Oncology Round-Up: Midazolam With or Without Pethidine; and More

Midazolam With or Without Pethidine During Bronchoscopy

A randomized trial on midazolam with or without pethidine in patients undergoing bronchoscopy found that “the combination uses of midazolam and pethidine for sedation resulted in significant improvements in the pain, blood pressure, additional use of midazolam, and safety during bronchoscopy among patients,” according to their article in BMC Cancer.

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Persistent Exposure to Wildfire Pollutants Increases Cancer Risk & Incidence

A new study from McGill University led by Jill Korsiak, a PhD student professor, originally published in The Lancet Planetary Health found that people exposed to wildfires have increased risk of lung cancer and brain tumors. Future wildfires are predicted to be more common, severe, and longer due to the changing climate, and are seen more and more as a global heath concern. Normally occurring in similar areas each year, researchers warn that those living nearby could be exposed to harmful pollutants on a long-term basis.

Evaluating Prostate Cancer Screening Antigen Threshold

According to co-lead authors, Yan Jin and Jae Hung Jung, the diagnostic accuracy of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values below 4 ng/mL for prostate cancer screening in a hospital setting is “inconclusive.” They conducted a systematic literature review on PSA cutoffs below 4 ng/mL during hospitalizations and found that, “although a PSA cutoff <3 ng/mL is relatively more sensitive and specific than PSA ≥3 ng/mL, no significant differences in sensitivity and specificity were found in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.”

Physiotherapy for Quality of Life After Pancreatic Cancer Resection

According to Dirk Weyhe and collaborating researchers, patients experience significantly reduced physical and psychological quality of life (QoL) after pancreatic resection for cancer. The group performed a study to determine if long-term intensive or supervised physiotherapy effectively improved QoL after pancreatic cancer resection. Their article, published in BMC Cancer, stated that “supervised physiotherapy or prescribed home-based exercise after pancreatic cancer resection is safe and feasible and should be proposed and started as soon as possible to improve certain aspects of QoL.”