Justin Eusebio

Quality of life and mood of patients and family caregivers during hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

We conducted a study to investigate the impact of hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) on the quality of life (QOL) and mood of patients and family caregivers (FC).

The relationship between coping strategies, quality of life, and mood in patients with incurable cancer.

Patients with incurable cancer face many physical and emotional stressors, yet little is known about their coping strategies or the relationship between their coping strategies, quality of life (QOL), and mood.

Effects of Early Integrated Palliative Care on Caregivers of Patients with Lung and Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This article reports a single‐center randomized clinical trial that evaluated the effect of early integrated specialty palliative care on patient‐ and caregiver‐reported outcomes in patients with newly‐diagnosed, incurable cancers. It was hypothesized that caregivers of patients assigned to early integrated palliative care would report lower psychological distress and better quality of life compared with caregivers of patients assigned to usual oncology care.

Prognostic Understanding, Quality of Life, and Mood in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Little is known about how patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and their family caregivers (FC) perceive their prognosis. We examined prognostic understanding in patients undergoing HCT and their FC and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) and mood. We conducted a longitudinal study of patients (and FC) hospitalized for HCT. We used a questionnaire to measure participants’ prognostic understanding and asked the oncologists to estimate patients’ prognosis prior to HCT. We assessed QOL and mood weekly and evaluated the relationship between prognostic understanding, and QOL and mood using multivariable linear mixed models. We enrolled 90 patients undergoing (autologous (n=30), myeloablative (n=30) or reduced intensity allogeneic (n=30)) HCT. About 88.9% of patients and 87.1% of FC reported it is ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important to know about prognosis. However, 77.6% of patients and 71.7% of FC reported a discordance and more optimistic prognostic perception compared to the oncologist (P<0.0001). Patients with a concordant prognostic understanding with their oncologists reported worse QOL (β=−9.4, P=0.01) and greater depression at baseline (β=1.7, P=0.02) and over time ((β=1.2, P<0.0001). Therefore, Interventions are needed to improve prognostic understanding, while providing patients with adequate psychological support.

Integrating tobacco treatment into cancer care: Study protocol for a randomized controlled comparative effectiveness trial

BACKGROUND Despite the well-established risks of persistent smoking, 10-30% of cancer patients continue to smoke after diagnosis. Evidence-based tobacco treatment has yet to be integrated into routine oncology care. This paper describes the protocol, manualized treatment, evaluation plan, and overall study design of comparing the effectiveness and cost of two treatments across two major cancer centers. METHODS/DESIGN A two-arm, two-site randomized controlled comparative effectiveness trial is testing the hypothesis that an Intensive Treatment (IT) intervention is more effective than a Standard Treatment (ST) intervention in helping recently diagnosed cancer patients quit smoking. Both interventions include 4 weekly counseling sessions and FDA-approved smoking cessation medication advice. The IT includes an additional 4 biweekly and 3 monthly booster sessions as well as dispensal of the recommended FDA-approved smoking cessation medication at no cost. The trial is enrolling patients with suspected or newly diagnosed cancer who have smoked a cigarette in the past 30days. Participants are randomly assigned to receive the ST or IT condition. Tobacco cessation outcomes are assessed at 3 and 6months. The primary study outcome is 7-day point prevalence biochemically-validated tobacco abstinence. Secondary study outcomes include the incremental cost-effectiveness of the IT vs. ST. DISCUSSION This trial will answer key questions about delivering tobacco treatment interventions to newly diagnosed cancer patients. If found to be efficacious and cost-effective, this treatment will serve as a model to be integrated into oncology care settings nation-wide, as we strive to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.

Effect of early integrated palliative care on family caregivers (FC) outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal and lung cancer.

234 Background: Patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancers who receive early palliative care (PC) integrated with oncology care report improvement in their quality of life (QOL) and mood. While a telephone-based psycho-educational intervention for FC decrease depression, the impact of early, integrated outpatient PC models on FC outcomes remains unknown. METHODS We conducted a randomized trial of early PC integrated with oncology care versus oncology care alone for newly diagnosed patients with incurable lung and gastrointestinal cancers and their FC. Eligible FC were relatives or friends who would likely accompany the patient to clinic visits. FC were eligible to enroll up to 4 weeks after patient enrollment. The intervention entailed at least monthly patient visits with PC from the time of enrollment. FC were not required to attend these visits. We used the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey Short Form-36 to examine QOL and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to examine mood at baseline, weeks 12 and 24. We used the two-sample t-test to examine changes in QOL and mood from baseline to week 12 and week 24. RESULTS We enrolled 350 patients and 275 (78.6%) of potentially eligible FC (control n = 138, intervention n = 137) between 5/2/2011 to 7/20/2015. FC outcomes missing data rate at 12 and 24 weeks were 16.8% and 33.8% respectively. At 12 weeks, FC of patients receiving early PC reported higher vitality (1.1 vs. -3.2, p = 0.05) and social functioning (-3.0 vs. -3.8, p = 0.02), and lower depression symptoms (-0.45 vs. 0.24, p = 0.03) compared to FC of patients assigned to usual care. At 24 weeks, FC of patients assigned to early PC had lower depression symptoms (-0.37 vs. 0.28, p = 0.05), but no differences in vitality or social functioning compared to those receiving usual care. No differences in other SF-36 subscales or anxiety were noted at 12 and 24 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Early involvement of PC for patients with newly diagnosed lung and gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvements in FC depression and aspects of QOL. This work demonstrates that the benefits of early, integrated palliative care models in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes and positively impact the experience of FC. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION NCT01401907.

Characterization of unplanned 30-day medical oncology readmissions after discharge at an academic medical center with a comprehensive cancer center.

269 Background: Hospital readmission rate is increasingly suggested as a quality care metric. Currently there are no standard criteria for an avoidable readmission in oncology. Although patients with cancer have been identified as being at increased risk of readmission, there has been little to examine the reasons for the oncology patient readmission. The aim was to examine the profiles of patients with an unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge by an oncology provider and to measure the unplanned 30-day readmission rate. METHODS A retrospective review of oncology provider discharge encounters resulting in a 30-day unplanned readmission during the 2012 calendar year at a tertiary hospital with a comprehensive cancer center was conducted. Planned readmissions for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, dialysis, and surgical procedures, as well as readmissions for rehabilitation, hospice, and psychiatry were excluded. Medical oncologists analyzed medical records for the primary reason of readmission and if the readmission was possibly preventable. RESULTS Of the 2,944 admissions, a final cohort of 441 unplanned readmissions from 321 unique patients for an unplanned 30-day readmission rate of 14.9% was observed. The average age at admission was 59 (SD 15.9). The cohort was mostly male (56.9%) and White/Caucasian (84.4%). Gastrointestinal (24.0%), lymphoma (18.6%), and leukemia (17.5%) were the most common cancer types. Of those with solid tumors types (n = 225), approximately 70% had metastatic disease. The median time to readmission was 10 days and 10.7% died within 30 days of readmission. Oncology reviewers most commonly assessed that readmission was primarily due to treatment-related effects (46.7%) and the progression of disease (42.2%). Approximately 20% of 30-day readmissions were determined to be possibly preventable, representing 3% of all admissions for the year. CONCLUSIONS Oncology patients readmitted within 30-days frequently present with complicated, advanced disease. A review by medical oncologists suggests there is margin for intervention to reduce 30-day unplanned admissions.

Depression, inflammation, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A pilot study☆

OBJECTIVE Patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have high risk for depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD); however, those with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations may have decreased risk. The biological underpinning of this relationship is unknown. We examined differences in depression severity and MDD in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV NSCLC based on EGFR mutation status, and examined proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors known to play a role in cancer progression and depression. METHODS Fifty-five patients with newly diagnosed stage IV NSCLC completed self-report and clinician-administered depression assessments prior to receiving results of tumor genotyping. We measured serum levels of circulating biological markers of inflammation: IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-α, and TNF-α. We examined differences in depression severity, MDD, and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with and without EGFR mutations. RESULTS Patients with EGFR mutations (n=10) had lower depression severity (t[43]=2.38, p=0.03) than those without EGFR mutations (n=38) and fewer patients with EGFR mutations had concurrent MDD (2.08%) relative to those without mutations (27.08%). Patients with MDD had higher levels of TNF-α than those without MDD (t[40]=2.95, p=0.005). Those with EGFR mutations exhibited higher levels of TNF-α relative to those without EGFR mutations (t[35]=2.17, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS Patients with stage IV NSCLC harboring an EGFR mutation exhibited elevated proinflammatory marker TNF-α, yet had lower depression severity than patients without EGFR mutations. More work is warranted to examine the interaction between tumor genotyping and inflammatory cytokines in the context of depression.