Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2012
Delirium in patients with head and neck cancer in the outpatient treatment setting.
Delirium is a common neurocognitive disorder among patients with cancer. In patients with head and neck cancer, delirium has been examined in the postoperative setting. Because no studies have reported on delirium during outpatient cancer treatment, we conducted a prospective study in 69 patients with head and neck cancer to examine neurocognitive function before, during, and after outpatient treatment. We also conducted a retrospective study in a subset of caregivers. In this paper, we report the prevalence and incidence of delirium and subsyndromal delirium (SSD) during outpatient treatment. ⋯ These data suggest that delirium and SSD are frequent in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing outpatient treatment. Delirium was often associated with medical complications. The potential impact of delirium and SSD on treatment outcomes, recovery, and caregiving are significant clinical concerns.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2012
Voice analysis during bad news discussion in oncology: reduced pitch, decreased speaking rate, and nonverbal communication of empathy.
This study was designed to determine if differences exist in the speaking rate and pitch of healthcare providers when discussing bad news versus neutral topics, and to assess listeners' ability to perceive voice differences in the absence of speech content. ⋯ These results suggest that simultaneous assessment of verbal content and multiparameter prosodic analysis of speech is necessary for a more thorough understanding of the expression and perception of empathy. This information has the potential to contribute to the enhancement of communication training design and of oncologists' communication effectiveness.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2012
Knowledge, beliefs, and concerns about opioids, palliative care, and homecare of advanced cancer patients: a nationwide survey in Japan.
Patients' knowledge, beliefs, or concerns about opioids, palliative care, and homecare can be potential barriers to providing quality palliative care. The primary aim of this study was to clarify knowledge about opioids, beliefs about palliative care, and concerns about homecare in advanced cancer patients. ⋯ Advanced cancer patients frequently had incorrect knowledge about opioids, a belief that palliative care is only for terminally ill patients, and concerns about homecare, especially the family burden and responses to sudden changes. Providing appropriate information about the safety of opioids, the availability of palliative care during the entire course of the disease, and realistic information about homecare is of marked importance to promote patients' sense of security.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2012
ReviewDevelopment of cancer needs questionnaire for parents and carers of adolescents and young adults with cancer.
In order to improve the service delivery for the parents and carers of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer, it is important to develop measures which assess the specific issues and concerns faced by this group. The aims of this study were to describe the development and acceptability of a measure of unmet needs of parents and carers of AYA cancer survivors and to assess the prevalence of unmet needs among the respondents. ⋯ The questionnaire developed has demonstrable face and content validity and acceptability. Unmet needs are prevalent among parents and carers of AYA cancer survivors, suggesting the need for further psychometric testing of the measure.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2012
Fatigue in advanced cancer patients attending an outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic as screened by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.
Advanced cancer patients present with a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. Fatigue is one such symptom which reduces overall quality of life and is difficult to manage. The purpose of this study was to report the presence, severity, and correlating factors of fatigue in advanced cancer patients attending an outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic. ⋯ Moderate fatigue was reported in over 66% of our advanced cancer patients prior to radiotherapy. Since radiotherapy inherently causes fatigue, proactive and multidisciplinary management is required for these patients. Similar rates of fatigue severity, in lengthier, fatigue-specific tools, suggest that the ESAS may be a good tool for screening the advanced cancer population.