Assessment of Barriers and Enablers for Implementing a Population-Based Childhood Cancer Registry in Chennai, India.

Background: Despite most childhood cancer cases being diagnosed in low- and middle-income countries, there is a significant deficit of population-based childhood cancer registries (PBCCRs) in these regions. To address this critical gap, we established India's first dedicated PBCCR in Chennai on October 4, 2022, covering children aged 0-19. This study aims to identify the barriers and enablers to implementing the Chennai PBCCR.

Global unmet psychosocial needs in cancer care: health policy.

Unlabelled: Preventable psychosocial suffering is an unmet need in patients with cancer around the world, significantly compromising quality of life and impairing cancer health outcomes. This narrative review overviews the global prevalence of emotional distress and cancer-related needs and the access barriers to psychosocial care. The COVID-19 pandemic has served only to amplify the need for psychosocial care, exacerbating the inadequacy of available psychosocial resources, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study from India.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake has been comparable, if not higher, in LMICs (Low- and Middle-Income Countries) than in developed nations. Patients with plasma cell disorders are at a higher risk for developing COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality due to impaired immune responses. We report the outcome of active counselling for COVID-19 vaccines in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and AL amyloidosis and the reasons for hesitancy in those unvaccinated.

Psychosocial issues and concerns of cancer patients due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has posed numerous unique challenges for cancer patients, families and healthcare workers. However, the reports on psychosocial issues associated with such situations are scarce. This study aims to determine the psychosocial issues faced by cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Listening to Patient and Caregiver Voices to Anchor Global Cancer Control.

The experiences of those living with illness and those who care for them are central to disease control and prevention efforts. The history of public health is full of reminders of when consultations with patients and families helped develop meaningful interventions that were ultimately adopted by communities. Global cancer control, on the other hand, seems to increasingly take place in tertiary hospitals and centers where care is sought often at a late stage of cancer.

Status of Palliative Care Services in Tamil Nadu - A Descriptive Report.

Objectives: Advanced cancer patients attending tertiary cancer centres from rural places are referred back to local physicians for symptom management. Due to lack of networking with palliative care centres (PCCs), the referred patients do not receive appropriate palliative care (PC) services. Hence, an attempt was made to map the PCCs in Tamil Nadu to make the referral system efficient.

Fear of Cancer Recurrence and associated factors among breast cancer survivors in South India.

Objective: Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) is a universal phenomenon widely reported as an unmet need among cancer survivors. The present study aims to determine the patterns of FCR and its associated factors among breast cancer survivors in South India.

Methods: A longitudinal study was carried out with pre and post-assessment.

Perceived psychosexual dimensions of cervical cancer survivors in India-An exploratory study.

Objective: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India. Medical advancements have led to increased survival. However, sexuality and sexual concerns remain as major worries of patients after treatment.

Body Image Scale: Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties in Three Indian Head and Neck Cancer Language Groups.

Background: Body image is a subjective concept encompassing a person's views and emotions about their body. Head and neck cancer (HNC) diagnosis and treatment affects several psychosocial concepts including body image. Large numbers of HNC patients are diagnosed each year in India but there are no suitable measures in regional languages to assess their body image.

Caregiver's perspective on psychosocial issues of paediatric cancer patients during COVID 19 pandemic lockdown.

The unprecedented pandemic crisis has caused serious changes in the medical care for cancer patients, thereby mandating research studies to focus and understand the psychosocial issues faced by paediatric cancer patients during the pandemic lockdown in India. Paediatric cancer patients irrespective of diagnosis and treatment status were assessed for psychosocial issues ( = 103) and distress ( = 74). Caregivers were chosen as the primary respondents except for distress score in order to obtain data with better clarity and comprehension.

Psychosocial Issues Among Primary Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Head and Neck Cancer - A Mixed-method Study.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the psychosocial issues faced by the primary caregivers of advanced head and neck cancer patients with the primary objective to understand their experiences within social context.

Materials And Methods: Burden and QOL of caregivers ( = 15) were quantified using Zarit Burden Interview schedule and caregiver quality of life index-cancer (CQOLC), respectively. Primary caregivers ( = 10) were interviewed using semi-structured interview schedule.

Patient-reported anxiety and depression measures for use in Indian head and neck cancer populations: a psychometric evaluation.

Background: Head and neck cancers (HNC) are one of the most traumatic forms of cancer because they affect essential aspects of life such as speech, swallowing, eating and disfigurement. HNCs are common in India, with over 100,000 cases being registered each year. HNC and treatment are both associated with considerable anxiety and depression.

Psychosocial counseling of patients planned for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for malignant conditions-practical challenges and solutions from India.

Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is a life-saving procedure often performed to cure relapsed and difficult-to-treat malignancies. Only a handful of centers in India were initially involved in the delivery of these services. However, in the last decade, more than 100 centers in the private and public domain have started offering transplant services in the country.

Does perceived social support, psychological problems, and fatigue impact quality of life of geriatric patients with cancer?

Background: Health-related comorbidities often increase due to cancer among the ageing population. However, thed omains of psychological functioning of geriatric patients remain undetected especially in the Indian scenario. This study aimed to evaluate psychological problems, perceived social support, fatigue, and quality of life among geriatric patients with cancer.

Quality of death: The unspoken experiences of patients with advanced cancers in India - An exploratory qualitative study.

Objective: End-of-life (EOL) care is a developing concept in India, with well-established practices in certain states like Kerala, but not in all the states. As there is a substantial stigma associated with death discussion across the Indian population, the experiences of caregivers of people with advanced cancer have not been explored. Our aim in this study was to explore the experience and perceptions of caregivers of people diagnosed with advanced cancer regarding the quality of the individuals' death.

Quit attempts among tobacco users identified in the Tamil Nadu Tobacco Survey of 2015/2016: a 3 year follow-up mixed methods study.

Objectives: To determine current tobacco use in 2018/2019, quit attempts made and to explore the enablers and barriers in quitting tobacco among tobacco users identified in the Tamil Nadu Tobacco Survey (TNTS) in 2015/2016.

Setting: TNTS was conducted in 2015/2016 throughout the state of Tamil Nadu (TN) in India covering 111 363 individuals. Tobacco prevalence was found to be 5.

Long-Term Functional and Oncological Outcomes Following Intersphincteric Resection for Low Rectal Cancers.

Surgery for low rectal cancer often involves a permanent stoma. Intersphincteric resection (ISR) with colo-anal anastomosis is a valuable sphincter sparing surgical procedure that avoids the need for permanent stoma in patients with low rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term functional and oncological outcomes following ISR.

Symptom Burden and Quality of Life Issues among Patients of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia on Long-term Imatinib Therapy.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib have improved survival in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Imatinib can cause chronic side effects which are not considered serious but can impact the quality of life (QoL) of the patient.

Methods: The results of a detailed symptom burden analysis and its impact on QoL scores in a cohort of patients on long-term imatinib is presented in this study.

Validation of the symbolic assessment of fatigue extent (SAFE)-a cancer fatigue tool with visual response formats.

Context: Fatigue is the most common under-recognized symptom in cancer. Administering fatigue tools in multi-lingual and multi-literate populations may affect the quality and accuracy of the data collected as they rely on language to elicit responses.

Aim: The aim of the study is to develop and validate a tool to assess fatigue in cancer patients using response formats that are not language-dependent.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Adherence to Therapy, Its Associations, and Its Implications in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Receiving Imatinib.

Background: Adherence to oral therapy over a long period is important for optimal outcomes in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Methods: Patients in the chronic phase of CML (taking imatinib for ≥ 6 months) were assessed by the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire (C30 and CML 24). Patients were classified as adherent (score 8) and nonadherent (score ≤ 7) as per the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale.

Late effects of treatment in survivors of childhood cancer from a tertiary cancer center in South India.

Background: Improved survival after childhood cancer is attributed to intensive, aggressive therapy, adverse sequelae of which can manifest months to years after completion of treatment. There is little information about the late adverse effects of both childhood cancer and its therapy in survivors in India.

Aim: To determine the long-term sequelae associated with therapy in childhood cancer survivors attending a tertiary cancer center in India.