Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2024
Are muscle and fat loss predictive of clinical events in pancreatic cancer? The importance of precision metrics.
Muscle and fat loss from cancer may have prognostic significance. Skeletal muscle and fat areas measured at L3 on a CT scan correlate with body muscle and fat mass. We wished to know if reduced skeletal muscle area or fat on diagnostic CT scans or changes from initial CT scans in patients with pancreatic cancer who died in 2018 and 2019 predicted mortality. ⋯ Muscle loss in men during chemotherapy of pancreatic cancer predicts mortality.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2024
ReviewNon-pharmacological therapies for depression in women with breast cancer at different treatment phases: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Various non-pharmacological therapies (NPTs) have been found to be helpful for depression in women with breast cancer (BC). However, the relative efficacy of different NPTs in women with BC during different treatment phases is unclear. ⋯ Our study confirmed the efficacy of several NPTs for depression in women with BC during inter-/post-treatment phases. These results should inform future clinical decisions and guidelines for depression in women with BC.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2024
Variation in Palliative Care Program Performance for Patients with Metastatic Cancer.
While specialist palliative care is associated with improved end-of-life quality metrics for patients with advanced cancer, its effectiveness may differ between hospitals. ⋯ We found variation in most end-of-life quality metrics for patients with metastatic cancer. Further work is needed to better understand why variations exist and whether such variations reflect a difference in quality of care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2024
Recommendations for psychosocial support for long-distance caregivers of terminally ill patients.
The provision of appropriate psychosocial support has a significant impact on quality of life for informal caregivers of terminally ill patients. Long-distance caregivers have specific wishes and needs for psychosocial support. ⋯ The consensus-based recommendations represent the first empirically grounded guidelines in Germany aimed at addressing the psychosocial needs of long-distance caregivers of terminally ill patients. The recommendations seek to raise awareness among both professional and voluntary workers regarding the specific support requirements of this understudied population.