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OBJECTIVE: Our aim in this study is to examine the relationship of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting glucose with the stage, grade, and histological type of cancer and its value in predicting the prognosis of endometrial cancer in diabetic endometrial cancer patients. STUDY DESIGN: The data of 138 endometrial cancer patients with diabetes who met the study criteria were analyzed. Hemoglobin A1c levels and fasting glucose were compared with cancer stage, grade, histological type, lymphovascular invasion, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy data. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of HbA1c values only according to the lymphovascular invasion (p=0.02). While there was no significant correlation between endometrial thickness and HbA1c, a low positive correlation was found between the fasting glucose value (r=0.191, p=0.025) CONCLUSIONS: The higher rate of lymphovascular invasion in patients with high HbA1c values alone is insufficient in determining the prognosis when other parameters are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aims of the study are to determine the incidence of oral mucositis, the stage of the condition, risk factors, and other oral complications in patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy and to evaluate the factors that have an impact on these. Methods: The study included 147 patients undergoing outpatient cancer chemotherapy at the Chemotherapy Unit of a University Hospital between February and April 2015. We used a questionnaire and the World Health Organization "Mucositis Grading Scale". Chi‐squared tests were used to determine the relationships between factors, and multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to explore predictive factors. Results: The frequency of oral mucositis was 51.7%. The most common oral problems were mouth dryness (55.1%), a reduced/changed sense of taste (52.4%), and a lack of appetite (47.6%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for oral mucositis were advanced age, a lack of appetite, and the duration of chemotherapy. Conclusions: As a result, half of all patients undergoing outpatient cancer chemotherapy developed oral mucositis. Patients are unable to adequately prevent oral mucositis and carry out oral care. It is recommended that more studies be conducted in outpatient units to evaluate predictive factors for oral mucositis. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Oral mucositis is an important complication that develops in patients receiving chemotherapy.Mucositis is a painful lesion and afflicts feeding, quality of life, and treatment process of the patient.The applications of basic oral care to patients receiving chemotherapy have an impact on the incidence and severity of oral mucositis and contribute to prevent bacterial colonization in the context of mucositis. What this paper adds? Oral mucositis affects outpatients receiving chemotherapy as much as it does inpatients.Advanced age, lack of appetite, duration of chemotherapy, and the presence of oral complications are effective factors in the development of oral mucositis.Patients are unable to adequately prevent oral mucositis and carry out oral care. The implications of this paper: Patients who will be receiving outpatient chemotherapy should undergo an oral examination before, during, and after their therapy and should under all circumstances receive education.The relationship between oral mucositis and the form, dose, and duration of the drugs used in chemotherapy should be taken into consideration in the case of individuals undergoing outpatient chemotherapy.Mucositis prevention and treatment should not be underestimated in patients treated in the outpatient setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of this study examined the effect of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory (OSCDT) based education and telephone follow-ups on the self-care agency, anxiety, loneliness, and well-being of patients with colorectal cancer chemotherapy. In this study, data of 47 patients with colorectal cancer (randomly assigned into the intervention or control group) were collected between April 2016 and March 2017 from a university hospital's daytime chemotherapy unit in Turkey. Before chemotherapy, the intervention group was given individualized education based on the OSCDT and an educational booklet. After chemotherapy treatments, these patients received a telephone follow-up call. The control group received only routine nursing care. The self-care agency and general well-being, and its sub-dimensions, of the intervention group increased, and its state-trait anxiety and loneliness levels decreased, when compared with the control group. Nurses must play a more active role in education and follow-ups, and telephone follow-ups should be included in nursing care in chemotherapy units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 49-year-old male patient who diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia that was begun on remission induction chemotherapy with idarubicin and cytosine arabinoside. Physical examination of the male that was normal, without organomegaly or tenderness. Magnetic resonance imaging shows multiple liver abscesses with central necrosis and peripheral contrast enhancement in the right paravertebral muscle groups.

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The adolescents with cancer usually receive intensive chemotherapy in the hospital. Their experiences of the process can affect their lives. This study aimed to describe the experiences of hospitalised adolescents receiving cancer treatment. Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research design. Data were collected from 12 adolescents receiving cancer treatment in the paediatric haematology/oncology clinic at a university hospital in Turkey. Adolescents participated in one session of individual, unstructured mandala drawing. Individual interviews were then conducted using a semi‐structured interview guide. The interviews, researcher observations and document analysis methods were used to produce and analyse data. Interview transcripts of the study were analysed using the content analysis method. Results: Two main themes with related sub‐themes each were obtained: being an adolescent with cancer, with the sub‐themes of changes in health, restriction of freedom and feeling lonely; and coping with cancer with the sub‐themes of psychological growth and hope for healing. Conclusion: Adolescents felt lonely and as though their freedom was restricted while they were hospitalised. Participants also noticed changes in their perspective on life and experienced psychological growth. Most of them hoped for healing and prayed to cope with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Oral care is a standard practice used to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care units and in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. This research examines the oral care practices of pediatric nurses. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Its sample was composed of 90 nurses working in the pediatric services of a university hospital in western Turkey from March to December 2016. The research data was collected using a sociodemographic data form and the Oral Care Practices Information Form. Results: Of the nurses, 62.2% had received oral care education. There were statistical differences in oral diagnosis in terms of clinic, work shift, the making of oral diagnoses before each oral care practice, oral care frequency and the number of patients with impaired oral mucosal integrity (p<0.05). Conclusion: Nurses need training about oral care that is up to date with the literature to manage oral care practices more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic growth is a positive psychological change that occurs as a result of tackling vital crises. Although cancer is perceived as a fatal disease, the individual's struggle with many negative conditions during diagnosis and treatment can provide positive change and development. The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure of the posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI) in Turkish cancer patients. This study included 265 cancer patients receiving treatment at the chemotherapy unit of two university hospitals located in northern Turkey. Percentages, frequencies, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to analyse the data, and Cronbach's α measured internal consistency. EFA yielded a five‐factor structure: Spiritual and existential change, change in perception of life and selfness, relating to others, personal strength and new possibilities. Fit indices for CFA were root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), 0.06; non‐normed fit index (NNFI), 0.92; comparative fit index (CFI), 0.90; root mean residuals (RMR), 0.06; and goodness‐of‐fit index (GFI), 0.90. The overall Cronbach's α of the scale was 0.93. PTGI was determined as a reliable and valid tool for Turkish cancer patients. PTGI, which has a determined validity and reliability rate, can be used by healthcare professionals working with oncology patients to evaluate the positive psychological growth and changes in cancer patients and determine their adoption rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer could be called family-involving disease. The current study aimed at determining the relationship between the burden of care and life satisfaction of the Turkish mothers of children with cancer. Methods: The current descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on mothers of 194 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia referred to a chemotherapy polyclinic. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, and Life Satisfaction Scale, and analyzed with Student's t-test for independent groups, One-way ANOVA, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis, and regression tests using SPSS V. 16. Results: Mean age of children was 7.26±3.78 (years), 53.6% were male, and 64.4% were previously enrolled at school but could not continue to study due to illness. A significant difference was observed between the average life satisfaction scale scores and economic status of the mothers (P<0.005). According to Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis, a statistically significant negative correlation was observed between life satisfaction and caregiver burden scores (P<0.05) (r=-420, P=0.000). Conclusion: Health care team and especially pediatric nurses should help the mothers by providing information about support systems and counseling services available in the community and facilitating the use of these resources to alleviate their stress and increase their life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To characterise the effects of local heat application on the ease of subsequent intravenous catheter insertion. Background Intravenous catheter insertion is a challenging procedure for both nurses and chemotherapy patients. The local application of heat to the area before intravenous catheter insertion may decrease these difficulties by increasing venous distension and visibility. Design This study was an open label experimental study involving intervention and control groups. Methods Patients receiving chemotherapy were divided into intervention ( n = 40) and control ( n = 40) groups. For patients in the intervention group, a digital moist heating pad was applied to the arm prepared for catheter insertion for 10 minutes in addition to routine care. No additional preparation procedure beyond routine care was performed for control patients. Data were collected using a data collection form and evaluated using chi square, Fisher's exact chi square, Student's t, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon and Pearson correlation tests. Results Local application of heat decreased patients' pain ( p = 0·011), increased the rate of successful catheter placement at first attempt ( p = 0·004), decreased the catheterisation procedure time ( p = 0·001) and decreased nurse-perceived difficulty during catheter placement ( p = 0·001). Conclusions Local application of heat before the catheterisation procedure is suggested for patients receiving chemotherapy, particularly in cases where visibility of the veins is poor and intravenous catheter insertion is difficult. Relevance to clinical practice Local application of heat results in vasodilation, and thus intravenous catheter insertion becomes easier. Our findings have important implications for nurses who care for chemotherapy patients. The inclusion of local heat application before catheterisation as a preparation step is suitable to be implemented by nurses in other hospitals and clinics where chemotherapy is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Calculating tumor volume using the Cavalieri method in laryngeal tumors before and after treatment may be useful to optimize the treatment and to minimize the side-effects of radiotherapy.Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the pre-treatment and post-treatment tumor volumes of the patients to whom radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy was applied as a treatment using Cavalieri’s Principle as a stereological method and to assess tumor regression rates in the patients with Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC) statistically.Materials and method: Sixteen patients (eight patients with stage T3 and eight patients with stage T4) diagnosed with LCCC bearing the appropriate characteristics to criteria in the otorhinolaryngology clinic were included. Patients had computerized tomography (CT) scans in the axial plane before treatment and 2 months after the treatment. Pre-treatment and post-treatment tumor volumes on CT images were calculated using Cavalieri’s principle as a stereological method and then compared.Findings: Average tumor volumes in patients with stage T3 before and after treatment were 10.12 ± 3.58 cm3and 1.33 ± 1.74 cm3, respectively (p = 0.008). These volumes were 11.92 ± 4.61 cm3and 2.17 ± 2.34 cm3(p = 0.008) for patients with stage T4, respectively. Post-treatment tumor volumes were statistically reduced compared to pre-treatment volumes in all stages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this multicenter retrospective analysis, we aimed to present clinical, laboratory and treatment results of 94 patients with Hairy cell leukemia diagnosed in 13 centers between 1990 and 2014. Sixty-six of the patients were males and 28 were females, with a median age of 55. Splenomegaly was present in 93.5% of cases at diagnosis. The laboratory findings that came into prominence were pancytopenia with grade 3 bone marrow fibrosis. Most of the patients with an indication for treatment were treated with cladribine as first-line treatment. Total and complete response of cladribine was 97.3% and 80.7%. The relapse rate after cladribine was 16.6%, and treatment related mortality was 2.5%. Most preferred therapy (95%) was again cladribine at second-line, and third line with CR rate of 68.4% and 66.6%, respectively. The 28-month median OS was 91.7% in all patients and 25-month median OS 96% for patients who were given cladribine as first-line therapy. In conclusion, the first multicenter retrospective Turkish study where patients with HCL were followed up for a long period has revealed demographic characteristics of patients with HCL, and confirmed that cladribine treatment might be safe and effective in a relatively large series of the Turkish study population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted to determine the illness impact on marriage and level of loneliness for women diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. All of the patients (n:95) who have been admitted to the gynecologic oncology clinic of a private education-research hospital, which is located in Istanbul in Turkey, between June 2012 and June 2013 were included in the study. Permission from the institution's ethic board and consent from the patients were taken prior to the application. Data were collected by the socio-demographic data survey and the UCLA-LS Loneliness Scale whose validity and reliability studies were made by Demir (1989) in Turkey. Data were evaluated by the numerical percentage calculations and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. The mean age of the patients 51.2 ± 12.4 and the mean duration of their marriage 27.4 ± 13.1 years. 41.1 % of the patients have ovarian cancer and 50.5 % of them being treated for ovarian cancer for <1 year. It was determined that 47.7 % of the patients were undergoing chemotherapy treatment for <6 months and 44.2 % of them had 1-6 cycles of chemotherapy. 47.4 % of the patients stated that they have seen no change in the attitude of their husbands towards them. 13.7 % of the patients think that their husbands want to leave them, 29.5 % of them think that their husbands spend more time their businesses, 25.3 % of them think that their husbands are drifting away from their homes and 12.6 % of them think that their husbands start to come home late than before. 78.9 % of the patients stated that their sexual lives changed after the diagnosis and 47.4 % of them stated that they felt lonely. 57.9 % of the patients stated that their husbands were less supportive during the illness and 54.7 % of them stated that they need psychological support. It was determined that the loneliness level of the patients who were in the young age group, who had more than seven cycles of chemotherapy, who stated that their sexual lives changed after the diagnosis and who were thinking that their husbands drifted away from them and their homes during the illness is higher than the other patients ( p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Despite promising data in Western countries, there is a dearth of research into the efficacy of text messaging-based smoking cessation programs in other settings, including the Middle East, where smoking prevalence rates are higher. Objective: This paper reports cessation rates observed in SMS Turkey, a text messaging-based smoking cessation program for adult smokers in Ankara, Turkey. Methods: This study was a small-scale, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Ankara, Turkey. Participants were adult daily smokers who were seriously thinking about quitting in the next 15 days and living in Ankara, Turkey. The text messaging intervention, SMS Turkey, provided 6 weeks of daily messages aimed at giving participants skills to help them quit smoking. Messages were sent in an automated fashion, except 2 days and 7 days after the initial quit day. On days 2 and 7, the research assistant manually assigned participants to content "paths" based on whether they were still not smoking or had relapsed. The control arm received a brochure that provided similar information about smoking cessation. The main outcome measure was self-reported 3-month sustained abstinence, verified by carbon monoxide (CO) readings. Neither participants nor researchers were blinded to arm assignment. Results: The 151 participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: 76 to the SMS Turkey intervention group and 75 to the brochure control group. Using intention to treat, all 151 participants were included in analyses. Three-month cessation trends were not significantly higher in the intervention group: 11% intervention vs 5% control had quit (Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.=1.4, P=.24; R²=2.0, 95% CI 0.62-6.3). When the sample was stratified by sex, female intervention participants (14%, n=5) were significantly more likely to have quit at 3 months than female control participants (0%, n=0; Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.=3.7, P=.05). Among light smokers (ie, those smoking less than 20 cigarettes per day), intervention participants (17%, n=5) also were significantly more likely to have quit compared to control participants (0%, n=0; Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.=5.3, P=.02). We noted no difference in cessation rates for males or heavy smokers. Participants experienced significant technology problems during the study. Some participants received duplicate text messages at least once during the trial; others failed to receive some program messages. Neither receiving duplicate messages (Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.=0.12, P=.73), or missing 5 or more program messages (Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed.=0.75, P=.39) negatively affected quitting rates. Conclusions: Although the study was not powered to detect statistically significant differences, as the primary aim was to provide estimates of effect size that could be used to better inform a power analysis for a larger trial, findings provide optimism that SMS Turkey may be able to affect quitting rates in environments with high smoking prevalence, such as Ankara, Turkey. The SMS Turkey software program did not work as well as it did 2 years previous. The system will need to be updated to maintain software compatibility with ongoing technology evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To reveal the effects of music therapy and visual imagery on chemotherapy-induced anxiety and nausea-vomiting. Background Behavioural techniques such as music therapy and visual imagery are becoming increasingly important in dealing with chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting. Design The study is an experimental and cross-sectional one and performed on a single sample group with the pre-post-test design consisting of 40 individuals. The individuals in the sample group comprised both the control and the case group of the study. Methods To obtain the study data, the following forms were used: the Personal Information Form, Spielberger State- Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Visual Analogue Scale and Individual Evaluation Form for Nausea and Vomiting adapted from The Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Vomiting. Results In the study, the participants' state and trait anxiety levels decreased significantly ( p < 0·05). Music therapy and visual imagery reduced the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting significantly ( p < 0·05). In our research, 40% of the patients did not have anticipatory nausea and 55% of the patients did not have anticipatory vomiting during the third chemotherapy cycle during which music therapy and guided visual imagery were implemented. Conclusions It was determined that complementary approaches comprising music therapy and visual imagery had positive effects on chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting, which are suffered too often and affect the patients' whole lives adversely. Relevance to clinical practice This study is worthy of interest as it has revealed that music therapy and visual imagery which have been proven to be effective in many health problems in different areas are also important, and practical complementary approaches that are effective in getting chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting under control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Little is known about the likelihood of curing children with high-dose chemotherapy regimens for treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Turkey. The authors here report their 13 years' experience with original ALL-BFM (Berlin-Franfurt-Münster) 95 protocol in a cohort of 140 Turkish children with ALL. Complete remission rate was 97.7%% with a relapse rate of 12.9%% and death rate 17.9%% during a median follow-up of 69 months. The event-free survival (EFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) in these patients at 12 years were 75.0%%, 87.1%%, and 80.6%%, respectively. These results show that ALL-BFM 95 protocol is equally applicable in the experienced centers, even in developing countries without substantial treatment-related toxicity. High rate of infection deaths are to be reduced with correct policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: The survival rates and prognostic factors for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) were found to be similar to the published series from endemic regions. Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate treatment outcome and prognostic factors of NPC patients treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in a non-endemic region. Methods: We analyzed clinical characteristics, treatment outcome, and prognostic factors of NPC patients in a non-endemic region, and compared our institution's results with the published literature including a similar patient population from endemic and non-endemic regions. Among 248 NPC patients, 71 (28.6%) were female and 177 (71.4%) were male with a median age of 48 years. Results: Within a median 59 months (range 22--178) of follow-up, local recurrence developed in 22 (8.9%), regional recurrence in 2 (0.8%), locoregional recurrence in 5 (2%), distant metastases in 21 (8.5%), and both locoregional recurrence and distant metastases in 8 (3.2%) patients. Five-year locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 83.7%, 73%, 78.5%, and 71.1%, respectively. In multivariate analysis for LRC, cranial nerve involvement (CNI) ( p == 0.009) and tumor response ( p == 0.004); for DFS, age ( p == 0.003), CNI ( p == 0.02), AJCC T classification ( p == 0.05), and tumor response ( p == 0.01); for DSS, age ( p == 0.003), CNI ( p == 0.04), AJCC T classification ( p == 0.04), and tumor response ( p == 0.01); for OS, age ( p < 0.001), AJCC T classification ( p == 0.005), and tumor response ( p < 0.001) were significant prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Hematology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a case study of a 12-year-old boy with headache, pallor, and abdominal distension. Topics discussed include physical examination of the boy which shows cervical and inguinal lymphadenopathies, ecchymoses in the lower extremities, and prominent hepatosplenomegaly, diagnosis of anemia at 5 years of age of the boy according to his medical history, and analysis of beta-gene which shows homozygote IVS-I-6 (T-C) mutation, pointing to thalassemia intermedia.