Articles: cations.
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The aim of the present study was to compare overall survival between stage IVA or stage IVB hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and those who were treated with sorafenib. This retrospective comparative study included 55 patients with stage IVA or IVB HCC in whom TACE was performed as an initial treatment (the TACE group) and 56 patients with stage IVA or IVB HCC to whom sorafenib was administered (the sorafenib group). We compared the overall survival between these two groups. ⋯ In terms of overall survival, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.814). In subgroup analyses, according to HCC stage [stage IVA (P=0.266) or stage IVB (P=0.183)] and Child-Pugh classification [Child-Pugh A (P=0.915) or Child-Pugh B (P=0.676)], there were also no significant differences between the two groups. In conclusion, our study results suggest that TACE could serve as a first-line treatment for stage IV HCC patients as well as sorafenib therapy.
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In order to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oxycodone in moderate-severe cancer-related pain, we conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Publications addressing the efficacy and tolerability of oxycodone in moderate-severe cancer-related pain were selected from the Cochrane library, PubMed, Embase and CBM databases. Data were extracted from the studies by two independent reviewers. ⋯ In addition, there were statistically significant differences between oxycodone and other strong opioids in cancer-related pain on the obvious effective rate and the overall effective rate (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.40-2.95; P=0.0002; OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.09-3.44; P=0.02, respectively). Compared with other strong opioids, nausea and constipation occurred significantly less frequently with the use of oxycodone for cancer-related pain (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.32-0.85, P=0.009; OR= 0.55, 95% CI= 0.35-0.87, P= 0.01; respectively). In conclusion, this meta-analysis confirms that the efficacy and tolerability of oxycodone are superior to those of other strong opioids, including morphine sulfate, codeine and tramadol, supporting its use as an opioid for cancer-related pain.