• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권8호
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• pp.4801-4804
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• 2013

Purpose: To investigate short-term response rate, quality of life and toxicities of mannan peptide combined with TP regimen in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods: Forty one patients with NSCLC were divided into an experimental group treated with TP regimen combined with mannan peptide (21 patients) and a control group treated with TP alone (20 patients). Results: Response rates were 61.9% (13/21) for the experimental and 60% (12/20) for the control group (p>0.05). Regarding toxicity, white blood cell decreased more frequently in the control group (65%, 13/20) than in the experimental group (33.3%, 7/21) (p<0.05); nausea and vomiting also occurred more frequently in the control group (55%, 11/20 vs 23.8%, 5/21) (p<0.05). In terms of quality of life, this index was improved by 57.1% (12/21) and 25% (5/20) in experimental and control groups, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusions: Response rate of TP after combined with mannan peptide is mildly increased, while this combination alleviates bone marrow suppression as well as nausea and vomiting of TP, and improves quality of life when treating patients with NSCLC. However, this conclusion should be confirmed by randomized clinical trails.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권sup3호
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• pp.239-243
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• 2016

This article investigates ethical challenges cancer patients face in the end stages of life including doctors' responsibilities, patients' rights, unexpected desires of patients and their relatives, futile treatments, and communication with patients in end stages of life. These patients are taken care of through palliative rather than curative measures. In many cases, patients in the last days of life ask their physician to terminate their illness via euthanasia which has many ethical considerations. Proponents of such mercy killing (euthanasia) believe that if the patient desires, the physician must end the life, while opponents of this issue, consider it as an act of murder incompatible with the spirit of medical sciences. The related arguments presented in this paper and other ethical issues these patients face and possible solutions for dealing with them have been proposed. It should be mentioned that this paper is more human rational and empirical and the views of the legislator are not included, though in many cases human intellectual and empirical comments are compatible with those of the legislator.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.121-139
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• 2015

"Living in the present moment," a Buddhist concept, was applied in this research. This concept urges the patients to cling neither to the past nor the future as well as being mindful of their body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities. The purpose of the study was to develop a "living in the present moment" model and to evaluate the power of "living in the present moment" in terms of physical and mental results. The study used non-participatory action research with quasi-experimental research design that included 3 camps composed of 6 main activities. The percentages, SD, and paired t-test statistics were used to analyze and compare 17 purposively selected diabetic patients from Pak Thong Chai Hospital before and after they attended the 3 camps. The patients improved significantly in terms of waistline, body weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (SBP and DBP). The mean of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level was also changed considerably. The results revealed that the treatment helped the patients to gain self-awareness and self-realization (Yonisomanasikara), as well as knowledge and increased support from friends (Kalyanamitta). They also let go of their attachment to their physical and mental oppressions. This helped the patients to relieve their daily pain, fatigue, insomnia, and diabetes-related complications. About 75% of all patients were able to achieve lifestyle modifications. Therefore, implementation of the model should be expanded and utilized in other diabetic centers. The model might also be expanded to pre-diabetes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.2089-2092
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• 2016

Background: The impact of mean platelet volume (MPV) on prognosis, diagnosis and response to therapy in cancer patients has been widely investigated. In the present study, we evaluated whether MPV at diagnosis has predictive value for pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Materials and Methods: A total of 109 patients with LABC from Akdeniz University and Antalya Research and Training Hospital were evaluated retrospectively. Results: ROC curve analysis suggested that the optimum MPV cut-off point for LABC patients with pCR (+) was 8.15 (AUC:0.378, 95%CI [0.256-0.499], p=0.077). The patients with MPV <8.15 had higher pCR rates (29.2% vs. 13.1%, p=0.038). After binary logistic regression analysis, MPV and estrogen receptor absence were independent predictors for pCR. Conclusions: MPV has an independent predictive value for pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with LABC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권8호
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• pp.3163-3166
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• 2015

Background: Patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma are considered to have a very poor prognosis, and new regimens are needed to improve this setting. Pomalidomide is a new immunomodulatory drug with high in vitro potency. Immunomodulatory drugs are hypothesized to act through multiple mechanisms. Here we performed a systemic analysis to evaluate pomalidomide-based chemotherapy (pomalidomide in combination with low-dose dexamethasone) as salvage treatment for patients with refractory and relapsed multiple myeloma. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efffectiveness of pomalidomide based regimens on response and safety for patients with refractory and relapsed multiple myeloma were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate (RR) of treatment were calculated. Results: For pomalidomide based regimens, 4 clinical studies which including 291 patients with refractory and relapsed multiple myeloma were considered eligible for inclusion. Systemic analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled RR was 41.2% (120/291). Major adverse effects were hematologic toxicity, including grade 1 or 2 anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia with pomalidomide based treatment. No treatment related death occurred. Conclusion: This pooled analysis suggests that pomalidomide in combination with low-dose dexamethasone is active with good tolerability in treating patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권8호
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• pp.3539-3542
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• 2015

Background: Retrospective data on 165 patients who presented with a parotid mass and underwent surgery in our clinics during 2000-2009 were examined. The obtained data (demographic data, surgical procedures, histopathological diagnoses) were compared to similar studies to make contributions to the literature. Materials and Methods: Patients were classified according to their histopathological diagnosis. Surgical procedures and patient follow-up were clarified. The results are presented as means and standard deviations. Results: Of the 165 masses, 134 (81.3%) were benign and 31 (18.7%) were malignant. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common benign tumour (79 patients, 59%). Lymphoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma were equally common and were the most common malignant parotid gland tumours (both 6 patients, 19.3%). The most frequent surgical procedure was superficial parotidectomy (92 patients, 55.7%), and the most commonly encountered surgical complication was facial paralysis (12 patients, 7.2%). Conclusions: Our data are generally in line with the literature but lymphoma was more common than in most previous reports. Although the number of cases was low, the high incidence of parotid gland lymphoma was remarkable.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.687-690
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• 2014

Background: Emergency departments are visited by cancer patients for palliation of cancer-related symptoms, management of treatment-related side effects, oncologic emergencies, co-morbidities, and/or end of life care. In this study, we aimed to identify the characteristics of cancer patients admitted to an emergency medicine department in Southwest Turkey. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, a total of 304 emergency department admissions of 102 patients with cancer due to medical conditions were evaluated. Descriptive statistical methods, statistical analysis for correlation, Student's t-test, chi-square tests and logistic regression test were used. Results: The majority of patients visiting to emergency departments were male (n=66, 65%) and over 65 years of age (53, 52%). Some 30% (n=31) had a lung cancer diagnosis, 32% (n=33) presentation with dyspnea, 53% (n=55) with metastasis, 30% (n=16) with multiple metastatic lesions in lung, and 68% (n=70) had a poor ECOG performance status (score 3 to 4). Conclusions: Emergency departments have valuable roles in managing and caring for patients with malignancies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.695-700
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• 2013

Background: Mutations affecting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are good predictors of clinical efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels are also regarded as predictive for the efficacy of EGFR-TKI and EGFR gene mutations. This study analyzed the association between EGFR gene mutations and clinical features, including serum tumor marker levels in lung adenocarcinomas patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 70 lung adenocarcinoma patients with complete clinical data and pathological specimens were investigated. EGFR gene mutations at exons 19 and 21 were assessed. Serum tumor markers were detected by protein chip-chemiluminescence at the corresponding time, and correlations were analyzed. Results: Mutations of the EGFR gene were detected in 27 of the 70 patients and the serum CEA and CA242 concentrations were found to be significantly associated with the incidence of EGFR gene mutations (P<0.05). The AUCs for CEA and CA242 were 0.724 (95% CI: 0.598~0.850, P<0.05) and 0.769 (95% CI: 0.523~0.800, P<0.05) respectively. Conclusions: Serum CEA and CA242 levels are associated with mutations of the EGFR gene in patients with lung adenocarcinomas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.2983-2988
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• 2016

Recognizing cancer patients' preferences to obtain health information can help improve and reform the methods of communicating and providing proper services and consequently lead to effective patient education. The present cross-sectional study to prioritize the preferences of cancer patients regarding the acquisition of health informationwas conducted on cancer patients referred to hospitals affiliated to Semnan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was developed. In the field of side effects of medications, 50 (46.7%) reported knowing about weight change, in the area of achieving relative health, 62(57.9%) announced awareness about diet, and 45 (42.1%) reported physical complications as a first regarding information needs. In the area of obtaining information, 50 (46.7%) tended to take their information through means outside of the hospital setting. These results can help with design of clinical information systems, as they inform the most relevant and useful coverage designed for cancer patients. Providing useful information through healthcare providers, the media and clinical information systems can act as a major source of social support for cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권12호
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• pp.7309-7314
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• 2013

Aim: To investigate factors that affect the place of death (POD) of terminal cancer patients. Materials and Methods: We recruited 702 consecutive patients (${\geq}18$ years) from 12 centers during July 2005 to October 2006, and 481 completed the questionnaire. In April 2011, we linked the data for 96.0% (n=462) of the deceased patients to the POD using the 2005-2009 death certificate data of Korea's National Statistical Office. The primary outcome variable was POD, and the predictive value of variables pertaining to patients and caregivers was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Most patients died in a hospital (91.5%, n=441) and age, education, preference for place of terminal care, wish to use hospice/palliative care services, terminal cancer awareness, time between diagnosis and death, and global quality-of-life subscale of the EORTC QLQ-C30 of patients, and education and preference for place of terminal care of caregivers were significant predictors in univariate analyses. On multivariate analysis, patients and caregivers who preferred hospital/palliative care as the terminal care option over home care [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 2.68; 95% confidential interval (CI), 1.18-7.04 and aOR: 2.65; 95%CI: 1.15-6.09 for patient and caregiver preferences, respectively] and caregivers who were highly educated (aOR, 3.19; 95%CI, 1.44-7.06) were predictors of POD. Conclusions: Most of the terminal cancer patients died in a hospital. Our findings indicate that major predictors of hospital deaths are preference of both the patient and caregiver for hospital/palliative care as the terminal care option and higher education of the caregiver.