Moving Beyond Suffering: the Experiences of Thai Persons With Advanced Cancer.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death in Thailand; however, little research is available that describes the end-of-life experiences of cancer patients. Data presented here are part of a descriptive qualitative study that investigated dying experiences in patients with advanced cancer. Two core themes were identified-living with suffering and moving beyond suffering.

Effects of zinc sulfate supplementation on cell-mediated immune response in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy.

Zinc deficiency is an important factor that impairs cellular immunity and contributes to low T lymphocyte counts in head and neck cancers. Persistent T lymphopenia is clinically relevant in terms of tumor persistence and/or recurrence. The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of zinc sulfate supplementation on the absolute numbers of circulating T lymphocytes and T lymphocyte subpopulations.

Radiotherapy for brain metastases in southern Thailand: workload, treatment pattern and survival.

Purpose: To study the patient load, treatment pattern, survival outcome and its predictors in patients with brain metastases treated by radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Data for patients with brain metastases treated by radiotherapy between 2003 and 2007 were collected from medical records, the hospital information system database, and a population-based tumor registry database until death or at least 5 years after treatment and retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The number of treatments for brain metastases gradually increased from 48 in 2003 to 107 in 2007, with more than 70% from lung and breast cancers.

Palliative care development in the Asia-Pacific region: an international survey from the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN).

Background: Although palliative care is an important public healthcare issue worldwide, the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region has not been systematically evaluated.

Objectives: This survey aimed to clarify the current status of palliative care in the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: Questionnaires were sent to a representative physician of each member country/region of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN).

Regulation of opioid drugs in thai government hospitals: Thailand national survey 2012.

Context: Palliative care in Thailand was not well developed in the past. Previous studies showed that the actual prescription of opioids was underutilized in palliative care by physicians compared with the estimated opioid need of patients. However, there were no studies regarding the regulation of opioids in Thailand.

30 Years of radiotherapy service in Southern Thailand: workload vs resources.

Background: To study the pattern of patient load, personnel and equipment resources from 30-years experience in Southern Thailand.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study collected secondary data from the Division of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the Songklanagarind Hospital Tumor Registry database, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, during the period of 1982-2012.

Results: The number of new patients who had radiation treatment gradually increased from 121 in 1982 to 2,178 in 2011.

Palliative care personnel and services: a national survey in Thailand 2012.

Research on palliative care services in Thailand is incomplete. We conducted a countrywide cross-sectional postal survey to update the situation. We approached hospitals and asked them to respond to a questionnaire.

Palliative care and essential drug availability: Thailand national survey 2012.

Background: Palliative care in Thailand was not well established in the past, but it is better supported by many organizations at present. Despite the change in the situation, the availability of essential drugs for palliative care has not been well studied.

Objective: Our aim was to update the medical community on the current situation of essential drug availability for palliative care in Thai hospitals.

A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of zinc sulfate supplementation for alleviation of radiation-induced oral mucositis and pharyngitis in head and neck cancer patients.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of zinc sulfate supplementation in reducing ofradiation-induced oral mucositis and pharyngitis in head and neck cancer patients.

Material And Method: One hundred forty four head and neck patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients who received radiation therapy alone or postoperative radiation therapy were eligible.

Comparison of treatment compliance and nutritional outcomes among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma with and without percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy during chemoradiation.

Aims: The study aimed to compare treatment compliance and nutritional outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients during chemoradiation.

Methods: Clinical information of patients with NPC that underwent chemoradiation during 2004-2009 were retrieved from the hospital database and retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorised into a prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PPEG) group and a non-PPEG group.

Situational analysis of palliative care education in thai medical schools.

Objective: The Thai Medical School Palliative Care Network conducted this study to establish the current state of palliative care education in Thai medical schools.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was given to 2 groups that included final year medical students and instructors in 16 Thai medical schools. The questionnaire covered 4 areas related to palliative care education.

Living with suffering as voiced by Thai patients with terminal advanced cancer.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in Thailand. Thai cancer patients often seek medical treatment while in advanced stages of the disease. This longitudinal qualitative study aimed to describe the suffering that patients with terminal advanced cancer experience in their everyday life.

Quality of life assessment in radiotherapy patients by WHOQOL-BREF-THAI: a feasibility study.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and sensitivity of the WHOQOL-BREF-THAI assessment tool in measuring the quality of life in cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in routine clinical practice.

Method: A cross-sectional analytical study including the consecutive radiotherapy patients at Songklanagarind Hospital from October to December 2000 was conducted. The participants completed a Thai version of the brief form of the WHO quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI).

Prognostic significance of Bax, Bcl-2, and p53 expressions in cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated by radiotherapy.

Objective: The objective was to determine the prognostic significance of the immunohistochemical expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, and p53 in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix treated by radiotherapy alone.

Methods: One hundred and seventy-four cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (stage Ib-IVa) diagnosed between January 1996 and December 1998 were investigated for Bax, Bcl-2, and p53 expressions and were correlated to the patients' survival.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.

Disclosure of a cancer diagnosis in Thai patients treated with radiotherapy.

Although radiotherapy usually implies a cancer diagnosis, no available study has been reported as to what proportion of Thai patients treated with radiotherapy know their diagnosis and how they want related information revealed. We questioned 106 patients in order to determine the proportion who knew their cancer diagnosis, and interviewed patients who knew the diagnosis and relatives of patients both who knew and did not know it with semi-structured questionnaires concerning how they wanted to be told. Sixty-seven patients (63.