Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2016
Review Multicenter Study Meta AnalysisPrevalence of Neuropathic Pain in Cancer Patients: Pooled Estimates From a Systematic Review of Published Literature and Results From a Survey Conducted in Fifty Italian Palliative Care Centers.
Because of the increasing body of literature on neuropathic cancer pain (NCP), an accurate estimate of its prevalence requires recurring updates. ⋯ The systematic review and the survey suggest that more than one in three patients with cancer pain also experiences NCP.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2016
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudySaw Palmetto for Symptom Management During Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Multicenter Study Observational StudyPatient Related Determinants of the Administration of Continuous Palliative Sedation in Hospices and Palliative Care Units: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study.
Knowledge of determinants that are associated with the administration of continuous palliative sedation (CPS) helps physicians identify patients who are at risk of developing refractory symptoms, thereby enabling proactive care planning. ⋯ Physicians should be aware that patients who use opioids at admission have an increased risk for the administration of CPS at the end of life. In this group of patients, a comprehensive personalized care plan starting at admission is mandatory to try to prevent the development of refractory symptoms. Further research is recommended, to identify other determinants of the administration of CPS and to investigate which early interventions will be effective to prevent the need for CPS in patients at high risk.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2016
Multicenter StudyClinicians' Perspectives on Managing Symptom Clusters in Advanced Cancer: A Semi-Structured Interview Study.
Managing symptom clusters or multiple concurrent symptoms in patients with advanced cancer remains a clinical challenge. The optimal processes constituting effective management of symptom clusters remain uncertain. ⋯ Management of symptom clusters, as both an art and a science, is currently fraught with uncertainty in decision making. Strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, continuity of care, more pragmatic planning of clinical trials to address more than one symptom, and training in symptom cluster management are required.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2016
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyHow Accurately Do Consecutive Cohort Audits Predict Phase III Multisite Clinical Trial Recruitment in Palliative Care?
Audits have been proposed for estimating possible recruitment rates to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but few studies have compared audit data with subsequent recruitment rates. ⋯ The retrospective consecutive case note audit in participating sites did not predict realistic recruitment rates, mostly underestimating the impact of study-specific inclusion criteria. These findings have implications for the applicability of the results of RCTs. Prospective pilot studies are more likely to predict actual recruitment.