Improving cancer patients' pain: the impact of the hospital specialist palliative care team

Pain is reported to occur in the majority of patients with advanced cancer and is one of the main reasons for referral to a hospital specialist palliative care team. Yet despite this, there is a paucity of research into the impact the hospital specialist palliative care team has on pain control in patients. A non-equivalent control group design using a quota sample investigated 100 cancer patients who had been admitted to hospital for symptom control. Fifty patients received specialist hospital palliative care team intervention compared with 50 patients receiving traditional care. Outcome was assessed using the Palliative Care Assessment (PACA) tool on three occasions. There was no difference between the groups on the initial assessment and the results indicated that all cancer patients admitted to hospital had a significant improvement in their pain control. However, the patients who had the additional input of the palliative care team demonstrated a statistically significant greater improvement than the control group (P<0.001). Potential explanations are made for the results including the enhanced knowledge and skills of the hospital specialist palliative care team.     

Impact on opioid precipitation of opioid-starting titration path

To investigate the effect clinical path of cancer pain treatments for opioid naive patients has on physician practice, a prepost quasi-experimental study was performed. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of patients who received 'recommended pain treatments' during the study periods. We determined the treatment to be the treatment of choice, if the physician 1) ordered a rescue dose, 2) prescribed a laxative, and 3) prescribed antiemetics when starting opioids. The secondary outcome measure was the number of newly consulted patients for our palliative care team. The end-points were measured before and after disseminating the clinical path. The rate of patients receiving recommended pain treatments significantly increased after disseminating the clinical path(p=0.03): 17%(33/18)to 61%(19/31). Patients who received a rescue order, laxative, or antiemetic when starting opioids were: 44% vs. 68%, 77% vs. 90%, and 66% vs. 77%, respectively. The number of patients newly consulting the palliative care team was increased(21 cases to 42 cases/4 month). In conclusion, the clinical path of cancer pain treatments is useful for improving the physician's practice when starting opioids for cancer pain, and might contribute to enhancing palliative care team availability.     

早期姑息治疗在肺癌治疗中的积极作用

肿瘤姑息治疗医学是一门独立临床学科,世界卫生组织已将其列入全球癌症预防和控制策略的发展纲要。目前作为肺癌多学科治疗的重要组成部分,姑息治疗已被认为应当贯穿诊治的全程。相关随机对照试验表明,早期姑息治疗不仅可以使患者的生存期获得延长,其和照顾者的生活质量得到改善,抑郁症状减少,同时也让医疗资源得以合理分配,在肺癌的治疗中有非常重要的价值。本文对姑息治疗的概念、理念的转变、肺癌姑息治疗的方式、与抗癌治疗的关系及不同阶段肺癌患者接受早期姑息治疗的意义等方面进行综述,旨在为肺癌的综合治疗提供参考。     

Effects of a Self-Monitoring Quality of Life Intervention for Patients with Cancer Receiving Palliative Care in Japan: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Previous studies suggest the use of patient-reported outcome measures in routine clinical practice hasimportant benefits for patients with cancer, particularly as feedback regarding patients’ quality of life (QOL) improvesdoctor-patient communication and clinical decision making. This study aimed to examine the effect of using the CareNotebook as a routine self-monitoring QOL intervention in clinical practice for patients with cancer receiving palliativecare. The results are expected to clarify the practical use of the Care Notebook in this population. Methods: Thisprospective randomized study is being undertaken at Toshima Hospital, Japan. Participating patients who are randomlyassigned to the intervention group will be asked to complete the shortened Care Notebook booklet for patients withcancer in palliative care once each day. A control group will receive usual care. The primary outcome is global healthstatus/QOL (Global QOL), as assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality ofLife Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative. Data will be collected at baseline (after allocation), and at 1 week and 3 weeksin both the control and intervention groups. The effects of the intervention will be evaluated with a mixed randomeffects model. The required sample size is 200 patients. We obtained approval from Toshima Hospital (No 26-11) andthe Tokyo Medical and Dental University Ethics Committee (No 1756). The findings will be disseminated throughpublications in peer-reviewed journals and attendance at domestic and international conferences. The trial was registeredwith the UMIN clinical trials registry (Trial registration number: UMIN000025322). Conclusions: This study willprovide evidence on whether medical staff can use the Care Notebook as a routine self-monitoring QOL intervention inclinical practice for patients with cancer receiving palliative care. We expect that a routine Care Notebook interventionfor patients with cancer will be recommended in healthcare facilities.     

Gastrectomy for gastric cancer: defining critical elements of patient selection and outcome assessment

In advanced gastric cancer, palliation of symptoms, rather than cure, is often the most appropriate goal of patient management. There are important differences among patients undergoing non-curative operations for gastric cancer. The literature to date is limited, in part, by imprecise use of the term palliative. In clinical decision-making, the potential benefits of proposed procedure must be balanced against the duration of hospitalization, treatment of complications, and requirements for additional palliation. Studies designed to measure palliative interventions would benefit from precise designations of palliative intent inpatients receiving non-curative operations.     

The role of doxorubicin and epirubicin in the treatment of patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) is characterized by prevalently osteoblastic bone metastases which are what mostly affect these patients’ quality of life and make the assessment of response to treatment particularly difficult by commonly used criteria. HRPC cannot be cured by any available therapeutic option, and chemotherapy has to be still considered as a palliative treatment. The anthracyclines doxorubicin (Dox) and epirubicin (Epi), alone or in combination with other agents, have been extensively used in the treatment of HRPC, but controversial results have been reported. The majority of reviewed studies reported a pain reduction in >50% of patients receiving Dox or Epi, suggesting a substantial palliative effect by their use in metastatic HRPC. The weekly schedule of anthracyclines seemed to achieve similar results to the 3-weekly schedule but with a better toxicity profile. Although the toxic adverse effects were usually manageable when anthracyclines were combined with other agents, toxicity was severe by a number of aggressive regimens. Docetaxel is today approved for the treatment of HRPC, and must be considered the standard platform on which new agents may be combined. Given that HRPC includes a heterogeneous group of patients with variable rates of tumour growth, the combination of docetaxel with active agents such as anthracyclines may deserve further clinical investigation.     

Complete pathological response of colorectal liver metastases after chemotherapy and bevacizumab treatment: a case report

The vast majority of colorectal cancer patients who present with liver metastases are not initially candidates for hepatic resection. Although the combination of systemic chemotherapy and liver surgery can convert a significant proportion of patients from a palliative situation to a potentially curative situation, the majority of initially unresectable liver metastases do not respond sufficiently to initial chemotherapy to become resectable. More recently the addition of biologic agents (bevacizumab or cetuximab) to cytotoxic chemotherapy has increased the rate of tumor response, suggesting that the addition of these agents could improve resectability rate. Here we report the clinical case of a complete pathological response (pCR) in a 67-year-old male affected by metastatic colorectal cancer, with initially unresectable liver metastases, after treatment with chemotherapy and bevacizumab.     

American Society of Clinical Oncology provisional clinical opinion: the integration of palliative care into standard oncology care

PURPOSE: An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) provisional clinical opinion (PCO) offers timely clinical direction to ASCO's membership following publication or presentation of potentially practice-changing data from major studies. This PCO addresses the integration of palliative care services into standard oncology practice at the time a person is diagnosed with metastatic or advanced cancer. CLINICAL CONTEXT: Palliative care is frequently misconstrued as synonymous with end-of-life care. Palliative care is focused on the relief of suffering, in all of its dimensions, throughout the course of a patient's illness. Although the use of hospice and other palliative care services at the end of life has increased, many patients are enrolled in hospice less than 3 weeks before their death, which limits the benefit they may gain from these services. By potentially improving quality of life (QOL), cost of care, and even survival in patients with metastatic cancer, palliative care has increasing relevance for the care of patients with cancer. Until recently, data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrating the benefits of palliative care in patients with metastatic cancer who are also receiving standard oncology care have not been available. RECENT DATA: Seven published RCTs form the basis of this PCO. PROVISIONAL CLINICAL OPINION: Based on strong evidence from a phase III RCT, patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer should be offered concurrent palliative care and standard oncologic care at initial diagnosis. While a survival benefit from early involvement of palliative care has not yet been demonstrated in other oncology settings, substantial evidence demonstrates that palliative care-when combined with standard cancer care or as the main focus of care-leads to better patient and caregiver outcomes. These include improvement in symptoms, QOL, and patient satisfaction, with reduced caregiver burden. Earlier involvement of palliative care also leads to more appropriate referral to and use of hospice, and reduced use of futile intensive care. While evidence clarifying optimal delivery of palliative care to improve patient outcomes is evolving, no trials to date have demonstrated harm to patients and caregivers, or excessive costs, from early involvement of palliative care. Therefore, it is the Panel's expert consensus that combined standard oncology care and palliative care should be considered early in the course of illness for any patient with metastatic cancer and/or high symptom burden. Strategies to optimize concurrent palliative care and standard oncology care, with evaluation of its impact on important patient and caregiver outcomes (eg, QOL, survival, health care services utilization, and costs) and on society, should be an area of intense research. NOTE: ASCO's provisional clinical opinions (PCOs) reflect expert consensus based on clinical evidence and literature available at the time they are written and are intended to assist physicians in clinical decision making and identify questions and settings for further research. Because of the rapid flow of scientific information in oncology, new evidence may have emerged since the time a PCO was submitted for publication. PCOs are not continually updated and may not reflect the most recent evidence. PCOs cannot account for individual variation among patients and cannot be considered inclusive of all proper methods of care or exclusive of other treatments. It is the responsibility of the treating physician or other health care provider, relying on independent experience and knowledge of the patient, to determine the best course of treatment for the patient. Accordingly, adherence to any PCO is voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding its application to be made by the physician in light of each patient's individual circumstances. ASCO PCOs describe the use of procedures and therapies in clinical trials and cannot be assumed to apply to the use of these interventions in the context of clinical practice. ASCO assumes no responsibility for any injury or damage to persons or property arising out of or related to any use of ASCO's PCOs, or for any errors or omissions.     

Palliative chemotherapy: historical perspective, applications, and controversies

Despite advances in cancer detection and treatment, cancer continues to be a major public health burden in the United States, and patients with advanced or refractory cancers carry much of this burden. The primary goal of cancer treatment is cure. However, most patients with advanced, metastatic, or recurrent disease do not benefit from this intent. Recent research studies have documented the role of chemotherapy in providing symptom control, preventing complications, prolonging life, and improving quality of life (QOL) in patients with incurable cancers. Although chemotherapy under these conditions is palliative, patients receiving chemotherapy or participating in research trials are excluded from receiving much needed palliative services, such as Hospice, based on current definitions, limitations, and models of palliative care. Application of palliative services on a continuum from the time of diagnosis through the end of life (EOL) has been recognized as beneficial in the treatment of patients with terminal diseases and has been addressed through trials assessing mixed management models, providing palliative and therapeutic options.     

A psychological analysis of cancer patients and their next-of-kin

A supportive family environment is thought to enhance the capacity of cancer patients to adapt to their illness and treatment. But families, like patients, vary in their ability to cope with the impact of a cancer diagnosis in a family member and in their ability to fulfill the patient's needs. Increased understanding of the interrelationships between the family's and patient's responses to illness is of fundamental importance to the care of the patient with cancer. A heterogeneous sample of 201 cancer patients and their relatives were studied to determine compatibility of psychological status and to isolate clinical and demographic variables associated with psychological distress. Self-report tests of anxiety, mood disturbance, and mental health were applied. Despite large individual variation, the psychological status of patients and their matched relatives was closely correlated. The patient's treatment status affected both patients and their next-of-kin. Psychological well-being worsened according to whether patients were receiving follow-up care, active treatment, or palliative therapy. These data suggest a mutuality of psychological response between patients and their families. Supportive intervention for the patient or relative who manifests distress, therefore, should benefit both. Because patients and relatives involved with palliative treatment are most in need of psychological assistance, particular attention should be paid to this group, as is attempted in hospice care.     

Palliative chemotherapy preferences and factors that influence patient choice in incurable advanced cancer

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of informed decision-making and treatment preference of Korean patients receiving palliative chemotherapy. METHODS: We assessed 138 patients (median age: 58 years; 73% male) with advanced cancer who had received at least one cycle of chemotherapy. General demographic information, the extent of information received, patient preferences for palliative chemotherapy and randomized trials were determined using structured patient interviews. We investigated the survival threshold for justifying toxicity, the factors influencing individual preference for chemotherapy and the attitude of patients towards randomized trials. RESULTS: Before chemotherapy, 72.1% of patients were given information about adverse events of treatment, but only 39.5% were told of alternative treatments. There was significant inter-individual variability in willingness to accept chemotherapy, as well as a wide range of thresholds. Patients reporting higher quality of life were more likely to judge treatment as acceptable. When given the choice for randomization for conventional chemotherapy, investigational agents or supportive care, patients usually refused enrollment into randomized trials. CONCLUSION: Self-assessed quality of life was a significant predictor of stronger preference for chemotherapy. In the palliative setting, good doctor-patient communications and consideration of patients' preferences are necessary for making decisions about proper treatment.     

Treatment options in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate carcinoma

Prostate cancer represents one of the most important health problems in industrialized countries. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Therapeutic options are different according to the stage of the disease at the diagnosis. Patients with localized disease may be treated with surgery or radiation, whereas the treatment for patients with a metastatic disease is purely palliative. Hormonal treatment represents the standard therapy for stage IV prostate cancer, but patients ultimately become unresponsive to androgen ablation and are classified as hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients. The molecular mechanisms involved in progression in hormone resistance are characterized by mutations, down and up-regulation in the androgen receptor gene, mutations in p53 and over-expression of Bcl2 and other alterations in genes and in gene expression. The important thing is that we understand these mechanisms to define potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients. Conventional options for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer include secondary hormone therapy, radiotherapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. The commonest antineoplastic agents are mitoxantrone, estramustine and taxanes. Despite an improvement in the palliative benefit, none of these agents has demonstrated a beneficial impact on the overall survival of patients. Therefore, there is no standard therapy for these patients, thus we need new approaches which should be studied in clinical trials. The evaluation and incorporation of new agents into current treatment regimens could have a role in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer, but their efficacy has not yet been demonstrated.     

A comparison of mitoxantrone and doxorubicin in breast cancer

Ninety patients with breast cancer refractory to cyclophosphamide/fluorouracil/methotrexate (CMF) have been randomized in their treatment, receiving either doxorubicin or mitoxantrone. Seventy-nine have received two full courses of therapy. Twelve of the 40 (30%) who initially received doxorubicin responded, whereas eight of the 47 (17%) who received mitoxantrone responded. These rates are not statistically different. The degree of myelosuppression was equivalent. Patients who received mitoxantrone had less nausea, vomiting, alopecia, and fatigue. Controllable clinical congestive heart failure developed in seven patients, and four others had a deterioration of noninvasive measures of cardiac function without clinical failure. One patient with clinical heart failure developing received only doxorubicin and one, only mitoxantrone, whereas the others received both agents. The duration of remission and time lapsed before disease progression were almost identical for the two regimens. This study included a crossover design. Two of 22 (10%) patients receiving doxorubicin and five of 24 (21%) receiving mitoxantrone as secondary therapy responded. This suggests that there is not absolute cross-resistance between these agents. We conclude that the efficacy of these two drugs is comparable in patients refractory to CMF, though the nonhematologic side effects of mitoxantrone are less.     

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in patients with prostate cancer treated with cyproterone acetate and radiotherapy

We report the case histories of two patients with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate, both of whom had been treated with steroidal anti-androgen therapy in the form of cyproterone acetate prior to radical or palliative pelvic irradiation, and who subsequently developed femoral head avascular necrosis. This is a diagnosis that should be considered in patients with prostate cancer who present with hip pain in the absence of biochemical evidence of disease progression.     

Insight into the treatment of cancer in older patients: developments in the last decade

In the last decades there has been an increased interest in the treatment of elderly cancer patients and a change in attitude of both clinicians and their patients has occurred. Drugs are now available that might be considered "elderly-friendly" and the enormous advances in surgical procedures and supportive treatments over the recent years have enabled adverse effects to be minimized. A Geriatric Assessment is increasingly used as a tool to define those patients who are more suitable for aggressive chemotherapy or, on the contrary, palliative treatment. For almost all cancers, older patients are better treated today than they were in the past, even though we are still far from optimal management. Despite the perceived barriers to including elderly patients in clinical trials, there are few data to support excluding them. We must not permit increased age in cancer patients to continue to be an important and independent risk factor for receiving inadequate care.     

Depression in palliative care patients – a prospective study

Psychological and psychiatric morbidity can be a major source of distress to terminally ill patients and their relatives and friends. A prospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed depression in palliative care patients and to determine whether factors such as age, previous psychiatric history and perceived social support have any association with the development of depression when patients have advanced metastatic cancer. Patients aged between 18 and 70 years who had a prognosis of ≤6 months and who were receiving palliative care only for advanced metastatic cancer were interviewed using the Present State examination interview and a semi-structured interview to determine social support, information needs and past psychiatric history. One hundred patients were recruited and the prevalence of depression according to International Classification of Diseases 10 criteria was 22%. Perceived informal social support and past psychiatric history were not associated with being a case of depression but perceived information needs had a weak association. Younger patients and patients with breast cancer were more likely to be identified as being cases of depression. Further research is necessary to explore the aetiology and outcome of depression in palliative care. A high index of suspicion for depression should be maintained for younger patients with advanced metastatic cancer.     

Survival of patients with advanced colorectal cancer improves with the availability of fluorouracil-leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin in the course of treatment.

PURPOSE: Fluorouracil (FU)-leucovorin (LV), irinotecan, and oxaliplatin administered alone or in combination have proven effective in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Combination protocols using FU-LV with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin are currently regarded as standard first-line therapies in this disease. However, the importance of the availability of all three active cytotoxic agents, FU-LV, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin, on overall survival (OS) has not yet been evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed data from seven recently published phase III trials in advanced CRC to correlate the percentage of patients receiving second-line therapy and the percentage of patients receiving all three agents with the reported median OS, using a weighted analysis. RESULTS: The reported median OS is significantly correlated with the percentage of patients who received all three drugs in the course of their disease (P =.0008) but not with the percentage of patients who received any second-line therapy (P =.19). In addition, the use of combination protocols as first-line therapy was associated with a significant improvement in median survival of 3.5 months (95% CI, 1.27 to 5.73 months; P =.0083). CONCLUSION: Our results support the strategy of making these three active drugs available to all patients with advanced CRC who are candidates for such therapy to maximize OS. In addition, our findings suggest that, with the availability of effective salvage options, OS should no longer be regarded as the most appropriate end point by which to assess the efficacy of a palliative first-line treatment in CRC.     

Cutaneous Toxicities in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy and Targeted Agents––An Observational Clinical Study

BackgroundSystemic chemotherapy and targeted agents are associated with various cutaneous toxicities. Even though cutaneous toxicities are manageable, it often results in treatment discontinuation and worsens the patients’ quality of life.AimThe study aimed to determine the spectrum of cutaneous toxicities in patients receiving systemic chemotherapy and targeted agents for breast cancer patients.Patients and methodsA total of 250 out of 720 patients with breast cancer who developed various cutaneous toxicities to chemotherapeutic or targeted agents were included in the study.ResultsAmong 250 patients, 57 patients were on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 89 patients were on adjuvant chemotherapy, 68 were on palliative chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer and 36 were on targeted treatment for metastatic breast cancer. The most frequently affected site was hair (96%), followed by skin (92%), nail (34%), and mucosa (26%). The most common dermatological toxicity noticed in our study involved the hair in the form of chemotherapy induced alopecia (anagen effluvium) in 93.6%, followed by skin toxicity with generalized xerosis in 92% and, nail toxicity in 34%, and mucosal toxicity in 26%. The most common chemotherapeutic agent which caused frequent cutaneous toxicities in our patients was docetaxel followed by paclitaxel, capecitabine, doxorubicin, epirubicine, cyclophosphamide, 5-flurouracil and targeted agents like lapatinib, everolimus, and tamoxifen.ConclusionCutaneous toxicities are common following systemic chemotherapy and targeted agents. Early recognition of cutaneous side effects of these agents and prompt early interventions can reduce the significant morbidity, cosmetic disfigurement, unnecessary treatment interruptions, and psychological distress in women treated for breast cancers.     

Lung cancer

Aging society is coming now, the ratio of elderly patients among all lung cancer patients has currently been increasing. It is necessary for elderly patients who are under-represented in clinical trials to study their suitable regimen. Thus, phase II and III clinical trials have been performed specifically for elderly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients all over the world. As for single agent chemotherapy, there is a strong rationale for docetaxel and vinorelbine in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC. Recently, there are phase I and II clinical trial for CPT-11 monotherapy, and gefitinib and TS-1 are reasonable options for elderly patients. Alimta is tolerable for elderly, and subset analysis is performed for the elderly with recurrent NSCLC. As platinum-based chemotherapy, there are several elderly subset analyses and JCOG 0207, which is a phase III trial now in progress comparing weekly cisplatin+weekly docetaxel and weekly docetaxel. In SCLC, there is no evidence of single agent chemotherapy but combination chemotherapy such as carboplatin+etoposide is recommended. A phase III study of carboplatin+etoposide versus amrubicin under way. These studies should aim to optimize several agents for elderly patients and prolong survival, palliative care.