Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyEfficacy of oral palonosetron compared to intravenous palonosetron for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy: a phase 3 trial.
Palonosetron (Aloxi(®), Onicit(®)) is a pharmacologically unique 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (RA) approved as a single IV injection for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy (CINV) of either moderate or highly emetogenic potential (MEC and HEC, respectively). An oral palonosetron formulation has been developed and compared to the IV formulation. ⋯ Oral palonosetron has a similar efficacy and safety profile as IV palonosetron 0.25 mg and may be the preferred formulation in certain clinical situations. Among the tested oral treatments, a palonosetron 0.50-mg oral dose has been favored for the prevention of CINV in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy due to a numerical gain in efficacy without a side effect disadvantage.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2013
Multicenter StudyA retrospective study to evaluate the time burden associated with outpatient red blood transfusions indicated for anemia due to concomitantly administered chemotherapy in cancer patients.
Anemia in cancer patients can be treated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. The patient burden associated with a treatment in terms of total time spent is an important factor to consider when measuring the benefits and challenges of a therapy. This study estimates the time-related patient burden associated with outpatient RBC transfusion. ⋯ In the US, CIA patients experience an important time burden when being treated with RBC transfusion in addition to the burden already added by chemotherapy.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2013
Validation of the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale in Greek caregivers of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative radiotherapy.
Caregiver burden considerably affects the lives of families providing care to people with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the Greek translation of the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (BCOS) with a sample of informal caregivers of people with advanced cancer receiving outpatient palliative radiotherapy. ⋯ The Greek version of the BCOS is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be usefully implemented into clinical practice to identify family caregivers in need for support, and stimulate relevant research in our country.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2013
Comparative StudyUse of injectable spasticity management agents in a cancer center.
This study aims to analyze the utilization and effectiveness of injectable spasticity medications by the physiatry team at a referral-based tertiary cancer center. ⋯ The majority of patients (17/20, 85 %) had a positive response to the injection. A positive response to the injection was defined by: (1) if the patient qualified to receive and was given another injection or (2) if there is a record of improvement if they did not receive another injection. A total of ten of 20 (50 %) patients received only one injection. Of these, seven of ten (70 %) reported a positive response to the injected agent. Those with only one injection tended to live farther away and die sooner. Four of 54 (7 %) injection procedures resulted in undesirable reported side effects (two for phenol, two for botulinum toxin). Nine of 54 (17 %) procedures occurred while the patients were on a chemotherapy protocol. All patients were injected at least 1 year out from initial diagnosis.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2013
Spiritual well-being and quality of life in Iranian women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy.
Psychological distress and morbidity are common consequences of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and associated with poor quality of life (QOL). Spiritual well-being is an important aspect of QOL, but little is known about the spiritual well-being and its relationship with QOL in patients of different cultures such as Iranian Muslim patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of QOL and spirituality among patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy. ⋯ The results of this study provide evidence that breast cancer survivors in Iran experience a poor quality of life across a broad spectrum of health domains, particularly social, emotional, and spiritual, indicating that psychosocial-spiritual support should be considered in caring for patients with breast cancer.