Personal responsibility, regret, and medical stigma among individuals living with lung cancer.

Understanding the degree to which adults with lung cancer perceive personal responsibility for their disease, personal regret for actions that may have contributed to lung cancer, and potential stigmatization from others is important, because these perceptions and experiences may be linked with treatment nonadherence, feelings of isolation, avoidance of healthcare providers, and poor quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate rates and intensity of these types of experiences and to characterize the extent to which they are linked with smoking status and psychological adjustment in those living with lung cancer. Adults with lung cancer (N = 213) were recruited from two major cancer centers to complete a mail survey.

Modeling intention to participate in face-to-face and online lung cancer support groups.

Background: Lung cancer patients and survivors are significantly less likely to use support groups than those with other cancers. In this study, we evaluated the utility and specificity of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations for modeling intention to participate in face-to-face (F2F) and online lung cancer support groups.

Methods: Adults diagnosed with lung cancer (n = 230) completed measures assessing predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with intention to use support services.

Optimism and prostate cancer-specific expectations predict better quality of life after robotic prostatectomy.

We examined the relations among generalized positive expectations (optimism), prostate-cancer specific expectations, and prostate cancer-related quality of life in a prospective sample of 83 men who underwent robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for prostate cancer. Optimism was significantly associated with higher prostate cancer-specific expectations, β = .36, p < .

A prospective report of changes in prostate cancer related quality of life after robotic prostatectomy.

In this prospective, longitudinal study the authors examined changes in cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal components of prostate cancer-related quality of life in 71 men who underwent robotic-assisted prostatectomy for prostate cancer. They identified significant changes across several quality-of-life domains from presurgery to 3-months and 1-year postsurgery. Although some components of quality of life returned to baseline by one year postsurgery, decrements in sexual intimacy, sexual confidence, and masculine self-esteem were enduring.

Development and evaluation of a decision aid for BRCA carriers with breast cancer.

BRCA+ breast cancer patients face high risk for a second breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Helping these women decide among risk-reducing options requires effectively conveying complex, emotionally-laden, information. To support their decision-making needs, we developed a web-based decision aid (DA) as an adjunct to genetic counseling.

Predictors of finding benefit after lung cancer diagnosis.

Objective: We examined benefit finding in patients with lung cancer, including level of benefit finding and change in benefit finding over time, and tested a predictive model postulating that greater impact of and engagement with the stressor promotes benefit finding.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with a primary lung cancer within the past 6 months (M=16 weeks post-diagnosis) completed measures of benefit finding, cancer-related intrusions, perceived stressfulness, coping, and demographic and medical information at study entry (T1; n = 118) and 3 months later (T2; n = 79).

Results: Level of benefit finding at both assessments was to a 'mild-to-moderate degree'.

Health literacy, numeracy, and interpretation of graphical breast cancer risk estimates.

Objective: Health literacy and numeracy are necessary to understand health information and to make informed medical decisions. This study explored the relationships among health literacy, numeracy, and ability to accurately interpret graphical representations of breast cancer risk.

Methods: Participants (N=120) were recruited from the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) membership.

Supportive care needs in patients with lung cancer.

Introduction: The goal of this study was to characterize the prevalence and intensity of supportive care needs and interest in specific supportive care services among individuals with lung cancer.

Method: Participants (n=109) were recruited from two medical centers in Southern California to complete questionnaires on physical and psychological functioning following diagnosis of lung cancer.

Results: Participants reported the greatest need in the physical and daily living domain, followed by psychological needs, health system and informational needs, and patient care support needs.

Need for cognition and psychosocial adjustment in prostate cancer patients and partners.

Individual differences in cognitive style, specifically need for cognition (NFC), may play an important role in facilitating communication and psychosocial adjustment to cancer during the presurgical period, a time marked by distress and the need to process disease-related information. This study examines the relations between NFC, adjustment, and communication in 106 prostate cancer patients and their partners within 2 weeks prior to radical prostatectomy. High NFC was significantly associated with better psychological adjustment for partners only, whereas for patients, communication with the medical team played a more important role.

Posttraumatic growth in prostate cancer survivors and their partners.

We examined posttraumatic growth (PTG) in men treated for prostate cancer and their partners 1 year after surgery. Levels of PTG in prostate cancer survivors and their partners were similar and modest. For survivors, higher levels of presurgery negative affect, and coping by using positive reframing and emotional support were associated with higher levels of PTG 1 year following surgery.

The impact of a second breast cancer diagnosis on health related quality of life.

A growing of research documents the negative impact of recurrent breast cancer on quality of life (QOL), however few prospective investigations are available that compare QOL outcomes across different types of second cancer events (e.g., local/regional recurrence (LR) versus distant/metastatic recurrence (DR) versus a new primary breast cancer (NP)).