Conducting an antidepressant clinical trial in oncology: challenges and strategies to address them.

Objective: The aim of this report is to discuss the design of an antidepressant clinical trial and discuss the challenges and potential solutions to these challenges to successful recruitment of oncology patients for psychopharmacology trials.

Method: We utilize meeting minutes and investigator discussions to identify the modifiable and nonmodifiable variables that affected successful subject recruitment for this study.

Results: No subjects were enrolled in our placebo-controlled antidepressant trial.

A pilot study to evaluate symptom-oriented selection of antidepressants in patients with cancer.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating illness in patients with cancer. However, the optimal treatment of depression in these patients remains uncertain, with limited evidence to support the use of pharmacologic therapy. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of an antidepressant clinical trial in the oncology population and the process of symptom-oriented selection of antidepressants (citalopram or mirtazapine) in patients with cancer and MDD.

Multisegment foot motion during gait: proof of concept in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To test a multisegment foot model for kinematic analysis during barefoot walking in patients with well established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and foot impairments.

Methods: Five healthy adult subjects and 11 RA patients with advanced disease were studied. Foot impairments were assessed using standardized outcomes and clinical examination techniques.