Identification of Patient-Reported Outcome Phenotypes Among Oncology Patients With Palliative Care Needs

Why and How to Integrate Early Palliative Care Into Cutting-Edge Personalized Cancer Care

Early palliative care, palliative care integrated with oncology care early in the course of illness, has myriad benefits for patients and their caregivers, including improved quality of life, reduced physical and psychological symptom burden, enhanced prognostic awareness, and reduced health care utilization at the end of life. Although ASCO and others recommend early palliative care for all patients with advanced cancer, widespread implementation of early palliative care has not been realized because of barriers such as insufficient reimbursement and a palliative care workforce shortage. Investigators have recently tested several implementation strategies to overcome these barriers, including triggers for palliative care consultations, telehealth delivery, navigator-delivered interventions, and primary palliative care interventions. More research is needed to identify mechanisms to distribute palliative care optimally and equitably. Simultaneously, the transformation of the oncology treatment landscape has led to shifts in the supportive care needs of patients and caregivers, who may experience longer, uncertain trajectories of cancer. Now, palliative care also plays a clear role in the care of patients with hematologic malignancies and may be beneficial for patients undergoing phase I clinical trials and their caregivers. Further research and clinical guidance regarding how to balance the risks and benefits of opioid therapy and safely manage cancer-related pain across this wide range of settings are urgently needed. The strengths of early palliative care in supporting patients' and caregivers' coping and centering decisions on their goals and values remain valuable in the care of patients receiving cutting-edge personalized cancer care.

Symptom clusters associated with complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a commonly used approach among cancer patients, with a reported prevalence of 14.8 to 73.1% depending on multiple factors. Even though a typical patient-reported reason for using CAM is symptom control, no conclusive evidence could be established for specific symptoms being a predictor for CAM use. Symptom clusters are a novel approach for assessing a multidimensional symptom burden, reflecting the impact of diseases on the patient's quality of life and considering the tendency of symptoms to occur in groups.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A single-center cross-sectional study on cancer patients during oncological or palliative care was conducted to identify socio-demographical and clinical characteristics, including symptom clusters of CAM users and non-users. Symptom clusters were defined using latent profile analysis, and multivariable analyses were performed to assess significant factors influencing CAM use.

RESULTS

Of 171 cancer patients in this study, 63.7% used CAM alongside oncological treatment or palliative care. The most common CAM therapies were biological and physical therapies, including homeopathy (30.3%), supplements (27.4%), herbs (26.6%), massage (24.8%), and acupuncture (22.0%). Four distinct symptom clusters were identified, of which the cluster drowsiness-depression-anxiety was associated with a 3.83-fold increased chance of using CAM compared to low-symptomatic cancer patients. Multivariate analysis did not show any additional significant predictors of socio-demographical factors.

CONCLUSION

Using the concept of symptom clusters revealed a significant predictor for CAM use, suggesting to be a more conclusive method for assessing symptom burden in cancer patients. In addition, understanding why and how cancer patients turn to CAM can enhance the quality of multidisciplinary communication about its use.

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (ePROMs) Improve the Assessment of Underrated Physical and Psychological Symptom Burden among Oncological Inpatients

For advanced cancer inpatients, the established standard for gathering information about symptom burden involves a daily assessment by nursing staff using validated assessments. In contrast, a systematic assessment of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is required, but it is not yet systematically implemented. We hypothesized that current practice results in underrating the severity of patients' symptom burden. To explore this hypothesis, we have established systematic electronic PROMs (ePROMs) using validated instruments at a major German Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this retrospective, non-interventional study, lasting from September 2021 to February 2022, we analyzed collected data from 230 inpatients. Symptom burden obtained by nursing staff was compared to the data acquired by ePROMs. Differences were detected by performing descriptive analyses, Chi-Square tests, Fisher's exact, Phi-correlation, Wilcoxon tests, and Cohen's r. Our analyses pointed out that pain and anxiety especially were significantly underrated by nursing staff. Nursing staff ranked these symptoms as non-existent, whereas patients stated at least mild symptom burden (pain: mean_NRS/epaAC = 0 (no); mean_ePROM = 1 (mild); p < 0.05; r = 0.46; anxiety: mean_epaAC = 0 (no); mean_ePROM = 1 (mild); p < 0.05; r = 0.48). In conclusion, supplementing routine symptom assessment used daily by nursing staff with the systematic, e-health-enabled acquisition of PROMs may improve the quality of supportive and palliative care.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Cranial Tumor Resection: A Review

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols describe a standardized method of preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care to enhance outcomes and minimize complication risks surrounding elective surgical intervention. A growing body of evidence is being generated as we learn to apply principles of ERAS standardization to neurosurgical patients. First applied in spinal surgery, ERAS protocols have been extended to cranial neuro-oncological procedures. This review synthesizes recent findings to generate evidence-based guidelines to manage neurosurgical oncology patients with standardized systems and assess ability of these systems to coordinate multidisciplinary, patient-centric care efforts. Furthermore, we highlight the potential utility of multimedia, app-based communication platforms to facilitate patient education, autonomy, and team communication within each of the three settings.

Clinical Potential of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Occupational Therapy

This column advocates the clinical potential of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to advance value for occupational therapy patients and the profession. It positions PROMs in the context of value-based health care, provides an overview of emerging applications of PROMs for individual patient care, and introduces clinical advantages of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Occupational therapy practitioners should leverage the opportunities afforded by regulatory initiatives that include PROMs to meaningfully and equitably amplify the patient's voice in clinical contexts. What This Article Adds: This column highlights why occupational therapy practitioners should consider using patient-reported outcome measures in their everyday clinical practice.

Systematic Review of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery in Patients Undergoing Cranial Surgery

BACKGROUND

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathways are increasingly being integrated in neurosurgical patient management. The full extent of ERAS in cranial surgery is not well studied. We performed a systematic review examining ERAS in cranial surgery patients to 1) identify the extent to which ERAS is integrated in cranial neurosurgical procedures and 2) assess effectiveness of ERAS interventions for patients undergoing these procedures.

METHODS

A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, PsychInfo, and Google Scholar was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines (CRD42020197187). Studies eligible for inclusion assessed patients undergoing any cranial surgical procedure using an ERAS or ERAS-like pathway, defined by ≥2 ERAS protocol elements per the ERAS Society's RECOvER Checklist and the recommendations of Hagan et al. 2016 (not including patient education, criteria for discharge, or tracking of postdischarge outcomes).

RESULTS

Nine studies were included in qualitative synthesis, 2 of which were randomized controlled trials. All studies showed a moderate risk of bias. The most common ERAS elements used were screening and/or optimization and formal discharge criteria. The least common ERAS elements used were fasting/carbohydrate loading and antithrombotic prophylaxis. Complication rates were similar in studies comparing ERAS with non-ERAS groups. ERAS interventions were associated with reduced length of stay, with comparable and/or improved patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

ERAS is a safe and potentially favorable perioperative pathway for select patients undergoing cranial surgery. Future studies of ERAS in cranial surgery patients should emphasize postoperative optimizations and patient-reported outcome measures as key features.