Quality of life assessment in patients with a stoma due to rectal cancer

The AimThe aim of the study was to assess the quality of life in patients with a stoma, created for various reasons in the course of rectal cancer treatment.Material and MethodsThe study included 50 patients in the early post-surgery follow-up period, visiting the Stoma Outpatient Clinic in the Great Poland Centre in Poznań. All patients underwent surgery due to rectal cancer. Quality of life was assessed using anonymous questionnaires. Participation in the study was voluntary, and patients were informed about the proceedings. Standardized EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire for quality of life assessment in cancer patients and QLQ-CR38 module for colorectal cancer patients were used.ResultsIn all domains assessed, stoma patients showed significant impairment of functioning, which negatively influenced their quality of life. In our study group scores in all functional scales (physical – 70.6, role – 71.0, emotional – 61.8, cognitive – 75.6, social – 65) differed significantly from the reference values for the healthy population. QLQ-CR38 questionnaire was used to assess which symptoms were most disturbing for the patients. Negative influence of stoma on sexual functioning in men (mostly erectile and ejaculation dysfunctions) turned out to be the most significant (54.6). In women sexual dysfunctions were significantly less expressed (26.8). Another large group of symptoms having an unquestionable influence on level of functioning comprised direct stoma-related symptoms (47.8).ConclusionsCreation of a stoma still has a large negative impact on patients' quality of life. Influence of the stoma is most pronounced in the area of social functioning. In spite of improvement in support, the problems pertaining directly to the fact of having a stoma bag remain significant for this group of patients

Myositis Ossificans of the Quadriceps Femoris Mimicking Sarcoma as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Problem – Case Report and Literature Review

Myositis ossificans (MO) may be included in the group of lesions described as pseudosarcomas. Its clinical and histological picture frequently mimics a malignant neoplasm and therefore, ultimate diagnosis and implementation of adequate treatment requires the cooperation of interdisciplinary team of physicians. The paper presents the case of 20-year old female patient suffering from severe pain in the right thigh. The patient was initially diagnosed with the lower limb overload. Rest and administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) were recommended. Due to the lack of the efficacy of the recommended conservative treatment and detection of tumorous mass on ultrasound examination, the patient was referred to the cancer centre. The diagnostic procedures were extended and an open biopsy of the lesion was performed which revealed the presence of MO. The patient underwent a surgical procedure during which the pathological mass was entirely removed. Follow up examinations conducted upon the conclusion of the rehabilitation indicate no pathologies in the operated area

Is SNOLL a good localization technique in early breast cancer treatment? A single center’s experience

AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the method and present one center’s experience in applying the SNOLL technique to patients with non-palpable suspicious breast lesions.Materials and methods371 patients with suspected malignant lesions or diagnosed non-palpable breast cancer were subjected to a preoperative SNOLL procedure. The day before the surgery, they were administered two radiotracers to localize the tumor in the breast and the sentinel node. The following day, with the help of a handheld gamma probe the breast conserving surgery was performed.ResultsAll 371 patients (100%) had their suspected occult breast lesions resected. Histo-pathological examination revealed cancer in 339 patients all these patients had their sentinel nodes examined. The intraoperative tests showed the sentinel node to be metastatic in 35 patients, who were then given a simultaneous axillary lymphadenectomy. Another 7 patients were diagnosed with positive lymph nodes in the final pathology and had to undergo a second operation. Reoperations compelled by positive surgical margins were performed in 26 cases.ConclusionsSNOLL as a good technique of intraoperative localization, enables to remove a nonpalpable breast cancer together with sentinel lymph node in a single surgical procedure. It seems to be a optional method to be used in patients treated with breast conserving therapy

The Composition of Surgical Wound Fluids from Breast Cancer Patients is Affected by Intraoperative Radiotherapy Treatment and Depends on the Molecular Subtype of Breast Cancer

Invasive oncological procedures affect the remaining tumor cells by increasing their survival, proliferation, and migration through the induction of wound healing response. The phenomena of local relapse after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) has resulted in a series of research and clinical trials with the aim of assessing whether localized intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), may be beneficial in inhibiting local recurrences. Therefore, it is essential to assess the impact of intraoperative radiotherapy in modulating the immunological response and wound healing process. Thus, we decided to perform a quantitative analysis of the composition of surgical wound fluids (SWF) in two groups of breast cancer (BC) patients: those treated with BCS followed by IORT, and those who underwent BCS alone. We found that several cytokines, which are believed to have anti-tumor properties, were highly expressed in the luminal A breast cancer subtype in the IORT treatment group. Interestingly, we also found significant differences between IORT patients with tumors of different molecular subtypes. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that IORT treatment might be beneficial in changing the tumor bed microenvironment, making it less favorable for tumor recurrence due to decreased concentration of tumor-facilitating cytokines, especially in the luminal A subtype of BC

Polish Adaptation of the Modified Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for Fatigue (TSK-F) and the Revision of the Tampa Scale in Terms of Pain for Cancer Patients

The aim of this study was to create a Polish adaptation of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia considering fatigue, and to verify the usefulness of the scale in the context of pain in cancer patients. The study was conducted at the Breast Cancer Unit, operating at the Greater Poland Cancer Centre, and at the Poznan Centre for Specialist Medical Services in Poznan. After considering the exclusion criteria, 100 people qualified for the interviews for the final study: 50 breast cancer patients and 50 healthy respondents (without cancer). Statistical analysis of the CFA score showed that the chi-square test was not significant (χ2 = 10.243, p = 0.332), indicating an acceptable fit of items across scales. The reliability of the internal consistency of the scales was tested by examining the Cronbach’s alpha scores for each question/statement. The mean values for this indicator were 0.74 for the pain-related scale and 0.84 for the fatigue-related scale. Construct validity was confirmed for the scales; AVE for the pain-related scale was 0.64 and for the fatigue-related scale was 0.68. The results suggest the validity of examining kinesiophobia in the context of pain- and fatigue-related mobility anxiety among breast cancer patients in Poland, and that the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia can be adapted for different dimensions of the condition. Both versions of the scale demonstrated adequately prepared parametric constructs, and all correlations showed a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05). The use of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia in oncology patient studies in Poland may ultimately improve rehabilitation programs and enable the development of strategies to assist patients in supporting treatment to reduce movement anxiety