Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
ReviewNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of cancer cachexia: a systematic review.
Cancer cachexia is a devastating syndrome of advanced malignancy which negatively impacts on patients' morbidity, mortality and quality of life. Chronic inflammation is a key characteristic of cancer cachexia. Therefore, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be able to break the cycle of cachexia. ⋯ Insufficient studies have been performed to allow a conclusion to be formed with regard to the effectiveness of NSAIDs in the treatment of cachexia in advanced cancer. Major challenges in this patient cohort include the lack of uniformity of inclusion criteria across studies and the frailty of the patients recruited.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
ReviewThe patient's use of metaphor within a palliative care setting: theory, function and efficacy. A narrative literature review.
The modes of communication which patients use are seen as important within the sphere of palliative care and have been the focus of much research. ⋯ The papers reviewed suggest that metaphoric communication allows sensitive subjects to be dealt with and provides benefits for patients. The results suggest that engaging with patients at the metaphoric level enables them to create new ways of viewing their situation and opens up the possibilities of new coping strategies. Finally, some developmental trajectories emanating from the reviewed papers are suggested, which will allow the efficacy of metaphor to be explored further within a palliative care setting.