Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2020
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyExploratory analyses of the Danish Palliative Care Trial (DanPaCT): a randomized trial of early specialized palliative care plus standard care versus standard care in advanced cancer patients.
Early and integrated specialized palliative care is often recommended but has still only been investigated in relatively few randomized clinical trials. ⋯ In line with the analyses of the primary and secondary outcomes in DanPaCT, we did not find that specialized palliative care, as provided in DanPaCT, affected symptoms and problems. However, patients in the intervention group seemed more satisfied with the health care received than those in the standard care group.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2020
Gastrointestinal symptoms are associated with trajectories of chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Between 19 and 58% of oncology patients experience chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN). In a sample of outpatients with breast, gastrointestinal (GI), gynecological, and lung cancer, the study purposes were to evaluate for inter-individual differences in the severity of CIN over two cycles of chemotherapy (CTX) and to determine which demographic and clinical characteristics and GI symptoms were associated with higher initial levels as well as with the trajectories of CIN severity. ⋯ This study is the first to identify distinct demographic, clinical, and GI symptom characteristics associated with CIN severity. These findings suggest that the etiology of CIN is complex and may warrant interventions beyond standard antiemetics.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2020
Interventions aiming to reduce time to antibiotics (TTA) in patients with fever and neutropenia during chemotherapy for cancer (FN), a systematic review.
Multiple interventions have been developed aiming to reduce time to antibiotics (TTA) in patients with fever and neutropenia (FN) following chemotherapy for cancer. We evaluated their effect to reduce TTA and their impact on important clinical outcomes in a systematic review. ⋯ This review may help centers to identify their specific sources of delay and barriers to change and to define what intervention may be the best to apply. This review supports the assertion that TTA can be considered a measure of quality of care, emphasizes the importance of education and training, and describes the very different interventions which have effectively reduced TTA.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2020
Psychological morbidity in women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ compared with women with early breast cancer receiving radiotherapy.
Despite having an excellent prognosis, patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) report significant anxiety and depression following diagnosis. This study evaluated psychological morbidity using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) in patients with DCIS compared with women with early-stage invasive breast cancer (EIBC) receiving radiotherapy (RT). ⋯ Women with DCIS experience relatively less psychological morbidity than women with EIBC, pre- and post-RT.