Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyBrief versions of the FACIT-fatigue and FAACT subscales for patients with non-small cell lung cancer cachexia.
Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is common in advanced cancer patients and associated with weight loss, fatigue, impaired quality of life (QoL), and poor prognosis. The goal of this project was to identify the most responsive items from two QoL measures in the ROMANA 2 (NCT01387282) phase III global study evaluating anamorelin HCl in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cachexia: the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) and the Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT). ⋯ These brief scales provide the psychometric properties necessary to promote future research in NSCLC patients with CACS. Additional work should examine the clinical utility of these scales and their impact on treatment decision-making.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyThe impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study.
The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of music therapy (MT) versus music medicine (MM) interventions on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients and to enhance understanding of patients' experiences of these two types of music interventions. ⋯ The findings of this study advocate for the use of music in cancer care. Treatment benefits may depend on patient characteristics such as outlook on life and readiness to explore emotions related to the cancer experience.
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Our study explores socioeconomic, treatment-related, and psychological experiences of parents during cancer treatment of their children at an academic hospital in Kenya. ⋯ Parents suffer financial hardships and are dissatisfied with doctors' communication regarding their children's condition. CAM is very commonly used. Doctors need to improve their communication skills and discuss CAM more openly. Cancer programs should include more support for parents: financial assistance, a facility where parents and children can stay during the course of therapy, and parent support groups.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2015
Increased rates of local complication of central venous catheters in the targeted anticancer therapy era: a 2-year retrospective analysis.
Totally implantable central venous accesses (port-a-cath) are often used for chemotherapy administration or prolonged intravenous infusions in cancer patients. Local and systemic complications may occur both during and after placement of port-a-cath despite the well-established techniques for its placement and care. Out of other catheter-related local complications, thrombosis and infections represent the most common. Complications related to central venous catheter may be associated with infusion of both conventional chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy. Incidence and nature of complications of central venous catheter have been well established for long-term chemotherapy. However, very sparse data exists on the incidence of complications of molecularly targeted therapies administered through a central venous catheter. Hence, we decided to retrospectively analyze the local complications of a central venous catheter in patients receiving molecularly targeted therapy and conventional chemotherapy, respectively. ⋯ Molecularly targeted therapy may influence the occurrence of BCs, i.e., infection and dehiscence. Onset of BCs occurred earlier in patients receiving biological drugs (more frequently with bevacizumab than with anti-EGFR therapy) than those undergoing traditional chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to ascertain the findings of our study and to elucidate the reason for the higher incidence of catheter-related complications.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2015
ReviewPharmacological options for the management of refractory cancer pain-what is the evidence?
Refractory cancer pain that does not respond to standard opioid and/or co-analgesic therapy occurs in 10-20 % of patients. Risk factors include young age, neuropathic pain type, incident pain, psychological distress, previous opioid use, high tolerance, a history of addiction and impaired cognition. The management of patients with refractory pain remains a challenge. ⋯ The evidence of benefit for any of these agents is weak, and each additional agent increases the risk of adverse events. Evidence-based guidelines cannot, therefore, be developed at present. New approaches are recommended including targeted opioid therapy, multimodal analgesia, a goal-oriented approach to pain management and increasing use of the multidisciplinary team and support services.