Health-related quality of life in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer receiving gefitinib.

Objectives: Improvements in quality of life (QoL) and disease-related symptoms are key goals in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Our aim was to evaluate the impact of gefitinib on QoL of patients with HRPC.

Methods: Patients with HRPC received gefitinib 250 mg daily in addition to antiandrogen plus luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue for at least 2 months or until disease progression.

Factor v leiden mutation in patients with breast cancer with a central venous catheter: risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Background: The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the prothrombotic factor V Leiden (FVL) and G20210A prothrombin mutations on the frequency of the first episode of catheter-related deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a cohort of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer during continuous venous insult (infusion of 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy).

Patients And Methods: Between January 1999 and February 2001, we retrospectively analyzed the incidence of first DVT in 300 consecutive patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer treated at a single institution with a combination of chemotherapy administered continuously through a totally implanted access port. We identified 25 women (study group) with catheter-related DVT.

Perception that oral anticancer treatments are less efficacious: development of a questionnaire to assess the possible prejudices of patients with cancer.

We developed and pilot tested a 12-item questionnaire, to approach the issue of patients' perception on efficacy of oral chemotherapy. An additional question was on 'trade-off' between treatment efficacy and the ease of oral administration. The motivating underlying hypothesis was that oral drugs might be perceived by patients as less effective than when drugs were delivered by injection.

Quality of life in breast and colon cancer long-term survivors: an assessment with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and SF-36 questionnaires.

Aims And Background: Although the long-term survival of cancer patients has risen during the last decades, little is known about their quality of life. Assessment of the long-term effect of disease and treatments on subjective qualitative aspects of life that are related to health may be important for identifying specific long-term sequelae of cancer and treatments. In order to better understand the outcomes on a long-term survivor population, a sample of breast and colon cancer patients was evaluated using state-of-the-art health-related quality of life (HRQoL) approaches and instruments

Patients And Methods: EORTC OLQ-C30 and SF-36 HS questionnaires were mailed to a sample of subjects with a diagnosis of breast or colon cancer recruited in two randomized clinical trials with a median follow-up of 65 and 100 months, respectively.