Objective: Proper pain control in cancer patients is one of the prime needs of metastatic cancer patients. It is, then, one of the essential objectives of health care workers. The present study aimed to pinpoint the impact of pain self-management education on the pain severity and the quality of life in patients with metastatic cancers using complementary medicine approaches. Methods: This clinical trial study was performed in the Oncology Specialty Clinic of Ahvaz Golestan Hospital on 82 metastatic cancer patients picked based on inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group and one as the control group. In the intervention group, pain self-management was taught in the three steps of providing information, skill development, and guidance. Self-management approaches were also practically taught face to face along with feedback. Furthermore, the quality of life was measured at 1-and 3-month follow-ups and the pain severity was measured during 7 weeks. In the control group, the quality of life questionnaire and the pain severity checklist were given to the participants to fill out. Finally, data were analyzed through SPSS version 22 in general and repeated-measures ANOVA and Friedman tests. Results: It was observed that after the intervention, the trend of pain severity during weeks 1–7 was significantly different in the intervention and control groups ( P < 0.0001). In addition, a significant difference was observed for the quality of life at 1 and 3 months after the intervention between the two studied groups ( P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Findings of the present study indicate a positive impact of pain self-management on improving pain severity and the indicators of quality of life in metastatic cancer patients. Accordingly, the current study findings can help nurses, nursing students, and other team members improve pain control skills and subsequently increase the quality of life in patients with metastatic cancers.

Herein, we report on a rare case of craniopharyngioma arising in the left temporal lobe with no prior history of head trauma or surgery. There was a solid-cystic mass in the left temporal lobe on MR images. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of a craniopharyngioma occurring in the temporal lobe.

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Nowadays, in most radiotherapy departments, the commercial treatment planning systems (TPS) used to calculate dose distributions needs to be verified; therefore, quick, easy‐to‐use, and low‐cost dose distribution algorithms are desirable to test and verify the performance of the TPS. In this paper, we put forth an analytical method to calculate the phantom scatter contribution and depth dose on the central axis based on the equivalent square concept. Then, this method was generalized to calculate the profiles at any depth and for several field shapes — regular or irregular fields—under symmetry and asymmetry photon beam conditions. Varian 2100 C/D and Siemens Primus Plus linacs with 6 and 18 MV photon beam were used for irradiations. Percentage depth doses (PDDs) were measured for a large number of square fields for both energies and for 45° wedge, which were employed to obtain the profiles in any depth. To assess the accuracy of the calculated profiles, several profile measurements were carried out for some treatment fields. The calculated and measured profiles were compared by gamma‐index calculation. All γ–index calculations were based on a 3% dose criterion and a 3 mm dose‐to‐agreement (DTA) acceptance criterion. The γ values were less than 1 at most points. However, the maximum γ observed was about 1.10 in the penumbra region in most fields and in the central area for the asymmetric fields. This analytical approach provides a generally quick and fairly accurate algorithm to calculate dose distribution for some treatment fields in conventional radiotherapy.PACS number: 87.10.Ca

<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> The aim of the present study was to adapt and validate the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) into the Persian language. <b><i>Patients and Methods:</i></b> The original published English version of the SHI was translated into Persian using the translation protocol and guidelines of the International Quality of Life Assessment. One hundred participants with oral and oropharyngeal cancer and 40 healthy participants completed the Persian SHI. Forty participants of the patient group completed the Persian SHI a second time after a 2-weeks period to evaluate test-retest reliability. Content validity (content validity index and content validity ratio), internal consistency (Cronbach α coefficient), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlations), and construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis) were examined. Control group and patient group values were compared to determine the clinical validity. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A significant discrimination coefficient was found across all items, and the content and clinical validity were found to be acceptable. The Persian SHI showed a high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The construct validity was within the acceptable range. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The P-SHI is considered to be a valid and reliable questionnaire for speech assessment in Persian-speaking patients with head and neck cancer.