Electroacupuncture for the management of symptom clusters in cancer patients and survivors (EAST).

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms, comprising cognitive impairment, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and anxiety, are prevalent and may co-occur during and after chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Electroacupuncture (EA), which involves mild electrical stimulation with acupuncture, holds great potential in addressing the management of individual symptoms. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating if EA can manage concurrent neuropsychiatric symptoms in cancer (i.

The influence of brain metastases on the central nervous system effects of methylnaltrexone: a post hoc analysis of 3 randomized, double-blind studies.

Purpose: Peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists such as methylnaltrexone (MNTX, Relistor) are indicated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC). The structural properties unique to MNTX restrict it from traversing the blood-brain barrier (BBB); however, the BBB may become more permeable in patients with brain metastases. We investigated whether the presence of brain metastases in cancer patients compromises the central effects of opioids among patients receiving MNTX for OIC.

Phase II randomized trial of a non-steroidal mouth wash for prevention and treatment of stomatitis in women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer treated with everolimus.

Background: Stomatitis is a frequent dose limiting toxicity of everolimus, an approved therapy for patients with metastatic breast cancer. No randomized trials of a prophylactic measure to prevent mucositis have been reported.

Methods: We conducted a phase II, open-label trial in which patients with metastatic breast cancer starting everolimus were randomized to best supportive care (BSC) prophylactic use of an oral mucoadhesive, non-steroid containing mouth wash.

A Phase II Study of Pembrolizumab in EGFR-Mutant, PD-L1+, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Naïve Patients With Advanced NSCLC.

Background: Despite the significant antitumor activity of pembrolizumab in NSCLC, clinical benefit has been less frequently observed in patients whose tumors harbor EGFR mutations compared to EGFR wild-type patients. Our single-center experience on the KEYNOTE-001 trial suggested that pembrolizumab-treated EGFR-mutant patients, who were tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) naïve, had superior clinical outcomes to those previously treated with a TKI. As TKI naïve EGFR-mutants have generally been excluded from pembrolizumab studies, data to guide treatment decisions in this patient population is lacking, particularly in patients with programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression ≥50%.

Survey of analgesic use for nonmalignant pain in long-term care facilities in southern California.

Objective: Many residents in long-term care facilities experience nonmalignant pain, and analgesic therapy is often inadequate in this setting. We examined the management of chronic nonmalignant pain in elderly nursing home residents.

Design: Retrospective chart review.