Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2013
Insights into Chinese perspectives on do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders from an examination of DNR order form completeness for cancer patients.
Discussing end-of-life care with patients is often considered taboo, and signing a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is difficult for most patients, especially in Chinese culture. This study investigated distributions and details related to the signing of DNR orders, as well as the completeness of various DNR order forms. ⋯ Almost all the cancer patients had a signed DNR order, but for the majority of them, the order was signed by a surrogate. Negative attitudes of discussing death from medical professionals and/or the family members of patients may account for the higher number of signed DNR-S orders than DNR-P orders. Moreover, early obtainment of signed DNR orders should be sought, as getting the orders earlier could promote the quality of end-of-life care, especially in non-oncology wards.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2013
Unmet needs in immigrant cancer survivors: a cross-sectional population-based study.
Social suffering, language difficulties, and cultural factors may all make the cancer experience more difficult for immigrants. This study aimed to document unmet needs, and variables associated with these, in a population-based sample of first-generation immigrants and Anglo-Australians who had survived cancer. ⋯ Immigrant cancer survivors, several years after initial diagnosis, are more likely to have an unmet need for information or for help with a physical problem than Anglo-Australians. They strongly desire information and support in their own language.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2013
Association between hope and burden reported by family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.
The aim of this study, in a sample of family caregivers (FCs) of patients with advanced cancer, was to describe the level of FC burden using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA). In addition, the effects of select FC and patient characteristics on each of the CRA subscales were evaluated. ⋯ Findings suggest that FCs' and patients' level of hope are important determinants of caregiver burden and that FCs with lower levels of hope represent a high-risk group for higher levels of caregiver burden.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2013
Observational StudyAdding procalcitonin to the MASCC risk-index score could improve risk stratification of patients with febrile neutropenia.
Infectious complication could be life-threatening in patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN). The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk-index score is used to predict the complications of these patients, and it has been focused on identifying low-risk patients who may be candidates for outpatient management. In this study, we evaluated procalcitonin (PCT) and the MASCC score in predicting bacteremia and septic shock in patients with FN. ⋯ Implicating PCT as a routine use in clinical practice along with the MASCC score could improve risk stratification of patients with FN.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2013
Observational StudyMultidisciplinary care in patients with prostate cancer: room for improvement.
New multimodality treatment approaches for prostate cancer require multidisciplinary management of patients. We aimed to assess the current practices of multidisciplinarity and their possible implications in treatment management in Switzerland. ⋯ Participation at MTBs is high among Swiss urologists and oncologists in private practice and at non-university tertiary centers. In spite of that only a small minority of patietns with prostate cancer are presented at MTBs.