Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors.

Smaller Hippocampal Volume Is Associated With Reduced Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children With Cancer and Survivors Following a Brief Novel Martial Arts-Based Intervention.

Purpose: Children with cancer and survivors frequently report posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which are associated with volumetric changes in stress-sensitive brain regions, including the hippocampus.

Methods: We examined the impact of a novel, 4-week martial-arts-based meditative intervention on cancer-related PTSS in 18 pediatric patients and survivors and whether baseline hippocampal volumes correlate with PTSS severity and/or PTSS changes over time.

Results: Overall, PTSS did not significantly change from baseline to post-intervention.

The impact of high intensity interval training in a diverse group of cancer survivors: CAPABLE, a pilot study.

Purpose: Given the well-documented benefits of regular exercise to cancer survivors, current American Cancer Society guidelines recommend that patients engage in a minimum of 150 min per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with a minimum of two days of strength training. However, few survivors meet this goal, particularly among minorities.

Methods: The CAPABLE study is a single-arm, pilot exercise intervention that introduced 48 cancer survivors to a high intensity interval and strength training program three days a week for 12 weeks.

Using Music as a Tool for Distress Reduction During Cancer Chemotherapy Treatment.

Purpose: Music may be an effective therapeutic tool during cancer treatment to improve patient psychological and physical well-being. Current research shows a positive effect of music on psychological outcomes; however, many of these studies lacked significant sample size and rigor in monitoring type of music used and duration of music use during treatment.

Methods: Participants (N = 750) in this open-label, multisite, day-based permuted block randomization study were adult patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy infusion.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of interventions addressing caregiver distress and burden among cancer caregivers.

Objective: Informal caregivers (ICs) are vital to supportive cancer care and assisting cancer patients, but this caregiving burden is associated with significant distress. While addressing caregiving, it is important to explore if the caregivers are receiving care they need. Evaluating interventions that address burden and distress is integral to targeting ICs needs.

Parent post-traumatic growth after a child's critical illness.

Objective: Post-traumatic growth is the experience of a positive change after a traumatic event. Our objective is to characterize the factors associated with post-traumatic growth in parents after a child's pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey study examining post-traumatic growth and select independent variables in parents 1 year after a child's ≥72 h PICU admission for an acute illness or injury.

Meditation reduces brain activity in the default mode network in children with active cancer and survivors.

Background: Mounting evidence demonstrates that meditation can lower pain and emotional distress in adults, and more recently, in children. Children may benefit from meditation given its accessibility across a variety of settings (e.g.

Evaluation of health behaviors and overall quality of life in younger adult African American cancer survivors.

Background: Epidemiological studies of cancer survivors have predominantly focused on non-Hispanic White, elderly patients, despite the observation that African Americans have higher rates of mortality. Therefore, we characterized cancer survivorship in younger African American survivors using the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) study to assess health behaviors and quality of life.

Methods: Five hundred and seventeen patients diagnosed with any cancer between the ages of 20-49 (mean age: 42 years; SD: 6.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on African American cancer survivors.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had profound effects on population health to date. African American cancer survivors are particularly vulnerable to developing severe consequences; therefore, understanding the impact of the virus on this patient population is critical.

Methods: The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort is a unique effort to understand the determinants of poor outcomes in African American cancer survivors.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in African American cancer survivors: Risk factors and quality of life outcomes.

Background: Epidemiological studies of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) have predominantly focused on non-Hispanic White patients, despite the observation that African Americans are more likely to experience CIPN. To address this health disparities gap, we sought to identify non-genetic risk factors and comorbidities associated with CIPN in African American cancer survivors using the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors study.

Methods: Logistic regression was used to evaluate relationships between presence of self-reported CIPN and relevant clinical characteristics in 1045 chemotherapy-treated African American cancer survivors.

A Review of Research on Disparities in the Care of Black and White Patients With Cancer in Detroit.

Racial disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes are well-documented in the US, with Black people having higher incidence rates and worse outcomes than White people. In this review, we present a summary of almost 30 years of research conducted by investigators at the Karmanos Cancer Institute's (KCI's) Population Studies and Disparities Research (PSDR) Program focusing on Black-White disparities in cancer incidence, care, and outcomes. The studies in the review focus on individuals diagnosed with cancer from the Detroit Metropolitan area, but also includes individuals included in national databases.

Factors Associated With Racial/Ethnic Group-Based Medical Mistrust and Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Participation and Vaccine Uptake in the US.

Importance: The impact of COVID-19 in the US has been far-reaching and devastating, especially in Black populations. Vaccination is a critical part of controlling community spread, but vaccine acceptance has varied, with some research reporting that Black individuals in the US are less willing to be vaccinated than other racial/ethnic groups. Medical mistrust informed by experiences of racism may be associated with this lower willingness.

Impact of Patients' Companions on Clinical Encounters Between Black Patients and Their Non-Black Oncologists.

Purpose: The presence of caregivers or companions during clinical encounters influences the dynamics and outcomes of the encounters. Most prior studies of companions in clinical encounters focus on non-Hispanic White patients. However, there is generally lower-quality patient-physician communication during encounters with Black patients; these communication differences may contribute to racial health disparities.

Martial Arts-Based Therapy Reduces Pain and Distress Among Children with Chronic Health Conditions and Their Siblings.

Objective: Test whether a martial arts-based therapy, Kids Kicking Cancer (KKC), can reduce pain and emotional distress in children with cancer, other chronic health conditions (e.g., sickle cell), and healthy siblings.

Examining the dynamic nature of nonverbal communication between Black patients with cancer and their oncologists.

Background: Although communication quality is associated with patient outcomes, racial disparities in communication exist, disproportionately burdening Black patients. However, most communication research focuses on verbal behaviors in predominantly White patient populations. We used a newly developed and theory-guided network analysis that examines the dynamic interplay and behavioral convergence and divergence between Black patients with cancer and their oncologists during cancer treatment discussions.

Physical activity and quality of life in African American cancer survivors: The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors study.

Background: The benefit of regular exercise in improving cancer outcomes is well established. The American Cancer Society (ACS) released a recommendation that cancer survivors should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) per week; however, few report meeting this recommendation. This study examined the patterns and correlates of meeting ACS PA recommendations in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) cohort of African American cancer survivors.

Employment Outcomes, Financial Burden, Anxiety, and Depression Among Caregivers of African American Cancer Survivors.

Purpose: Caregivers of cancer survivors may need to take time off work or make other employment changes to handle caregiving demands. Work impacts of caregiving, financial burden, and psychosocial outcomes of caregivers are not well understood.

Methods: Results include information from surveys completed by 202 employed caregivers of participants in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort, a population-based cohort of African American survivors of breast, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer.

Pediatric cancer, posttraumatic stress and fear-related neural circuitry.

This review examines the neurobiological effects of pediatric cancer-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). We first consider studies on prevalence and predictors of childhood cancer-related PTSS and compare these studies to those in typically developing (i.e.

Preferences for notification of imaging results in patients with metastatic cancer.

Objective: This study examines the preferences of patients with metastatic cancer regarding notification of imaging results, as well as distress surrounding the process.

Methods: On imaging day, preferences for notification, expectations of results, health literacy, and social support were measured. After receiving results, patients reported on actual delivery methods.

Understanding differences in the long-term psychosocial adjustment of pediatric cancer patients and their parents: an individual differences resources model.

The experience of childhood cancer is a major life stressor for children and their parents. There is substantial variability among pediatric cancer patients and their parents in their ability to cope with the cancer. Although other models typically focus on the psychological resources families use to broadly cope with a diagnosis of pediatric cancer, we present a model that focuses specifically how parents and children cope with the stress of invasive and often painful treatment episodes.

Designing and Testing Apps to Support Patients With Cancer: Looking to Behavioral Science to Lead the Way.

Background: Behavioral science has a long and strong tradition of rigorous experimental and applied methodologies, which have produced several influential and far-reaching theoretical frameworks and have guided countless inquiries of human behavior in various contexts. In cancer care, behavioral scientists have established a firm foundation of research focused on understanding the experience of cancer and using that understanding to design and implement theory- and evidenced-based interventions to help patients cope with the cancer experience. Given the rich behavioral research base in oncology, behavioral scientists are ideally positioned to lead the integration of evidence-based science on behavior and behavior change into the development of smartphone apps supporting patients with cancer.

Financial Hardship and Quality of Life among African American and White Cancer Survivors: The Role of Limiting Care Due to Cost.

Background: Financial hardship is common among cancer survivors and is associated with both limiting care due to cost and with poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study estimates the association between limiting care due to cost and HRQOL in a diverse population of cancer survivors and tests whether limiting care mediates the association between financial hardship and HRQOL.

Methods: We used data from 988 participants (579 African American, 409 white) in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) pilot, a hospital-based cohort of breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer survivors.

The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) Pilot Study: A Focus on Outcomes after Cancer in a Racially Diverse Patient Population.

Background: African Americans are often diagnosed with advanced stage cancer and experience higher mortality compared with whites in the United States. Contributing factors, like differences in access to medical care and the prevalence of comorbidities, do not entirely explain racial differences in outcomes.

Methods: The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) pilot study was conducted to investigate factors related to short- and long-term outcomes among patients with cancer.