Browsing by Author "Allgar, Victoria"

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    Effect of Opioids and Benzodiazepines on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Receiving Palliative Care: An Exploratory Analysis
    (Elsevier, 2017-05-23) Boland, Jason W.; Allgar, Victoria; Boland, Elaine G.; Agar, Meera; Currow, David C.; Johnson, Miriam J.; Oviasu, Osaretin
    Background: Medications for symptom management in palliative care have associated, but poorly understood, harms. Drug-related harms have important clinical implications,may impact on patients’ compliance and contribute to symptoms. Objective: To explore the longitudinal relationship between oral morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) and oral diazepam equivalent daily dose (DEDD) with functional, cognitive, and symptom outcomes in patients receiving palliative care. Design: Secondary longitudinal analysis of cancer decedents (n = 235) was carried out from a palliative care randomized controlled trial with multiple outcome measures. At each time point, MEDD and DEDD were calculated. Multilevel modeling was used to investigate independent associations between MEDD and DEDD, and cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life (QoL), performance status, and survival. Setting/Subjects: Participants were recruited from a specialist palliative care program in southern Adelaide, were expected to live ‡48 hours, had pain in the previous 3 months, and a baseline Folstein Mini-Mental Status Examination score ‡25. Results: Cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms, performance status, and QoL worsened over time. In the adjusted multilevel analysis, statistically significant relationships remained between MEDD/DEDD and worsening performance status ( p = 0.001), DEDD and gastrointestinal effects ( p < 0.001), MEDD and QoL ( p < 0.022). Conclusions: Commonly used palliative medications were associated with deteriorating performance status. The lack of association between MEDD with gastrointestinal or cognitive symptoms underlines that these associations are not inevitable with close attention. This analysis highlights the importance of including other medications as confounders when exploring medication-related harms. An understanding of the risk–benefit balance of medications is needed to maximize net benefits for patients.
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    Factors associated with stage at diagnosis in patients with head and neck cancer
    (2017-02-23) Allgar, Victoria; Oliver, Steven; Dyson, Judith; Stafford, Nicholas; Johnson, Miriam J.; Macleod, Una; Oviasu, Osaretin
    Studies have shown that diagnosis of head and neck cancer (HNC) at an advanced stage reduces the survival time compared to those diagnosed with limited disease but few have investigated the relationship of characteristics of HNC patients prior to diagnosis and stage at diagnosis. The aim of the study was to compare patients’ stage at diagnosis and their socio-demographic characteristics and experience of the pathway to diagnosis
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    Head and Neck Cancers: Time intervals from first symptom recognition to diagnosis and the relationship with stage at diagnosis
    (The Allam Lecture 2017 Cardiac imaging: The next decade, 2017-04-28) Allgar, Victoria; Oliver, Steven; Dyson, Judith; Stafford, Nicholas; Johnson, Miriam J.; Macleod, Una; Oviasu, Osaretin
    The aim of the study was to improve understanding of the intervals from first symptom recognition to diagnosis for head and Neck Cancers (HNCs) and explore their relationship with stage at diagnosis
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    O-3 Opioids, benzodiazepines, anti-cholinergic load and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced cancer
    (BMJ, 2017-03-01) Boland, Jason W.; Allgar, Victoria; Boland, Elaine G.; Oviasu, Osaretin; Agar, Meera; Currow, David C.; Johnson, Miriam J.
    Background Medications used to manage symptoms in patients with cancer have associated, but poorly understood, harms. The aim of this study was to explore the temporal relationship between oral morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD), oral diazepam equivalent daily dose (DEDD) and the daily anti-cholinergic load (ACL) with cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms, performance status, quality of life and survival in patients receiving palliative care. Methods Secondary longitudinal analysis of cancer decedents (n=235) from a palliative care trial with multiple outcome measures. At each time-point MEDD, DEDD and ACL were calculated. Multilevel modelling was used to investigate independent associations between MEDD, DEDD and ACL, and cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, performance status and survival. Results Cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms, performance status, and quality of life worsened over time. In the adjusted multilevel analysis significance remained for worsening performance status (MEDD, p=0.001; DEDD, p<0.001; ACL p=0.035) and shorter time to death (MEDD, p<0.001; ACL, p<0.01). Conclusion Commonly used palliative medications were associated with deteriorating performance status and shorter time to death. This analysis highlights the importance of adjusting for other variables, including other medication when exploring medication-related harms. An understanding of the risk-benefit balance of medications is needed to maximise net benefit for patients. Future work to delineate interactions between classes of drugs and drug-related harms and to evaluate early assessment and management of side-effects is needed in order to maximise net benefit.
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    Pathway to diagnosis: Lung and Head & Neck cancer patients
    (2017-09-26) Chen, Hong; Allgar, Victoria; Oliver, Steven; Dyson, Judith; Stafford, Nicholas; Johnson, Miriam J.; Macleod, Una; Oviasu, Osaretin
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    Time intervals from first symptom to diagnosis for head and neck cancers: An analysis of linked patient reports and medical records from the UK
    (Elsevier, 2019-01-10) Allgar, Victoria; Oliver, Steven E; Chen, Hong; Oviasu, Osaretin; Johnson, Miriam J; Macleod, Una
    Background: England has significantly higher mortality risks due to Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) compared with other European countries. Early diagnosis is important as it is likely to increase early-stage diagnosis and improve survival and better quality of life. This study sought to improve understanding of the intervals from first symptom recognition to diagnosis for HNC and investigate associations between patient-reported symptoms and socio-demographic factors. Methods: People within 3 months of diagnosis, completed a researcher-administered questionnaire and data were extracted from primary and secondary care clinical records. Results: Eighty (mean age 62.9 [SD 11.7] years; 66% men) were interviewed. The appraisal interval was longer than a month for 39% of participants and the help-seeking interval was longer than a week for 44%. The median diagnostic interval was 92 (IQR; 34-172) days. Appraisal intervals of > 1 month were associated with male gender, ulceration and persistent throat pain. The only symptom that associated with a help-seeking interval of > 1 week was ulceration. Participants who reported red/white patches in the mouth and ulceration were associated with a reduced likelihood of a diagnostic interval of > 3 months. A higher proportion of participants with a diagnostic interval of > 3 months were diagnosed with advanced disease (78%) than those with an interval < 3 months (68%). Conclusion: These data improve understanding of the intervals from first symptom recognition to HNC diagnosis and provide preliminary evidence to identify targets to reduce overall time to diagnosis