Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Pilot evaluation of a stellate ganglion block for the treatment of hot flashes.
Hot flashes are a significant problem in breast cancer patients, especially because the most effective therapy, estrogen, is often contraindicated. Based on recent pilot data from a single group supporting the use of a stellate ganglion block for the treatment of hot flashes, the present pilot trial was done to further evaluate the hypothesis that a stellate ganglion block may be a safe and effective therapy for hot flashes. ⋯ The results of this pilot trial support that stellate ganglion blocks may be a helpful therapy for hot flashes. A prospective placebo-controlled clinical trial should be done to more definitively determine this contention.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
ReviewSystematic review: malfunction of totally implantable venous access devices in cancer patients.
Malfunction of totally implantable venous access devices is a common complication. The purpose was to identify definitions used to describe malfunction and to investigate the incidence of malfunction in different types of port and catheter designs. ⋯ Heterogeneity in the definitions used to describe device malfunction was evident. A broad range in the reported incidence of malfunction and in the kind of calculation and reporting methods was also found. Methodological quality of the studies was often poor. Standardization of definitions and accurate outcome measurement is needed. Calculation and report of malfunction incidence should be based on prospective data collected at the moment of an accession attempt.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Multicenter StudyPredicting febrile neutropenic patients at low risk using the MASCC score: does bacteremia matter?
Febrile neutropenic cancer patients represent a heterogeneous population with a limited proportion at risk of serious medical complications. The Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) score has been developed and validated for identifying low-risk patients at the onset of febrile neutropenia. Since bacteremia, although not documented at baseline, is a predictor of pejorative outcome, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible interaction between the MASCC score and bacteremic status and to assess whether, assuming that bacteremic status could be predicted at onset of febrile neutropenia, adding bacteremia as a covariate in a risk model would improve the accuracy of low-risk patients identification. ⋯ Our results suggest that the knowledge, provided we could find a model to predict it at fever onset, of a bacteremic etiology of the fever would be of little additional value to the MASCC score when attempting to identify low-risk patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Comparative StudyEconomic and patient-reported outcomes of outpatient home-based versus inpatient hospital-based chemotherapy for patients with colorectal cancer.
This study aims to compare the economic- and patient-reported outcomes between outpatient home-based and inpatient hospital-based chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients. ⋯ Higher satisfaction and lower economic cost for home-based chemotherapy suggests that home-based chemotherapy could be a popular and cost-effective treatment option for colorectal cancer patients who are eligible for home-based chemotherapy.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Use of antiemetics in the management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in current UK practice.
The main aim of the present study was to assess antiemetic prescriptions used during chemotherapy and identify if these are in agreement with internationally agreed consensus guidelines (MASCC/ASCO). ⋯ The low level of agreement between actual clinical practice and evidence-based consensus guidelines may be one of the reasons for the considerable incidence of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. There is a need to utilise consensus guidelines more widely and educate clinicians on this aspect of supportive care.