Literature Review Of Efficacy Research Articles

Art Therapy: A Literature Review of Efficacy in Improving Psychosomatic Symptoms in Patients With Cancer.

A high percentage of patients with cancer receive a comorbid diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or another psychological disorder. However, research evaluating the efficacy of art therapy as an intervention to alleviate these symptoms is limited. Art therapy can offer psychosomatic symptom relief among patients with cancer, but more rigorous and randomized controlled clinical trials are warranted to strengthen evidence-based research supporting its clinical utility.

Scalp Cooling: A Literature Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability for Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia .

More than 75% of patients with cancer cite alopecia as the most feared side effect of treatment, with as many as 10% considering treatment refusal. Despite wide acceptance in other countries, scalp cooling to reduce chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) has been uncommon in the United States because of longstanding concerns of scalp metastases and a lack of reliable efficacy data. . This article reviews 40 years of efficacy, safety, and tolerability literature on scalp cooling to prevent CIA. . A systematic review was performed in PubMed and CINAHL®. Forty articles were reviewed, with 12 articles demonstrating high levels of evidence and meeting inclusion criteria. Comparative trials, systematic reviews, and one large single-arm trial were included. . Scalp cooling efficacy is dependent on many factors but demonstrates better hair preservation than no cooling. No increase in scalp metastases or statistically significant difference in overall survival was seen in retrospective safety data when cooling was used. Few patients discontinue cooling early because of adverse experiences.

Systematic literature review of efficacy, safety, and tolerability outcomes of interventions in patients with distant metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

e21018Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine, cutaneous malignancy with a poor prognosis once metastasized. There are currently no approved treatments for patients (pts) w...

An attempt to formulate an evidence-based strategy in the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis: a review of the efficacy and safety of biologics and prebiologic options

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder affecting up to 2.5% of the world’s population. Despite the myriad treatment options available, there is no uniformly accepted therapeutic approach for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The objective of this review is to evaluate the relative efficacy and safety of available therapeutic options and to formulate general recommendations for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. MEDLINE and Evidence Based Medicine (Cochrane) were used to perform a comprehensive search of the literature from 1986 to 2006. The most scientifically rigorous clinical trial published in the literature was selected for Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) comparison. Only information from clinical trials, human subjects and English language journals are reported in this study. The percentage of PASI 75 reduction at ∼ 12 weeks obtained by the following treatment options were: Goeckerman and RePUVA, 100%; calcipotriene plus PUVA, 87%; ciclosporin, 78.2 – 80.3%; infliximab, 80%; adalimumab 40 mg every other week, 53% and 40 mg/week, 80%; PUVA, 63%; methotrexate, 60%; NB-UVB, 55%; acitretin 52%; etanercept 50 mg twice weekly, 49% and 25 mg twice weekly, 34%; efalizumab, 31.4%; and alefacept 21%. Psoriatic treatments with safer profiles compared with other agents include bath PUVA, Goeckerman and RePUVA. Based on the literature review of efficacy and safety of biologics and prebiologic treatment options for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, the risk:benefit ratio seems most favorable for Goeckerman and RePUVA, followed by either etanercept or adalimumab.