Clinical lung cancer
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Clinical lung cancer · Nov 2013
Interdisciplinary palliative care intervention in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.
Challenges and barriers continue to hinder the integration of palliative care models into comprehensive, ambulatory oncology care. This article aims to describe how symptoms, distress, and quality of life (QOL) data from the usual care phase of a National Cancer Institute-supported Program Project informed the development of an interdisciplinary, tailored palliative care intervention for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ Patients with metastatic NSCLC continue to experience high symptom burden and diminished physical well-being over time while receiving cancer treatments. An interdisciplinary palliative care intervention is currently being tested to improve symptom burden and overall QOL.
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Clinical lung cancer · Nov 2013
Influence of medical comorbidities on the presentation and outcomes of stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancer.
Non-small-cell lung cancer presentation, treatment, and outcomes vary widely according to socioeconomic factors and other patient characteristics. To determine whether medical comorbidities account for these observations, we incorporated a validated medical comorbidity index into an analysis of patients diagnosed with stage I to III NSCLC. ⋯ In this cohort of patients with stage I to III NSCLC, increasing comorbidity burden had a nonsignificant association with diagnosis at earlier disease stage. Although comorbidity burden was significantly associated with outcome for early stage and locally advanced disease, it did not account for survival differences based on multiple other patient and disease characteristics.
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Clinical lung cancer · Nov 2013
Classifications of n2 non-small-cell lung cancer based on the number and rate of metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes.
Subdivisions of N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases based on metastatic status of mediastinal and non-mediastinal lymph nodes have been proposed. This study aimed to evaluate N2 disease classification by mediastinal lymph nodes alone. ⋯ Classification by number and rate of mediastinal lymph nodes alone enabled subdivision of N2 NSCLC cases. Metastatic status of mediastinal lymph nodes reflects that of all lymph nodes and is prognostic indicators.