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This investigation studied the effectiveness of in-hospital, individual counseling on the psychosocial adjustment of patients with newly diagnosed gynecologic malignancies. Levels of psychologic distress, sexual functioning, and return to employment were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months after counseling. The counseled patients were compared with a similar control group that was assessed but not counseled. In this study, levels of psychologic distress reported by cancer patients were similar to those reported in normal populations. However, at 3 months post-treatment, counseled cancer patients reported significantly less confusion and contradiction within areas of self-perception than did the noncounseled patients. Return to employment and sexual activities were both shown to be adversely affected by the diagnosis and treatment of genital cancer. Results suggested that counseling had a positive effect in enhancing return to normal vocational and sexual functions during the 1st year after treatment.

The efficacy and the tolerability of the new non-steroidal antiinflammatory agent flunoxaprofen was assessed in the long-lasting management of pain and joint motility impairment of 28 patients suffering from radiologically proven osteoarthritis localized on the large joints (hip and knee). The patients were treated with flunoxaprofen 200-400 mg/day per os for 2 months (18 patients) or for 4 months (10 patients) and the following variables were assessed: spontaneous diurnal and nocturnal pain, pain on passive motion, pain on active motion with or without load, quality of sleep, joint motion range, intercondylar and intermalleolar straddles and gluteus-heel straddle; patients' and physician' evaluation of flunoxaprofen efficacy. Moreover a number of clinical and laboratory controls were carried out to study the tolerability of the drug (arterial blood pressure, heart rate, hepatic and renal function tests, haematological examination). The assessments were made before the starting of the treatment and at 15-day intervals thereafter. The results show that all variables for pain intensity greatly and progressively improved during flunoxaprofen treatment; the quality of sleep as well as the joint motion range improvement went along the progressive decrease in pain intensity. None of the clinical and laboratory parameters studied showed any modification during flunoxaprofen treatment. No side-effects were observed in any patients, either after 4 months treatment or using 400 mg/die. It is concluded that flunoxaprofen may be considered an effective and safe non-steroidal antiinflammatory agent in the long-lasting management of pain and joint motility impairment of osteoarthritic patients.