Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Multicenter StudyPredicting febrile neutropenic patients at low risk using the MASCC score: does bacteremia matter?
Febrile neutropenic cancer patients represent a heterogeneous population with a limited proportion at risk of serious medical complications. The Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) score has been developed and validated for identifying low-risk patients at the onset of febrile neutropenia. Since bacteremia, although not documented at baseline, is a predictor of pejorative outcome, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible interaction between the MASCC score and bacteremic status and to assess whether, assuming that bacteremic status could be predicted at onset of febrile neutropenia, adding bacteremia as a covariate in a risk model would improve the accuracy of low-risk patients identification. ⋯ Our results suggest that the knowledge, provided we could find a model to predict it at fever onset, of a bacteremic etiology of the fever would be of little additional value to the MASCC score when attempting to identify low-risk patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Comparative StudyEconomic and patient-reported outcomes of outpatient home-based versus inpatient hospital-based chemotherapy for patients with colorectal cancer.
This study aims to compare the economic- and patient-reported outcomes between outpatient home-based and inpatient hospital-based chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients. ⋯ Higher satisfaction and lower economic cost for home-based chemotherapy suggests that home-based chemotherapy could be a popular and cost-effective treatment option for colorectal cancer patients who are eligible for home-based chemotherapy.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Use of antiemetics in the management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in current UK practice.
The main aim of the present study was to assess antiemetic prescriptions used during chemotherapy and identify if these are in agreement with internationally agreed consensus guidelines (MASCC/ASCO). ⋯ The low level of agreement between actual clinical practice and evidence-based consensus guidelines may be one of the reasons for the considerable incidence of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. There is a need to utilise consensus guidelines more widely and educate clinicians on this aspect of supportive care.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
A qualitative study of mindfulness-based meditation therapy in Japanese cancer patients.
The primary objective of the study was to examine mindfulness-based meditation therapy qualitatively. A secondary goal was to examine the differences in themes selected by Japanese and Western patients receiving this therapy. ⋯ Mindfulness-based meditation therapy may be effective for producing adapted coping, including positive recognition and changes for an adapted lifestyle. There were some common aspects and some differences in the themes selected by patients in this study and Western patients received mindfulness therapy in other studies.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2011
Sleep in children with cancer: case review of 70 children evaluated in a comprehensive pediatric sleep center.
The goal of this study was to characterize the sleep problems of children with cancer who were referred for a comprehensive sleep evaluation. ⋯ The sleep problems of children with cancer span the full spectrum of clinical sleep disorders (hypersomnia, sleep disordered breathing, insomnia, parasomnias, and circadian rhythm disorders) and are often present in combinations. Children with neoplasms involving the brainstem, thalamus, and hypothalamus were the most frequently referred for a sleep evaluation, and their sleep problems were most commonly EDS or SDB. Expertise in pediatric sleep disorders can be a valuable resource in the ongoing care of children with cancer.