Psycho-oncology
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This prospective and longitudinal study was designed to further our understanding of parental hope when a child is being treated for a malignancy resistant to treatment over three time points during the first year after diagnosis using a qualitative approach to inquiry. ⋯ For parents of children with a diagnosis of cancer with a poor prognosis, hope is an internal resource that can be present and future focused. These views fluctuated over time in response to changes in the child's well-being and disease progression.
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This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the prevalence and correlates of supportive care needs in testicular cancer (TC) survivors. ⋯ The majority of TC survivors reported one or more unmet needs. Unmet needs regarding existential survivorship issues were frequently reported by TC survivors despite their favorable prognosis. Relationships unmet needs were less prevalent but still more common than in breast and gynecological cancer survivors. These findings appear to be related to the young age of TC survivors. As a higher number of unmet needs is significantly associated with psychological morbidity and impaired HRQoL, interventions addressing this constellation of issues are needed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A tailored, supportive care intervention using systematic assessment designed for people with inoperable lung cancer: a randomised controlled trial.
People with inoperable lung cancer experience higher levels of distress, more unmet needs and symptoms than other cancer patients. There is an urgent need to test innovative approaches to improve psychosocial and symptom outcomes in this group. This study tested the hypothesis that a tailored, multidisciplinary supportive care programme based on systematic needs assessment would reduce perceived unmet needs and distress and improve quality of life. ⋯ Although a novel approach, the hypothesis that the intervention would benefit perceived unmet needs, psychological morbidity, distress and health-related quality of life was not supported overall.
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Childhood cancer survival in low-income countries is low. ⋯ Health-care providers' beliefs about childhood cancer treatment are characterized by much uncertainty and contradiction. This likely affects adherence of health-care providers, parents, and childhood cancer treatment outcome.
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This study aimed to (i) explore the prevalence and levels (severity) of anxiety and depression in family caregivers (FCs) of patients newly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer (stage IIIb or IV) before first treatment, and (ii) identify the factors related to FCs' anxiety and depression. ⋯ Family caregivers of patients newly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer had anxiety and depression before the patients' first treatment. We strongly suggest developing and testing interventions to reduce FCs' psychological distress and enhance their quality of life, thus ensuring better quality of patient care.