UNASSIGNED: Gastric cancer has a high prevalence in Asia and may only be diagnosed in advanced stages. Therefore, patients with gastric cancer may experience fatal symptoms, such as bleeding or stenosis at the time of consultation. In this review, we aimed to describe the effectiveness and toxicity of hemostatic radiotherapy (RT).
UNASSIGNED: A total of 17 retrospective and 3 prospective studies were analyzed. The prescription dose, biologically effective dose, equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions, response rate, survival prognosis, and toxicities were also reported.
UNASSIGNED: Using 20 studies, the following observations were made the hemostatic effect was ∼ 80 %, the mean survival time after irradiation was about 3 months, and prescribed doses of 30 Gy/10 fractions and 20 Gy/5 fractions were considered suitable.
UNASSIGNED: In this review, studies on hemostatic irradiation have been summarized, and the most optimal treatment method has been proposed. 30 Gy/10 fractions and 20 Gy/5 fractions were ideal. However, because palliative RT is preferably completed within a short period of time, a randomized trial is needed to determine whether the 8 Gy/single fraction treatment is equivalent to fractionated RT. Therefore, more prospective studies are warranted to establish a standard of care for palliative RT in gastric cancer.

UNASSIGNED: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) stent placement and systemic-pulmonary surgical shunt procedure can both be performed as palliation for infants with duct-dependent pulmonary circulation. The aim of this meta-analysis and literature review was to compare outcomes and study populations between the 2 methods as well as review the technical considerations and complications of PDA stenting.
UNASSIGNED: A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed database and meta-analysis was performed. Risk ratio and mean difference were used to compare the reported outcomes of studies across patients receiving PDA stent and surgical shunt.
UNASSIGNED: In total, 1094 patients from 8 comparative observational studies were included. The PDA stent group had a lower mortality rate and a shorter hospital length of stay than the systemic-pulmonary surgical shunt group, although at the expense of increased reintervention rates. There were higher proportions of patients with single-ventricle physiology and single-source pulmonary blood flow in the surgical shunt group.
UNASSIGNED: PDA stenting appears to be a noninferior or possibly superior method of palliation for duct-dependent pulmonary circulation compared with systemic-pulmonary surgical shunt, recognizing, however, that patients receiving surgical shunt more often had single-ventricle physiology or single-source pulmonary blood flow in this meta-analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100392.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jscai.2023.101051.].

UNASSIGNED: The optimal treatment strategy for symptomatic young infants with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is unclear. We sought to compare the outcomes of staged repair (SR) (shunt palliation followed by second-stage complete repair) versus primary repair (PR) at 2 institutions that have exclusively adopted each strategy.
UNASSIGNED: We performed propensity score-matched comparison of 143 infants under 4 months of age who underwent shunt palliation at one institution between 1993 and 2021 with 122 infants who underwent PR between 2004 and 2018 at another institution. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications, durations of perioperative support and hospital stays, and reinterventions. Median follow-up was 8.3 years (interquartile range, 8.1-13.4 years).
UNASSIGNED: After the initial procedure, hospital mortality (shunt, 2.8% vs PR, 2.5%; P = .86) and 10-year survival (shunt, 95%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 90%-98% vs PR, 90%; 95% CI, 81%-95%; P = .65) were similar. The SR group had a greater risk of early reinterventions but similar rates of late reinterventions. Propensity score matching yielded 57 well-balanced pairs. In the matched cohort, the SR group had similar freedom from reintervention (55%; 95% CI, 39%-68% vs 59%; 95% CI, 43%-71%; P = .85) and greater survival (98%; 95% CI, 88%-99.8% vs 85%; 95% CI, 69%-93%; P = .02) at 10 years, as the result of more noncardiac-related mortalities in the PR group.
UNASSIGNED: In symptomatic young infants with TOF operated at 2 institutions with exclusive treatment protocols, the SR strategy was associated with similar cardiac-related mortality and reinterventions as the PR strategy at medium-term follow-up.

In \"graying\" populations with extended lifespans and survivable forms of cancer, palliative services become increasingly important but may be difficult to introduce into public discourse, public policy, and healthcare systems. Latin America (LATAM) faces many challenges as it introduces and, in some cases, develops its palliative care programs; though the challenges faced here are in many ways universal ones, LATAM approaches may be unique and based on the region\'s specific culture, politics, and economics. This narrative review based on a literature search identified 10 main themes that can be interpreted as challenges and opportunities for palliative care in LATAM. These challenges are integrating palliation into healthcare systems; public policy and funding; therapeutic obstinacy; changing demographics; access to services; analgesia; the role of religion, spirituality, and folk medicine; social determinants of palliative care; low health literacy; and limited clinician training. Some of the LATAM nations have palliative programs and palliative care training in place while others are developing these systems. Integrating this care into existing healthcare and reimbursement systems has been a challenge. A notable challenge in LATAM is also access to care since palliative programs tend to cluster in metropolitan areas and create hardships for rural citizens to access them. The better-defined role of familial caregivers and telehealth may be important factors in the expansion of palliative care in LATAM and beyond.

This review of the palliation of various gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms encountered in cancer patients is by no means exhaustive. Frequent symptoms such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, bowel obstructions, ascites and bleeds will be discussed, focusing on their assessment and most importantly, how to control the associated symptoms. All of these symptoms and GI complications can significantly impact patients\' quality of life (QOL) and should be treated as quickly and aggressively as possible.

Light chain amyloidosis is a plasma-cell disorder with a poor prognosis. It is a progressive condition, causing worsening pain, disability, and life-limiting complications involving multiple organ systems. The medical regimen can be complex, including chemotherapy or immunotherapy for the disease itself, as well as treatment for pain, gastrointestinal and cardiorespiratory symptoms, and various secondary symptoms. Patients and their families must have a realistic awareness of the illness and of the goals and limitations of treatments in making informed decisions about medical therapy, supportive management, and end-of-life planning. Palliative care services can thus improve patients\' quality of life and may even reduce overall treatment costs. Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a clonal plasma cell disorder characterized by the excessive secretion of light chains by an indolent plasma cell clone that gradually accumulates in vital organs as amyloid fibrils and leads to end-organ damage. With progressive disease, most patients develop diverse clinical symptoms and complications that negatively impact quality of life and increase mortality. Complications include cardiac problems including heart failure, hypotension, pleural effusions, renal involvement including nephrotic syndrome with peripheral edema, gastrointestinal symptoms leading to anorexia and cachexia, complex pain syndromes, and mood disorders. The prognosis of patients with advanced AL amyloidosis is dismal. With such a complex presentation, and high morbidity and mortality rates, there is a critical need for the establishment of a palliative care program in clinical management. This paper provides an evidence-based overview of the integration of palliative care in the clinical management of AL amyloidosis as a means of reducing ER visits, rehospitalizations, and in-hospital mortality. We also discuss potential future collaborative directions in various aspects of clinical care related to AL amyloidosis.

Increasing life expectancy among patients with advanced cancer has placed a greater emphasis on optimizing pain control and quality of life. Concurrently, significant advancements in radiotherapy for bone metastases have permitted for dose escalation strategies such as stereotactic radiotherapy. This review aims to provide updated information on the management of bone metastases in light of these developments.
We reviewed recent studies regarding the role and details of external beam radiotherapy for bone metastases, with emphasis on differences by treatment site as well as intention (palliative versus ablative for oligometastases). Conventional palliative radiotherapy remains a mainstay of management. While stereotactic radiotherapy may augment durability of pain relief and even survival time, there are significant questions remaining regarding optimal dosing and patient selection. Radiotherapy for bone metastases continues to evolve, particularly with increasing use of stereotactic radiotherapy. Future studies are needed to clarify optimal dose, fractionation, modality, and patient selection criteria among different radiotherapy approaches.

BACKGROUND: The limitation of life sustaining treatments (LLST) causes ethical dilemmas even in patients faced with poor prognosis, which applies to many patients admitted to a Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU). The effects of social and cultural aspects on LLST in an NCCU population remain poorly studied.
METHODS: All NCCU patients between 01.2018 and 08.2021 were included. Medical records were reviewed for: demographics, diagnosis, severity of disease, and outcome. Advance directives (AD) and LLST discussions were reviewed evaluating timing, degree, and reason for LLST. Social/cultural factors (nationality, language spoken, religion, marital status, relationship to/sex of legal representative) were noted. Associations between these factors and the patients\' sex, LLST timing, and presence of AD were evaluated.
RESULTS: Out of 2975 patients, 12% of men and 10.5% of women underwent LLST (p = 0.30). Women, compared to men, more commonly received withdrawal instead of withholding of life sustaining treatments (57.5 vs. 45.1%, p = 0.028) despite comparable disease severity. Women receiving LLST were older (73 ± 11.7 vs. 69 ± 14.9 years, p = 0.005) and often without a partner (43.8 vs. 25.8%, p = 0.001) compared to men. AD were associated with female sex and early LLST, but not with an increased in-hospital mortality (57.1 vs. 75.2% of patients with and without AD respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: In patients receiving LLST, the presence of an AD was associated with an increase of early LLST, but not with an increased in-hospital mortality. This supports the notion that the presence of an AD is primarily an expression of the patients\' will but does not per se predestine the patient for an unfavorable outcome.

Oncological gastrectomy, despite remaining a mainstay of gastric cancer treatment, is reportedly associated with high morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Less invasive modalities suitable for senior gastric cancer patients with insufficient surgical tolerance are thus needed. We adopted laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery as an alternative for elderly gastric cancer cases unsuitable for aggressive gastrectomy. To date, we have experienced three cases (80-86 years old) undergoing palliative laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery. Postoperative courses were uneventful in two cases, while sutural leakage occurred in the other, which was managed conservatively. Postoperative loss of body weight and skeletal muscle mass appeared to be minimal according to bioelectrical impedance analyses. No gastric cancer recurrence was detected in any of our three cases. As to the balance between radicality and safety, laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery is potentially a viable option for geriatric gastric cancer patients in whom conventional gastrectomy is contraindicated.