Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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This study aims to determine the numbers of patients with advanced cancer receiving polypharmacy at the end of their lives and analyze differences in drug prescription at a general oncology ward and a dedicated palliative care ward. ⋯ Polypharmacy still is a problem in the large majority of patients with terminal cancer. Further studies should be focused on the patients' quality of life, drug interactions, and adverse events.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2016
Feasibility of an eHealth application "OncoKompas" to improve personalized survivorship cancer care.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an online self-management application (OncoKompas) among cancer survivors. In OncoKompas, cancer survivors can monitor their quality of life (QOL) via participant reported outcomes (PROs) ("Measure"), which is followed by automatically generated individually tailored feedback ("Learn") and personalized advice on supportive care services ("Act"). ⋯ OncoKompas is considered feasible, but has to be further improved. In order to enhance feasibility and increase satisfaction, we have to balance the time it takes to use OncoKompas, measurement precision, and tailoring towards personalized advices.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2016
Review Meta AnalysisEfficacy of olanzapine for the prophylaxis and rescue of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV): a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Olanzapine is a potent antipsychotic medication that inhibits a wide variety of receptors. It has been used in trials for the prophylaxis and rescue of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). This study systematically investigates the efficacy of olanzapine in relation to other antiemetics in the prophylaxis and rescue of CINV. ⋯ Olanzapine is more efficacious than other standard antiemetics for the rescue of CINV and its inclusion improves control in the prevention setting. Given the possible reduction in side effects, the use of a 5-mg dose of olanzapine should be considered. Future RCTs should compare the 5-mg versus the 10-mg dosages further and report on the efficacy and percentage of patients developing side effects. Further analyses should be done without the influence of corticosteroids.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2016
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyCognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, but not armodafinil, improves fatigue in cancer survivors with insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Fatigue is a prevalent, distressing side effect of cancer and cancer treatment which commonly coexists with insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to improve insomnia in cancer patients, but less is known about its ability to impact fatigue. This work is the analysis for a secondary aim of a four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) study assessing the combined and comparative effect of CBT-I and a wakefulness-promoting agent, armodafinil (A), to improve sleep and daytime functioning in cancer survivors. Herein, we examine the effect of CBT-I, with and without A, on fatigue in cancer survivors. ⋯ CBT-I with and without armodafinil resulted in a clinically and statistically significant reduction of subjective daytime fatigue in cancer survivors with chronic insomnia. Armodafinil did not improve cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and did not change the efficacy of CBT-I. Patients reporting CRF should be screened and, if indicated, treated for insomnia as part of a comprehensive fatigue management program.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of a physical therapy program combined with manual lymphatic drainage on shoulder function, quality of life, lymphedema incidence, and pain in breast cancer patients with axillary web syndrome following axillary dissection.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of physical therapy (PT) combined with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) on shoulder function, pain, lymphedema, visible cords, and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients with axillary web syndrome (AWS). ⋯ PT improves shoulder function, pain, and QOL in breast cancer patients with AWS and combined with MLD decreases arm lymphedema.