Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of the acceptability and benefits of two mindfulness-based interventions in women with breast or gynecologic cancer: a pilot study.
The aim of this study was to compare the relative benefits and acceptability of two different group-based mindfulness psychotherapy interventions among women with breast and gynecologic cancer. ⋯ Within the limits of a small, non-randomized study, these findings provide preliminary support for the utility of a brief mindfulness intervention for improving distress and QOL in a heterogeneous group of women with cancer. Abbreviated interventions are less resource intensive and may be attractive to very unwell patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2015
C-reactive protein and the MASCC risk index identify high-risk patients with febrile neutropenia and hematologic neoplasms.
The objective of this study is to assess the prognostic usefulness of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk score in association with the value of C-reactive protein (CRP) to identify high-risk patients with febrile neutropenia and hematologic neoplasms. ⋯ The MASCC risk score combined with the mean CRP value successfully identifies patients with febrile neutropenia and hematological malignancies and a high risk of death.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2015
The oncology palliative care clinic at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre: an early intervention model for patients with advanced cancer.
Several recently published randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the benefits of early palliative care involvement for patients with advanced cancer. In the oncology outpatient setting, palliative care clinics are an ideal site for the provision of early, collaborative support, which can be maintained throughout the cancer trajectory. Despite this, access to ambulatory palliative care clinics is limited, even at tertiary cancer centres. ⋯ We describe the development and expansion of an outpatient palliative care clinic at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada, demonstrating how the clinic functions at a local and regional level. This clinic served as the intervention for a recent large cluster-randomized trial of early palliative care. The model for this service can be adapted by other palliative care programs that aim to provide early, integrated oncology care.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2015
Association between the duration of palliative care service and survival in terminal cancer patients.
Preliminary studies of early palliative care showed improved quality of life, less medical cost, and better survival time. But, most terminal cancer patients tend to be referred to palliative care late. For the proper care of terminal cancer patients, it is necessary to refer to hospice and palliative care timely. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the duration of palliative care services on the survival in terminal cancer patients. ⋯ Shorter duration of palliative care services showed poor prognostic factor. Timely referral system from the end of chemotherapy is warranted.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2015
The impact of hospice care on survival and cost saving among patients with liver cancer: a national longitudinal population-based study in Taiwan.
The aim of this study was to compare health-care expenditures and survival of these terminally ill patients receiving or not receiving hospice care in their last month of life. ⋯ Hospice care did not significantly affect survival, and hospice patients had lower per-patient expenditures and were less likely to require high-cost medical care than their non-hospice counterparts.