Interest in and Barriers to Practicing Yoga among Family Caregivers of People with Cancer.

Background: Family caregivers of people with cancer report high levels of psychological distress. Yoga, with well-documented mental health benefits, could be a useful intervention to address distress in this population. However, little is known about yoga practices among cancer caregivers.

Implementing a virtual mind-body prehabilitation program for patients undergoing thoracic surgery: A quality improvement project.

Background: Prehabilitation before thoracic surgery has been found to improve outcomes in patients with cancer; however, COVID-19 presented challenges to access on-site programs. We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a synchronous, virtual mind-body prehabilitation program developed in response to COVID-19.

Methods: Eligible participants were patients seen at a thoracic oncology surgical department of an academic cancer center, aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of thoracic cancer and referred at least 1 week before surgery.

Availability of Integrative Medicine Therapies at National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and Community Hospitals.

The authors compared the availability of integrative medicine therapies in National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and community hospitals. The authors reviewed 51 Comprehensive Cancer Center and 100 community hospital websites and collected race and median household income data for community hospital populations. Availability of acupuncture (56% vs.

Understanding interest, barriers, and preferences related to yoga practice among cancer survivors.

Purpose: Despite growing evidence supporting the benefits of yoga for cancer-related symptom management, yoga usage among cancer survivors is low. To translate the evidence of yoga benefits into community practice, it is critical to understand interest in yoga as well as barriers and preferences that influence yoga usage among cancer survivors.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among cancer survivors, 18 years or older, with a primary diagnosis of cancer, and receiving treatment or follow-up care at outpatient clinics at five regional academic cancer center sites.

Does perceived control predict Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among patients with lung cancer? A cross-sectional survey.

Purpose: Scant literature exists on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among patients with lung cancer. Preliminary data indicates that perceived control is an important factor leading patients to CAM. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between perceived control and CAM use in patients with lung cancer.

Complementary and alternative medicine use and benefit finding among cancer patients.

Purpose: An increasing number of cancer patients are choosing Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as an active way to manage the physical, psychological, and spiritual consequences of cancer. This trend parallels a movement to understand how a difficult experience, such as a cancer diagnosis, may help facilitate positive growth, also referred to as benefit finding. Little is known about the associations between the use of CAM and the ability to find benefit in the cancer experience.

Patient-physician communication about complementary and alternative medicine in a radiation oncology setting.

Purpose: Despite the extensive use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer patients, patient-physician communication regarding CAM therapies remains limited. This study quantified the extent of patient-physician communication about CAM and identified factors associated with its discussion in radiation therapy (RT) settings.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 305 RT patients at an urban academic cancer center.

Utilization of supportive and palliative care services among oncology outpatients at one academic cancer center: determinants of use and barriers to access.

Unlabelled: Abstract Background: Cancer causes significant symptom burden and diminished quality of life. Despite the expansion of supportive and palliative care services (SPCS), little is known about rates of utilization and barriers to access to these services among oncology outpatients.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey in three outpatient medical oncology clinics.

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Attitudes and Beliefs about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use among Cancer Patients.

Despite cancer patients' extensive use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), validated instruments to measure attitudes, and beliefs predictive of CAM use are lacking. We aimed at developing and validating an instrument, attitudes and beliefs about CAM (ABCAM). The 15-item instrument was developed using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework.

Prevalence and risk factors for insomnia among breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors.

Purpose: Insomnia is increasingly recognized as a major symptom outcome in breast cancer; however, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors among women receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs), a standard treatment to increase disease-free survival among breast cancer patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among postmenopausal women with stage 0-III breast cancer receiving adjuvant AI therapy at an outpatient breast oncology clinic of a large university hospital. The insomnia severity index (ISI) was used as the primary outcome.

Acupuncture for hot flashes: decision making by breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Hot flashes (HFs) are a particularly common and distressing symptom among breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Given its low rate of side effects, acupuncture shows promise as a therapeutic approach for HFs, but little is known about BCS's decision making about the use of acupuncture. This study seeks to identify attitudes and beliefs about using acupuncture for HFs by BCSs.

Vitamin d deficiency in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) taking aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are at an increased risk for decreased bone density and fractures. Given the role vitamin D plays in bone metabolism, we examined the prevalence of and risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in a study of postmenopausal BCS on AIs.

Methods: We collected data on 391 postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer on AI therapy.

A qualitative exploration of the impact of yoga on breast cancer survivors with aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgias.

Research Question: Arthralgia affects postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCS) receiving aromatase inhibitors (AI), which may result in reduced function and long-term well-being. This is an exploratory, qualitative investigation of BCS who participated in a yoga-based program to understand impact on joint pain and various aspects of quality of life (QOL) through a yoga program.

Theoretical Framework: Social cognitive theory was used and provided the foundation for developing a yoga intervention through sources of efficacy information: (1) performance accomplishment, (2) structured experience, (3) verbal support from instructor and group, and (4) physical feedback.

A Pragmatic Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute Physician Data Query (PDQ)®-Based Brief Counseling on Cancer-Related Fatigue among Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) negatively affects quality of life among cancer patients. This study seeks to evaluate the outcome and patient receptiveness of a brief counseling program based on National Cancer Institute (NCI) PDQ® information to manage CRF when integrated into Radiation Therapy (RT).

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among patients undergoing non-palliative RT.

Impact of yoga on functional outcomes in breast cancer survivors with aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgias.

Arthralgia affects postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCSs) receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs). This study aims to establish the feasibility of studying the impact of yoga on objective functional outcomes, pain, and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) for AI-associated arthralgia (AIAA). Postmenopausal women with stage I to III breast cancer who reported AIAA were enrolled in a single-arm pilot trial.

Complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer survivors: a population-based study.

Introduction: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer survivors is high, yet less is known about reasons behind such use or the communication of CAM with conventional medical providers.

Methods: Cross-sectional, multivariate logistic regression models were developed to evaluate the similarities and differences between cancer survivors and non-cancer controls in the 2007 National Health Interview Survey with 23,393 participants, including 1,471 cancer survivors.

Results: Among cancer survivors, 66.