Supportive Care in Cancer: Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer

PURPOSE: Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality seen in hospitalized patients. It may cause a variety of symptoms and is associated with longer hospitalizations and higher mortality. However, to date, only little is known about the extent of hyponatremia in patients with incurable diseases and whether it is associated with physical symptoms in this patient group. This study aims to describe the prevalence of hyponatremia, associated symptoms, and symptom intensity in inpatients with hyponatremia receiving specialist palliative care (SPC)...

PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to determine how carer needs changed longitudinally and understand associations between unmet needs and distress. METHODS: Family carers of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) were recruited. Carers completed questionnaires during patients' chemoradiotherapy (T1), 3 months (T2) and 6 months (T3) including the following: the Distress Thermometer, the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Partner and Carer Supportive Care (PCS) Needs Scale and its supplement the Access to Services Needs Scale and the Brain Tumour Specific Supportive Care Needs Scale...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiemetic effect of the dopamine D2- and dopamine D3-receptor antagonist, amisulpride, in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy. METHODS: This dose-finding, non-comparative study investigated the antiemetic effect and safety of increasing doses (2.5, 7.5 and 20 mg) of amisulpride against acute nausea and vomiting in the period 0-24 h after initiation of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The 20 mg dose was also investigated in combination with the 5-HT3-receptor antagonist, ondansetron...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine effects of group music intervention and self-directed music intervention on anxiety, depression, and cognitive appraisal among women with breast cancer. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design randomly assigned 60 women undergoing chemotherapy to 3 groups: group music intervention, self-directed music intervention, or a control group. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale were administered before, after the 8-week interventions, and at 3-month follow-up...

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer remains the number 1 lethal malignancy in women. With rising incidence and decreased mortality, the number of breast cancer survivors has increased. Consequently, sequelae, such as pain, are becoming more important. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of pain in breast cancer survivors. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science were systematically screened for studies encompassing risk factors for the development of pain in breast cancer survivors...

INTRODUCTION: To give informed consent, a patient needs to sufficiently understand the information provided by a physician to decide among treatment options. Although shared decision-making is becoming an important aspect of patient-centered care, little is known about decision-making by cancer patients in Korea. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed Korean cancer patients' understanding of treatment goals and the need to obtain further information after a physician obtained informed consent for radiotherapy...

While advances in biomedicine exist for cancer, its diagnosis and treatment still bring the threat of mortality to the forefront of spouses' lives. Family conflict is largely due to unmet expectations that generate a lot of physical and emotional distress for spouses, as the primary surrogates. Moreover, older individuals in Hong Kong tend to lack control of where they die and who is present at the end of their lives. Deeper understanding of Chinese spouses' perspectives is needed to generate new insights, particularly in how spouses cope with caregiving...

PURPOSE: Parents with advanced cancer are faced with difficult decision-making about communication about their illness with their children. The objectives of this study were to describe how parents communicated with their children about advanced cancer and to explore associations between communication and parental depression and anxiety. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study of 42 patients with stage IV solid tumor malignancies who had at least one child less than 18 years of age...

OBJECTIVE: Although clinical guidelines recommend administration of pegfilgrastim 1-4 days after a myelosuppressive chemotherapy cycle to decrease the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN), some physicians administer pegfilgrastim on the same day as chemotherapy administration. A novel on-body injector (OBI) that automatically delivers pegfilgrastim the day after chemotherapy is also available. Our objective was to estimate patient and physician preferences among the pegfilgrastim administration options...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PROPOSAL: Model of early palliative care (PC) integrated in oncology is based on shared care from the diagnosis to the end of life and is mainly focused on patients with greater complexity. However, there is no definition or tools to evaluate PC complexity. The objectives of the study were to identify the factors influencing level determination of complexity, propose predictive models, and build a complexity scale of PC. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We performed a prospective, observational, multicenter study in a cohort of advanced cancer patients with an estimated prognosis ≤ 6 months...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to test the effect of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional competence on cancer patients' supportive care needs, as mediated by anxiety and depression symptoms. METHODS: Cross-sectional design: 137 cancer patients (42% breast or ovarian cancer, 58% gastrointestinal cancer) in 4 French hospitals completed the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form (SCNS-SF)...

PURPOSE: Oncologists are making treatment decisions on increasing numbers of older patients with cancer. Due to comorbidities and frailty that increase with age, such decisions are often complex. We determined factors influencing oncologists' decisions to prescribe chemotherapy for older adults. METHODS: Members of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) were invited to complete an online survey in February to April 2016. RESULTS: Ninety-three oncologists completed the survey of which 69 (74%) were consultants and 24 (26%) were trainees, with most (72, 77%) working predominantly in a public hospital-associated practice...

PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated the effect of palonosetron on delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in lymphoma patients receiving the CHOP regimen. We conducted a prospective clinical trial to assess the efficacy of palonosetron in patients receiving the CHOP regimen. METHODS: Complete control (CC: emesis-free and mild nausea) during delayed phase (24-120 h) was the primary endpoint. The secondary endpoint was complete response (CR: emesis-free) during acute (0-24 h), delayed, and overall phases (0-120 h), and CC during acute and overall phases...

PURPOSE: African-American (AA) female cancer survivors share a disproportionate burden of diabetes compared to their white counterparts. Our objectives were to explore the perspectives of AA survivors with type 2 diabetes on perceived barriers to physical activity (PA) and preferences for a PA intervention and develop a framework for a PA program after cancer treatment. METHODS: Trained interviewers conducted semi-structured interviews with AA survivors of breast or endometrial cancer with diabetes (total n = 20; 16 breast, 4 endometrial)...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the social work service at an accommodation facility for people receiving cancer treatment away from home with a focus on distress, impact of support, and type of assistance received from the social work service. METHOD: Guests who stayed at the Cancer Council Lodge during June 2015 were mailed a questionnaire collecting information about level of distress upon arrival and departure, impact of support in several areas, and what the service assisted them with specifically...

PURPOSE: Totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAP) have been widely used for many years in the management of patients suffering from cancer. The implantation and long-term use of TIVAPs are associated with mechanical, thrombotic, and infectious complications. This is the first exhaustive prospective study of all complications occurring in a whole population on long-term follow-up and therefore allows an objective assessment to be made of the safety of TIVAPs. METHODS: We carried out a prospective single-center observational study...

INTRODUCTION: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are the preferred therapy for postmenopausal women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. However, their use causes bone loss and increased risks of osteoporosis and fractures. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all postmenopausal women with breast cancer diagnosed and treated with AI between 2010 and 2015. Of the 564 women identified, 319 were eligible. RESULTS: The median age at AI initiation was 65 years (range 51-85 years), and the median duration of AI therapy was 28 months (1-72 months)...

GOALS OF WORK: The beneficial effects of exercise in cancer patients are reasonably well-established, although research in this field has predominantly investigated cancer patients in the earlier stages of disease. However, the most recent evidence surrounding exercise interventions in advanced cancer populations has yet to be systematically evaluated. This review critically analyses the safety and feasibility of exercise interventions in patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: All randomised, non-randomised and prospective observational trials of exercise training interventions in patients with advanced cancer were included...

PURPOSE: Geriatric assessment and management (GAM) can identify current health issues and recommend interventions to optimize well-being of older adults, but no randomized trial has yet been completed in oncology. Therefore, a randomized phase 2 trial was conducted. METHODS: A two-group parallel single-blinded randomized phase II trial ( ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02222259) enrolled patients aged ≥70 years, diagnosed with stage 2-4 gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or breast cancer within 6 weeks of commencing chemotherapy at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre...