[Assessment of hand-foot syndrome in cancer patients treated with capecitabine-containing chemotherapy].

Capecitabine is one of the most effective oral chemotherapeutic drugs for advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. Capecitabine-containing chemotherapy is recommended as a first-line option for gastrointestinal tract cancer. The incidence of hand-foot syndrome (HFS), an adverse event of chemotherapy with capecitabine, is high. Moreover, once the symptoms of HFS are identified, they can significantly impair the quality of life (QOL) of patients. HFS should be managed by dose interruption and, if necessary, by dose reduction. Pharmacists and oncology nurses play an increasingly important role in the early identification and prevention of HFS through patient education and close clinical assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of support tools for the early identification, prevention, and management of HFS and to assess the effectiveness of "patient self-check sheets". The patient was detected as having HFS of mild severity and had used a moisturizer at the time of initiation of therapy. Maintaining moisture retention is important in the management of HFS. The ambulatory team plays a key role by using self-check sheets to educate patients on how to recognize HFS, when to interrupt treatment, and how to adjust the dose so as to maintain effective therapy with capecitabine. For the continuation and completion of treatment and for maintaining an improved QOL in the home environment, supportive measures for adverse effects such as HFS and an ambulatory team are indispensable.

[The team medical support in out-patient chemotherapy: a role of nurses].

The number of cancer patients and families desiring home-based care and out-patient chemotherapy has been increasing. Hence, a support system for home-based care is urgently needed for a patient with recurrent and/or advanced unresectable cancer who recieved cancer chemotherapy. The cancer therapy especially in patients with colorectal cancer could have expected an improvement of the prognosis utilizing FOLFOX/FOLFIRI, a standard therapy established in Europe and America. Thereby, it was well recognized that the department of out-patient chemotherapy is very important for continuous venous infusion using a central venous port. Since May 2005, we started an out-patient department for patients receiving cancer chemotherapy and a risk management in order to establish a patient care team. The important thing we should recognize about the out-patient treatment is that there are many cases of cancer patients who are in the state of poor nourishment caused by plural factors such as protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) by an intake disturbance, and the poor absorption in glucose, protein and fat which are necessary for a good metabolism. The poor nutritional status causes a deterioration of immune function and complications such as infectious diseases. Thereby, a good management of nourishment to the patient who received cancer chemotherapy is an important supportive therapy. It appears that a good management of nourishment prevented and/or alleviated the complication that caused by the treatment of cancer chemotherapy. Because of the out-patient treatment is to treat a patient in a short period of time without thorough evaluation about the same for in hospitalized patient, a team medical support, a prudent policy of chemotherapy by the medical team members consisting of nurses, pharmacists, dietitian, chemotherapist and the self-care guidance of the patient are strongly required.