European journal of cancer : official journal for European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) [and] European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
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To assess the activity and safety of non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet®) in combination with docetaxel and trastuzumab as first-line treatment of patients with HER-2/neu-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). ⋯ The combination of Myocet®, docetaxel and trastuzumab is safe and shows promising activity as first-line treatment of HER-2-positive MBC.
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Comparative Study
Factors affecting treatment choices in paediatric palliative care: comparing parents and health professionals.
When children with cancer are no longer curable, parents often need to decide between further aggressive treatments or symptom relief alone. Objectives were to: (1) Describe and compare factors influencing parent and healthcare professional (HCP) decision-making regarding the choice between chemotherapy versus supportive care alone in paediatric palliative care; and (2) Describe how these factors influence this choice. ⋯ Hope, increased survival time and child quality of life are all more important factors to parents when decision-making at end-of-life compared to HCPs. Conversely, HCPs place greater emphasis on the families' financial considerations than parents. Understanding these differences may aid in communication and improve end-of-life care for children with cancer.
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To describe patterns of hospital care and to evaluate factors influencing place of death for children who died after a diagnosis of cancer in England during 1999-2006. ⋯ Patterns of hospital care varied considerably by type of cancer, death within six months of diagnosis, ethnicity and deprivation. Further research is required to elucidate explanations for these patterns and to evaluate methods to increase the proportion of children dying at home who wish to do so.