Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2014
A cross-sectional study on prevalence of pain and breakthrough pain among an unselected group of outpatients in a tertiary cancer clinic.
Systematic knowledge about the prevalence and the treatment effects of cancer pain in patients attending a general oncology outpatient department is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pain in a large representative cohort of patients attending a general oncology outpatient department in order to guide further screening, classification, and treatment of pain. ⋯ Of the patients at an oncology outpatient clinic, 22% reported clinically significant pain. These findings indicate that all patients are candidates to be screened for pain and, if present, a more detailed pain diagnosis should be established before any interventions can be recommended.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2014
Prescription trends of prophylactic antiemetics for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in Japan.
This study aimed at identifying prescription trends for the recommended antiemetic therapies before and after the publication of the first guidelines for antiemetic therapy in Japan. ⋯ A gradual increasing trend was identified in the rate of prescribing antiemetic drugs from 2005 to 2011. This trend was observed in insurance claims data from a wide variety of health-care providers. However, only 60.1% patients of the high emetic risk group received the recommended three-drug combination in 2011. Further research will be useful to evaluate patients' experiences with their chemotherapy and the effectiveness of the prophylactic antiemetic therapy for cancer treatment and patients' quality of life.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2014
Adherence to antiemetic guidelines in patients with malignant glioma: a quality improvement project to translate evidence into practice.
A quality improvement project was implemented to improve adherence to evidence-based antiemetic guidelines for malignant glioma patients treated with moderately emetic chemotherapy (MEC). Poorly controlled chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) reduce cancer treatment efficacy and significantly impair cancer patients' quality of life (QOL). A review of Duke University Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center (PRTBTC)'s usual practice demonstrates a high incidence (45%) of CINV, despite premedication with short-acting 5-HT3-serotonin-receptor antagonists (5-HT3-RAs). National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)'s evidence-based guidelines recommend the combination of the long-acting 5-HT3-RA palonosetron (PAL) and dexamethasone (DEX) for the prevention of acute and delayed CINV with MEC. Low adherence (58%) to antiemetic guidelines may have explained our high CINV incidence. ⋯ Combination intervention and audit-feedback strategy to translate evidence into oncology practice improved and sustained adherence to antiemetic guidelines. Adherence corresponded with effective nausea/vomiting control and preserved QOL in patients with malignant gliomas.