Exploring the adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of cervical and ovarian cancer from the patients' perspective: a content analysis of the online discussion forums

Information exchange on adolescent scoliosis discussion forums among patients and caregivers: a thematic analysis

PURPOSE

Online health-related support groups have increasingly become a regular resource for patients and caregivers; however, the content of these forums is largely unknown to medical teams. The purposes of this study were to (1) review posts from scoliosis discussion forums to establish common themes related to the care experience of patients with scoliosis and (2) understand how common themes vary among pediatric and adult patients, as well as caregivers.

METHODS

Posts were collected from two public scoliosis forums. Analysis was performed using grounded theory-a methodology that relies on the repeated analyses of qualitative data to identify recurring concepts, which are then coded and grouped into categories and ultimately central themes that seek to synthesize the relationships between categories. Information posts were reviewed by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who performs scoliosis surgery for factual basis or misinformation.

RESULTS

Analysis of 911 posts revealed five central themes. The two most common themes among patients ≥ 18 and caregivers involve seeking out emotional support and information about surgical treatment. Patients < 18 frequently sought out emotional support but were also largely interested in information about bracing. The most prevalent theme among all contributors involved seeking out emotional support. There was very little medical misinformation found within posts.

CONCLUSION

Scoliosis forums serve as an informal outlet where patients and families can offer emotional support and share experiences. Physicians should provide direct emotional support to patients and offer these forums as a resource, without significant concerns about propagating medical misinformation.

The efficacy and timing of adjuvant chemotherapy in upper tract urothelial carcinoma

BACKGROUND

A recovery period between surgery and initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) is common in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), which can progress after a relatively long time. Therefore, the efficacy of AC initiated within 90 days after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) was evaluated in UTUC patients at stage ≥pT2 (N0-3M0), in addition to the effect of delayed AC initiation on survival outcomes.

METHODS

Clinical data for 428 UTUC patients diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma with postoperatively confirmed pathological stages, muscle-invasive or greater-stage (pT2-4) disease, any nodal status, and metastasis-free (M0) disease were retrospectively analyzed. All patients who received AC were treated within 90 days after RNU and underwent at least 4 cycles of the AC procedure. Then, patients receiving AC were divided into the "within 45 days" and "45 to 90 days" groups according to the time interval between RNU and AC initiation. Their clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated and the survival outcomes of the 2 groups were compared. Any adverse events that occurred during the AC process were also recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 428 patients were analyzed in the study, including 132 individuals who underwent the AC procedure with platinum in combination with gemcitabine within 90 days after RNU and 296 patients who failed to initiate AC within 90 days. The median age of all patients was 68 years (mean 67, range 28-90 years), and the median follow-up was 25 months (mean 36, range 1-129 months). There were no significant differences in age, sex, lymph node metastasis, tumor location, hydronephrosis status, hematuria status, cancer grade, or multifocality between the 2 groups. Individuals undergoing AC initiated within 90 days of RNU showed a significantly decreased mortality relative to those patients who did not receive AC. Shorter intervals between RNU and AC initiation within 45 days vs. 45-90 days did not improve patient OS and cancer-specific survival (CSS) and may have increased the incidence of adverse events.

CONCLUSION

The present study data supported the finding that a platinum-based combination with gemcitabine regimen initiated postoperatively significantly improved OS and CSS in patients with UTUC at stages ≥pT2 (N0-3M0). Furthermore, no survival benefit was evident in patients who started AC within 45 days after RNU compared to those who received AC within 45 to 90 days.

Anticancer Evaluation of Methoxy Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-b-Poly(Caprolactone) Polymeric Micelles Encapsulating Fenbendazole and Rapamycin in Ovarian Cancer

Purpose

We aimed to inhibit ovarian cancer (OC) development by interfering with microtubule polymerization and inhibiting mTOR signaling. To achieve this, previously developed micelles containing fenbendazole and rapamycin were applied.

Methods

Herein, we prepared micelles for drug delivery using fenbendazole and rapamycin at a 1:2 molar ratio and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(caprolactone)(mPEG-b-PCL) via freeze-drying. We revealed their long-term storage capacity of up to 120 days. Furthermore, a cytotoxicity test was performed on the OC cell line HeyA8, and an orthotopic model was established for evaluating in vivo antitumor efficacy.

Results

Fenbendazole/rapamycin-loaded mPEG-b-PCL micelle (M-FR) had an average particle size of 37.2 ± 1.10 nm, a zeta potential of -0.07 ± 0.09 mV, and a polydispersity index of 0.20 ± 0.02. Additionally, the average encapsulation efficiency of fenbendazole was 75.7 ± 4.61% and that of rapamycin was 98.0 ± 1.97%. In the clonogenic assay, M-FR was 6.9 times more effective than that free fenbendazole/rapamycin. The in vitro drug release profile showed slower release in the combination formulation than in the single formulation.

Conclusion

There was no toxicity, and tumor growth was suppressed substantially by our formulation compared with that seen with the control. The findings of our study lay a foundation for using fenbendazole and rapamycin for OC treatment.

Bibliometric analysis of hotspots and frontiers in cancer-related fatigue among ovarian cancer survivors

Objectives

To explore and analyze research hotspots and frontiers in CRF in ovarian cancer patients to provide an evidence-based basis for scholars and policymakers.

Background

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common and lethal gynecological malignancies. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is an annoying and pervasive side-effect that seriously affects the activities of daily living and decreases the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors.

Methods

The literature was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) from inception to 2021-12-31. CiteSpace was used to discuss research countries, institutions, authors, and keywords.

Results

This study ultimately included 755 valid publications, and the number of publications showed a gradual upward trend. The countries, institutions, authors, and journals that have published the most articles and cited the most frequently were the United States, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Michael Friedlander and Amit M Oza, Gynecologic Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. The top three high-frequency keywords were Ovarian cancer, chemotherapy, and clinical trial. The top three keywords with the strongest citation bursts were cyclophosphamide, double-blind, and open-label.

Conclusions

Conducting multi-center, large-sample, randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether chemotherapeutic agents have severe adverse effects and to discuss the relationship between CRF and QoL and overall survival in cancer survivors are hotspots in this field. The new trends may be applying double-blind, randomized controlled trials to clarify the causes of CRF and open-label, randomized trials to determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of chemotherapeutic agents.

Antitumor Activity of Palladium(II) Complexes on DU-145 Cell Line in Vitro

In the area of non-platinum complexes, various complexes containing gold, copper, ruthenium, and palladium have shown a strong cytotoxic effect on different cancer cell lines. The aim of our study was to examine the cytotoxicity of the Pd(II) complexes (C1-C5) and the corresponding ligands (L1-L5) on the DU-145 prostate cancer cell line. Also, due to its clinical application, the cytotoxicity of cisplatin has been examined. Our findings showed that C1- C5 complexes and cisplatin show dose-dependent and strong cytotoxic effects against the DU-145 cell line in vitro. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that early apoptosis was induced by all five Pd(II) complexes. Also, the results showed that complexes C1, C3, and C5 induced G0/G1 phase arrest on DU- 145 cells. Pd(II) complex C2 induced S phase arrest, while C4 complex induced G2/M phase arrest on cancer cells. Additionally, all tested complexes significantly reduced the amount of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Also, there was a significant increase in the concentration of proapoptotic Bax protein in DU-145 cells treated C1-C5 complexes. The results of our research demonstrated that Pd(II) complexes induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway. Thus, it is crucial to further investigate the cytotoxicity of these Pd(II) complexes in vivo. Complex C2 might be a good candidate for a new generation of anticancer drugs.