Publications by authors named "Dori Beeler"

Background: National cancer organizations recommend provision of nutrition, physical activity, and mental health supportive services to cancer survivors. However, the availability of these services across diverse community oncology settings remains unclear.

Methods: The National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) is a national network of community oncology practices engaged in cancer research.

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The optimization of outcomes for pediatric cancer patients relies on the successful advancement of supportive care to ease the treatment burden and mitigate the long-term impacts of cancer therapy. Advancing pediatric supportive care requires research prioritization as well as the development and implementation of innovations. Like the prevailing theme throughout pediatric oncology, there is a clear need for personalized or precision approaches that are consistent, evidence-based, and guided by clinical practice guidelines.

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Article Synopsis
  • This qualitative study explores the mental health and supportive care needs of caregivers of children with cancer, aiming to uncover their lived experiences and stressors.
  • The research employed semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, revealing that caregivers struggle with balancing their roles while witnessing their child's difficult cancer treatments, contributing to increased trauma.
  • The findings underscore the necessity for enhanced emotional support for caregivers, which could improve both their quality of life and the caregiver-child relationship during and after treatment.*
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Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common symptoms across the cancer continuum and is often underreported and undertreated. Defined as a distressing, persistent, subjective sense of tiredness or exhaustion related to cancer or its treatment, CRF includes physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual dimensions. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are the most widely used tool to screen for and assess fatigue and the associated negative impacts on quality of life.

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While much is known about the initial communication of a definitive pediatric cancer diagnosis by the child's pediatric oncologist, little is known about the discussions leading up to this formal conversation, which are often had with nononcologists. We sought to describe these initial conversations regarding the possibility of a child's oncologic diagnosis, from the perspective of both the patient/family as well as the provider. Semistructured interviews were performed with individuals involved with a child with recently diagnosed cancer at a quaternary care institution in an urban, mid-Atlantic city.

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Childhood cancer impacts the child patient as well as the family and caregivers throughout diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Secondary analysis of qualitative data revealed the critical role of parents' adaptability and flexibility when navigating advocacy decisions about their child's schooling following diagnosis and through survivorship. After cancer, adjusting to school means adjusting to a new normal creating challenges related to curriculum, peers, and educators that can affect quality of life.

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