Cancer
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Patients with primary brain tumors (PBTs) face uncertainty related to prognosis, symptoms, treatment response, and toxicity. The authors of this report examined the direct/indirect relations among patients' uncertainty, mood states, and symptoms. ⋯ The results from the study clearly demonstrated distinct pathways for the relations between uncertainty-mood states-symptom severity for patients with PBTs. Uncertainty in patients with PBTs is higher for those who have a poor performance status and directly impacts negative mood states, which mediate patient-perceived symptom severity. This conceptual model suggests that interventions designed to reduce uncertainty or that target mood states may help lessen patients' perception of symptom severity, which, in turn, may result in better treatment outcomes and quality of life.
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Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an alternative to surgery for clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but comparing its effectiveness is difficult because of differences in patient selection and staging. ⋯ This retrospective study has demonstrated similar OS, LRC, and TRC with SBRT or surgery after controlling for prognostic and patient selection factors. Randomized clinical trials are needed to better compare the effectiveness of these treatments.