This Cochrane review of cytokines and growth factors for preventing oral mucositis in patients having cancer treatment included 35 RCTs finding keratinocyte growth factor beneficial in the prevention of oral mucositis .
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This review of chlorhexidine (CHX) for prevention & treatment of oral mucositis included 12 RCTs with 9 contribution to the meta-analysis. CHX was not significantly effective in preventing mucositis or reducing its severity.
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Kirsten Lawson reports on a recent Cochrane systematic review, which highlights a lack of high quality trials about the efficacy and safety of antidepressants for depression in cancer.
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In this blog, Alison Turner takes a look at guidance, which sets out recommendations for commissioners and providers to improve care and outcomes for people with cancer.
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Elena Marcus appraises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of premature mortality in bipolar affective disorder, which finds that people with bipolar disorder have increased mortality rates compared with the general population.
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Ermintrude considers a literature review on social work and carers of people living with cancer, wondering how the evidence can make a case for improvements in the UK.
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This new review investigated the effect of alcohol on 23 cancer types. They included 572 case-control and cohort studies and using meta-analysis and a dose–response meta-regression model found relative risks for heavy drinkers compared with nondrinkers and occasional drinkers were 5.13 for oral and pharyngeal cancer, 4.95 for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 1.44 for colorectal, 2.65 for laryngeal and 1.61 for breast cancer.
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Kirsten Lawson highlights a trio of Lancet papers on the prevalence of depression in cancer patients and the efficacy of a new treatment programme called ‘Depression Care for People with Cancer’.
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Last month, the Department of Health published the ‘Closing the Gap’ report, which highlighted the importance of better integration of physical and mental health care at every level. The report specifically flagged up the need for frontline services to respond better to people who self-harm, and cited statistics that emphasise the cyclical nature of the [read the full story…]
Having a life threatening disease such as cancer and undergoing gruelling treatment can have detrimental psychological effects. According to a recent review, for instance, the prevalence of depression among cancer patients is 10.8%, when assessed by a standardised clinical assessment (Ng et al. 2011). The authors of this meta-analysis make the argument that established criteria [read the full story…]
