BACKGROUND Clinicians typically rely on their own or the nurses' clinical impression (NI) of symptoms rather than patient self-reports. It is unclear whether these means of assessment yield similar results. OBJECTIVE To prospectively compare patient-reported symptoms on a modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) with NI scores. METHODS Consecutive patients with advanced cancer adm...

BACKGROUND Many patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) do not respond to standard therapy and/or may develop severe complications which can be of fatal outcome. There is some evidence that erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) may be helpful in the management of such patients. METHODS We describe the effect of ESAs in 12 new patients with therapy-refractory AIHA (7 of warm type a...

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are approved to treat anemia in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. ESAs reduce transfusion rates, but some clinical studies suggest that ESAs may reduce survival or increase disease progression. This study-level meta-analysis examined the effects of darbepoetin alfa, epoetin alfa or epoetin beta on mortality, ...

Anemia is frequently experienced by cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and can negatively impact the patient's prognosis. Blood transfusions, iron supplementation (in absolute or functionally iron-deficient anemias), and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are among the treatment options for anemia. Treatment options for anemia management should be selected based on the best benefit-to...

BACKGROUND Anaemia associated with cancer and cancer therapy is an important clinical factor in the treatment of malignant diseases. Therapeutic alternatives are recombinant human erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) and red blood cell transfusions. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of ESAs to either prevent or treat anaemia in cancer patients. SEARCH METHODS This is an update of a Cochr...

BACKGROUND The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is a nine-item patient-rated symptom visual analogue scale developed for use in assessing the symptoms of patients receiving palliative care. The purpose of this study was to validate the ESAS in a different population of patients. METHODS In this prospective study, 240 patients with a diagnosis of cancer completed the ESAS, the Memorial...

OBJECTIVE Parents report psychological distress in association with their child's cancer. Reliable tools are needed to screen parental distress over the cancer trajectory. This study aimed to estimate the stability and repeatability of the Distress Thermometer (DT) and the Depression and Anxiety items of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-revised (ESAS-r-D; -A) in parents of children diagno...

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) increase red blood cell (RBC) production by activating the erythropoietin receptor on erythrocytic progenitor cells. ESAs are approved in the United States and Europe for treating anaemia in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. ESA safety issues include thromboembolic events and there have been concerns about disease progression and/or mortality in ca...

BACKGROUND Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are widely used in the management of anemia in cancer patients. Despite their apparent effectiveness, recent studies have suggested that ESAs could result in serious adverse events and even higher mortality. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the benefits and risks of ESAs in the management of cancer patients with anemia using a meta...

Background Studies have assessed gender differences on symptoms commonly experienced by cancer patients at various stages in their disease trajectory using heterogeneous cancer populations with different tumor types. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of gender on symptoms among patients with bone metastases while controlling for gender-specific malignancies. Methods A retros...