Setting up a nurse-led bowel 'two week wait' service.

Patients who present to their GP with 'red flag' symptoms for possible bowel cancer (such as change in bowel habit or rectal bleeding) are urgently referred to an acute trust as a '2 week wait' (2WW) patient and require assessment and investigation in an efficient and timely manner. The burden that is created by ever increasing numbers of referrals requires a service that is reliable and flexible in meeting demand. This article presents the development of a nurse-led 2WW service that was implemented as a direct result of this pressure. The development of the national guideline is discussed and the rationale for a nurse-led service is provided, along with the processes followed to ensure patient safety. The inclusion of a telephone side to service provision is also examined and the challenges faced by the team are discussed.

Coping with a patient's death.

During my clinical placement in a hospice in my first year of training, a patient with bowel cancer was admitted.

Neuroendocrine Tumors and Lanreotide Depot: Clinical Considerations and Nurse and Patient Preferences.

BACKGROUND: Somatostatin analogs (SSAs) are a mainstay therapy for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome associated with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). They are effective for a range of gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEP-NETs). Lanreotide depot (Somatuline®) is an SSA that is approved for the treatment of GEP-NETs to improve progression-free survival (PFS). OBJECTIVES: The article reviews the efficacy, safety, and administration of lanreotide depot and relates those attributes to considerations and preferences of oncology nurses and their patients. METHODS: A review of the literature on the use of lanreotide for the treatment of NETs and carcinoid syndrome was conducted. In addition, the literature on drug delivery and routes of administration was surveyed to provide context for comparative studies related to clinical and patient preferences. FINDINGS: Lanreotide depot prolongs PFS and is well tolerated by patients who expressed satisfaction in the ability to control symptoms related to carcinoid syndrome. Nurses cited several benefits to using lanreotide depot in the clinical setting, including more time saved to address other patient care issues. Attributes of lanreotide depot-including its efficacy, safety and tolerability, dosing and administration, and cost-may contribute to healthcare decisions regarding the treatment and management of NETs.

The influence of ostomy surgery on body image in patients with cancer.

A one group repeated measures design was used to describe changes in body image in 45 patients treated with ostomy for bowel or bladder cancer. Body image was measured preoperatively and at two postoperative points: 1 month and in 6 months or postclosure. The Body Cathexis Scale, Draw-a-Person, and subjective responses to open-ended questions were used. There was a significant difference in Body Cathexis scores between the immediate 1 month postoperative period and 6 months later (F(2, 88) = 3.13, p = .049). Body image scores did not change significantly between the preostomy and first postostomy measures. Qualitative data suggested that cancer diagnosis and its associated concerns were paramount on subjects' minds preoperatively and thus negatively influenced body image before the creation of the ostomy. Although altered body image is an appropriate nursing diagnosis for patients with ostomy in both the preoperative and postoperative periods, other issues may be dominant especially in the preoperative period.

Diagnosis and management of intestinal obstruction in individuals with cancer.

Small bowel obstructions, which account for two-thirds of all intestinal obstruction, are caused by adhesions, hernias and cancer. Large bowel obstructions are usually the result of a malignancy, but may also be caused by diverticulitis or volvulus. Previously treated individuals with a known diagnosis of advanced cancer originating in the pelvis are at highest risk for developing intestinal bowel obstruction. Since 30 percent of Americans will develop cancer in their lifetimes, and colorectal cancer is the most common type, this represents a significant population at risk to be followed by nurse practitioners. The pathophysiology, assessment and management of an individual with a bowel obstruction is reviewed. Morbidity and mortality in this population is high. Wound healing problems, including infection, dehiscence, evisceration and fistula formation, contribute significantly to the morbidity and can cause long-term problems. In today's health care system, it's likely that patients will be discharged from the hospital earlier after bowel surgeries. Therefore, nursing care focusing on wound management is outlined.