Publications by authors named "Kevin T Liou"
Background: Music-based interventions (MBIs) are evidence-based, nonpharmacological treatments that include music therapy (MT) delivered by board-certified music therapists, as well as music services (MS) delivered by other health professionals and volunteers. Despite MBI's growing evidence base in cancer symptom management, it remains unclear how MBI-related information is presented to the public. Over 80% of people with cancer use the internet to find health-related information.
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- - The @JCO_ASCO paper highlights how racialized approaches to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and opioid misuse significantly contribute to healthcare disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes.
- - It emphasizes that these issues are often overlooked in discussions about health equity, leading to inadequate understanding and solutions.
- - The paper also suggests strategies to address these disparities and improve health outcomes for affected populations, paving a better path forward in cancer care.
Purpose: Cancer survivors are increasingly using wearable fitness trackers, but it is unclear if they match traditional self-reported sleep diaries. We aimed to compare sleep data from Fitbit and the Consensus Sleep Diary (CSD) in this group.
Methods: We analyzed data from two randomized clinical trials, using both CSD and Fitbit to collect sleep outcomes: total sleep time (TST), wake time after sleep onset (WASO), number of awakenings (NWAK), time in bed (TIB), and sleep efficiency (SE).
Background: Racial disparities in sleep are well-documented. However, evidence-based options for addressing these disparities are lacking in cancer populations. To inform future research on sleep interventions, this study aims to understand racial differences in treatment responses to acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) among Black and White cancer survivors.
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- Hispanic cancer patients and survivors face higher pain levels and more barriers to pain management than non-Hispanic individuals, emphasizing the need for better support.
- A study analyzed treatment expectations for integrative therapies like acupuncture and massage, finding that Hispanic participants had significantly higher expectations of benefit from these treatments compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts.
- The research suggests that pain management strategies should consider these ethnic differences in expectations to improve treatment outcomes and address disparities in pain management among different populations.
Introduction: Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA), a standardized auricular acupuncture protocol, is widely used for pain in the military but is not well-studied in oncology. This study examined cancer survivors who received BFA for pain.
Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized trial that compared the effectiveness of BFA and electroacupuncture vs.
Article Synopsis
- A study compared the effectiveness of acupuncture versus massage in treating musculoskeletal pain in patients with advanced cancer, guided by recent pain management guidelines.
- Conducted across multiple US cancer centers from September 2019 to February 2022, 298 patients with moderate to severe pain participated in the trial, receiving either weekly acupuncture or massage for 10 weeks with follow-up sessions.
- The primary outcome measured was the change in worst pain intensity over 26 weeks, along with secondary outcomes including fatigue, insomnia, and overall quality of life, utilizing specific pain assessment tools.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer survivors frequently use wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit, but their accuracy compared to traditional sleep diaries (CSD) is uncertain.
- A study analyzed sleep data from 62 cancer survivors, revealing that Fitbit reported longer total sleep time and wake time after sleep onset, but fewer hours in bed compared to CSD.
- The findings indicate that while TST was the only sleep measurement consistently matching both methods, Fitbit may not effectively distinguish different levels of insomnia severity compared to the CSD.
Racial and ethnic disparities in pain management pose major challenges to equitable cancer care delivery. These disparities are driven by complex interactions between patient-, provider-, and system-related factors that resist reductionistic solutions and require innovative, holistic approaches. On September 19, 2022, the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology published a joint guideline to provide evidence-based recommendations on integrative medicine for cancer pain management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cancer survivors represent one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 3 survivors experience anxiety symptoms as a long-term consequence of cancer and its treatment. Characterized by restlessness, muscle tension, and worry, anxiety worsens the quality of life; impairs daily functioning; and is associated with poor sleep, depressed mood, and fatigue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic pain negatively affects sleep; it is unclear whether pain relief from acupuncture contributes to sleep quality improvements in cancer survivors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Methods: Sleep outcome data from the Personalized Electroacupuncture Versus Auricular Acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness (PEACE) randomized clinical trial were analyzed.
Background: Fatigue is a troublesome symptom in cancer survivors that often results from disrupted sleep. We sought to assess whether two insomnia-focused non-pharmacological interventions are also effective for improving fatigue.
Methods: We analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) versus acupuncture for insomnia among cancer survivors.
Music Therapy for Pain in Black and White Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study.
J Pain Symptom Manage
November 2022
Context: Racial pain disparities present challenges to cancer symptom management. Music therapy has demonstrated benefits for pain and is a promising treatment option for diverse populations due to music's multicultural presence. However, Black cancer patients are under-represented in music therapy trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain and insomnia often co-occur and impair the quality of life in cancer survivors. This study evaluated the effect of acupuncture versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on pain severity among cancer survivors with comorbid pain and insomnia. Using data from the CHOICE trial that compared acupuncture versus CBT-I for insomnia among cancer survivors, we analyzed the effect of interventions on pain outcomes in 70 patients with moderate to severe baseline pain.
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- Hospitalized adults with cancer often experience depressive symptoms, leading to increased healthcare use, and both music therapy and massage therapy are recommended treatments.
- A study evaluating these therapies found that music therapy resulted in a greater reduction in depressive symptoms than massage therapy, particularly for patients with moderate-to-severe issues.
- Patient feedback indicated that music therapy was perceived as energizing and uplifting, while massage therapy was seen as calming and relaxing.
Natural killer (NK) cells are important early responders against viral infections. Changes in metabolism are crucial to fuel NK cell responses, and altered metabolism is linked to NK cell dysfunction in obesity and cancer. However, very little is known about the metabolic requirements of NK cells during acute retroviral infection and their importance for antiviral immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychosocial stressors are prevalent and linked to worse health outcomes, but are less frequently addressed than physically apparent medical conditions at primary care visits. Through a community-academic partnership between an art museum and a federally qualified health center, we developed an innovative museum-based intervention and evaluated its feasibility and acceptability among diverse, underserved patients and its perceived effects on psychosocial stressors. Guided by experiential learning and constructivist approaches, the intervention consisted of a single, three-hour session that incorporated group discussions and interactive components, including art-viewing, sketching, and object-handling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable to stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing is critical for patients with cancer; however, it can also reduce their access to psychosocial coping resources.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore patient experiences to generate a model of how virtual mind-body programs can support the psychosocial well-being of patients with cancer.
Introduction: Decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with poor sleep. This study examined the effects of acupuncture versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on serum BDNF and sleep outcomes in cancer survivors with insomnia.
Methods: This was an exploratory analysis of a randomized clinical trial (n = 160) comparing acupuncture versus CBT-I for cancer survivors with insomnia.
Importance: The opioid crisis creates challenges for cancer pain management. Acupuncture confers clinical benefits for chronic nonmalignant pain, but its effectiveness in cancer survivors remains uncertain.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of electroacupuncture or auricular acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain in cancer survivors.
Objective: Herbs and natural products are increasingly used by cancer patients for pain management, but few studies have examined their integration within conventional cancer care. This study describes the characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of cancer patients who were prescribed an herbal topical analgesic for pain management.
Design And Setting: Program evaluation of a pilot herbal dispensary at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.
Purpose: Insomnia is a debilitating symptom experienced by nearly 60% of cancer survivors. Building on our prior research showing the clinical benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and acupuncture, we organized a workshop of patient advocates and clinician stakeholders to understand the barriers and develop recommendations for the dissemination and implementation of these interventions.
Methods: Participants completed a pre-workshop survey assessing their experiences with insomnia and barriers to insomnia treatment and participated in a workshop facilitated by professionals and patient experts.
Context: Music therapy (MT) is a nonpharmacologic therapy where licensed therapists provide active (e.g., singing, playing songs) or passive (e.
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