Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Nov 2021
I'm here because I was told to come: a study of cancer patients' reasons for attending the emergency department.
Patients with cancer are seen frequently in emergency departments (EDs). It has been proposed that many of these visits are preventable, but the patient perspective has not been well-studied. ⋯ The minority of patients made the decision to seek ED care by themselves. While the majority did not believe emergency care was avoidable, those who did had cogent suggestions to that end. Patient's assessments of their own need had high agreement with ED providers' evaluations.
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Support Care Cancer · Nov 2021
Clinical assessment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a discrete choice experiment of patient preferences.
Up to 40% of cancer patients treated with neurotoxic chemotherapies experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Currently, there is no gold standard assessment tool for CIPN and there is little information in the literature on patient preferences for such assessments. This study aims to address this gap by identifying the features of a CIPN assessment tool that cancer patients value. ⋯ The findings of this DCE will assist clinicians in choosing an assessment tool for CIPN that is satisfactory to both clinician and patient.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2021
Multicenter Study Observational StudyPatient-perceived symptomatic benefits of olanzapine treatment for nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer who received palliative care through consultation teams: a multicenter prospective observational study.
To examine the safety, effectiveness, and patient-perceived benefit of treatment with olanzapine for nausea and vomiting (N/V) in patients with advanced cancer. ⋯ Short-term and relatively low-dose olanzapine treatment was effective for multifactorial N/V. Confirmatory studies with longer observation periods are needed to clarify the duration of the effect and adverse events.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2021
Observational StudyVisitation policies at NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Family/caregiver visitation provides critical support for patients confronting cancer and is associated with positive outcomes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought historic disruptions including widespread visitation restrictions. Here, we characterize in-depth the visitor policies of NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) and analyze geographic/temporal patterns across CCCs. ⋯ CCCs enacted strict but strikingly variable COVID-19 visitation restrictions, with important implications for patients/families seeking cancer care. A unified, evidence-based approach to visitation policies is needed to balance proven infection control measures with the needs of patients and families.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2021
Financial worry and psychological distress among cancer survivors in the United States, 2013-2018.
A growing proportion of cancer survivors experience financial toxicity. However, the psychological burden of cancer costs and associated mental health outcomes require further investigation. We assessed prevalence and predictors of self-reported financial worry and mental health outcomes among cancer survivors. ⋯ A majority of cancer survivors reported financial worry, which was associated with greater odds of reporting psychological distress. Policies and guidelines are needed to identify and mitigate financial worries and psychologic distress among patients with cancer, with the goal of improving psychological well-being and overall cancer survivorship care.