Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2007
Nail changes due to docetaxel--a neglected side effect and nuisance for the patient.
The objective of this study is to estimate the frequency and severity of nail changes due to treatment with the cytotoxic drug docetaxel and, secondly, to estimate how the nail changes effects the patients cosmetically and functionally in their daily activities. Finally, we want to clarify whether fungal infection could contribute in causing the nail changes. ⋯ Nail changes occur more frequently than previous studies have shown. Furthermore, our study indicates that the nail changes are affecting a large proportion of the patients, both cosmetically and functionally, which may lead to a decrease in their quality of life. No significant association was found according to the possible relation between nail changes and fungal infection.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2007
The last 3 days of life in three different care settings in The Netherlands.
Little is known about the characteristics of dying in different care settings, such as the hospital, the nursing home, or the home-care setting. ⋯ We conclude that pain and shortness of breath were more severe among hospital patients, whereas incontinence was more severe among nursing home and home-care patients. Hospital patients relatively often receive medical interventions and standard controls during the last 3 days of life. In hospital, communication about impending death seems to take place more often shortly before death.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialA double-blind, crossover, randomized dose-comparison trial of granisetron for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and emesis in children receiving moderately emetogenic carboplatin-based chemotherapy.
Granisetron is a safe and effective prophylaxis for nausea and vomiting associated with moderate to highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Few trials have been conducted to determine the optimal effective dose of granisetron in children with cancer. The objective of this report was to compare two doses of granisetron in patients with optic pathway tumors receiving moderately emetogenic doses of carboplatin. ⋯ We conclude that granisetron 10 and 40 microg/kg have comparable efficacy in controlling carboplatin-induced acute and delayed nausea/emesis and is well tolerated in children and young adults.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialOral cryotherapy reduces mucositis and opioid use after myeloablative therapy--a randomized controlled trial.
Mucositis is a major complication in myeloablative therapy, which often necessitates advanced pharmacological pain treatment, including i.v. opioids. Attempts to prevent oral mucositis have included oral cryotherapy, which has been shown to reduce mucositis, but there is a lack of knowledge concerning the effect of oral cryotherapy on opioid use by reducing the mucositis for patients treated with myeloablative therapy before bone marrow transplantation (BMT). ⋯ Oral cryotherapy is an effective and well-tolerated therapy to alleviate mucositis and consequently reduce the number of days with i.v. opioids among patients treated with myeloablative therapy before BMT.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2007
Decreases in pain at rest and movement-related pain during zoledronic acid treatment in patients with bone metastases due to breast or prostate cancer: a pilot study.
In patients with bone metastases, pain may be absent or moderate at rest, but may be exacerbated by different movements or positions. No study has evaluated separately pain at rest and on movement in patients with bone metastases undergoing treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA). ⋯ In this study, at baseline, all the patients with painful bone metastases experience movement-related pain, and during zoledronic acid treatment, a decrease for both pain at rest and on movement was obtained.