Publications by authors named "Gillian Bedard"
Objective: To determine the incidence of all-cause injury and concussion in the National Football League (NFL) over a 5-season time span (2012-2016).
Design: Prospective descriptive epidemiological study.
Setting: National Football League Injury Report data from 2012 to 2016.
Quality of life (QOL) and symptom burden (SB) in patients with breast cancer.
Support Care Cancer
February 2017
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of life (QOL) and symptom burden (SB) among breast cancer patients.
Methods: Patients with DCIS, early stage, locally advanced, or metastatic breast cancer completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer (FACT-B). Patients were divided into subsequent cohorts based on their last day of treatment, age at enrollment, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.
Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine the symptom burden (SB) and quality of life (QOL) in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Methods: Breast cancer patients with metastases were asked to complete the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and FACT-B questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed to identify (1) any differences in SB and QOL between patients with bone metastases only and patients with visceral +/- bone metastases and (2) any associations between SB and/or QOL and various clinical factors, including treatment with bisphosphonates, participation in a clinical trial and presence of brain metastases.
Background: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has the ability to deliver significantly higher biologically equivalent doses (BED) compared to conventional radiation treatment. The main goal of SBRT is to improve local tumor control while reducing pain. The side effects however may be greater than those of conventional treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the quality of life (QOL) following palliative radiotherapy for painful bone metastases.
Methods: A literature search was conducted in OvidSP Medline (1946-Jan Week 4 2014), Embase (1947-Week 5 2014), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Dec 2013) databases. The search was limited to English.
Article Synopsis
- Mastectomy (MAS) and lumpectomy (LUMP) are two common surgical options for early breast cancer, and this study investigates how they impact patients' quality of life (QOL) and symptom burden (SB).
- The research involved patients from the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Centre, who filled out questionnaires to assess their symptoms and overall well-being, comparing outcomes between MAS and LUMP patients.
- Findings indicated that while MAS patients had lower overall QOL except in social well-being, their symptom burden was similar to that of LUMP patients, particularly in those without metastases.
Perceptual binding of multisensory events occurs within a limited time span known as the temporal binding window. Failure to correctly identify whether multisensory events occur simultaneously, what their temporal order is, or whether they should be causally bound can lead to inaccurate representations of the physical world, poor decision-making, and dangerous behavior. It has been shown that the ability to discriminate simultaneity, temporal order, and causal relationships among stimuli can become increasingly difficult as we age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of pain flare (PF) in patients receiving spine stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treated with prophylactic oral dexamethasone (DEX) 1 h before and for 4 days following SBRT.
Methods: Forty-seven patients were accrued on this prospective observational study. The first cohort of 24 patients was treated with 4 mg, while a second cohort of 23 patients treated with 8 mg of DEX.
Introduction: Quality of life (QOL) is an important treatment endpoint in advanced cancer patients with brain metastases. In clinical trials, statistically significant changes can be reached in a large enough population; however, these changes may not be clinically relevant.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire brain module (EORTC QLQ-BN20) in patients with brain metastases.
Objective: The Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) instrument is a validated nausea and vomiting specific quality of life (QOL) tool originally created as a 3-day test of the impact of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting on cancer patients' daily life. The primary objective of the present study was to retrospectively explore the use of the FLIE from data obtained in a previously published study of patients with gastrointestinal radiation-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) and compare the extracted symptom clusters on a weekly basis for the entirety of gastrointestinal cancer patients' radiotherapy treatments.
Methods: QOL was assessed on a weekly basis using the 18-item FLIE questionnaire for patients' radiotherapy treatments.
Objective: To test the reliability, clinical and psychometric validity of the Brain Symptom and Impact Questionnaire (BASIQ) in patients with brain metastases.
Methods: Brain metastases patients were interviewed using the BASIQ, Functional Assessment of Cancer-Brain (FACT-Br) and FACT-General (FACT-G) at baseline, with a follow-up assessment at 1 month.
Results: Forty patients had complete one data and the median age was 64 years.
Introduction: Quality of life has become an important measure of treatment success and is currently being explored not only for patients on active treatment, but also for long-term breast cancer survivors. The long-term quality of life breast cancer scale (LTQOL-BC) is a tool to assess QOL in breast cancer survivors. This study aimed to validate the tool with health care professionals (HCPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- In 1996, the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program (RRRP) was launched at the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre to provide same-day palliative radiotherapy consultations and treatments.
- In 2004, the program began offering clinical and research opportunities for undergraduate health science students, aiming to enhance their experience in the field over a ten-year period.
- A survey of 54 participating students revealed significant achievements, including 214 publications and multiple awards, indicating the program's success in meeting its educational goals and shaping future opportunities for students.
Article Synopsis
- The review compares the EORTC QLQ-PR25 and FACT-P, two popular quality of life assessment tools for prostate cancer patients.
- Both questionnaires have unique strengths and limitations when it comes to evaluating patients' quality of life.
- The choice between these tools depends on the specific research design and the needs of the study.
Objective: To validate the Brain Symptom and Impact Questionnaire (BASIQ) version 1.0 for brain metastases.
Methods: Patients with brain metastases and their healthcare professionals (HCPs) assessed the relevance of the BASIQ on a 0-10 scale with 10 as extremely relevant.
Introduction: Breakthrough cancer pain is defined as a transient exacerbation of pain that occurs spontaneously or in response to a trigger, despite stable and controlled background pain. Breakthrough pain often causes significant functional impairments for patients and can decrease quality of life.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine differences between breakthrough cancer pain incidence and management in Canada and Europe.
Introduction: Radiation therapy has been shown to successfully palliate bone metastases. A number of systematic reviews and large clinical trials have reported response rates for initial treatment and retreatment.
Objective: To determine overall response rates of patients with painful uncomplicated bone metastases undergoing initial treatment and retreatment.
Article Synopsis
- The review examines two quality of life assessment tools for primary brain cancer patients: EORTC QLQ-BN20 and FACT-Br, focusing on their development and validity.
- The EORTC QLQ-BN20 contains 20 items that measure various aspects of daily life affected by brain cancer, demonstrating reliable Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.71 to 0.90.
- The FACT-Br includes 23 items addressing general well-being and specific brain cancer issues, showing low to moderate correlation with the FACT-G and acceptable reliability with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.66.
Objective: Quality of life (QoL) assessment questionnaires can be burdensome to advanced cancer patients, thus necessitating the need for shorter assessment instruments than traditionally available. We compare three shortened QoL questionnaires in regards to their characteristics, validity, and reliability.
Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify studies that employed or discussed three abridged QoL questionnaires: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core 15-Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General-7 (FACT-G7), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care-14 (FACIT-PAL-14).
Background And Purpose: Numerous randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have affirmed that single and multiple fractions of radiotherapy provide equally efficacious outcomes in the palliation of painful, uncomplicated bone metastases (UBM). We aim to determine geographic, temporal and ancillary factors that influence the global patterns of practice in this setting.
Materials And Methods: A literature search was conducted on Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE.
Objective: To retrospectively examine the incidence and management of hypocalcemia for patients with bone metastases treated with denosumab.
Methods: Patients who had a record of filling a prescription of denosumab for treatment of bone metastases at the outpatient pharmacy at the Odette Cancer Centre from May 2011 to February 2013 were included in the analysis. Demographic information, previous bisphosphonate usage, calcium and albumin values, and adverse events were obtained using the Sunnybrook Electronic Patient Record system (EPR) and the Oncology Symptom Control and Information Resource (OSCIR).
Purpose: Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is a treatment strategy used commonly to relieve burdensome symptoms and improve quality of life (QOL) in patients with multiple brain metastases. The purpose of this study is to determine changes in fatigue score following WBRT as it is a common symptom experienced in this population.
Methods: Fatigue and overall QOL scores were collected prospectively in patients for up to 3 months post-WBRT by several questionnaires at different times including the following: Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), Brain Symptom and Impact Questionnaire (BASIQ), Spitzer Questionnaire, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), EORTC brain module (EORTC QLQ-BN20+2), EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G).
Article Synopsis
- Nausea and vomiting are frequent and impactful side effects of radiotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer patients, significantly affecting their quality of life.
- A study involving 48 patients tracked the incidence and timing of these symptoms and related them to cancer types, revealing that patients with pancreatic cancer experienced the highest levels of nausea and vomiting.
- The findings suggest that nausea and vomiting can worsen a patient's quality of life, not only during treatment but also into the recovery phase, indicating that healthcare providers should carefully monitor these symptoms even after therapy has ended.
Objective: This study aimed to test the reliability, psychometric, and clinical validity of the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy--Brain (FACT-Br) in patients with brain metastases.
Methods: Patients with brain metastases were interviewed using the FACT-Br (including the FACT-general) 1 week prior to treatment. All patients completed a follow-up assessment 1 month post-treatment.