Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Evaluation of the quality of care is a key element that healthcare providers now take into consideration to meet patients' needs, expectations, and values. The FAMCARE scale is one of the most important instruments available to assess the level of satisfaction about care received by patients and families. We describe the validation process used to develop an Italian version (IF) of the original FAMCARE scale for caregivers. ⋯ IF is a valid translation of the FAMCARE scale and can be used to assess caregiver satisfaction within the Italian context of cancer palliative care.
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This study drew on life course theory to argue that the strains of cancer caregiving and bereavement are modified by the age of the patient. We expected that caregivers of middle-aged patients would be more distressed than caregivers of older patients. ⋯ Caregiving for middle-aged cancer patients may increase the risk for severe grief and depression, whereas caregivers of young-old cancer patients appeared to experience relief at bereavement. After bereavement, continued observation may be warranted for caregivers of a middle-aged patient; grief, added to the ongoing demands of their lives (which may include those left behind by a middle-aged patient), may put such caregivers at risk for greater psychological and emotional distress.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2016
ReviewComparison of the FACT-C, EORTC QLQ-CR38, and QLQ-CR29 quality of life questionnaires for patients with colorectal cancer: a literature review.
The purpose of this review was to compare the development, characteristics, validity, and reliability of three widely used quality of life (QOL) assessment tools used in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients: the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Colorectal Cancer Module (QLQ-CR38) and its successor, the QLQ-CR29. ⋯ The FACT-C, QLQ-CR38, and QLQ-CR29 have been extensively validated. However, analysis of their characteristics, validity, and reliability suggest differing suitability in assessing QOL in specific clinical situations.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2016
Patients' understanding of treatment goals and disease course and their relationship with optimism, hope, and quality of life: a preliminary study among advanced breast cancer outpatients before receiving palliative treatment.
The aims of this study were to explore advanced breast cancer patients' knowledge of treatment intent and expectation of illness course and to evaluate their relationship with optimism, hope, and quality of life (QoL). ⋯ A large proportion of patients diagnosed with advanced breast cancer believed that their treatment was "curative", and they would improve within a year. Findings of our study suggest that patients with inaccurate perception of treatment intent and unrealistic expectation of prognosis have higher hope and optimism scores than those who do not, but there were no significant differences in terms of global health status.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2016
Methadone as first-line opioid treatment for cancer pain in a developing country palliative care unit.
The use of methadone for cancer pain is limited by the need of expertise and close titration due to variable half-life. Yet, it is a helpful palliative strategy in low-resources countries given its long-acting effect at low cost and worth additional study. Our aim was to describe the prescription and outcomes of methadone as a first-line treatment for cancer pain in a tertiary palliative care unit (PCU) in Argentina. ⋯ Results indicate the preference of methadone as first-line strong opioid treatment in a PCU, providing good pain relief at low doses with low need for rotation. Several considerations about the costs of strong opioids in the region are given.