Department of Palliative Care, Saitama Cancer Center , Saitama, Japan.
J Palliat Med. 2011 Jul;14(7):840-5. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2011.0002. Epub 2011 Jun 1.
Corticosteroids are commonly used for symptom relief in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. Consistent efficacy of corticosteroid treatment in palliative care remains controversial. A cross-sectional anonymous survey was mailed to representative managing physicians in certified palliative care units in Japan to clarify the physician-perceived efficacy of steroid treatment on anorexia, fatigue, and dyspnea in terminal cancer patients, to clarify physicians' experience of side effects of corticosteroid use, and to determine the Japanese palliative care physician-reported predictive factors for efficacy and lack of efficacy.
Many Japanese palliative care specialists perceived that corticosteroids are effective for each of the symptoms, are aware of the prevalence and importance of serious adverse effects, and predict the effectiveness of steroid therapy by etiological factors.
皮质类固醇类药物常用于缓解晚期癌症患者的症状。皮质类固醇治疗在姑息治疗中的一致疗效仍存在争议。我们向日本认证姑息治疗单位的代表性主治医生邮寄了一份横断面匿名调查，以明确医生对皮质类固醇治疗终末期癌症患者厌食、乏力和呼吸困难的疗效的看法，明确医生使用皮质类固醇的副作用的经验，并确定日本姑息治疗医生报告的疗效和无疗效的预测因素。
许多日本姑息治疗专家认为皮质类固醇类药物对每个症状都有效，了解严重不良反应的普遍性和重要性，并根据病因因素预测类固醇治疗的效果。
