The aime of this study is to assess the effect of a multimodal group exercise intervention, as an adjunct to conventional care, on fatigue, physical capacity, general wellbeing, physical activity, and quality of life in patients with breast cancer wh
o were undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. The study was conducted in Tishreen university hospital in Lattakia the participants were 164 women with breast cancer. Supervised exercise comprising high intensity cardiovascular and resistance training, relaxation and body awareness training, massage, nine hours weekly for six weeks in addition to conventional care, compared with conventional care. The intervention group showed an estimated improvement at six weeks for the primary outcome, fatigue, of −6.8 (−12.3 to −0.9), P=0.02. Significant effects were seen on vitality for physical functioning 2,5 (-0,4 to 5,2), role physical 4,5 (-1,8 to 11,1), role emotional -0,3 (-4,0 to 3,3), and mental health 1,9 (-2,5 to 6,1) scores. No significant effect was seen on global health status/quality of life. A supervised multi modal exercise intervention including high and low intensity components was feasible and could safely be used in patients with breast cancer who were receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or treatment for advanced disease. The intervention reduced fatigue and improved vitality, muscular strength, and physical and functional activity, and emotional wellbeing, but not quality of life.
Studies demonstrated a prognostic role for postoperative CA 19-9 in patients with resectable pancreatic carcinoma following surgery. Our study aimed to investigate whether CA 19-9 provided similar prognostic information in patients with advanced unre
sectable pancreatic cancer treated with chemotherapy and to determine whether such endpoints should therefore be reported in future randomized trials. Between Mars 2014 and December 2015, 36 patients ( median age 57 years, range 38-80 years, 9 females, 27 males ) with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and a baseline Karnofsky-index more than 60 were treated with chemotherapy . Only patients with a bilirubin of less than 2 mg/dL at the time the CA 19-9 was evaluated were included in the analysis to avoid the confounding effect of hyperbilirubinemia. Only patients with basal high CA19-9 were included in the analysis. Survival was measured from the date of first post CRT CA 19-9 level until death or last follow-up. Patients with a decrease of20 < % of the baseline CA19-9 level after 8 weeks of treatment (n=25) had a significantly better median survival than patients with a rise or a decrease < 20% (n-11) (6.98 vs4.68 months; p=0.007). Age and basal CA19-9 did not show significant or a trend for significant differences regarding survival by univariate analysis (P=0.987, p=0.878 respectively). Females had a significantly better median survival than males (7.83 vs 5.75 months, P=0.023).
Background: cancer patients experience large physical and emotional challenges
related to side effects of chemotherapy drugs, which make coping and adaptation essential
issue for coping with disease. Aim: this study was conducted to identify coping
strategies
among cancer patients during chemotherapy and its relation with patient's age and gender
Methods: data were collected from 150 patients from Tishreen university hospital by using
brief coping questionnaire in addition to demographical sheet Results : the results
revealed that cancer patients tend to use various coping strategies which are problemfocused
and emotional- focused, reflected positive and negative coping. The most used
coping strategies were active coping strategy (78.66%), followed by seeking social support
for instrumental reasons strategy (76.66%), followed by planning strategy (76%), then
focus on and venting of emotions (75.33%), followed by acceptance strategy (70.66%),
then seeking social support for emotional reasons (68%), then turning to religion (58%).
Also results showed that coping strategies changed according to age and gender changing
(p < 0.05) where women tend to use emotional- focused coping strategies while aged
patients prefer emotional social support and acceptance. Conclusion: emotional issues for
cancer patients during chemotherapy require more concern with ongoing assessment for
adaptation and coping strategies, for designing appropriate interventions agreed with
coping behaviors which cancer patients demonstrate during treatment.
