European Journal of Cancer Care最新文献

Aim. The impact of early referral to palliative care on quality of life for patients with lung cancer has already been discussed. However, the benefits of early integration of palliative care service (EIPCS) combined with standard oncology care for nonmetastatic lung cancer patients remain unclear. Hence, we designed a study to assess the impact of EIPCS among nonmetastatic cancer patients in India. Methods. In this randomized controlled trial study, we divided the data from 115 patients with diagnosed nonmetastatic lung cancer between age group of >18 years to ≥65 years. Following clinicopathological and radiology diagnosis, patients were referred to pain and palliative medicine department. Patients were randomly assigned by palliative physicians into two groups: Group A (N = 64), those who were receiving standard oncology care (chemotherapy or radiation or both) along with EIPCS, and Group B (N = 51), receiving standard oncology care. Patients were followed up every 3 weeks up to 3 months. Primary outcomes, symptoms’ burden, and psychological well-being were measured by validated tools. To define the impact of EIPCS, appropriate statistics were calculated as the mean ± standard deviation of the score of validated tools. Statistical significance was defined at p < 0.005. Results. From the beginning, we had taken 115 patients, and on 42 days’ follow-up, the number of dropout patients for Group A was 3 (due to unable to contact), and for Group B, 9 (due to physical condition). This was followed by a reassessment after 126 days where dropout patients for Group A was 4 (due to unable to contact), and for Group B, 7 (due to physical condition). Following statistical report compliance at 126 days by WEMWBS was 21.16 ± 3.65 in Group A versus 16.1 ± 1.93 versus in Group B and by ESAS 51.84 ± 0.01 in Group A versus 97.64 ± 2.18 in Group B. Conclusion. The findings of this study showed that patients with nonmetastatic lung cancer who received standard oncology care combined with EIPCS had increased the psychological well-being and reduced symptoms burden.

Background. Cancer diagnosis is a complex and multifaceted process that can be stressful and anxiety-provoking for patients. Evidence-based tools and information aids that can be used for guiding and supporting patients during cancer investigations and after diagnosis are limited. This paper presents a user-centred codesign project that aims to develop a cancer pathway support tool for patients, carers, and healthcare professionals. Method. A mixed-method codesign approach was used including prototype development (January–March 2022), three online codesign workshops (April–June 2022), one-to-one feedback, and beta testing informed by the standardised Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) questionnaire (July–October 2022). Nine individuals with lived experience of cancer contributed to the project and are referred to as codesigners. Results. The codesigners valued the potential importance of a tool that can be used by the patients and carers if they want specific information about cancer investigations, diagnosis, and treatment. The ability to select what they need as opposed to long leaflets and generating their own questions for the healthcare providers were highlighted as important aspects of improving patient care. The tool was collectively designed to provide clear definitions of the cancer care pathway and easily accessible links from trusted resources and includes practical information to minimise the burden that can be experienced from preparation for appointments and tests. Beta testing results with a small sample of potential users including patients, carers, and healthcare providers (n = 23) showed high acceptability of the guide (range = 7–35, mean = 28.52, and standard deviation = 3.88) based on the TFA questionnaire. Conclusion. A cancer pathway support tool called “Your Cancer Pathway Support Guide (YCPSG)” was developed as a result of an iterative codesign process aiming to improve patient experience and outcomes for people referred on a suspected cancer pathway or who have been diagnosed with cancer. The tool provides information and support in both digital and PDF formats. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential impact of “Your Cancer Pathway Support Guide” on patient outcomes and experience and the wider system.

Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between individual coping (IC) and dyadic coping (DC), more specifically the respective predictive impact of DC and sociodemographic, partnership-related, and medical variables on IC in haematological cancer patients. Methods. In this multicenter longitudinal study, we examined DCI (Dyadic Coping Inventory) and IC (Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping with Illness) in 214 haematological cancer patients after their treatment and six months later. Associations between the coping constructs were calculated using Pearson correlations. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictive impact of patient-specific variables on IC strategies. Results. Pearson correlation revealed numerous significant associations between DC and IC at the baseline and follow-up, but none of them yielded r ≥ |0.4| (p < 0.01). Regression analyses showed a predictive impact of supportive DC on compliance (p < 0.05) and of common DC on active IC (p < 0.01). Concerning patient-specific variables, age stood out as a positive predictor of trivialization (p < 0.001) and compliance (p < 0.01) and psychological distress as a predictor of depressive IC (p < 0.001), distraction (p < 0.05), and trivialization (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Our results indicate that patients’ personal characteristics, such as age and psychological distress, outweigh the influence of DC on IC in haematological cancer patients.

Background. A group of cardiopathies (ischemic, arrhythmic, and pericardial cardiac events) were shown to be associated with doses received by heart substructures following radiotherapy, alerting about the importance of dosimetric evaluation of cardiac structures besides the heart. The aim of this study was to assess the dosimetry of heart and heart substructures of left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy to evaluate possible radiation-induced complications. Methods and Materials. The study enrolled 20 patients treated with 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), while intensity-modulated (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) plans were simulated for comparative purposes. The organs at risk (OARs) of interest were the heart, ascending aorta, descending aorta, left ventricle, left atrium, right ventricle, right atrium, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, and pulmonary artery. Results. The percentage of left ventricle included in the radiation field was >5% for all plans (8.92% 3DCRT, 8.30% IMRT, and 6.84% VMAT). A strong correlation between mean heart dose and the percentage of left ventricle overlapping with the radiation fields was observed in 3DCRT (r = 0.784) and IMRT (r = 0.755) plans, and a moderate correlation was shown between tumor volume and the percentage of left ventricle included in the radiation field for all plans. A moderate correlation was observed between body mass index and cardiac structures for the mean dose to the right ventricle (r = 0.640) in conformal plans and V₅ of heart (r = 0.528) and left ventricle (r = 0.669) in volumetric-modulated plans. Additionally, moderate to strong correlations were found between maximum heart distance and heart dose in both conformal and modulated plans. Conclusions. Considering possible occurrences of cardiac events during or postradiotherapy, monitoring the heart and its substructures and setting dosimetric thresholds for healthy tissues must be a priority to achieve a personalized and effective treatment.

This study investigated the correlation between PD-L1 expression, metastasis, and survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. PD-L1 expression was not significantly associated with overall survival, disease-free survival, or mortality rate. However, a significant difference was observed between PD-L1 positive and negative patients regarding the presence of metastasis, which was higher in the PD-L1 positive group. These findings suggest that PD-L1 expression may impact metastasis in CRC patients but not overall survival.

Background. Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a form of peritoneal malignancy. It originates from a perforated appendiceal epithelial tumour. Patients with PMP experience various stressful and traumatic events including diagnosis with a rare disease, treatment with extensive and complex surgery, and long hospital stays. Currently, there is a scarcity of studies that primarily aim to assess the quality of life of patients with PMP, and there is no reviews or comprehensive understanding of the quality of life (QoL) issues faced by these patients. Even fewer studies have consulted with patients themselves. Objective. To review the current literature on the QoL of patients with PMP and answer two main questions: What methods are being used to assess the QoL patients with PMP and what are the main findings?. Methods. For the scoping review, five scientific databases were searched (CINAHL, EMBASE, Pubmed, PsycInfo, and Medline). Publications that were published between 2002 and 2022 and in English were included in this review. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers against the review’s eligibility criteria. Data related to the QoL of patients with PMP in the included studies were extracted to answer two main questions (what were the methods used to assess QoL in this population, and what were the findings?). The extracted data was presented in table form and qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. Findings. Fourteen studies were included in this review. Only five studies out of fourteen assessed the QoL of patients with PMP as a main outcome, and all these studies assessed QoL in relation to surgery. Studies that assessed QoL used different validated measures. There was a consensus among studies that patients’ QoL improved by 12 months posttreatment. The most commonly cited symptom of PMP in this review is abdominal pain. Conclusion. The evidence on the QoL of patients with PMP is limited. Studies that assess the quality of life of these patients independent of surgery are needed. There is no consensus on the measure used to assess QoL in this population.