‘Parcours de Femme 2001’: a French opinion survey on overall disease and everyday life management in 1870 women presenting with gynecological or breast cancer and their caregivers

PURPOSE

The aim of the survey 'Parcours de Femmes 2001' was to evaluate the overall management and care of women with female cancers and to determine their needs.

METHODS

Women with breast or gynecological cancer who had either received at least 3 months of treatment or had completed treatment <1 year before the study were enrolled in this cross-sectional, observational study.

RESULTS

From February to November 2001, 2839 questionnaires were distributed; 1870 were returned (66% response rate), mainly by breast cancer patients (87%). While 92% of women reported having received information at diagnosis, 34% of relapsed patients complained of lack of information concerning their disease and treatment. Only 18% of patients were included in the treatment decision process and 66% of women obtained complementary information from the media, patients and care professionals. Fatigue was the most severe problem quoted (78% of cases) and was poorly managed by caregivers due to diagnostic and treatment difficulties. Problems relating to family and to affective and socio-professional life were poorly identified and remained largely unmanaged.

CONCLUSIONS

Information given to female cancer patients must be improved in relapsed patients, particularly regarding the adverse effects of treatment. Psychosocial management requires a more holistic approach through new channels, together with the coordination of existing structures.

Phase II trials of tetrahydropyranyl-adriamycin (Pirarubicin) on renal and colon carcinoma, melanoma, and soft tissue sarcoma

Eighty patients with measurable metastatic colon or renal cancer, melanoma, or sarcoma entered these Phase II studies. A dose of 25 mg/m2/day of Pirarubicin (THP) for 3 consecutive days every 4 weeks for the first patients, and then 20 mg/m2/day for 3 days every 3 weeks was given by i.v. push. These patients received 225 cycles for a median cumulative dose of 165 mg/m2 (range: 55-630). The mean number of cycles given was 2.8 (range: 1-8). Only 3 partial responses and 18 stable disease (22%) were observed. Hematologic toxicity was the main problem; it was responsible for one death and a 19% and 44% incidence of grade 3 and 4 WHO neutropenia, respectively. Alopecia was rare (4%). Chemotherapy was discontinued in three cases because of suspicion of cardiac toxicity, but only one patient had a significant drop in left ventricular ejection fraction at a cumulative THP dosage of 120 mg/m2. A lack of efficacy in renal and colon cancer and melanoma was presupposed and confirmed by these trials. Due to pretreatment with anthracycline in most patients, definite evaluation of THP in soft tissue sarcoma could not be given.

Two partial remissions induced by an LHRH analogue in two postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer

We report two cases of metastatic breast cancer occurring in two postmenopausal women. Treatment with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue, D-TRP6-LHRH, induced partial remission. The blood levels of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) fell sharply under treatment, but the levels of estradiol, estriol, and estrone did not change significantly. We also described the putative mechanisms of action of the LHRH analog.