Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, 1999. / Copies of author's previously published articles inserted. Amendments pasted onto back-end paper. Bibliography: leaves 255-286.

In the past several years, cancer treatments using FDA approved immune checkpoint inhibitors have become more popular than common chemotherapeutic agents. However, the costs, risks, and benefits associated with these treatments are still being assessed. Currently, new therapies are being tested that utilize oncolytic viruses to treat solid tumor and metastatic cancers. Reovirus is a non-enveloped virus with a double capsid structure and a genome consisting of 10 segments of double-stranded RNA encoding eleven proteins, which has been shown to have effective oncolytic activity. There are various different strains of reoviruses that can produce cytopathic effects in mammalian host cells. Moreover, several studies have shown that reovirus can be administered in multiple ways and that administration may depend on the cancer type. This investigation examined the type 3 dearing strain of reovirus and whether different types of tumors would benefit from having a specific administration appropriate to their type such as intratumoral injections for solid tumors and intravenous administration for blood/metastatic cancers. Various clinical trials were assessed in which reovirus was administered intratumorally, intravenously at a maximum dose of 3x1010 TCID50, and in combinations with other cancer therapeutics. Reovirus was shown to be safe and well-tolerated across a variety of administrations and cancer morphologies. Moreover, along with its cytopathic effects, reovirus was shown to have potent immune system stimulating effects. Overall, intratumoral administration was preferred effective for solid tumor cancers while intravenous administration was preferred for blood and metastatic cancers.

Bakgrund Sjuksköterskans roll i vårdandet av patienter med maligna blodsjukdomar är utmanande då sjuksköterskan ska stötta patienten genom både diagnos och behandling. Personcentrerad omvårdnad gör att patienten lär sig om sjukdomen och blir delaktig i behandlingen. Syfte Syftet är att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda vuxna patienter med maligna blodsjukdomar. Metod Arbetet utformades som en strukturerad litteraturöversikt med inslag av metodologi som används vid systematiska litteraturstudier, med fokus på sjuksköterskors erfarenheter. Databaserna CINAHL och PubMed användes och sju artiklar publicerade 2013–2023 sammanställdes. Resultat Sjuksköterskornas erfarenheter av att vårda patienter med maligna blodsjukdomar belystes via kategorierna Kommunikation och Utmaningar för sjuksköterskor samt underkategorierna Kommunikation mellan sjuksköterskor och patienter, Kommunikationinom vårdteamet, Emotionell påverkan, Överlevnadsvård och Palliativ vård vid maligna blodsjukdomar. Slutsats Sjuksköterskorna upplevde kommunikation som viktig del i vårdandet av patienter med maligna blodsjukdomar i relation mellan sjuksköterskor-patienter samt sjuksköterskor vårdteamet. Sjuksköterskorna upplevde även att det var lätt att bli emotionellt påverkad i arbetet. Hantering och utförande av överlevande- och palliativ vård var en utmaning för sjuksköterskorna som arbetade med patienter som har diagnostiserats med maligna blodsjukdomar. / Background Nurse's role in caring for patients with malignant blood disorders is challenging. Nurses must support the patient through a diagnosis and the course of treatment. Person-centred care means that the patient learns about the disease and becomes involved in thetreatment. Aim The aim is to describe nurses` experiences of caring for adult patients with malignant blood diseases. Method This review was made with a methodology similar to ones used in systematic reviews with a focus on nurses` experience. The databases CINAHL and PubMed were used. Seven articles were found. The included articles in the results were published between 2013–2023. Results Nurses' experiences of caring for patients with malignant blood diseases were highlighted by the categories Communication and Challenges for nurses and the subcategories Communication between nurses and patients, Communication within the care team, Emotional impact, Survival care and Palliative care for malignant blood diseases. Conclusions Nurses experienced communication as an important part in the care of patients with malignant blood diseases in the relationship between nurses-patients and the nurses-care team. Nurses also felt that it was easy to be emotionally affected at work. Management and delivery of survivorship and palliative care was a challenge for nurses working with patients diagnosed with blood malignancies.