The Effects of Being Informed About Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Symptoms With And Without Self-Affirmation on Perceived Cognitive Symptoms of Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Prospective, Longitudinal Study.

Background: Informing patients about chemotherapy-related cognitive symptoms (CRCS) may increase perceived cognitive symptoms. This longitudinal randomized study evaluated this Adverse Information Effect (AIE) in breast cancer patients and examined whether self-affirmation (SA) can reduce AIEs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04813965).

Preventing adverse information effects on health outcomes: A self-affirmation intervention reduced information-induced cognitive decline in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Rationale: Nocebo studies show that informing patients about treatment side effects can adversely impact expectancies and symptom reporting.

Objective: The current study examined how to inform patients fully about treatment side effects without increasing their occurrence. Extending theoretical assumptions about self-affirmation from the social-psychological to the medical domain, we tested whether allowing cancer patients to self-affirm prior to informing them about potential cognitive decline reduced the occurrence of Adverse Information Effects (AIE) on cognitive problem reporting (CPR) and verbal memory performance.

Ultrasound detection of pyometra at the time of embryo transfer after ovum retrieval for in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To report the detection of pyometra after ovum retrieval for IVF with the routine use of ultrasound-guided embryo transfer.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Tertiary fertility center.