Publications by authors named "JoEllen C Speca"
Background: This study investigates whether high body mass index (BMI) in women diagnosed with early breast cancer (BC) is associated with patient-reported symptom severity during chemotherapy.
Methods: Women with Stage I-III BC completed toxicity reports for 17 side effects throughout regularly scheduled chemotherapy infusions. Toxicity reports were compared in women with obesity (BMI > = 30) versus no obesity (BMI < 30).
Article Synopsis
- Identifying patients at higher risk for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is crucial due to its common occurrence and impact on quality of life.
- A study with 152 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer found that levels of a biomarker called p16 can help predict who is likely to develop CIPN during taxane chemotherapy.
- Higher p16 expression and a greater difference between chronological age and p16 expression (p16Age Gap) indicate a higher risk for CIPN, suggesting that p16 levels can inform treatment decisions for breast cancer patients.
Article Synopsis
- Chemotherapy can save lives but also appears to accelerate aging, with a specific focus on breast cancer patients undergoing different chemotherapy regimens.
- A study measuring the expression of a molecular aging biomarker before and after treatment found significant increases post-chemotherapy, especially in patients on anthracycline-based regimens, which showed an accelerated aging effect of up to 26 years.
- The results suggest that the type of chemotherapy and a patient's initial biomarker levels impact the degree of accelerated aging, highlighting a potential preference for nonanthracycline regimens that offer similar effectiveness with less aging impact.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare the severity of symptoms and how much those symptoms interfere with daily life between younger (<65 years) and older (≥65 years) women undergoing similar chemotherapy for early breast cancer (EBC).* -
- The results showed that younger women reported higher rates of severe hot flashes and myalgia, but overall, there were no significant differences in hospitalizations, dose adjustments, or treatment discontinuations between the two age groups.* -
- The conclusion suggests that both age groups experienced similar levels of symptom severity and related issues, indicating that age may not significantly influence the impact of chemotherapy on women with EBC.*
Article Synopsis
- The study compares patient-reported symptoms with clinician-reported toxicity in women undergoing chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, highlighting discrepancies in their reports.
- Of the 267 participants, there was moderate to slight agreement between patient and clinician reports for various symptoms, with patients often reporting more severe symptoms than clinicians noted.
- The findings underscore the need for incorporating patient-reported outcomes in cancer care to better monitor and address treatment-related symptoms.
Background: In the current study, the authors investigated the incidence of moderate to severe chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) for chemotherapy regimens commonly used in current clinical practice for the treatment of patients with early breast cancer. Patient-reported and clinician-assessed CIPN severity scores were compared, and risk factors for CIPN severity were identified.
Methods: Patients completed a Patient-Reported Symptom Monitoring form and oncologists completed a Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events form.
Background: This study explores the incidence of patient-reported major toxicity-symptoms rated "moderate," "severe," or "very severe"-for chemotherapy regimens commonly used in early breast cancer.
Patients And Methods: Female patients aged 21 years or older completed a validated Patient-Reported Symptom Monitoring instrument and rated 17 symptoms throughout adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Fisher's exact tests compared differences in percentages in symptom ratings, and general linear regression was used to model the incidence of patient-reported major toxicity.