Impact of a psycho-oncological rehabilitation intervention on psychological distress: the experience of CeRiOn (Oncological Rehabilitation Centre) Florence 2007-2010

Efficacy of combined naikan and morita therapies on psychological distress and posttraumatic growth in Chinese patients with advanced cancer: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Advanced cancer (AC) patients experience serious physical and psychological problems with the disease progression. When approaching the end of life, these patients have to cope with not only the bodily illness, but also the spiritual crisis. Conventional psychological treatments reduce distress to a certain extent, but for patients with AC, especially when they face progressive illness and are approaching death, their psychological problems are complex, and no simple solutions are in sight. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the efficacy of the combined Naikan therapy (NT) and Morita therapy (MT) on psychological distress and posttraumatic growth in patients with AC.

METHOD

One hundred thirty patients newly diagnosed with AC were allocated randomly into treatment (n = 65) and control (n = 65) groups. Patients in the treatment group received combined NT and MT for 7 consecutive weeks, while the control group received normal medical treatments without NT and MT. Patients were assessed before and after the therapies. The primary outcome measures include distress thermometer (DT) and posttraumatic growth, and the secondary outcome measure contains the list of distress problems.

RESULTS

At the post-treatment stage, the treatment group displayed a decreased score of psychological distress as compared to that in the control group, which accompanied by a higher post-traumatic growth total score and subscale scores in relationship to others, new possibilities, personal strength, spiritual changes, and appreciation of life. A significant decrease in fear, sleeping difficulty/insomnia, nervousness/anxiety, and loss of appetite was also observed in the treatment group.

CONCLUSION

The results proved that the combined Naikan and Morita therapies decreased the psychological distress and improved the posttraumatic growth of the patients with AC.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR1900026691.

Factors influencing the delivery of cancer pathways: a summary of the literature

PURPOSE

The study aims to summarise the literature on cancer care pathways at the diagnostic and treatment phases. The objectives are to find factors influencing the delivery of cancer care pathways; to highlight any interrelating factors; to find gaps in the literature concerning areas of research; to summarise the strategies and recommendations implemented in the studies.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The study used a qualitative approach and developed a causal loop diagram to summarise the current literature on cancer care pathways, from screening and diagnosis to treatment. A total of 46 papers was finally included in the analysis, which highlights the recurring themes in the literature.

FINDINGS

The study highlights the myriad areas of research applied to cancer care pathways. Factors influencing the delivery of cancer care pathways were classified into different albeit interrelated themes. These include access barriers to care, hospital emergency admissions, fast track diagnostics, delay in diagnosis, waiting time to treatment and strategies to increase system efficiency.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

As far as the authors know, this is the first study to present a visual representation of the complex relationship between factors influencing the delivery of cancer care pathways.

Translating research on the distress thermometer into practice

Distress is commonly experienced by people with cancer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) developed a guideline for screening and managing distress in 1999 and has updated the guideline on an annual basis ever since. Using the five-phase framework for translational research, this article summarizes research findings related to the guideline and associated distress thermometer for each phase of translational research. The NCCN Distress Management Guideline is a useful tool to screen for and manage distress. However, additional research is needed, particularly in the areas of impact on outcomes of importance to patients.