| 1. |
- Carlsson, Marianne, et al.
(författare)
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A five-year follow-up of quality of life in women with breast cancer in anthroposophic and conventional care
- 2006
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Ingår i: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1741-427X .- 1741-4288. ; 3:4, s. 523-531
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Complementary and alternative medicine is used by many cancer patients in most parts of the world, and its use is increasing. The aim of the present study was to examine, over 5 years, the perceived quality of life/life satisfaction in two samples of women with breast cancer who were treated with anthroposophic care or conventional medical treatment only. Data from admission, after I year and after 5 years are used for the comparisons. On admission to the study the women in anthroposophic care perceived their quality of life to be lower than that of the women in the conventional treatment group, especially for emotional, cognitive and social functioning and overall quality of life. Sixty women who actively chose treatment with anthroposophic medicine and 60 individually matched women treated with conventional medicine participated. Quality of life was measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Twenty-six women within anthroposophic care and 31 women within conventional medicine survived the 5 years. Effect size (ES) estimation favored the anthroposophic group in seven of the subscales mostly measuring emotional functioning. The ES for four of the subscales favored the conventional treatment group, mostly concerning physical functioning. After 5 years there were improvements in overall quality of life and in emotional and social functioning compared to admission for the women in anthroposophic care. The improvements took place between admission and 1 year, but not further on. Only minor improvements were found in the matching group.
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| 2. |
- Rydén, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Reproducibility of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 analysis in primary breast cancer: a national survey performed at pathology departments in Sweden.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-226X .- 0284-186X. ; 48:6, s. 860-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HER2 is a treatment predictive factor for the effect of trastuzumab and associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. The analysis of HER2 must be performed with good quality, with regard to both the immunohistochemical (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) analysis.A tissue microarray (TMA) including 11 breast cancer samples was sent twice (once in 2005 and again in 2006) to 24 pathology departments in Sweden. A questionnaire was also sent to the departments in 2006.With IHC, all departments reported the same results (0/1+ vs. 2+ vs. 3 + ) for three (2005) and six samples (2006). The mean kappa-value increased from 0.67 to 0.77, indicating a good reproducibility at both occasions. With fluorescence-ISH (FISH), the 11 departments using this technique reported the same results (amplified vs. normal) for nine (2005) and ten samples (2006). The mean kappa-value showed very good reproducibility both 2005 and 2006 (0.92 and 0.96, respectively). Based on the answers from the participating departments, the questionnaire revealed that 31% of primary breast cancer diagnosed in 2006 (n = 5 043) were 2 + /3+. FISH analysis of 2+ confirmed 12% of the samples to be amplified. The corresponding figure for 3 + was 90%. In total, 14.3% of the samples were HER2 positive (2+ and amplified, or 3 + ).The results obtained in this study indicate that the reproducibility for HER2 analysis is good (IHC) and very good (FISH) between the pathology departments in Sweden using TMA-based tumor samples. In 2006, 14.3% of invasive breast cancers were HER2 positive.
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| 3. |
- Suzuki, Chikako, et al.
(författare)
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Radiologic measurements of tumor response to treatment : practical approaches and limitations
- 2008
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Ingår i: Radiographics. - : Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). - 0271-5333 .- 1527-1323. ; 28:2, s. 329-44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective response assessment is important to describe the treatment effect of anticancer drugs. Standardization by using a "common language" is also important for comparison of results from different trials. In contrast to clinical results, which can be subjective, diagnostic imaging provides a greater opportunity for objectivity and standardization. It was generally accepted that a decrease in tumor size correlated with treatment effect; as a result, imaging was adopted for lesion measurement in the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria in 1979. However, because of some limitations of the WHO criteria, the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) were introduced in 2000. In RECIST, imaging was recognized as indispensable for response evaluation of solid tumors. Nevertheless, the widespread use of multidetector computed tomography and other imaging innovations have made RECIST outdated, with a concomitant need for modifications. Meanwhile, newer anticancer agents with targeted mechanisms of action have demonstrated an inherent limitation and unsuitability of anatomic tumor evaluation that assesses only lesion size. In addition, the effect of these new drugs changes the paradigm according to which tumor response or response rate is measured. Complete and partial responses cannot be the end points in all clinical trials; in some cases, disease control or progression-free survival may be the more relevant end point.
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| 4. |
- Svensson, Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Psychological Reactions to Progression of Metastatic Breast Cancer-An Interview Study.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Cancer nursing. - 1538-9804. ; 8:1, s. 55-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Knowledge about how patients experience their situation at the point of disease progression after first-line chemotherapy is limited. It is important to investigate this area to better understand and support women with advanced-stage disease. The study explored psychological reactions and coping on disease progression after first-line chemotherapy among women with metastatic breast cancer. Interviews were held with 20 patients with breast cancer who were included in a randomized study of first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. Three themes emerged. "Before the information": Most of the women reported symptoms related to the disease progression before information about treatment failure. Thus, they were not surprised by the information. "Immediately after information": A range of psychological reactions were described. Most patients experienced sadness, disappointment, and setback in view of disease progress. Anxiety and worry about the future were reported. "Life after being informed of disease progression": Various strategies to cope with their situation were used, for example, work, social support, and church attendance. All women had disease progression. Worry was the most common emotional response. A number of strategies were used to cope with the situation. Most of the women responded with acceptance.
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