"I want to live, but …" the desire to live and its physical, psychological, spiritual, and social factors among advanced cancer patients: evidence from the APPROACH study in India.

Background: The limited access to palliative care resources along with the social stigma around cancer largely explains the poor quality of life (QoL) of Indian advanced cancer patients. As advanced cancer patients with poor QoL often harbour a desire for hastened death (DHD), it is imperative to understand factors affecting DHD, or the desire to live (DTL) among advanced cancer patients in India. We aim to examine the relationship between DTL and physical, psychological, spiritual, and social factors measuring patients' QoL alongside their awareness of their late cancer stage.

Patient-Reported Roles in Decision-Making Among Asian Patients With Advanced Cancer: A Multicountry Study.

We investigated 1) perceived roles in decision-making among advanced cancer patients in 5 Asian countries 2) associations of patient characteristics with these roles, and 3) the association of perceived roles with quality of life and perceived quality of care. We surveyed 1585 patients with stage IV solid cancer. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to analyze associations of patient characteristics with decision-making roles.

Head and neck radiotherapy - A risk factor for anaesthesia?

Background: The aim was to study perioperative management in head and neck cancer, the commonest cancer in Indian men, after radiation therapy. Radiotherapy (RT) targets the tumour and the neck including the thyroid gland. RT induced physical effects (on the airway) and physiological effects (on the thyroid) impact perioperative care.

Laryngeal mask airway insertion by classic and thumb insertion technique: a comparison.

We evaluated the efficacy of an alternative technique, for insertion of the silicone laryngeal mask airway (LMA) Classic™ in 40 American Society of Anesthesiologists grade ASA I and II patients scheduled for elective surgery. In group I (Index Finger group), the LMA was inserted by the classic index finger technique and, in group T (Thumb Insertion group), the thumb insertion technique was used. Ease of insertion, fiberoptic laryngoscopic position, cuff pressures and laryngopharyngeal morbidity were assessed in both study groups.

What does the informal caregiver of a terminally ill cancer patient need? A study from a cancer centre.

Aims: To assess the needs of informal caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: Fifty four informal caregivers of patients registered in our palliative care service were interviewed 3-6 months after the death of the patient with the help of a semistructured questionnaire covering the physical, medical, psychological, social, and information domains.

Results: Most of the caregivers were middle aged and had no prior experience of care giving.