Proof-of-Concept of an Integrated Yoga and Psychological Intervention in Mitigating Distress Among Diverse Women With Gynecologic, Gastrointestinal, and Thoracic Cancers.

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), cancer-distress, depression, and anxiety are prevalent concerns among women with gynecologic and other understudied cancers, especially among women of color and lower socioeconomic status (SES). Evidence indicates that mind-body interventions are effective in reducing such distress. This study evaluates (1) proof-of-concept of an integrated group yoga and psychological intervention in alleviating distress among women with gynecologic, gastrointestinal, and thoracic cancers and (2) differences in efficacy across social and economic factors.

Patterns and predictors of anxiety and depression symptom trajectories in patients diagnosed with primary brain tumors.

Background: Patients with primary brain tumors (pPBTs) often exhibit heightened distress. This study assesses how symptoms of anxiety and depression change over time in pPBTs and identifies factors that may predict patients' symptom trajectories.

Methods: Ninety-nine adult pPBTs completed psychosocial assessments at neuro-oncology appointments over 6-18 months.

Young Adult Caregiving Daughters and Diagnosed Mothers Navigating Breast Cancer Together: Open and Avoidant Communication and Psychosocial Outcomes.

For many diagnosed mothers and their daughters, breast cancer is a shared experience. However, they struggle to talk about cancer. This is particularly true when the daughter is in adolescence or young adulthood, as they tend to be more avoidant, which is associated with poorer biopsychosocial outcomes.

Accrual and retention of diverse patients in psychosocial cancer clinical trials.

Background: Minority and older adult patients remain underrepresented in cancer clinical trials (CCTs). The current study sought to examine sociodemographic inequities in CCT interest, eligibility, enrollment, decline motivation, and attrition across two psychosocial CCTs for gynecologic, gastrointestinal, and thoracic cancers.

Methods: Patients were approached for recruitment to one of two interventions: (1) a randomized control trial (RCT) examining effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention targeting sleep, pain, mood, cytokines, and cortisol following surgery, or (2) a yoga intervention to determine its feasibility, acceptability, and effects on mitigating distress.

Impacts of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Pain on Sleep in Women with Gynecologic Malignancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Insomnia is an adverse cancer outcome impacting mood, pain, quality of life, and mortality in cancer patients. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for diverse psychophysiological disorders, including pain and insomnia. Primarily studied in breast cancer, there is limited research on CBT within gynecology oncology.

Interleukin-6 and body mass index, tobacco use, and sleep in gynecologic cancers.

Objective: Elevated body mass index (BMI), tobacco use, and sleep disturbance are common health concerns among women with gynecologic cancers. The extent to which these factors are associated with systemic inflammation in gynecologic cancers is unknown. This is a significant literature gap given that (a) chronic, systemic inflammation may mediate relationships between behavioral health factors and cancer outcomes; and (b) elevated BMI, tobacco use, and sleep disturbances can be modified via behavioral interventions.

Patterns of Postdiagnosis Depression Among Late-Stage Cancer Patients: Do Racial/Ethnic and Sex Disparities Exist?

Objectives: The incidence of depression after a late-stage cancer diagnosis is poorly understood and has not been the subject of intense investigation. We used population-based data to examine trends in postdiagnosis depression incidence among racial/ethnic and sexual groups.

Methods: We identified 123,066 patients diagnosed with late-stage breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer from 2001 to 2013 in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Medicare-linked database.

Advancing supportive oncology care via collaboration between psycho-oncology and integrative medicine.

Purpose: As survival after cancer diagnosis increases, patients are increasingly turning toward integrative therapies (e.g., yoga, acupuncture, massage) to manage acute and chronic concerns related to cancer treatment and survivorship.

Associations Among Sleep Latency, Subjective Pain, and Thermal Pain Sensitivity in Gynecologic Cancer.

Objective: Pain is common among women with gynecologic cancer and contributes to depressed mood, sleep disturbances, and likelihood of future chronic pain. Little is known about how psychosocial factors are associated with central sensitization of pain in gynecologic cancer. This study examined relations among depressive symptoms, sleep, subjective pain, and aftersensation pain (a proxy for central sensitization of pain) in gynecologic cancer.

Using photography to explore psychological distress in patients with pancreatic cancer and their caregivers: a qualitative study.

Purpose: The quality of life (QOL) experiences of patients with pancreatic cancer and their caregivers is poorly understood. Psychological distress is high, but few studies examine the factors associated with psychological distress. The purpose of this study is to gain a richer understanding of the factors associated with psychological distress from patient and caregiver perspectives.

Implementation of depression and anxiety screening in patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Anxiety and depression are disabling, underdiagnosed issues that affect the management of oncology patients. Until recently, there has been no standard protocol for screening and treating these ailments at our cancer centre. The purpose of this institutional review board-approved study was to analyse the implementation of a screening tool in our clinical workflow with the aim of screening over 90% of patients and increasing referrals to mental health services by 50%.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Clinical Health Psychology Practice: Case Studies of Comorbid Psychological Distress and Life-Limiting Illness.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment. Individuals with NPD may experience significant psychological distress related to interpersonal conflict and functional impairment. Research suggests core features of the disorder are associated with poor prognosis in therapy, including slow progress to behavioral change, premature patient-initiated termination, and negative therapeutic alliance.

A Prospective Biopsychosocial Investigation Into Head and Neck Cancer Caregiving.

Purpose: Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients suffer from significant morbidity, which may introduce challenging care demands and subsequent stress-induced mind-body interactions for informal caregivers. This prospective study evaluated patient and caregiver predictors of diurnal cortisol rhythm among HNC caregivers during radiation treatment.

Method: Patient-caregiver dyads completed measures at radiation treatment start (T1; n = 32) and 5 weeks into treatment (T2; n = 29).

Burden, quality of life, and social support in caregivers of patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: A pilot study.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to (1) obtain preliminary data on changes in burden and quality of life in head and neck cancer caregivers during and shortly following patient radiotherapy, (2) assess the relationship between perceived social support and burden as well as perceived social support and quality of life in caregivers during radiotherapy, and (3) identify preferences for sources of support among caregivers during radiotherapy.

Methods: Caregivers completed burden and quality of life instruments at the start of patient radiotherapy (T1), 5 weeks into radiotherapy (T2), and 1 month post-radiotherapy (T3) and instruments for perceived social support and support preferences at T2 only.

Results: Caregivers showed a trend toward increased burden and worsened quality of life for the majority of subscales at T2 or T3 than at T1.

Prospective Pilot Investigation: Presurgical Depressive Symptom Severity and Anesthesia Response in Women Undergoing Surgery for Gynecologic Mass Removal.

Background: Anesthesia depth has been associated with mortality. The association between anesthesia depth and presurgery physical and health status, however, is currently debated. Depression is one comorbid condition that warrants investigation given its association to reduced frontal lobe activity and high prevalence in known surgery samples (e.

Psychosocial factors and mortality in women with early stage endometrial cancer.

Objectives: Psychosocial factors have previously been linked with survival and mortality in cancer populations. Little evidence is available about the relationship between these factors and outcomes in gynaecologic cancer populations, particularly endometrial cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women. This study examined the relationship between several psychosocial factors prior to surgical resection and risk of all-cause mortality in women with endometrial cancer.

Depressive symptoms and cortisol variability prior to surgery for suspected endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common type of gynecologic cancer affecting women; however, very little research has examined relationships between psychological factors and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation in this population. The current study examined relations between depressive/anxious symptoms and salivary cortisol diurnal rhythm and variability in women undergoing surgery for suspected endometrial cancer. Depressive and anxious symptoms were measured prior to surgery using the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Inventory (SIGH-AD).

Cognitive-behavioral stress management and psychological well-being in HIV+ racial/ethnic minority women with human papillomavirus.

Objective: This study is a secondary analysis examining the effects of a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention on indicators of positive psychological well-being and negative psychological well-being in HIV-positive racial/ethnic minority women at risk for cervical cancer due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and/or cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN).

Method: Racial/ethnic minority women with HIV and HPV and/or CIN I were randomized to a 10-week CBSM group or a 1-day psychoeducational seminar. Participants completed a battery of measures of positive and negative psychological well-being at 3 time points: preintervention, 3 months postenrollment, and 9 months postenrollment.

Spiritual absence and 1-year mortality after hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Religiosity and spirituality have been associated with better survival in large epidemiologic studies. This study examined the relationship between spiritual absence and 1-year all-cause mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Depression and problematic compliance were examined as possible mediators of a significant spiritual absence-mortality relationship.

Life stress, negative mood states, and antibodies to heat shock protein 70 in endometrial cancer.

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), an intracellular chaperone "stress protein," has been identified in the extracellular milieu, where it may exert regulatory effects upon monocytes. HSPs are overexpressed in many cancers and implicated in tumorigenesis. Few studies have examined the relationship between psychosocial factors and HSP levels, particularly in cancer.

Depressive symptoms and cervical neoplasia in HIV+ low-income minority women with human papillomavirus infection.

Background: Prior work has related elevated life stress to greater risk of cervical neoplasia in women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Purpose: This study investigated associations between depressive symptoms and cervical neoplasia in HIV+ HPV+ women. Participants were 58 HIV+ HPV+ women.

Stress management effects on perceived stress and cervical neoplasia in low-income HIV-infected women.

Objective: Risk for developing cervical neoplastic disease is greatly increased in women infected with oncogenic sexually transmitted human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and who have lowered cellular immunity due to coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The majority of these individuals are low-income minority women. Factors associated with promotion of HPV to cervical neoplasia in HIV-infected populations include degree of immunosuppression as well as behavioral factors such as tobacco smoking and psychological stress.

Race/ethnicity, income, chronic asthma, and mental health: a cross-sectional study using the behavioral risk factor surveillance system.

Objective: To examine the relationships among race/ethnicity, income, and asthma on mental health outcomes in individuals surveyed as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Racial and ethnic disparities in asthma prevalence exist, which may be explained in part by socioeconomic status. Individuals with asthma often have comorbid mental health conditions, the rates of which are also marked by significant racial and ethnic disparities.

Virally mediated cervical cancer in the iatrogenically immunocompromised: applications for psychoneuroimmunology.

Oncogenic or high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of cancers, including cervical cancer. HPV infected individuals who are immunocompromised secondary to acquired (e.g.