Background: Cancer disease is one of the most common diseases in Sweden andradiotherapy is one of the regimens available for the treatment of cancer. Radiotherapycan be delivered as single treatment or be divided into several fractions that last forweeks. Radiotherapy can cause side effects that may occur during or at the end oftreatment. Information and communication is an integral part of all treatments and care.The oncology nurse should attempt to ease for the patients to communicate, participatein the care, receive information and enhance the ability to self-care.Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the patients? needs for communication andinformation with oncology nurse during their meeting through radiotherapy.Method: This pilot study was conducted on six patients with different cancer diagnosis.It was a qualitative study, were data was collected through individual interviews usingsemi-structured questions.

Introduction: Each year 1200-1300 patients are diagnosed with head neck cancer. Treatment that involves radiotherapy can cause severe side effects for example trismus that affects quality of life.Purpose: To study health-related quality of life in patients who have undergone radiation treatment for head and neck cancer and participated in a intervention group who received training intended to prevent trismus or in a control group who received standard treatment.Method: This is a prospective study in which data is collected from 66 patients participating in a randomized study aiming to evaluate a training program to prevent trismus. Thirty three participated in the intervention group and thirty three in the control group. Both patient groups assessed health related quality of life (HRQOL) with EORTC QLQ C30 and QLQ-H&N35, at start and end of the radiation treatment, and at 3 and 6-months after completing radiation treatment.Results: There is no difference between the intervention and control groups regarding symptoms, functional status and global health, except for intake of nutritional supplements.  For both groups almost all scales measuring HRQOL deteriorated under the radiation treatment. However, 3 and 6 months after end of radiotherapy HRQOL had improved and had returned to the baseline values.

A part of the midwife?s profession is to promote and support breastfeeding. The objective of this study was to describe the perception of the level of support and advice regarding breast-feeding given to women who have received postnatal care at maternity wards, and to present the opinions of the aforementioned women on how this support could be improved.Method: Women who have given birth at Uppsala University Hospital were routinely asked to fill in internet-based questionnaires regarding their views on the care that they have received. In this study, our data consists of the feedback from four questions in these questionnaires regarding breast-feeding. The answers to the closed questions were presented with descriptive statistics and the comments on two open questions have been analysed with content analysis.Results: Out of 622 women who were cared for at the hospital?s maternity ward after giving birth, 83% stated that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the information and support they received about breast-feeding, and 78% expressed the same views regarding the delivery ward.

A part of the midwife?s profession is to promote and support breastfeeding. The objective of this study was to describe the perception of the level of support and advice regarding breast-feeding given to women who have received postnatal care at maternity wards, and to present the opinions of the aforementioned women on how this support could be improved.Method: Women who have given birth at Uppsala University Hospital were routinely asked to fill in internet-based questionnaires regarding their views on the care that they have received. In this study, our data consists of the feedback from four questions in these questionnaires regarding breast-feeding. The answers to the closed questions were presented with descriptive statistics and the comments on two open questions have been analysed with content analysis.Results: Out of 622 women who were cared for at the hospital?s maternity ward after giving birth, 83% stated that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the information and support they received about breast-feeding, and 78% expressed the same views regarding the delivery ward.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the support program, given to cancer patients in order to promote their own efforts to quit smoking and to study if they kept their changed cigarette consumption 6-18 months after their cancer treatment was done.Method: We have used a descriptive qualitative method with semistructured interviews which were made in the spring of 2010 at Uppsala University. The informants in this study were smoking cancer patients which had been given radiotherapy at the oncology department at Ryhov hospital in Jönköping, Sweden.The results showed that three out of eleven informants were still not smoking after their treatment ended. All informants agreed that information about the effects of smoking on their radiotherapy were important.This study also showed that there are areas in which the support program could benefit from being changed. Of those informants who did not succeed in their efforts to quit smoking, many felt that the support should have been more direct in the sense that the staff should have followed up on their progress more frequently. These unsuccessful informants also stressed that the location for where the information was given could have been more private.

Background:Breast milk has many good qualities and recommendations declare that breast milk alone is the most favorable choice for newborn babies up to six months of age. When the mother can´t provide her own breast milk for her baby, donor milk is a valuable source. Unfortunately the demand is often higher than the supply and thereby milk banks suffer from shortages. Aim: Highlighting women's experiences of being milk donors. Method: The study has been conducted as a literature review in which existing research has been used.

Background: Men that have gone through treatment for prostate cancer may lose their sexuality as result of treatment. The sexual ability might symbolize manliness, despite age and sexual activities. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to describe; Influence on sexuality and the daily life for men with prostatecancer and their experience of informationneeds. Method: The material for the literature study was searched through databases; 13 scientific articles were selected and two articles through manual search, all 15 articles were examined. Result: Five categories were found in the result of the literature study; physical dimension, emotional/mental dimension, social/practical dimension and informationneeds.

With good knowledge about the disease and the treatment, the fear and worry of children and parents can be reduced. Children may be helped by painting to express their experiences. In order to have a good care, the care-personnel need to see and understand what the children need. It is important to live an as regular life as possible during the disease and its treatment. The aim of this study was to elucidate how children experience chemotherapy in conection with their cancer disease.

With good knowledge about the disease and the treatment, the fear and worry of children and parents can be reduced. Children may be helped by painting to express their experiences. In order to have a good care, the care-personnel need to see and understand what the children need. It is important to live an as regular life as possible during the disease and its treatment. The aim of this study was to elucidate how children experience chemotherapy in conection with their cancer disease.

SAMMANFATTNINGSyfte: Syftet med denna studie var att på ett sjukhus i Mellansverige undersöka hur tillfredställda patienterna var med information om läkemedelsbiverkningar Syftet var även att undersöka grad av oro över eventuella biverkningar och jämföra om det fanns någon könskillnad gällande detta.Metod: Studiens design var en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie med deskriptiv och jämförande statistik. Data samlades in genom en Studiespecifik enkät. Antalet svarande var 29 inneliggande patienter under 10 veckor som uppfyllde inklusionskriterierna.Resultat: Resultatet visade att hälften av deltagarna inte hade fått information om läkemedelsbiverkningar och att 78 % uppgav sig vilja ha mer information. Nio av tio deltagare instämde till att vara oroliga över eventuella biverkningar och 64 % uppgav att de var osäkra eller inte visste vart de skulle vända sig vid frågor om biverkningar. Trots detta var drygt hälften av deltagarna delvis eller helt nöjda med den information de fått.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. One type of treatment is internal radiation therapy, brachytherapy. This treatment requires the patient to lie completely motionless and in lithotomy position. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pressure ulcers associated with brachytherapy in prostate cancer at the UniversityHospitalin Uppsala. Furthermore, the purpose was to identify the most common location of pressure ulcer and to examine whether there were any connection between risk factors and possible pressure ulcers.

Cancer was the second most common cause of death in Sweden in 2011. As the number of beds in hospitals decreases, numerous severely ill patients receive care at home. This results in family members performing important parts of the caring process. The aim of this study was to describe the caregivers' support needs from healthcare professionals when caring for an adult relative with cancer. A literature review was performed, in which results from empirical studies were reviewed and summarized.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att sammanställa vetenskap om nyttan med att utföra självundersökning av brösten samt utröna vilken roll sjuksköterskan kan ha. Metod: I en litteraturstudie har nio artiklar valts ut och det vetenskapliga värdet har granskats och utav dessa är sju kvantitativa studier och de resterande två litteraturstudier. Resultat: Resultatet visar att självundersökningar av brösten inte reducerar mortaliteten i bröstcancer. Nyttan av självundersökningarna av brösten råder det delade meningar om då de kan leda till en ökad oro och flera läkarbesök. Sjuksköterskan spelar en viktig roll som pedagog och inspiratör.

Success in treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy against different types of cancer tumors is limited by side-effects such as hearing loss which can have a large impact on the individual`s quality of life. It is of great importance to continue with studies that address this complex of problems.Objective: The aim of this literature review is to investigate the impact of platinum-based chemotherapy on hearing in children and adolescents treated for different types of cancer.Method: A descriptive review of literature was made based on sources from 15 different studies on the impact of platinum-based chemotherapy on hearing in the target group.Results: The survey of the studies shows that platinum-based chemotherapy causes incidence of hearing loss by differing degree in the target group. Dosage of a platinum-based substance appeared to be the most significant factor. Treatment with both cisplatin and carboplatin was more ototoxic than treatment with only one of these. Greater risk for hearing loss was to a higher degree observed in younger children.

AbstractTitle: Cancer in media from a gender perspectiveNumber of pages: 33 (49 including enclosures)Author: Emma KreüTutor: Amelie HössjerCourse: Media- and Communication science DPeriod: Spring 2007University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala UniversityPurpose/Aim: The aim of this thesis is to investigate if there are differences between the picture given in media of women with cancer and of men with cancer. The result is aimed to give a deeper picture of how gender is represented in media.Material/Method: The method used in this thesis is discourse analysis, applied on twenty articles which contained personal interviews with women and men who have or have had breast or prostate cancer. Ten of the articles contain interviews with women and ten interviews with men. The articles were selected from criteria based on where and when they were published. They were picked from the two largest papers in Sweden, Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Aftonbladet (AF), ten from each paper, of which five were interviews with women and five with men.