Countertransference in the treatment of adolescents and its manifestation in the therapist-patient relationship

Abstract

Countertransference is a central construct in the clinical literature (Freud, 1910; Gabbard, 2001), yet it has generated very little research to date. The present study used the CCRT method (Luborsky & Crits- Cristoph, 1998) to measure countertransference themes in a sample of 12 therapists, who described relationship episodes with their parents and with two clients. Results showed high repetitiveness of the parent themes in the narratives about the patients for all three components of the CCRT: Wish, Response of Other and Response of Self. A qualitative analysis of the narratives generated four countertransference dynamics: Repeating the parent RO, repairing the parent RO, identification with the patient, and withdrawing. It is suggested that these four dynamics constitute the process which links the origins and triggers with the manifestations and effects in Hayes's (2004) operational model of countertranference.     

图像融合技术下胸段食管鳞癌同步放化疗后复发模式及剂量学研究

目的应用图像融合技术分析胸段食管鳞癌同步放化疗后食管病变局部复发部位的分布特点, 并探讨局部复发的影响因素及其与剂量学指标的关系。方法回顾分析2016年至2019年于河北医科大学第四医院行根治性同步放化疗的209例胸段食管鳞癌患者资料。将确诊为食管病变局部复发患者的CT图像与原计划CT图像通过图像配准软件进行融合比对, 明确复发部位。对食管复发组(81例)及局部无复发组(128例)患者的临床资料进行1∶1倾向评分匹配, 比较匹配后两组患者(各62例)治疗计划中各剂量、体积参数的差异。采用Kaplan-Meier法及Cox回归模型对总生存(OS)、无进展生存(PFS)、局部无复发生存(RFS)的影响因素进行单因素及多因素分析。结果全组1、3、5年OS率分别为80.9%、42.6%、33.0%, PFS率分别为67.9%、34.0%、27.9%, RFS率分别为71.3%、39.2%、30.5%。T分期、N分期、放疗剂量为食管癌患者OS、PFS及RFS的独立影响因素(HR=1.42～1.87, P<0.05)。68例放疗后食管病变局部复发的患者中, 62例(91.2%)复发位于GTV...     

Laparoscopic Pelvic Autonomic Nerve-Preserving Surgery for Patients with Lower Rectal Cancer after Chemoradiation Therapy

Objective This is a phase II study, the aim of which is to determine if a laparoscopic approach can be used in pelvic autonomic nerve-preserving surgery for patients with lower rectal cancer following chemoradiation therapy. Methods Patients with T3 lower rectal cancer treated by preoperative chemoradiation were recruited and subjected to laparoscopic pelvic autonomic nerve-preserving surgery with total mesorectal excision and a sphincter-saving procedure. This study was performed with the approval of the ethics committee of National Taiwan University Hospital. Because the quality of a surgical trial is highly dependent on the skill of the surgeon with respect to the technique under study, it is imperative that a surgical trial only be implemented after the surgical technique has been judged to be mature. Before the start of this clinical trial, we gained a sound knowledge of surgical anatomy through conventional open surgery for rectal cancer and mastered the related laparoscopic skills from other sound and proven laparoscopic approaches, including right hemicolectomy, left hemicolectomy, among others. We determined that the learning curve for this surgical technique necessitated that colorectal surgeons carry out at least 20 such procedures. At this point we conducted this clinical trial. The details of the surgical procedures have been shown in the attached video. Briefly, the dissection commences at the pelvic promontory with exposure and preservation of the superior hypogastric plexus. The pre-aortic plexus and inferior mesenteric plexus are preserved by sparing the pre-aortic connective tissue and leaving a 1– to 2-cm-long stump of the inferior mesenteric artery in situ. Subsequently, the “holy plane” at the transition of the mesosigmoid to the mesorectum is meticulously dissected to progressively displace the hypogastric nerves dorsally and laterally and, therefore, preserving them. Following adequate dorsal and lateral dissection down to the floor of the pelvis, the so-called lateral ligament is reached at which the mesorectum appears to be adherent, anteriorly and laterally, to the inferior hypogastric plexus (at roughly 10:00–2:00 O’clock or within an angle of 60° about symphysis on both sides). The ligaments are divided immediately at the endopelvic fascia of the mesorectum to avoid damage to the inferior hypogastric plexus (pelvic plexus). Finally, great care was taken to dissect the lateral border of Denonvilliers’ fascia where the inferior hypogastric plexus joins the neurovascular bundle described by Walsh. Postoperatively, only patients successfully operated on by total pelvic autonomic nerve-preserving surgery were included in the statistical analysis of surgical outcomes. Preoperatively, all patients were screened for their genitourinary function by a questionnaire-based interview. Patients with abnormal preoperative baseline functional data were excluded from further postoperative assessment of sexual or urinary function. The male sexual function was evaluated by potency and ejaculation. In female patients, the sexual function was assessed by vaginal lubrication, dyspareunia, sexual arousal, and orgasm. The reason for these four parameters is because the influence of pelvic autonomic nerve damage on female sexual function has been ambiguous but would most likely result in impairment of vaginal lubrication and congestion of the genitals. We evaluated sexual function at 6 months postoperatively, when the temporary colostomy had been closed and the patients were completely recovered from surgical disability. In evaluating urinary function, the duration between initial voiding trial and spontaneous voiding was recorded. The questionnaire used for the assessment of urinary dysfunction was based on the International Prostate Symptom Score and the following parameters from this Score were used: incomplete emptying, frequency, intermittency, urgency, week stream, straining, and nocturia. Any voiding problems recovered within 3 months after the operation were considered to be transient bladder voiding dysfunction; all other voiding problems were deemed persistent. The interview and scoring of the questionnaire were done by the research assistant blinded to operation procedures. The genitourinary function was ranked as good, fair (decreased), and poor (impaired). Results Between June 2003 and December 2005, a total of 98 patients (stage II: n = 44; stage III: n = 54; male: n = 50; female: n = 48) were enrolled in this study. Technically, although the dissection plane is a little blurred by preoperative chemoradiation therapy, the laparoscopic pelvic nerve-preserving procedure with total mesorectal excision was successfully performed in 89 (90.8%) patients with an acceptable operation time (284.4 ± 44.8 minutes; mean ± standard deviation) and little blood loss (114.5 ± 24 ml). The number of dissected lymph nodes was 16.4 ± 4.0. With respect to scrutiny of surgical specimens, the distal safety margin was adequate (mean: 2.4 cm; range: 1.2–5.6 cm), and the circumferential resection margins were free of tumor invasion (mean: 8.6 mm; range: 2–18 mm). A total of 74 patients completed the evaluation of urinary function. For these 74 patients, the median duration of training for the Foley catheter was 7 days (range: 4–64 days). The voiding function after removal of the Foley catheter were good in 53 (71.6%) patients, fair in 17 (23.0%), and poor in four (5.4%). Of the 17 patients with fair bladder function, eight were transient dysfunction and recovered thereafter. Thirty-two male and 28 female patients who were sexually active before the operation responded to the assessment of sexual function. In male patients, the ejaculation was good in 18 (56.3%) patients, fair (decrease in ejaculatory amounts) in six (18.7%), and poor (retrograde ejaculation, failure to ejaculate) in eight (25%). The potency was good in 20 (62.5%) patients, fair in five (15.6%), and poor in seven (21.9%). In female patients, the sexual function was good in 15 (53.6%) patients, fair in four (14.3%), and poor in nine (32.1%). Specific sexual problems in women included lubrication (46.6%, n = 13), dyspareunia (39.2%, n = 11), sexual arousal (28.6%, n = 8), and orgasm in (32.1%, n = 9). Conclusions By the laparoscopic approach, total preservation of pelvic autonomic nerves without compromise of the radical extirpation of tumor is technically feasible in the vast majority of patients with lower rectal cancer who have undergone concurrent chemoradiation therapy, thus facilitating the retention of genitourinary function in a significant proportion of such patients. Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Cervical non-squamous carcinoma: an effective combination chemotherapy of taxane, anthracycline and platinum for advanced or recurrent cases

Objective

An effective salvage chemotherapy for advanced and recurrent non-squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix has not yet been established. The aim of the present study was to analyze the safety and efficacy of a combination chemotherapy for this disease using taxane, anthracycline, and platinum.

Study design

This was a retrospective analysis of advanced and recurrent non-squamous cervical cancers treated at the Osaka University Hospital and the Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases during a 10 year study period from 2000 to 2009. Single agent chemotherapies and combination chemotherapies for advanced and recurrent cervical cancer cases of non-squamous histology which were reported in the English literature were also reviewed.

Results

Salvage chemotherapy, using taxane, anthracycline and platinum, was performed for 5 advanced and 14 recurrent cases. Prior to the salvage chemotherapy, 15 (79%) of the 19 patients had already received either radiation or chemotherapy. A complete or partial tumor response was achieved in 8 (42%) of the 19 cases. The response rate for recurrent disease in a previously irradiated field was 40%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 8 months (1–108) and 13 months (5–108), respectively. Grade 4 and febrile grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 6 cases (32%), but there was no case in which salvage chemotherapy had to be cancelled due to toxicity. According to previous reports, the cumulative response rate of combination chemotherapy (35%) was significantly higher than that of single agent chemotherapy (17%) (p < 0.001). OS tended to be longer in the combination chemotherapy cases (8.7 months to 18 months) than that of single agent chemotherapy cases (7.3+ months to 9.1+ months).

Conclusion

Combination chemotherapy of taxane, anthracycline, and platinum was found to have a survival benefit for advanced and recurrent cervical cancer patients of non-squamous carcinoma histology, with a tolerable toxicity.     

Clinical factors related to recurrence after hepatic arterial concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced but liver-confined hepatocellular carcinoma

Before the sorafenib era, advanced but liver-confined hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was treated by liver-directed therapy. Hepatic arterial concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has been performed in our group, giving substantial local control but frequent failure. The aim of this study was to analyze patterns of failure and find out predictive clinical factors in HCC treated with a liver-directed therapy, CCRT. A retrospective analysis was done for 138 HCC patients treated with CCRT between May 2001 and November 2009. Protocol-based CCRT was performed with local radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), followed by monthly HAIC (5-FU and cisplatin). Patterns of failure were categorized into three groups: infield, intrahepatic-outfield and extrahepatic failure. Treatment failure occurred in 34.0% of patients at 3 months after RT. Infield, intrahepatic-outfield and extrahepatic failure were observed in 12 (8.6%), 26 (18.7%) and 27 (19.6%) patients, respectively. Median progression-free survival for infield, outfield and extrahepatic failure was 22.4, 18 and 21.5 months, respectively. For infield failure, a history of pre-CCRT treatment was a significant factor (P = 0.020). Pre-CCRT levels of alpha-fetoprotein and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II were significant factors for extrahepatic failure (P = 0.029). Treatment failures after CCRT were frequent in HCC patients, and were more commonly intrahepatic-outfield and extrahepatic failures than infield failure. A history of pre-CCRT treatment and levels of pre-CCRT tumor markers were identified as risk factors that could predict treatment failure. More intensified treatment is required for patients presenting risk factors.     

适形调强放射治疗校正摆位误差分析

目的分析适形调强放射治疗的摆位误差以及验证计划射野正确性。方法选取临床适形调强放射治疗患者30例,其中头颈部肿瘤12例,胸部肿瘤10例,腹部肿瘤8例。放疗前进行人工摆位后采取全锥形束CT(CBCT)图像采集并和大孔径CT平扫图像进行三维立体比较,从而得到摆位误差。结果头颈部肿瘤在左右、头脚、腹背方向的摆位误差分别是(-0.72±1.36)、(-0.61±1.44)、(-0.51±1.57)mm,外扩边界分别是2.08、2.05、2.08mm。胸腹部肿瘤左右、头脚、腹背方向的摆位误差分别是(-2.62±3.46)、(-2.41±2.94)、(-2.31±3.67)mm,外扩边界分别是6.08、5.35、5.98mm。结论头颈部摆位误差最小,胸腹部摆位误差较大。计划靶区在临床靶区外扩要根据每个患者的部位不同而定。     

Radiotherapy Patterns of Care for Locally-advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in the Pre- and Post-durvalumab Era: A Region-wide Survey in a Japanese Prefecture

The promising results of the PACIFIC study led to the approval of consolidation durvalumab for coverage by the National Health Insurance (NHI) in 2018 for patients with locally-advanced unresectable non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, the effect of NHI coverage on the patterns of care for this population remains unclear. Here, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey to determine the patterns of care for patients with stage II–III NSCLC treated with definitive radiotherapy in 2017 (pre-durvalumab era) or in 2019 (post-durvalumab era). Data were obtained from 11 radiotherapy facilities in Gunma prefecture, which has a population of 1.94 million. We identified 80 and 83 patients with stage II–III NSCLC who received definitive radiotherapy in Gunma in 2017 and 2019, respectively. At a given facility, CCRT was the treatment of choice in a significantly greater proportion of patients in 2019 than in 2017 (66% ± 20% vs 51% ± 29%, P = 0.041). Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was more frequent in 2019 than in 2017 (24% vs 1.2%). Carboplatin plus paclitaxel was used for CCRT at higher rate in 2019 than in 2017 (73% vs 44%). Consolidation durvalumab was performed in 73% (40/55) of CCRT-treated patients in 2019, and the treatment was performed for the planned 12 months in 45% (18/40) of patients. These data indicate that NHI coverage of durvalumab might be a possible reason for choosing CCRT in patients with stage II–III NSCLC in the real-world setting.