Quetiapine
Quietiapine is an antipsychotic that has been used to treat schizophrenia and biopolar disorder. It is a dopamine, serotonin, and adrenergic antagonist and a potent antihistamine. Quietiapine was studied in patients with cancer for its effect on sleep disturbance.
Oxycodone/Naloxone
Oxycodone is an opiate analgesic. Naloxone is a competitive opioid-receptor antagonist.
Orientation and Information Provision
Orientation and information provision is the act of providing patients and others information about their disease, treatment, and services to be provided. This often includes general information about the organization, staff members with whom the patient may interact, physical structures and layout, and transportation or parking. The intervention differs from psychoeducational interventions in that it is not interactive with patients or families and does not include components such as support or counseling. Orientation and information provision may be done via print or electronic media.
Oral Palonosetron
Palonosetron is an antiemetic agent that is a type of 5HT3 receptor antagonist. This group of agents suppresses nausea and vomiting by inhibiting the binding of serotonin to 5HT3 receptors, which can be found in the chemoreceptor trigger zone in the central nervous system. An oral formulation of this medication was studied for its effectiveness in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer.
Oral Care Protocol
An oral care protocol is a prescribed, routine care plan that clinicians use to educate and treat patients with cancer for oral care. The foundation of an oral care protocol is good oral hygiene. A protocol should include brushing the teeth with a soft toothbrush. If patients routinely floss, then flossing should be continued unless the patient has a risk of bleeding because of thrombocytopenia or other concerns. Various protocols may include different cleansing and treatment regimens.
Oral Branched-Chain Amino Acids
Branched-chain amino acids are essential amino acids in which the chemical configuration has a branched shape. Tryptophan, an amino acid precursor of serotonin, is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of cancer anorexia. Uptake of tryptophan into the brain is regulated by a specific transport system, which is competitively shared with the other amino acids, branched-chain amino acids.
Oral Alkalization
SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, has absorption characteristics of weakly basic drugs. Alkalization of the intestinal lumen may reduce reabsorption of SN-38 and its attendant side effects. This approach has been examined related to the topic of diarrhea.
Opioids Proportional to Basal Dose
For the treatment of episodes of cancer-related breakthrough pain, the consensus of research supports administration of an opioid at a dose proportional to the total daily opioid intake. The proportional recommended dose is 10%–20% of the total daily basal dose. This recommendation does not apply to rapid-onset fentanyl.
Opioids--Interventions for Pain Management
The term "opioid" refers to natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic medications that relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors in the nervous system. The term opioid includes all agonists and antagonists with morphine-like activity as well as naturally occurring and synthetic opioid peptides (Miaskowski et al., 2005). Opioids are a mainstay for the management of acute and chronic pain. The use of opioids to manage pain also has been examined in patients with cancer for its effectiveness in managing sleep-wake disturbances.
Opioid Switching
The term opioid refers to natural, semisynthetic and synthetic medications that relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors in the nervous system. The term includes all agonists and antagonists with morphine-like activity. Opioid switching is the change from one specific opioid to a different opioid or from one administration route to another if pain control is inadequate or side effects are a problem. Opioid switching has been studied in patients with refractory cancer pain.