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. 2013 Jul;37(7):731-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2013.02.009. Epub 2013 Mar 11.

Symptom burden and supportive care in patients with acute leukemia

Camilla Zimmermann  1 , Dora Yuen, Ashley Mischitelle, Mark D Minden, Joseph M Brandwein, Aaron Schimmer, Lucia Gagliese, Christopher Lo, Anne Rydall, Gary Rodin
Affiliations

Symptom burden and supportive care in patients with acute leukemia

Camilla Zimmermann et al. Leuk Res. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

We examined the symptoms and referral rates to specialized palliative care and psychosocial oncology services of patients with acute leukemia. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) was completed by 249 adult patients with acute leukemia. Patients reported a median of 9 physical and 2 psychological symptoms, and those with intense lack of energy, difficulty sleeping and pain were more likely to report intense worrying/sadness (P<0.001). No patients with moderate-severe pain were referred for specialized symptom control and only 13% of those with severe worrying/sadness were referred to psychiatry/psychology within one month of the assessment. Patients in this population have a substantial symptom burden; further research is needed to determine the benefit of early referral to specialized supportive care services.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest. The authors have no financial or personal relationship with individuals, organizations or companies that might be perceived to bias the work.

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