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Biomedical subjects

A M Cliff

Publications and source records attributed to A M Cliff.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of fasting or desmopressin before treatment on the concentration of mitomycin C during intravesical administration.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate two methods of reducing the urine output during treatment (the most easily manipulated variable) in patients undergoing intravesical instillation with mitomycin C, where the concentration-time curve also depends upon dose, diluent volume, residual urine volume, and drug absorption and degradation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 20 consecutive patients undergoing a course of six weekly instillations of mitomycin C (40 mg in 40 mL for 1 h) for superficial bladder carcinoma. Urine production during treatment was calculated by adding the voided volume and ultrasonographically measured residual urine after treatment, and subtracting 40 mL; the patient's bladder was emptied before instillation. Before the first and second visit the patients were asked to drink normally. Before the third and fourth visit patients fasted for 6 h before treatment. For the fifth and sixth visit the patients had not fasted, but 200 microg of desmopressin was given orally 1 h before instillation. Any urinary side-effects were graded on a four-point scale. RESULTS: There were 17 patients with complete data; one patient failed to take desmopressin, one had detrusor instability and one developed chemical cystitis. The mean (SD) urine production in unprepared patients was 209 (123) mL, which decreased to 143 (80) mL (P = 0.039, t-test) after fasting and 103 (51) mL (P < 0.001) with desmopressin. This equates to a 20% increase in mean intravesical drug concentration with fasting and a 38% increase with desmopressin. Urinary side-effects were graded as mild in each group. CONCLUSION: Unprepared patients produce variable and often substantial volumes of urine during intravesical chemotherapy. There was a significant reduction in urine output after fasting or by administering desmopressin before instillation. These measures increase the area under the concentration-time curve for mitomycin C and potentially increase the efficacy of treatment.

Administration, Intravesical↗

Psychosocial morbidity in prostate cancer: I. Design of a new questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To design a questionnaire capable of measuring psychosocial morbidity in patients with prostate cancer and in their partners. METHODS: Issues to be covered in the questionnaire were determined by discussion among professionals, a literature review and semi-structured interviews with a group of seven patients and their partners. The potential issues were analysed and condensed, then re-presented to a further group of professionals, and to 10 patients and partners for comment and amendment. This process aimed to confirm the completeness and relevance of the list of issues. Questions were then constructed around the final list of issues and the questionnaire adjusted continually while testing on patients, until it was completed easily. RESULTS: The questionnaire consisted of 10 items; three items related to the general threat of cancer (concern about the diagnosis itself, fear of the future and difficulty dealing with the emotional response to the disease). Two items covered social and role functioning and there were five items to determine the severity of psychological morbidity caused by pain, urinary symptoms, treatment, physical limitation and sexual dysfunction. The questionnaire appeared to cover those areas of morbidity most consistently raised by patients and partners; it was also rapidly and easily completed by most respondents. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire constructed may be easily applied as part of routine clinical practice; it addresses aspects of psychosocial morbidity related to prostate cancer in patients and their partners. Although it appears to have content validity, further psychometric testing is required.

Aged↗

Psychosocial morbidity in prostate cancer: II. A comparison of patients and partners.

OBJECTIVE: To assess psychometrically a new questionnaire for measuring the psychosocial morbidity in patients with prostate cancer and in their partners, and to compare the morbidity of patients and their partners. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A sequential sample of patients with any stage of prostate cancer and attending general urology outpatient clinics was identified. The questionnaire was administered to 135 patients and their partners in their homes. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire was also administered to permit construct validation of the new measure. Test-retest reliability was calculated by re-administering the questionnaire to 60 individuals. The hypothetical general cancer distress and social subscales of the questionnaire were also tested for internal consistency. Psychosocial morbidity scores obtained by the patients and partners were compared. RESULTS: The questionnaire had good test-retest reliability and construct validity when tested against the HADS. The general cancer distress and social subscales were internally consistent. General cancer distress was highly prevalent and significantly more severe in partners than in patients. There was some degree of general cancer distress in 47% of patients and 76% of partners, whereas severe distress was detected in 11% and 30%, respectively. Social morbidity was limited and of equal severity between the groups. Treatment-related worries and concerns about pain and physical limitation were more common among partners than patients, whereas there was no difference for worries about urinary symptoms. Sexual concerns were the least prevalent and were more of a problem for patients than partners. CONCLUSION: Psychosocial morbidity in prostate cancer is highly prevalent, not only among patients but particularly among their partners. The new questionnaire showed adequate psychometric properties for use in identifying individuals with significant psychosocial morbidity. Applying the questionnaire should permit emotional and informational support to be targeted at the most vulnerable.

Aged↗

The use of generic measures of health-related quality of life in the assessment of outcome from transurethral resection of the prostate.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the performance of the EuroQol (EQ) quality-of-life measure and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) in assessing the outcome of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO), and to determine which men experience the greatest increase in health-related quality of life (HRQL) after TURP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was undertaken over 12 months from Arpil 1992 of 314 men who completed the EQ, the NHP and a symptom inventory before undergoing elective TURP for probable BPO (Group 1). Identical postal questionnaires were used to follow up this group at 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months post-operatively, with response rates of 79%, 74% and 69%, respectively. Overall, 92% of patients responded at either 6 or 12 months after surgery. A group of 51 men who had not undergone operation, also with LUTS and probable BPO, were similarly followed over 6 months, before eventually undergoing TURP (Group 2). These patients differed from Group 1 in being younger, less symptomatic and having a higher baseline quality-of-life score, but the inclusion of this group from a broadly similar diagnostic category allowed outcome to be assessed over time in the absence of surgery. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in all LUTS 6 weeks after TURP; post-micturition dribbling and storage symptoms continued to improve for up to one year. The NHP revealed pre-operative morbidity in all dimensions of the profile. At 12 months after surgery there were significant improvements in the domains of social interaction, energy, pain, emotional reactions and sleep. The EQ profile also showed morbidity in all dimensions before surgery, with significant improvement at 12 months in usual activities, mood and pain/discomfort. The EQ self-rated health and composite quality-of-life score also showed improvement with TURP which continued for 12 months after surgery. The patients in Group 2 tended to deteriorate over the 6 months of follow-up using all measures, but the changes were not significant. The EQ composite quality-of-life score also discriminated between patients on the basis of age, number of symptoms and ASA grade, suggesting that these subgroups experienced differing amounts of benefit from surgery. CONCLUSION: TURP led to significant improvement in the indices of generic HRQL as measured using the NHP and EQ; this improvement continued for 12 months after surgery and mirrored the symptomatic improvement. The EQ confirmed clinical experience, in that men who were younger, fitter and most symptomatic experienced the greatest benefit from surgery. This has not been shown previously using a quality-of-life measure. Generic HRQL measures can be incorporated easily into clinical trials and both the measures used in this study have sufficient sensitivity to be used in this population. The EQ has the advantage of generating a composite quality-of-life score which is easy to interpret and can be used in cost-utility analysis. The addition of HRQL measures leads to a more robust appraisal of the results of surgical intervention. Ultimately, patient-based outcome from TURP will be assessed using a combination of psychometrically tested disease-specific and generic measures, together with symptom scoring.

Activities of Daily Living↗