Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2015
Side effects of analgesia may significantly reduce quality of life in symptomatic multiple myeloma: a cross-sectional prevalence study.
Pain is a common symptom in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Many patients are dependent on analgesics and in particular opioids, but there is limited information on the impact of these drugs and their side effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). ⋯ This study provides, for the first time, evidence that side effects of analgesics are common in symptomatic MM and may result in a statistically and clinically significant reduction of self-reported HRQoL.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyComparison of an extended-release formulation of granisetron (APF530) versus palonosetron for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting associated with moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy: results of a prospective, randomized, double-blind, noninferiority phase 3 trial.
Subcutaneous APF530 provides controlled sustained release of granisetron to prevent acute (0-24 h) and delayed (24-120 h) chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). This randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial compared APF530 and palonosetron in preventing acute and delayed CINV after moderately (MEC) or highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). ⋯ A single subcutaneous APF530 injection offers a convenient alternative to palonosetron for preventing acute and delayed CINV after MEC or HEC.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyA phase II, randomized, double blind trial of calcium aluminosilicate clay versus placebo for the prevention of diarrhea in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with irinotecan.
Calcium aluminosilicate clay (CASAD) is a naturally occurring clay that serves as a cation exchange absorbent. We hypothesized that oral administration of CASAD would reduce the rate of grade 3/4 diarrhea associated with irinotecan use for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) by adsorbing the SN-38 metabolite. ⋯ Compared to placebo, CASAD use was safe but ineffective in preventing diarrhea in metastatic CRC patients treated with irinotecan-containing chemotherapy regimens. There were no distinct signals in terms of patient symptoms between arms, but there was significantly more patient dropout in the placebo arm. Future CASAD trials will focus on the active treatment of diarrhea.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2015
Comparative StudyBreakthrough cancer pain: a comparison of surveys with European and Canadian patients.
Breakthrough cancer pain is defined as a transient exacerbation of pain that occurs spontaneously or in response to a trigger, despite stable and controlled background pain. Breakthrough pain often causes significant functional impairments for patients and can decrease quality of life. ⋯ Breakthrough cancer pain in both Canadian and European patients greatly impacts their daily living, and both groups of patients had similar experiences with breakthrough cancer pain. Currently, this pain is not adequately managed for many patients. The role for new analgesic treatments in management of breakthrough cancer pain needs further study.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2015
Observational StudyCare trajectories and survival after discharge from specialized inpatient palliative care--results from an observational follow-up study.
Little is known about the patients' individual care trajectories after discharge or transfer from inpatient palliative care units (PCU) to other care settings. This study aims to survey the further care trajectory and overall survival from the time of discharge of patients in a palliative care situation. Patient groups from either the PCU or the palliative care mobile support team (PCMT) are compared in order to analyze the demographic data, discharge settings, frequency of changes of care settings, overall survival from the time of discharge and place of death. ⋯ The results show a high percentage of stable care trajectories at the end of life with few or no changes of care setting. To achieve this, well-considered discharge planning and an adequately chosen network of care providers are necessary.