Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyRandomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of ondansetron plus dexamethasone with or without metoclopramide as antiemetic prophylaxis in patients receiving high-dose cisplatin in medical practice.
Ondansetron plus dexamethasone are standard antiemetic agents for highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Metoclopramide is a dopamine antagonist, which may enhance efficacy of ondansetron and dexamethasone. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of metoclopramide added to standard antiemetic regimen for prophylaxis of cisplatin-induced emesis. ⋯ The addition of metoclopramide to ondansetron plus dexamethasone reduced the use of rescue medication, but did not affect complete response rate, quality of life or adverse effects.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2012
EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL quality of life scores in patients with advanced cancer referred for palliative radiotherapy.
Symptom control and improved quality of life (QOL) are primary goals of treatment in palliative oncology. The present study assessed and compared patient demographics, baseline Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and QOL using the QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire prior to palliative radiotherapy (RT) for bone, brain, or lung disease. Few studies have used this questionnaire, an abbreviated version that was developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer specifically for patients with advanced cancer to decrease the burden of completing the longer, more time-consuming QLQ-C30. ⋯ As the QLQ-C15-PAL provides detailed and often critical information regarding symptom burden, it may eventually be recognized as a universal core questionnaire to assess QOL in this patient population with advanced cancer while relieving the survey burden.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyQuality of end-of-life care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer in general wards and palliative care units in Japan.
Patients with lung cancer in Japan often receive aggressive care near the end of life and die in an acute care hospital. We describe the differences in end-of-life care for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients between general wards and a palliative care unit (PCU). ⋯ Patients with metastatic NSCLC in general wards receive inappropriate care near the end of life. Further studies are needed to develop interventions for making decisions regarding end-of-life care.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2012
Validation of the Cochin Risk Index Score (CRIS) for life expectancy prediction in terminally ill cancer patients.
Oncologists often overestimate survival of advanced cancer patients. This study aimed to validate a score for survival prediction in terminally ill cancer patients. ⋯ We validated the CRIS for survival prediction in terminally ill cancer patients.
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Pediatric oncology patients benefit from the involvement of palliative care. This study examined the timing of palliative care consultation. ⋯ The majority of children in this study who died from cancer were referred to palliative care. Oncologists should strive to refer patients early in their disease.