European journal of cancer care
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · May 2010
ReviewBest supportive care in lung cancer trials is inadequately described: a systematic review.
The objective of the paper was to identify and discuss clinical terms associated with the availability and delivery of best supportive care for patients with lung cancer in randomised controlled clinical trials. Systematic review was carried out of relevant studies without language restrictions identified through Medline, EMBASE, Science Citation Index (Web of Science and ISI Proceedings) and Cochrane Library. Reference lists of retrieved articles were also searched to identify further studies. ⋯ None of the identified studies provided a clear definition of a patient pathway in relation to best supportive care, or a clear list of components. Clinical studies are being conducted without a clear definition of the best supportive care provided in the comparator arms of trials. Inadequate definitions mean that all direct and indirect comparisons in trials comparing active treatments with best supportive care must be interpreted with caution.
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · May 2010
The efficacy of oral ondansetron and dexamethasone for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy - a retrospective audit.
The optimal dose of oral ondansetron for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) resulting from moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) is unknown. This retrospective audit was conducted to determine the efficacy of 8 mg oral ondansetron plus 8 mg oral dexamethasone as pre-chemotherapy anti-emetic regimen for patients receiving MEC. The efficacy outcomes analysed were the proportion of patients with no acute vomiting, proportion of patients with no acute nausea and the incidence of grade 3 or 4 CINV. ⋯ Patients who received anthracycline-based regimens had a significantly higher incidence of acute emesis (P= 0.001) and nausea (P < 0.0001) when compared with patients who received non-anthracycline-based regimens. In this study, the use of 8 mg oral ondansetron plus 8 mg oral dexamethasone achieved control of acute emesis in 75% of all patients receiving MEC which is comparable to previously reported rates of 70-80%. The benefits of using oral pre-chemotherapy anti-emetics include reduction in the costs of drugs and nursing administration time.