ObjectiveTo explore the effect of spiritual care on improving the psychological stress levels of relatives of patients with terminal cancer. MethodsDuring January 2013 and January 2014, 220 relatives of patients with terminal cancer were selected. Convenience sampling method was adopted to select 100 relatives out of 190 who were agreed to be participated in the investigation, who were divided into the trial group and the control group with 50 in each according to the random alphabet method. The control group was given routine care and psychological counseling, and the trial group was given spiritual care intervention additionally. Before intervention, all of the individuals in both of the two groups should conduct the questionnaire of general demographic data, caregiver stress scale, fatigue rating scale, quality of life scale (QLS), social support scale (SSS), and relatives stress scale (RSS). ResultsAfter one month's intervention, caregiver stress scale score (52.14±4.75), fatigue rating score (76.75±8.69), RSS score (15.71±3.97), SSS score (22.59±2.22), the QLS score (66.9±7.5) in the trial group were significant better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, all the scores in the trial group were significant better than whose before the intervention (P < 0.05). ConclusionFor the relatives of the patients with terminal cancer, spiritual care can reduce the occurrence rate of stress and fatigue, relieve the psychological stress level, and improve the social support and quality of life.
ObjectiveTo observe the alteration of serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients during gemcitabine with cis-platinum (GP) program of chemotherapy and to explore the clinical value of monitoring Hcy in evaluating chemotherapy curative effect. MethodsA total of 49 advanced NSCLC patients (including 28 squamous carcinoma and 21 adenocarcinoma) first treated between May 2012 and April 2015 were selected. The Hcy, cytokerantin-19-fragment (CYFRA21-1) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of the morning fasting venous blood were measured before the first and after the second cycle of chemotherapy. Combined the pathological types of NSCLC, statistical analysis was carried out on the test results. ResultsAll of the 49 patients completed two cycles of GP chemotherapy, and the chemotherapy was effective on 31 and ineffective in 18. Before the chemotherapy, the differences in the positive rates of Hcy, CYFRA21-1, and CEA were statistically significant respectively between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma patients (P < 0.05). But when combined the two types, the differences of three indicators's positive rates were not significant (P > 0.05). After two cycles of GP chemotherapy, in the patients with effective chemotherapy, the Hcy, CYFRA21-1 and CEA levels were lower in both squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma patients compared with that before the chemotherapy; the difference in the decrease of Hcy levels in both of the two pathological types was significant (P < 0.05), while CEA levels was significant only in adenocarcinoma patients (P < 0.05) and CYFRA21-1 levels was significant only in squamous carcinoma patients (P < 0.05). Among the patients with ineffective chemotherapy, the Hcy, CYFRA21-1 and CEA levels increased compared with those before the chemotherapy; the difference in the increase of Hcy levels were significant in both of the two pathological types (P < 0.05), while CYFRA21-1 levels was significant only in squamous carcinoma patients (P < 0.05) and CEA levels was not significant in both of the two pathological types (P > 0.05). ConclusionThe effect of chemotherapy and the pathogenetic condition can be assessed by monitoring serum Hcy levels of NSCLC patients during the chemotherapy.