Psychosocial and physical outcomes of in- and outpatient rehabilitation in prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy

Changes in health-related quality of life, depression, and fear of progression during oncological inpatient rehabilitation and beyond: a longitudinal study

PURPOSE

Studies evaluating oncological inpatient rehabilitation rarely include follow-up intervals beyond 6 months and larger proportions of patients other than those with breast cancer. Therefore, this study investigated changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression, and fear of progression of patients with breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer from the beginning to the end of oncological rehabilitation and a 9-month follow-up.

METHODS

Three hundred seventy-seven patients with breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer undergoing oncological inpatient rehabilitation (median age 61 years, 49% female) completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, the PHQ-9, and the FoP-Q-SF at each measurement point. Data analysis used 3 (tumor site) × 3 (time of measurement) repeated measures ANCOVAs with patient age and time since diagnosis as covariates. At each time point, we also compared our sample to the general population on the measures used.

RESULTS

Having controlled for the covariates, we found significant effects of tumor site, which were small except for Diarrhea. Effects of time of measurement were often significant and in part at least medium in size indicating improvement of HRQoL and depression during rehabilitation. At follow-up, some HRQoL domains and depression deteriorated. Women with breast cancer, in particular, showed a greater decrease in emotional functioning then. Compared to the general population, the sample's HRQoL and depression were significantly worse on most occasions.

CONCLUSION

Oncological inpatient rehabilitation may improve HRQoL. The subsequent and in part differential deterioration in some HRQoL domains suggests a need for further follow-up care within survivorship programs.

[Prehabilitation prior to radical prostatectomy : A useful concept?]

Against the background of a continuous improvement of established treatment outcomes and the compatibility of health economic considerations, pre- and perioperative processes are constantly being developed and further optimized. In recent years, the concept of prehabilitation has gained increasing importance as a proactive approach to preparing patients for mostly surgical cancer treatment and improving their physical and mental health. Prehabilitation in oncology is a systematic process aimed at improving the physical, psychosocial, and nutritional condition of patients before and during cancer treatment. The goal of prehabilitation is to enhance patients' ability to cope with the physiological stress of cancer treatment and improve their overall health and well-being. In addition, prehabilitation has the potential to reduce costs for the healthcare system.

Systematic Review of Functional Outcomes in Cancer Rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the evidence regarding rehabilitation interventions targeting optimal physical or cognitive function in adults with a history of cancer and describe the breadth of evidence as well as strengths and limitations across a range of functional domains.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Plus, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. The time scope was January 2008 to April 2019.

STUDY SELECTION

Prospective, controlled trials including single- and multiarm cohorts investigating rehabilitative interventions for cancer survivors at any point in the continuum of care were included, if studies included a primary functional outcome measure. Secondary data analyses and pilot/feasibility studies were excluded. Full-text review identified 362 studies for inclusion.

DATA EXTRACTION

Extraction was performed by coauthor teams and quality and bias assessed using the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Classification of Evidence Scheme (class I-IV).

DATA SYNTHESIS

Studies for which the functional primary endpoint achieved significance were categorized into 9 functional areas foundational to cancer rehabilitation: (1) quality of life (109 studies), (2) activities of daily living (61 studies), (3) fatigue (59 studies), (4) functional mobility (55 studies), (5) exercise behavior (37 studies), (6) cognition (20 studies), (7) communication (10 studies), (8) sexual function (6 studies), and (9) return to work (5 studies). Most studies were categorized as class III in quality/bias. Averaging results found within each of the functional domains, 71% of studies reported statistically significant results after cancer rehabilitation intervention(s) for at least 1 functional outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide evidence supporting the efficacy of rehabilitative interventions for individuals with a cancer history. The findings should be balanced with the understanding that many studies had moderate risk of bias and/or limitations in study quality by AAN criteria. These results may provide a foundation for future work to establish clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitative interventions across cancer disease types.

Same Day Discharge Protocol for Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: the experience of a High-Volume Referral Center

Objective As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, there is increased value in performing same-day discharge (SDD) protocols to minimize viral exposure and maintain the appropriate surgical treatment for oncological patients. In this scenario, we performed a prospective analysis of outcomes of our patients undergoing SDD protocol after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Material and Methods The SDD criteria included patients with no intraoperative complications, stable postoperative hemoglobin levels (compared to preoperative values), stable vital signs, normal urine output, ambulation with assistance and independently without dizziness, tolerance of clear liquids without nausea or vomiting, pain control with oral medication, and patient/family confidence with SDD. Patients older than 70 years, concomitant general surgery operations, multiple comorbidities, and complex procedures such as salvage surgery were excluded from our protocol. Results Of the 101 patients who met the criteria for SDD, 73 (72%) had a successful SDD. All SDF (Same day discharge failure) patients were discharged one day after surgery. Intraoperative characteristics were not statistically different with a median operative time of 92 (81-107) vs 103 (91-111) minutes for SDD and SDF respectively. Of the 28 SDF patients, the most common reasons for staying were anesthesia-related factors of nausea (35%), drowsiness (7%), patient/caregiver preference (25%), pain (14%), labile blood pressure (7%), arrhythmia (7%), and dizziness (7%). There was no significant difference in readmission rates, complication rates, or post-operative pain scores between SDD and SDF patients. Conclusions In our experience, SDD for patients undergoing RARP can be safely and feasibly incorporated into a clinical care pathway without increasing readmission rates. We were successful in 72% of cases due to coordinated care between anesthetics, nursing staff, and appropriate patient selection. We also believe that incorporating pre-and postoperative patient education and assurance is crucial to minimize their exposure to COVID-19 during the surgical treatment for prostate cancer.

A prehabilitation programme implemented before robot-assisted radical prostatectomy improves peri-operative outcomes and continence recovery

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of a routine, on-site, 1-day prehabilitation (PreHab) programme on peri-operative and continence recovery after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All 303 consecutive RARPs performed between March 2018 and February 2020 since the routine implementation of PreHab were included in our study. PreHab was carried out according to the availability of the 1-day programme before the planned date of surgery (two sessions per month including four patients per session). The PreHab programme was implemented in 165 patients (54.5%). The primary endpoint was continence recovery, strictly defined as no safety pad use at 1 and 6 months. Secondary endpoints were peri-operative variables (blood loss, operating time, length of stay, transfusion, complications, and readmission rates). Comparisons were made according to whether the PreHab pathway was applied or not (PreHab+ vs PreHab-) in univariable and multivariable models.

RESULTS

The PreHab pathway was implemented for a stable proportion of patients over time (54.5%). The two cohorts were comparable in terms of preoperative and pathological features (P > 0.05). Length of stay was significantly shorter in the PreHab+ group (1.3 vs 1.9 days; P = 0.001). There was a trend towards fewer complications in the PreHab+ group (P = 0.061). Use of the PreHab pathway was independently correlated with higher continence rates at 1 month (37% vs 60%; P < 0.001) and 6 months (67.4% vs 87.3%; P < 0.001), even after controlling for age, body mass index, prostate volume, type of apical reconstruction, nerve-sparing surgery and lymph node dissection. The main limitation of the study was the absence of randomization.

CONCLUSIONS

Our experience demonstrates that the PreHab programme is the major predictor of improved peri-operative outcomes and continence recovery after RARP, with sustainable benefits 6 months after surgery.

Evaluation by electronic patient-reported outcomes of cancer survivors' needs and the efficacy of inpatient cancer rehabilitation in different tumor entities

OBJECTIVE

We investigated cancer survivors' health-related quality of life (HRQOL), specific deficiencies related to underlying disease or treatment, and benefits of rehabilitation in a large variety of cancer entities.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Electronic patient-reported outcomes were performed as clinical routine procedures. Cancer survivors underwent a 3-week multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation. Twenty-one different cancer entities were analyzed separately before (T0) and by the end (T1) of rehabilitation. HRQOL, symptoms, and functions were assessed with EORTC-QLQ-C30 questionnaire, psychological distress with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

RESULTS

Four thousand four hundred one of 5912 rehabilitants were evaluable, having completed both questionnaires at T0 and T1. All function mean scores and HRQOL were lower than in Austrian normal population, while levels of anxiety, depression, and all symptom scores were higher. HRQOL was particularly low in lung, liver, and bladder cancer patients. Maximum anxiety levels were observed in patients with breast and thyroid cancer patients, the highest levels of depression in liver and brain cancer patients. Fatigue was severe in patients with lung, liver, esophageal, bladder cancer, and myeloma patients. Mean scores were also high for pain and insomnia. In the group of all rehabilitants, a highly significant improvement of global HRQOL, anxiety, depression, and all function and symptom scores was observed at T1 (p < 0.001). We noted significant improvement of HRQOL, anxiety, depression, fatigue, emotional, social, role, and physical functions in each cancer entity with medium to large effect sizes. Other recorded symptoms were reduced in the majority of cancers.

CONCLUSION

Rehabilitation effectively improves psychological distress and HRQOL as a part of treatment for various cancers.

Factors affecting health-related quality of life among prostate cancer patients: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Prostate cancer is recognized as the leading cause of malignancy-related incidence and mortality in the male population. The treatment regimens have long-term effects detrimental to the patient's quality of life. Hence, this review was aimed to determine the overall HRQOL and its associated among prostate cancer patients.

METHODS

The review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and Cumulative Index to the Nursing and Allied Literature (CINAHL), which provided articles that were critically examined, yielding 52 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review.

RESULTS

Out of 52 studies, 30 studies reported poor overall HRQOL in various domains after prostate cancer treatment. Contrastingly, 15 studies reported good overall quality of life after treatment. Among the various domains, sexual function was the most grossly affected functional score by the treatment modalities of prostate cancer. Nonetheless, seven studies showed that the absence of a significant change in the overall quality of life after treatment. According to the studies, older age, comorbidities, higher clinical stage, higher Gleason score, greater cancer severity, African American race, impaired mental health, neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and lower level of education were the major poor predictors of HRQOL among prostate cancer patients.

CONCLUSION

The overall HRQOL in prostate cancer patients was generally poor in various functional domains after treatment. Among the various domains, sexual function was the most grossly affected functional score by the treatment modalities of prostate cancer.

Impact of inpatient rehabilitation services on the functional levels of cancer patients at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objectives:

To identify the impact of inpatient rehabilitation services on the functional levels of cancer patients.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of data from the Rehabilitation Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2012 to 2018. The functional independence measure (FIM) tool was used to assess functional changes from admission to discharge to determine the impact of inpatient rehabilitation.

Results:

A total of 81 eligible records were reviewed. The median hospital length of stay (LOS) was 50 days, mean±SD of the FIM gain was 25 (15.3), and 91.4% were discharged home, while only 4.9% were readmitted. Although statistically significant gains were observed in both motor and cognitive scores, motor scores improved more than the cognitive. The LOS was less (30 days) in patients requiring minimal assistance, at the time of admission, compared to the LOS in patients with moderate and low levels of independence. The level of significance was set at p≤0.05

Conclusions:

In patient cancer rehabilitation service demonstrated statistically significant functional gains during rehabilitation at King Fahad Medical City. This study may help the policymakers to provide similar rehabilitation services to all cancer patients as well as in other health care hospitals to improve the functional status of cancer survivors.

A combination of enhanced recovery after surgery and prehabilitation pathways improves perioperative outcomes and costs for robotic radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND

An enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway has shown benefit in oncologic surgery. However, literature is scarce regarding the impact of this pathway, alone or combined with prehabilitation (PreHab) programs, on outcomes after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

METHODS

Included in this study were 507 consecutive patients undergoing RARP from 2014 to 2019. The primary endpoint was duration of hospital stay. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative blood loss, operative duration, readmission rate, and overall costs. Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed according to the ERAS and PreHab program status.

RESULTS

ERAS patients had shorter hospital stays (P < .001), reduced operative times (P < .001), and decreased blood loss (P < .001) in comparison with non-ERAS patients. Shorter hospital stays were not associated with an increased readmission rate (7.9% [stable over time]; P = .757). Patients from an ERAS-/PreHab- group had a longer hospital stay (4.7 days) than those from an ERAS+/PreHab- group (3.5 days) and those from an ERAS+/PreHab+ group (1.6 days; P < .001). In a multivariate analysis, operative time and perioperative pathway (odds ratio for ERAS, 0.144; P < .001; odds ratio for ERAS and PreHab, 0.025; P < .001) were independently predictive for a prolonged length of stay (P < .001). Costs significantly decreased when ERAS and PreHab pathways were combined.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of ERAS and PreHab programs significantly changes the postoperative course of patients and may synergistically optimize RARP outcomes. The combination of these pathways improves patient recovery and is associated with reduced lengths of stay, blood loss, operative times, and costs without an increase in the postdischarge readmission rate.

[Limits of surgery in uro-oncology]

The limits of cancer surgery in uro-oncology are characterized by a carefully weighed risk of surgical feasibility and oncological necessity. The limits of uro-oncological cancer surgery do not represent fixed dogmas but ideally these more or less cognitive boundaries move based on new scientific findings, improved imaging modalities, optimized surgical techniques and perioperative care. The limits of cancer surgery are defined by patient-specific parameters, the biological aggressiveness of the tumor itself, the skills and expertise of the surgeon, and adequate perioperative care of the patient. Dependent on the origin of the cancers of the upper and lower urogenital tract, the specific particularities of each individual cancer in terms of prognosis need to be known, taking into consideration the newest molecular insights and modern multimodality treatment regimes. Only the consideration of the above mentioned basics will allow the best decision to be made with the patient concerning the optimal individual treatment. The current article highlights general parameters of the patient, tumor and surgeon which might define the limits of cancer surgery in uro-oncology. In addition, specific clinical scenarios are discussed with regard to surgery limits in cancer of the kidney, the prostate and the testis.

Improvement of quality of life and psychological distress after inpatient cancer rehabilitation : Results of a longitudinal observational study

Background

With the growing number of cancer survivors worldwide the need for high quality cancer rehabilitation after primary treatment is steadily increasing. The aim of the present study was to investigate change of psychological distress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during multidisciplinary inpatient cancer rehabilitation in a large sample of cancer survivors suffering from different cancer entities.

Methods

We analyzed data from routine HRQOL and distress monitoring at a cancer inpatient rehabilitation center. Cancer survivors completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment. Changes of patients’ functioning and symptoms were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and effect sizes (Cohens’ d). Patients’ pretreatment and posttreatment scores were compared to reference data from the German general population.

Results

A total of 939 patients (mean age 58.6 years, SD 11.9 years; 59.9% women) who attended rehabilitation from January 2014 to September 2015 were included in the analysis. We found clinically meaningful improvement in almost all domains of the EORTC QLQ-C30 as well as in anxiety and depression (HADS). The largest improvements were found for the QLQ-C30 subscales emotional functioning (d = 0.78), fatigue (d = 0.65), and social functioning (d = 0.56).

Conclusions

We found clinically meaningful improvements of patients’ HRQOL, anxiety and depression during an oncological inpatient rehabilitation treatment. Our results warrant further prospective controlled studies to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation.

Psychological distress of cancer patients with children under 18 years and their partners-a longitudinal study of family relationships using dyadic data analysis

PURPOSE

With increasing age at pregnancy, the likelihood of cancer affecting a family with children under 18 is rising and the issue of parents with cancer is gaining importance. Here, we examined the level of anxiety and depression, social support, and partnership satisfaction of cancer patients with children under 18 years and their partners as well as the dyadic patient-partner relationship concerning psychological distress and predictor variables.

METHODS

We used a longitudinal survey, recruiting patients with children under legal age and their partners (t1 = post therapy, t2 = 6 months after t1, t3 = 12 months after t1). Patients and partners completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Oslo 3-item Social Support Scale (OSS-3), and the Abbreviated Dyadic Adjustment Scale (ADAS). We surveyed 161 cancer patients and 115 partners by mail (t1). Anxiety and depression were compared to German normative data. Dyadic relationships of three variables (social support, partnership satisfaction, and employment) and the psychological distress of 81 patient-partner dyads were analyzed with a structural equation model to estimate the actor-partner interdependence model.

RESULTS

After cancer therapy, 28.3 % of the patients and 46.2 % of their partners had moderate to high levels of anxiety and 17.9 % and 23.1 % had moderate to high levels of depression, respectively. Partners' levels of anxiety (p = 0.002) and depression (p = 0.018) had decreased significantly over the 1-year period post therapy. We found no changes in patients' anxiety (p = 0.444) and depression (p = 0.636) over time. Anxiety and depression did not differ on pair level (p = 0.120-0.928). The level of anxiety in patients and partners was significantly higher than that in the general population (p < 0.001-0.006). The analyses of the dyadic relationships showed a positive effect of social support on psychological distress of the patient (beta = -0.206, p < 0.2). Social support (beta = -0.448, p < 0.001), employment (beta = -0.509, p < 0.01), and satisfaction with partnership (beta = -0.448, p < 0.001) showed a positive impact on psychological well-being of the partner.

CONCLUSIONS

A cancer experience within a family is a large burden for both patients and partners, highlighting the high incidence of anxiety. The results indicate that couples coping with cancer tend to react as an emotional system rather than as individuals. Patients' reintegration in employment is as important as encouraging partners in their working activities. The findings underline the importance of continuing social support for patients and their partners.