Qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos à radioterapia para tratamento de lesões malignas de cabeça e pescoço

In order to evaluate the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer, this study analyzed data of 24 patients with squamous cell carcinoma, which indicated therapy was radiotherapy or not be combined with chemotherapy and surgery. The study was conducted in the Unit of Radiotherapy of Megavoltage located in the São José de Rio Preto-SP, in the period August 2007 to January 2008. Then, it was used the questionnaire of quality of life from University of Washington which enabled the identification of different quality of life patterns associated with the different stages of radiotherapy, indicating to be viable the prospect of recognition of prognostic factors of reduction in multiple domains of quality of life. From the data collected and analyzed, it was identified that the areas with the worst score in the begin of radiotherapy were appearance, speech and anxiety; during the treatment were taste, saliva and anxiety; and in the end were taste, saliva and swallowing. Throughout the treatment, it was observed the deterioration of patients' mood. In this regard, emphasizes the importance of dental and psychological follow-up, within the framework of a multidisciplinary care for patients with head and neck cancer during radiotherapy treatment.

O desenho-estória na atenção psicológica a crianças na fase pré-cirurgica

The hospitalization process generates stress and, for a child who has already experienced a surgery can suffer from threatening, anxiety and distress. This search examines the experiences of children indicated for different craniofacial surgery which in many cases require more than esthetic or reconstructive surgery. It is quantitative and qualitative study, descriptive and comparative. The sample is intentional and it is made up of ten children, five boys and five girls in the pre-surgical Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies HRAC-USP, Bauru-SP. As a tool for data collection, the design-themed story and data are used from subsequent survey developed by Walter Trinca. The results indicate that the design-themed story is suitable for the identification of the kid's childhood experiences in helping to deal with the stressful situation. Some of the children reveal their feelings of anxiety and fear and manifest other defenses such as denial. In all cases it identifies emotional states of concern such as anxiety and fear, or also denial of those feelings. It was concluded by the need of creating more favorable conditions in order to identify and address childhood experiences compared to surgery in a hospital environment, proposing the designthemed story technique that reveals those experiences. It emphasizes the relevance of psychological intervention in the hospital environment, considering childhood fantasies and feelings that generate or intensify emotional states of anxiety, fear and distress in pre-surgical level.