Oral candidosis is a significant cause of morbidity in patients with advanced cancer. The objectives of the study were to determine the epidemiology, etiology, clinical features, and microbiological aspects of oral candidosis among community-based patients. The subjects were recruited from hospice day centers in England. The clinical component involved completion of a study questionnaire, assessment of performance status, clinical examination of the oral cavity, measurement of unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, measurement of stimulated whole salivary flow rate, and performance of an oral rinse. Oral swabs were taken from subjects with appearances indicative of oral candidosis. The laboratory component involved standard procedures to isolate, enumerate, and identify yeasts from the clinical specimens. Three hundred ninety patients participated in the study. Two hundred seventy-two (70%) patients had oral yeast carriage, and 51 (13%) patients had combined clinical and microbiological evidence of oral candidosis. On univariate analysis, the presence of oral candidosis was associated with poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, presence of a denture, usage of a systemic corticosteroid, the severity of xerostomia, a low unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, and a low stimulated whole salivary flow rate. Multivariate analysis identified poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, presence of a denture, usage of a systemic corticosteroid, and the severity of xerostomia as being independently associated with the presence of oral candidosis. Oral candidosis is relatively common in community-based patients with advanced cancer. Hence, such patients should be screened for oral candidosis and should also be screened for reversible factors that predispose to oral candidosis, such as poor dental hygiene and salivary gland dysfunction.
The aim of this study was to investigate opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in a large cohort of “real-world” patients with cancer; the objectives were to determine the prevalence of OIC, the utility of a simple screening question, the accuracy of the Rome IV diagnostic criteria, the clinical features of OIC (physical and psychological), and the impact of OIC (quality of life). One thousand patients with cancer were enrolled in the study, which involved completion of the Rome IV diagnostic criteria for OIC, the Bowel Function Index, the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire, and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale—Short Form. Participants also underwent a thorough clinical assessment by an experienced clinician (ie, “gold-standard” assessment of OIC). Fifty-nine percent of patients were clinically assessed as having OIC, 2.5% as having another cause of constipation, and 19% as not having constipation but were taking regular laxatives. The simple screening question produced a number of false-negative results (19% of patients), whereas the Rome IV diagnostic criteria had an accuracy of 81.9%. Patients with OIC had more symptoms overall, higher Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale—Short Form subscale scores (and total score), and higher Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire subscale scores (and the overall score). Opioid-induced constipation was not associated with demographic factors, cancer diagnosis, performance status, or opioid equivalent dosage: OIC was associated with opioid analgesic, with patients receiving tramadol and transdermal buprenorphine having less constipation. The study confirms that OIC is common among patients with cancer pain and is associated with a spectrum of physical symptoms, a range of psychological symptoms, and an overall deterioration in the quality of life.
Sir ¡/ Potter et al. report the recorded prevalence of symptoms in different palliative care settings. 1 However, the recorded prevalence of symptoms may not actually represent the true prevalence of symptoms. 2 ,3 Thus, certain 'core' symptoms (e.g., pain, constipation) are invariably elicited/recorded, while other 'orphan' symptoms (e.g., dry mouth, sleep problems) are less commonly elicited/recorded. The authors suggest that future (prospective) studies should 'incorporate a comprehensive checklist of symptoms', and 'the severity of each symptom should be graded'. We would recommend the use of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS). 4 The revised version of the MSAS consists of 32 questions ¡/ 26 questions about physical symptoms and six questions about psychological symptoms. The questions relate to the previous week and ask about the presence, frequency
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