Quality of life of long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma treated with standard-dose chemotherapy or local therapy.

Purpose: This study compared the quality of life (QOL) of long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma who had been treated with standard-dose systemic chemotherapy or local therapy only.

Patients And Methods: Long-term survivors (mean, 10.0 +/- 5.

Psychosocial factors and the course of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia: a prospective study.

Objective: To investigate the influence of psychosocial factors on the course of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN).

Methods: A group of 93 patients with CIN 1 or 2 was followed for 2.25 years by half-yearly colposcopy and cytology.

Reliability and validity of a videotape method to describe expressive behavior in persons with Parkinson's disease.

The ability to effectively communicate thoughts, feelings, and identity to others is an important aspect of occupational performance. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease can impair a person's ability to verbally and non-verbally communicate with others. In order to better understand issues of communication functioning for this population, research tools to describe expressive and communicative behavior during occupation and social interaction are needed.

Predicting psychological morbidity in Chinese women after surgery for breast carcinoma.

Background: Between 30% and 70% of western women experience psychological morbidity after undergoing surgery for breast carcinoma; however, the rates and risk factors among Chinese women are unknown. Identifying at-risk women enables preventive intervention.

Methods: Among 430 Chinese women who were approached within 1 week after undergoing surgery for early-stage breast carcinoma (baseline), 405 women (94%) completed measures of self-efficacy and psychological morbidity (the Chinese Health Questionnaire 12-item instrument [CHQ12]) and completed retrospective measures of treatment decision-making (TDM) difficulties, satisfaction with TDM involvement, and satisfaction with consultation and treatment outcome expectations.

Behavioural cues of personality in Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: To determine if there were observable cues of personality to be found in the appearance and expressive behaviour of six men and six women with Parkinson's disease.

Method: Participants completed a personality measure and engaged in an individual, videotaped interview. Four trained raters measured the expressive behaviour demonstrated in the videotapes.

Project ENABLE: a palliative care demonstration project for advanced cancer patients in three settings.

At the end of the 1990s, based on data from two major studies of end-of-life (EOL) care, the Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment (SUPPORT), and the Hospitalized Elderly Longitudinal Project (HELP), a consensus panel report documented the problems and needs of patients with cancer and other life-limiting diagnoses at end-of-life. A national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care, attempted to address these needs by funding demonstration projects to test various approaches to improve identified deficits. In 1998, Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise Before Life Ends), one of four RWJF-funded cancer center/hospice collaborations of the Promoting Excellence program, began to address these issues.

Psychosocial factors and the grade of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia: a semi-prospective study.

Objective: To study the influence of psychosocial factors on the grade of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia.

Methods: The influence of psychosocial factors on the grade of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) was studied in a group of 342 patients with an abnormal cervical smear. Participants completed a set of questionnaires after colposcopy directed biopsy before knowing the biopsy result.

The relationship of APOE genotype to neuropsychological performance in long-term cancer survivors treated with standard dose chemotherapy.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the neuropsychological performance of long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma treated with standard dose chemotherapy who carried the epsilon 4 allele of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene to those who carry other APOE alleles.

Patients And Methods: Long-term survivors (mean=8.8+/-4.

Participation and satisfaction with surgical treatment decision-making in breast cancer among Chinese women.

Purpose: To report Chinese women's preferred and perceived participation in breast cancer treatment decision making (TDM), describe influences on women's participation preference and participation congruence (PC) (correspondence between preferred and actual amount of participation in TDM), and explore subsequent satisfaction with TDM.

Patients And Methods: Of 172/211 eligible and available Chinese women recently undergoing breast cancer surgery at one of six Hong Kong government hospitals 154 (89.5%) were recruited.

Low neuropsychologic performance among adult cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy.

Decline in neuropsychologic test performance following adjuvant chemotherapy for various types of cancer has gained much research attention over the past decade. From available data, about one fourth to one third of individuals undergoing systemic chemotherapy exhibit measurable decrements in performance of standard tests of cognitive function. Many cancer survivors report that cognitive problems interfere with function and compromise quality of life.

Breast cancer chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction.

Cognitive side effects of systemic chemotherapy have become an increasing concern among breast cancer survivors, their families, and health care professionals. A growing body of research supports the hypothesis that chemotherapy can produce long-term cognitive changes in at least a subgroup of cancer survivors. We review evidence implicating systemic chemotherapy as the cause of cognitive changes; describe the limitations due to lack of longitudinal studies and gaps in knowledge (ie, no clear mechanism by which chemotherapy can produce cognitive changes has been proposed); discuss possible factors like age, intelligence quotient/education, and psychological, genetic, and hormonal factors that might increase risk for chemotherapy-induced cognitive changes; and outline future directions for research.

Formative evaluation of a multimedia program for patients about the side effects of cancer treatment.

Formative evaluation of multimedia programs can prevent costly and time-consuming revisions and result in more effective programs. Yet systematic formative evaluation is seldom conducted. This paper reviews the basic principles of formative evaluation and describes how we applied those principles to the formative evaluation of a multimedia program for patients about the side effects of cancer treatment.

Neuropsychologic impact of standard-dose systemic chemotherapy in long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the neuropsychologic functioning of long-term survivors of breast cancer and lymphoma who had been treated with standard-dose systemic chemotherapy or local therapy only.

Patients And Methods: Long-term survivors (5 years postdiagnosis, not presently receiving cancer treatment, and disease-free) of breast cancer or lymphoma who had been treated with systemic chemotherapy (breast cancer: n = 35, age, 59.1 +/- 10.

Cognitive effects of standard-dose chemotherapy in patients with cancer.

Adult cancer survivors have reported experiencing persistent changes in cognitive function following treatment with chemotherapy. Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that standard-dose chemotherapy can produce cognitive deficits in a subgroup of adult cancer survivors. Although these cognitive changes tend to be subtle deficits in memory, concentration, and the ability to remain focused or organized, these alterations in cognitive ability can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life generally, and on meeting career and educational goals specifically.

Knowledge and attitudes of health-care providers toward cancer pain management: a comparison of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists in the state of New Hampshire.

The knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists in the state of New Hampshire were examined through the use of a statewide survey. Many of the providers who completed the survey, and thus indicated that they treated patients with cancer pain on a regular basis, were not pain or oncology specialists. Most of these providers were quite well informed about the fundamentals of cancer pain management.

Quality of life in patients with limited small-cell carcinoma of the lung receiving chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy, for cancer and leukemia group B.

Quality of life was assessed in 57 patients with limited small-cell carcinoma of the lung utilizing psychological scales that measured mood, functional status, and cognitive impairment. These patients received chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy to the primary tumor. All patients received prophylactic cranial radiation.

Psycho-oncology: psychological well-being as one component of quality of life.

This review deals with the issues of quality of life and psychological well-being in cancer patients, with particular reference to the role of psychiatry in the oncology setting. The prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses as a measure of psychological well-being, the prediction of psychological well-being, the interactions between physical and psychological factors, and the impact of psychosomatic intervention on quality of life in cancer patients, are discussed.