Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Evaluation of treatment- and disease-related symptoms in advanced head and neck cancer: validation of the national comprehensive cancer network-functional assessment of cancer therapy-head and neck cancer symptom index-22 (NFHNSI-22).
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head and Neck is a well-validated assessment of quality of life used with patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers (HCNs). The present study is an attempt to evaluate and modify this instrument as necessary in light of the recent regulatory guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration on the use of patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials. ⋯ The National Comprehensive Cancer Network-Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head and Neck Cancer Symptom Index-22 adequately reflects symptom and side effect concerns of advanced HCN patients as well as oncology physicians. This instrument can be used to evaluate the most important disease-related symptoms, treatment side effects, and function/well-being in patients with advanced HCNs in clinical practice and research.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialOnce-weekly transdermal buprenorphine application results in sustained and consistent steady-state plasma levels.
Transdermal formulations of buprenorphine offer controlled delivery of buprenorphine for sustained analgesic efficacy with reduced adverse events (AEs) compared with the other modes of administration. A buprenorphine transdermal system (BTDS) delivering 5, 10, or 20 mcg/hour for seven days is now marketed in the U.S. as Butrans(®) (Lohmann Therapie-System AG, Andernach Germany), a Schedule III single-entity opioid analgesic indicated for the management of moderate and chronic pain in patients requiring continuous around-the-clock analgesia for an extended period. ⋯ Three consecutive once-weekly applications of BTDS 10 provided consistent and sustained delivery of buprenorphine. Steady-state plasma concentrations were reached within 48 hours of the first application of BTDS 10. Patch adhesion analysis confirmed the appropriateness of the seven-day application period. Overall, BTDS 10 was safe and well tolerated.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Restless legs syndrome as a cause of sleep disturbances in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Sleep disturbances are frequent in cancer patients during chemotherapy; the contributory role of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in this setting has never been assessed. ⋯ RLS can be a contributory factor in sleep disturbances in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Screening for RLS could aid in tailoring a potentially more efficacious treatment of such disturbances.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
Alteration in pain modulation in women with persistent pain after lumpectomy: influence of catastrophizing.
Persistent pain is common after surgical treatment of breast cancer, but fairly little is known about the changes in sensory processing that accompany such pain syndromes. ⋯ These findings suggest that persistent postoperative pain is associated with alterations in central nervous system pain-modulatory processes. Future treatment studies might benefit from targeting these pain-modulatory systems, and additional studies using functional neuroimaging methods might provide further valuable information about the pathophysiology of long-term postsurgical pain in women treated for breast cancer.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2013
ReviewPsychosocial effects of cancer cachexia: a systematic literature search and qualitative analysis.
Cancer cachexia is debilitating and affects most patients with advanced cancer. Because treatment options are poor, the psychosocial effects of cancer cachexia always should be assessed and psychosocial support provided. ⋯ The concept of psychosocial effects in cancer cachexia has the potential to sensitize health care professionals to cachexia-related problems and inform their clinical management of the condition.