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Quality of Life and Side Effects Management in Cancer Treatment

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A special issue of Current Oncology (ISSN 1718-7729). This special issue belongs to the section "Palliative and Supportive Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2023) | Viewed by 11159

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. António Araújo

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Guest Editor

1. Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António, Porto, Portugal
2. Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: clinical and translational research; mechanisms and control of adverse events; strategies to improve cancer patients’ quality of life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer treatment has evolved in recent years in an unimaginable way, giving to our patients an increased rate of progression-free survival and/or overall survival. However, most importantly, these new drugs or new drug combinations are more patient friendly, increasing their quality of life. Nevertheless, we still have to learn how to control the adverse events involved in target therapy, immunotherapy and the new drugs of hormonotherapy.

At present, we still struggle with these adverse events when combining different drugs for immunotherapy, immunotherapy with chemotherapy, or immunotherapy with target agents. The nausea and emesis induced by chemotherapy are still stressful events that we continually try to control better; the immune-mediated toxicity, the rashes and diarrhea induced by target therapy, and the numerous forms of pain that affect most of our cancer patients are all still of significant concern and are the object of investigation.

We are, therefore, pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue highlighting the current state of the art in the control of cancer treatments’ adverse events and in improving the quality of care of cancer patients, as well as future prospects for improving therapies.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Cancers.

Prof. Dr. António Araújo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Oncology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cancer treatment adverse events
quality of life in cancer patients
chemotherapy adverse events
target therapy adverse events
immunotherapy adverse events
hormonotherapy adverse events
chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
cancer pain

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 850 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Upper-Limb Disability and the Severity of Lymphedema Reduce the Quality of Life of Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema

by Karol Ramirez-Parada, Angela Gonzalez-Santos, Layla Riady-Aleuy, Mauricio P. Pinto, Carolina Ibañez, Tomas Merino, Francisco Acevedo, Benjamin Walbaum, Rodrigo Fernández-Verdejo and Cesar Sanchez

Curr. Oncol. 2023, 30(9), 8068-8077; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol30090585 - 31 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2097

Abstract

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is characterized by arm swelling, pain, and discomfort, reducing the quality of life (QoL) of affected individuals. BRCL is caused via the blockage or disruption of the lymphatic vessels following cancer treatments, leading to an accumulation of fluid in the affected arm. While current BCRL rehabilitation treatments seek to reduce arm swelling, our study aimed to examine the impact of both the magnitude of lymphedema (ΔVolume) and arm disability on three dimensions of QoL: social, physical, and psychological. Using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (DASH) and the Upper Limb Lymphedema 27 questionnaire (ULL) in a group of 30 patients, we found that the magnitude of lymphedema (ΔVolume) was associated with the social dimension of QoL (r = 0.37, p = 0.041), but not with other dimensions. On the other hand, arm disability was associated with all evaluated dimensions of QoL (social, physical, and psychological: p < 0.001, p = 0.019, and p = 0.050 (borderline), respectively). These findings suggest that BCRL rehabilitation strategies should not only aim to reduce the magnitude of lymphedema but should also seek to improve or preserve arm functionality to enhance the QoL of BCRL patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Life and Side Effects Management in Cancer Treatment)

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Review

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12 pages, 1054 KiB

Open AccessReview

Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: The Modern Psycho-Oncologic Approach for Romania—A Review

by Monica Licu, Claudiu Gabriel Ionescu and Sorin Paun

Curr. Oncol. 2023, 30(7), 6964-6975; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol30070504 - 20 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2517

Abstract

Quality of life (QOL) is an important indicator of human satisfaction and well-being. QOL is significantly and persistently affected for patients after a cancer diagnosis. Despite some evidence suggesting that psycho-oncologic interventions can provide lasting benefits, the inclusion of such interventions in cancer therapy is not universal. This article provides an overview of the known approaches to the evaluation of QOL in cancer patients and various interventions for improving patients’ outcomes, with a focus on the eastern European regional and specific Romanian context. With a mortality rate above and cancer care performance below the EU average and unequally distributed, Romania urgently needs a national coordination program, which is discussed in our review, highlighting the main psychological tools needed for the assessment and the challenges involved in implementing the program. In the end, we suggest some directions for the future development of the psycho-oncologic approach in the context of social considerations, policy, and the unexpected financial challenges the nation provides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Life and Side Effects Management in Cancer Treatment)

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18 pages, 756 KiB

Open AccessReview

Prevention and Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: What Is Available and What Is Coming?

by Tongyu C. Wikramanayake, Nicole I. Haberland, Aysun Akhundlu, Andrea Laboy Nieves and Mariya Miteva

Curr. Oncol. 2023, 30(4), 3609-3626; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol30040275 - 25 Mar 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6140

Abstract

Millions of new cancer patients receive chemotherapy each year. In addition to killing cancer cells, chemotherapy is likely to damage rapidly proliferating healthy cells, including the hair follicle keratinocytes. Chemotherapy causes substantial thinning or loss of hair, termed chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), in approximately 65% of patients. CIA is often ranked as one of the most distressing adverse effects of chemotherapy, but interventional options have been limited. To date, only scalp cooling has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent CIA. However, several factors, including the high costs not always covered by insurance, preclude its broader use. Here we review the current options for CIA prevention and treatment and discuss new approaches being tested. CIA interventions include scalp cooling systems (both non-portable and portable) and topical agents to prevent hair loss, versus topical and oral minoxidil, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, among others, to stimulate hair regrowth after hair loss. Evidence-based studies are needed to develop and validate methods to prevent hair loss and/or accelerate hair regrowth in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, which could significantly improve cancer patients’ quality of life and may help improve compliance and consequently the outcome of cancer treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Life and Side Effects Management in Cancer Treatment)

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