Living With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Patients' Experiences of Daily Life.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed in late stages of the disease with only a 10% 5-year survival. The disease is associated with complex symptoms and psychological distress.

Aims: The specific objective of this qualitative study was to explore patients' experiences of what symptoms and distress that had impact on their everyday life.

Design of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial: Strengthening Positive Treatment Expectations Using a Communication Model for Maximized Antiemetic Effects of Acupuncture and Antiemetics During Emetogenic Neo-/Adjuvant Chemotherapy.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is a common problem in patients undergoing chemotherapy, influencing quality of life (QoL) and daily activities. This study will investigate whether therapists' positive communication may strengthen positive treatment expectations and induce antiemetic effects during antiemetic treatment using standard care, sham acupuncture, or verum acupuncture, compared to neutral communication. It will also investigate whether a variety of patient, therapist and treatment components modify the treatment outcomes.

Clinical Judgement, Treatment Decisions and Frailty Management in Older Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Radiation Therapy Staff.

Introduction: Treatment of older cancer patients can be complex due to frailty that comes with age, and the benefits of radiation therapy for frail older patients are unclear. Radiation therapy staff play a crucial role in identifying and monitoring frailty and tailoring treatment. Research on radiation therapy in frail older patients is limited, and frailty assessments are not widely used in routine care.

Contact nurses' experiences of supporting patients following cancer treatment: A qualitative study.

Purpose: Cancer rehabilitation guidelines emphasise the importance of providing individualised support to meet each patient's unique needs. Contact nurses have an essential role in providing such support. This study aims to explore contact nurses' experiences of supporting patients after cancer treatment.

Association of Circulating Inflammatory Biomarker Levels and Toxicity in Patients Undergoing Pelvic Radiation for Cancer: A Critical Review.

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) causes tissue damage and inflammation. Because cytokines play a key role in such processes, their expression levels can be an indicator of cell and tissue toxicity. This critical review aims to explore whether levels of circulating inflammatory biomarkers in peripheral blood are associated with proton- or photon-based therapy in the pelvic area and how these levels vary over time.

Men's experiences of decision-making in life-prolonging treatments of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer - wishing for a process adapted to personal preferences: a prospective interview study.

Background: In the fast-expanding field of life-prolonging-treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, treatment decision-making is very complex - both for patients and healthcare professionals since there is no "one size that fits all" in choosing treatment in this phase. Little research has been conducted about men's experiences of treatment decision-making in this advanced, incurable, phase. Hence, this study aimed to describe men's experiences of decision-making in life-prolonging treatments of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Treatment decision-making and treatment experiences in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: For the most advanced stage of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), several life-prolonging treatments have become available over the past decade. Treatment decision-making (TDM) and experiences in this phase are yet to be studied. Hence, this study aimed to describe men's satisfaction with TDM and treatment experiences during the first 12 months of a life-prolonging treatment of mCRPC.

Patient reported fatigue after proton therapy for malignant brain tumours - Is there a relation between radiation dose and brain structures?

Background: Fatigue may significantly effect everyday- and working life for radiotherapy patients. Some studies indicate a correlation between radiation dose and irradiated volume of the brain and the presence of fatigue. Our hypothesis was that patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can improve our understanding of the patients' symptoms following proton beam therapy (PBT) and optimize PBT for future patients.

Symptom experience and symptom distress in patients with malignant brain tumor treated with proton therapy: A five-year follow-up study.

Background And Purpose: Since patients with primary brain tumor are expected to become long-term survivors, the prevention of long-term treatment-induced side effects is particularly important. This study aimed to explore whether symptom experience and symptom distress change over five years in adults with primary brain tumors treated with proton therapy. An additional aim was to explore whether symptom experience and symptom distress correlate.

Cost-effectiveness of proton beam therapy vs. conventional radiotherapy for patients with brain tumors in Sweden: results from a non-randomized prospective multicenter study.

Background: This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of proton beam therapy (PBT) compared to conventional radiotherapy (CRT) for treating patients with brain tumors in Sweden.

Methods: Data from a longitudinal non-randomized study performed between 2015 and 2020 was used, and included adult patients with brain tumors, followed during treatment and through a one-year follow-up. Clinical and demographic data were sourced from the longitudinal study and linked to Swedish national registers to get information on healthcare resource use.

Swedish Translation and Cultural Adaptation of the Head and Neck Patient Symptom Checklist: An Instrument to Screen for Nutrition Impact Symptoms in Clinical Practice and Research.

Background: The Head and Neck Patient Symptom Checklist (HNSC) is a validated 2-part instrument used to ask patients with head and neck cancer about the nutrition impact symptoms they experience (part 1) and how these interfere with their eating (part 2).

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to translate and culturally adapt the HNSC into Swedish in accordance with the guidelines of the International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).

Methods: The ISPOR guidelines include 10 steps, and these were thoroughly followed.

Symptom burden among men treated for castration-resistant prostate cancer: a longitudinal study.

Objectives: Despite rapid expansion of treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and the importance of symptom management for enhancing quality of life, few studies have focused on men's experiences of symptom burden over time when receiving one or more lines of treatment in a real-world situation in this phase. The aim was to investigate changes in the multidimensional symptom burden during the first year of life-prolonging treatment of mCRPC.

Methods: Longitudinal data from the first year of life-prolonging treatment for 134 men with mCRPC were used.

Mistletoe Extract in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Tial (MISTRAL).

Background: Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer have limited survival and few treatment options. We studied whether mistletoe extract (ME), in addition to comprehensive oncological treatment and palliative care, prolongs overall survival (OS) and improves health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: The double-blind, placebo-controlled MISTRAL trial was conducted in Swedish oncology centers.

Aspects of occupational safety: a survey among European cancer nurses.

Purpose: Nurses are particularly at risk for occupational exposure to hazardous cancer drugs, risking both acute and chronic health effects. Knowledge on the implemented safety precautions into minimizing these risks is limited.

Methods: The European Cancer Nursing Index (ECNI) was developed by the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) to illustrate the development and status of this profession.

The effect of internet-administered support (carer eSupport) on preparedness for caregiving in informal caregivers of patients with head and neck cancer compared with support as usual: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Informal caregivers (ICs) of patients with cancer provide essential and mainly uncompensated care. A self-perceived preparedness to care for the patient is associated with a lower caregiver burden, described as the extent to which caregiving is perceived as having adverse effects on IC functioning and well-being. ICs' well-being is associated with patient-perceived quality of care, suggesting that interventions to optimize ICs' health are essential in order to improve patient care.

Symptoms and quality of life among men starting treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer - a prospective multicenter study.

Background: Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have an incurable disease. Along with prolonging life, symptom management is one of the main goals with treatment. This is also important from a palliative care perspective where the life prolonging outcomes should be balanced with quality of life (QoL) in this late phase.

Patient-reported Side Effects 1 Year After Radical Prostatectomy or Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Register-based Nationwide Study.

Background: Data on functional and psychological side effects following curative treatment for prostate cancer are lacking from large, contemporary, unselected, population-based cohorts.

Objective: To assess urinary symptoms, bowel disturbances, erectile dysfunction (ED), and quality of life (QoL) 12 mo after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and radiotherapy (RT) using patient-reported outcome measures in the Swedish prostate cancer database.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a nationwide, population-based, cohort study in Sweden of men who underwent primary RARP or RT between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020.

Chemotherapy-induced Emesis: Experienced Burden in Life, and Significance of Treatment Expectations and Communication in Chemotherapy Care.

Objective: Because antiemetics have become more effective and integrative therapies such as acupuncture are used in combination with antiemetics, people receiving chemotherapy for cancer today might expect less emesis than in the past. It is not previously described if and how people receiving modern antiemetics during chemotherapy experience emesis. The objective of this study was to describe experiences regarding emesis among persons undergoing emetogenic chemotherapy, and how it affects their quality of life, daily life and work.

The Abbey Pain Scale: not sufficiently valid or reliable for assessing pain in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: Patients with advanced cancer can be unable to verbalize their pain. The Abbey Pain Scale (APS), an observational tool, is used to assess pain in this setting, but has never been psychometrically tested for people with cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the validity, reliability, and the responsiveness of the APS to opioids for patients with advanced cancer in a palliative oncology care setting.

Communication About Complementary and Alternative Medicine When Patients Decline Conventional Cancer Treatment: Patients' and Physicians' Experiences.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad set of nonconventional practices used alongside or instead of conventional treatment: The latter poses obvious risks related to cancer prognosis. Patient-physician dialogue about CAM is crucial for patient safety and mutual trust. Little is known about communication in the rare situations when patients decline recommended cancer treatment and consider using CAM.

Physicians' and nurses' experience of using the Abbey Pain Scale (APS) in people with advanced cancer: a qualitative content analysis.

Background: The Abbey Pain Scale (APS), an observational scale used to assess pain in people with end-stage dementia, is also widely used in Sweden to assess pain in patients with advanced cancer. It is unclear whether the APS is appropriate in this context. This study aims to explore physicians' and nurses' experiences of using a Swedish translation of the APS (the APS-SE) in people with advanced cancer.

Hyaluronic acid spacer in prostate cancer radiotherapy: dosimetric effects, spacer stability and long-term toxicity and PRO in a phase II study.

Background: Perirectal spacers may be beneficial to reduce rectal side effects from radiotherapy (RT). Here, we present the impact of a hyaluronic acid (HA) perirectal spacer on rectal dose as well as spacer stability, long-term gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity and patient-reported outcome (PRO).

Methods: In this phase II study 81 patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer received transrectal injections with HA before external beam RT (78 Gy in 39 fractions).

A mobile app as support for pelvic floor muscle training started prior to radical prostatectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of a mobile app to support pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) started prior to radical prostatectomy (RP).

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort study conducted in Sweden from June 2018 to February 2021 including men for whom RP was planned within 12 months. Users responded anonymously to questionnaires at baseline, 1 and 3 months.

Exploring Health Care Professionals' Perceptions Regarding Shared Clinical Decision-Making in Both Acute and Palliative Cancer Care.

Unlabelled: Developments in cancer care have resulted in improved survival and quality of life. Integration of acute and palliative cancer care is desirable, but not always achieved. Fragmented care is associated with sub-optimal communication and collaboration, resulting in unnecessary care transitions.

A Study of Self-Care Practice in Routine Radiotherapy Care: Identifying Differences Between Practitioners and Non-Practitioners in Sociodemographic, Clinical, Functional, and Quality-of-Life-Related Characteristics.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe self-care practice during radiotherapy for cancer and to identify potential differences between practitioners and non-practitioners of self-care regarding sociodemographic, clinical, functional, and quality-of-life-related characteristics.

Methods: In this descriptive study, 439 patients (87% response rate) undergoing radiotherapy responded to a study questionnaire regarding self-care, sociodemographic, clinical (eg, experienced symptoms), functional, and quality-of-life-related characteristics.

Results: Of the 439 patients, 189 (43%) practiced at least one self-care strategy, while 250 (57%) did not.