Volume 2, Number 4

Graham H Jackson, Editor

Welcome to issue 2.4. Cancer therapy remains headline news as I write this editorial – we have one woman protesting outside the Welsh Parliament, another taking her primary care trust to the High Court and the terrible case of the young woman who accidentally received an overdose of radiation to her head, all on the front pages of the newspapers.

Hugo Ford MD MRCP Consultant Medical Oncologist, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with over 34,000 new cases and 16,000 deaths per annum.1 Notwithstanding recent advances in therapy for early-stage and metastatic disease, almost half of all patients will eventually die of their condition, making it a significant health problem.

Judith Behrens Dip Obs RCOG FRCP FRCPath Consultant Haematologist, St Helier Hospital, Surrey; Graham H Jackson MA MBBS FRCP FRCPath MD Clinical Director of Haematology, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

Renal failure is one of the most challenging complications of multiple myeloma to manage and is responsible for increased early mortality and additional long-term morbidity.

Kathryn Mannix MB BS FRCP Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary and Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms that can cause enormous misery for cancer patients, undermining quality of life and contributing to weakness, anorexia and nutritional problems.1 While there are evidence-based recommendations for the management of treatment-induced emesis, the management of nausea arising as a consequence of the disease itself is less well researched.

Orla Hynes BSc Oncology Dietitian, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Malnutrition is a common problem in cancer patients and results in devastating effects on quality of life, economic issues and survival. It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.1 In a multicentre co-operative study involving 3,047 patients with 11 different tumour sites, DeWys et al2 reported substantial weight loss in more than 50% of cancer patients.

Yogesh Upadhye MBBS MRCP Specialist Registrar, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee

Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare but known complication in patients with plasma cell leukaemia and amyloidosis. I report a case of spontaneous splenic rupture following high-dose treatment with melphalan for immunoglobulin D (IgD) myeloma.

Carl Booth MPhil MRPharmS Lead Oncology Pharmacist and Joint Non-medical Prescribing Lead, Airedale NHS Trust

Following recent changes in legislation, supplementary prescribing rights are now available to a wide range of healthcare professionals. In addition to pharmacists, midwives and nurses, chiropodists, physio-therapists, radiographers and optometrists now have the right to train as prescribers.