Patients with advanced cancer often have complex care needs requiring collaboration between medical oncology and palliative care providers. Little is known about how effective and acceptable such collaboration is to medical oncologists. Attitudes of Australian medical oncologists toward collaboration with specialist palliative care services were investigated using a Web-based survey. Descriptive statistics and attitude indices were calculated and a thematic content analysis performed. One hundred and fifteen respondents (78 medical oncologists, 37 trainees) completed the survey (response rate 30.3%). Positive attitudes toward specialist palliative care involvement were expressed with most respondents preferring concurrent rather than sequential models of care (94.8%, n = 109). Reported barriers to collaboration included reluctance for referral by patients (minor 60.9%, n = 70; major 8.7%, n = 10) or families (minor 67%, n = 77; major 7%, n = 8), a lack of inpatient beds (minor 27%, n = 31; major 34.8%, n = 40) and inadequate resources for specialist palliative care to take some referrals (minor 30.4%, n = 35; major 30.4%, n = 35). There was no difference in attitude indices for those who had completed a palliative care rotation during their training (33%, n = 38) and those who had not. Suggestions for improvement in collaboration focused around four areas - improved resources, improved multidisciplinary links, mutual respect and understanding, and consistency in service provision. This study is the first to specifically investigate the views of Australian medical oncologists toward collaboration with specialist palliative care. While positive attitudes have been expressed, identified barriers to collaboration need attention.

Etretinate (Ro 10-9359) is a new aromatic retinoic acid derivative for the treatment of severe psoriasis and other dyskeratoses. The pharmacological profile of etretinate suggests that it acts by normalizing pathological changes in epidermal and dermal skin, particularly inhibiting hyperkeratinization and cell differentiation, although its specific mode of action in different disorders remains to be elucidated. Etretinate is rapidly and presystemically metabolised to an active metabolite which appears in plasma at about the same time as parent drug. A 'deep' storage compartment with a very extended elimination half-life gives rise to detectable plasma levels of drug for at least 3 to 4 months after discontinuation of long term therapy. Studies suggest that etretinate at an initial dose of 1 mg/kg/day, reducible during maintenance therapy, is an effective alternative to PUVA and other conventional therapy in severe psoriasis. Its greatest immediate value is in the control of eruptive and treatment-resistant psoriasis, and in its potential for use in combination with other therapy to improve the response. In Darier's disease it appears to be the treatment of choice, and preliminary studies also suggest its usefulness in ichthyosis, and most other dyskeratoses and possibly in basal cell carcinoma. Side effects affecting the mucocutaneous system occur in nearly all patients, but rarely lead to drug withdrawal. When withdrawal does become necessary, the primary reason is usually hair loss. A few paradoxical observations of raised and lowered liver enzyme levels have been reported, and also a few cases of suspected liver damage. Etretinate is strictly contraindicated in women of child-bearing potential due to its severe teratogenic properties.

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Introduction: End-stage lung disease (ESLD) (predominantly caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and restrictive lung disease) is a signifi cant cause of death. Little is known about community care for people with ESLD especially in the period leading to death. This paper describes demographic characteristics of caregivers, and key characteristics of the deceased irrespective of specialist service utilization. Methods: The South Australian Health Omnibus is an annual, random, face-to-face, cross-sectional survey conducted statewide. For the last eight years questions about end of life have been asked of 3000 respondents annually (participation rate 77.9%). Directly standardized to the whole population, this study describes people who cared for someone with ESLD until death. Results: One third (6370/18267) had someone die in the last fi ve years from a terminal illness, 644 from ESLD (3.5% of respondents; 10.2% of deaths). One in fi ve (20.8%) provided physical care: 43 respondents provided day-to-day and 63 provided intermittent hands-on care for an average of 40.1 months (SD 56.9). Caregivers were on average 51.2 years old (range 17-85; SD 16.5) and one in fi ve was a spouse. Additional support to provide physical care was an unmet need by 17% of caregivers. The deceased were an average of 73.9 years old (range 47-92; SD 10.4). Only 31.1% were assessed as 'comfortable' or 'very comfortable' in the last fortnight of life. Discussion: Given the health consequences of caregiving, caregivers of people with ESLD would benefi t from prospectively defi ning their needs given the time for which intense caregiving is provided.

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Isotretinoin is a new orally active retinoic acid derivative for the treatment of severe refractory nodulocystic acne. The pharmacological profile of isotretinoin suggests that it acts primarily by reducing sebaceous gland size and sebum production, and as a result alters skin surface lipid composition. Bacterial skin microflora is reduced, probably as a result of altered sebaceous factors. Isotretinoin 1 to 2 mg/kg/day for 3 to 4 months produces 60 to 95% clearance of inflammatory lesions in patients with severe, recalcitrant nodulocystic acne, with evidence of continued healing and prolonged remissions in many patients after treatment withdrawal. Doses as low as 0.1 mg/kg/day have also proven successful in the clearance of lesions; however, with such low doses the duration of remission after discontinuation of therapy is usually shorter. Encouraging results have also been seen in small numbers of patients with rosacea, Gram-negative folliculitis, Darier's disease, ichthyosis and pityriasis rubra pilaris, the response in keratinising disorders resembling that with the related drug etretinate. While long term follow-up studies in these patients have not been reported, prolonged remission after withdrawal of isotretinoin in disorders of keratinisation is unlikely, as with other drugs used in these conditions. Isotretinoin is only partially effective in psoriasis, in contrast to etretinate which is very effective in psoriasis but ineffective in severe acne. Some encouraging results have also been reported with isotretinoin in patients with squamous and basal cell carcinomas, but isotretinoin has proven unsuccessful in non-squamous cell epithelial and non-epithelial cancer. Side effects affecting the mucocutaneous system occur in nearly all patients receiving isotretinoin, but rarely lead to drug withdrawal. Raised serum triglyceride levels are also commonly reported. The possibility of long term spinal or skeletal bone toxicity may restrict the use of isotretinoin in severe disorders of keratinisation requiring prolonged administration. Isotretinoin is strictly contraindicated in women of childbearing potential due to its severe teratogenic properties, unless an effective form of contraception is used. Thus, isotretinoin offers an effective advance on the treatment options available in a difficult therapeutic area - those patients with severe, nodulocystic acne not responding to 'traditional' therapy.

A 43-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer was admitted with constipation. She had liver metastases, ascites and impaired synthetic function (Child-Pugh B), 1 but aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were within normal limits.Her analgesia was changed from sustained-release morphine to a combination product of prolongedrelease oxycodone with naloxone. Within two hours of the first dose she developed severe pain. This was uncontrolled by morphine and ketamine infusion.The pain persisted for 12 hours after receiving the prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone. The patient was recommenced on her previous morphine regimen and achieved ongoing stable pain control. Case 2A 50-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer had increasing pain despite increasing doses of prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone (up to 40/20 mg twice daily) plus controlledrelease oxycodone (10 mg twice daily). The man reported no effect from using immediate-release oxycodone for breakthrough pain. He had liver metastases but aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were within normal limits (Child-Pugh A).The prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone was ceased and controlled-release oxycodone 20 mg twice daily was commenced (a significantly lower opioid dose). Within two days, the patient's pain and functional status greatly improved enabling his cancer therapy to be resumed. Case 3A 51-year-old man with a sacral chondrosarcoma and poorly controlled pain became narcotised (lifethreatening overdose) when prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone was ceased while on a stable dose of methadone. Once the methadone was cleared over the next few days his analgesia was significantly improved on a comparatively lower dose morphine infusion (without the multiple adjuvant analgesics previously required). He had no liver metastases, normal aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (Child-Pugh A) with fatty liver on ultrasound. 2017;40:156-7 https://doi.org/10.18773/ austprescr.2017.018 Alicia Ward Consultant Michaela del Campo Pharmacist Kathy HauserConsultant Central Adelaide Palliative Care Services Adelaide Aust Prescr CommentThe combination of prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone is marketed to reduce pain and opioidinduced constipation. Naloxone aims to counteract the effect of oxycodone on the gut over 12 hours as it antagonises opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract. As naloxone then undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism in the liver, insignificant amounts enter the systemic circulation. In healthy people its bioavailability is less than 3%. The combination is contraindicated in moderate-severe liver dysfunction (Child-Pugh B-C).We have observed prescription of higher than recommended doses and the commencement or continuation of prolonged-release oxycodone with naloxone despite deteriorating liver function. This needs to be avoided. If a patient with liver impairment is changed from oxycodone with naloxone to a single opioid formulation, start with a lower equivale...

Communicating effectively with patients who have advanced cancer is one of the greatest challenges facing physicians today. Whilst guiding the patient through complex diagnostic and staging techniques, treatment regimens and trials, the physician must translate often imprecise or conflicting data into meaningful personalized information that empowers the patient to make decisions about their life and body. This requires understanding, compassion, patience, and skill. This narrative literature review explores current communication practices, information preferences of oncology patients and their families, and communication strategies that may assist in these delicate interactions. Overwhelmingly, the literature suggests that whilst the majority of patients with advanced cancer do want to know their diagnosis and receive detailed prognostic information, this varies not only between individuals but also for a given individual over time. Barriers to the delivery and understanding of information exist on both sides of the physician–patient relationship, and family dynamics are also influential. Despite identifiable trends, the information preferences of a particular patient cannot be reliably predicted by demographic, cultural, or cancer-specific factors. Therefore, our primary recommendation is that the physician regularly asks the patient what information they would like to know, who else should be given the information and be involved in decision making, and how that information should be presented.