Monitoramento e avaliação dos efeitos colaterais da quimioterapia em pacientes com câncer de cólon

Abstract

This study aimed to monitor and evaluate the occurrence and intensity level of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in patients with colon cancer, submitted to outpatient chemotherapy, who received nursing information for handling these symptoms. Study participants were 17 patients, who were treated with 5-Fluorouracil and low doses of folinic acid, at the Adult Outpatient Chemotherapy Clinic of the Hospital São Paulo/Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. Instruments were elaborated for registering these symptoms' occurrence and intensity level and a patient guide for handling them. The information and patient monitoring were carried out by the nurse during the consultations. The results showed that most of the patients (82.4%) displayed at least one of the signs and symptoms under study between the first and the 21st day of the treatment cycle. Nausea was the most frequent symptom (76.5%), with a peak on the 4th and 5th day of the cycle, followed by diarrhea (70.5%), with a peak on the 7th day, and vomiting (53.0%), with a peak on the 5th day. Regarding the intensity of these symptoms, most patients were classified as level 1, which was established as acceptable for this study. These results indicate that the nursing instructions and the continuous monitoring contributed to the effectiveness of the patient's symptom management.

Nursing actions facing reactions to chemotherapy in oncological patients

“…Anorexia, accompanied by weakness and fatigue, is also found in patients under chemotherapy treatment, and nursing occupies a privileged position to recognize patients who are at increased risk of presenting these signals, enabling the implementation of strategies, both preventive and curative. 7,9,11 Is a function of nurse Oncology expert guide to the importance of food intake even during the clarify and inappetance physical activities that can increase appetite, as well as serve as an intermediary with professional nutritionists. In the most serious cases, the nurse, along with the nutritionist, must evaluate alternative measures, such as the use of food supplements, parenteral and enteral nutrition.…”

“…In the most serious cases, the nurse, along with the nutritionist, must evaluate alternative measures, such as the use of food supplements, parenteral and enteral nutrition. 7,9,11,15 A very feared complication, described by some authors, is the drug extravasation was urged antineoplasmic/irritants or adverse effects on the venous infusion site. 16-7 study on hospital multidisciplinary care with the philanthropic individuals with malignant neoplasms, showed that 40% of the subjects presented complaints referred to (pain, burning, or stinging) and observable damage (erythema, edema and extravasation) during chemotherapy.…”

Incidence and management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in women with breast cancer

“…(3) What is observed in clinical practice is that this lack of specifi c and standardized information during chemotherapy may be associated with lack of adequate control of adverse treatment events and, consequently, with worsening of symptoms. (8) Based on this information, we investigated whether women with breast cancer presented nausea and vomiting during their chemotherapy and how they managed these adverse events. The goals of this study were to analyze the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in women with breast cancer, and to identify the strategies used to control such nausea and vomiting.…”

Conhecimento de pacientes oncológicos sobre a quimioterapia

“…Fato é que tal atividade se reveste de grande importância para profissionais e clientes envolvidos, à medida que é experiência cotidiana e de responsabilidade legal da equipe de enfermagem, e ocupa papel de destaque na terapia aplicada ao cliente (3) . Não obstante, tem sido observado que a falta de informações específicas no decorrer da quimioterapia antineoplásica pode estar relacionada à falta de controle adequado dos efeitos colaterais produzidos e, conseqüentemente, ao agravamento dos sintomas (4) . O enfermeiro, por estar em constante contato com o paciente, exerce o importante papel de exercer uma função educativa junto a ele, fornecendo-se informações relacionadas ao tratamento farmacológico.…”