Publications by authors named "Tonya Pan-Weisz"
Objective: We conducted a prospective clinical trial of patients receiving radiation (RT) for brain metastases to identify clinical predictors of pre-RT and post-RT health-related quality of life (hrQoL).
Materials And Methods: Patients with brain metastases completed overall (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ C15-PAL) and brain tumor-specific (QLQ-BN20) hrQoL assessments pre-RT (n=127) and 1 (n=56) and 3 (n=45) months post-RT. Linear and proportional-odds models analyzed patient, disease, and treatment predictors of baseline, 1-, and 3-month hrQoL scores.
Purpose: Breast cancer survivors (BrCS) experience many psychosocial difficulties following treatment, leading to an increased risk of psychological distress compared to the general population. This is especially true for underserved BrCS whose unmet supportive care needs can result in worse physical and mental health outcomes. This qualitative study compared healthcare and support providers' perceptions of BrCS' needs to survivors' perceptions of their own needs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We conducted the first prospective longitudinal study examining the independent association between patient-reported health-related quality of life (hrQoL) (physical, social/family, emotional, functional, and brain cancer-specific) and neurocognitive function (NCF), while controlling for mood symptoms in patients with primary brain tumors.
Methods And Materials: Patients with primary brain tumors (n = 59) receiving brain radiation therapy underwent hrQOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain), mood (Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories), and neurocognitive evaluation at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months postradiation therapy in a prospective clinical trial. Neurocognitive assessments measured attention/processing speed, memory, and executive function, including the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Verbal Fluency, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test Revised (HVLT-R), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test.
Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure and reliability of the multidimensional Reproductive Concerns After Cancer (RCAC) scale in a sample of female cancer survivors during their reproductive years, younger than age 45.
Methods: Female reproductive-aged survivors (N = 238; current age, 18 to 44 y) with a variety of cancer diagnoses completed a web-based survey that included the RCAC scale. Three structural models were examined via confirmatory factor analysis: (a) one-factor, (b) higher-order with one second-order factor and six first-order factors, and (c) oblique six-factor.
Background: It is common for Chinese American breast cancer survivors to believe that having cancer is a stigmatizing condition. Little research exists on how this might affect their quality of life (QoL) and through which psychological processes.
Objective: In the present study, we examined the association between self-stigma and QoL in a sample of Chinese American breast cancer survivors and tested the potential mediating roles of intrusive thoughts and posttraumatic growth in this relationship.
Objectives: The objectives of this systematic review were to (a) identify supportive-care (psychosocial/behavioral, pharmacological, complementary, or alternative) interventions that have been evaluated via randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to improve patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adults with brain tumors, (b) evaluate the quality of the intervention studies, and (c) evaluate if developed interventions have been efficacious at improving HRQoL, as compared with control conditions in RCTs.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Four databases were searched for RCTs of supportive-care interventions for adults with brain tumors, primary or metastatic, that included a patient-reported HRQoL outcome.