Intervention-Related Changes in Coping Ability Drives Improvements in Mood and Quality of Life for Patients Taking Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy.

Objective: A recent randomized trial of a group psychosocial telehealth intervention (STRIDE) improved anxiety, depression, quality of life (QOL), symptom distress, coping, and self-efficacy to manage symptoms related to taking adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) in women with non-metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. This study examined whether changes in coping and self-efficacy mediated intervention effects on anxiety, depression, QOL, and symptom distress.

Method: Women (N = 100) were recruited between 10/2019-06/2021 from Massachusetts General Hospital and were randomized to STRIDE or to the medication monitoring control group.

Not out of the woods: perspectives from patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Purpose: Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are at high risk for breast cancer recurrence and metastatic disease, yet the scholarly literature on the distress and uncertainty of this vulnerable population is limited. This study aimed to characterize the experiences of patients with TNBC and obtain feedback about the development of a supportive care intervention targeted to this population's psychosocial needs.

Methods: From 9/2021 to 2/2023, we purposefully recruited 23 patients with stage I-III TNBC who recently completed curative therapy and conducted a parallel mixed qualitative and quantitative study.

Closing the gap: proposing a socio-ecological framework to make cancer clinical trials more accessible, equitable, and acceptable to adolescents and young adults.

This commentary focuses on what would make cancer clinical trials more accessible, equitable, and acceptable to adolescents and young adults.

Learning about and living with toxicity: a qualitative study of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma or lung cancer and their caregivers.

Background/objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized treatment for melanoma and lung cancer and are in widespread use. This study aims to describe how patients and caregivers learn about ICI toxicities and their perceptions and experiences of toxicity.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study of 42 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n = 16) or melanoma (n = 26) who were initiating or discontinuing an ICI and their caregivers (n = 9).

NeuroCARE: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychological Intervention for Caregivers of Patients With Primary Malignant Brain Tumors.

Purpose: Caregivers of patients with primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT) experience significant psychological distress. We assessed the effect of a psychological intervention (NeuroCARE) on anxiety symptoms among PMBT caregivers.

Methods: We conducted a randomized trial of NeuroCARE versus usual care in PMBT caregivers with elevated anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score ≥5) within 6 months of the patient's diagnosis.