Psycho-oncology
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Comparative Study
A population-based study comparing HRQoL among breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors to propensity score matched controls, by cancer type, and gender.
Objectives were to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between breast cancer survivors, prostate cancer survivors (PCS), and colorectal cancer survivors (CCS) to matched controls, stratified by short and long-term survivors, by cancer type, and gender. ⋯ Cancer survivors experience worse HRQoL than similar individuals without a history of cancer and the severity of affected HRQoL domains differ by time since diagnosis, cancer type, and gender.
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Although some survivors of childhood cancer report significant psychosocial distress, many also report having derived benefits, or post-traumatic growth (PTG), from their cancer experience. This study examines PTG and its correlates among an ethnically diverse sample of adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer survivors who have recently completed treatment. ⋯ The AYA survivors commonly reported PTG in the immediate aftermath of cancer treatment. Findings regarding PTG among more acculturated Hispanic and bone tumor AYA survivors may help to inform risk-adapted clinical interventions, among those transitioning from active treatment to post-treatment surveillance, to mitigate negative long-term sequelae and enhance positive psychosocial adaptation from the cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Post-operative delirium is associated with pre-operative cognitive difficulties and diminished functional independence, both of which suggest that brain pathology may be present in affected individuals prior to surgery. Currently, there are few studies that have examined imaging correlates of post-operative delirium. To our knowledge, none have examined the association of delirium with existing structural pathology in pre-operative cancer patients. Here, we present a novel, retrospective strategy to assess pre-operative structural brain pathology and its association with post-operative delirium. Standard of care structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) from a cohort of surgical candidates prior to surgery were analyzed for white matter hyperintensities and cerebral atrophy. ⋯ In this preliminary study utilizing standard of care pre-operative brain MRIs for assessment of structural risk factors to delirium, we found white matter pathology to be a significant risk factor in post-operative delirium. Limitations and implications for further investigation are discussed.
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Optimal information provision is important in cancer survivorship, but satisfaction with this provision may depend upon individual differences in personality. We examined the effect of the personality traits negative affectivity and social inhibition, and their combined effect (Type D personality) on satisfaction with received information. ⋯ This study showed that patients with a Type D personality perceived that they received less information and reported less satisfaction with the amount of received information as compared with non-Type D patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Reducing the psychological distress of family caregivers of home-based palliative care patients: short-term effects from a randomised controlled trial.
Palliative care is expected to incorporate comprehensive support for family caregivers given that many caregivers suffer psychological morbidity. However, systematically implemented evidence-based psychological support initiatives are lacking. ⋯ This research adds to accumulating body of evidence demonstrating that relatively short psycho-educational interventions can enable family caregivers to feel more prepared and competent in the role of supporting a dying relative. Further investigation is required to determine the longer term outcomes of such interventions.