Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 1994
Review Comparative StudyOverview of current development in patient-controlled analgesia.
Over the past two decades, numerous trials have assessed the safety and efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Advantages over conventional parenteral narcotics reported from these trials include equivalent to superior pain relief, superior patient satisfaction, decreased sedation and anxiety, faster return to normal functional status, and reduction in nursing time and hospitalization. The majority of these trials have been conducted in the postoperative patient population. ⋯ A comparison of these types of PCA devices is described. The limitations of the literature involving PCA therapy in cancer patients make it difficult to identify optimal patient selection criteria, PCA administration schedules, drug selection and dosing, and optimal route of administration. The current status and pertinent issues related to these topics are addressed.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 1994
ReviewTreatment of chemotherapy-induced emesis in the 1990s: impact of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists.
Considerable progress has been made in the development of means to limit nausea and vomiting arising from cancer chemotherapy. A number of key conceptual advances in the last decade have been critically important. these include recognition of the value of combination antiemetic therapy, identification of important patient- and treatment-related factors predictive of emesis, and appreciation of the importance of serotonin (5-HT) in the pathophysiology of emesis and the value of selective antagonists of the type-3 serotonin receptor. Comparative trials of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and classic antiemetic agents have helped define optimal antiemetic approaches in a number of settings. ⋯ Results of trials comparing 5-HT3 antagonists are beginning to emerge. Available information suggests no clinically relevant differences in antiemetic efficacy between these agents. Many questions regarding the optimal use of the 5-HT3 antagonists and their integration into clinical practice remain unanswered and are the appropriate focus for additional study.