Vinorelbine and infusional 5-fluorouracil in anthracycline and taxane pre-treated metastatic breast cancer.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a combination of intravenous vinorelbine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) given by continuous infusion in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-one patients with metastatic breast cancer were treated with intravenous vinorelbine 30 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle together with 5-FU 200 mg/m2/day by continuous infusion. All had previously been treated with an anthracycline and 41% had also been previously treated with a taxane.

The universal, situational, and personal needs of cancer patients and their main carers.

The importance of psychosocial factors in the cancer journey for both patients and their carers has been recognised in UK health policy. The aim of this paper is to consider--(1) which needs are regarded as important by patients and their carers; (2) which are the unmet needs of patients and their carers. The study focuses on the responses of 233 paired cancer patients and their carers derived from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey in three health authorities in North West England.

Place of death: analysis of cancer deaths in part of North West England.

Background: Relatively little work of a detailed geographical nature has been undertaken on the distribution of place of death. In particular, given evidence that most cancer patients would prefer to die at home there is a need to examine the extent to which this preference is met differentially from place to place.

Methods: Using data on cancer deaths for a single Health Authority in North West England we conducted both small area and individual analyses of place of death, using binomial and binary logistic regression models, respectively.

Psychosocial needs in cancer patients related to religious belief.

In a study of psychosocial needs amongst cancer patients, the possession of a religious faith has been identified as a significant factor in determining a range of psychosocial needs. Of the 354 respondents to a questionnaire, which included a comprehensive psychosocial needs inventory, 83% said they had a religious faith, and in general these patients were less reliant on health professionals, had less need for information, attached less importance to the maintenance of independence and had less need for help with feelings of guilt, with their sexuality or with some practical matters than those who said they had no religious faith. In addition, they had fewer unmet needs overall (32% compared with 52%).

Cancer and faith. Having faith--does it make a difference among patients and their informal carers?

This research considers the impact of having a religious faith on the cancer experience of patients and informal carers, focusing primarily on the association between faith and psychosocial needs. A questionnaire survey of 1000 patients in the north-west of England returned 402 completed questionnaires; around two-thirds of patients indicated they had an informal carer. Using logistic regression analysis, we examine the relationship between the importance of 48 needs and faith for 189 paired patients and carers, while controlling for the effect of eight socio-demographic and clinical variables.