Cancer
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Cancer patients who use tobacco demonstrate characteristics of strong nicotine dependence and are at increased risk for future tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Continued smoking may contribute to poorer cancer treatment outcome and additional illness. In contrast, stopping smoking may improve quality of life and facilitate cancer treatment. Unfortunately, limited attention has been given to addressing tobacco use and treating nicotine dependence in cancer patients. ⋯ Cancer patients are able to stop smoking and benefit from intervention. Treatment of nicotine dependence in cancer patients merits attention from researchers and healthcare providers. The health risks of continued smoking and clear benefits of tobacco abstinence provide an ethical imperative for treating nicotine dependence in cancer patients. Research is needed to evaluate effective intervention with the overall goal of promoting tobacco abstinence to benefit oncology treatment and patient health.
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Chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis (CINE) is one of the most dreaded side effects of cancer therapy. To investigate the influence of these symptoms on a patient's quality of life (QOL), a validated tool measuring many domains is needed. ⋯ A CINE QOL questionnaire that successfully measures the short-term impact of nausea, emesis, and retching on patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapy has been developed, largely as a battery of preexisting questionnaires. The psychometric properties of the new questionnaire show adequate reliability and validity to warrant its use in clinical trials and outcomes studies. CINE adversely affects many domains within a patient's QOL.