Concurrent vinablastine-based radiochemotherapy was evaluated in 84 bladder-cancer patients. It was effective in more than half: tumour-specific survival (51% 9-year), local control rate (55% ...9-year). The drawback was the impaired function of the bladder (9-year prevalence SOMA G3-4 symptoms: 66%), indicating the need for treatment aimed at reducing chronic morbidity.
Paliativna sedacija je nadzorovana uporaba zdravil, ki povzročijo in ohranjajo stanje zmanjšane zavesti. V tem stanju bolnik ne trpi zaradi težav, ki jih ne moremo več obvladati (neobvladljiv ...simptom). Najpogostejša vzroka, da se odločimo za paliativno sedacijo, sta neobvladljiv terminalni nemir in težko dihanje. Midazolam je zdravilo izbora za paliativno sedacijo. Ustrezno dozo določimo s postopnim višanjem doze zdravila do želenega učinka-obvladanje simptoma (titracija). Paliativna sedacija po protokolu predpisuje jasno opredeljeno medicinsko indikacijo, vodenje in napotke za zdravstveno nego ter pravna in etična načela. Paliativna sedacija ni sinonim za evtanazijo in ne skrajšuje življenja.
Rak poseže globoko v življenje obolelih in njihovih bližnjih. Paliativna oskrba pa je tista, ki zagotavlja optimalno funkcioniranje, počutje in socialno podporo bolniku in svojcem, ko ozdravitev ni ...več možna. Njena učinkovitost temelji na znanju in sodelovanju različnih strok. Poudarek je na kakovosti bolnikovega življenja. Med pokazatelji dobre kakovosti življenja je na prvem mestu malo hospitalnih dni v zadnjem obdobju življenja in paliativna oskrba na domu. Možnost in kakovost oskrbe na domu je odvisna od zdravnika družinske medicine in njegovih sodelavcev, ki pravočasno prepoznajo in učinkovito ublažijo vsak simptom in ugotovijo, ali so vse bolnikove potrebe zadovoljene. Pri tem je nenadomestljiva vloga družine. Nepogrešljive iztočnice za vse, ki so vključeni v oskrbo, so čas, sodelovanje, spoštovanje, potrpljenje, odprtost. Ob koncu paliativne oskrbe pa je pomembno, da prepoznamo tudi umiranje in spoštujemo smrt. Paliativna oskrba bo človekova pravica samo takrat, ko bo prepoznavni, sestavni del obveznega zdravstvenega varstva in ko bo vključena v obvezne izobraževalne programe zdravstvenih delavcev. Sicer pa bo ostala, kot je sedaj, odvisna od prizadevanja posameznikov in dostopna le majhnemu številu obolelih.
The present article presents the Slovenian multidisciplinary agreement statement on the definition, staging, clinical classification and multimodal approach to the treatment of cachexia in cancer ...patients. The consensus was reached during a multidisciplinary plenary session, and is based on the international definition of cancer cachexia adopted in 2011. Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome defined by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle with or without concomitant loss of fat, which cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment. Its pathophysiology is characterized by a negative energy and protein balance due to a variable combination of reduced food intake and metabolic changes. In cancer patients, the cachexia syndrome can develop progressively through various stages – from precachexia to cachexia and finally, to refractory cachexia–represent-ing a continuum of metabolic changes, clini-cal signs and symptoms. Patients can progress from precachexia to cachexia, and reverse from cachexia into precachectic stages, while (as the term itself implies), the condition of refractory or irreversible cachexia has poor therapeutic response. A clinical algorithm for recognition and treatment of cachexia in cancer patients is presented. All cancer patients should be screened for cachexia and precachexia on presentation. Patients who fulfil diagnostic criteria for cancer cachexia should have its clinical stage determined. According to phenotype / clinical stage, a multimodal approach should be adopted in the treatment of all cases of cancer cachexia. A typical multimodal management plan in cachectic patients consists of early dietary intervention, exercise, anti-inflammatory therapy and early cancer-related symptom relief. The cachexia treatment pathway should be adopted as a pathway parallel to conventional cancer treatment. Practical implementation of cancer cachexia consensus represents the therapeutic approach with possible positive impact on cancer burden control in Slovenia.
Metilnaltreksonijev bromid (Relistor) je selektiven periferni antagonist vezave opioidov na receptorje. Uporablja se za zdravljenje zaprtja, ki je nastalo zaradi opioidov, kadar običajna odvajala ...niso učinkovita. MNTX ne vpliva na protibolečinski učinek opioidov. MNTX je novo tarčno zdravilo, ki ciljano blokira mehanizem z opioidi povzročenega zaprtja. Zaradi navedenih lastnosti omogoča optimalno obravnavo bolečine, ker odpravlja neobvladljivo zaprtje. Bolniku omogoča opravljanje vsakodnevnih dejavnosti in v zadnjem obdobju izboljša kakovost njegovega življenja. Neželeni učinki so manjši od dobrobiti (7). Zaradi navedenega so odgovorne ustanove odobrile MNTX za klinično uporabo
Paliativna oskrba prinaša neozdravljivo bolnim mnoge prednosti. V zadnjih dnevih pred smrtjo se lahko pojavi 5 najpogostejših simptomov (bolečina, slabost in bruhanje, nemir in zmedenost, dispneja, ...povečan izloček dihalnih poti), ki jih blažimo z vnaprej predpisanimi zdravili. Namen retrospektivne raziskave je bil ugotoviti razlike v porabi zdravil v zadnjih 6 dnevih med bolniki v paliativni oskrbi, ki jih je vodil tim za paliativno oskrbo, in bolniki, ki so bili vodeni na drugih oddelkih Onkološkega inštituta in paliativni tim v njihovo oskrbo ni bil vključen (kontrolna skupina). V vsaki skupini je bilo po 25 bolnikov; skupini sta bili primerljivi glede na mesto primarnega tumorja in starost bolnikov. Ugotovili smo, da je večina bolnikov v obeh skupinah prejemala močne opioide, druga zdravila za blaženje simptomov (haloperidol, midazolam, deksametazon, butilskopolamin, metoklopramid) pa je prejelo več bolnikov v paliativni oskrbi. Bolniki v paliativni oskrbi so v povprečju prejeli 10 različnih zdravilnih učinkovin, v kontrolni skupini pa 14. Stroški za zdravila so bili 2,7-krat manjši v skupini bolnikov, vključenih v paliativno oskrbo, in so znašali 15 € na bolnika na dan, medtem ko so za bolnika v kontrolni skupini znašali 42 € na dan. Razlika v stroških je bila predvsem posledica nepotrebnega predpisovanja nizkomolekularnih heparinov, sistemskih antibiotikov in antimikotikov ter parenteralne prehrane.
Približno desetina bolnic z rakom dojk ima v tumorju izražene hormonske receptorje (HR) in hkrati čezmerno izražen protein in/ali pomnožen gen HER2. Čeprav pozitivni HR napovedujejo dober odgovor na ...hormonsko zdravljenje, pa izsledki predkliničnih in tudi kliničnih raziskav kažejo, da hkratna čezmerna izraženost HER2 in HR ustvari odpornost proti hormonskemu zdravljenju. Dve randomizirani klinični raziskavi sta dokazali, da dodatek zdravila anti-HER2 k hormonskemu zdravljenju pri teh bolnicah značilno izboljša uspešnost zdravljenja v primerjavi s hormonsko terapijo. Izsledki kliničnih raziskav posredno kažejo, da je pri kombinaciji zdravila anti-HER2 in kemoterapije več odgovorov in daljši čas do napredovanja bolezni kot pri kombinaciji zdravila antiHER2 in hormonskega zdravljenja, razlik v celotnem preživetju pa ni opaziti. Neposredna primerjava med obema vrstama zdravljenja še ni bila narejena, zato ni mogoče z gotovostjo povedati, katera kombinacija je ustreznejša. Odločitev je odvisna od hitrosti napredovanja bolezni, lokalizacije zasevkov, zmogljivosti bolnice, spremljajočih bolezni in bolničinih želja. Potrebne so translacijske raziskave, ki bodo podrobneje opredelile molekularno biologijo HER2-pozitivnega raka dojk in odgovorile na vprašanje, katero zdravljenje je za posamezno bolnico optimalno.
Purpose: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a disease associated with several unresolved therapeutic questions. Radical cystectomy still represents the most frequent treatment approach. The aim ...of our study was to evaluate the effect and feasibility of bladder-sparing treatment by transurethral resection (TUR) and sequential chemoradiotherapy in patients with biopsy-proven invasive bladder cancer.
Methods and Materials: After maximal TUR, 105 patients were treated with two to four cycles of methotrexate, cisplatinum, and vinblastine polychemotherapy. In complete responders, the treatment was continued by radiotherapy (50 Gy to the bladder and 40 Gy to the regional lymph nodes), whereas in nonresponders, cystectomy was performed when feasible.
Results: Complete response after TUR and chemotherapy was achieved in 52% of patients. After a median follow-up of 42 months, 52 of 75 patients (69%) selected for bladder preservation were without evidence of disease in the bladder. Freedom from local failure in complete responders to chemotherapy was 80% 95% confidence interval (CI), 69–91%) at 4 years. The actuarial survival of the entire group was 58% (95% CI, 47–69%), whereas the survival rate with the bladder intact was 45% (95% CI, 34–56%) at 4 years. Survival was significantly better in patients who responded to chemotherapy (79%) than in nonresponders (35%,
p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in survival between nonresponders who underwent cystectomy and nonresponders who completed treatment with radiotherapy (approximately 30% at 3 years).
Conclusion: The present study confirms that MIBC is a heterogeneous disease, and that in more than half of patients who are affected, a bladder-sparing approach is safe. Our study has also demonstrated that in nonresponders, radical cystectomy as the treatment of choice is questionable.
Forty-seven patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (T2-T4, Nx, M0) were treated by transurethral resection, followed by 3-4 cycles of combination chemotherapy (methotrexate 30 mg/m2 on days 1, ...14; cis-platinum 100 mg/m2 on day 2; vinblastine 3 mg/m2 on days 1, 14; repeated every 21 days), and external beam irradiation (64-66 Gy to the bladder and 40 Gy to the pelvic lymphatics). Complete remission after trans urethral resection and chemotherapy was achieved in 24 out of 45 patients (53%). Cystectomy was performed in patients without complete response to transurethral resection and chemotherapy. The therapy was completed as planned in 45/47 patients. After transurethral resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, biopsy proven complete response was achieved in 62% (28/45); Stage T2T3 in 67% (23/34), Stage T4 in 45% (5/11) of patients. Among 19 patients with positive biopsy findings after transurethral resection and chemotherapy, 14 underwent cystectomy. After follow-up of 4-55 months (median 23 months) 75% (34/45) are alive, 68% (31/45) have had their bladders preserved, and 53% (24/45) are free of the primary tumor. The actuarial survival of all 45 patients is 73%. Moderate nausea and vomiting during treatment were common; severe leukopenia and mucositis were observed in five patients. Late side effects such as miction disorders and diarrhea were predominantly mild. Although the observation period has been too short to allow a definitive evaluation of treatment results, we feel both from the point of bladder preservation and disease-free survival that the presented treatment approach is successful in a majority of T2T3 patients, whereas a large tumor size (T4) renders this treatment less effective.
