Assessment of perceived support in the context of emergency: Development and validation of the psycho-social support scale.

Unlabelled: In research and clinical contexts, it is important to briefly evaluate perceived Psychological and Social Support (PSS) to plan psychological interventions and allocate efforts and resources. However, an appropriate brief assessment tool for PSS was lacking. This study aimed at developing a brief and accurate scale to specifically measure PSS in clinical and emergency contexts, with specific, relevant, targeted, and irredundant items.

[Job loss and return to work of patients with cancer. A prospective observational study on 416 cancer patients.].

Unlabelled: Early detection and progression in the treatment of cancer patient have improved the prognosis of many patients. In view of this improvement, cancer should be considered less as a terminal illness, but as a chronic disease, and the number of cancer survivors continues to increase in the West countries. Work coud be very important for cancer patients and for society; however studies on this topic from Italy are fragmentary and very poor.

Early palliative care and quality of life of advanced cancer patients-a multicenter randomized clinical trial.

Background: To compare quality of life (QoL) of patients receiving early palliative care (EPC) vs. standard oncologic care (SOC).

Methods: Pragmatic, multicenter, randomized trial at five University and Community Hospital Cancer Centers in Northern Italy.

Giant cell tumor of bone.

The role of enhanced fluorodeoxyglucose F 18 uptake of giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) should be mentioned in an overview such as that reported by van der Heijden et al., with regard not only to the response to denosumab treatment for unresectable GCTB but also to the clinical implications for the diagnosis of this disease.

Ultrasound-guided Central Venous Catheterization for Home Parenteral Nutrition and Hydratation in Advanced Incurable Cancer Patients: Results of A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Most patients with advanced cancer are frequently malnourished and frequently they develop decreased oral fluid intake and dehidratation. Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is an increasingly used therapy for patients with advanced cancer. A central venous access device is often an essential component allowing parenteral nutrition and hidratation.

Cancer diagnosis disclosure in a northern Italian hospital. Report on 312 consecutive cancer patients.

To evaluate cancer diagnosis disclosure in a cohort of cancer patients attending an outpatient oncology unit, a prospective observational study was performed. Three hundred twelve consecutive patients were accrued between January and June 2005. A questionnaire was given to each patient; the questions were very simple and related to demographics, residence, sex, educational background, employment status, time elapsed after diagnosis, treatment received, existence of relatives, and health insurance.