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Palliat Support Care 2014 Feb;12(1):63-8

Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, Connecticut.

Objective: Distress screening guidelines call for rapid screening for emotional distress at the time of cancer diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the distress thermometer's (DT) ability to screen in patients in treatment for advanced cancer who may be depressed.

Methods: Using cross-sectional data collected from patients within 30 days of diagnosis with advanced cancer, this study used ROC analysis to determine the optimal-cutoff point of the distress thermometer (DT) for screening for depression as measured by the physician health questionnaire (PHQ)-9; inter-test reliability analysis to compare the DT with the PHQ-2 for screening in possible cases of depression, and multivariate analysis to examine associations among the DT emotional problem list (EPL) items with cases of depression. Read More

Rev Invest Clin 2011 Nov-Dec;63(6):665-702

Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Tlalpan, Mexico.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the third most common gynecologic malignancy worldwide. Most of cases it is of epithelial origin. At the present time there is not a standardized screening method, which makes difficult the early diagnosis. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2009 Jul;11(4):287-92

Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, 11100 Euclid Avenue, MacDonald Women's Hospital, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.

The management of malignant bowel obstruction is a challenging problem because of the poor definition of malignant bowel obstruction compounded by its myriad clinical presentations. Surgeons are called upon to perform invasive procedures designed to alleviate symptoms or correct the underlying obstruction. Unfortunately, interventions may carry a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Read More

Semin Oncol 2005 Apr;32(2):156-64

Department of Radiation Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.

Radiation is an effective modality to aid in symptom management of patients with metastatic disease. The type and duration of treatment depends on the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of the patient and type and status of the cancer. Abbreviated treatment regimens may be favored in this patient population. Read More

Minerva Ginecol 2004 Oct;56(5):457-67

Unità Operativa di Ginecologia e Ostetricia, Ospedale Vito Fazzi, Lecce, Italy.

Ovarian cancer is a tumor with a high trend of recurrence and this occurrence consistently increases the difficulty of the patient cure and reduces the efficacy of current treatments. The role of surgery in persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer is controversial and the type of surgery can be different according to the different stages and invasion of tumor; it can be a debulking surgery followed by chemotherapy (to eradicate the most part of ovarian cancer, leaving a minimal tumoral residue), an interval surgery (for advanced ovarian cancer stage in previously operated patients, followed by 2 or 3 inductive chemotherapy cycles and subsequently a cytoreductive redo surgery) and a cytoreductive secondary surgery, after optimal primary surgical treatment and minimal tumoral recurrence. In some cases it is possible either to perform a debulking surgery during a primary (after the conclusion of primary treatment) or a salvage or palliative surgery (to improve, after an acceptable time period, clinical symptoms in patients with progressive cancer or resistant to treatments). Read More

Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd 1989 May;49(5):423-7

Universitäts-Frauenklinik Mainz.

We can now say that in our opinion exenteration is not an operation that is dangerous to life, if the conditions that will be described below are observed and if the indication is interpreted sufficiently narrowly, although during the first few years results had been moderate indeed. Exenteration has since developed so positively that it is now increasingly possible to consider the aspect of preserving the function of the adjacent organs, so that the disadvantages resulting for the patient's own body image and her self-concept and self-appraisal are now relatively acceptable compared to what had been possible previously. Indication for exenteration results from the situation, the ideas and the motivation of the patient, mainly, however, against the background of the characteristic features of the operation described here. Read More

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1986 Nov;12(11):1947-50

Between January 1980 and the present, 42 patients with symptomatic, incurable gynecologic malignancies were treated at the University of North Carolina with 1000 cGy in a single fraction to the pelvis, repeated once or twice at monthly intervals as necessary. Of patients with adequate follow-up, total cessation of bleeding was seen in 18 of 30 (60%), complete pain relief in 2/9 (22%), and complete tumor eradication in 7/28 (25%). These palliative benefits were permanent in approximately half of the patients. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 1984 Mar;148(5):701-5

The management of the patient with advanced gynecologic malignancies presents multiple problems for the gynecologic and radiation oncologists involved in their care. When palliative management only is indicated, conventional treatment protocols occupy a significant portion of the patient's remaining life span, often times with associated morbidity. Single-fraction external radiation therapy, consisting of 1,000 rads to the whole pelvis, was used in 30 patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies to palliate locally advanced pelvic disease. Read More