Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Post-Treatment Breast Cancer Patients: Immediate and Sustained Effects across Multiple Symptom Clusters.
Breast cancer survivors (BCS) face adverse physical and psychological symptoms, often co-occurring. Biologic and psychological factors may link symptoms within clusters, distinguishable by prevalence and/or severity. Few studies have examined the effects of behavioral interventions or treatment of symptom clusters. ⋯ Our results provide clinical effectiveness evidence that MBSR(BC) works to improve symptom clusters, particularly for psychological and fatigue symptom clusters, with the greatest improvement occurring during the six-week program with sustained effects for several weeks after MBSR(BC) training.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2017
Multicenter StudyImpact of Radiation Therapy on Aggressive Care and Quality of Life near Death.
Radiation therapy (RT) is used with palliative intent in patients with advanced stage cancer. Prior studies, primarily in patients with poor performance status (PS), suggest that RT is associated with aggressive medical care, which may impact patients' quality of life near death (QoD) adversely. ⋯ Targeted use of RT in end-of-life cancer care may benefit patients with good PS, but its use may adversely affect patients with poorer PS. Decisions about RT use in this setting should consider likely end-of-life outcomes based on patients' current PS.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialImpact of Adding a Pictorial Display to Enhance Recall of Cancer Patient Histories: A Randomized Trial.
Current health care delivery models have increased the need for safe and concise patient handover. Handover interventions in the literature have focused on the use of structured tools but have not evaluated their ability to facilitate retention of patient information. ⋯ Most studies examining the institution of handover protocols in the health care setting have failed to harness the power of pictures and other representative images. This study demonstrates the ability of pictorial displays to improve both immediate and delayed recall of patient histories without increasing review time. These types of displays may be amenable to generation by software programs and have the potential to enhance information transfer in various settings.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2017
Associations Between Neurotransmitter Genes and Fatigue and Energy Levels in Women Following Breast Cancer Surgery.
Fatigue is a common problem in oncology patients. Less is known about decrements in energy levels and the mechanisms that underlie both fatigue and energy. ⋯ Molecular findings support the hypothesis that fatigue and energy are distinct, yet related symptoms. Results suggest that a large number of neurotransmitters play a role in the development and maintenance of fatigue and energy levels in breast cancer patients.