Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Dec 2004
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Greek cancer patients: psychometric analyses and applicability.
The aim of the present study was to validate the Greek version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) in a palliative care unit. ⋯ These psychometric properties of the Greek version of the HAD scale confirm it as a valid and reliable measure when administered to patients with advanced cancer.
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Support Care Cancer · Dec 2004
Multicenter StudyConcerns of family members of patients receiving palliative sedation therapy.
Symptomatic sedation is often required in terminally ill cancer patients and could cause significant distress to their families. The aim of this study was to gather vivid family descriptions about their experiences in palliative sedation therapy. ⋯ To alleviate family distress, clinicians should understand families' emotional distress, ensure that unconscious patients feel no distress, reassure family members that the symptoms are truly refractory despite maximum efforts for symptom relief, give information and coordinate the situation to enable families to prepare for patient death and to tell important things to patients before sedation, help families to share patients' suffering, and treat patients the same as when they remained conscious.
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Support Care Cancer · Dec 2004
Cancer patients with septic shock: mortality predictors and neutropenia.
To study outcome and its predictive factors in cancer patients admitted to the ICU with septic shock, and the implications of neutropenia as a risk factor in this advanced stage of systemic inflammatory response. ⋯ Septic shock among cancer patients admitted to the ICU has a mortality rate similar to that reported for mixed populations, and it is particularly increased when hepatic or respiratory dysfunction develop. Neutropenia on admission does not seem to modify outcome.