of 4 yielded AUC of 0.80 with a optimal sensitivity（0.80） and specificity（0.70） relative to HADS,and AUC of 0.83 with the greatest sensitivity（0.87） and specificity（0.72） against SCL-90.The DT also has acceptable test-retest reliability（r=0.800,P=0.000）;According to the interview results,the most common psychiatric problems cancer patients have adjustment disorder,depression,and anxiety.Conclusion：The data suggest that DT has acceptable overall accuracy and reliability as a screening tool for testing distress severity and specific problems causing distress in Chinese cancer patients.It is worth being used in oncology clinic,the rapid screening and interview could help caregivers to identify psychological and psychiatric problems of cancer patients and provide useful information for further treatment.

Validation of nutritional risk index method against patientgenerated subjective global assessment in screening malnutrition in colorectal cancer patients

Objective：To validate malnutrition screening tool of nutrition risk index （NRI） against patent-generated subjective global assessment （PG-SGA） as a gold standard tool in colorectal cancer patients before radiotherapy.Methods：Nutritional status of 52 volunteer colorectal cancer patients with a mean age of 54.1±16.8 years who referred to radiotherapy center were assessed by PG-SGA （gold standard method） and NRI.Serum albumin levels of patients were determined by colorimetric method.A contingency table was used to determine the sensitivity,specificity,and predictive value of the NRI in screening patients at risk of malnutrition,in comparison with the PG-SGA in patients before radiotherapy.Results：The findings of PG-SGA and NRI showed that 52％ and 45％ of patients in our study were moderately or severely malnourished respectively.The NRI had a sensitivity of 66％ and a specificity of 60％ against PG-SGA.The positive predictive value was 64％ and the negative predicative value was 62％.The agreement between NRI and PG-SGA was statistically insignificant （kappa =0.267; P＞0.05）.Conclusions：The findings of present study showed that the prevalence of malnutrition was high in patients with colorectal cancer.Moreover,NRI method had low sensitivity and specificity in assessing nutritional status of patients with cancer.It seems that the combination of anthropometric,laboratory parameters and a subjective scoring system may be helpful tools in screening of malnutrition in cancer patients.

Analysis of risk factors for central venous port failure in cancer patients

AIM: To analyze the risk factors for central port failure in cancer patients administered chemotherapy, using univariate and multivariate analyses. METHODS: A total of 1348 totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) were implanted into 1280 cancer patients in this cohort study. A Cox proportional hazard model was applied to analyze risk factors for failure of TIVADs. Log-rank test was used to compare actuarial survival rates. Infection, thrombosis, and surgical complication rates (χ2 test or Fisher's exact test) were compared in relation to the risk factors. RESULTS: Increasing age, male gender and openended catheter use were signifi cant risk factors reducing survival of TIVADs as determined by univariate and multivariate analyses. Hematogenous malignancy decreased the survival time of TIVADs; this reduction was not statistically signifi cant by univariate analysis [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.336, 95% CI: 0.966-1.849, P = 0.080)]. However, it became a signifi cant risk factor by multivariate analysis (HR = 1.499, 95% CI: 1.079-2.083, P = 0.016) when correlated with variables of age, sex and catheter type. Close-ended (Groshong) catheters had a lower thrombosis rate than open-ended catheters (2.5% vs 5%, P = 0.015). Hematogenous malignancy had higher infection rates than solid malignancy (10.5% vs 2.5%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Increasing age, male gender, openended catheters and hematogenous malignancy were risk factors for TIVAD failure. Close-ended catheters had lower thrombosis rates and hematogenous malignancy had higher infection rates.

Attitudes towards pain management in hospitalized cancer patients and their influencing factors

Objective： To investigate patients＇ attitudes towards cancer pain management and analyze the factors influencing these attitudes.Methods： The self-developed Demographic and Disease-Related Information Questionnaires, Pain Management Barriers Questionnaire-Taiwan form（BQT）, and Pain Knowledge Questionnaire were administered to 363 pairs of hospitalized cancer patients and their caregivers from the oncology departments of 7 hospitals in Beijing, China.Results： The average patient score for attitudes towards pain management was 2.96±0.49. The dimension scores indicated good attitudes in three areas（scores 〈2.5）, ＂Desire to be good＂（2.22±1.04）, ＂Fatalism＂（2.08±0.81） and＂Religious fatalism＂（1.86±1.00）, and poor attitudes in six areas（scores ≥2.5）, ＂Tolerance＂（3.83±0.96）, ＂Use of analgesics as needed（p.r.n.）＂（3.73±1.01）, ＂Addiction＂（3.44±1.05）, ＂Disease progression＂（3.28±1.26）, ＂Distraction of physicians＂（3.16±1.07） and ＂Side effects＂（2.99±0.68）. Two factors were entered into the regression equation：the caregivers＇ attitudes towards cancer pain management and the patients＇ pain knowledge. These two factors explained 23.2% of the total variance in the patients＇ average scores for their attitudes towards cancer pain management.Conclusions： The patients＇ attitudes towards cancer pain management were poor and could be influenced by the caregivers＇ attitudes and the patients＇ pain knowledge, and thus need to be improved.

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.

Determination of PDCD5 in Peripheral Blood Serum of Cancer Patients

Objective：Programmed cell death 5 （PDCD5） is an apoptosis related gene and plays an important role in the pathogenesis and development of cancer.Whether PDCD5 is present in peripheral blood serum has not been reported.The aim of this study is to determine the contents of PDCD5 protein in peripheral blood serum of cancer patients,as well as normal subjects.Methods：ELISA was used to detect the serum PDCD5 concentrations in 100 normal persons,83 patients with breast cancer,74 patients with gastrointestinal tract cancer and 41 patients with lung cancer.The results were statistically analyzed and discussed.Results：PDCD5 could be detected in peripheral blood serum in both normal subjects and cancer patients.The serum PDCD5 contents in normal persons ranged from 3.8 to 6.1 ng/ml with a median of 4.70±0.68 ng/ml.For cancer patients the PDCD5 levels were 4.59±0.90,4.79±1.14 and 10.43±22.34 ng/ml for breast cancer,gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer patients respectively.There was no statistically significant difference between the serum PDCD5 concentrations of normal persons and cancer patients.Conclusion：PDCD5 is present in peripheral blood.The PDCD5 levels in cancer patients are not statistically different from that of normal persons,though decreased expression of PDCD5 in malignant tissues has been found.

Implantable port thrombosis in cancer patients: a monocentric experience

Objective: Implantable port thrombosis(IPT) in cancer patients is a relatively rare but severe complication. Several factors are reportedly associated with the occurrence of thrombosis. We aimed to describe the prevalence and the anatomoclinical features of IPT observed in cancer patients who were treated in a medical oncology department in Tunisia.Methods: A total of 600 cancer patients who had port implantation from January 2013 to December 2015 were retrospectively identified. Cases with symptomatic/incidental IPT(radiologically confirmed) were further identified. Epidemiological and anatomoclinical features were collected from patient records and the department database.Results: We observed that 33 of the 600 patients had IPT; thus, the prevalence was 5.5%. The median age was 57 years, and the gender ratio was 0.43. Overweight or obesity was observed in 73% of the patients. IPT occurred mainly in patients with breast(36.4%) and colorectal(33.3%) cancers, which were mostly nonmetastatic(79%). At least one identified classical thromboembolic risk factor was found in 13 patients(smoking in 9, tamoxifen in 2). IPT was symptomatic in 93% of the cases, occurring within an average time of 56 days. Implantable ports were removed because of infection in 2 cases and nonfunctionality in 3 cases. IPT treatment was based on low-molecular-weight heparins(94%) and antivitamin K(6%) for an average of 130 days. Four patients had post-therapy complications: one thrombosis recurrence and three infections.Conclusions: IPT cases in the 600 patients were observed to occur in obese nonmetastatic cancer patients within the first 3 months after IP implantation.

Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine Therapies in Comprehensive Hospitals in Central China: A Parallel Survey in Cancer Patients and Clinicians

Summary： Chinese herbal medicine （CHM）, as the largest application category of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）, is widely accepted among cancer patients in China. Herbal slice （HS） and Chinese patent drug （CPD） are commonly used CHM in China. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of CHM among clinicians and cancer patients in central China. Five hundred and twenty-five patients and 165 clinicians in 35 comprehensive hospitals in central China were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire that was designed to evaluate the use of CHM. The results showed that 90.74% clinicians and 72.24% cancer patients used CHM during cancer treatment. The educational backgrounds of the clinicians and the age, education level, annual income, and cancer stage of the cancer patients were re- lated to use of CHM. More than 90% clinicians and cancer patients had used CPD. Comparatively, the percentage of HS use was 10% lower than that of CPD use among clinicians and cancer patients. More clinicians preferred to use CHM after surgery than cancer patients did （20.41% vs. 5.37%）. Enhancing physical fitness and improving performance status were regarded as the most potential effect of CHM on cancer treatment （85.71% among clinicians and 94.07% among cancer patients）, in comparison with directly killing tumor cells （24.49% among clinicians and 31.36% among patients）. As for refusal rea- sons, imprecise efficacy was the unanimous （100%） reason for clinicians＇ rejection of CHM, and 95.58% patients objected to using CHM also for this reason. Furthermore, the side effects of CHM were more concerned by clinicians than by patients （33.33% vs. 15.81%）. In conclusion, our survey revealed that CHM was popularly accepted by clinicians and cancer patients in central China. The reasons of use and rejection of CHM were different between clinicians and cancer patients.

Meta-analysis of meditative/relaxation-based interventions for cognitive impairment in cancer patient

Objective:This meta-analysis aimed to review any form of meditative/relaxation interventions for managing cognitive impairment in cancer patients,and to examine its intervention effect.Methods:Three databases(PubMed,PsycInfo,and CNKI)were searched until September 30,2016.Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of meditative/relaxation-based interventions for the management of cognitive impairment in cancer patients were considered for inclusion.Results:A total of 4 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis.Four RCTs with a total of 290 subjects indicated that meditative/relaxation interventions significantly improved subjective cognitive function of cancer patients.The weighted mean difference was 5.29(95%CI:2.97,7.61).The overall effect of Z score was 4.47(P<0.001).The meditative/relaxation-based interventions had positive effects on the physical and mental QOL(quality of life)of cancer patients.Although the improvement of physical QOL was in favor of interventions,there is no statistically significant difference(Z score=1.81,P=0.07).For the effects of meditative/relaxation interventions on metal QOL,there is significantly statistical difference(Z score=2.99,P=0.003).All included RCTs had a follow-up assessment within six months.Conclusion:Mediation-based interventions had statistically significant difference in improve subjective cognitive function and mental QOL in cancer patients.However,since the conclusion of this meta-analysis was drawn based on limited number of RCTs,future research should be conducted to confirm its positive intervention effects.