Bassam Abdul Rasool Hassan obtained a Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacy from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). During 2014–2017, he was a senior lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, at Universiti Malaya (UM). During 2017–2019, he was a senior lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. Dr. Hassan is currently is a Head of Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, AL-Rafidain University College, Iraq.
This book examines supportive and palliative care and quality of life in cancer patients. Chapters address such topics as anxiety, depression, and delirium in terminally ill cancer patients, ethics in palliative care, palliative care medications, assisted suicide and euthanasia, and much more.
Go to the bookPart of the book: Cancer Treatment
Part of the book: Updates on Cancer Treatment
In this century, cancer has become one of the major problems and diseases that have caused predominant death, and it will even surpass heart diseases. Since World War I, chemotherapy has become as one of the most important and significant treatments of cancer. Even if it can cure cancer, it is found to cause several critical side effects. Over the past 20 years, many types of new therapies have emerged; some of them were extracted from plants that are found to be effective and safe. Moreover, it has been approved that several plants, herbs, and vegetables can prevent or reduce incidence of cancer in several sites of the human body. Besides, researchers found that they are a great source for developing and producing new, effective, tolerable, and safe anticancer drugs compared with the synthetic ones. As a result of that, researchers recommended future studies to focus more on plant as a source for safe and effective anticancer treatment.
Part of the book: Medicinal Plants
Part of the book: Supportive and Palliative Care and Quality of Life in Oncology
Neutropenia, a deficiency in neutrophils (vital immune system cells), significantly compromises the body’s ability to fight infections. In about 50% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, especially in leukemia cases, neutropenia elevates the risk of severe, life-threatening infections due to inadequate neutrophil levels for combating pathogens. Prolonged or intense neutropenia episodes heighten infection susceptibility. Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) can also cause lower chemotherapy doses and delays, which can make it harder to stick with treatment and could lower survival rates by making it harder to stick to chemotherapy schedules. CIN also adversely impacts the quality of life (QOL) and increases the risk of treatment failure. In addressing CIN, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has shown promising results in enhancing white blood cell counts as a supplementary treatment, outperforming conventional Western oral treatments in certain cases. However, managing neutropenia often involves an extensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, raising concerns over the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria strains. This underscores the importance of integrating antimicrobial stewardship programs into treatment protocols for cancer patients with neutropenia. The chapter delves into these aspects, exploring prevention and treatment strategies for neutropenia, particularly focusing on the implications of CIN.
Part of the book: Innate Immunity