PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify degrees of fatigue and influencing factors for fatigue in cancer patients. METHOD: Data was collected by questionnaires from 115 cancer patients at 3 hospitals in Seoul. The research instruments utilized in this study were fatigue, physical symptoms, depression, family support, and health promoting behaviors. Data was analyzed using the pearson correlation, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 12.0. RESULT: The mean score of fatigue for cancer patients was 12.90(range: 6-36). Fatigue for cancer patients according to age group and weight change showed a significant difference. Fatigue for cancer patients showed a significantly positive correlation to physical symptoms and depression. There was a negative correlation between family support and health promoting behaviors. The significant factors influencing fatigue for cancer patients were physical symptoms, health promoting behaviors, depression, and age group, which explained about 45.9%. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that symptoms and depression management, nursing interventions and practices for providing health promoting behaviors according to age are needed to manage the fatigue in cancer patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Attitude to Health ; Demography ; Fatigue/*etiology ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Nursing ; Neoplasms/*complications/nursing ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this case report is to describe the surgical procedure of pylorus preserving gastrectomy and treatment methods, and the nursing process for postoperative complications namely delayed gastric emptying. METHODS: This case study describes the treatment methods and nursing process for a patient who visited the emergency room because of delayed gastric emptying after a pylorus preserving gastrectomy. RESULTS: The symptoms of this patient were resolved by botox-injection, none per oral, total parenteral nutrition, nutrition education after diagnosis by using abdominal x-ray, gastric emptying study, upper gastrointestinal series, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. CONCLUSION: According to the result of this case study, nurses should be informed about delayed gastric emptying and how to apply the correct nursing process to the patient.
Diagnosis ; Education ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Emptying* ; Humans ; Nursing Process ; Nursing* ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Postgastrectomy Syndromes ; Postoperative Complications ; Pylorus ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: Increasing number of older adults are receiving cancer surgeries especially for gastrointestinal cancers, which brings forth attention to age-related postoperative complication prevention. Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication that rises after surgical procedures involving general anesthesia, largely in the elderly population. Due to its sudden onset and fluctuating symptoms, POD often goes underdiagnosed and undertreated even though it may lead to various adverse outcomes. POD in GI cancer surgical elderly patients is poorly understood in terms of prevalence, pathophysiology, assessment, treatment and nursing management. We aimed to identify available literature and investigate study results to broaden our understanding of geriatric GI cancer POD. METHODS: The search process involved six databases to identify relevant studies abided by inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Eleven studies were selected for this review. Geriatric POD is closely related to frailty and surgical complications. Frailty increases vulnerability to surgical stress and causes cerebral changes that affect stress-regulating neurotransmitter proportions, brain blood flow, vascular density, neuron cell life and intracellular signal transductions. These conditions of frailty result in increased risks of surgical complications such as blood loss, cardiovascular events and inflammation, which all may lead to the POD. Mini Metal State Examination (MMSE), Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and Delirium Rating Scale-revised-98 (DRS-R-98) are recommended for POD assessment to identify high-risk patients. CONCLUSION: The POD prevalence ranged from 8.2% to 51.0%. The multifactorial causative mechanism suggests nurses to identify highrisk elderly GI-cancer surgical patients by reviewing patient-specific factors and surgery-specific factors.
Adult ; Aged ; Anesthesia, General ; Brain ; Delirium ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Methods ; Neurons ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Nursing ; Postoperative Complications ; Prevalence ; Signal Transduction

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify comprehensive predictors of fatigue in cancer patients. METHODS: One hundred ten cancer patients visiting in-patient or out-patient clinics of a university hospital located in Incheon participated in this study. RESULTS: The hematologic indicators (WBC and Hemoglobin) were significant for explaining fatigue. The psychological factors of fatigue were statistically significant. Both anxiety and depression, included as psychological factors, were significant in explaining fatigue in cancer patients. The influence of physical factors on fatigue was also statistically significant. Among the variables included as physical factors, pain, nausea/vomiting/anorexia, and sleep disturbance were significant whereas, dyspnea was not significant. The influence of the daily activity factor on fatigue was statistically significant. Among the variables included as daily activity factors, regular exercise or not and the usual activity level were significant in explaining fatigue of cancer patients, while the level of rest was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: From the study results fatigue of cancer patients appeared to be influenced by multidimensional factors, such as physiological, physical, psychological, and activity related factors.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adaptation, Physiological ; Adult ; Aged ; Fatigue/etiology/*nursing ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Nursing ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms/complications/*nursing ; Sick Role ; Sickness Impact Profile