Can case management improve cancer patients quality of life?: A systematic review following PRISMA

Patient navigation across the cancer care continuum: An overview of systematic reviews and emerging literature

Patient navigation is a strategy for overcoming barriers to reduce disparities and to improve access and outcomes. The aim of this umbrella review was to identify, critically appraise, synthesize, and present the best available evidence to inform policy and planning regarding patient navigation across the cancer continuum. Systematic reviews examining navigation in cancer care were identified in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Epistemonikos, and Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) databases and in the gray literature from January 1, 2012, to April 19, 2022. Data were screened, extracted, and appraised independently by two authors. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Review and Research Syntheses was used for quality appraisal. Emerging literature up to May 25, 2022, was also explored to capture primary research published beyond the coverage of included systematic reviews. Of the 2062 unique records identified, 61 systematic reviews were included. Fifty-four reviews were quantitative or mixed-methods reviews, reporting on the effectiveness of cancer patient navigation, including 12 reviews reporting costs or cost-effectiveness outcomes. Seven qualitative reviews explored navigation needs, barriers, and experiences. In addition, 53 primary studies published since 2021 were included. Patient navigation is effective in improving participation in cancer screening and reducing the time from screening to diagnosis and from diagnosis to treatment initiation. Emerging evidence suggests that patient navigation improves quality of life and patient satisfaction with care in the survivorship phase and reduces hospital readmission in the active treatment and survivorship care phases. Palliative care data were extremely limited. Economic evaluations from the United States suggest the potential cost-effectiveness of navigation in screening programs.

Palliative Care Nursing Case Management in Young Adults With Advanced Rare Cancer: Case Discussion of a Multidisciplinary Approach

Purpose/Objectives:

This case aims to identify the elements of care continuity that are lacking in young adult patients with advanced rare cancer, suggesting ways to enhance continuity of care through nurse case manager/management (NCM) interventions and describing their impact on the emotional burden of patients and their families.

Primary Practice Setting(s):

Comprehensive cancer center.

Findings/Conclusions:

The dyadic care alliance with the NCM can alleviate disease burden, fostering trust in the team and adherence to care advice, thus reducing the patient's distress. The NCM can be an efficient option to advocate for patient needs on the multidisciplinary team, addressing practical issues and the unmet needs of patients and their caregivers, and facilitating referrals to other professionals. The study also shows that caring for young adults with advanced rare cancers should include mindful evaluation of their significant others.

Implications for Case Management Practice:

Estimating Risk of Locoregional Failure and Overall Survival in Anal Cancer Following Chemoradiation: A Machine Learning Approach

BACKGROUND

Optimal treatment of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is definitive chemoradiation. Patients with persistent or recurrent disease require abdominoperineal resection (APR). Current models for predicting need for APR and overall survival are limited by low accuracy or small datasets. This study sought to use machine learning (ML) to develop more accurate models for locoregional failure and overall survival for ASCC.

METHODS

This study used the National Cancer Database from 2004-2018, divided into training, validation, and test sets. We included patients with stage I-III ASCC who underwent chemoradiation. Our primary outcomes were need for APR and 3-year overall survival. Random forest (RF), gradient boosting (XGB), and neural network (NN) ML-based models were developed and compared with logistic regression (LR). Accuracy was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).

RESULTS

APR was required in 5.3% (1,015/18,978) of patients. XGB performed best with AUROC of 0.813, compared with 0.691 for LR. Tumor size, lymphovascular invasion, and tumor grade showed the strongest influence on model predictions. Mortality was 23.6% (7,988/33,834). AUROC for XGB and LR were similar at 0.766 and 0.748, respectively. For this model, age, radiation dose, sex, and insurance status were the most influential variables.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed and internally validated machine learning-based models for predicting outcomes in ASCC and showed higher accuracy versus LR for locoregional failure, but not overall survival. After external validation, these models may assist clinicians with identifying patients with ASCC at high risk of treatment failure.

Cancer-Related Pain Management in Suitable Intrathecal Therapy Candidates: A Spanish Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus

A consensus is needed among healthcare professionals involved in easing oncological pain in patients who are suitable candidates for intrathecal therapy. A Delphi consultation was conducted, guided by a multidisciplinary scientific committee. The 18-item study questionnaire was designed based on a literature review together with a discussion group. The first-round questionnaire assessed experts' opinion of the current general practice, as well as their recommendation and treatment feasibility in the near future (2-3-year period) using a 9-point Likert scale. Items for which consensus was not achieved were included in a second round. Consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement (1-3 or 7-9). A total of 67 panelists (response rate: 63.2%) and 62 (92.5%) answered the first and second Delphi rounds, respectively. The participants were healthcare professionals from multiple medical disciplines who had an average of 17.6 (7.8) years of professional experience. A consensus was achieved on the recommendations (100%). The actions considered feasible to implement in the short term included effective multidisciplinary coordination, improvement in communication among the parties, and an assessment of patient satisfaction. Efforts should focus on overcoming the barriers identified, eventually leading to the provision of more comprehensive care and consideration of the patient's perspective.

Effect of hospital-based case management on psychosocial wellbeing and treatment outcomes in colorectal cancer patients: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Case management has been regarded as the front line of necessary change for fragmented healthcare system.

AIM

This study proposed a case management intervention that is suitable for Chinese colorectal cancer patients and explored its effectiveness over a 12-month follow-up.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in an oncology hospital in China. A total of 188 patients were recruited from May 2015 to February 2017; 85 patients in the control group and 80 patients in the intervention group were included in data analysis. The intervention group was managed for 1 year by a case manager who organized the multidisciplinary team, provided regular assessment, a consulting service and referrals. Quality of life, anxiety and depression, symptom distress, treatment adherence and unplanned readmission rates were measured.

RESULTS

Repeated measurement ANOVA showed significant intervention and time effects in global quality of life, anxiety and depression, symptom distress and oral chemotherapy adherence. The intervention group showed statistically significantly better overall treatment adherence and lower unplanned readmission rate.

CONCLUSION

Nurse-led case management was effective in improving psychosocial outcomes, treatment adherence and unplanned readmission rate of colorectal cancer patients. A case management model is feasible and effective in colorectal cancer patients and in hospital-dominated healthcare systems where primary care is underutilized.