Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Central venous catheter-related complications in children with oncological/hematological diseases: an observational study of 418 devices.
The use of indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs) has become commonplace in the management of children undergoing anticancer treatment. Several types of CVC are available, while information on complications observed in children is scarce. We describe the experience of two tertiary care centers in Italy that prospectively followed up three types of CVC used at both institutions over a 30-month period. ⋯ CVCs may cause complications in up to 40% of patients, with type of CVC, underlying disease and patient age being the three main factors that affect the incidence of CVC-related complications. SL-HB catheters have the best performance.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Association between hydration volume and symptoms in terminally ill cancer patients with abdominal malignancies.
To explore the association between hydration volume and symptoms during the last 3 weeks of life in terminally ill cancer patients. ⋯ Artificial hydration therapy could alleviate membranous dehydration signs, but could worsen peripheral edema, ascites and pleural effusions. It is suggested that the potential benefits of artificial hydration therapy should be balanced with the risk of worsening fluid retention symptoms. Further clinical studies are strongly needed to identify the effects of artificial hydration therapy on overall patient well-being, and an individualized treatment and close monitoring of dehydration and fluid retention symptoms is strongly recommended.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized phase II trial of capecitabine and two different schedules of irinotecan in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: efficacy, quality-of-life and toxicity.
To determine the efficacy, impact on quality-of-life (QoL) and tolerability of two different irinotecan administration schedules in combination with capecitabine as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. ⋯ The primary end point of this study was the objective response rate and based on the statistical design of the trial, the 3-weekly irinotecan schedule was selected over weekly irinotecan administration. The 3-weekly irinotecan schedule also seemed advantageous in terms of grade 3/4 diarrhea, time to progression, overall survival and patient convenience, but the study was not designed to detect differences in these parameters. In addition, tumor response was shown to have a beneficial effect on QoL indicators.
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Bone scanning (BS), liver ultrasonography (LUS) and chest radiography (CXR) are commonly used in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer as part of baseline staging. However, in the absence of symptomatic disease, the usefulness of this routine diagnostic work-up is not evidence-based. ⋯ These findings indicate that a complete diagnostic work-up to detect metastases is unnecessary in the majority of patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, whereas it may be indicated for specific patient categories such as those with stage III disease.