Relationship Between Symptom Distress and Fatigue Characteristics in Patients with Gastric Cancer During 1 Month after Gastrectomy

This study's purpose was to describe changes in symptom distress and fatigue characteristics identifying which symptoms significantly impacted fatigue characteristics of patients with Gastric Cancer (GC) within 1 month after gastrectomy. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted. Patients with GC who were scheduled for gastrectomy were recruited from surgical outpatient clinics and surgery wards in northern Taiwan. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires before (T0) and 7 (T1) and 28 days (T2) after gastrectomy. Over all, 86 patients experienced mild levels of fatigue and symptom distress. The changes in worst fatigue and fatigue interference were greatest at T1. Anxiety had a significant negative effect on both worst fatigue and fatigue interference. Dry mouth, pain, and body image had significant deleterious effects on worst fatigue. The co-occurring symptoms affecting fatigue for patients with GC in the acute phase after gastrectomy should be actively assessed to ensure optimal fatigue management.

Symptom Burden: Experiences of Puerto Rican Men With Prostate Cancer Prior to External Beam Radiation Therapy

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in Puerto Rico, and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is a popular treatment. Although symptom management is a clinical priority of comprehensive oncology care, symptom assessment at the time of primary or adjuvant EBRT has received limited attention.

OBJECTIVES

This article examines the prevalence and severity of symptoms experienced by 54 Puerto Rican men prior to EBRT.

METHODS

Participants completed a demographic form and the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. Descriptive statistics were generated.

FINDINGS

Most participants had received hormonal treatment, and about a third had received no treatment prior to EBRT. About a third of those who received hormonal treatment reported experiencing side effects before EBRT, and disturbed sleep, numbness and tingling, fatigue, and dry mouth were the most severe. Puerto Rican men with prostate cancer who receive hormonal treatment are at increased risk for experiencing symptom burden prior to EBRT. Greater need for symptom surveillance, treatment, and control may be needed among this population.

Identification of Objective Morphometric Markers of Xerostomia in the Oral Mucosa Epithelium with In Vivo Confocal Microscopy

The purpose of this work was to determine whether the morphology of the oral mucosa epithelium (OME) of patients with xerostomia differ from patients without xerostomia. In total, 34 patients with dry eye disease (DED) with or without xerostomia were examined at The Norwegian Dry Eye Disease Clinic with in vivo confocal microscopy of the lower lip. In addition, age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were included. DED patients with xerostomia had a higher superficial to deep backscatter ratio compared with DED patients without xerostomia (p=0.002) and HC (p=0.001). Regression analysis demonstrated that this ratio was related to xerostomia independently of gender and age (p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of detecting xerostomia were 0.78 and 0.85, respectively, when using a superficial to deep backscatter ratio cut-off value of 0.995 (p=0.004). The mean nucleus to cytosol backscatter ratio in the superficial OME was lower in patients with xerostomia than in those without xerostomia (p=0.034). In vivo confocal microscopy is a potential tool for evaluating the oral cavity and to assess changes in the OME associated with xerostomia, objectively and quantitatively. The cause of the increased backscatter in the superficial OME in xerostomia, however, remains to be elucidated.