Search results for " cancer patient"
showing 10 items of 43 documents
Patients With Cancer and COVID-19: A WhatsApp Messenger-Based Survey of Patients' Queries, Needs, Fears, and Actions Taken
2020
PURPOSE This descriptive investigation was undertaken at three oncology units to report queries, needs, and fears related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) of patients with cancer and to avoid uncontrolled treatment delays or withdrawal, behavioral mistakes, and panic. PATIENTS AND METHODS All queries spontaneously delivered through the WhatsApp instant messaging system commonly used by patients to communicate with oncology units were collected and grouped by homology in five categories. Responses to the queries were given according to recommendations by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology through WhatsApp and by subsequent phone calls. Patients were also…
Fentanyl buccal tablets for breakthrough pain in highly tolerant cancer patients: preliminary data on the proportionality between breakthrough pain d…
2011
Abstract Context Cancer patients receiving high doses of opioids as background medication are challenging, and it would be useful clinically to know whether a rapid-onset opioid (ROO) for breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) may be started at a dose proportional to the background opioid dose. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) in doses proportional to the opioid dose administered for background analgesia in a sample of patients with BTcP who were receiving high doses of opioids. Methods Twelve patients who were receiving opioids for background analgesia at doses equivalent to more than 500 mg of oral morphine and had adequat…
Pain Mechanisms Involved and Outcome in Advanced Cancer Patients with Possible Indications for Celiac Plexus Block and Superior Hypogastric Plexus Bl…
2002
Aims and Background There is controversy about the role of neurolytic sympathetic blocks in advanced cancer, when pain syndromes may assume other characteristics, with a possible involvement of structures other than visceral. The aim of the present study was to assess the pain characteristics and the analgesic response of a consecutive sample of home care patients with pancreatic and pelvic pain, which would have possible indications for a celiac plexus block and a superior hypogastric block, respectively. Methods From January 1999 to December 1999, 400 consecutive advanced cancer patients were surveyed for a prospective longitudinal survey. We considered only patients who had pancreatic ca…
Cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term warfarin because of surgery or chemotherapy induced thrombocytopenia: The use of fixed sub-therap…
2012
No data are available regarding the management of cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) therapy. For this purpose, we tested the efficacy and safety of fixed doses of low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in substitution of VKA because of invasive procedures or chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. In cancer patients on VKA, therapy was discontinued 5 ± 1 days before surgery or chemotherapy. Heparin was given at prophylactic dosage in patients at low risk and at fixed subtherapeutic doses (3,800 or 4,000 UI anti-FXa, b.i.d.) in those at high-risk for thrombosis. LMWH was reinitiated 12 hr after surgery and VKA the day after. In patients receiving chem…
A Prospective Randomized Study of Corticosteroids as Adjuvant Drugs to Opioids in Advanced Cancer Patients
2007
This randomized controlled study evaluated the role of corticosteroids as adjuvants to opioid therapy in 76 advanced cancer patients with pain who requiring strong opioids. Patients were divided in 2 groups. Group O received conventional opioid treatment. Group OS received dexamethasone (8 mg orally) along with conventional treatment. Pain and symptom intensity, sense of well-being, and opioid escalation index and distress score were recorded at weekly intervals until death. No differences in pain intensity, opioid consumption, and opioid escalation index were found in 66 patients who survived 33 to 37 days. Corticosteroids did not provide significant additional analgesia to opioids, but p…
Patients' and relatives' perceptions about intravenous and subcutaneous hydration.
2005
Hydration during palliative care is a controversial topic. Most of the arguments are based on anedoctal reports that have not been substantiated with scientific data. Given that the choice is problematic from a clinical perspective, preferences of patients and family should dictate whether intravenous fluids are administered. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient and family perceptions about hydration and two modes of providing hydration. Fifty-four consecutive patients admitted to an acute pain relief and palliative care unit who required hydration completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions on hydration and modes of hydration. Similarly, the principal family carer was ch…
Pattern and characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices in Italy
2013
Abstract The aim of this multicenter study was to assess the pattern and the characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices. A consecutive sample of patients admitted in a period of 6 months was taken into consideration. Two hundred thirty-six patients admitted to hospices were consecutively assessed. Ninety-six percent of patients were admitted in acute hospital in the previous 3 months, with a mean time spent in hospital of 34.5 days, and 47 % of patients had received chemotherapy the month before hospice admission. Thirty-four percent of patients for whom data were available had significant persistent pain, and 44 % of them presented episodes of breakthrough pain. Sixty…
Changes in microflora in dental plaque from cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and the relationship of these changes with mucositis: a pilot stu…
2015
Background: To assess changes in oral microflora in dental plaque from cancer patients within 7 days of the first course of chemotherapy, and the relationship of the changes with mucositis. Material and Methods: Thirty cancer patients, divided into a test group undergoing chemotherapy and a control group no undergoing chemotherapy, were enrolled in this pilot study. Oral microflora were cultured from three samples of dental plaque at t0 (before chemotherapy), t1 (1 day after chemotherapy) and t2 (7 days after chemotherapy). Single and crossed descriptive analyses were used to establish prevalence, and the χ 2 test was used to establish the statistical significance of the differences observe…
Gene ontology-based annotation and comparative analysis of proteins extracted from proteomics of 100 breast cancer patients.
2009
Background: Current clinical parameters for breast cancer diagnosis and therapy are: tumour size, axillary lymph node status, histological grading and presence or absence of metastases. Prognostic/predictive properties, such as oestrogen and progesterone receptor status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2/neu) status are currently used for therapeutic decision. Conversely, it is now emerging that the number of genetic mutations and epigenetic deregulations in cancer is far more higher than previously thought. Therefore, proteomic screening for differential protein expression in subsets of tumor samples is an essential tool for generating data bases and biomarker discovery. Th…
Optimal duration of low molecular weight heparin for the treatment of cancer-related deep vein thrombosis. The ”CANCER DACUS” study
2014
Purpose We evaluated the role of residual vein thrombosis (RVT) to assess the optimal duration of anticoagulants in patients with cancer who have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs. Patients and Methods Patients with active cancer and a first episode of DVT treated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for 6 months were eligible. Patients were managed according to RVT findings: those with RVT were randomly assigned to continue LMWH for an additional 6 months (group A1) or to discontinue it (group A2), and patients without RVT stopped LMWH (group B). The primary end point was recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) during the 1 year after disconinuation of LMWH, and the secondar…