Music therapy for postoperative pain management after mastectomy in Nigeria: An exploratory qualitative study

Purpose This study aimed to explore the cultural elements of music in relation to pain management among women who have undergone mastectomy. Method: An exploratory qualitative study with in-depth interviews. Using the purposive sampling technique, 20 participants were recruited for the study. The interviews were conducted face to face at the surgical out-patient clinic and female surgical ward. Data collection continued until data saturation was reached. The inductive approach was used to analyse the data, and the concepts were organized into themes. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research guidelines (COREQ) were used to report this study. Results The participants were between 28 and 83 years old and mostly diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Three main themes emerged from the data analysis, including pain experienced after mastectomy, culture and music, and the perception of music for postoperative pain management after mastectomy. Conclusion Knowledge and the utilisation of music as a therapy for pain management remains inadequate, but the participants perceived that music could be useful for pain control after mastectomy when the language and religion of the patient and the meaningfulness of the music were considered when introducing and selecting the music. This study will help open and extend the conversation about the utilisation and cultural elements of music that can be used clinically for pain management after mastectomy.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BREAST CANCER IN THE REPUBLIC OF MORDOVIA

The article analyzes the main epidemiological characteristics of breast cancer in the Republic of Mordovia in comparison with the Russian Federation. Based on the official accounting and reporting documentation for 2011-2019. the territorial and age-specific features of the incidence were determined, the structure of pathomorphological forms of breast cancer was assessed, the weighted average cost of providing specialized medical care for breast neoplasms in a hospital in the Republic of Mordovia was calculated. It has been shown that the incidence of breast cancer in the Republic of Mordovia for 2011-2019 increased, which corresponds to the all-Russian laws: 6.11 per 100 thousand women in the age group of women 25-29 years old to 213.14 in the age group 60-64 years. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma prevailed in the structure of the pathomorphological form of breast cancer among the inhabitants of the Republic - 58.8%. It has been shown that the cost of providing specialized hospital care for stage III breast cancer is 8 times higher than for stages I-II of breast cancer. Thus, the analysis showed that breast cancer is a serious medical and social problem, and effective treatment of the disease requires costly treatment in a specialized hospital, and the cost of drug therapy for the disease increases significantly at advanced stages.

Prognostic significance of transforming growth factor β receptor II in clinical stage III breast cancer patients - a pilot study

BACKGROUND : Transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ) has a dual function in breast cancer, having a tumor suppressor activity in early carcinomas while enhancing tumor metastasis in advanced breast carcinoma. Consequently, the prognostic role of TGFβ and its signaling cascade in breast cancer remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between TβRII expression, clinic-pathological characteristics, and prognostic significance of TβRII expression in clinical stage III breast cancer. METHODS: Biopsy from the primary tumor was obtained from 30 newly diagnosed clinical stage III breast cancer patients before receiving any therapy. Expression of TβRII, ER, PR, Her2 and Ki-67 was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: TβRII expression was positive in 66.7% of cases and was significantly associated with advanced nodal stage and distant metastases. After a median follow up of 42.3 months, TβRII was associated with poor disease-free survival and it was an independent factor for predicting the poor outcome for breast cancer patients, especially in node positive tumors, ER/PR positive and Her2-negative tumors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the usage of therapeutic drugs that target TGFβ in advanced breast cancer patients may be effective. Nevertheless, blockage of the tumor promoting and sparing of the tumor suppressor effect of TGFβ pathway should be taken into consideration. We suggest that these therapies might have more benefit in ER and PR positive tumors.