Opioid Use at End-Of-Life Among Nova Scotia Patients With Cancer.

To determine the factors associated with opioid analgesic prescriptions as measured by community pharmacy dispensations to all Nova Scotia (NS) patients with cancer at end-of-life from 2005 to 2009. The NS Cancer Registry and the NS Prescription Monitoring Program (NSPMP) were used to link Nova Scotians who had a cancer diagnosis and received a prescription for opioids in their last year of life ( = 6,186) from 2005 to 2009. The association of factors with opioid dispensations at end-of-life were determined (e.

Factors Associated with Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Cancer Survivors in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The purpose of this study is to describe the psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and examine whether sociodemographic factors and health care providers accessed are associated with needs being met. : All Nova Scotia survivors meeting specific inclusion and exclusion criteria are identified from the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry and sent an 83-item survey to assess psychosocial concerns and whether and how their needs were met. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) and Chi-square analyses are used to examine associations between sociodemographic and provider factors and outcomes.

Radiation and/or endocrine therapy? Recurrence and survival outcomes in women over 70 with early breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery.

Purpose: Women over 70 with early breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery are typically offered adjuvant endocrine and radiation therapy. Prior studies have supported the omission of adjuvant radiation in this low-risk population. We sought to compare the effect of adjuvant treatment with endocrine therapy alone, radiation therapy alone or both versus no adjuvant treatment on local control and survival in this population.

Population surveillance of navigation frequency and palliative care contact before death among cancer patients.

Cancer patient navigation in Canada began in 2002 in Nova Scotia with oncology nurses providing support to patients from diagnosis up to and including end of life. This novel study was carried out to determine navigation frequency and palliative care contact rates, and variations in these rates among adults who were diagnosed with cancer, navigated, and then died between 2011 and 2014. Among the 2,532 study subjects, 56.

The Geography of Primary Hepatic Neoplasms Treatments in Canada: Changes in Latitudes and Changes in Attitudes.

Background: Studies on treatment modalities for primary hepatic neoplasms (PHN) in Canada are lacking. Our primary aim was to analyze the age-standardized incidence of hepatic resection, ablation, transplantation, and embolization for PHN between 2002 and 2013. Secondary aim was to evaluate temporal trends for these treatment modalities.

Trastuzumab beyond progression for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer: progression-free survival on first-line therapy predicts overall survival impact.

Trastuzumab beyond first progression in the metastatic setting has been adopted based on limited data suggesting improved outcomes compared to second-line chemotherapy alone although predictive factors for preferential benefit remain elusive. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients receiving trastuzumab for HER2 + metastatic disease between Jan 1, 1999-June 15, 2011. Univariate and time to event analyses described treatment and survival patterns.

A comparison between Atlantic Canadian and national correction equations to improve the accuracy of self-reported obesity estimates in Atlantic Canada.

Objectives: To determine whether obesity correction equations for the Canadian general population, which are dependent on the prevalence of obesity, are appropriate for use in Atlantic Canada, which has the highest obesity rates in the country. Also, to compare the accuracy of the national equations to equations developed specifically for the Atlantic Canadian population.

Methods: The dataset consisted of Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2007-2008 data collected on 17,126 Atlantic Canadians and a subsample of adults, who provided measured height and weight (MHW) data.