Moyra Mills

Psychosocial interventions for patients with head and neck cancer.

A diagnosis of head and neck cancer, like any cancer diagnosis, is often accompanied by much fear and uncertainty. In addition, patients with head and neck cancer face difficulties in eating, chewing, drinking, breathing, speaking, as well as changes in appearance. Simultaneously, the burden of head and neck cancer is often manifested in psychosocial dysfunction, which can have a negative impact on quality of life. Although a phenomenon well recognized, little is known about many factors that influence or impact psychosocial dysfunction in individuals with head and neck cancer. Even less is known about the effective management of psychosocial dysfunction. To date, there is evidence to suggest that psychosocial interventions generally provide an overall positive effect. Moreover, some intervention studies, such as education alone, have failed to achieve the desired results. In addition, some studies suggest an advantage of cognitive- behavioral therapy over other forms of psychological treatment. With the growing impetus to investigate factors associated with psychosocial dysfunction, and considerable advancement in the development and validation of many global and disease-specific measures, there is an opportunity for further research to develop an appropriate clinical intervention program for such patients.

Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Difficult Asthma

Study objectives To determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)—both symptoms and objective evidence—using 24-h dual-probe pH monitoring in difficult asthma, and the relationship between the presence and treatment of GERD to clinical outcome Design and setting As part of a systematic evaluation protocol, 68 subjects with difficult-to-control asthma attending a difficult asthma clinic were referred for dual-probe ambulatory pH esophageal monitoring Results Esophageal probe data were available in 52 patients (76%) with difficult asthma. The prevalence of GERD/GERD-associated asthma symptoms was 75% (39 of 52 patients; 95% confidence interval [CI], 63 to 84.7%). The prevalence of GERD as evidenced by an abnormal pH profile at the distal esophageal probe was 55% (29 of 52 patients; 95% CI, 40 to 69%). The prevalence of GERD at the proximal probe was 34.6% (18 of 52 patients; 95% CI, 23.6 to 51%). The prevalence of GERD was similar in asthmatic subjects who responded to intervention and those who remained difficult to control (therapy resistant). Asymptomatic GERD was present in 9.6% (5 of 52 patients); 16% of cough episodes correlated with acid reflux Conclusions In difficult-to-control asthma, GERD is common, but identification and treatment of GERD do not appear to relate to improvement in asthma control in this population

Does a Patient-Held Quality-of-Life Diary Benefit Patients With Inoperable Lung Cancer?

PURPOSE To examine the effect of weekly completion of a patient-held quality-of-life (QOL) diary in routine oncology practice for palliative care patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, 115 patients with inoperable lung cancer were randomly assigned to receive either standard care or a structured QOL diary (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and the related lung cancer module LC13) that they completed at home each week for 16 weeks. Patients were encouraged to share the QOL information with health professionals involved in their care. Changes in QOL over time (measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung questionnaire and the Palliative Care Quality of Life Index), discussion of patient problems, and satisfaction with communication and general care were assessed at baseline and at 2 and 4 months after baseline. RESULTS Analysis of QOL indicated a small but consistent difference between patients in the diary group and the standard care group. The diary group had a poorer QOL in many domains. Two different QOL summary scores (total and overall QOL) indicated a statistically significant between-group difference. No effects were found in relation to satisfaction with care, communication, or the discussion of patient problems. CONCLUSION The regular completion of a QOL questionnaire without appropriate feedback to health care professionals and without the provision of appropriate support may have a negative impact on inoperable lung cancer patients. Further research should focus on identifying features such as feedback loops that are required for the successful and meaningful use of QOL questionnaires in routine patient care.

Environmental, lifestyle, and familial/ethnic factors associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are characterized by overproduction of mature functional blood cells and are often associated with an acquired genetic mutation of Janus Kinase 2V617F. The etiology of MPNs remains unknown. The aim of this article was to review and collate all known published data investigating environmental and lifestyle factors associated with MPNs. Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science were systematically searched using terms for MPNs and observational study designs to identify studies investigating the risk factors for MPNs published before March 2010. Of 9,156 articles identified, 19 met the selection criteria. Although the studies exhibited heterogeneity, in case definitions, study design, and risk factors investigated, several themes emerged. A strong association was found with Jewish descent, and with a family history of MPNs. Autoimmune conditions, specifically Crohns disease, were more common in patients with MPNs. Certain occupational groups were significantly associated with MPNs including occupations with potential exposure to benzene and/or petroleum. Blood donation was associated with an increased risk of polycythemia vera specifically. The vast heterogeneity in studies identified as part of this review suggests that large scale systematic assessment of etiological factors associated with MPNs is warranted.

A comparative analysis of the health and well-being of cancer survivors to the general population

BackgroundThe population of people surviving cancer is continually increasing and currently cancer survivors represent approximately 3.7% of the American population and 3% of the UK population. There is limited and inconclusive empirical evidence regarding the long-term health and well-being of cancer survivors.MethodsTwo hundred eighty-nine cancer survivors and 262 matched-age and sex patients from the same group of General (primary care) Practices completed postal questionnaires measuring health and well-being, health service utilisation and satisfaction and health care needs.Main ResultsCancer survivors reported poorer health and well-being and health service utilisation than the general population. Despite this poorer health, the majority of cancer survivors reported satisfaction with services and almost two-thirds of the survivors did not report any needs.ConclusionsThe majority of cancer survivors do not appear to require additional support services. There is, however, a subgroup of survivors who warrant specialist support, particularly survivors who are older, experience late effects and have had adjuvant treatments. Future research should focus on developing methods that could be used in routine clinical practice to identify ‘at risk’ or vulnerable patients and to provide appropriate and timely support.

Cancer survivors with self-reported late effects: their health status, care needs and service utilisation

Cancer survivors (CSs) are at risk of developing late effects (LEs) associated with the disease and its treatment. This paper compares the health status, care needs and use of health services by CSs with LEs and CSs without LEs.

Feasibility of a standardised quality of life questionnaire in a weekly diary format for inoperable lung cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE Previous studies testing quality of life assessment (QoL) in routine oncology clinical practice have been based at single institutions and many have utilised touch-screen computer technology. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of a low-tech QoL diary that could be held by the patient and shared with professionals across the health care setting. METHODS The EORTC-QLQ-C30 and LC13 were used and adapted into an A5 diary format. Patients were instructed to complete the questions each week at home and to share the information with any health professional involved in their care. Feasibility of the diary format was examined through assessment of compliance, utilisation and satisfaction using a mixed methods approach. RESULTS Diary completion rates were good; however, utilisation of the diary was poor, with only 23% (13/57) of patients stating explicitly that they had shared the diary with a health professional. Patients were generally satisfied with the diary format; however, qualitative analysis did identify some negative effects of diary completion. CONCLUSIONS A patient-held QoL diary is feasible for a proportion of palliative care patients but the importance of training and support for patients and staff cannot be underestimated when implementing a new tool into clinical practice.

Web Psychosocial Surveys in Cancer Survivorship— A Methodological Note

The number of Internet surveys is increasing, and there is a need to examine critically their value in psychosocial cancer care research. This study explored the use of an online method of recruiting and surveying people affected by cancer. An online survey was designed to measure the health status and service needs of adult cancer survivors and caregivers. The online survey received 491 page visits; only 5% of visitors (13 survivors and 14 cancer caregivers) completed the online questionnaire. The average age of survivors and caregivers was 43 and 42 years, respectively. The majority of survivor and caregiver online respondents were female (23/27, 85%) and had been affected by cancer between 1 and 3 years previously (16/27, 59%). Our online research did not appear to be an effective method for recruiting and surveying the psychosocial health of cancer survivors. This study identified potential pitfalls and obstacles of online cancer care surveys particularly in relation to the age of cancer survivors, access to the Internet and the need to ensure surveys are easily and immediately accessible. Future Internet surveys should pay particular attention to the need to advertise and improve survey access via targeted and tailored techniques.