Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2015
Development of clinical practice guidelines for supportive care in childhood cancer--prioritization of topics using a Delphi approach.
Currently, very few guidelines for supportive care for children with cancer exist. In the Netherlands, nationwide guidelines are over 10 years old and mostly based on expert opinion. Consequently, there is growing support and need for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), which ought to be developed with a well-defined methodology and include a systematic search of literature, evidence summaries, and a transparent description of the decision process for the final recommendations. Development of CPGs is time consuming; therefore, it is important to prioritize topics for which there is the greatest clinical demand. ⋯ We successfully used a Delphi survey to prioritize childhood cancer supportive care topics for the development of CPGs. This is a first step towards uniform and evidence-based Dutch guidelines in supportive care in childhood cancer. Even though performed nationally, we believe that this study can also be regarded as an example starting point for international development of CPGs in the field of supportive care in cancer or any other field for that matter.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyImproved patient functioning after treatment of breakthrough cancer pain: an open-label study of fentanyl buccal tablet in patients with cancer pain.
This open-label study evaluated the effects of fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) on functioning and mood in cancer patients with breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP). ⋯ FBT may improve patient functioning, mood, and overall satisfaction in the management of BTcP. Long-term data did not indicate new safety concerns with FBT doses up to 800 μg.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2015
ReviewThe psychometric properties of cancer multisymptom assessment instruments: a clinical review.
Various instruments are used to assess both individual and multiple cancer symptoms. We evaluated the psychometric properties of cancer multisymptom assessment instruments. ⋯ The MDASI appeared to be the best overall from a psychometric perspective. This was followed by the ESAS, ESAS-Spanish, POMS, SDS, and some MDASI translations. VRS-based instruments were most common. There was a wide range of psychometric rigor in validation. Consequently, meta-analysis was not possible. Most cancer multisymptom assessment instruments need further extensive validation to establish the excellent reliability and validity required for clinical utility and meaningful research.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialUnique characteristics of informal hospice cancer caregiving.
The purpose of this study was to describe the unique characteristics of informal hospice cancer caregiving. ⋯ While cancer and non-cancer caregivers are similar in many respects, a number of unique features characterize the informal hospice cancer caregiving experience. Attention to these unique features will allow hospice providers to tailor supportive care interventions to better address cancer caregivers' needs.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2015
Comparative StudyValue of lipopolysaccharide binding protein as diagnostic marker of infection in adult cancer patients with febrile neutropenia: comparison with C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin 6.
Early detection of infection is essential for initial management of cancer patients with chemotherapy-associated febrile neutropenia in the emergency department. In this study, we evaluated lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) as predictor for infection in febrile neutropenia and compared with other biomarkers previously studied: C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin (IL)-6. ⋯ On admission, LBP has a similar diagnostic accuracy than PCT or IL-6 for the diagnosis of infection and might be used as additional diagnostic tool in adult cancer patients with chemotherapy-associated febrile neutropenia.