Cancer and breast cancer awareness interventions in an intellectual disability context: A review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Women with an intellectual disability (ID) have a similar risk of developing breast cancer as women in the general population yet present with later stage breast cancers, which have poorer outcomes. AIM: To identify whether there is a need to develop a breast cancer awareness intervention for women with an ID. METHODS: Interventions aimed at increasing cancer awareness and breast cancer awareness for people with an ID were identified and critically appraised. RESULTS: Five interventions to increase cancer awareness or breast cancer awareness in people with an ID were identified. CONCLUSION: The review highlighted the paucity of theoretically underpinned breast cancer awareness interventions specifically aimed at women with an ID. Facilitating breast cancer awareness for women with an ID could potentially lead to earlier presentation of potential symptoms of breast cancer, earlier treatment, better prognosis and ultimately, improved survival. This article establishes that there is a need for an intervention underpinned by theory to increase breast cancer awareness in women with an ID.

Antithymocyte globulin for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome.

Twenty-five transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients (with < 20% blasts) were treated in a phase II study with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) at 40 mg/kg/d for four doses and then followed with blood counts every 2 weeks and clinic visits every 3 months, for a median of 14 months (range 1-38 months). 11 (44%) patients responded and became transfusion-independent after ATG, including three complete responses, six partial responses, and two minimal responses. Responses were observed in 9/14 patients (64%) with refractory anaemia (RA) and 2/6 patients (33%) with refractory anaemia with excess blasts (RAEB). Median response duration was 10 months (range 3-38 months). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival was 84% at 38 months, with one early death due to pneumonia and two deaths from disease progression to leukaemia. Side-effects consisted mainly of mild serum sickness in all patients. A single course of ATG restored haemopoiesis in some patients with MDS and was well tolerated.