IntroductionDespite advances in early detection and effective treatment, cancer remains one of the most feared diseases (National Institutes of Health-State-of-the-Science Panel, 2002). This same panel stated that the most common side effects of cancer are fatigue, pain and depression. The panel in the Conference Statement concluded that currently from the evidence obtained, there are various interventions to treat these symptoms. Assessment by physicians should be carried out for these symptoms throughout the course of the disease, in order to provide adequate symptom control, which sometimes are worse than the disease itself.
Case StudyMarco Spiteri is a 17 year old male who has been diagnosed with Acute Myoblastic Leukaemia one year ago. Marco was just three months from finishing four blocks of chemotherapy. He presented at Wonderland a month ago because of hyperthermia and severe back and bilateral lower limb pain. Apart from the pain and fever there were no other clinical findings.
English: SAN DIEGO (Oct. 13, 2010) A laptop is use...
Pain Research & Management
KetoprofenBlood tests revealed myeloid blasts indicative of a relapse of Acute Myoblastic Leukaemia. On admission Marco weighed 55kg. A femoral line was inserted in the right inguinal area and chemotherapy was started three days later. Supportive care included hyperhydration, allopurinol, first line antibiotics and a morphine infusion. The chemotherapy resulted in a good symptomatic response with no fever and disappearance of the severe back and limb pains. The myeloid blasts disappeared from the peripheral blood a few days after starting chemotherapy. A triple lumen Hickman's line was inserted into the right atrium via the right jugular vein on the tenth day after admission and the femoral line was removed. It was revealed that Marco needed a bone marrow transplant, however his sister the only possible donor after HLA testing resulted to no match. Therefore, there was the need to find an unrelated donor which was being coordinated by...