Purpose: There are many cancer patients who hope to be able to walk to the toilet for as long as they can before death. However, there are no reports of investigation of the ability of advanced cancer patients to go to the toilet, and how the symptoms affect this ability at the end of life in these patients. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the ability of advanced cancer patients to walk to the toilet during their final month of life in our palliative care unit. Data of a total of 154 patients who had died of cancer between January 2010 and December 2011 （median age 75.0±11.6 years） were analyzed in the study. In addition, we compared the frequencies of the symptoms （pain, shortness of breath, drowsiness, delirium, opiate use, oxygen use） between the walking group and the non-walking group. Results: Of the 154 patients, 79 （51.3%） were able to walk to the toilet in the month before their death, 54 （35.1%） in the two weeks before their death, and 33 （21.4%） in the final week before their death. The walking group showed more shortness of breath as compared to the non-walking group. The non-walking group showed more delirium and drowsiness. Conclusion: This study showed that the ADL are relatively preserved in terminal cancer patients. There is the possibility of providing support to their physical ability by rehabilitation. The consciousness level and shortness of breath should take into consideration to provide rehabilitation.

Background/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to clarify the effectiveness of interventions for breast cancer patients with psychological distress by a clinical psychologist on the basis of the contents of the interventions and counseling. Methods: The participants were 20 inpatient and outpatient women aged from 33 to 73 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The interventions were conducted on the basis of patients' complaints about anxiety and/or depression or by a medical doctor's request. The interventions employed unstructured, one-on-one interviews. Each interview usually lasted no more than 60 minutes. Results: The 20 cases were classified into the following categories: (1) 15 general (nonpsychiatric) cases, consisting of (1-1) 9 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages and (1-2) 6 cases at the progressive-relapse stage; and (2) 5 specific (psychiatric) cases, consisting of (2-1) 3 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages and (2-2) 2 cases at the progressive-relapsestage. As for the general cases, interventions were found to be effective in all 9 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages but in only 2 of 6 cases at the progressive-relapse stage. In specific cases, effective interventions were found at the cancer-notification, the progressive-therapeutic, and the progressive-relapsestages. Conclusion: This study suggested that interventions for breast cancer patients by a clinical psychologist are effective. The psychological interventions had two roles: to assess the patients properly and to interview the patients as purposefully as a medical team member would.

Case: A 40-year-old woman. Clinical diagnosis: Autistic disorder with mild mental retardation. Case report: The patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for the treatment of her pancreatic cancer. We held several conferences with individuals from different medical fields and examined the influence of the patient's autistic disorder on the perioperative conditions. The senior author, a clinical psychologist, conducted repeated individual, acceptive, and sympathetic interviews with the patient and her family and maintained supportive relationships with them as an honorary family member. Thus, the clinical psychologist helped reduce the patient's anxiety about the medical treatment. Conclusion: The participation of a clinical psychologist in the medical conferences enabled the medical staff to understand the complications involved and provide mental support to the patient and her family. Palliat Care Res 2010; 5(2): 323-326

Every year, an estimated 180 000 babies in the Western Pacific Region are infected by hepatitis B, 13 000 by syphilis and 1400 by HIV through mother-to-child transmission.1 These infections can be largely prevented by antenatal screening, treatment and timely vaccination for newborns. Despite challenges in controlling each disease, major achievements have been made. National immunization programmes have reduced the regional hepatitis B prevalence from over 8% in 1990 to 0.93% among children born in 2012. In addition, HIV testing and treatment have helped keep the regional prevalence of HIV infections at 0.1%. In contrast, the number of maternal syphilis cases is still high in the Western Pacific Region, with an estimated 45 million cases in 2012. Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of these infections cannot be achieved through vertically applied programming and require using and augmenting to the shared Maternal, Newborn and Child Health platform to coordinate, integrate and enable cost efficiencies for these elimination efforts. The Regional Framework for Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis in Asia and the Pacific 2018–2030 offers such a coordinated approach towards achieving the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis and provides guidance for decision-makers, managers and health professionals working in programmes addressing maternal, newborn and child health, HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and immunization.