Contribution of problem-solving skills to fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors

Smartphone Psychotherapy Reduces Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Fully Decentralized Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (J-SUPPORT 1703 Study)

PURPOSE

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common distressing condition. We investigated the efficacy of smartphone problem-solving therapy and behavioral activation applications in breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

This was a decentralized randomized trial. Participants were disease-free breast cancer survivors age 20-49 years who were randomly assigned to the smartphone-based intervention or waitlist control. Both groups received treatment as usual. The control group could access the smartphone apps during weeks 8-24. The intervention comprised smartphone problem-solving therapy and behavioral activation apps. The primary end point was the Concerns About Recurrence Scale at week 8. Secondary outcomes included the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form (FCRI-SF), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34), and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory at weeks 8 and 24 (trial registration: UMIN-CTR: UMIN000031140).

RESULTS

The intervention group included 223 participants, and the control group included 224 participants. Primary outcome data were obtained for 444 participants, and 213 participants in the intervention arm completed the week 24 assessment. The intervention group had statistically greater improvements than controls at week 8 on the Concerns About Recurrence Scale (difference -1.39; 95% CI, -1.93 to -0.85; P < .001), FCRI-SF (difference -1.65; 95% CI, -2.41 to -0.89; P < .001), HADS depression (difference -0.49; 95% CI, -0.98 to 0; P < .05), and SCNS-SF34 psychological domain (difference -1.49; 95% CI, -2.67 to -0.32; P < .05). These scores at week 24 were not statistically significant compared with week 8 although the HADS depression score at week 24 was significantly reduced (P = .03).

CONCLUSION

Novel smartphone psychotherapy offers a promising way to reduce FCR given the large number of survivors and a limited number of therapists to competently conduct psychotherapy.

Exploring the moderated role of two psychological programs on sexual pleasure from physical symptoms, body image distortion and emotional problems of Hispanic women with breast cancer

Decreased sexual pleasure is a common problem in women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of psychoeducation vs. acceptance and commitment therapy to improve sexual pleasure according to the predictive role of physical, cognitive and emotional factors. Results of 139 Hispanic women (Mexico and Spain) diagnosed with breast cancer reveal that only the emotional factor of depression predicts decreased sexual pleasure. Although women who participated in the psychoeducation program presented greater physical symptomatology, body image distortions and emotional distress, the results seem to indicate that psychoeducational guidelines are relevant to improve sexual pleasure in those women who manifest higher levels of previous depression. Future research is required to clarify these issues.

Predictive factors for patients who need treatment for chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) after breast cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

Although chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after breast cancer surgery is a common and prevalent postsurgical adverse event, the need for CPSP treatment has not been investigated. This study examined the proportion of patients who needed treatment for CPSP and associated predictors.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study with female patients who underwent breast cancer surgery at our institution. Participants were aged ≤ 65 years at the time of this study and were at least 1 year post surgery. The questionnaire examined the presence of and need for treatment for CPSP and included the Japanese version of the Concerns about Recurrence Scale (CARS-J). Multivariate analyses were used to identify independent predictors of needing treatment for CPSP.

RESULTS

In total, 305 patients completed the questionnaire. The mean time since surgery was 67.1 months; 156 (51%) patients developed CPSP after breast cancer surgery and 61 (39%) needed treatment for CPSP. Among patients that developed CPSP, the fear of breast cancer recurrence as assessed by the CARS-J (odds ratio [OR] 2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-6.28, P = 0.028) and ≥ 2 postsurgical pain regions (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.16-5.57, P = 0.020) were independent predictors of needing treatment for CPSP.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to identify the proportion and predictors of patients who need treatment for CPSP. Fear of breast cancer recurrence and ≥ 2 postsurgical pain regions may predict the need for CPSP treatment among patients following breast cancer surgery.

Cancer patients' participation and commitment to psychological interventions: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

Some psychological interventions have been developed to improve cancer patients' and survivors' quality of life, well-being, and health engagement. However, studies are usually focused on effectiveness and less on factors influencing survivors' decision to participate, both subjective (e.g., needs) and contingent (e.g., factors related to participation/non participation). This scoping review identifies factors influencing participation, decline to participate, attrition and adherence in psychological interventions.

METHODS

3 electronic databases were searched for published studies on psychological interventions. Retrieved publications were scanned by authors against inclusion criteria and forty-two articles were selected. Relevant information were summarized narratively.

RESULTS

More information is available on attrition and factors related to participation/non participation, so that future psychological interventions may employ ad-hoc tools to take into consideration patients' reasons to adhere to psychological interventions. Secondarily, non-participation/dropout is often linked to factors related to intervention' commitment and its interference with daily life. On the contrary, patients' reasons to participate often identify with the value they find in the intervention according to their personal needs and experience of illness.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that future research should analyze patients' representation of psychological interventions and take them into account to tailor the interventions on participants' lived experience, to improve participation.

Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: A systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic diseases commonly report fears of illness or symptoms recurring or worsening. These fears have been addressed from an illness-specific perspective (e.g., fear of cancer recurrence), a generic illness perspective (e.g., fear of progression), and a psychiatric perspective (DSM-5 illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder). The broader concept of health anxiety (HA) can also be applied to patients with a chronic disease. This review was conducted to investigate the conceptual, theoretical, measurement-overlap, and differences between these distinct perspectives. We also aimed to summarize prevalence, course, and correlates of these fears in different chronic illnesses.

METHODS

We used PsycINFO, PubMED, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and PSYNDEX to conduct a systematic review of studies pertaining to these fears in chronic illness published from January 1996 to October 2017. A total of 401 articles were retained.

RESULTS

There were commonalities across different conceptualizations and diseases: a high prevalence of clinical levels of fears (>20%), a stable course over time, and a deleterious impact on quality of life. Reviewed studies used definitions, models, and measures that were illness-specific, with only a minority employing a psychiatric perspective, limiting cross-disease generalizability. There appears to be some applicability of DSM-5 disorders to the experience of fear of illness/symptoms in patients with a chronic illness. While conceptualizing HA on a continuum ranging from mild and transient to severe may be appropriate, there is a lack of agreement about when the level of fear becomes 'excessive.' The definitions, models, and measures of HA across chronic illnesses involve affective, cognitive, behavioral, and perceptual features.

CONCLUSIONS

The concept of HA may offer a unifying conceptual perspective on the fears of illness/symptoms worsening or returning commonly experienced by those with chronic disease.

Epigenetic modification: a regulatory mechanism in essential hypertension

Essential hypertension (EH) is a multifactorial disease of the cardiovascular system that is influenced by the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The molecular dynamics underlying EH etiopathogenesis is unknown; however, earlier studies have revealed EH-associated genetic variants. Nevertheless, this finding alone is not sufficient to explain the variability in blood pressure, suggesting that other risk factors are involved, such as epigenetic modifications. Therefore, this review highlights the potential contribution of well-defined epigenetic mechanisms in EH, specifically, DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, and microRNAs. We further emphasize global and gene-specific DNA methylation as one of the most well-studied hallmarks among all epigenetic modifications in EH. In addition, post-translational histone modifications, such as methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation, are described as important epigenetic markers associated with EH. Finally, we discuss microRNAs that affect blood pressure by regulating master genes such as those implicated in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. These epigenetic modifications, which appear to contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, including EH, may be a promising research area for the development of novel future strategies for EH prevention and therapeutics.

Smartphone problem-solving and behavioural activation therapy to reduce fear of recurrence among patients with breast cancer (SMartphone Intervention to LEssen fear of cancer recurrence: SMILE project): protocol for a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

One of the most common distressing conditions experienced by breast cancer survivors is fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). There is, however, no standard intervention for ameliorating FCR. Our clinical experience and previous studies have suggested the potential benefits of problem-solving therapy (PST) and behavioural activation (BA). Given the huge number of cancer survivors and limited number of therapists to competently conduct PST and BA, we have developed PST and BA smartphone applications. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the smartphone-based PST (Kaiketsu-App) and BA (Genki-App) apps in reducing FCR in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The SMartphone Intervention to LEssen fear of cancer recurrence project is an open-label, individually randomised, parallel-group trial. Allocation will be managed by a central server using a computer-generated random allocation sequence provided by an independent data centre. Participants will be randomised to smartphone-based intervention plus treatment as usual (TAU) or waitlist control with TAU alone. The primary endpoint of the study is the Japanese version of the Concerns About Recurrence Scale, which will be administered as an electronic patient-reported outcome on the patients' smartphone after 8 weeks.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The present study is subject to the ethical guidelines for clinical studies published by Japan's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the modified Act on the Protection of Personal Information as well as the ethical principles established for research on humans stipulated in the Declaration of Helsinki and further amendments thereto. The protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Nagoya City University on 15 January 2018 (ID: 60-00-1171).

TRIAL STATUS

The randomised trial, which commenced on 2 April 2018, currently enrols participants. The estimated end date for this study is in March 2020.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

UMIN000031140; Pre-results.

Collaborative care intervention for the perceived care needs of women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant therapy after surgery: a feasibility study

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of an intervention program for women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anticancer therapy, and determine its preliminary effectiveness in reducing their unmet needs and psychological distress.

Methods

The intervention was based on the collaborative care model, and compromised four domains: identification of unmet needs, problem-solving therapy and behavioral activation supervised by a psychiatrist, psychoeducation and referral to relevant departments. Eligible women with breast cancer were provided the collaborative care intervention over four sessions. The feasibility of the program was evaluated by the percentage of women who entered the intervention and by the percentage of adherence to the program. Self-reported outcomes were measured by the Supportive Care Needs Survey–Short Form 34 (SCNS-SF34), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Concern about Recurrence Scale, and pre- and post-intervention satisfaction with medical care.

Results

In total, 40 patients participated in this study. The rate of participation in the intervention was 68%, and the rate of adherence was 93%. Participants had significantly improved scores on total perceived needs, physical needs and psychological needs on the SCNS-SF34; vigor and confusion on the POMS and function (physical, emotional and cognitive), nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, appetite loss and financial difficulties on the EORTC QLQ-C30 compared with the baseline assessment.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated the intervention program was feasible. Further study is needed to demonstrate the program's effectiveness in reducing unmet needs.

A Bio-Psychosocial Intervention Program for Improving Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors - Final Outcome of a Prospective Randomized Trial

Given the 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in America, quality of life (QoL) is a vital issue. Bio-psychosocial milieu of survivorship is increasingly important. This study assesses the impact of Bio-psychosocial Intervention (BPSI) on the QoL of breast cancer survivors utilizing Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) instrument. A prospective randomized trial was designed; intervention arm included a 4-hour BPSI coping skills class; control arm received standard of cancer and follow-up care (SOC). Women diagnosed within 2 years of study initiation were eligible. Sample size was based on 8-point difference in FACT-B score, 90% power, 5% type I error, and 20% attrition. FACT-B questionnaire was administered to all patients at baseline and at 6-month intervals. SAS 9.3 software was used to analyze data using Chi-square test for categorical and Wilcoxon rank sum for ordinal data; linear mixed modeling was used for longitudinal analysis. One-hundred and three of 120 (86%) patients were available for analysis. Forty-seven patients were in BSPI arm, and 56 received SOC. For BPSI arm versus SOC arm, the median (interquartile) age (60 [52.68] versus 58 [52.68] years, p = 0.9135), cancer-stage (0:1:2:3 = 11%:41%:35%:13% versus 18%:46%:22%:15%, p = 0.4645), and biology (ER+:triple negative:HER2+ = 74%:9%:16% versus 72%:7%:20%, p = 0.8454), respectively, was similar. Median (25th to 75th centile) FACT-B scores in BPSI versus SOC arms at baseline were 109 (95.121) versus 112 (95, 122) (p = 0.6125); mean (SE) change since baseline at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months was: 7.42 (2.22) versus 7.04 (1.97) (p = 0.8862); 17.0 (2.64) versus -6.09 (2.37) (p < 0.0001); 16.03 (2.53) versus 3.58 (2.29) (p = 0.0004), and 15.48 (1.89) versus 16.4 (1.71) (p = 0.7966), respectively. The inter-group differences remained after adjusting for confounding variables at baseline. The p-value for interaction among groups over 2 years remained <0.0001 except for breast cancer specific concerns. BPSI coping skills class significantly improved the QoL of breast cancer survivors by 1 year post-intervention time point; this difference narrowed at 18 months and disappeared at 24 months.

Epigenetics and arterial hypertension: the challenge of emerging evidence

Epigenetic phenomena include DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs, as major marks. Although similar to genetic features of DNA for their heritability, epigenetic mechanisms differ for their potential reversibility by environmental and nutritional factors, which make them potentially crucial for their role in complex and multifactorial diseases. The function of these mechanisms is indeed gaining interest in relation to arterial hypertension (AH) with emerging evidence from cell culture and animal models as well as human studies showing that epigenetic modifications have major functions within pathways related to AH. Among epigenetic marks, the role of DNA methylation is mostly highlighted given the primary role of this epigenetic feature in mammalian cells. A lower global methylation was observed in DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of hypertensive patients. Moreover, DNA hydroxymethylation appears modifiable by salt intake in a Dahl salt-sensitive rat model. The specific function of DNA methylation in regulating the expression of AH-related genes at promoter site was described for hydroxysteroid (11-beta) dehydrogenase 2 (HSD11B2), somatic angiotensin converting enzyme (sACE), Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1), angiotensinogen (AGT), α-adducin (ADD1), and for other crucial genes in endocrine hypertension. Post-translational histone methylation at different histone 3 lysine residues was also observed to control the expression of genes related to AH as lysine-specific demethylase-1(LSD1), HSD11B2, and epithelial sodium channel subunit α (SCNN1A). Noncoding RNAs including several microRNAs influence genes involved in steroidogenesis and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway. In the present review, the current knowledge on the relationship between the main epigenetic marks and AH will be presented, considering the challenge of epigenetic patterns being modifiable by environmental factors that may lead toward novel implications in AH preventive and therapeutic strategies.