Objective: The main aim of this study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in Turkish cancer patients. Methods: This methodological study involved 135 cancer patients. Statistical methods included confirmatory or exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients for internal consistency. Results: The values of fit indices are within the acceptable range. The alpha coefficients for emotional illness representations, cognitive illness representations, and total scale are 0.83, 0.80, and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions: The results confirm the two-factor structure of the Turkish BIPQ and demonstrate its reliability and validity.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of radiotherapy (RT) on psychological, financial, and sexual aspects in postmastectomy carcinoma breast patients affecting their quality of life (QOL) before, during, and after RT with a strong emphasis on their management and rehabilitation aspects. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out in a specialized institution, comprising sixty women. Two standardized questionnaires European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 30-item Quality of Life Questionnaire and Quality of Life Questionnaire breast cancer-23 (QLQ-BR23) for health-related quality, translated and validated for the Hindi language were used. The scores' manual of the EORTC was used to calculate the domain scores of the questionnaires. Results: According to the first questionnaire, the emotional function was most affected even at onset of RT treatment and it was worst at the completion of RT treatment with a mean score of 63.75. The global QOL score was also worst at the end of radiation treatment with a mean score of 32.36, while the score 3 months after completion of treatment was 68.16. The symptoms with the highest scores were insomnia with a worst scoring at completion of treatment (29.99), fatigue (26.57), and pain (23.05). According to the QLQ-BR23, the mean score for side effects such as sexual functioning was minimum 0.55 at the completion of RT, which improved to 11.66 on the first follow-up after 3 months. Mean future perspective score which was 57.22 before the start of RT which was reduced to 50.55 at completion, which means that many women experience side effects of RT and impaired sexual satisfaction. Conclusions: Women with breast cancer showed changes in the following domains: financial, emotional, sexual satisfaction, and future prospects. The most frequently mentioned symptoms were fatigue, insomnia, and pain.

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Quality of life (QOL) has been studied extensively among cancer populations in high income countries where cancer care resources are available to many. Little is known concerning the QOL of cancer groups residing in Africa where resources can be scarce. The integrative review of the literature explored and critically examined studies that had addressed QOL in female cancer survivors in Africa. The extent to which QOL studies incorporated a cultural perspective was also examined. Research studies published between 2005 and 2015 were retrieved from five databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ProQuest dissertations and Theses full text, and GlobalHealth. Primary qualitative or quantitative studies regardless of sample size or setting were included. A total of 300 studies were identified and 28 full text studies were retrieved and assessed for eligibility. Eight studies met inclusion criteria. Factors that affected the QOL were socio-demographic especially age, education, employment, income and residence; illness-related factors such as having advanced cancer and multiple symptoms; treatment-related factors associated with surgery and radiotherapy; psychosocial factors such as support and anxiety; and cultural factors including fatalism and bewitching. Practice implications entail increasing awareness among nurses and allied healthcare providers of the potential effects on QOL of a cancer diagnosis and treatment of female cancers such as pain, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, hormonal and body image changes, anxiety, depression and cultural practices. Failure to identify and deal with these may result in poor treatment adherence, low self-esteem, and ultimately poor QOL.

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This article describes the current state of cancer nursing and the various challenges that hinder the provision of effective nursing care to cancer patients in Nigeria. The major issue identified was the lack of specialized oncology nursing education which should actually form a basis for nurses to practice in the oncology setting. Other issues include poor facilities for oncology nursing care, lack of specific cancer centers resulting in the management of cancer patients in non-specialist wards. It is therefore recommended that solidified structure be put in place in order to establish and strengthen the nursing curriculum which has a strong potential for improving the knowledge and skills of nurses to care for people living with cancer in Nigeria.

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Cancer is the third highest cause of death in Kenya, preceded by infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and in most cases, diagnosed in later stages. Nurses are the primary caregivers, assessing and managing these patients in the clinic, in inpatient settings, and in rural and remote communities. While cancer rates remain high, the burden to the patient, the caregiver, and society as a whole continues to rise. Kenya's poverty complicates cancer even further. Many Kenyans are unaware of cancer's signs and symptoms, and limited diagnostic and treatment centers are available. Despite these barriers, there is still hope and help for those in Kenya, who suffer from cancer. The World Health Organization has stated that palliative care is a basic human right and nurses providing this care in Kenya are making efforts to support cancer patients' ongoing needs, in order to promote compassionate palliative care and prevent suffering. The purpose of this paper is to address the palliative care needs of patients with cancer in Kenya by providing education to nurses and influencing health-care policy and education at micro and macro levels. A case study weaved throughout will highlight these issues.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences of Zambian nurses caring for women with advanced breast cancer. Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive design and purposive sampling. Seventeen in-depth interviews were conducted with registered nurses practicing in the Cancer Diseases Hospital and the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, and analyzed using thematic analyses. Results: Two themes emerged from the data - caring for women with advanced breast cancer is challenging and the good outweighs the bad. The majority of the participants agreed that caring for women with advanced breast cancer and witnessing their suffering were challenging. Not having formal education and training in oncology nursing was disempowering, and one of the various frustrations participants experienced. The work environment, learning opportunities, positive patient outcomes, and the opportunity to establish good nurse–patient experiences were positive experiences. Conclusions: Although negative experiences seemed to be overwhelming, participants reported some meaningful experiences while caring for women with advanced breast cancer. The lack of formal oncology nursing education and training was a major factor contributing to their negative experiences and perceived as the key to rendering the quality of care patients deserved. Ways to fulfill the educational needs of nurses should be explored and instituted, and nurses should be remunerated according to their levels of practice.

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Objective: Adequate knowledge of parents' perception of quality of pediatric cancer care helps to identify the areas of care improvement which would contribute to disease outcome in regard to the quality of life and satisfaction with the care provided. The aim of the study was to assess the parents' perception of the quality of Pediatric Oncology Inpatient Care at Kenyatta National Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative and qualitative study was undertaken using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire and a focused group discussion guide. Assessment of parents' perception of quality of care was done in relation to the institution's structures and care delivery processes. These included the ward environment, resources for cancer treatment, care processes, service providers, and parents' knowledge empowerment. Participants were systematically selected. Parents' perception was defined as satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the care provided. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) and presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square was used to test the significant association between variables. Level of significance was set at a P ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 107 respondents were interviewed and 57.9% were satisfied with the overall quality of care they received. The determinants of overall satisfaction in this study were found to be related to resources for cancer treatment (odds ratio [OR] =3.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.39–6.90; P = 0.005), care delivery processes (OR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.28–6.43; P = 0.009), and the ward environment (OR = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.17–5.74; P = 0.018). Conclusions: The parents were moderately satisfied with the oncology care services their children received. The gaps identified in service delivery included those related to the availability of the required resources for efficient care delivery and also educational as well as psychosocial needs of the parents.

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This mini-review aims to introduce Margaret Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness and caring partnership as a nursing intervention. Emanating from a unitary and transformative perspective of nursing, caring partnership enables nurses to identify with cancer patients as well as to help the patients find meaning in their situation and their lives. In genuine patient–nurse interactions, both patients and nurses experience higher levels of consciousness.

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Objective: Postoperative patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer have multiple adaptation tasks and care needs to improve their quality of life (QOL). Whether their supportive care needs differ according to their physical and psychosocial conditions is unclear. This study investigated patients' (1) physical and psychosocial conditions (QOL, fatigue, anxiety, cognitive plight, and resilience) and (2) responses to an informational booklet describing cancer patients' problems and adaptation tasks, and examined the association between the two factors. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted to postoperative patients with GI cancer. Results: The mean age of the 69 respondents was 63 years; 59.4% of the respondents were men. Nine patients who did not read the booklet showed high fatigue and cognitive plight and low QOL. The patients (36.2%) who chose “I vaguely understood the content” showed low scores for resilience and cognitive plight while those (8.5%) who chose “I will deal with my tasks as described in the scenarios” showed high scores for both of these variables. Conclusions: The condition of some patients continued to be highly affected by their cancer. In terms of understanding the contents of the booklet, resilience was significant, and cognitive plight did not necessarily have a negative impact. The provision of information by means of a booklet might not be suitable for patients who are highly affected by their cancer. Patients may need additional support to be able to make good use of the information provided in such a booklet.

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Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge levels of oncology nurses about peripheral and central venous catheter during their chemotherapy administration. Methods: Data collection of this descriptive study was started on April 15, 2015–July 15, 2015. The data presented in this summary belong to 165 nurses. Data were collected with data collection form including questions related to sociodemographic qualifications and knowledge levels of nurses. Data collection forms were E-mailed to the members of Turkish Oncology Nursing Society. Data presented with numbers, percentages, and mean ± standard deviation. Results: The mean age of nurses was 33.60 ± 7.34 years and mean duration for oncology nursing experience was 2.65 ± 0.91 years. Nurses had correct information about the importance of selecting peripheral venous catheter and choosing the placement area for chemotherapy administration (63.6%), control of catheter before the administration (93.9%), influence of chemotherapeutic agent on length of catheter (40.6%), and management of extravasation (75.7%). Nurses also had correct information about the first use of port catheter (67.3%) and checking the catheter whether it is working properly or not (75.8%). Conclusions: In General, nurses' level of knowledge related to catheter is 50% and higher. It is recommended to increase the knowledge of nurses about evidence-based information for catheter care as a step to safe chemotherapy practice.

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Objective: The survival rate for children with leukemia has increased dramatically since the late 1990s; treatment effects of the disease can be extremely stressful for families. Research on psychological and socioeconomic effects of leukemia treatment had been conducted in Western countries, but little is known within Africa including Kenya. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 62 out of 72 parents of children undergoing leukemia treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital. Data were collected between May and August 2015 using structured questionnaires while qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions. This manuscript is based on quantitative data which were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Psychological distress index was created by counting the number of psychological experiences reported by respondents. Kendall's tau-b was used to test the association between the psychological distress index and socioeconomic characteristics; P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The respondents experienced anxiety, shock, and fatigue. Spending a higher proportion of family's income was associated with higher psychological distress index (P = 0.009). The economic challenge led to significantly heightened tension in the family (P = 0.021). Conclusions: Financial challenge is a major cause of psychological distress thus needs for financial support through collaboration with government institutions, for example, NHIF, development agencies, and nongovernment organization who can contribute toward the treatment cost. Need to decentralize effective leukemia treatment centers. Psychological support and counseling should be done to alleviate tension. The nurse needs to be empathetic when caring for the child and family as well as to apply the ethical principles of justice and beneficence so that the child gets the best care despite the financial challenge.

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David Makumi is an award-winning cancer control leader. The US Oncology Nursing Society. (ONS) awarded him the prestigious Distinguished Award for contribution to cancer care in 2011. The following year, the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care presented him with the Past President Award for his work in designing low-cost models of increasing access to breast cancer screening. David is the East Africa Regional Cancer Programs Manager for the Aga Khan University Hospital. He has been involved in cancer advocacy on policy and legislation for over 10 years. David is currently the Chair of the Kenya Network of Cancer Organizations, thus he represents civil society on the Board of the National Cancer Institute of Kenya. At the international level, David sits on the International Advisory Panel of the ONS. David, a registered nurse, has a Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Care from Dundee University and a Higher Education Diploma in the same from Oxford Brookes University. He has been involved in several initiatives aimed at networking cancer care nurses in Africa to share knowledge, experience, and expertise.

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