Relationship between using cancer resource center services and patient outcomes.

PURPOSE: Psychological and social support are crucial in treating cancer. Cancer resource centers provide patients with cancer and their families with services that can help them through cancer treatment, ensure that patients receive adequate treatment, and reduce cancer-related stress. These centers offer various services, including medical guidance, health education, emotional assistance (e.g., consultations for cancer care), and access to resources such as financial aid and post recovery programs. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed how cancer resource centers assist patients with cancer and improve their clinical outcomes. METHODS: The study participants comprised patients initially diagnosed with head and neck cancer or esophageal cancer. A total of 2442 patients from a medical center in Taiwan were included in the study. Data were analyzed through logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: The results indicate that unemployment, blue-collar work, and a lower education level were associated with higher utilization of cancer resource center services. The patients who were unemployed or engaged in blue-collar work had higher risks of mortality than did their white-collar counterparts. Patient education programs can significantly improve the survival probability of patients with cancer. On the basis of our evaluation of the utilization and benefits of services provided by cancer resource centers, we offer recommendations for improving the functioning of support systems for patients with cancer and provide suggestions for relevant future research. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that cancer resource centers provide substantial support for patients of low socioeconomic status and improve patients' survival.

RGB-color forward-viewing spectrally encoded endoscope using three orders of diffraction.

Spectrally encoded endoscopy (SEE) is an ultra-miniature endoscopy technology that encodes each spatial location on the sample with a different wavelength. One challenge in SEE is achieving color imaging with a small probe. We present a novel SEE probe that is capable of conducting real-time RGB imaging using three diffraction orders (6th order diffraction of the blue spectrum, 5th of green, and 4th of red). The probe was comprised of rotating 0.5 mm-diameter illumination optics inside a static, 1.2 mm-diameter flexible sheath with a rigid distal length of 5 mm containing detection fibers. A color chart, resolution target, and swine tissue were imaged. The device achieved 44k/59k/23k effective pixels per R/G/B channels over a 58° angular field and differentiated a wide gamut of colors.

Confocal microlaparoscope for imaging the fallopian tube.

Recent evidence suggests that ovarian cancer can originate in the fallopian tube. Unlike many other cancers, poor access to the ovary and fallopian tubes has limited the ability to study the progression of this deadly disease and to diagnosis it during the early stage when it is most amenable to therapy. A rigid confocal microlaparoscope system designed to image the epithelial surface of the ovary in vivo was previously reported. A new confocal microlaparoscope with an articulating distal tip has been developed to enable in vivo access to human fallopian tubes. The new microlaparoscope is compatible with 5-mm trocars and includes a 2.2-mm-diameter articulating distal tip consisting of a bare fiber bundle and an automated dye delivery system for fluorescence confocal imaging. This small articulating device should enable the confocal microlaparoscope to image early stage ovarian cancer arising inside the fallopian tube. Ex vivo images of animal tissue and human fallopian tube using the new articulating device are presented along with in vivo imaging results using the rigid confocal microlaparoscope system.

Error analysis of ratiometric imaging of extracellular pH in a window chamber model.

Ratiometric fluorescence-imaging technique is commonly used to measure extracellular pH in tumors and surrounding tissue within a dorsal skin-fold window chamber. Using a pH-sensitive fluorophore such as carboxy SNARF-1 one can measure pH distributions with high precision. However, it is often observed that the measured pH is lower than expected, with a bias that varies from one image to another. A comprehensive analysis of possible error sources is presented. These error sources include photon noise, estimator bias, instrument errors, temperature, and calibration errors from biological factors.