Papadeas, E., Naxakis, S., Riga, M., & Kalofonos. C. (2007). Prevention of 5-fluorouracil-related stomatitis by oral cryotherapy: A randomized controlled study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 11, 60–65.
Pandya, K.J., Morrow, G.R., Roscoe, J.A., Zhao, H., Hickok, J.T., Pajon, E., … Flynn, P.J. (2005). Gabapentin for hot flashes in 420 women with breast cancer: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Lancet, 366, 818–824.
Assess efficacy of gabapentin in controlling hot flashes in women with breast cancer
Patients were randomized to placebo, gabapentin 300 mg/day, or gabapentin 300 mg three times a day for eight weeks.
University community clinic oncology program
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-institutional trial.
Decreases in hot flash severity scores between baseline and weeks 4 and 8, respectively were: 21% and 15% in the placebo group; 33% and 31% in the group assigned gabapentin 300 mg; and 49% and 46% in the group assigned gabapentin 900 mg. The differences between the groups were significant (p = 0.0001 at four weeks and p = 0.007 at eight weeks by analysis of covariance for overall treatment effect).
Gabapentin was effective in control of hot flashes at a dose of 900 mg/day but not at a dose of 300 mg/day.
Pandya, K.J., Raubertas, R.F., Flynn, P.J., Hynes, H.E., Rosenbluth, R.J., Kirshner, J.J., … Morrow, G.R. (2000). Oral clonidine in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer experiencing tamoxifen-induced hot flashes: A University of Rochester Cancer Center community clinical oncology program study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 132, 788–793.
The study evaluated oral clonidine in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer experiencing tamoxifen-induced hot flashes.
Participants received oral clonidine hydrochloride 0.1 mg daily or placebo at bedtime for eight weeks.
The study enrolled 198 postmenopausal women (mean age 71 years) with breast cancer taking tamoxifen and stratified by time since menopause (less than three years, more than three years), duration of tamoxifen use (less than one year; longer than one year), and baseline frequency of hot flashes (less than 10 per day, more than 10 per/day). One hundred forty-nine (149) completed the study. Of the participants, 99 received clonidine and 99 received the placebo.
A community oncology clinic conducted the study.
The study was a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Measures included:
One hundred forty-nine (149) of 198 completed 12 weeks of follow-up (73 in clonidine group and 76 in placebo group.) Oral clonidine was shown to be effective. The mean decrease in hot flash frequency was greater in the clonidine group after week 4 (37% to 20%) and week 8 (38% to 24%). The clonidine group had more difficulty with sleep (41%–21%). A significant difference was seen in the mean change in QOL scale (p = 0.02) at 8 weeks.
Limitations included:
Panahi, Y., Ala, S., Saeedi, M., Okhovatian, A., Bazzaz, N., & Naghizadeh, M. (2010). Allopurinol mouth rinse for prophylaxis of fluorouracil-induced mucositis. European Journal of Cancer Care, 19(3), 308–312.
To prepare and evaluate an allopurinol mouth rinse for prophylaxis of fluorouracil-induced mucositis
Allopurinol mouthwash (1 mg/ml) or placebo was administered 1, 2, and 3 hours after chemotherapy and three consecutive nights for 30 seconds. Patients were instructed to neither wash their mouths nor to eat and drink for 15 minutes afterward.
This was a single-site, outpatient study conducted in a clinic in Sari, Iran.
This was a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial.
An independent physician completed questionnaires consisting of demographic parameters, medical status, quality-of-life survey, and mucosal injury scoring table (based on World Health Organization [WHO] scales for mucositis).
No significant differences were found between the groups with regard to occurrence and severity of mucositis.
Because of compliance issues with the mouth rinse regimen, low concentration of the allopurinol in the rinse, and a small sample size, the treatment was deemed ineffective in prevention and severity of mucositis. Further studies are needed once the limitations are removed.
Panahi, Y., Saadat, A., Sahebkar, A., Hashemian, F., Taghikhani, M., & Abolhasani, E. (2012). Effect of ginger on acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A pilot, randomized, open-label clinical trial. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 11, 204-211.
To evaluate the effects of ginger on acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in women being treated for breast cancer
Consecutive patients were alternatively assigned to the treatment or control group. Those in the treatment group were given 1.5 g ginger per day in addition to a standard antimetic regimen. The standard regimen consisted of graniestron plus dexamethasone. Treatment was given for four days.
The study was conducted at a single site in Iran.
All patients were in active antitumor treatment.
This was a randomized, open-label comparison.
The Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting, and retching was used to measure CINV.
The authors reported that patients in the treatment group had significantly less nausea in the first six hours of the study; however, no differences were found between groups at any other time point, and no differences were found between groups in terms of vomiting.
No significant differences were found between groups in CINV other than less nausea in the first six hours after chemotherapy with ginger.
These findings did not provide strong support for the efficacy of ginger in the management or prevention of acute or delayed CINV in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.
Pan, Y.Q., Yang, K.H., Wang, Y.L., Zhang, L.P., & Liang, H.Q. (2014). Massage interventions and treatment-related side effects of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical Oncology, 19, 829–841.
PHASE OF CARE: Multiple phases of care
Studies included those with combined exercise and massage, support and massage for lymphedema, reflexology, foot massage, and aquatherapy. Eight randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) assessed effects on anxiety, and a meta-analysis showed no significant effect of massage on anxiety. Three RCTs looked at effects on fatigue, and a meta-analysis showed improvements in fatigue (SMD = -0.61, p = 0.01). Four RCTs looked at pain, and a meta-analysis showed improvement in pain (SMD = -0.33, p = 0.07, 95% CI -0.69,-0.03).
The evidence from this meta-analysis suggested that massage interventions may be beneficial in the management of fatigue and pain for women with breast cancer. The results did not suggest effectiveness for anxiety.
The specific effects of massage alone were difficult to identify because most studies included other interventions along with massage. The types of massages used were different, and there was no accommodation for the use of medications. There was high heterogeneity among the studies that examined effects on fatigue. The studies included had multiple methodologic flaws. Several studies were counted twice or more in the meta-analysis. Although different outcomes were reported, it was clear from the data that the study sample was the same in different publications.
Massage is a low-risk intervention that may be beneficial in combating fatigue among patients with cancer. This analysis provided evidence in support of massage; however, this was particularly strong given the study design flaws, the variability in types of massage, and the other interventions that were included in the analysis at various phases of cancer care. Additional well-designed research on massage would be helpful to clarify clinical applicability.
Palmer, J.B., Lane, D., Mayo, D., Schluchter, M., & Leeming, R. (2015). Effects of music therapy on anesthesia requirements and anxiety in women undergoing ambulatory breast surgery for cancer diagnosis and treatment: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 33, 3162–3168.
To determine if a decrease in the amount of anesthesia and a decrease in recovery time would occur in either of the treatment groups receiving music therapy compared to the usual care or control group.
Patients who met inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to a five-minute intervention or usual care in one of three groups: patient-selected live music (LM) with therapist-selected recorded music during the operative procedure; patient-selected recorded music (RM) preoperatively with therapist-selected recorded music during the operative procedure; or usual care (UC) preoperatively with noise-blocking earmuffs during the surgical procedure.
No significant baseline differences in the three groups nor in amount of propofol used to achieve sedation level of BIS 70. Intervention groups showed significantly decreased levels of anxiety compared to control group; no significant difference in changes between the two groups were noted. Greater changes in anxiety level were seen when baseline anxiety scores were high: (i.e., the higher the pretreatment anxiety, the greater the change [reduced anxiety] in anxiety level after treatment). The amount of change (slope) in the LM group and RM groups were not different from each other, but were different from the amount of change (slope) in the control group. Recovery time, or time to discharge readiness determined by the recovery nurse, was not different for the intervention groups compared to the control group, but was shorter in the LM group compared to the RM group. Patient satisfaction scores revealed no differences among the three groups.
Noise-blocking earmuffs and music therapy were not found to reduce the amount of anesthesia required as measured by the BIS monitor. Satisfaction scores were high with and without music therapy. Music therapy was found to reduce anxiety more when initial anxiety scores were high.
Patients felt cared for and cared about with or without music therapy; anxiety levels were lowered with either type of music therapy when baseline anxiety levels scored high. Nurses may conduct anxiety screening and offer music therapy to reduce anxiety scores as part of the usual care environment.
Paley, C.A., Johnson, M.I., Tashani, O.A., & Bagnall, A.M. (2011). Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD007753.
To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for the relief of cancer-related pain in adults
Databases searched were Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO.
Search keywords included acupuncture therapy, Medicine East Asian traditional, acupressure or acupoint*, traditional Chinese medicine, pain, neoplasm or cancer. All databases were searched from their inception to October 2010. Authors provided an extensive list of search terms and the strategy per database. In addition, to identify further references for analysis, investigators searched the reference lists of eligible studies as well as lists associated with previous systematic reviews.
Studies were included if they
Studies were excluded if they were not RCTs or if they involved pain due to preexisting noncancer pathology or treatments (e.g., chemotherapy), neuropathic pain, or procedures such as surgery.
The initial search retrieved 253 articles. Of these, only three RCTs were appropriate for inclusion. None provided extractable data for meta-analysis. Investigators evaluated study quality by using the Jadad scale. Two of the three studies had low-quality scores (2 points out of 5).
The three studies included a total of 204 patients. Across studies, sample size range was 48–90. Authors reported no other sample characteristics.
This study provided insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for the relief of cancer-related pain.
Available evidence is inconclusive or of low quality.
Acupuncture is being more widely used to treat cancer-related pain, but evidence is insufficient to support the effectiveness of this treatment. More well-designed studies of acupuncture are needed, and study designers should ensure adequate sample sizes, homogeneity of cancer pain conditions under study, consistent dosing of acupuncture, valid controls, and reliable pain outcomes measurement. The authors point out that guidelines for the use of acupuncture are available. They suggest that practitioners use such guidelines and remain aware of the limitations of acupuncture.
Paley, C.A., Johnson, M.I., Tashani, O.A., & Bagnall, A.M. (2015). Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10, CD007753.
STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate acupuncture for relief of cancer-related pain in adults with updated evidence
TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review
PHASE OF CARE: Not specified or not applicable
There was insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions.
There is insufficient high-quality evidence in the area of acupuncture for cancer-related pain.
There is a current lack of evidence to appropriately evaluate the efficacy of any type of acupuncture for management of cancer-related pain.
Palesh, O. G., Mustian, K. M., Peppone, L. J., Janelsins, M., Sprod, L. K., Kesler, S., . . . Morrow, G. R. (2012). Impact of paroxetine on sleep problems in 426 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a trial from the University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program. Sleep Medicine, 13, 1184–1190.
To compare the effects of paroxetine to placebo on sleep problems in patients with cancer.
This study was a post hoc analysis of data from a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) previously implemented to examine the effects of paroxetine on fatigue. Patients seen between 1997 and 1999 with any type of cancer receiving chemotherapy were recruited and randomized to either 20 mg of paroxetine daily or placebo. Data were collected seven days after each chemotherapy cycle. Patients received follow-up and reminder telephone calls from the study nurse. For analysis purposes, patients were classified as those with sleep problems or good sleepers based on depression inventory scores. Those who reported sleep difficulties of any type at least one to two nights a week were classified as having sleep problems. Responses to single items regarding sleep on rating scales used in the study were used as primary outcome measures.
Patients were undergoing the active antitumor treatment phase of care.
The study was a secondary analysis of a double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT.
At the end of cycle 4 of chemotherapy, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of patients with sleep problems between those on paroxetine (79.3%) versus placebo (88%) (p = 0.01; d = 0.23). Rates of severity of sleep problems were not significantly different between the groups.
The findings provide relatively weak evidence that paroxetine may help patients with cancer undergoing treatment to reduce the prevalence of mild sleep problems. Validated sleep quality measures were not used.
Further research on the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to improve sleep in patients with cancer who have sleep problems is needed. The positive findings are limited by the measurement of sleep problems and the fact that this analysis was performed from a study that was not designed to measure the outcome of sleep.