Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2012
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyAcupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.
Controlling cancer-related pain is an important component in the palliative care of cancer patients. The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating cancer pain. ⋯ The total number of RCTs included in the analysis and their methodological quality were too low to draw firm conclusions. Future rigorous RCTs will be necessary to assess the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in this area.
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2012
Symptom improvement as prognostic factor for survival in cancer patients undergoing palliative care: a pilot study.
The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is a validated tool for physical symptom assessment in palliative care practice which evaluates symptoms through a numeric scale from 0 to 10. The use of symptom improvement as a prognostic factor is controversial. To this purpose, a pilot study in advanced cancer patients now undergoing only palliative care was conducted. ⋯ Symptom improvement according to ESAS after palliative care treatment represents an important prognostic for survival in patients no longer suitable to receive any anticancer active therapies.
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The aim of this study was to describe the use of palliative sedation (PS) its indications and outcomes in patients followed up till death by an inpatient palliative care consult team (PCCT) at a tertiary cancer center. ⋯ PS is an important intervention in the management of terminal disease by a consulting palliative care team. Improved collaboration and communication between the hospital staff and the PCCT should be offered to meet patients' needs when PS is required.
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The purpose of this research is to study to what extent dying patients are aware of the imminence of death, whether such awareness is associated with patient characteristics, symptoms and acceptance of dying, and whether medical records and nurses' and family caregivers' views on patients' awareness of dying agree. ⋯ Being aware of dying is associated with acceptance of dying, which supports the idea that open communication in the dying phase can contribute to the quality of the dying process. However, views on whether or not patients are aware of the imminence of death diverge between different caregivers. This suggests that communication in the dying phase of patients is open for improvement.
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2012
Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency in cancer patients.
Critically ill cancer patients with sepsis represent a high-risk sub-group for the development of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI); however, the incidence of CIRCI in this population is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of CIRCI in cancer patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. ⋯ The incidence of CIRCI in cancer patients with severe sepsis or septic shock appears high. Further large-scale prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings.