Experience with palliative care in patients with advanced cancer at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country

Ghosn, Marwan; Boutros, Céline; Geara, Salma; Kattan, Joseph; Nasr, Fadi; Chahine, Georges

doi:10.1007/s00520-010-1056-x

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Several studies have noted patients define fatigue as the most distressing of the symptoms they experience during their cancer intervention [27]. Our findings on fatigue are also supported by previous Arabic studies, which highlighted that fatigue seems to be the most frequent symptom among Arabic cancer patients with a prevalence rate of about 80% [12,13].…”

Section: Fatiguesupporting

confidence: 88%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The psychological profile of female cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: A preliminary study

Alqahtani¹,

AL-Rammah²

2018

biomedicalresearch

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although the prevalence and the risk factors of emotional distress among cancer patients are well documented, less is known in Saudi Arabia about such issue. The current study explores and describes that emotional distress symptom in diagnosed cancer patients during their radiation therapy. A total of 40 cancer patients, recruited from the largest oncology centre in Saudi Arabia, completed the study's questionnaire, which included the HADS and the fatigue symptom inventory. Among cancer survivors, the prevalence of depression was 60%, anxiety was 37.5%, and fatigue was 77.5%. Emotional distress, having any of the previous symptoms, was reported among 82% of the patients. Hierarchical regression analyses show having previous chemotherapy experiences and other predictors contributed modestly to variance in depression and fatigue models, compared to the predictor variable of having experiences with complementary intervention, which contributed significantly. Complementary intervention was the top predictor variable contributing to explaining emotional distress as a model. This concurrent result may be helpful in developing clinical guideline strategies for psycho-oncology care to bridge the gap between the universal standard and the reality of health services.

show abstract

Section: Fatiguesupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Few studies in Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries explore the psychological morbidity of cancer patients. Most studies were conducted in a palliative care clinic when cancer patients approached death [12][13][14].…”

Section: Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychological profile of female cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: A preliminary study

Alqahtani¹,

AL-Rammah²

2018

biomedicalresearch

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…(15) A study from Lebanon on cancer inpatients referred to PC showed that more than 95% had cancer pain and about 77% reported severe pain. (16) Internationally speaking, in a systematic review covering a period of four decades, the prevalence of pain in patients with advanced cancer was reported to be 64%. (17) More recently, a Canadian PC survey showed a prevalence of moderate to severe cancer pain approaching 34%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and severity of pain in cancer patients in an outpatient palliative care setting in Saudi Arabia

Al-Zahrani

Eldali

Al-Shahri

2014

Qatar Medical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The prevalence and severity of cancer pain in the outpatient palliative care (PC) setting have not been explored previously in Saudi Arabia (SA). Exploration of this basic information may help in evaluating pain severity in patients new to PC as compared to those with previous PC exposure. Objective: This paper aims to determine the prevalence and severity of cancer pain among new and follow-up patients attending a PC outpatient clinic. Methods: In a PC outpatient setting in a major tertiary hospital in SA, we interviewed adult patients with cancer during their attendance to the clinic. Patients were requested to score the severity of their pain on a 0 to 10 numerical scale. Results: A total of 124 patients were interviewed, of whom 73 (59%) were females. The majority of patients (82.3%) had metastatic disease. The most common cancers were breast (27.4%) and head and neck (15.3%). The majority of patients (85.5%) reported pain, with a median intensity score of 5 and a mean of 4.6. Of those who reported pain, 54 (51%) scored above 4. The mean pain score did not differ between groups of patients according to various characteristics such as age, sex, performance status, type of cancer or encounter type. Conclusion: Pain is a prevalent symptom in new and follow-up cancer patients seen in a PC outpatient setting in SA. Further research on a larger scale is needed to evaluate the magnitude of the problem more comprehensively with emphasis on detailed pain assessment and exploration of the adopted management approaches.

show abstract

“…[18] A recent report from Lebanon has shown high prevalence of fatigue (88.4%), dyspnea (65.1%), depression (53.5%), and confusion (37.2%) among inpatients with advanced cancer. [19] Alshemmari et al . from Kuwait have studied cancer patients who were largely having advanced incurable disease and found the most common nonpain symptoms to be fatigue (80%), anorexia (67%), weight loss (49%), and dyspnea (42%).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonpain symptoms of new and follow-up cancer patients attending a palliative care outpatient clinic in Saudi Arabia

Al-Shahri¹,

Eldali²,

Al-Zahrani³

2012

Indian J Palliat Care

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background:Epidemiology of cancer-related nonpain symptoms receives less attention in literature as compared with cancer pain.Objective:This paper aims at exploring the prevalence and severity of nonpain symptoms in cancer patients attending a palliative care (PC) outpatient clinic.Materials and Methods:Over a 5 months period, consecutive adult cancer patients attending PC outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital were evaluated for the presence and severity of 10 nonpain symptoms. Patients were grouped to new or follow-up cases and were also grouped according to performance status and cancer type. Prevalence and severity of symptoms were compared between groups using t test or analysis of variance as appropriate.Results:Fifty-one males and 73 females were interviewed. The most common cancer is female breast (27.4%) followed by head and neck (15.3%). Majority of patients (67%) were new to PC clinic. Patients had 5.1 nonpain symptoms on average, with most common symptoms being tiredness (79.8%), loss of appetite (71.8%), dry mouth (69.4%), anxiety (60.5%), and depression (50.8%). The least common symptoms were confusion and nausea (22.6% each). The median scores of severity were highest for tiredness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, and insomnia (5 points each). Symptoms were fewer among patients with good performance status (P = 0.002), whereas age, gender, cancer type, and encounter type were not associated with difference in symptom prevalence. Younger patients, females and those with poor performance status have shown a tendency toward higher severity scores for several symptoms.Conclusion:The significant prevalence and severity of nonpain symptoms among new and follow-up cancer patients seen in a PC outpatient clinic emphasizes the need for comprehensive assessment and routinely audited symptom management plans.

show abstract

Experience with palliative care in patients with advanced cancer at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country

Cited by 10 publications

References 14 publications

The psychological profile of female cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: A preliminary study

The psychological profile of female cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: A preliminary study

Prevalence and severity of pain in cancer patients in an outpatient palliative care setting in Saudi Arabia

Nonpain symptoms of new and follow-up cancer patients attending a palliative care outpatient clinic in Saudi Arabia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About