Dhinakaran, M., Jain, K., Benjamin, K.E., Kaur, P., & Dhinakaran. (2014). Effect of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) in upper limb lymphedema in breast cancer patients. Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, 8, 87–91.
To identify the long-term effect of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) to decrease lymphedema and enhance quality of life in patients after radical mastectomy with unilateral upper extremity lymphedema
Volume of the affected limb was decreased by 80.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] [–96.71, –63.73]) from baseline to the third month (p < 0.0001). Mean change in quality of life at the second month as compared to baseline was significant (69.95, 95% CI [66.49, 73.42], p < 0.0001).
CDT may be effective in reducing the volume in the lymphedema limb and in enhancing breast cancer survivors’ quality of life.
More rigorously designed studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of CDT in patients with lymphedema. Note that patients who underwent lumpectomy also developed lymphedema.
Dharmawardene, M., Givens, J., Wachholtz, A., Makowski, S., & Tjia, J. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of meditative interventions for informal caregivers and health professionals. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care. Advance online publication.
PHASE OF CARE: End of life care, various stages of diseases (dementia, advanced disease including cancer, children chronic illness) care
APPLICATIONS: Pediatrics, Elder care, Palliative care
Focusing on the outcomes for ICGs, the combined evidence from the controlled trials supports use of meditative interventions to minimize ICG’s depression, anxiety, and stress. Combined evidence from the pre- and postmeditative intervention studies supported their use in alleviating ICG burden. However, the insufficient study rigor and number prevent ed conclusions about the meditative interventions' effects on caregiver energy, fatigue, hope, confusion, and grief or life satisfaction. The insufficient number of studies prevents assessment of effect of meditation on caregivers’ capacity for decision making, patient advocacy, or resilience.
The effect of a meditative intervention on caregivers of patients with cancer should be explored with more studies using rigorous designs possessing higher statistical power. The initial data from this study indicate that a meditative intervention may benefit the ICGs of patients with various illnesses.
Devoogdt, N., Christiaens, M.R., Geraerts, I., Truijen, S., Smeets, A., Leunen, K., . . . Van Kampen, M. (2011). Effect of manual lymph drainage in addition to guidelines and exercise therapy on arm lymphoedema related to breast cancer: randomised controlled trial. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 343, d5326.
To determine the effect of manual lymph drainage (MLD) in addition to exercise compared to exercise alone for management of lymphedema in patients with breast cancer
After surgery, patients with axillary node dissection were recruited to the study and randomized to receive exercise, guidelines for self-care and MLD, or exercise and guidelines alone. MLD was begun one week after removal of axillary drains and 5 weeks after surgery and was provided for 20 weeks. All patients received the same guidelines and 30-minute individual exercise sessions. Standardized MLD sessions took half an hour, and patients received 40 treatments during the study period. Patient assessments were done at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery.
The study took place at a singe outpatient site in the Netherlands.
Patients were undergoing multiple phases of care.
The study used a single-blind randomized controlled trial design.
There were no differences between groups in incidence of arm lymphedema, time to lymphedema development, or maximal increase in arm circumference.
The addition of MLD to a program of patient guidelines and education and exercise did not have an effect on prevention of arm lymphedema in patients with breast cancer after axillary node dissection.
Findings show that the addition of MLD to a program of exercise and patient guidelines for self-management had no benefit to prevent lymphedema development.
Devine, E.C. (2003). Meta-analysis of the effect of psychoeducational interventions on pain in adults with cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 30(1), 75–89.
To obtain estimates of the effect of selected psychoeducational interventions on pain in patients with cancer
The search retrieved 50 studies. Authors eliminated 25 studies on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Authors did not describe the method of evaluation.
Most studies demonstrated that psychoeducational interventions had at least a small positive effect on pain in patients with cancer.
Further well-designed research in this area is needed. The complexity of cancer-related pain presents a number of challenges inherent in this research; authors outline these challenges. Psychoeducational interventions may be more acceptable to some patients than others, as high attrition rates suggest. In addition, rating pain is a subjective activity. The efficacy of an intervention may differ with cancer phase and with different pain severity. These factors should affect selection of intervention type.
Desport, J.C., Gory-Delabaere, G., Blanc-Vincent, M.P., Bachmann, P., Beal, J., Benamouzig, R., . . . Senesse, P. (2003). Standards, options and recommendations for the use of appetite stimulants in oncology (2000). British Journal of Cancer, 89(Suppl. 1), S98–S100.
To review the literature on the use of appetite stimulants in oncology by a multidisciplinary group established by the French National Federation of Cancer Centers
The group conducted a literature search of four databases (MEDLINE, CancerLit, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) using search phrases: appetite stimulants, anorexia/drug therapy, cachexia/drug, or appetite associated with neoplasms. The search yielded 55 reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 1990–1999 that evaluated the appetite-stimulating effect of corticosteroids, synthetic progestogens, or other drugs.
The group defined standards, options, and recommendations for the use of appetite stimulants.
They also defined the level of evidence.
The primary outcome used in analysis of study results was anorexia. Secondary outcomes were improved quality of life, increase in body weight, increased food consumption, decrease in nausea and/or vomiting, and improvement in anthropometric and biologic parameters.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids were found to be effective appetite stimulants. Their level of evidence was B1 (good-quality evidence from randomized trials), but optimal dose and scheduling information was lacking.
Synthetic Progestogens
Megesterol acetate: Effective appetite stimulant (level B1) and beneficial effect on body weight (level B1). Minimum effective dose is 160 mg/day (level B1). Optimal dose is 480 mg/day (level C). No greater efficacy was seen with doses higher than 480 mg/day (level B1).*
Medroxyprogesterone acetate: Effective appetite stimulant (level B1). Effect on weight was not confirmed (level C). The group recommended more clinical trials to establish optimal dose and duration of therapy.
Cyproheptadine: May be an appetite stimulant, but adverse effects were reported (level C).
Dronabinol, metoclopramide, nandrolone, pentoxifylline: No appetite-stimulating effects were shown (level C). These should be used only in the setting of RCTs.
Hydrazine sulfate: Not an appetite stimulant (level A).
Corticosteroids and progestogens can be used in the treatment of anorexia in patients with cancer, especially in patients with advanced disease and with any type of cancer. Hydrazine sulfate should not be used.
* Data from trials completed after 1999 establish the safety and efficacy of higher doses of megesterol acetate.
de Souza Fêde, A. B., Bensi, C. G., Trufelli, D. C., de Oliveira Campos, M. P., Pecoroni, P. G., Ranzatti, R. P., . . . Del Giglio, A. (2007). Multivitamins do not improve radiation therapy-related fatigue: results of a double-blind randomized crossover trial. American Journal of Clinical Oncology, 30, 432–436.
Patients were randomized to two groups. Group A received the placebo for the first phase of the study and then switched to receiving multivitamins for the second phase. Group B received multivitamins for the first phase of the study and then switched to receiving placebo for the second phase. The multivitamins provided for patients were Centrum Silver tablets. To keep patients and researchers blinded, Centrum Silver tablets were crushed and offered to patients within capsules identical to those containing placebo. Randomization was centralized by a pharmacist to maintain the blinding of patients and investigators. Patient outcomes were assessed at baseline (phase I), at the time of switching (phase II), and right before the start of the last radiation treatment (phase III).
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
This was a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial with two groups: multivitamin and placebo.
No significant changes were elicited in fatigue outcomes by the multivitamin intervention. When groups were compared at phase I, no significant differences were found in fatigue. At phase II, group A had a significantly lower rate of general and physical fatigue than group B (p = 0.035). The Chalder Fatigue Scale scores of both general and physical fatigue reflected a trend in the same direction (p = 0.048).
Deshmukh, V., Kulkarni, A., Bhargava, S., Patil, T., Ramdasi, V., Gangal, S., . . . Sardeshmukh, S. (2014). Effectiveness of combinations of Ayurvedic drugs in alleviating drug toxicity and improving quality of life of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Supportive Care in Cancer, 22, 3007–3015.
To assess the effectiveness of a combination of Ayurvedic drugs in alleviating cancer- and treatment-related symptoms
Patients initially were divided into two groups. Group 1 did not receive any Ayurvedic drugs. Patients in group 2 received Ayurvedic herbal combinations at various time points during chemotherapy. Within group 2, arm 1 received the same drugs and a full course of chemotherapy while arm 2 received the same drugs at the start of the sixth chemotherapy cycle and arm 3 received them after completing the sixth cycle. Treatment was continued for 16 weeks. Drugs used were maukitkyukta kamdudha (MKD) and mauktikyukta praval panchamruta (MPP) in all treatment arms. Arm 3 also received suvarnabhasmadi (SBD) according to clinician preference based on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores. MKD and MPP at 250 mg each were given orally twice daily. SBD was given orally at a dose of 395 mg twice daily in cow’s ghee. Patients were followed for six months. Outcomes were measured after the first cycle of chemotherapy, after the sixth cycle of chemotherapy, and one month after the sixth cycle.
Prospective study
Patients in arm 1 of the treatment group showed the least symptom severity of all groups. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in any outcome measure. Symptoms declined in all patients after the first chemotherapy cycle. There were no significant differences in other chemotherapy-related toxicities.
This study showed some interesting but insignificant differences in chemotherapy-associated symptoms between patients receiving Ayurvedic drugs throughout chemotherapy, patients receiving the experimental drugs at difference time points, and patients who did not receive any of these drugs. This study's findings did not show that Ayurvedic drugs were effective in reducing symptoms compared to controls overall. This report had numerous design and reporting limitations.
Little research has been done on the effects of Ayurvedic drug combinations among patients with cancer as a form of complementary and alternative medicine to manage treatment-related symptoms. This study did not demonstrate the efficacy of the particullar combination tested, and the study had several design and reporting flaws. Additional well-designed and clearly reported research for this type of intervention is needed to determine what role, if any, Ayurvedic drugs have for symptom management in cancer care.
Deshler, A.M., Fee-Schroeder, K.C., Dowdy, J.L., Mettler, T.A., Novotny, P., Zhao, X., et al. (2006). A patient orientation program at a comprehensive cancer center. Oncology Nursing Forum, 33, 569–578.
The intervention was a 12-minute cancer orientation program video and an orientation booklet. The video provided an overview of the cancer center, a welcome statement, an introduction to the clinic’s philosophy of care, locations of treatment centers, and identified staff members. The orientation booklet provided more detail and information about various resources and services:
Measurements done at baseline included questionnaires regarding awareness of cancer resources and services, demographic information, and state and trait anxiety. Postintervention questionnaires three weeks later measured awareness, use of and satisfaction with services and resources, and state and trait anxiety. Before their first MD appointment, patients were consented and randomized to one of four arms:
Medical oncology clinic
A randomized controlled trial design was used.
The study had a small sample size.
Desborough, M., Estcourt, L.J., Doree, C., Trivella, M., Hopewell, S., Stanworth, S.J., & Murphy, M.F. (2016). Alternatives, and adjuncts, to prophylactic platelet transfusion for people with haematological malignancies undergoing intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8, CD010982.
STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of adjunctive or alternative agents to platelet transfusions in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation to prevent bleeding
TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review
PHASE OF CARE: Active antitumor treatment
The authors concluded that the available evidence does not allow a determination of the effect of TPO or platelet-poor plasma on the prevention of bleeding in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. This conclusion is attributed to the quality of evidence (very low quality) and the lack of adequate power to detect a clinically significant decrease in bleeding. No trials identified which evaluated agents, such as artificial platelet substitutes, fibrinogen concentrate, recombinant activated factor VII, or desmopressin, in this population.
Sufficient, high quality evidence does not exist with which to determine the safety or efficacy of adjunctive or alternative agents to platelet transfusions in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation in the prevention of bleeding.
Additional studies are needed to evaluate adjunctive or alternative agents in the prevention of bleeding. Neither TPO nor plasma-poor platelets can be substituted for platelet transfusions given the current state of knowledge.
De Sanctis, V., Bossi, P., Sanguineti, G., Trippa, F., Ferrari, D., Bacigalupo, A., . . . Lalla, R.V. (2016). Mucositis in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and systemic therapies: Literature review and consensus statements. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 100, 147–166.
No information is provided regarding the volume of evidence retrieved or quality ratings of studies included.
All specific interventions had either recommendations against use or no ability to provide a recommendation. Cryotherapy even with bolus 5-FU was not recommended due to lack of evidence in the setting of RT for patients with head and neck cancer. The guideline provides a listing of numerous interventions that have been examined with no recommendations for use.
This review provides a comprehensive list of interventions, none of which can be recommended for practice. This article does provide a good overview of assessment instruments and provides some information on probable risk factors.