Psychometric properties of patient-reported outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for adverse events (PRO-CTCAE®) in breast cancer patients: The prospective observational multicenter VIP study.

Patients' self-reporting is increasingly considered essential to measure quality-of-life and treatment-related side-effects. However, if multiple patient-reported instruments are used, redundancy may represent an overload for patients. Patient-Reported Outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) are a tool allowing direct patients' reporting of side-effects.

Opioid analgesic dose and route conversion ratio studies: a scoping review to inform an eDelphi guideline.

Background: Clinicians regularly prescribe opioids to manage acute and chronic cancer pain, frequently to address acute postoperative pain, and occasionally to manage chronic non-cancer pain. Clinical efficacy may be suboptimal in some patients due to side effects and/or poor response, and opioid rotation/switching (conversions) is frequently necessary. Despite the widespread practice, opioid conversion ratios are inconsistent between clinicians, practices, and countries.

How early should be "Early Integrated Palliative Care"?

Palliative care, with its focus on comprehensive patient assessment encompassing physical, social, emotional, and spiritual pain, plays a crucial role in modern medicine. Despite its significance, integration with oncology and other healthcare specialties often occurs late in the disease trajectory. Strategies to bridge this gap include considering a "rebranding" of palliative care to "supportive care.

Male awareness of prostate cancer risk remains poor in relatives of women with germline variants in DNA-repair genes.

Unlabelled: Abstract.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate male awareness of developing prostate cancer (PCa) in families with germline DNA-repair genes (DRG) variants.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected from a prospective, monocentric cohort study.

Pre-treatment risk factors to predict early cisplatin-related nephrotoxicity in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiation: A single Institution experience.

Objectives: Cisplatin is essential in the curative treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) patients. The assessment of risk factors to predict an early cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity could help in better managing one of the most relevant cisplatin-related dose-limiting factors.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively collected data of LA-HNSCC patients treated at our Institution from 2008 to 2019.

Assessing suffering of patients on cancer treatment and of those no longer treated using ESAS-Total Care (TC).

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the suffering of patients on oncologic treatment and of those no longer on treatment. Preliminarily, we aimed to confirm the psychometric properties of Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-Total Care (ESAS-TC) in different stages of the disease. The ESAS-TC screens physical and psychological symptoms, but also spiritual pain, discomfort deriving from financial problems associated with illness, and suffering related to social isolation.

How to become a Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer-designated center of excellence in supportive care in cancer.

Purpose Of Review: Aim of this review is to encourage and involve more doctors to take care of supportive care in cancer patients and to become centers of excellence.

Recent Findings: In 2019, MASCC initiated a certification program to recognize oncology centers that demonstrate best practices in supportive cancer care but literature on how to become MASCC-designated center of Excellence in Supportive Care in Cancer is scarce and will be bulleted.

Summary: Becoming centers of excellence means not only the recognition of the clinical and managerial requirements to provide good supportive care but also the creation of a network of centers to participate in multicenter scientific projects and thus improve knowledge in the field of supportive care in cancer patients.

European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists/Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance quality indicators for metastatic breast cancer care.

Aims: Improvement in the care of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) can only occur if the adequate quality of care is implemented and verified, including access to multidisciplinary, specialised care given in accordance with high-quality guidelines. To this purpose, European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists and the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance joined efforts to develop the first set of quality indicators (QI) specifically for MBC that should be routinely measured and evaluated to ensure that breast cancer centres meet the required standards.

Methods: A working group of multidisciplinary European experts in breast cancer met to discuss each identified QI, reporting the definition, the minimum and target standard for breast cancer centres to achieve, and the motivation for selection.

Evaluation of the CNC prosthetic system in recurrent breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced alopecia: a pilot study.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), although generally reversible, is felt as extremely distressing by patients with breast cancer. A certified medical device (Capelli Naturali a Contatto-CNC) was produced to provide patients with a personalized scalp prosthesis, reproducing the patient's original hair, resistant to any type of everyday or sporting activity, and hairdressing.

Aims: The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the CNC device on the patient's perception of their body image, psychological wellbeing, satisfaction, strengths and weakness of the CNC device.

Effectiveness of a phone-based nurse monitoring assessment and intervention for chemotherapy-related toxicity: A randomized multicenter trial.

Purpose: Anticancer treatment-related toxicities can impact morbidity and mortality, hamper the administration of treatment, worsen the quality of life and increase the burden on the healthcare system. Therefore, their prompt identification is crucial. NICSO (Italian Network for Supportive Care in Cancer) conducted a nationwide randomized trial to evaluate the role of a planned, weekly phone-based nurse monitoring intervention to prevent and treat chemotherapy, targeted therapy- and immunotherapy-related toxicities.

Italian version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)-Total Care (TC): development and psychometric validation in patients undergoing cancer treatment or follow-up.

Introduction: The routine use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical practice improves quality of care, it helps in reducing the access to emergency services and unscheduled visits, and it can improve cancer patients' time survival. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a PRO largely used in different care settings to monitor physical and psychological symptoms. Nonetheless, along with these symptoms, literature also highlighted the presence and effect of spiritual pain, financial distress, and social isolation on quality of care, treatment effectiveness, and survival.

MASCC antiemetics in advanced cancer updated guideline.

Background: Nausea and vomiting are a common clinical symptom in the advanced cancer patient. Pharmacologic management is important. Evidence for drug choices and guidelines are needed to help clinicians manage nausea and vomiting in this population METHODS: Evidence from a systematic review published in 2010, initial MASCC guidelines developed from a systematic review of literature to 2015, and a new systematic review of randomized trials published between 2015 and February 2, 2021, was combined to establish a new guideline.

Medical management of malignant bowel obstruction in patients with advanced cancer: 2021 MASCC guideline update.

Background: Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a frequent complication in patients with advanced cancer, particularly colon or gynecological malignancies. MASCC previously published a guideline for symptom management of MBO in 2017. This is a 5-year update.

Fears, beliefs, and quality of life of patients with cancer vs the general population during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Lombardy.

Aim: To understand how patients with cancer reacted to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether their quality of life (QoL) was affected.

Methods: In June 2020, 111 patients with cancer treated in the supportive care unit of a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Milan and 201 healthy controls from the general population were enrolled and assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively for fears and COVID-19-related beliefs as well as for QoL.

Results: Fear of COVID-19 was significantly lower among patients (41% vs 57.

Malignant salivary gland tumours in families with breast cancer susceptibility.

Salivary gland cancers (SGCs) are rare malignancies with highly heterogeneous histological features. Patients affected with SGCs are at increased risk of secondary malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). Previous studies enlightened a possible link between SGCs and hereditary predisposition to BC.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of ginseng in reducing fatigue in patients treated for head and neck cancer.

Purpose: Fatigue is a distressing symptom in head & neck cancer patients before during and at the end of curative therapy. Pharmacologic and not pharmacologic treatments have been proposed with scarce or no evidence of efficacy. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of American ginseng in respect to placebo in reducing fatigue in patients treated for head and neck cancer with curative intent.

Supportive care in cancer-a MASCC perspective.

The term 'supportive care' arose from the medical oncology literature predominantly in the context of managing the toxicities of cancer treatment but embraces all symptom management through treatment and survivorship. Supportive care should be patient-centred with good communication which includes family and carers and applies across the cancer experience from diagnosis, treatment, survivorship to end of life care. Supportive care encompasses physical and functional, psychological, social and spiritual well-being to improve the quality of life.

Alveolar bone histological necrosis observed prior to extractions in patients, who received bone-targeting agents.

Objective: We reported the alveolar bone histology prior to dental extractions in cancer patients, who received bone-targeting agents (BTA).

Subjects And Methods: Fifty-four patients were included. Patients underwent extractions, and bone biopsies were taken.

Cognitive decline in older long-term survivors from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To compare cognition in a group of older long-term survivors from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and in a corresponding group of non-cancer controls of the same age. Functional status, polypharmacy and multimorbidity were also evaluated.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in a population of 63 outpatient long-term survivors from NHL, aged 65 or more and 61 non-cancer controls.