Oncology Journal Club 17th September 2019, 8pm-9pm

Health Related quality of life after treatment for bladder cancer 

British Journal of Cancer (2018) 118:1518–1528

Discussion points

1a. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist, do you feel the methodology and design were appropriate to address the aims of the research?

1b. Similarly, using the CASP checklist, do you feel the data was collected in a way that addressed the research issue?

2. The article reported that people who have pre-existing conditions prior to a bladder cancer diagnosis were more likely to report poor health related quality of life (HRQL). Why do you feel this might be?

3. Some of the limitations identified by the authors of the article included relatively low response rate; the removal of a response from one of the surveys and sample selection. What impact do you feel these limitations may have had on the results of the surveys?

4. The article acknowledged that subsequent research had highlighted that there were gaps in understanding around HRQL amongst bladder cancer patients. How do you feel this could be addressed for future research projects with this cohort of patients?

5. What further research would you like to see undertaken on this topic for this cohort of patients? What impact do you feel this would have on their quality of life?

Oncology Journal Club 30th April 2019

Please request the article via the link below and you will receive it by email.

Oral care in cancer: helping patients with tooth, gum and mouth problems

Questions

1. The article highlights some common side effects experienced by patients during their cancer treatment. How reflective is this list, of patients you have supported during their treatment?

2. With an increased focus on health care professionals making every contact count, do you feel that this training will have a positive effect on how you conduct conversations with patients on oral health care?

3. The article mentions the "Stephan Curve".

·         Are you familiar with this model?

·         Do you feel this could be effectively used to aid oral health conversations with patients before, during and after their treatment?

4. Oral Mucositis, as mentioned in the article, is a common side effect of patients who are receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy.

·         Are you currently using any grading tool to monitor this?

·         If yes, which one?

·         Do you share this information with the individual’s dental provider?

5. In view of advances for oncology treatment, (targeted therapies, immunotherapy), what impact do you believe this may have on a patient’s oral health care in the future?

6. Evidence supports that some of the acute side effects experienced by patients during their chemotherapy/radiotherapy can develop into late side effects.

·         With this in mind, do you believe that we should be working more collaboratively with our dental colleagues?

·         What would this look like?

Oncology Journal Club 30th April 2019

This month we will be discussing 
the impact of cancer treatments on the oral health of patients.

We are very excited to welcome Jocelyn Harding as our guest speaker.

Oncology Journal Club 26th February 2019

Join us tomorrow, over on Twitter to discuss the following topic. 

Article access is available through OpenAthens, via the link below.

Association between cachexia, chemotherapy and outcomes in older cancer patients: A systematic review

Clinical Nutrition, 2017-12-01, Volume 36, Issue 6, Pages 1473-1482

A PDF version of the Mini MNA is available here.

Questions