ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Cancer patients require implantation of venous access devices to meet their personalized therapeutic needs, which are often complex due to the nature of the medication and the disease status. Therefore, it is essential to have standardized protocols that guarantee the best results in health and patient safety. METHODS: To learn about the availability of protocols and aspects related to safety in clinical practice and to detect possible opportunities for improvement, a survey has been conducted in various Spanish hospitals, in addition to a review of the evidence regarding the various devices available and complications associated with the administration of chemotherapy. RESULTS: As a result of both analyses, the Foundation for Excellence and Quality in Oncology (ECO), the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), and the Spanish Society of Oncology Nursing (SEEO) have developed a catheter selection algorithm based on patient characteristics and treatment to facilitate the clinical decision-making process, as well as some recommendations aimed at ensuring patient safety and rational use of available resources. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, both the venous access catheter selection algorithm and the proposed recommendations aim to respond to the needs revealed in clinical practice and to become an integrable tool in electronic prescription systems to offer homogeneous criteria for action in cancer patients that require venous access, optimizing the use of available health resources with the highest safety and quality of life for the patient.
Subject(s)
Medical Oncology/standards , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Patient Safety , Adult , Catheters, Indwelling/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Infusions, Intravenous , Male , Middle Aged , Oncology Nursing , Societies, MedicalABSTRACT
Cancer of unknown primary site is a histologically confirmed cancer which is manifested in advanced stage, with no identifiable primary site after the use of standard diagnostic procedures. Patients are initially placed into one of categories based upon the examination of the initial biopsy: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma and poorly differentiated carcinoma. Appropriate patient management requires an understanding of several clinicopathologic features that help to identify several subsets of patients with more responsive tumors.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma/diagnosis , Carcinoma/therapy , Neoplasms, Unknown Primary/diagnosis , Neoplasms, Unknown Primary/therapy , HumansABSTRACT
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common event in cancer patients and one of the major causes of cancer-associated mortality and a leading cause of morbidity. In recent years, the incidence rates of VTE have notably increased; however, VTE is still commonly underestimated by oncologists. VTE is considered an adverse prognostic factor in cancer patients in all settings. In 2011 the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) first published a clinical guideline of prophylaxis and treatment of VTE in cancer patients. In an effort to incorporate evidence obtained since the original publication, SEOM presents an update of the guideline for thrombosis and cancer in order to improve the prevention and management of VTE.