Effectiveness of a multicentre nasopharyngeal carcinoma awareness programme in Indonesia

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) awareness programme on the short-term and long-term improvement of knowledge and referral of patients with NPC by primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) staff in Indonesia. Design The NPC awareness programme consisted of 12 symposia including a Train-The-Trainer component, containing lectures about early symptoms and risk factors of NPC, practical examination and the referral system for NPC suspects. Before and after training participants completed a questionnaire. The Indonesian Doctors Association accredited all activities. Participants 1 representative general practitioner (GP) from each PHCC attended an NPC awareness symposium. On the basis of the Train-The-Trainer principle, GPs received training material and were obligated to train their colleagues in the PHCC. Results 703 GPs attended the symposia and trained 1349 staff members: 314 other GPs, 685 nurses and 350 midwives. After the training, respondents’ average score regarding the knowledge of NPC symptoms increased from 47 points (of the 100) to 74 points (p<0.001); this increase was similar between symposium and Train-The-Trainer component (p=0.88). At 1½ years after the training, this knowledge remained significantly increased at 59 points (p<0.001). Conclusions The initial results of this NPC awareness programme indicate that the programme effectively increases NPC knowledge in the short and long term and therefore should be continued. Effects of the improved knowledge on the stage at diagnoses of the patients with NPC will still need to be scrutinised. This awareness programme can serve as a blueprint for other cancer types in Indonesia and for other developing countries.

Awareness of head and neck cancer – a multicentre survey among young respondents in Poland

“…Another aspect that may contribute to earlier presentation and diagnosis concerns raising awareness among healthcare professionals. A successful campaign was conducted in Indonesia in 2010–2011. The program consisted of two stages: firstly, GPs attended a series of seminars on nasopharyngeal cancer; and secondly, they were obliged to train their colleagues.…”

Surgical anatomy of the nasopharynx

“…Nevertheless in the long term, their knowledge consistently improved, suggesting that the program is effective for different health professions working in the PHCC. In addition they revealed that the nurses and midwives had less knowledge than general practitioners (GPs), but after the TrainÀTheÀTrainer program it was increased to more than the knowledge of the GPs, suggesting that different professions have different learning curves (Fles et al, 2016).…”

N-Cadherin Expression with Metastasis of Neck Lymph Nodes in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

“…Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy that causes global health problems with 130,000 new cases and more than 70,000 deaths in 2018. 1 , 2 Unlike other neck and head malignancies, NPC is characterized by its ease of progress and metastasis. NPC has the highest tendency to metastasize to regional lymph nodes (LN).…”

“…It can maintain cell homeostasis through the formation of cadherin-catenin complexes. 6 Based on their distribution in tissues, the classic family of cadherins is divided into [1] E-cadherin was located in epithelial tissue; [2] N-cadherin in nerve tissue, muscle and fibroblasts; [3] P-cadherin was found in the placenta; [4] R-cadherin was found in the retina; and [5] M-cadherin in muscles. 7 N-cadherin consists of five intracellular domains.…”