Eating disorders, primary care, and stigma: an analysis of research trends and patterns

Eating disorders (EDs) are a growing concern affecting millions worldwide. Early detection and treatment are crucial, but stigma can prevent people from seeking help. Primary care providers can play a critical role in early detection by coordinating care with other professionals. Understanding the research landscape on EDs, primary care, and stigma is essential for identifying knowledge gaps to direct future research and improve management. In this study, we aimed to analyze the scientific trends and patterns in research about EDs, primary care, and stigma. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database to collect articles published between May 1986 and May 2023. Bibliometric indicators were utilized to examine authorship, collaboration patterns, and influential papers. Topic analysis was performed to identify stigma-related terms within the dataset. A total of 541 research articles were analyzed, and it was found that the average number of publications per year has increased linearly from nearly zero in 1986 to 41 in 2022. One of the study’s main findings is that despite this linear increase over the years, the subject of stigma did not take a prominent place in the literature. Only a few stigma concepts could be identified with the topic analysis. The authors in the field are also interested in; screening, neurotic symptoms, training, adolescent, obesity-related conditions, and family. One-third of all publications were from 15 journals. However, only two of them were primary healthcare journals. Leading authors’ collaborations were another critical finding from the network analysis. This may help to expand primary care related EDs research to end the mental health stigma. This study provides insights into the research trends and patterns regarding eating disorders, primary care, and stigma. Our findings highlight the need to address primary care’s impact and stigma on EDs. The identified research gaps can guide future studies to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders in primary care settings

Temozolomide in combination with fotemustine in patients with metastatic melanoma

Purpose Temozolomide and fotemustine are both active drugs for treating metastatic melanoma. The present study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with temozolomide + fotemustine in patients with metastatic melanoma

Descriptive Characteristics of Cancer Patients in Istanbul University Institute of Oncology

Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the profile and preferences of the recently diagnosed cancer patients at the Istanbul University (I.U.) Oncology Institute. Material and Methods: The hospital's patient registration system and a questionnaire were used to collect data on 9306 patients. Patients who presented to the I.U. Oncology Institute from 2001 to 2003 were investigated for sex, age, social security, education levels and distances traveled to the I.U. Oncology Institute. Results: Male/female ratio was 1.01 in 2001, 1.05 in 2002 and 1.11 in 2003, respectively. The five most frequent cancer types were breast (36.7%), gastrointestinal tract (15.2%), genital system (14.9%), respiratory (6.6%) and lymphoid system (5.6%) cancers for females, and the respiratory system (31.7%), gastrointestinal system (20.6%), genital system (10.7%), lymphoid system (6.6%) and oral cavity (5.4%) for males. Smokers were 68.5% for males and 27.0% for females. Overall, 79.8% of cancer patients were living in Istanbul, 20% were coming from different cities in Turkey and 0.2% was foreigners. The mean distance traveled by the patients to the institute was 325 km (111-2400 km) for outsiders and 11 km (1-68 km) for residents in Istanbul; 90.3% of the patients accessed from the Marmara region followed by the Black Sea region. Conclusion: Cancer control depends on defining the number of cancer cases, the most common cancer types and the geographic spread of cancer through Turkey

Crystallized Phenol Treatment of Pilonidal Disease Improves Quality of Life

The effects of crystallized phenol treatment of pilonidal sinus on quality of life has not been investigated before. This study aimed to compare the phenol treatment with surgical excision plus primary closure technique in terms of life quality by means of a life quality questionnaire. This is a prospective randomized clinical study. The study was conducted at Training and Teaching Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey. In total, 40 patients with pilonidal disease were randomly assigned into 2 clinically comparable groups between September 2010 and June 2011. Cristallyzed phenol application was done to 20 patients and surgical excision plus primary closure was done to 20 patients for the treatment of pilonidal disease. Data regarding demographic variables were recorded. To evaluate quality of life and patient comfort all patients asked to fill the questionnaire after complete healing occurred. There was no difference between the groups in age, sex and occupation. Two of the 20 patients in the excision and primary closure group had complication of wound dehiscience and needed prolonged wound care. There was significant differences in favor of the phenol group in all terms of life quality except for complete healing time. As a first degree treatment, phenol treatment is better than the other treatment choices of pilonidal disease in terms of time off work perioperative pain, being away from school and social life. Also phenol treatment can be done without any pretreatment laboratory examination. Further studies will be needed about cost-effectivity of phenol treatment

Intermediate dose interferon alpha in adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma - A single institution's experience

Interferon is widely used as the most effective agent in the adjuvant therapy of patients with melanoma. However, little is known about the effect of intermediate dose interferon (IDI) in adjuvant therapy. We conducted this study to determine whether intermediate doses of interferon-alpha 2 could be beneficial for these patients. A series of 84 melanoma patients with high-risk relapse potential (stage II-III) after excisional biopsy were enrolled for adjuvant therapy with IDIs, either IFN-alpha 2a, 9 MU or IFN alpha 2b, 10 MU per day, subcutaneously, for 1 yr consisted of an induction period (5d/wk for 4 wk) followed by 48 wk of same dose administered three times per week. The median follow-up was 25.9 mo with range 4-90.4 mo. Thirty-three (39%) patients had progressed; 18 (55%) of them while on treatment. The median (range) time of the failure occurrence was 9.1 mo (1.7-47.3 mo). Distribution of failure site was identical and the majority of the recurrences were found as single metastasis. For distant metastasis-free interval, mean (+/- SE) value was 28.8 +/- 3.6 mo: 1- and 2-yr survival rates were 87.8 +/- 5.7% and 61.6 +/- 9.3%, respectively. Twenty-two deaths were observed. Five-year survival rates of progression-free survival and overall survival were 50% and 60%, respectively. Generally, the treatment was found well-tolerated; drug-induced dose reduction or treatment discontinuation due to toxicity was minimal. Severe toxicity was rare. In conclusion, the small number of patients and the short follow-up does not permit any conclusion. However, the preliminary data seem to show that treatment with IDI was usually well tolerated with low toxicity of the patients during the adjuvant therapy

Malignant melanoma in Turkey: A single institution's experience on 475 cases

Background: This study was performed to determine the characteristics and the clinical outcomes of patients with cutaneous melanoma in Turkey

Non-pharmacological interventions used by cancer patients during chemotherapy in Turkey

Purpose: Although there are many non-pharmacological practices being recommended for symptom management, most patients prefer to use pharmacological interventions. This study assesses the non-pharmacological interventions used by cancer patients for symptom management during chemotherapy and the factors affecting its use

Pattern and outcome of admission to a medical oncology inpatient service

Background. Inpatient medical oncology has not been properly described in many countries including Turkey. Methods. We aimed in this article to describe the admissions to a medical oncology inpatient service within a 2-year period with respect to patient characteristics, their malignancies, and outcome of admission. Results. A total of 5305 cancer patients were seen at our hospital, and 779 (14.7%) were hospitalized. The most common reason for admission was chemotherapy administration (81.2%). The median number of hospitalizations was 1 (range, 1-21). The length of-stay was between 1 to 189 days with a median of 4 days. Most of the hospitalizations resulted in discharge; few patients died (77 patients; 9.9% of the hospitalized patients and 4.4% of the hospitalizations). Conclusions. Inpatient care constitutes an important aspect of medical oncology. Given the high rate of hospitalization for chemotherapy administration and the rising cost of inpatient care, it is evident that a shift from inpatient care to outpatient: care (day hospital or ambulatory) is urgently needed

Quality of life and complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer patients in Turkey

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between quality of life and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Turkish cancer patients