Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Respiratory problems are an important issue in the palliative care setting, not only from a diagnostic and therapeutic point of view but also from emotion-related aspects involving both the patients and their families and also caregivers. In this paper we consider some of the most common respiratory problems, such as dyspnea, infections, hemoptysis, hiccup. A review of the literature was performed with reference to the frequency, diagnosis and management of the above respiratory problems in patients in advanced and terminal stages of the disease. Particular emphasis was given to the importance of communication with the patients and their families, which is considered a crucial point in the care and the cure of such patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2002
Case ReportsSuccessful treatment of a catheter-related right atrial thrombosis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and heparin.
Deep venous thrombosis is a possible complication of indwelling central venous catheters (CVC), with an incidence as high as 61%. We report a case of successful thrombolysis of a CVC-related right atrial thrombus in a pediatric cancer patient with recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (0.1 mg/kg per h for 12 h) and heparin (10 IU/kg per h for 24 h) administered for 6 days. Daily echocardiographic examination showed progressive lysis of the thrombus. ⋯ Recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator is increasingly used for thrombolytic treatment of organ and limb thrombosis, but experience with it in the pediatric hematology-oncology setting is still limited. This report showed that administering recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator in a pediatric cancer patient prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was effective and safe under strict biochemical and instrumental monitoring. Further studies are needed to determine the best antithrombotic treatment for CVC-related thrombosis, and also the dosage of the medication selected and the duration of treatment.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2002
Review Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialIs there a role for melatonin in supportive care?
Melatonin (MLT) is the main hormone released from the pineal gland and has proved to have physiological antitumor activity. MLT has been shown to exert anticancer activity through several biological mechanisms: antiproliferative action, stimulation of anticancer immunity, modulation of oncogene expression, and anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-angiogenic effects. Several experimental studies have shown that MLT may inhibit cancer cell growth, and preliminary clinical studies seem to confirm its anticancer property in humans. ⋯ The objective tumor response rate was significantly higher in patients treated with chemotherapy plus MLT than in those treated with chemotherapy alone. Moreover, MLT induced a significant decline in the frequency of chemotherapy-induced asthenia, thrombocytopenia, stomatitis, cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. These clinical results demonstrate that the pineal hormone MLT may be successfully administered in medical oncology in the supportive care of untreatable advanced cancer patients and for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced toxicity.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2002
Review Practice Guideline GuidelineMorphine in cancer pain management: a practical guide.
Morphine is the most practical and versatile analgesic for the relief of severe pain associated with advanced cancer. Information is available in the literature about its use in routine clinical practice. Morphine induces analgesia by reducing neurotransmitter release presynaptically and hyperpolarizing dorsal horn neurons at the postsynaptic level, thus preventing rostral transmission of nociception. ⋯ Recent experience confirms benefits of topical morphine for cutaneous pain associated with benign or malignant ulcers. Guidelines for morphine administration are reviewed, and in particular those of the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine are outlined.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2002
Supportive and palliative care: experience at the Institut Jules Bordet.
The Supportive and Palliative Care Unit of the Institut Jules Bordet officially started its activities in February 1999. Our Unit comprises eight beds (four rooms with one bed each and two rooms with two beds each). We admit advanced cancer patients presenting with severe symptoms whose control is going to require all the expertise of a multidisciplinary team. ⋯ The main symptoms on admission were pain, anorexia, asthenia, dyspnea and anxiety/depression. Pain, nausea/vomiting, constipation and cough were controlled in almost all patients, whereas control of asthenia and anorexia was most often insufficient. In 51% of our cases the patients could be discharged home; 40% died in the unit; 4% were transferred to long-term palliative care units and 1% to other units within our Institution (4% were still hospitalized at the time of this analysis).