Conhecimento sobre câncer de mama e câncer de mama hereditário entre enfermeiros em um hospital público

OBJETIVO: avaliar os conhecimentos de enfermeiros envolvidos nos cuidados de pacientes oncológicos em um hospital público universitário, em relação ao câncer de mama e ao câncer de mama hereditário e verificar o uso de tais conhecimentos em sua prática diária. MÉTODOS: este é um estudo transversal. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de um questionário estruturado autoaplicado. De um total de 154 enfermeiros convidados a participar do estudo, 137 (88,9%) concordaram. Dois questionários foram excluídos, totalizando 135 analisados. RESULTADOS: a porcentagem global de respostas corretas não estava associada à idade (p = 0,173) ou à formação/especialização (p = 0,815). As perguntas foram classificadas em categorias. Nas categorias que abrangiam conhecimentos relacionados aos fatores de risco estabelecidos para o câncer de mama e aos indicadores do câncer de mama hereditário, a taxa de respostas corretas foi de 65,8% e 66,4%, respectivamente. Em relação à prática de aconselhamento genético, 40,7% dos entrevistados não tinham certeza sobre a definição de aconselhamento genético, e 78,5% relataram nunca ter identificado ou encaminhado um paciente com risco genético para uma avaliação de riscos especializada. A prática de ações educativas em relação a esse tema foi relatada por 48,5% dos entrevistados. CONCLUSÃO: este estudo reforça a necessidade de desenvolver ações qualificadoras para enfermeiros de modo que as estratégias para o controle do câncer tornem-se eficientes em suas prática de cuidados de saúde.OBJETIVO: evaluar los conocimientos del personal de enfermería involucrado en el cuidado de los pacientes de oncología de un hospital universitario público, en relación con el cáncer de mama y el cáncer de mama hereditario, y verificar el uso de esos conocimientos en su práctica diaria. MÉTODOS: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal; los datos se obtuvieron mediante un cuestionario estructurado autoadministrado. De un total de 154 enfermeros/as, 137 (88,9%) aceptaron participar en el estudio. Se excluyeron dos cuestionarios, totalizando 135 cuestionarios analizados. RESULTADOS: el porcentaje global de respuestas correctas no se asoció con la edad (p=0,173) o título/especialización (p=0,815). Las preguntas fueron clasificadas en categorías. En las categorías que implican el conocimiento de los factores de riesgo establecidos del cáncer de mama y los indicadores del cáncer de mama hereditario, la tasa de respuestas correctas fue de 65,8% y 66,4%, respectivamente. En relación con la práctica del consejo genético, el 40,7% de los entrevistados/as no estaban seguros/as acerca de la definición de consejo genético y el 78,5% informó que nunca habían identificado o derivado a un paciente en situación de riesgo genético para una evaluación de riesgos especializada. La práctica de acciones educativas con respecto a este tema se reportó en el 48,5% de los entrevistados/as. CONCLUSIÓN: este estudio refuerza la necesidad de desarrollar acciones de calificación para el personal de enfermería, para que las estrategias de control del cáncer de mama sean efectivas en su práctica asistencial.OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge of nurses involved in the care of oncology patients in a public university hospital, regarding breast cancer and hereditary breast cancer, and to verify the use of such knowledge in their daily practice. METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were obtained through a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Out of 154 nurses, 137 (88.9%) agreed to participate in the study. Two questionnaires were excluded such that 135 questionnaires were analyzed. RESULTS: The global percentage of correct answers was not associated with age (p=0.173) or degree/specialization (p=0.815). Questions were classified into categories. In categories involving knowledge of established breast cancer risk factors and indicators of hereditary breast cancer, the rate of correct answers was 65.8% and 66.4%, respectively. On the practice of genetic counseling, 40.7% of those interviewed were not sure about the definition of genetic counseling and 78.5% reported never having identified or referred a patient at genetic risk for specialized risk assessment. Practice of educational actions regarding this subject was reported by 48.5% of those interviewed. CONCLUSION: This study reinforces the need to develop qualifying actions for nurses, so that strategies to control breast cancer become effective in their health care practice

Retinoblastoma in a pediatric oncology reference center in southern brazil

Background: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is the most common intraocular tumor diagnosed in children in Brazil. However, detailed information is lacking regarding patient clinical demographics. This study aimed to determine the clinical profile of patients with Rb who were treated in a public university hospital in southern Brazil from 1983 to 2012. Methods: Patients’ medical records were reviewed to retrospectively identify patients with a principal diagnosis of Rb. Rb was classified as hereditary or non-hereditary. Clinical staging was reviewed by an ophthalmologist. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results: Of 165 patients with a diagnosis of Rb during this period, 140 were included in the study. Disease was unilateral in 65.0 % of patients, bilateral in 32.9 %, and trilateral in 2.1 %. The mean age at onset of the first sign/ symptom was 18.1 month, and 35.7 % of patients were diagnosed during the first year of life. The most common presenting signs were leukocoria (73.6 %) and strabismus (20.7 %). The mean age at diagnosis was 23.5 months, and time to diagnosis was 5.4 months. In patients with clinical features of hereditary Rb, both onset of the first sign/symptom and diagnosis were at an earlier age than in patients without these features (12.3 vs 21.6 months [P = 0.001] and 15.9 vs 28.0 months [P < 0.001], respectively). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups. Ocular stage at diagnosis was advanced in 76.5 % (Reese V) and 78.1 % (International Classification D or E). Of patients with unilateral and bilateral disease, 35.2 % and 34.8 %, respectively, had extraocular disease at diagnosis; 10.7 % had metastatic disease at diagnosis. Enucleation was observed in 88.1 % and exenteration in 11.9 % of patients; 93.6 % patients were followed until 2012, and 22.9 % relapsed. Overall survival was 86.4 %. Conclusions: Most Rb diagnoses are still diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, considerably reducing overall survival time and the rate of eye and vision preservation

Reviewing the History of HIV-1: Spread of Subtype B in the Americas

The dispersal of HIV-1 subtype B (HIV-1B) is a reflection of the movement of human populations in response to social, political, and geographical issues. The initial dissemination of HIV-1B outside Africa seems to have included the passive involvement of human populations from the Caribbean in spreading the virus to the United States. However, the exact pathways taken during the establishment of the pandemic in the Americas remain unclear. Here, we propose a geographical scenario for the dissemination of HIV-1B in the Americas, based on phylogenetic and genetic statistical analyses of 313 available sequences of the pol gene from 27 countries. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods were used to explore the phylogenetic relationships between HIV-1B sequences, and molecular variance estimates were analyzed to infer the genetic structure of the viral population. We found that the initial dissemination and subsequent spread of subtype B in the Americas occurred via a single introduction event in the Caribbean around 1964 (1950–1967). Phylogenetic trees present evidence of several primary outbreaks in countries in South America, directly seeded by the Caribbean epidemic. Cuba is an exception insofar as its epidemic seems to have been introduced from South America. One clade comprising isolates from different countries emerged in the most-derived branches, reflecting the intense circulation of the virus throughout the American continents. Statistical analysis supports the genetic compartmentalization of the virus among the Americas, with a close relationship between the South American and Caribbean epidemics. These findings reflect the complex establishment of the HIV-1B pandemic and contribute to our understanding between the migration process of human populations and virus diffusion