References: Hair growth and hair loss
Cancer. 2002 Jul 1;95(1):155-63.
Changing patient perceptions of the side effects of cancer chemotherapy.
Carelle N, Piotto E, Bellanger A, Germanaud J, Thuillier A, Khayat D.
Pharmacy Department, Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, Paris, France.
BACKGROUND: Quality-of-life (QoL) issues have become increasingly important as the number of newly diagnosed patients with cancer increases and survival improves. In 1983, Coates et al. reported a survey of patient perceptions of the side effects of cancer chemotherapy and showed the importance of including patient feedback for the accurate assessment of QoL (Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1983;19:203-208.). The authors carried out a similar survey in 100 patients with cancer with the objectives of 1) investigating the changes in patient perceptions that have occurred and 2) evaluating the impact of new treatments on the profile of chemotherapy side effects among patients receiving anticancer drugs. METHODS: One hundred patients attending the outpatient Medical Oncology Department of the Pitie Salpetriere Hospital Group were surveyed between August 1998 and February 2000 by trained interviewers who were blinded to the patients' treatment. Patients identified all side effects associated with their treatment using a set of 45 cards that named physical side effects (Group A) and a set of 27 cards that named nonphysical side effects (Group B), and the patients ranked these side effects according to severity. The top 5 cards from each group were then combined, and the resulting 10 cards were rated again by severity, regardless of group. Results were analyzed for the entire cohort and for demographic, social, and clinical subgroups. RESULTS: The participants included 65 women and 35 men; the most common malignancies were breast carcinoma (40 patients), gastrointestinal carcinoma (19 patients), lung carcinoma (7 patients), and ovarian carcinoma (9 patients). Patients rated affects my family or partner as the most severe side effect, alopecia was second, and fatigue was the third most severe. Effects on work or home responsibilities, effects on social activities, and loss of interest in sex were ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. The results contrasted with those of Coates et al., in which affects my family or partner was ranked 10th, and fatigue was ranked 8th. CONCLUSIONS: Patient perceptions of the side effects of cancer chemotherapy have changed markedly. In the current study, fatigue and psychosocial QoL concerns predominated, compared with emesis, nausea, and negative reactions to the treatment visit in the original survey. The current findings are consistent with the progress that has been made in reducing certain chemotherapy-associated toxicities. Fatigue, however, although it often is related to anemia and is treatable with recombinant human erythropoietin, remains a major concern. The emotional, social, and sexual consequences of cancer treatment present continuing challenges in efforts to optimize QoL and to develop effective supportive care. Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12115329&dopt=Abstract
chu-clermontferrand.fr
BACKGROUND: Intraoperative fluoroscopy imaging during coronaroplasty or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt may induce chronic radiodermatitis. Temporary hair loss is a peculiar form of radiodermatitis following endovascular surgery of the cerebral arteries.CASE REPORTS: Six patients (2 women, 4 men, age range: 27-47 years old) were seen for a solitary plaque of alopecia. In all of the cases, the plaque had appeared two weeks after a neuroradiologically guided embolization procedure. No other skin lesions were seen. Alopecia spontaneously and completely regressed within three to four months. However, it reappeared after a subsequent embolization (one case) but not after arteriographies (five cases).DISCUSSION: Five similar cases have been reported in the literature. Transient alopecia often occurs after neurologically guided endovascular surgery of the cerebral arteries. This side-effect is well known by neurosurgeons and thus, these patients are rarely referred to a dermatologist. Two differential diagnoses must be evoqued: alopecia aerata and anticonvulsant - induced alopecia. The role played as cofactor by carbamazepine which is a photosensitivant drug, is discussed.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12124512&dopt=Abstract
hsc.utah.edu
OBJECTIVE: To determine if the prevalence of autoimmunity among relatives of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is greater than that among relatives of healthy volunteer control subjects. METHODS: Interviews were used to obtain histories of the following disorders among living first- and second-degree relatives of 110 patients and 45 controls: alopecia areata, ankylosing spondylitis, dermatomyositis, Graves' disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease, iritis, JRA, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, RA, systemic lupus erythematosus, and vitiligo. Chi-squares, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Families of 23 JRA affected sibpairs were interviewed subsequently. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between patients and controls with regard to age, sex, ethnicity, or family size. Patients had 1,228 relatives and controls had 496 relatives. Of all the relatives of the patients, 155 had at least 1 autoimmune disorder, compared with 20 relatives of the controls (12.6% versus 4.0%; OR 3.4 [95% CI 2.1-5.7], P < 0.000001). The prevalence of autoimmunity was increased in first-degree and in second-degree relatives of patients (16.1% and 10.6%, respectively). The prevalence of Hashimoto thyroiditis was significantly higher in the relatives of patients (OR 3.5 [95% CI 1.6-7.9], P = 0.0008). The prevalences of other disorders were not significantly different. JRA affected sibpair families had an increased prevalence of autoimmunity (15.0%). A history of arthritis was found significantly more frequently in the JRA affected sibpair families, but not in the simplex families. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the prevalence of autoimmunity is significantly higher among first- and second-degree relatives of JRA patients. This suggests that clinically different autoimmune phenotypes may share common susceptibility genes, which may act as risk factors for autoimmunity.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12124869&dopt=Abstract
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