Presurgical symptom profiles predict quality of life 2 years after surgery in women with breast cancer

Home Healthcare Patients With Distinct Psychological, Cognitive, and Behavioral Symptom Profiles and At-Risk Subgroup for Hospitalization and Emergency Department Visits Using Latent Class Analysis

One-third of home healthcare patients are hospitalized or visit emergency departments during a 60-day episode of care. Among all risk factors, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms often remain underdiagnosed or undertreated in older adults. Little is known on subgroups of older adults receiving home healthcare services with similar psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptom profiles and an at-risk subgroup for future hospitalization and emergency department visits. Our cross-sectional study used data from a large, urban home healthcare organization (n = 87,943). Latent class analysis was conducted to identify meaningful subgroups of older adults based on their distinct psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptom profiles. Adjusted multiple logistic regression was used to understand the association between the latent subgroup and future hospitalization and emergency department visits. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to describe the individual characteristics and to test for significant differences. The three-class model consisted of Class 1: "Moderate psychological symptoms without behavioral issues," Class 2: "Severe psychological symptoms with behavioral issues," and Class 3: "Mild psychological symptoms without behavioral issues." Compared to Class 3, Class 1 patients had 1.14 higher odds and Class 2 patients had 1.26 higher odds of being hospitalized or visiting emergency departments. Significant differences were found in individual characteristics such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and insurance. Home healthcare clinicians should consider the different latent subgroups of older adults based on their psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. In addition, they should provide timely assessment and intervention especially to those at-risk for hospitalization and emergency department visits.

A New Approach to Understanding Cancer-Related Fatigue: Leveraging the 3P Model to Facilitate Risk Prediction and Clinical Care

Simple Summary

For the growing number of cancer survivors worldwide, fatigue presents a major hurdle to function and quality of life. Treatment options for cancer-related fatigue are still emerging, and our current understanding of its etiology is limited. In this paper, we describe a new application of a comprehensive model for cancer-related fatigue: the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating (3P) factors model. We propose that the 3P model may be leveraged—particularly using metabolomics, the microbiome, and inflammation in conjunction with behavioral science—to better understand the pathophysiology of cancer-related fatigue.

Abstract

A major gap impeding development of new treatments for cancer-related fatigue is an inadequate understanding of the complex biological, clinical, demographic, and lifestyle mechanisms underlying fatigue. In this paper, we describe a new application of a comprehensive model for cancer-related fatigue: the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating (3P) factors model. This model framework outlined herein, which incorporates the emerging field of metabolomics, may help to frame a more in-depth analysis of the etiology of cancer-related fatigue as well as a broader and more personalized set of approaches to the clinical treatment of fatigue in oncology care. Included within this review paper is an in-depth description of the proposed biological mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue, as well as a presentation of the 3P model’s application to this phenomenon. We conclude that a clinical focus on organization risk stratification and treatment around the 3P model may be warranted, and future research may benefit from expanding the 3P model to understand fatigue not only in oncology, but also across a variety of chronic conditions.

The importance of using ordinal scores for patient classification based on health-related quality of life trajectories

Changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time are not necessarily homogeneous within a population of interest. Our study aim was twofold: to determine homogeneous patient subpopulations distinguished by HRQoL trajectories, and to identify the particular patient profile associated with each subpopulation. To classify patients according to HRQoL dimension scores, we compared mixtures of linear mixed models (LMMs) classically applied to scores defined by the EORTC procedure, and mixtures of random effect cumulative models (CMs) applied to scores treated as ordinal variables. A simulation study showed that the mixture of LMMs overestimated the number of subpopulations and was less able to correctly classify patients than the mixture of CMs. Considering HRQoL scores as ordinal rather than continuous variables is relevant when classifying patients. The mixture of CMs for ordinal scores is able to identify homogeneous subpopulations and their associated trajectories. The application focused on changes over time in HRQoL data (collected using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire) from 132 breast cancer patients from the Moral study. Once the classification is obtained only from HRQoL scores, class membership was then explained through a logistic regression model, given a large panel of variables collected at baseline. Analysis of data revealed that deterioration over time of role functioning and insomnia was closely related to patient anxiety: anxiety at baseline is a prognostic factor for a poor level and/or a deterioration over time of HRQoL. For functional dimensions, large tumor size and high education level were associated with worse HRQoL scores.

Translation and validation of the Chinese version of the MD Anderson symptom inventory for measuring perioperative symptom burden in patients with gynecologic cancer

Background

Gynecologic cancers are among the most prevalent malignancies in China. Cervical and uterine cancer respectively account for the sixth and eighth highest incidence of cancer among Chinese women. Abdominal surgery is one of the important treatment methods for gynecological tumors. However, the tumor- and surgery-related symptom burden are not well studied owing to a lack of a standardized and validated assessment tool in the Chinese population. The study aimed to translate and validate the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for measuring perioperative symptom burden in gynecologic cancer patients (MDASI-PeriOp-GYN) and examine the utility of the Chinese version of MDASI-PeriOp-GYN.

Methods

The MDASI-PeriOp-GYN was translated in a stepwise manner. First, two native speakers independently translated the 9 PeriOp-GYN symptom items. Then the nine items were translated back into English by two different bilingual translators. After discussion and revision, the four translators reached an agreement. Finally, the finalized Chinese version was administered to women with three common gynecologic cancer types (cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers) recruited from the gynecological oncology department of Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute between July and October 2019. The reliability and validity of the translated version were assessed.

Results

Overall, 324 women with gynecologic cancers were enrolled. Cronbach’s α values were 0.826 and 0.735 for the symptom severity and interference scales, respectively. Test–retest reliability values were 0.885, 0.873, and 0.914 for symptom severity, PeriOp-GYN, and interference scales. Significant correlations were found between the MDASI-PeriOp-GYN-C and EORTC QLQ-C30 along with the QLQ-OV28 module (− 0.608–0.871, P < 0.001). Known-group validity was supported by significant differences in the scores of the four scales grouped by time intervals, surgery type, and functional status (all P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The MDASI-PeriOp-GYN-C is a valid and reliable tool for measuring symptoms in Chinese patients undergoing surgery for gynecologic cancers. The tool could be used in clinical practice and clinical trials to instantly gather patients’ health and quality of life data.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-021-01415-0.

Supportive care needs and service use during palliative care in family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer: a prospective longitudinal study

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the supportive care needs of family caregivers (FCs) of advanced cancer patients and their support service use at the beginning of specialist inpatient palliative care (SIPC), near the patient’s death, and during bereavement.

Methods

FCs reported their needs using the Family Inventory of Needs (FIN), along with their utilization of psychosocial and bereavement support services at the beginning (N = 232) and 6–9 months after SIPC (N = 160).

Results

At the beginning of SIPC, mean of 16.9 of 20 needs were reported to be highly important, and 12.2 were reported to be met. At the time of the patient’s death, 16.8 needs were highly important, and 13.8 were met. At both time points, the highest ranked need was related to information about changes in the patient’s condition (100% vs. 99%), and the most frequently unmet need was related to feeling hope (73% vs. 71%). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed a low education level to be consistently related to a greater number of highly important needs. Higher satisfaction with care and better social support was related to a greater number of met needs. Twenty-five percent of FCs had accessed at least one psychosocial support service prior to SIPC, and 30% had done so during bereavement. Among non-users of support services, > 75% indicated sufficient informal support as a barrier to service use.

Conclusions

The findings offer a useful guide for adequately addressing FCs’ needs in an effort to optimize FC support. However, only a subgroup of the FCs used support services. Better information and provision of tailored services might improve FCs’ situations in the future.

Unmet supportive care needs and its relation to quality of life among adult acute leukaemia patients in China: a cross-sectional study

Background

Patients with acute leukaemia (AL) usually require prolonged periods of hospitalisation. The treatment and clinical symptoms may lead to patients’ supportive care needs (SCNs) not being met and impairs their quality of life (QoL). Studies on QoL and SCNs among AL patients are limited. This study aimed to identify the unmet SCNs and its relation to QoL of adult AL patients in China.

Methods

This multicentre cross-sectional study recruited 346 participants to complete a self-developed questionnaire, detailing demographic information and disease-related variables. A 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34) was used to identify unmet SCNs, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukaemia (FACT-Leu) questionnaire measured patients’ QoL.

Results

Unmet SCN rates for the 34 items ranged from17.6 to 81.7%. Patients’ needs were high for health systems and information, but low in the sexual domain. The results reveal nine factors associated with the unmet SCNs of adult AL patients, including marital status, original residence, age, education, occupation, other diseases, chemotherapy course, disease course, and treatment stage (p < 0.05). The total score of the FACT-Leu negatively correlated with the SCNS-SF34 in the physical/daily living (r = − 0.527, p < 0.01), psychological (r = − 0.688, p < 0.01), sexual (r = − 0.170, p < 0.01), patient care and support (r = − 0.352, p < 0.01), and health systems and information (r = − 0.220, p < 0.01) domains.

Conclusions

Adult AL patients exhibit a high demand for unmet SCNs, especially in the domain of health systems and information. There was a significant association between patients’ unmet SCNs and QoL. Future research should develop tailored interventions to address the unmet SCNs of adult AL patients, to further improve their QoL.

A randomized placebo-controlled trial of bupropion for Cancer-related fatigue: Study design and procedures

BACKGROUND

Cancer-related fatigue is a significant problem and is associated with poor quality of life. Behavioral interventions include exercise and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which survivors may be unwilling or unable to adopt. Pharmacologic interventions (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) have been disappointing. One potential therapy is the antidepressant bupropion, a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor that targets both inflammation and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The current study is intended to provide a rigorous test of the efficacy and tolerability of bupropion for cancer-related fatigue.

METHODS

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will examine the effects of bupropion on cancer-related fatigue. The trial will be conducted nationwide through the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Disease-free breast cancer survivors (n = 422) who completed chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy 12-60 months previously and report significant fatigue will be randomized 1:1 to receive bupropion (300 mg/day) or placebo. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and the 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome, fatigue, will be measured with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F). Secondary outcomes include quality of life, depression, and drug tolerability. Exploratory outcomes include cognition and symptomatology. Potential biological mechanisms and genetic moderators of cancer-related fatigue will also be explored.

DISCUSSION

This study is the first placebo-controlled trial to our knowledge to evaluate bupropion for cancer-related fatigue. Positive results could revolutionize the treatment of cancer-related fatigue, as bupropion is safe, inexpensive, widely-available, and may be more tolerable and acceptable for many patients than current, limited treatment options.

Diversity in changes of HRQoL over a 1-year period after radiotherapy in Norwegian breast cancer patients: results of cluster analyses

PURPOSE

The diversity in long-term changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among breast cancer (BC) survivors is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify clusters of trajectories (subgroups of patients with similar patterns of changes) of selected HRQoL domains over a 1-year period after radiotherapy (RT) in BC patients.

METHODS

The group consisted of 250 BC patients referred for postoperative RT. Global quality of life (QoL), functions, and cancer-specific symptoms were assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) before starting RT, at completion of RT and 3, 6, and 12 months after RT. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify possible trajectories of HRQoL domains.

RESULTS

Three distinct types of clusters of trajectories were identified for all outcome variables: Type 1 clusters encompassing the rather time-stable high-global QoL cluster, high-functioning clusters, and low-symptom clusters (44-98% of patients), Type 2 clusters with medium levels of HRQoL domains (8-49%), Type 3 clusters encompassing low-global QoL, low-functioning, and high-symptoms clusters (2-51%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated a noticeable heterogeneity of changes in HRQoL domains after BC treatment. The findings support the importance of an accurate patient-reported HRQoL assessment as a routine element of BC survivors' care. The pre-RT assessment of HRQoL alone allows to predict the course of HRQoL changes over the 1-year period after RT and the risk of "falling into" low functioning clusters.

Factors associated with poor sleep quality in women with cancer

Objectives

to analyze the factors associated with poor sleep quality, its characteristics and components in women with breast cancer prior to surgery for removing the tumor and throughout the follow-up.

Method

longitudinal study in a teaching hospital, with a sample of 102 women. The following were used: a questionnaire for sociodemographic and clinical characterization, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; the Beck Depression Inventory; and the Herth Hope Scale. Data collection covered from prior to the surgery for removal of the tumor (T0) to T1, on average 3.2 months; T2, on average 6.1 months; and T3, on average 12.4 months. Descriptive statistics and the Generalized Estimating Equations model were used.

Results

depression and pain contributed to the increase in the score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and hope, to the reduction of the score - independently - throughout follow-up. Sleep disturbances were the component with the highest score throughout follow-up.

Conclusion

the presence of depression and pain, prior to the surgery, contributed to the increase in the global score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which indicates worse quality of sleep throughout follow-up; greater hope, in its turn, influenced the reduction of the score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Variação longitudinal da qualidade do sono em mulheres com câncer de mama

Resumo Objetivo: Comparar a qualidade do sono, a depressão e a esperança em mulheres com câncer de mama ao longo de aproximadamente um ano. Métodos: Estudo longitudinal, com 107 mulheres, em hospital universitário. Foram utilizados os instrumentos: questionário de caracterização sociodemográfica e clínica; Índice de Qualidade do Sono de Pittsburgh; Inventário de Depressão de Beck e Escala de Esperança de Herth. Os dados foram coletados em T0, antes da cirurgia de retirada do tumor, e após a mesma em: T1, em média 3,2 meses; T2, em média 6,1 meses; em T3, em média 12,4 meses. Resultados: A má qualidade do sono persistiu ao longo do seguimento; a esperança aumentou em T1; a proporção de mulheres com depressão moderada e grave elevou-se em T3. Houve correlação significativa entre os escores indicativos de qualidade do sono, de depressão e de esperança nos quatro tempos. Conclusão: Os achados deste estudo indicam a importância do seguimento por tempo prolongado.

Home Telehealth and Caregiving Appraisal in Chronic Illness

BACKGROUND

Remote health monitoring applications are being adopted to improve the health of chronically ill individuals. Little work has focused on the effects of these technologies on informal caregivers (CG) of patients with chronic illnesses.

OBJECTIVES

To examine differences in caregiving appraisal between CG of enrolled and nonenrolled Veterans in the home telehealth (HT) program.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey methodology in 244 dyads (Veteran and CG) from 6 rural Midwestern Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Survey variables were derived from the 2004 National Alliance for Caregiving survey, along with measures of caregiving strain, burden, and satisfaction.

RESULTS

We found no differences when comparing HT and non-HT CG. In multivariate analyses combining the two groups, CG characteristics associated with CG strain included younger age, providing help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, use of coping skills, depressive symptoms, and less use of unpaid help (all p ≤ 0.001). Burden was associated with CG use of coping skills, caregiving confidence, and relationship quality with the Veteran (all p < 0.0001). CG satisfaction was associated with presence of social support (p < 0.0001). High CG strain was associated with Veteran hospitalization in the combined group (p = 0.03). Burden (p = 0.0002) was significantly associated with CG satisfaction.

DISCUSSION

Existing HT infrastructure provides an opportunity to incorporate training and support programs for CG of chronically ill patients. Such programs could improve CG confidence and use of positive coping skills, lower strain and burden, and potentially improve the health of both the care recipient and CG.