Patients with advanced cancer suffer from psychosocial distress that may impair quality of life and that may be ameliorated by psychotherapeutic treatment. We describe here the methodology of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effectiveness of a novel, brief, semi-structured psychotherapeutic intervention to reduce distress and increase well-being in patients with advanced or metastatic cancer. The intervention, called Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), was originally developed in Canada and we are now testing its Italian adaptation (CALM-IT). The study is a single-blinded phase III RCT with assessment at baseline, 3 and 6 months with two conditions: CALM-IT versus a nonspecific supportive intervention (SPI). Eligibility criteria include: ≥ 18 years of age; fluency in the Italian language; no cognitive deficit, and diagnosis of advanced or metastatic cancer with an expected survival of 12-18 months. CALM-IT includes up to 12 sessions, delivered over 6 months and covers 4 domains: i) Symptom Management and Communication with Health Care Providers; ii) Changes in Self and Relations with Close Others; iii) Sense of Meaning and Purpose; and iv) the Future and Mortality. The primary outcome is difference in severity of depressive symptoms between treatment arm and the primary endpoint is 6 months. The secondary endpoint is 3 months and secondary outcomes are: generalized anxiety, distress about dying and death, demoralization, spiritual well-being, attachment security, posttraumatic growth, communication with partners, quality of life, and satisfaction with clinical care. If shown to be effective, CALM-IT can be implemented nationally to relieve distress and to promote psychological well-being in patients with advanced cancer.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100661 | DOI Listing |
Clin J Gastroenterol
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Shizuoka Medical Center NHO, 762-1, Nagasawa, Shimizu, Sunto, Shizuoka, 411-8611, Japan.
Mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm (MiNEN) of the colon is rare with a poor prognosis. Since the first description of a mixed neoplasm 100 years ago, the nomenclature has evolved, most recently with the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system. We describe our experience of a case of locoregionally advanced MiNEN of the descending colon treated with curative laparoscopic resection and adjuvant chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBr J Radiol
January 2025
Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi.
Objectives: To study the correlation between sarcopenia and hypertrophy of the future liver remnant(FLR) in patients undergoing portal vein embolization(PVE) before liver resection, and to assess the outcomes after resection.
Methods: This retrospective study examined patients underwent PVE from May 2012 to May 2023. Demographic, clinical and laboratory features were documented and total liver volumes(TLV) and FLR volumes were measured before and 2-4 weeks after PVE.
J Cardiothorac Surg
January 2025
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, 5021, Bergen, Norway.
Background: A broncho-esophageal fistula (BEF) is a medical and surgical disaster. Treatment of BEF is often limited to palliative stent treatment that may migrate or cause erosions and tissue necrosis. Surgical repair of BEF is the only established definite treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Neuropathol Commun
January 2025
Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive adult brain cancer, characterised by poor prognosis and a dismal five-year survival rate. Despite significant knowledge gains in tumour biology, meaningful advances in patient survival remain elusive. The field of neuro-oncology faces many disease obstacles, one being the paucity of faithful models to advance preclinical research and guide personalised medicine approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Transl Med
January 2025
Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, No. 467 of Zhongshan Road, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China.
Objective: Cervical cancer is a common malignancy among women, and radiotherapy remains a primary treatment modality across all disease stages. However, resistance to radiotherapy frequently results in treatment failure, highlighting the need to identify novel therapeutic targets to improve clinical outcomes.
Methods: The expression of molecule interacting with CasL-2 (MICAL2) was confirmed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines through western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).
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