Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2013
Clinical changes in terminally ill cancer patients and death within 48 h: when should we refer patients to a separate room?
There is scant research concerning the prediction of imminent death, and current studies simply list events "that have already occurred" around 48 h of the death. We sought to determine what events herald the onset of dying process using the length of time from "any change" to death. ⋯ The most reliable events to predict impending death were decreased blood pressure and low oxygen saturation.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2013
The association between psychosocial and medical factors with long-term sexual dysfunction after treatment for colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer patients usually receive treatments (e.g., pelvic surgery or radiotherapy, colostomy) that increase their risk for sexual problems. Previous research has mainly focused on demographic and medical risk factors. Because little is known about the role of psychosocial variables in sexual dysfunction, this research sought to identify the contribution of demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors to sexual dysfunction using multivariate analyses. ⋯ Sexual dysfunction after colorectal cancer treatment is related to demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors. These associations can help to identify patients at high risk of sexual problems in order to assist restoring sexual functioning if desired.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2013
The pediatric-modified total neuropathy score: a reliable and valid measure of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in children with non-CNS cancers.
Neurotoxicity is a common side-effect of cancer treatment, but no scales have been validated for the pediatric population. The objective of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the pediatric modified-Total Neuropathy Scale (ped-mTNS) to measure chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in school-aged children. ⋯ The ped-mTNS is a reliable and valid measure of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in school-aged children that is associated with relevant functional limitations.
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Support Care Cancer · Feb 2013
Symptom clusters using the Spitzer quality of life index in patients with brain metastases--a reanalysis comparing different statistical methods.
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the use of three different statistical methods influences the composition of symptom clusters derived from patients with brain metastases. ⋯ Symptom clusters vary with respect to occurrence, quantity, and composition based on the statistical method utilized to extract them. Further studies should be conducted to determine an ideal statistical method in order to select the optimal method to employ. The use of a single analytical method is essential for consistency and comparison purposes in future symptom cluster research.