Chemotherapy versus best supportive care for extensive small cell lung cancer.

Background: Combination chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment for extensive stage small celI lung cancer (SCLC) over the last 30 years, even though it only gives a short prolongation in median survival time. The main goal for these patients should be palliation with the aim of improving their quality of life.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of first-line chemotherapy versus placebo or best supportive care (BSC) in prolonging survival in patients with extensive SCLC at diagnosis and the effectiveness of second-line chemotherapy at relapse or progression after first-line chemotherapy compared with BSC or placebo in prolonging survival in patients with extensive SCLC; as well as to evaluate the adverse events of treatment and the quality of life of patients.

Clinical effectiveness of online training in palliative care of primary care physicians.

Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) have a major responsibility in the management of palliative patients. Online palliative care (PC) education has not been shown to have a clinical impact on patients that is equal or different to traditional training.

Objective: This study tested the clinical effectiveness of online PC education of physicians through impact on symptom control, quality of life (QOL), caregiver satisfaction, and knowledge-attitude of physicians at 18 months of the intervention.

Reliability and concurrent validity of the Palliative Outcome Scale, the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist, and the Brief Pain Inventory.

Background: Some domains of the questionnaires used to measure symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced cancer seem to measure similar dimensions or constructs, so it would be useful for clinicians to demonstrate the interchangeability of equivalent domains of the questionnaires in measuring the same constructs.

Objective: This study investigated the reliability and concurrent validity of the Palliative Outcome Scale (POS), the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL), and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), used to measure symptom control in patients with advanced cancer.

Design: This was an evaluative study.

Chemotherapy versus best supportive care for extensive small cell lung cancer.

Background: Combination chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment for extensive stage small celI lung cancer (SCLC) over the last 30 years even though it only gives a short prolongation in median survival time. The main goal for these patients should be palliation with the aim of improving their quality of life.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of chemotherapy in extensive SCLC compared with best supportive care (BSC) or placebo treatment.

Systematic review of educational interventions in palliative care for primary care physicians.

Background: A literature review of educational interventions in palliative care (PC) for primary care physicians (PCP) was performed, to evaluate its impact in changing professional practice.

Methods: Studies undertaking any educational intervention in PC by PCP, published between 1966 and February 2005, identified through Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Clinical Trials, Educational Resources Information Centre, Research and Development Resource Base in Continuing Medical Education, Spanish Medical Index, using a combined text word and MESH heading search strategy.

Results: Eighteen articles were included with 1653 physicians.

[Relationship between quality of life and various models of home care in terminal oncology patients from a health area of Madrid].

Background: This study assesses the effectiveness of the palliative home care for the purpose of ascertaining whether terminal cancer patients treated by Homecare Support Teams have a better quality of life than those treated by Primary Care Teams.

Methods: A quasi-experimental prospective study conducted in Madrid Healthcare District 4 on patients referred from the hospital to Homecare Support Teams or to Primary Care Teams. The main study variable was the quality of life gauged using the Rotterdam Symptom Check List and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.