Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2019
Using patient-reported religious/spiritual concerns to identify patients who accept chaplain interventions in an outpatient oncology setting.
The goals of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence and correlates of patient-reported religious/spiritual (R/S) needs in outpatient oncology patients and (2) estimate the associations of R/S concerns with acceptance of an R/S intervention offered by phone. ⋯ Effective screening practices are needed for chaplains to prioritize patients most in need. This exploratory study suggests that screening for struggle to find meaning/hope in life, fear of death, and anxiety will help chaplains identify patients who have R/S concerns and will likely accept R/S interventions. Developing effective telehealth practices like this is an important direction for the field.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2019
Multicenter Study Observational StudyFebrile neutropenia (FN) and pegfilgrastim prophylaxis in breast cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients receiving high (> 20%) FN-risk chemotherapy: results from a prospective observational study.
Prophylaxis for febrile neutropenia (FN) is recommended for the duration of myelosuppressive chemotherapy in high-risk patients; yet, granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) discontinuation occurs frequently in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of FN in real-world settings and the extent and impact of early pegfilgrastim discontinuation. ⋯ FN rates were consistent with previous reports with pegfilgrastim in clinical practice. No new ADRs were observed. G-CSF discontinuation was uncommon but appeared to increase the likelihood of neutropenic complications.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2019
Achievement of a good death among young adult patients with cancer: analyses of combined data from three nationwide surveys among bereaved family members.
Although little improvement has been made in the survival rate among young cancer patients over recent decades, whether they have achieved a good death has never been systematically explored. We aimed to clarify whether young cancer patients (aged 20-39 years) have achieved a good death, and compare their achievement with that of middle-aged patients (aged 40-64 years). ⋯ Overall, young cancer patients did not achieve a good death. Future efforts are needed to improve the quality of palliative care for young patients, focusing on psychosocial/spiritual suffering.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2019
Breast Cancer Collaborative Registry informs understanding of factors predicting sleep quality.
Poor sleep quality is a common and persistent problem reported by women with breast cancer (BC). Empirical evidence identifies many risk factors for self-reported sleep deficiency, but inconsistencies limit translation to practice. ⋯ Results confirm previously identified risk factors and reveal inconsistencies in other variables. Clinicians need to routinely screen for the identified risk factors of self-reported poor sleep quality.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2019
External validation of three risk stratification rules in patients presenting with pulmonary embolism and cancer.
Numerous risk stratification rules exist to predict post-pulmonary embolism (PE) mortality; however, few were designed for use in cancer patients. In the EPIPHANY registry, adapted versions of common rules (the Hestia criteria, Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index [PESI], and simplified PESI [sPESI]) displayed high sensitivity for prognosticating mortality in PE patients with cancer. These adapted rules have yet to be externally validated. ⋯ Specificities were 36% (95% CI = 27-47%) and 28% (95% CI = 20-38%) for PESI and sPESI. In our external validation, the adapted Hestia, PESI, and sPESI demonstrated high sensitivity but low specificity for 30-day PE mortality in patients with cancer. Larger, prospective trials are needed to optimize strategies for risk stratification in this population.