The oncologist
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Clinical Trial
Efficacy and Safety of Methadone as a Second-Line Opioid for Cancer Pain in an Outpatient Clinic: A Prospective Open-Label Study.
Most clinical reports on methadone rotation describe outcomes in hospitalized patients. The few studies that have included outpatients are retrospective. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of methadone as a second-line opioid in adult patients with advanced cancer after rotation in routine clinical practice at a palliative care outpatient clinic. ⋯ The results of this study, conducted prospectively under real clinical conditions, support the efficacy and safety of oral methadone as a second-line opioid in ambulatory patients with cancer. Moreover, these findings corroborate previously reported outcomes in retrospective outpatient studies and prospective studies that evaluated inpatient populations. Although more research into methadone rotation strategies is still needed, this study describes a successful tiered scheme of oral methadone rotation that was proven safe and effective during follow-up.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nurse-Led Supportive Care Package (SurvivorCare) for Survivors of Colorectal Cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) and its treatments can cause distressing sequelae. We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial aiming to improve psychological distress, supportive care needs (SCNs), and quality of life (QOL) of patients with CRC. The intervention, called SurvivorCare (SC), comprised educational materials, needs assessment, survivorship care plan, end-of-treatment session, and three follow-up telephone calls. ⋯ Some survivors of colorectal cancer report distressing effects after completing treatment. Strategies to identify and respond to survivors' issues are needed. In a randomized controlled trial, the addition of a nurse-led supportive care package (SurvivorCare) to usual post-treatment care did not impact survivors' distress, quality of life, or unmet needs. However, patients receiving the SurvivorCare intervention were more satisfied with survivorship care. Factors for consideration in the design of subsequent studies are discussed.
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Review
Patient Counseling and Management of Symptoms During Olaparib Therapy for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.
: Our primary objective is to review the safety and tolerability profile of olaparib, a novel anticancer therapy, and to discuss key considerations for symptom management in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Olaparib is the first of a new class of anticancer therapies, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors that target tumors that have deficits in homologous recombination repair (such as BRCA mutations) by a process known as synthetic lethality. Through this process, neither the deficiency in homologous recombination repair nor PARP inhibition alone is cytotoxic, but the combination of these two conditions leads to cell death. In December 2014, olaparib received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as monotherapy for patients with known or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated (as detected by an FDA-approved test) advanced ovarian cancer who had been treated with at least three lines of chemotherapy. Most adverse events (AEs) reported during olaparib clinical trials conducted in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and measurable disease were of grade 2 or less severity according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Fatigue and gastrointestinal AEs are among the most common in ovarian cancer clinical trials and can be particularly bothersome to patients. We focus on interventions to address these AEs in patients who are candidates for treatment with olaparib and allow them to remain on therapy for as long as clinically indicated. ⋯ Olaparib therapy represents a new approach to treating recurrent ovarian cancer. Some associated adverse events can have a substantial effect on quality of life. It is therefore important for patients, caregivers, and health care providers to have realistic expectations and a thorough understanding of the safety and tolerability profile of olaparib to prevent or alleviate key symptoms so that therapy can continue uninterrupted if possible. This report summarizes a practical approach to supportive care for patients receiving olaparib therapy.
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: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which accounts for 10%-15% of lung cancer cases, is an aggressive disease characterized by rapid growth and early widespread metastasis. Although up to 80% of patients respond to first-line chemotherapy, most eventually relapse, and there are no approved agents beyond the second line. Despite the high incidence of mutations in SCLC, to date no targeted therapy has shown a benefit for this patient population, and systemic treatment has not changed significantly during the past 3 decades. Given that extensive-stage SCLC has a 5-year survival rate of only 1%-2%, novel therapies are desperately needed. Recent evidence shows that the immune system is capable of generating antitumor responses against various tumors, including lung cancer, suggesting that immunotherapy may be a viable therapeutic approach to the treatment of patients with SCLC. Of the immunotherapies being investigated for patients with SCLC, antibodies that target the programmed cell death protein-1 (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (ipilimumab) immune checkpoint pathways are perhaps the most promising. Because these immune checkpoint pathways, which under normal circumstances function to protect healthy tissues from damage during inflammatory responses and maintain self-tolerance, can help tumor cells evade elimination by the immune system, they represent potential therapeutic targets. This review discusses the rationale for immunotherapy and the early clinical results of immunotherapeutic agents being investigated in SCLC. ⋯ Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive lung cancer subtype. Despite sensitivity to first-line chemotherapy, SCLC has high recurrence rates, and responses to second-line treatments are poor. Recent evidence shows that the immune system is capable of generating responses against various tumors, including lung cancer, suggesting that immunotherapy may be a viable approach for patients with SCLC. Of several immunotherapies being investigated, antibodies that target the programmed cell death protein-1 (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (ipilimumab) immune checkpoint pathways are among the most promising for patients with SCLC and are the focus of this review.