Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2021
Case ReportsOpioid Induced Constipation and Acupuncture: A Case Discussion.
Use of acupuncture for treatment of functional constipation is well studied; however, studies examining use of acupuncture for opioid-induced constipation are limited. ⋯ Acupuncture for opioid-induced constipation may provide symptom relief through use of nonpharmacologic interventions; however, further studies are needed to determine the optimal therapeutic approach.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2021
Multicenter Study Observational StudyClinical predictors for analgesic response to radiotherapy in patients with painful bone metastases.
Radiotherapy (RT) reduces pain in about 60% of patients with painful bone metastases, leaving many patients without clinical benefit. This study assesses predictors for RT effectiveness in patients with painful bone metastases. ⋯ This study supports previous findings that better performance status and type of cancer diagnosis predicts analgesic RT response, and new data showing that soft tissue expansion predicts RT response and that corticosteroids is a negative predictor for RT response in patients with painful bone metastases.
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While medical end-of-life planning has been well characterized, less is known about non-medical planning to prepare for the end of life. ⋯ There is variability in both the prevalence of and factors associated with engagement in non-medical EOL planning activities. The association of non-medical with medical planning activities supports the utility of programs assisting individuals with broad engagement in EOL planning.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2021
Stuck Moments and Silver-Linings: The Spectrum of Adaptation Among Non-Bereaved and Bereaved Parents of Adolescents and Young Adults with Advanced Cancer.
With advances in treatments that have resulted in children living longer with serious illness, it is essential to understand how parents adapt to changes during the final stages of their child's life or after their child's death. ⋯ Adaptation to a child's serious illness and death likely occurs on a dynamic spectrum and parents may oscillate both cognitively and emotionally. This has important implications for how clinicians and communities support parents. Greater comfort with and normalization of the adaptation process may enable parents to more openly share both the unimaginable hardships and unexpected silver-linings that are part of their parenting experiences during their child's illness and death.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2021
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Will-to-Live in Patients with Advanced Disease: Results from a Portuguese Retrospective Study.
Will-to-live (WtL) is a complex and multifactorial dimension of end-of-life experience. Health care decisions on assisted suicide and euthanasia are rarely based on WtL evidence-based discussions. ⋯ The factors associated with lower WtL scores are consistent with previous studies, indicating that these patients experience a myriad of physical, psychological and existential symptoms requiring an interdisciplinary palliative care approach. These factors pertaining to WtL should be made known, as Portugal considers how to navigate death-hastening legislation.