Search

Fatigue has been mentioned as an important complaint in several groups of disease-free patients after curative treatment for cancer. However, it has never been investigated in a sample of patients who have been treated for a bone or soft tissue tumor in the past. In the current study, these patients participated. Measurement included posted questionnaires at baseline and at follow-up (two years later). Baseline results indicated that fatigue is a severe problem for 28% of the investigated patients. Percentages were equal for patients who were treated for malignant or benign tumors. Fatigue complaints seem to be most severe for patients who finished treatment relatively recently, and for patients who had to undergo more than one operation. In addition, fatigue was associated with several psychological and physical variables. At follow-up, the majority of all patients who were severely fatigued at baseline continued to be severely fatigued. Severe fatigue at follow-up was predicted by oncological complications after initial treatment, less optimism, and more somatization. It can be concluded that fatigue is an important problem for more than a quarter of a sample of patients who have been treated for a malignant or benign bone or soft tissue tumor in the past. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Context: A gold standard or validated tool for monitoring the level of discomfort during continuous palliative sedation (CPS) is lacking. Therefore, little is known about the course of discomfort in sedated patients, the efficacy of CPS, and the determinants of discomfort during CPS.Objectives: To identify the course of discomfort in patients receiving CPS.Methods: A prospective observational multicenter study in nine hospices and palliative care units was performed. The Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT) was independently assessed for monitoring of patient discomfort during CPS. The DS-DAT scores range from 0 (no observed discomfort) to a maximum of 27 (high level of observed discomfort). Using a mixed model, the mean group score of discomfort between four predefined time frames of CPS was compared, correcting for confounding patient characteristics.Results: A total of 130 patients were sedated, and the DS-DAT was completed in 106 patients at least once. The median duration of the sedation in these 106 patients was 25.5 hours (range 2-161). The mean score of the DS-DAT in the phase before sedation was 12.16 (95% CI 9.83-14.50) and decreased significantly to 8.06 (95% CI 5.53-10.58) in the titration phase of sedation. The mean score of the DS-DAT in the final phase of sedation was 7.42 (95% CI 4.90-9.94).Conclusion: This study shows that CPS is associated with a decrease in the level of discomfort within an acceptable time frame, although in some sedated patients higher levels of discomfort in the last hours of life occurred. Although the DS-DAT seems to be of value for monitoring the level of discomfort during CPS, the results of this study should be interpreted within the constraints of the limitations, and further research on the psychometric properties of this tool is needed before the DS-DAT can be used in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Knowledge of determinants that are associated with the administration of continuous palliative sedation (CPS) helps physicians identify patients who are at risk of developing refractory symptoms, thereby enabling proactive care planning.Objectives: This study aims to explore which patient-related factors at admission are associated with receiving CPS later in the terminal phase of life.Methods: A prospective multicenter observational study was performed in six Dutch hospices and three nursing home-based palliative care units. The association between patient-related variables at admission (age, gender, diagnosis, use of opioids or psycholeptics, number of medications, Karnofsky Performance Status scale score, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System distress score, and Glasgow Coma Scale score) and the administration of CPS at the end of life was analyzed.Results: A total of 467 patients died during the study period, of whom 130 received CPS. In univariate analysis, statistically significant differences were noted between the sedated and nonsedated patients with respect to younger age (P = 0.009), malignancy as a diagnosis (P = 0.05), higher Karnofsky Performance Status score (P = 0.03), the use of opioids (P < 0.001), the use of psycholeptics (P = 0.003), and higher Edmonton Symptom Assessment System distress score (P = 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only the use of opioids at admission (odds ratio 1.90; 95% confidence interval 1.18-3.05) was significantly associated with the administration of CPS.Conclusion: Physicians should be aware that patients who use opioids at admission have an increased risk for the administration of CPS at the end of life. In this group of patients, a comprehensive personalized care plan starting at admission is mandatory to try to prevent the development of refractory symptoms. Further research is recommended, to identify other determinants of the administration of CPS and to investigate which early interventions will be effective to prevent the need for CPS in patients at high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Fatigue is investigated in 57 severely fatigued disease-free breast cancer patients and in 57 gender- and age-matched patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using multidimensional and multimethod assessment. A comparison between these groups of patients is important to determine whether a cognitive behavioural intervention to reduce fatigue in CFS patients would be appropriate as well for severely fatigued disease-free breast cancer patients.Methods: Measurement included computerised questionnaires and a standardised neuropsychological test. Furthermore, patients filled out a daily Self-Observation List (SOL) and wore an actometer during a period of 12 days.Results: In comparison to severely fatigued disease-free breast cancer patients, CFS patients score more problematic with regard to the level of fatigue, functional impairment, physical activity, pain and self-efficacy. However, a subgroup of severely fatigued disease-free breast cancer patients reports the same amount of problems as CFS patients with regard to psychological well-being, sleep and concentration. Finally, CFS patients and severely fatigued breast cancer patients score equal on measures of social support.Conclusion: There seem to be some similarities but also many differences between severely fatigued breast cancer survivors and females with CFS. Therefore, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to reduce fatigue after treatment for cancer should also differ in certain aspects from cognitive behaviour therapy as it has been developed for patients with CFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]