TESTICULAR SELF-EXAMINATION: VALIDATION OF A TRAINING STRATEGY FOR EARLY CANCER DETECTION

Testicular self-examination (TSE) can lead to early diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, the third leading cause of death in young men. We evaluated the effectiveness of a brief and specific checklist for teaching TSE skills. Ten men were videotaped while performing testicular self-examinations before and after training. The TSE training resulted in large and significant increases in the number of TSE steps completed and duration of the TSE. Two urological validation measures supported the improvements observed in the mens' self-examinations. Subjects reported continued performance of TSE during a follow-up telephone interview. This pilot study indicates that a brief and specific checklist is an effective strategy for teaching early cancer detection skills.     

Whose Gene Is It? A Case Discussion About Familial Conflict over Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer

A multidisciplinary group of genetic and other professionals discuss a complex case of familial conflict over access to genetic information. One twin wishes to know the results of her deceased mother's tests for BRCA1 mutations; a second twin objects to researchers making this information available. As the case discussion unfolds, the apparent facts of this case are called into question and the lines of ethical certainty become less clear.     

Knowledge of Breast Cancer Genetics Among Breast Cancer Patients and First-Degree Relatives of Affected Individuals

The cloning of BRCA1, a susceptibility gene for inherited breast cancer, has made genetic screening possible for individuals and families whose medical histories are suggestive of an inherited predisposition to breast cancer. To date, few systematic attempts have been made to determine the level of knowledge about breast cancer genetics among women who are likely to seek BRCA1 screening when it becomes widely available. The present study attempted to assess the general knowledge about BRCA1 mutations in two groups: (1) first-degree relatives (FDRs) of breast cancer patients; and (2) women with a previous diagnosis of breast cancer. A self-administered, thirty-item questionnaire was developed through a pilot study. Ten of the items were objective, factual questions about breast cancer genetics. Responses to these questions were used to generate an overall knowledge score for each respondent. The study population was moderately knowledgeable about breast cancer genetics, with an average score of 5.35 out of 10. Counselors should not underestimate the importance of evaluating each counselee's existing knowledge about breast cancer, which can affect the provision and reception of genetic information. In particular, specific areas of knowledge that may be confusing or misunderstood were identified and these topics are discussed in detail.     

The specific action of different personality risk factors on cancer of the breast, cervix, corpus uteri and other types of cancer: A prospective investigation

We report the results of a prospective study of a random sample of 1353 elderly but healthy men and women who were followed up for a period of 10 yr, when mortality and cause of death were ascertained. Overall results have been reported elsewhere for mortality from cancer, coronary heart disease and other causes; here we are concerned with the personality factors predicting breast cancer, cervical cancer, cancer of the corpus uteri specifically, as well as other types of cancer in women. Ten specific hypotheses were tested, using specially constructed questionnaires for the purpose, and for most of these statistically significant support was obtained. The results justify belief that specific types of cancer may be related to specific stress/personality factors.     

An empirical study of the diathesis-stress theory of disease

One thousand, one hundred and twenty-one Jewish concentration camp survivors were compared with 367 Jewish controls who had not been in a concentration camp, and had not lost any family members in such a camp. Of interest was the mortality of camp and comparison groups, on the hypothesis that the stress of being in a camp would adversely affect inmates. It was found that former camp inmates were over twice as likely to die of cancer, coronary heart diesease, or other causes as the comparison subjects of similar age and sex composition, and that severity of stress was correlated with mortality in the expected direction. Diathesis, determined by means of a special interviewer-administrated questionnaire, was found to interact synergistically with stress in producing high mortality.     

Group climate in an open-ended cancer support group

A number of well-described, controlled studies assessing cancer support group intervention support their effectiveness. All of these experimental groups have been close-ended and typically involve six to eight weekly sessions. Because many cancer patients are unable or unwilling to participate in closed, extended-session groups, there is particular need for analysis of the effectiveness of short-term, open-ended groups. Additionally, objective measures are needed to delineate the factors contributing to a successful outcome in cancer support groups. We used the Short Form of the Group Climate Questionnaire (GCQ-S) to characterize 23 sessions in an open-ended, short-term, Veterans Hospital based cancer support group. The cancer group scored significantly lower on the Avoiding and Conflict dimensions (p<.001) compared to a normative psychotherapy group sample. There was no difference on the Engaged dimension. This pilot study suggests that a cancer support group in this setting can create an environment where members are cohesive and take responsibility for their own change process, while keeping interpersonal conflict to a minimum. Based on these preliminary findings, we encourage controlled clinical trials examining the efficacy of open-ended cancer support groups.At the time of this study, Dr. Daroff was a resident in Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.     

医患双方“集体无意识”现象的剖析及破解对策——从追求“最优解”,到争取“满意解”

分析了医疗领域积极诊查、过度治疗等问题,认为这是医患双方的集体无意识行为,其表现众多,驱动因素复杂,在肿瘤领域问题尤为严重,表现在过度追求筛查,热衷于创伤性治疗,习惯于滥用靶向药等最新治疗,且只追求最优结局。集体无意识的促成因素众多,包括对健康及生命的注重,科学主义的盛行,认为医学就是纯粹的科学,凡科学总有解决的办法,且完美主义作祟等思潮,都是背后的思想理路。最后提出,破解方法之一是倡导用争取“满意解”来替代追求“最优解”,很多情况下,应推广“够好了就可以了”的决策思维。     

晚清民国癌症概念的翻译及流变

1805年以降,一大批西医概念“旅行”至我国,其中不乏全新概念,如cancer概念。中医自古便有“癰”“疽”“癰疽”等概念,它们以译词的形式参与到西医“癌症”知识最初在我国的传播,致使20世纪初,cancer概念同carbuncle概念的混淆。国人对“癌症”概念的容受随“癌”一名之确立发生于20世纪30年代前后,对其认知也随相关知识系统性传入、孙中山先生因癌病逝消息的蔓延及“癌”字隐喻用法的形成而愈发清晰。“癌”字最终的采纳则同时受日语新词大量导入及制度化因素的影响。通过考察西医“癌症”概念在我国的翻译及流变,得以管窥西医入华史一角。

     

家庭癌症告知过程及类型分析

将癌症告知看作一个家庭过程,以患者-家属为分析单位,阐述确诊及病程信息如何在家庭中流动,以及告知过程中患者和家属的角色演变。研究者对12位肺癌患者、7位家庭照护者和2位医生进行半结构访谈,并对访谈数据进行主题分析。家庭癌症告知是一个关乎患癌事实如何在家庭内流动的过程。围绕确诊、治疗和临终安排三个阶段,详细阐述了病患和家人的多种角色的演变,并基于此构建了两种家庭告知的理想类型：病患决策型和家属代理型。患者以往家庭角色、家庭沟通系统和疾病具身性体验是家庭癌症告知过程的重要影响因素。

     

“为癌症患者心理赋能”的临床干预路径

“为患者心理赋能”是近年来医疗健康领域出现的一种新的积极医疗照护理念,其关注点是个体的能力而非缺陷,它强调医疗实践应该为改善健康和生活质量建立患者激励结构。首先梳理了赋能的概念发展与心理结构,随后引证多个实证研究总结出为癌症患者心理赋能的四条临床干预路径,指出医患共同决策、同伴支持、赋能教育以及认知行为压力管理的赋能价值。最后结合已有成果和研究中发现的问题,提出癌症心理赋能干预发展建议,有利于进一步开展临床研究和实践探索。