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Reiki is a system of natural healing techniques administered by laying of hands and transferring energy from the Reiki practitioner to the recipient. We investigated the role of Reiki in the management of anxiety, pain and global wellness in cancer patients. Building on the results of a pilot project conducted between 2003 and 2005 by a volunteer association at our hospital, a wider, 3-year study was conducted at the same center. The volunteer Reiki practitioners received 2 years of theory and practical training. The study population was 118 patients (67 women and 51 men; mean age, 55 years) with cancer at any stage and receiving any kind of chemotherapy. Before each session, the nurses collected the patient's personal data and clinical history. Pain and anxiety were evaluated according to a numeric rating scale by the Reiki practitioners. Each session lasted about 30 min; pain and anxiety scores were recorded using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), together with a description of the physical feelings the patients perceived during the session. All 118 patients received at least 1 Reiki treatment (total number, 238). In the subgroup of 22 patients who underwent the full cycle of 4 treatments, the mean VAS anxiety score decreased from 6.77 to 2.28 (P <.000001) and the mean VAS pain score from 4.4 to 2.32 (P = .091). Overall, the sessions were felt helpful in improving well-being, relaxation, pain relief, sleep quality and reducing anxiety. Offering Reiki therapy in hospitals could respond to patients' physical and emotional needs.

Background and Objective: Anthracyclines are highly effective and widely used cytotoxic agents, but their application is often limited by cumulative dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Dexrazoxane has been shown in several clinical trials to prevent the development of this serious toxicity. The aim of our study was to analyze the incidence of cardiac dysfunction over a 10-year period in patients with breast cancer who were treated with anthracycline-based regimens with addition of dexrazoxane, mainly in an adjuvant setting., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis on a population of women with breast cancer treated at our institution between January 1993 and October 2003. We reviewed patients' medical records and data on patient characteristics, treatment history, and adverse events that were collected, starting from the time of first visit before starting therapy, with the use of software created and designed for clinical records management in our institution (1999 OK-DH). Patients underwent an ECG assessment prior to starting chemotherapy, and were clinically monitored for cardiac failure. Those who developed signs and symptoms suggestive of cardiac dysfunction underwent further ECG. If clinical findings indicated, echocardiography and further cardiologic investigations were performed. The main outcome measure was the development of signs and symptoms indicative of congestive heart failure (CHF)., Results: A total of 318 female patients were treated with an anthracycline (doxorubicin or epirubicin)-based combination chemotherapy regimen during this time, in most cases in the adjuvant setting (n = 285). Most patients (n = 302) had early-stage disease and only 16 women presented with metastatic disease with good life expectancy (at least 1 year). All patients received dexrazoxane 1000 mg/m(2) intravenously prior to anthracycline administration during each chemotherapy cycle. The median follow-up duration was 35 months. During this time, five patients (1.57%) developed signs and symptoms of CHF. No patient at our institution died of heart failure during the period analyzed. Dexrazoxane was well tolerated, with no reports of adverse events associated with this drug., Conclusions: The reported incidence of cardiotoxicity in this study represents a marked reduction compared with historical data for patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy without dexrazoxane. Dexrazoxane appears to have a cardioprotective effect in women with early-stage or advanced breast cancer treated with anthracycline-based combination chemotherapy, mainly as an adjuvant treatment. Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials in adjuvant setting should be performed to confirm these results.