Observers' response to facial disfigurement from head and neck cancer.

Objective: Our long-term goal is to develop a normative feedback intervention to support head and neck cancer patients in forming realistic expectations about how other people in non-social group settings will respond to their appearance. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between observer ratings of facial disfigurement and observer ratings of emotional response when viewing photographs of faces of head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: Seventy-five (75) observers rated their emotional response to each of 144 facial photographs of head and neck cancer patients using the Self-Assessment-Manikin and rated severity of facial disfigurement on a 9-point scale.

Body image dissatisfaction in patients undergoing breast reconstruction: Examining the roles of breast symmetry and appearance investment.

Objective: Reconstruction as part of treatment for breast cancer is aimed at mitigating body image concerns after mastectomy. Although algorithms have been developed to objectively assess breast reconstruction outcomes, associations between objectively quantified breast aesthetic appearance and patient-reported body image outcomes have not been examined. Further, the role of appearance investment in explaining a patient's body image is not well understood.

Salient body image concerns of patients with cancer undergoing head and neck reconstruction.

Background: Patients with cancer undergoing head and neck reconstruction can experience significant distress from alterations in appearance and bodily functioning. We sought to delineate salient dimensions of body image concerns in this patient population preparing for reconstructive surgery.

Methods: Participants completed self-report questionnaires evaluating numerous aspects of body image.

Body image and quality of life of breast cancer patients: influence of timing and stage of breast reconstruction.

Objective: The process of cancer-related breast reconstruction is typically multi-staged and can take months to years to complete, yet few studies have examined patient psychosocial well-being during the reconstruction process. We investigated the effects of reconstruction timing and reconstruction stage on body image and quality of life at specific time points during the breast reconstruction process.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 216 patients were grouped into four reconstructive stages: pre-reconstruction, completed stage 1, completed stage 2, and final stages.

Coping and quality of life of patients following microsurgical treatment for breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema is associated with numerous adverse outcomes. This study investigated the extent clinical factors, lymphedema symptoms, lymphedema-related appearance, and coping strategies predicted quality of life. Female patients who underwent microsurgical treatment for lymphedema (n = 54) participated.

Examining pain, body image, and depressive symptoms in patients with lymphedema secondary to breast cancer.

Objective: Depression and reduced quality of life are often reported in patients with upper-extremity lymphedema secondary to breast cancer treatment. Little is known about how pain and body image influence depression in patients with lymphedema. The current study examined the association of pain intensity and body integrity beliefs with depressive symptoms and the extent to which body image dissatisfaction mediated these associations.

Body image investment in breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction: taking a closer look at the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised.

Breast cancer and its treatment can significantly affect a woman's body image. As such, it would be useful to understand the importance or value these patients place on their appearance. We evaluated the factor structure of the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised (ASI-R), a measure of body image investment, with a sample of 356 breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

Body image: a critical psychosocial issue for patients with head and neck cancer.

Increasing attention is being given to evaluating and treating body image difficulties of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Head and neck cancer significantly alters physical appearance and bodily functioning and therefore directly impacts body image. Research involving body image in head and neck cancer patients is growing, and this review considers published findings from 2013 to 2014.

Screening for body image dissatisfaction in patients with advanced cancer: a pilot study.

Background: Cancer and its treatment can significantly affect appearance and body integrity. A number of studies have explored the impact of cancer and its treatment on body image, primarily in head and neck and breast cancer. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the construct of body image dissatisfaction and its measurement using a single question in patients with advanced cancer.

Associations between psychosocial functioning and smiling intensity in patients with head and neck cancer.

Increasing attention is being given to developing quantitative measures of facial expression. This study used quantitative facial expression analysis to examine associations between smiling intensity and psychosocial functioning in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Smiling intensity of 95 HNC patients was measured using 48 quantitative measures calculated from facial photographs with and without a smile.

Body image screening for cancer patients undergoing reconstructive surgery.

Objectives: Body image is a critical issue for cancer patients undergoing reconstructive surgery, as they can experience disfigurement and functional impairment. Distress related to appearance changes can lead to various psychosocial difficulties, and patients are often reluctant to discuss these issues with their healthcare team. Our goals were to design and evaluate a screening tool to aid providers in identifying patients who may benefit from referral for specialized psychosocial care to treat body image concerns.

Managing body image difficulties of adult cancer patients: lessons from available research.

Background: Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for patients with cancer because they often undergo significant changes to appearance and functioning. The primary purpose of this review article was to identify empirically-supported approaches to treat body image difficulties of adult cancer patients that can be incorporated into high-quality comprehensive cancer care.

Methods: An overview was provided of theoretical models of body image relevant to cancer patients, and findings were presented from published literature on body image and cancer from 2003 to 2013.

Long-term outcomes of a cell phone-delivered intervention for smokers living with HIV/AIDS.

Background: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS (PLWHA) have a substantially higher prevalence of cigarette smoking compared to the general population. In addition, PLWHA are particularly susceptible to the adverse health effects of smoking. Our primary objective was to design and test the efficacy over 12 months of a smoking cessation intervention targeting PLWHA.

Developing a theoretical framework to illustrate associations among patient satisfaction, body image and quality of life for women undergoing breast reconstruction.

Within the field of breast reconstruction there is increasing focus on patient-reported outcomes related to satisfaction, body image, and quality of life. These outcomes are deemed highly relevant because the primary goal of breast reconstruction is to recreate the appearance of a breast (or breasts) that is satisfying to the patient. Prominent researchers have suggested the need to develop improved standards for outcome evaluation which can ultimately benefit patients as well as physicians.

Association between body image dissatisfaction and weight loss among patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers: a preliminary report.

Context: No prospective studies have dealt with the impact of cachexia-related weight loss on patients' body image as well as the impact of patients' body image changes on the level of patient and family distress.

Objectives: Our aim was to examine associations between body mass index (BMI), weight loss, symptom distress, and body image for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers.

Methods: Outpatients with advanced cancer and different levels of BMI, along with their caregivers, were recruited.

Associations among speech, eating, and body image concerns for surgical patients with head and neck cancer.

Background: Body image can be affected by bodily experiences extending beyond physical appearance. This study evaluated associations among speech, eating, and body image concerns for surgically treated patients with oral cavity, midface, and cutaneous cancers of the head and neck.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 280 participants completed the Body Image Scale, a survey evaluating disease-specific body image issues, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General.

The nature and extent of body image concerns among surgically treated patients with head and neck cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe body image concerns for surgically treated patients with head and neck cancer and evaluate the relationship between body image concerns and quality of life outcomes.

Methods: Data were obtained from 280 patients undergoing surgical treatment for head and neck cancer. We used a cross-sectional design and obtained data from individuals at different time points relative to initiation of surgical treatment.

Multidimensional analysis of body image concerns among newly diagnosed patients with oral cavity cancer.

Background: Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for patients facing treatment for oral cancer, yet there is limited research conducted in this area. This study uses a multidimensional approach to body image assessment and evaluates relationships between body image, demographic, health, and psychosocial variables.

Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with oral cancer completed self-report questionnaires and a structured clinical interview.

A research agenda for appearance changes due to breast cancer treatment.

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the US. It is estimated that more than 180,000 American women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2008. Fortunately, the survival rate is relatively high and continually increasing due to improved detection techniques and treatment methods.

The association between body image and smoking cessation among individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Lower smoking cessation rates are associated with body image concerns in the general population. This relationship is particularly important to study in individuals living with HIV/AIDS due to alarmingly high smoking rates and considerable bodily changes experienced with HIV disease progression and treatment. The association between body image and smoking cessation rates was examined among individuals living with HIV/AIDS participating in a smoking cessation intervention.

On the methodology of body image assessment: the use of figural rating scales to evaluate body dissatisfaction and the ideal body standards of women.

We examined the use of figural rating scales to measure body dissatisfaction and the ideal body standards of women. We also attended to the potential influence of demand characteristics in body assessment research using these measures, a methodological concern largely ignored in this field. We used both within- and between-subjects designs to assess whether women hold different body standards for themselves compared to their same sex peers and whether their own ideal body size (IBS) is different from what they think men prefer.

English and Spanish versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire: measurement equivalence across ethnicity and clinical status.

Objective: We evaluated the psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of various forms of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) (Cooper et al., Int J Eat Disord, 6, 485-494, 1987) in American and Spanish women with and without an eating disorder diagnosis.

Method: Participants included four groups of women: Euro-American (n = 505), Hispanic-American (n = 151), and Spanish (n = 445) females without an eating disorder and Spanish women being treated for an eating disorder (n = 177).

Smoking cessation a critical component of medical management in chronic disease populations.

Many innovative and effective smoking-cessation treatments, both behavioral and pharmacologic, have been developed over the past several decades. However, these treatments traditionally have been developed for use with populations of healthy smokers. Despite the disease management implications, efforts to design and evaluate cessation interventions targeting smokers diagnosed with chronic diseases are reported infrequently in the literature.

Eating disorder prevention research: a meta-analysis.

Eating disorder prevention programs have yielded mixed results and are somewhat controversial, primarily because of claims they may produce iatrogenic effects. We used meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of eating disorder prevention programs and investigate moderators of intervention effects. Overall, prevention programs had large effects on improving knowledge and small net effects on reducing maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors.

Successes and failures of the teachable moment: smoking cessation in cancer patients.

Background: Successful cancer treatment can be significantly compromised by continued tobacco use. Because motivation and interest in smoking cessation increase after cancer diagnosis, a window of opportunity exists during which healthcare providers can intervene and assist in the quitting process.

Methods: The authors conducted a comprehensive literature review to discuss 1) the benefits of smoking cessation in cancer patients, 2) current knowledge regarding smoking cessation interventions targeted to cancer patients, and 3) treatment models and state-of the-art guidelines for intervention with cancer patients who smoke.