• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.781-790
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to further understanding of the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer and to explore the structure of this experience. Methods: A phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were nine patients who were admitted to the hospice unit of a university hospital. In-depth interviews were done for data collection and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results: Four categories, eight theme clusters and 18 themes were identified for the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer. The three categories were 'Hope for a comfortable death', 'Overcoming barrier of prejudice about hospice', 'Incessant craving for life', 'The last consideration for self and family' Conclusion: While accepting the hospice care, participants experienced inner conflict between giving up medical treatments that prolong life and choosing a comfortable death, and also experienced an incessant craving for life. By accepting hospice care, they showed a human dignity that entails careful concerns for both self and family members.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an instrument to measure suffering of family of patients with terminal cancer. Methods: This research was a methodological study processed as follows: 1) The preliminary 32 items were developed based a conceptual framework of suffering for patients with cancer. 2) The content was validated by an expert panel (n=24) and the family of patients with terminal cancers (n=33). 3) The instrument was validated by survey (n=92). Finally, 29 items were selected in developing final version of the scale. Results: Seven factors were extracted through factor analysis: 'economical distress', 'loss of meaning in life', 'feeling of social isolation', 'emotional distress', 'burnout', 'guilty feeling', and 'physical discomfort'. These factors explained 66.94% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha and Guttman Split-half coefficient of the 29 items were .93 and .92. respectively. Conclusion: This scale identified as a valid and reliable tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. It can be effectively utilized to assess the degree of suffering of family in palliative care settings.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2002

Green tea has been recognized as a favorite beverage for centuries in Easter and Westers cultures. Recently, anti-tumor effects of green tea constituents have received increasing attention. However, the mechanism of catechin-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor cells remains to be elusive. To elucidate the mechanical insights of anti-tumor effects, (-)epigallocatechin-gallate(EGCG) of catechin was applied to human lung cancer A549 cells. (-)EGCG induced the death of A549 cells, which was revealed as apoptosis in DNA fragmentation assay. (-)EGCG induced the activation of caspase family cysteine proteases including capase-3, -8 and -9 proteases in A549 cells. Furthermore, (-)EGCG increased the phosphotransferase activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1JNK 1), which further induced tole transcriptional activation of activating protein-1(AP-1) in A549 cells. We suggest that (-)EGCG-induced apotosis of A549 cells is mediated by signaling pathway involving caspase family cysteine protease, JNK1 and transcription factor, AP-1.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2014

A great interest is emerging about green tea as a tool against human cancer proliferation or inflammation, as pointed out by recent reports describing the inhibitory action of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on angiogenesis, urokinase, metalloproteinases, and induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase. We proposed that EGCG may regulate a multi target signaling having wider spectra of action than those actions of single enzymes. CSK (c-terminal Src kinase) protein is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase involved in the cross-talk and mediation of many signaling pathways that promote cell proliferation, adhesion, invasion, migration, and tumorigenesis. Based on the knowledge that CSK activation is important for cancer proliferation we hypothesized that CSK could be a target of EGCG. Here we showed that EGCG effectively suppressed the growth of CSK MEF cell when compare with CSK knockout MEF cell growth. These results indicate that EGCG could be used as a chemoprevention to modulate CSK signal pathway in inflammatory processes and tumor formation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.473-481
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of oral care with essential oil in improving the oral health status of hospice patients with terminal cancer. Methods: The participants were 43 patients with terminal cancer admitted to K hospital in G city, Korea. Twenty-two patients were assigned to the experimental group and 21 to the control group. Participants in the experimental group received special mouth care with essential oil (application of essential oil mixture consisting of geranium, lavender, tea tree, and peppermint). The control group received special mouth care with 0.9% saline. The special mouth care was performed twice daily for one week in both groups. The scores for subjective oral comfortness, objective oral state, and numbers of colonizing Candida albicans were measured before and after the treatment. Results: The score for subjective oral comfortness and objective oral state were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. The numbers of colonizing Candida albicans significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Oral care with essential oil could be an effective oral health nursing intervention for hospice patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the effects of pilocarpine mouth care on the condition and discomfort of the oral cavity in patients with terminal cancer. Method: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group, pre- and post-test was used. The participants were 30 patients admitted to the hospice care unit of C university hospital. Fourteen patients received pilocarpine mouth care for 5 days. The other sixteen received general mouth care. Results: Improvement in the condition of the oral cavity was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. Decrease in oral discomfort scores was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. The incidence of oral candidiasis was significantly higher in the control group compared to the experimental group. Conclusion: These findings indicate that pilocarpine mouth care could be an effective intervention for relieving oral discomfort, improving the condition of the oral cavity, and decreasing the incidence of oral candidiasis in patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.214-220
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• 2004

Purpose: As for the malignant bowel obstruction of terminal cancer patient, a prognosis is relatively bad. Physicians consider palliative procedures or surgery for the quality of life, but sometimes it is hard to decide. After diagnosis of a malignant bowel obstruction in terminal cancer patients, we investigated the clinical characteristics, the prognostic factors and the survival of patients with palliative procedures or surgery. Methods: we retrospectively reviewed the medical records in 40 malignant bowel obstruction patients who had been diagnosed as terminal cancer from May in 2002 to May in 2004. Results: There were 21 males (53%) and 19 females (47%), and median age of patients was $64.1{\pm}1.58$ years. The most common cause of malignant bowel obstruction was colorectal cancer (18 patients, 45%), followed by stomach cancer (11, 28%), pancreatic cancer (4, 10%), others (7, 19%). Metastases were carcinomatosis peritonei (14 patients, 35%), liver (13, 33%). During a bowel obstruction, symptoms were vomiting (15 patients, 38%), abdominal pain (10, 25%), constipation (6, 15%), abdominal distension (5, 13%). Performance status (ECOG) was 2 score (16 patients, 40%), 3 score (20, 50%), 4 score (4, 10%). Palliative procedure group were 30 patients, the others 10. Median survival in palliative procedure group was 142 days, that of no palliation group 30. Median survival time of palliative procedure group from palliative procedures or surgery were significantly higher than that of no palliation group from diagnosis of malignant bowel obstruction. Prognostic factors of palliative procedure group were PS, site of obstruction and primary cancer. Median survival in PS 2, lower GI obstruction and colorectal cancer was higher than PS 3, upper GI obstruction and others, respectively. Conclusion: we recommend aggressively palliative procedures or surgery in malignant bowel obstruction patients diagnosed with terminal cancer if palliative procedures or surgery could be performed effectively.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 1992

The author experienced of four patients with intractable pain who were treated by continuous intraventricular infusion of morphine through an implanted port system. One suffered from tongue cancer and the others from bone metastasis or distant metatasis of abdominal cancer which were ineffectively to managed through an epidural route. Our experience is that this is a safe and effective method of pain management in patients with head and neck cancer. It is useful as well in patients who have intractable pain that cannot be managed through an intrathecal or epidural route.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 1999

Large bowel cancer shows the 4-5th frequency in cancers that occurs in Korea. The western medicine cures the Large bowel cancer by radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. While, Oriental medicine cures the Large bowel cancer by Herb-drugs, acupuncture, moxa and et al. With just one way of treating Large bowel cancer can't be effective remedy. Because each medicine has a strength and weakness, it is effective treatment when two medicine combines and supplement each other. We got the following result about a trend of oriental and western combination treatment for Large bowel cancer through studding records. 1. In Large bowel cancer, colon cancer is referred hematochezia(腸風下血), rectal cancer is refereed enterotoxin(腸毒), and anal cancer is accumulation of pathogens in yin(結陰). 2. The western medicine treats Large bowel cancer patient with surgery first. They need on assembly treatment such as chemical, radiation and immune treatment. In oriental medicine, they treats Large bowel cancer patients with differentiation of symptom and signs and treatment(辨證施治) for example, insufficiency of spleen and stomach(脾胃虛弱), collapse of the spleen-ql(脾氣下陷), stagnation of blood stasis and toxic agent(瘀毒內結), reinforcing both qi and blood(脾血下陷), stagnation of damp-phlegm(痰濕凝結) and cure for them by acupuncture and moxa too. 3. In combination with oriental and western medical treatment princple of Large bowel cancer by each stage is as follows. First stage is cured with radical surgery and herb-drugs without chemotherapy. The intermediate and terminal stage patients is used radiation before surgery, or after palliative surgery cour with chemotherapy, radiation and Herb-drugs. In terminal stage patients, unable for surgery, is used combination between chemotherapy, palliative radiation and Herb-drugs. 4. After radiation surgery, the terminal stage patients who have extensively lymph node metastasis or local contraindication is able to undergo combination of Herb-durgs and chemotherapy. 5. The cure-effect with oriental and western medicine combination treatment was better than that just with oriental or western medical treatment. 6. The merits of oriental and western medicine combination treatment lengthen one's life and diminish the bad effect of chemotherapy and complete radiation treatment, prevent from relapsing, maintain the balance in their environment of body and improve immunity.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.183-197
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• 2020

Purpose: In this study, the researchers closely investigated the psychosocial problems faced by terminal cancer patients and their family members in hospice palliative care units. Methods: The investigators conducted four sessions of art therapy intervention programs for the terminal cancer patients and their family members, carried out in-depth interviews about the influence of the cancer experience on their family function and quality of life, and analyzed their experiences using grounded theory methodology. Results: After providing autonomous written informed consent, six pairs of terminally ill cancer patients and their family members, accounting for a total of 17 participants with the inclusion of additional family members who took part sporadically, took part in the art therapy intervention and interviews. The raw data, in the form of verbatim records, were analyzed according to the procedures of grounded theory (open, axial, and selective coding). Through these processes, a total of 154 concepts, 56 subcategories, and 13 categories were identified. Families were classified into four types according to their family function, quality of life, and attitude toward death. Though the art therapy intervention, patients and their family members experienced three stages over time. Conclusion: This research focused on essential aspects of the family relationships and the art therapy experiences of terminal cancer patients and their family members through an art therapy intervention in the context of hospice palliative care. Based on these observations, the researchers constructed a theoretical rationale for art therapy interventions delivered to patients and their family members in the process of hospice palliative care.