Physical and Psychosocial Symptoms of Young Adult Patients Referred to the Supportive Care Mobile Team.

Young adult (YA) aged cancer patients have unique psychosocial needs with studies indicating more symptoms and emotional distress compared to older patients. Our study aimed to compare clinical characteristics and symptom distress between YAs and older adults. We retrospectively studied 896 randomly selected patients across 3 age groups: 18-39 YAs ( = 297), 40-64 ( = 300), and 65 and older ( = 299).

Sleep disturbance in patients with cancer: a feasibility study of multimodal therapy.

Background: Our aim was to determine feasibility and effect sizes of bright light therapy (BLT), melatonin (MLT), methylphenidate (MP) and eight combinations (BLT+MLT+MP, BLT+MLT, BLT+MP, BLT alone, MLT+MP, MLT alone, MP alone, placebo for BLT, MLT and MP) defined as multimodal therapy (MMT), to improve sleep quality (SQ) (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) from baseline to day 15. We also examined the effects of MMT on insomnia, fatigue, depression, quality of life and actigraphy.

Methods: Patients with advanced cancer with poor SQ (PSQI ≥5) were eligible.

Enhancing palliative care patient access to psychological counseling through outreach telehealth services.

Context: Palliative care encompasses an interdisciplinary team, including mental health care professionals, to address psychological distress of cancer patients.

Objectives: To present the implementation of an outreach counseling program via videoconferencing or telephone to patients receiving care in an outpatient palliative care clinic and to compare patients using this service to those who only received psychological counseling in our outpatient clinic.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of cancer patients seen for psychology counseling services in an outpatient supportive care center between June 2015 and March 2017.