Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2016
Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL among cancer patients in Jordan.
Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important outcome in cancer care and needs assessment by a valid questionnaire. HRQOL questionnaires need to be validated after translations to other languages and cultural settings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life 15 items Questionnaire for Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL). ⋯ The Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is valid and reliable.
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2016
Nausea as a sentinel symptom for cytotoxic chemotherapy effects on the gut-brain axis among women receiving treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer: an exploratory analysis.
Nausea is a common and potentially serious effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer and may function as a sentinel symptom reflecting adverse effects on the gut-brain axis (GBA) more generally, but research is scant. As a first exploratory test of this GBA hypothesis, we compared women reporting nausea to women not reporting nausea with regard to the severity of other commonly reported symptoms in this patient population. ⋯ Nausea experienced during chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer may be an indicator of broader effects on the gut-brain axis. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying these effects could lead to the development of novel supportive therapies to increase the tolerability and effectiveness of cancer treatment.
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2016
It's all good on the surface: care coordination experiences of migrant cancer patients in Australia.
Migrants diagnosed with cancer in Australia have high unmet need and poorer psychosocial outcomes than comparable Australian-born patients. It is possible that migrants also experience worse coordination of their cancer care. The purpose of this study was to describe migrant patients' experience of care coordination to inform the development of items for inclusion in a cancer care coordination questionnaire sensitive to the specific cultural needs of these patients. ⋯ Despite their care generally being well coordinated, migrants require additional assistance such as information in a form appropriate to their language proficiency and understanding of the new health system. Development of a culturally specific measure of cancer care coordination will enable evaluation of future strategies to improve care.
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2016
Is it possible to detect an improvement in cancer pain management? A comparison of two Norwegian cross-sectional studies conducted 5 years apart.
Cancer pain (CP) management is challenging. In recent years, efforts were undertaken to achieve better CP management, e.g. clinical research, new treatment modalities, development of guidelines, education and focus on implementation. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence and characteristics of pain and breakthrough pain (BTP) between cross-sectional studies conducted in 2008 and 2014. It was hypothesized that an improvement in pain control would be observed the years in between. ⋯ Unexpectedly, no improvement in pain control was observed. Efforts are still needed to improve cancer pain management.