Publications by authors named "Rebecca Bergin"
Article Synopsis
- Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late, impacting survival rates, and this study investigates how improving diagnostic pathways could enhance early detection and outcomes.
- After reviewing literature from major medical databases, the authors identified a total of 65 relevant papers and found significant variability in reported diagnostic intervals, which were influenced by the methods used in the studies.
- Most studies examining the relationship between diagnostic intervals and clinical outcomes found no strong associations, highlighting a need for better definitions and reporting standards to improve future research in ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is rising among adults under the age of 50 (early- or young-onset CRC). This population is more likely to have advanced-stage disease at diagnosis, suggesting their diagnostic pathway may be prolonged. To better understand factors influencing this pathway, this study explored patients' experiences of decision-making during a diagnosis of young-onset CRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: The Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4) is funded by Cancer Australia to support the development of new cancer in primary care research. We undertook a research prioritisation exercise to identify cancer research priorities in Australian general practice.
Method: We adapted the nominal group technique, including a literature search and stakeholder survey.
Article Synopsis
- The study highlights the importance of providing quality survivorship information to cancer survivors, who often feel they aren't receiving adequate guidance from healthcare professionals.
- Using a realist review approach, researchers analyzed various published papers from Australia to identify effective ways of communicating survivorship information to adult cancer survivors.
- Six key mechanisms for effective communication were identified, including tailoring information to individual backgrounds, improving provider communication, and using multiple channels to deliver information, which can help clinicians and policymakers enhance survivorship care practices.
Article Synopsis
- Finding the right balance between early cancer diagnoses and the risk of too much testing is really important, especially when considering what patients prefer.
- The study looked at what Australians aged 40 and over think about tests for symptoms linked to three types of cancer: oesophagogastric, bowel, and lung.
- Results showed that people care most about how long they have to wait for tests and how much those tests cost, and they often prefer invasive tests, but will less likely want to test for very low-risk symptoms.
Introduction: Cancer is a leading cause of death and has a significant impact on individuals, families and society. Emerging evidence shows that people with disability face challenges in accessing services which could assist in early cancer diagnosis and optimal treatment, like cancer screening. Consequently, cancer patients with disabilities may present with later-stage disease, have reduced treatment options and experience lower survival rates compared with people without disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival in Australia differs by health insurance status, but why this occurs is uncertain. There are growing concerns about out-of-pocket healthcare costs. We examined patient experiences of referral pathways to diagnosis and treatment of CRC in Victoria, Australia, and discussions about costs, comparing public, private and mixed healthcare system users.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Physical activity can improve health in people living with and beyond breast cancer; however, how to best support physical activity participation in this population is unclear. This qualitative study sought to identify important physical activity program components for breast cancer.
Methods: Women with previous breast cancer (n = 11) and allied health professionals (n = 7) participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews (n = 15) or focus groups (n = 1).
Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate existing evidence on the relationship between diagnostic and treatment intervals and outcomes for colorectal cancer.
Methods: Four databases were searched for English language articles assessing the role of time before initial treatment in colorectal cancer on any outcome, including stage and survival. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion and data were synthesised narratively.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to review literature on the post-treatment information needs of cancer survivors in rural Australia to improve their transition from urban treatment to community care.
- A comprehensive search of various health databases and cancer organization websites revealed 52 relevant articles, but only 6 specifically focused on rural survivors' information needs.
- The findings highlighted gaps in crucial information areas like recovery, treatment side effects, and access to support services, indicating a need for coordinated information delivery and better understanding of rural survivors' needs to enhance their recovery process.
Article Synopsis
- Patients often worry that their symptoms could indicate cancer, leading them to seek investigations from their general practitioners (GPs), but little is known about what factors influence these decisions.
- * This study involved in-depth interviews with 15 patients over 40 years old from both rural and urban areas in Victoria, Australia, focusing on their thoughts and feelings about cancer testing.
- * Key findings highlight that concerns about cancer motivate patients to ask for tests, but barriers such as costs and time affect their willingness to pursue investigations; fostering a trusting relationship and shared decision-making with their GP can help address these issues.
Research focusing on timely diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer is necessary to improve outcomes for people with cancer. Previous attempts to consolidate research on time to diagnosis and treatment have noted varied methodological approaches and quality, limiting the comparability of findings. This systematic review was conducted to comprehensively assess the scope of methodological issues in this field and provide recommendations for future research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatient and public involvement can produce high-quality, relevant research that better addresses the needs of patients and their families. This systematic review investigated the nature and impact of patient and public involvement in cancer prevention, screening and early detection research. Two patient representatives were involved as members of the review team.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study by the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership analyzed breast cancer diagnostic pathways across 10 regions in Australia, Canada, and Europe to understand the impact of delayed treatment on prognosis.
- - Data were collected from 3,471 women diagnosed with breast cancer and included input from primary care physicians and cancer specialists, revealing that a significant number sought care due to symptoms, primarily lumps or changes in their breasts.
- - Results showed considerable variation in the time taken for diagnosis and treatment between regions, with some areas demonstrating longer waiting periods, suggesting the need for improved strategies to reduce these delays and improve patient outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on understanding the health and wellbeing of Australian women with gynaecological cancers before they start curative radiotherapy.
- Results showed that these women experienced significantly lower emotional and physical wellbeing compared to the general population, with 31% reporting general psychological distress.
- Recommendations include a comprehensive care model addressing their unmet needs and psychological issues, highlighting the need for healthcare provider training to better support these patients.
Article Synopsis
- The International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership studied how ovarian cancer is diagnosed and the time from symptom onset to treatment across five countries, analyzing data from over 1,100 patients.
- Key findings revealed no significant differences in initial diagnosis symptoms, but there were notable inconsistencies in urgent referral rates and intervals from diagnosis to treatment, particularly when compared to Denmark.
- The research emphasizes the need for improvements in the diagnostic process and encourages learning from different healthcare systems to enhance timely ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Over half of patients with lung cancer are diagnosed at a stage when curative treatment is not possible, suggesting an earlier diagnosis could improve outcomes. This comprehensive overview summarises the evidence on 1) times to diagnosis and treatment, 2) their impact on patient outcomes, 3) risk factors and 4) interventions to reduce time intervals, and 5) key methodological issues in such studies. Eligible articles were relevant systematic or scoping reviews and meta-analyses, searched via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library; published from database inception to 6 August 2020 (PROSPERO identifier: CRD42020203530).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany cancer referral guidelines use patient's age as a key criterium to decide who should be referred urgently. A recent rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in younger adults has been described in high-income countries worldwide. Information on other cancers is more limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Informal caregivers (family or friends of people with cancer) are a group of highly important people who support those diagnosed with cancer to remain at home and out of hospital, but this comes at a significant personal cost. Understanding strategies to support cancer caregivers is critical.
Objective: This article will present an overview of cancer caregiving and how the caregivers involved can be assisted by general practitioners (GPs).
Factors Explaining Socio-Economic Inequalities in Survival from Colon Cancer: A Causal Mediation Analysis.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
October 2021
Background: Socio-economic inequalities in colon cancer survival exist in high-income countries, but the reasons are unclear. We assessed the mediating effects of stage at diagnosis, comorbidities, and treatment (surgery and intravenous chemotherapy) on survival from colon cancer.
Methods: We identified 2,203 people aged 15 to 79 years with first primary colon cancer diagnosed in Victoria, Australia, between 2008 and 2011.
Objective: Knowledge of factors associated with intervention non-adherence may provide insights into the clinical utility of non-pharmacologic interventions.
Methods: This study compared complete and incomplete adherers to two separate components of a novel intervention package for women undergoing curative intent radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer on socio-demographic, clinical and pre-radiotherapy patient-reported outcomes data.
Results: Adherence to the tailored specialist nurse consultations was satisfactory (71% participated in all available sessions, 19% participated in all but one).
Purpose: Colorectal cancer patients living in rural areas have poorer outcomes than urban counterparts, but such disparities are not found for breast cancer. Although time to care may contribute to rural-urban disparities, few studies examine patient experiences to understand how and why delays may occur. We compared rural and urban patient experiences of pathways to colorectal or breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Victoria, Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study compares the time intervals from symptom onset to treatment for lung cancer patients across several jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada, and the UK, highlighting differences that could impact diagnosis stage and survival rates.
- Researchers surveyed newly diagnosed lung cancer patients along with their primary care physicians and cancer specialists, analyzing data from 10,203 patients, of which 2,143 were included in the final analysis.
- The results revealed that most jurisdictions had similar median intervals to treatment as Wales, with Denmark showing the shortest intervals overall, while Manitoba had the longest diagnostic intervals compared to Wales.
Background: Most lung cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, resulting in poor survival. This study examined diagnostic pathways for patients with operable lung cancer to identify factors contributing to early diagnosis.
Methods: Surgically treated lung cancer patients (aged ≥40, within 6 months of diagnosis), approached via the population-based Cancer Registry, with their primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists completed cross-sectional surveys assessing symptoms, diagnostic route (symptomatic or 'investigation' of other problem), tests, key event dates and treatment.