• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.317-326
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to identify correlation of stress, coping patterns and physical symptoms in cancer patient's caregiver. The stress was measured by VAS(Visual Analogue Scale). The coping methods were measured using the modified Ways of Coping Questionnaire by Yang (1998) and the actual physical symptoms were investigated. The phases of patient illness consisted of 1st (initial) stage, and 2nd (recurred) stage and 3rd (terminal) stage based on literature (Lewandowski & Jones, 1988). The data were collected by a survey conducted from March to July, 2000 and which included 196 cancer patients' caregivers from two hospitals in Seoul. The data were analyzed using paired t-test, unpaired t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results were as follows: 1. The average of caregivers' stress scores was 62.5. Problem-focused coping methods were significantly used more than emotion-focused coping methods by the cancer patients' caregiver. The mean number of caregivers' physical symptom was 1.03. 2. There were significantly high level of stress in women, those who were more than 60 years old, those who had a low education level, those who had no job, those who are patients' wives' and those who are terminal patients' caregiver. There were significantly low levels of coping in women, those who were more than 60 years old, those who had low education levels, those who had no job and those who are patients' wives. There were significantly higher number of physical symptoms in women, and those who have no job. 3. Caregivers' stress was significantly correlated to problem-focused coping methods (r=-.21, p=.006), and physical symptom (r=-.28, p=.0001). In conclusion, attempts to develop nursing interventions for cancer patients' caregiver in women, those who are more than 60 years old, with a low education level, have no job, and are cancer patients' wives could have an improvement on positive coping methods and provide relaxation from stress in the patients' experience.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.478-486
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• 2020

Objectives: Pressure injury is a common symptom of end-stage cancer, which impact quality of life. This case study reports on use of traditional Korean medicine in an end-stage cancer patient with pressure injury after debridement and local flap. Methods: A pressure injury with debridement and a local flap was treated using herbal medicine, a carbon arc, acupuncture, dressing, and cooperation in plastic surgery. Pressure injury was followed up with photographs. Results: On the 22^nd day of treatment (26 days after the debridement and local flap), redness, swelling, and the condition of pressure injury were all improved. Moreover, the condition of the pressure injury was good without dressing. Conclusions: These results show that traditional Korean medicine may have a positive effect on a pressure injury and improve the quality of life of cancer patients. However, further study is needed to confirm these findings.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.211-217
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• 2005

Objectives : Terminal stage cancer patient from primary hepatocellular carcinoma metastasized into lungs was administered with cultivated wild ginseng herbal acupuncture for 5 months and observed progression. Methods : Cultivated wild ginseng herbal acupuncture was administered 5 times a week at about 150cc dosage per week. Dynamic CT was taken and interpreted at a university hospital. Results : Above patient was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma and received one procedure of lobectomy and three procedures of TACE, but because of metastasis, chance of improvement was very obscure. Intensive treatment of cultivated wild ginseng herbal acupuncture five times a week for five months in association with moxibustion was done on the patient. Near elimination of the cancer cells metastasized into lungs were confirmed in terms of radiological impression through dynamic CT. Conclusion: From the results obtained in this study, cultivated wild ginseng herbal acupuncture can be an effective measure against terminal stage cancer. But this is a single case study and lack of extensive follow-up must be compensated by further researches.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2008

Objectives: To grasp the traditional stream of cancer treatment inherited from the previous doctors. Methods: The author's research has been performed cancer treatment based on JIJU(積聚) taking the original text as a reference. Results & Conclusion: The general three outlines and five detailed rules of cancer treatment have been obtained as follows. The first outline of cancer treatment is that reinforced vital function makes cancer reduce naturally. the second is that Harmless cancer can coexist in human beings and aging with them. and the third is that Elimination and reinforcing therapies should be executed in appropriate era and those therapies should utilize appropriate methods. The first detailed rule of cancer treatment is when using reinforcing therapy, it must applicate mildly and when using elimination therapy, it must applicate calmly. The second detailed rule is that the methods of cancer treatment are different from each cancer stage. The concentration should be made on reinforcing therapy at early stage while reinforcing and elimination therapies must be conducted together at middle stage. At terminal stage reinforcing therapy is the sole method to be taken. The third detailed rule is that the basis property of cancer drug is warm nature and extremely biased property should be avoided and when complication arises (eg. inflamatory disease, cancer fever, etc), cold or cool nature can be applied. The fourth detailed rule is that Cancer drug must have the effect eliminating the blood stasis, phlegm and excessive fluid, all together. The fifth detailed rule is that Physicians have to control patient's stress or stress related symptom and teach patients about right way of taking care of themselves and patients should take hygienic rules with their free will by themselves (eg diet, exercise, stress, etc)

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.538-543
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the stress and the coping methodes in the cancer patients and their caregivers. Method: The stress method was measured by V AS(Visual Analogue Scale). The coping methodes was measured using the modified Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The phases of patient illness consisted of Ist(initial) stage, and 2nd(recurred) stage and 3rd(terminal) stage based on Lewandowski & Jones(1988) method. The data were collected by a survey of convenience sampling of 257 cancer patients and 196 of their caregivers from two hospitals in Seoul. The data were analyzed using paired t-test, unpaired t-test. Result: The stress level of cancer patients was lower than their caregivers. The cancer patients used emotion-focused coping mode than problem-focused coping mode. The caregivers problem-focused coping mode over emotion-focused coping mode. In the problem-focused coping mode, the caregivers significantly used two coping strategies that were ‘positve cope’, ‘information seeking’ more than patients. In emotion-focused coping mode, the caregivers significantly used one coping strategies that was ‘wish’ more than patients. The patients tended to used two coping strategies that were ‘blame’ and ‘emotion expression’ more than the caregivers. Conclusion: Further study needs to be done to positively identify these coping methods and develop interventions to assist patients and their caregivers.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.190-194
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• 2007

Purpose: Individual cancer patients often experience many symptoms that impair their quality of life at the end of life. Identifying symptoms at the terminal stage of cancer patients and possible imminent death prediction by using that assessment can assist physicians and patients in preparing the 'peaceful death'. This study examines symptom experience during the last 48 hours of life of terminal cancer patients, and determines whether symptom experience change with proximal to death. Methods: The medical records of 89 patients who died with terminal cancer at a hospital between July 1, 2003 and March 31, 2006 were reviewed. Symptom prevalence at the last 48 hours was analyzed along with the change of symptom experience at the admission, $48{\sim}24$ hours, and $24{\sim}0$ hours before death. Results: Median age of all patients was 62 years old (range $16{\sim}97$). During the last 48 hours, symptom prevalence was described as follows; unclear consciousness (57%), pain (30%), fever (22%), and dyspnea (19%). According to the primary site, unclear consciousness was notified the most frequent symptom, but fever was relatively high prevalence in patients of biliary origin cancer rather than other site cancer (P=0.012). As death was Impending, the prevalence of poor appetite and general weakness were decreased, while that of unclear consciousness was increased, which were all statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The presence of unclear consciousness could be regarded as the symptom indicator as imminent death of terminal canter patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.970-979
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• 1998

Cancer has been considered a life-threatening disease and coping patterns could have a strong impact the physical and psychological health of patients and their family. The purpose of this study was to identify the change of coping patterns according to the phases of illness in the patients with cancer and their family caregivers and to compare the coping patterns of patients with those of their caregivers. The phases of illness consisted of 1st(initial) stage, 2nd(metastatic or recurred) stage and 3rd (terminal) stage based on literature. The coping methods were measured using the modified Ways of Coping Questionnaire by Lazarus & Folkman(1984). Seventy-nine patients(35 in stage 1, 31 in stage 2, and 13 in stage 3) and ninety-two caregivers (38 in stage 1, 30 in stage 2 and 24) agreed to participate from two general hospitals in Seoul and Choongnam. No significant changes were found in the coping patterns according to the phases of illness in both groups. Patients in stage 2 and caregivers in stages 2 and 3 problem-focused coping methods were significantly used more than emotion-focused coping methods. Patients in stage 1 significantly used two coping strategies that were cognitive reconstruction and emotion expression more than caregivers. Patients in stage 2 significantly used emotion-focused coping methods including minimizing threat, blame, and emotion expression excepting wishful thinking more than caregivers. We need more research to identify the relationship between the coping methods and their efficiencies through longterm observation and attempt to develope the nursing interventions that could have an improvement on positive coping methods and provide guidance on the problems the patients experience.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this descriptive study was to identify factors influencing quality of life among family caregivers of non-cancer patients at the end-of-life stage. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire. Participants included 172 family caregivers caring for non-cancer patients. Data were collected from April to May 2016 and analyzed with descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and a hierarchical regression analysis using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 program. Results: The mean of the participants' quality of life was 51.70±9.98. Factors influencing quality of life among family caregivers were spiritual care (𝛽=-.45, p=.021), coordination among family members or relatives (𝛽=-.27, p=.029), and psychological support (𝛽=-.04, p=.031). The explanatory power of the model was 21.0%. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that care needs; spiritual care, coordination among family members or relatives, and psychological support are important factors for family caregivers' quality of life. To improve quality of life among family caregivers who are taking care of non-cancer patients at the end-of-life stage, national systems establishing comprehensive support considering the respective care needs of patients are crucial.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.152-160
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• 2004

Objective : Recently, an increasing portion of cancer patients use various therapies of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including traditional oriental medicine, which is believed to improve the consequence of cancer according to clinical experience and laboratory data. But the clinical-based systemic statistic validity of these therapies is lacking, so this study was aimed to validate the traditional oriental therapies (TOT) for terminally ill cancer patients. Patients and methods : This retrospective study was performed on 273 patients who were diagnosed with terminally ill cancer in Korea and treated with TOT in the oriental hospital of Daejeon University, from March 1997 to June 2003. We examined the median duration of the terminal period and the correlations between 9 factors and survival of terminally ill cancer patients. Results : During the study period, we could confirm 142 patients' death (52.01%) in 273 subjects. The median length of survival in terminally ill cancer patients was 16 weeks (95%CI 14.0∼20.0) and 40.15% (95%CI 40.07∼40.22) of patients had survived more than 24 weeks. According to Cox's proportional hazard model including gender, age, conventional therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery), performance status and clinical symptoms as independent variables, history of conventional therapies (RR 0.581, 95%CI 0.381∼0.885), higher performance status (RR 1,855, 95%CI 1.454∼2.366) and absence of ascites and pleural effusion (RR 1.631, 95%CI 1.047∼2.538) showed independent prognostic value of survival. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that TOT offer potential benefits for cancer patients at the terminal stage.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.256-261
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• 2016

Radiation therapy is an effective modality to alleviate cancer-related symptoms. To deliver radiation accurately, it is essential to secure stability of the treatment position in patients during each treatment time. However, some patients could be less cooperative due to their psychoemotional issues. We present two cases of terminal-stage cancer patients who were initially unable to lie still on the treatment table before simulation. A relaxation technique was taught to them on the bed, and they could relax and undergo radiation therapy with effective symptom relief.