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Post-traumatic stress, which may cause depression, often succeeds treatment. There can be fatigue, pain and lack of energy. Sequelae are common. Sometimes there is fear of relapse. Social reintegration with family and at work is frequently difficult and there are often financial problems especially in obtaining credit and insurance. A diminution in social inequality and the aftermath of cancer are two priorities of Cancer Plan 2, which was launched by the President of the Republic in November 2009. This project, whose development will peak in 2011, will evaluate a post-cancer programme tailored to the individual and combined with other measures to facilitate access to insurance and financial credit. It will also seek to improve reintegration at work for sick patients and for those who have recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaemia is a serious and frequent complication of cancer and its treatment. ECAS was conducted in 24 European countries. 15,367 patients were enrolled and followed-up to 6 months in 2001. 1,335 patients affected by solid tumours or haematological diseases were enrolled in France. Disease status at enrollment was newly diagnosed with or without treatment, some patients had persistent/recurrent disease and some were in remission. Cancer treatments were chemotherapy, radiotherapy, radiochemotherapy or no treatment at all. At enrollment, 49.4 % of the French patients were anaemic (hb < 12 g/dL). Anaemia was noted in all cancer types, being solid tumours or haematological diseases, and whatever the disease status or the treatment. Low Hb rate correlated significantly with poor performance status during the entire survey. 75% of the French population were anaemic at some points during the 6 month study. Of patients who were not anaemic at enrollment, 58% became anaemic during chemotherapy. Only 40% of anaemic patients received anaemia treatment during the survey. This high frequency of anaemia in cancer patients was observed in all European countries. Anaemia remains a complication that is too rarely treated in cancer patients in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were considered chemo-resistant until the end of the 1970s. A few active agents have given only 10 to 30% of objective responses in the case of relapses or metastases with a 6 month median survival. According to the Al Sarraf protocol, the first trials of induction chemotherapy associating cisplatin and 5Fu have given about 100% objective responses with 10 to 50% clinical complete responses. However, after a euphoric period, numerous randomized studies have not shown a significant benefit with this type of chemotherapy except if we only consider the cisplatin-5Fu schedule. On the other hand, this induction chemotherapy permits in a high percentage of cases an organ preservation and a drop in the rate of distant metastases. Today, the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced unresectable forms allows us to improve the loco-regional control and the whole survival. Moreover, the addition of a taxane derivative to cisplatin-5Fu increases the efficacy of induction chemotherapy. Lastly, sequential radiochemotherapy, i. e. induction chemotherapy followed by radiochemotherapy, gives very encouraging results that must be confirmed by other randomized trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The “Collège national des enseignants de cancérologie”/French National Academy of Oncology Educators has published module 10 of the French 2nd cycle of medical studies, haematology-oncology, on the website of the “Université médicale virtuelle francophone”/Francophone Virtual Medical School (www.umvf.prd.fr). Currently, the course material consists of handouts, but, as a second step, certain courses will be filmed and students will be able to perform self-assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]