MASCC multidisciplinary evidence-based recommendations for the management of malignant bowel obstruction in advanced cancer.

PURPOSE: To provide evidence-based recommendations on the management of malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) for patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: The Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) MBO study group conducted a systematic review of databases (inception to March 2021) to identify studies about patients with advanced cancer and MBO that reported on the following outcomes: symptom management, bowel obstruction resolution, prognosis, overall survival, and quality of life. The review was restricted to studies published in English, but no restrictions were placed on publication year, country, and study type. As per the MASCC Guidelines Policy, the findings were synthesized to determine the levels of evidence to support each MBO intervention and, ultimately, the graded recommendations and suggestions. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 17,656 published studies and 397 selected for the guidelines. The MASCC study group developed a total of 25 evidence-based suggestions and recommendations about the management of MBO-related nausea and vomiting, bowel movements, pain, inflammation, bowel decompression, and nutrition. Expert consensus-based guidance about advanced care planning and psychosocial support is also provided. CONCLUSION: This MASCC Guideline provides comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations about MBO management for patients with advanced cancer.

Role of Integrative Oncology and Palliative Care Services in Improving Comfort Level and Compliance among Patients with Advanced Fungating Breast Cancer - Experience from a Rural Hospital of North Eastern India during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: Malignant fungating breast cancers are a definite challenge to treatment due to limited knowledge and prevailing distressing symptoms. Various treatment protocols with regard to radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy have been reported in the literature but the knowledge of proper integration of these regimes with effective palliative care nursing care, particularly in resource poor settings, is not well understood. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the change in the degree of comfort achieved before and after treatment of these fungating breast cancer wounds along with issues regarding compliance to such treatment in a peripheral rural medical college hospital. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients were selected from the medical records files of the RT department of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital who were registered and treated during the period 1 June 2019- 31 July 2021. Palliative care nursing of malodour, bleeding, maggots, pain and assessment of psychological parameters was done based on the 11-point revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale at the beginning and at each subsequent follow-up visits. Patients were also individualised for receiving palliative RT, chemotherapy, surgery and hormone therapy based on their clinicodemographic profiles. Informed consent was taken from all patients and every treatment was in accordance with the ethical permissions as sought from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Statistical analysis was done based on descriptive statistics and SPSS version 22. Results: Median follow-up was 13 months. Overall, there was a significant improvement in comfort and well-being as assessed by paired t-test before and after treatment (paired t-test = 16.548; P = 0.000). However, there was no significant correlation with palliative radiation dose and schedule as per spearman's correlation coefficient. The mean radiation dose was BED 48.56 Gy3 (EQD2 = 29.3 Gy3) and the median number of fractions used was 10. Almost 50% of patients were noncompliant to treatment and this might be attributed to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation. There was maximum relief with regard to bleeding control (100%), malodour dissipation (76.9%) and control of maggots infestation (71%) and these results were also found to be strongly associated with treatment as per analysis done by Chi-square test of difference of proportions. Conclusion: Effective comfort can be achieved with proper judicious combination of palliative care nursing and other oncological treatment such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.

Role of Respite Palliative Care in Understanding and Managing Complex Palliative Care Situation - A Case Report.

Introduction: The concept of total pain encompasses a person's physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and practical struggles. Effective pain and symptom management are the core elements of palliative care which aims at reducing suffering and improving quality of life (QOL) throughout the course of illness and need to be addressed with multidisciplinary coordinated approach in a timely manner. It may be challenging for palliative care providers to address all these distressing issues during short out-patient consultations. Hence, Respite Palliative Care Unit (RPCU) is an appropriate place to provide holistic patient care. Case Description: A 59-year-old widow, from Muslim community, was following up with Palliative Medicine out-patient department for management of progressively increasing chest pain with frequent exacerbations. She remained unsatisfied with the pain management and reported moderate to severe intensity of pain despite maximal pain management using multimodal approaches. We planned to systematically explore and address the issues leading to uncontrolled pain and distress. The patient was admitted to RPCU for holistic pain management and continuity of care. We explored and addressed the complex psycho-socio-spiritual aspects contributing to the total pain experience to achieve better symptom control and improve her overall well-being. Conclusion: This case report emphasizes the role of RPCU in effective and holistic management of psychosocial, spiritual issues, difficult communication, and advanced care planning. This model of palliative care can be a valuable addition to various health-care set-ups in the developing countries for improvement of patient care.

Setting-up a Supportive and Palliative Care Service for Children with Life-threatening Illnesses in Maharashtra - Children's Palliative Care Project in India.

Objectives: To describe the key initiatives that were successful in planning and implementing hospital- and community-based Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC) services designed for a resource-limited setting in Maharashtra, India, in collaboration with DfID. Materials and Methods: The CPC project was a 5-year service development project (April 2010-March 2015) conducted in Maharashtra, India, developed in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID), Hospice UK, International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and Tata Memorial Centre, to advocate and care for the needs of children and families with life-limiting illnesses in a non-cancer setting. It was implemented through raising awareness and sensitising hospital administrators and staff about PPC, providing education and training on PPC, team building, and data collection to understand the need for PPC. Results: The total number of children enrolled in the CPC project was 866, 525 (60.6%) were male with a mean age of 9.3 years. Major symptom across sites was mild pain, and serial Quality of Life measurement (through PedsQL questionnaire) showed improvement in social, psychological and school performance. Advocacy with the Ministry of Health helped in procurement of NDPS licenses in district hospitals, and led to access to palliative care for children at policy level. Conclusion: The model of PPC service development can be replicated in other resource-limited settings to include children with life-limiting conditions. The development of pilot programmes can generate interest among local physicians to become trained in PPC and can be used to advocate for the palliative care needs of children.

Experiences of Adolescents with Cancer Attending a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre: A Thematic Analysis.

Objectives: Adolescents with cancer experience several psychosocial concerns. Cancer among adolescents contributes to one-fifth of cancers in India. Most of the published empirical literature on adolescents' views about their cancer experience is from high-income countries.The objectives of the study were to explore the experiences of adolescents with cancer in India. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight adolescents were purposively recruited and participated in prospectively conducted qualitative interviews conducted at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, between 2013 and 2015. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Two themes and several subthemes were generated during the analysis. The transition to the new reality of illness was traumatic. It embodied fear about the unknown, disease and symptoms. The experience was isolating and disfigurement further led to peer separation. Inadequate information made the adolescents anxious and worried, and children and parents experienced moments of severe distress. The love and support received from parents, siblings and extended family facilitated positive coping. Peer support was reassuring and enabled them to have a normalising experience. Discovering their inner strength, acceptance of the situation and faith in God made them resilient and hopeful. Conclusion: Adolescents with cancer experience significant emotional concerns, which are often unexplored and unaddressed. An adolescent-specific communication framework and psychosocial programme contextual to the Indian setting may be developed based on the study findings.

Development of a model of Home-based Cancer Palliative Care Services in Mumbai - Analysis of Real-world Research Data over 5 Years.

Objectives: Patients needing palliative care prefer to be cared for in the comfort of their homes. Although private home health-care services are entering the health-care ecosystem in India, for the majority it is still institution-based. Here, we describe a model of home-based palliative care developed by the Tata Memorial Hospital, a government tertiary care cancer hospital. Materials and Methods: Data on patient demographics, services provided and outcomes were collected prospectively for patients for the year November 2013 - October 2019. In the 1st year, local general physicians were trained in palliative care principles, bereavement services and out of hours telephone support were provided. In the 2nd year, data from 1st year were analysed and discussed among the study investigators to introduce changes. In the 3rd year, the updated patient assessment forms were implemented in practice. In the 4th year, the symptom management protocol was implemented. In the 5th and 6th year, updated process of patient assessment data and symptom management protocol was implemented as a complete model of care. Results: During the 6 years, 250 patients were recruited, all suffering from advanced cancer. Home care led to good symptom control, improvement of quality of life for patients and increased satisfaction of caregivers during the care process and into bereavement. Conclusion: A home-based model of care spared patients from unnecessary hospital visits and was successful in providing client centred care. A multidisciplinary team composition allowed for holistic care and can serve as a model for building palliative care capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Developing a Screening Tool for Serious Health-related Suffering for Low- and Middle-Income Countries - Phase-1: Domain Identification and Item Generation.

Objectives: The Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Relief reported significant levels of health-related suffering globally, with the highest incidence in the low- and middle-income countries. The report describes suffering as health-related when it is associated with illness or injury of any kind and suffering as serious when it cannot be relieved without professional intervention and when it compromises physical, social, spiritual, and/or emotional functioning. This paper describes the preliminary development phase of a tool for screening Serious Health-related Suffering (SHS) at individual patient level, suitable to the healthcare settings in India. The study was conducted by the National Cancer Grid-India, with support from the Indian Association of Palliative Care. Materials and Methods: Domain identification and item generation were conducted according to the recommendations for tool development by the American Psychological Association and World Health Organisation quality of life instrument. The consensus for domain questions and associated items was achieved using Delphi, nominal group technique, expert review, and polling. Results: The Phase-1 study for developing the screening tool for SHS contextualised to resource-limited settings generated a bilevel questionnaire. The initial level assesses and scores the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial domains of health-related suffering. The next level assesses seriousness, through functional limitation and patient's preference. Conclusion: The generation of domains, items, and screening questions for health-related suffering and its seriousness completes the preliminary phase of developing the SHS screening tool applicable to a resource-limited healthcare setting. Field testing of the tool is being conducted as Phase-2 of this study, to validate it in clinical settings.

Organizational Strategies for Providing Cancer Palliative Care to Many.

PURPOSE: Hospitals and healthcare organizations are today operating in an extremely competitive environment, with increasing pressure to improve quality while reducing costs. In responding to this dynamic situation, transformation of any organization requires the will to organize delivery around the needs of patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Providing palliative care to the many who require it needs the value agenda to be formulated based on mutually reinforcing components. Here we present an overview of the framework for a palliative care department in a comprehensive cancer center, which includes different levels that are embedded within a comprehensive system. Detailed information on each level is presented, followed by a discussion of quality of care, as an integrating theme for the framework. The chapter concludes by detailing the benefits that a comprehensive cancer palliative care center provides to a country's healthcare efforts through service, education, research, and advocacy.

Implementation of an Early Palliative Care Referral Program in Lung Cancer: A Quality Improvement Project at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.

OBJECTIVES: Access to early palliative care (EPC) for all patients with metastatic lung cancer is yet to be achieved in spite of recommendations. This quality improvement (QI) project was initialized to improve the rates of such referrals from the thoracic oncology clinic for all new outpatients in a premier cancer center in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Change in the proportion of patients receiving referrals for EPC during and after intervention (April-May 2018), compared to baseline (January-March 2018) were explored. Interventions included understanding of the process flow, identification of key drivers, and root cause analysis which identified the gaps as lack of documentation for EPC. Teaching and encouraging staff at the clinic to incorporate referrals into all initial visits for patients with metastatic lung cancer were incorporated. RESULTS: The bundle of QI interventions increased referrals from an average of 50% to 75%, mean difference = 12.64 (standard deviation = 10.13) (95% confidence interval = 22.01-3.29), P = 0.016 (two-tailed) on paired sample test. CONCLUSION: Improved referral rates for EPC in a multidisciplinary cancer clinic is possible with a QI project. This project also identifies the importance of data documentation and patient information processes that can be targeted for improvement.

How views of oncologists and haematologists impacts palliative care referral: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, many patients with cancer, are infrequently referred to palliative care or are referred late. Oncologists and haematologists may act as gatekeepers, and their views may facilitate or hinder referrals to palliative care. This review aimed to identify, explore and synthesise their views on referrals systematically. METHODS: Databases of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane were searched for articles from 01/01/1990 to 31/12/2019. All studies were scored for their methodological rigour using Hawker's tool. Findings were synthesised using Popay's narrative synthesis method and interpreted using a critical realist lens and social exchange theory. RESULTS: Out of 9336 initial database citations, 23 studies were included for synthesis. Five themes were developed during synthesis. 1. Presuppositions of oncologists and haematologists about palliative care referral: Role conflict, abandonment, rupture of therapeutic alliance and loss of hope were some of the presuppositions that hindered palliative care referral. Negative emotions and perception of self-efficacy to manage palliative care need also hindered referral. 2. Power relationships and trust issues: Oncologists and haematologists preferred to gatekeep the referral process and wished to control and coordinate the care process. They had diminished trust in the competency of palliative care providers. 3. Making a palliative care referral: A daunting task: The stigma associated with palliative care, navigating illness and treatment associated factors, addressing patient and family attitudes, and overcoming organisational challenges made referral a daunting task. Lack of referral criteria and limited palliative care resources made the referral process challenging. 4. Cost-benefit of palliative care referral: Pain and symptom management and psychosocial support were the perceived benefits, whereas inconsistencies in communication and curtailment of care were some of the costs associated with palliative care referral. 5. Strategies to facilitate palliative care referral: Developing an integrated model of care, renaming and augmenting palliative care resources were some of the strategies that could facilitate a referral. CONCLUSION: Presuppositions, power relationships, trust issues and the challenges associated with the task of referrals hindered palliative care referral. Oncologists and haematologists appraised the cost-benefit of making a palliative care referral. They felt that an integrated model of care, changing the name of palliative care and augmenting palliative care resources might facilitate a referral.

Approaches and Best Practices for Managing Cancer Pain within the Constraints of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India.

Novel corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic that has impacted the entire world. The Indian government has responded strongly and very stringently to the crisis, through a nationwide lockdown. The health-care (HC) systems in the country are striving hard to maintain equitable care across illness spectra, while responding the emergencies imposed by the COVID-19 crisis. Under these circumstances, guidelines for managing several diseases including that for cancer care have been modified. As modified guidelines for cancer care have their focus on disease management, cancer pain management and maintaining continuity of care for patients with advanced progressive disease have taken a backseat in the available cancer care guidelines. This article describes the challenges, approaches to solutions with evidence-based practices that can be utilized to ensure competent management of cancer pain during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It provides an overview of adapting to telehealth consultations for identification, evaluation and management of cancer pain, safe and rational use of analgesics and adjuvant drugs, recognizing and responding to holistic care needs and addressing the total pain, ensuring continuity of pain management, and strategies when complying with narcotic drug regulations, while ensuring safety of patients and HC providers.

Palliative Care in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Position Statement of the Indian Association of Palliative Care.

The global pandemic involving severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 has brought new challenges to clinical practice and care in the provision of palliative care. This position statement of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) represents the collective opinion of the experts chosen by the society and reports on the current situation based on recent scientific evidence. It purports to guide all health-care professionals caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and recommends palliative care principles into government decisions and policies. The statement provides recommendations for palliative care for both adults and children with severe COVID-19 illness, cancer, and chronic end-stage organ impairment in the hospital, hospice, and home setting. Holistic care incorporating physical, psychological, social, and spiritual support for patients and their families together with recommendations on the rational use of personal protective equipment has been discussed in brief. Detailed information can be accessed freely from the website of the IAPC http://www.palliativecare.in/. We hope that this position statement will serve as a guiding light in these uncertain times.

High Prevalence of Dyspnea in Lung Cancer: An Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Dyspnea is a subjective, multidimensional experience of breathing discomfort, commonly seen in patients with advanced cancer. This study is a secondary analysis to seek the clinical prevalence of dyspnea on a subset of patients with lung cancer. Improving the quality of life (QoL) in dyspnea requires aggressive symptom management, which in turn entails a detailed understanding of its symptomatology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a subset analysis of lung cancer patients of a prospective observational study done over 6 months from April to September 2014 at the Department of Palliative Medicine, Tata Memorial Centre (Mumbai). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: About 71.43% of the patients with advanced lung cancer experienced dyspnea. Dyspnea increased with worsening fatigue, anxiety, appetite, and well-being. Patients described it as an increased sense of effort for breathing, and it lowered the QoL substantially.

Intramedullary Spinal Cord Metastases of Malignant Melanoma: A Rare Case Report on Paraplegia in Palliative Care.

Rates of malignant melanoma have been increasing in frequency. Studies have shown that up to 46% of patients with melanoma will experience metastases to the central nervous system. Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis of malignant melanoma is rare. In advanced cancers, surgery might not be possible, and radiotherapy with corticotherapy is a viable option. In the following case, a 54-year-old male presented to the clinic with an intramedullary tumor in the D1 region. He was successfully managed with an integrated palliative care approach with concomitant cancer-directed therapy.

Can pre-diagnostic serum levels of sodium and potassium predict prostate cancer survival?

There is evidence that derangement in serum electrolytes like sodium and potassium is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among hospitalized critically ill patients, but their role in the context of cancer survival remains poorly understood. We sought to investigate the association of pre-diagnostic serum sodium and potassium with risk of overall, cancer-specific, and cardiovascular (CV) death among 11,492 men diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) from the Swedish AMORIS study. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the risk of death by clinical categories of pre-diagnostic serum sodium and potassium. During a mean follow-up of 5.7 years, 1649 men died of PCa. Serum levels of sodium were not indicative of PCa-specific or CV death. A weak positive association was found between pre-diagnostic higher serum potassium (> 5 mEq/L) and overall death [HR: 1.26 (95% CI: 1.01-1.59)] as compared to low/normal levels of clinical cut-offs. The current study did not find strong evidence for a role of electrolytes in PCa mortality. To further disentangle the potential role of electrolytes in cancer development, future studies should use repeated measurement of serum electrolytes.This research project was reviewed and approved by the Stockholm Ethical Committee (Dnr 2010/1:7).

Impact of Educational Training in Improving Skills, Practice, Attitude, and Knowledge of Healthcare Workers in Pediatric Palliative Care: Children's Palliative Care Project in the Indian State of Maharashtra.

BACKGROUND: The "Children's Palliative Care Project" was initiated in October 2010 in the Indian state of Maharashtra with a view to improve the quality of life of children with life-limiting conditions. This study evaluates its education and training component through a questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out pre-/post-training among 258 doctors, nurses, social workers, and counselors at three sites in Maharashtra in March 2015. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-two participants responded. Posttraining, doctors and the nurses had a better level of knowledge, skill set, and attitude; whereas social workers and counselors fared better with prevailing care practices. Participants advocated using morphine only when other analgesics had failed and suggested ways for better service delivery of care. CONCLUSION: The study gives a rough idea of the prevailing practice of pediatric palliative care among the health-care workers (who participated in the survey) and suggests practical ways to improve it.

Prevalence and Intensity of Dyspnea in Advanced Cancer and its Impact on Quality of Life.

CONTEXT: Dyspnea is a subjective, multidimensional experience of breathing discomfort, commonly seen in patients with advanced cancer. To find the impact of dyspnea on the quality of life in this population, it is important to understand the prevalence and factors influencing dyspnea. AIMS: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, intensity, and factors influencing dyspnea in advanced cancer and determine its impact on overall quality of life. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. The prevalence of dyspnea and its impact on quality of life was determined in 500 patients registered with palliative medicine outpatient department. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The patients were asked to fill a set of questionnaires, which included the Cancer Dyspnea Scale (translated and validated Hindi and Marathi versions), visual analog scale for dyspnea and EORTC QLQ C 15 PAL. Details of demographics, symptomatology, and medical data were collected from the case record sheets of the patients. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics, univariate, and multiple regression analysis were used to calculate the results. RESULTS: About 44.37% of the patients experienced dyspnea. Dyspnea increased with worsening anxiety, depression, fatigue, appetite, well-being, pain, lung involvement by primary or metastatic cancer, performance status, and deteriorating overall quality of life and emotional wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dyspnea in advanced cancer patients is as high as 44.37% and has a negative impact on their overall quality of life.

Exploring Education and Training Needs in Palliative Care among Family Physicians in Mumbai: A Qualitative Study.

CONTEXT: Patients with chronic life-limiting conditions on palliative care (PC) prefer to be treated at home. Medical care by family physicians (FPs) reduces demand on costly and busy hospital facilities. Working of PC team in collaboration with FPs is thus helpful in home-based management of patients. AIMS: This study aimed at exploring the extent of knowledge of FPs about PC and the need for additional training. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten FPs from two suburbs of Mumbai, currently served by home care services of a tertiary cancer care center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory analysis followed by content analysis to develop thematic codes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: FPs perceive PC as symptom control and psychological support helpful in managing patients with advanced life-limiting illnesses. Further training would help them in PC provision. Such training programs should preferably focus on symptom management and communication skills. There is a need for further research in designing a training module for FPs to get better understanding of the principles of PC.

Bradycardia with Syncope in Carotid Sinus Syndrome: A Rare Case Report in Palliative Care.

Emergencies in palliative care need to be defined by the potential distress that a clinical issue raises for a person. A 58-year-old male with carcinoma vallecula referred for palliative care presented with recurrent syncopal attacks. On examination, a swelling at the left angle of mandible pressing on the carotid sinus was detected. A clinical diagnosis of carotid sinus syndrome was made, which is an exaggerated response to carotid sinus baroreceptor stimulation and results in dizziness or syncope from transient diminished cerebral perfusion. Rapid identification and judicious interventions in time (cardiac consultation, intravenous atropine 0.5 mg, and temporary pacemaker implantation) were able to manage a potentially correctable cardiovascular emergency in his case.