Browsing by Author "Du Toit, George C."

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    Fertility-sparing treatment in a young patient with complex atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium
    (Medpharm Publications, 2014) Du Toit, George C.
    Endometrial carcinoma is a common gynaecological malignancy in developed countries. It affects postmenopausal women predominantly, but 25% of cases occur in premenopausal women, 5% of whom are younger than 40 years of age.1 Complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) of the endometrium is a precursor to endometrial carcinoma, with a progression rate to carcinoma of 10%. Women with stage I, grade 1 endometrial carcinoma treated by hysterectomy, have a 99.2% five-year survival. The high cure rate of the disease shifts the treatment focus to issues of quality of life subsequent to successful treatment.2 Young nulliparous women with CAH raise the possibility of fertility-sparing treatment. The treatment approach to CAH is viewed in the same light as that pertaining to early-stage endometrial carcinoma. In both scenarios, fertility-sparing treatment (with subsequent successful pregnancies) has been described. The conservative management of CAH poses several challenges with regard to adequate sampling of the endometrium, as well as optimal treatment and follow-up monitoring.3 The current case illustrates successful conservative management of CAH.
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    Translation and validation of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 questionnaire into the indigenous African languages of isiXhosa and Afrikaans
    (Medpharm Publications, 2012) Du Toit, George C.; Nel, Daan G.
    Objectives: Quality of life (QOL) assessment plays an important role in oncological clinical practice and research settings when evaluating treatment outcome. Cervical cancer remains a prevalent disease in South African women. The current study translated the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) cervical cancer module, QLQ-CX24, into isiXhosa and Afrikaans and validated the questionnaires. Setting and subjects: The QLQ-CX24 was translated forwards into isiXhosa and Afrikaans and backwards into English, and then reconciled by four independent language practitioners. The translated version was completed by 15 isiXhosa- and 15 Afrikaans-speaking patients with cervical cancer. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, a measure of internal consistency of response, was calculated. The conversion validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between each item and its scale. Discriminant validity was examined by comparing the correlation values of each item with other scales using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Results: The translated isiXhosa and Afrikaans questionnaires demonstrated good conversion validity in the multi-item scales, with values of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ≥ 7. Discriminant validity was demonstrated in the single-item questions. Patients completed the questionnaires in less than 20 minutes. Conclusion: The translated isiXhosa and Afrikaans versions of QLQ-CX24 were successfully translated and validated and is available for research and clinical use.