Patient-Reported Pain in Patients with Breast Cancer Who Receive Radiotherapy.

Background: Patients who receive radiation treatment (RT) for breast cancer often report pain, which contributes negatively to quality of life (QoL).

Aims: To identify demographic, treatment, and disease characteristics associated with pain and changes in pain before and after RT using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS).

Design: Retrospective study.

Local surgical complication rates in patients receiving surgery without immediate post-operative radiation therapy for lower extremity bone metastases.

Purpose: Pathological metastatic fractures in lower-extremity weight bearing bones often require surgical reconstruction. Post-operative radiation is routinely recommended following surgical reconstruction. This study evaluated the clinical outcomes of patients that undergo surgical fixation of an established or an impending pathologic lower extremity fracture without post-operative radiation.

Psychological morbidity in women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ compared with women with early breast cancer receiving radiotherapy.

Purpose: Despite having an excellent prognosis, patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) report significant anxiety and depression following diagnosis. This study evaluated psychological morbidity using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) in patients with DCIS compared with women with early-stage invasive breast cancer (EIBC) receiving radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: We identified patients diagnosed with DCIS or EIBC (stage I or II breast cancer) from 2011 to 2017 who had at least one ESAS completed pre- and post-RT.

Symptom clusters in patients with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy.

Purpose: Symptoms experienced by breast cancer patients often cluster together in groups known as "symptom clusters". The aim was to determine the symptom clusters in women with non-metastatic breast cancer treated by radiation therapy (RT).

Methods: Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) scores were taken from breast cancer patients receiving RT before, at completion of RT, and after RT.

Seasonal fluctuations in psychological distress amongst women diagnosed with early breast cancer receiving radiotherapy.

Objective: Seasonal effects on patients diagnosed with depression/anxiety-related psychological disorders have varying impacts on symptom severity. Seasonal changes in psychological distress may be due to decreased daylight exposure during the fall/winter seasons. Patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) for early-stage invasive breast cancer (EIBC) are at high risk for developing depressive symptoms.

Patient-reported fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy.

Purpose: Fatigue or tiredness is one of the most commonly reported symptoms in breast cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT). This study aimed to identify characteristics associated with fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant RT.

Methods: Patients with non-metastatic breast cancer receiving RT at the Odette Cancer Centre from 2011 to 2017 were included in our study if they completed at least one ESAS pre- and post-RT.

Symptoms Predictive of Overall Quality of Life Using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy.

Background: Breast cancer patients often experience multiple symptoms that negatively affect quality of life (QOL). Patient-reported scores on symptom screening tools are used by health care professionals to manage QOL. We aimed to examine which symptoms from the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) were most predictive of overall well-being (QOL) in breast cancer patients over the course of radiotherapy (RT).

Radiation-induced nausea and vomiting: a comparison between MASCC/ESMO, ASCO, and NCCN antiemetic guidelines.

Purpose: Radiation-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) can affect 50-80% of patients undergoing radiotherapy and negatively impacts quality of life. This review aimed to compare the most recent RINV antiemetic guidelines produced by the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), the European Society of Clinical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Future improvements to the guidelines and the need for further research in RINV were also discussed.

ASCO, NCCN, MASCC/ESMO: a comparison of antiemetic guidelines for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in adult patients.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common toxicity that may impair the quality of life of patients with a variety of early- and end-stage malignancies. In light of recent changes in the optimal management of CINV, we undertook this narrative review to compare the latest guidelines published by ASCO (2017), NCCN (2018), and MASCC/ESMO (2016). The processes undertaken by each organization to evaluate existing literature were also described.