[Experience in the organization of ambulatory chemotherapy at the All-Union Oncologic Research Center of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences].

The recent advances have made it possible for chemotherapy to be used for cancer control under the conditions of out-patient clinics. Within 5 years, 9,000 out-patients had received at the Center 10-day courses of chemotherapy which was free from toxic complications and produced a therapeutic effect similar to that observed in in-patients. The out-patient chemotherapy service saved 177,140 in-patient/days which is an equivalent of running a 500 bed specialized cancer hospital during 12 months.

[Determination of after care periods for cancer patients].

Following an analysis of case histories of in-patients treated for tumors of the stomach and cervix uteri at the clinics of the Center in 1979, an assessment of the work put in by the personnel at different stages of their treatment and on the basis of interviews with the clinics' chiefs it was found that the establishment of an optimal period of postoperative treatment of tumor in-patients is impracticable. Due to a high degree of tumor specialization and a wide range of tumor sites, the establishment of specialized clinics or hospitals may face additional difficulty in selecting admissions and running wards with variable turnover of in-patients and highly-specialized personnel.