Symptom monitoring and self-care practices among oncology adults in China.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a major health problem in Asia. OBJECTIVE: This study's purpose was to examine patient-reported symptoms and self-care strategies of Chinese adults during cancer treatments. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study in cancer centers in Hong Kong and Xi'an, China, was conducted. A total of 222 patients were included: those undergoing combined radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) (n = 73), CT alone (n = 63), or RT alone (n = 82). Institutional review board approvals were obtained and participants provided signed consent to participate. Instruments used were the following: (a) 25-item Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist (TRSC) Chinese version, (b) Symptom Alleviation: Self-care Methods tool, (c) Karnofsky Scale and Health Form, and (d) a demographic form. RESULTS: : The TRSC-Chinese version has good reliability and validity. Chinese patients on combined RT and CT reported more symptoms with greater severity on the TRSC than did those receiving either RT or CT alone (F = 3.08, P < .05). Similar to Midwestern US findings, patients on all treatment types reported severe symptoms on TRSC subscales eating, oropharynx, nausea, fatigue, and pain. Complementary/self-care categories used were diet/nutrition/lifestyle change (most used, found helpful), mind/body control, and biologic treatments: other. CONCLUSION: The TRSC, a standardized patient-report symptom checklist, facilitates symptom monitoring and management. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Patient-reported symptom occurrence and severity scale enable health providers to prioritize, evaluate interventions, and promote/assist patients' self-care.

The acceptance and feasibility of breast cancer screening in the East.

Breast cancer, traditionally a disease prevalent among women in the West, has become an increasing disease burden in the East. In Hong Kong, breast cancer is the number one incident cancer in women. In Asian countries, due to the lower incidence rate, population screening is still controversial. Most screening programs are not population-based, and are either self-financed privately or partially subsidized by the government. Since the first government-subsidized screening program was set up in 1991 in Hong Kong, numerous private and government health centres for women have been set up. A dedicated private Breast Care Centre was set up at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital (HKSH) in 1999. Over an 8-year period from October 1999 to September 2006, 14,596 women were screened, of whom 11,408 were asymptomatic. This study aims to produce the first report on breast screening experience in the largest cohort of asymptomatic Chinese women in the private sector. An overall malignancy detection rate of 2.3 per 1000 screens and a recall rate of 9.2% were found. Despite culture differences and differences in breast characteristics (denser and smaller breasts), breast screening is feasible and acceptable in the East.