Supportive care needs in Hong Kong Chinese women confronting advanced breast cancer.

Background: Women with advanced breast cancer (ABC) are living longer, so understanding their needs becomes important. This cross-sectional study investigated the type and extent of unmet supportive care needs in Hong Kong Chinese women with advanced breast cancer.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted among women with stage III or stage IV disease mostly awaiting chemotherapy (76%) to identify unmet needs using the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form, psychological morbidity using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, symptom distress using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and satisfaction with care using the Patient satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ-9).

Interpreting differences in patterns of supportive care needs between patients with breast cancer and patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Understanding cancer patients' supportive care needs can help optimize health-care systems and inform services development. We therefore examined the prevalence of supportive care needs in Chinese breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients to identify prevalence and correlates of unmet needs.

Methods: We assessed supportive care needs (Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form), psychological distress (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), symptom distress (The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form), and satisfaction with care (Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire) among 210 Chinese BC (97) or CRC (104) outpatient clinic attendees.

Stress management training for breast cancer surgery patients.

Objective: This study evaluated the psychological effects of a pre-surgical stress management training (SMT) in cancer patients.

Methods: Stress management training comprised four sessions in total: on 5 days and 1 day pre-surgery and on 2 days and 1 month post-surgery. Patients also received audio CDs with relaxation and coping skills exercises.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduces chronic cancer-related fatigue: a treatment study.

Introduction: About one-third of cancer survivors suffer from severe chronic fatigue. Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive group therapy in reducing severe chronic fatigue in cancer survivors with mixed diagnoses.

Patients And Methods: Participants (n = 100) were randomly selected from a cohort and allocated to an intervention and a waiting list condition.

Validation of the Chinese version of the short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire (SCNS-SF34-C).

Background: There is no instrument available in Chinese for assessing psychosocial needs. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey short form (SCNS-SF34-C) in Chinese women with breast cancer (BC).

Methods: The Chinese version of the 34-item SCNS-SF34-C, a self-report measure for assessing psychosocial unmet needs, was administered to 348 Chinese women with BC at the outpatient oncology unit.

Problems addressed during psycho-oncological therapy: a pilot study.

Therapists working at the eight psycho-oncological centers in the Netherlands (N = 43) were presented a list of 15 problems often encountered during therapy with cancer patients. The therapists were asked to indicate the predominant psychological problems they had dealt with during their five most recently completed interventions. The authors received complete answers from 37 therapists (86%).

Trajectories of body image and sexuality during the first year following diagnosis of breast cancer and their relationship to 6 years psychosocial outcomes.

We examined degree and determinants of change in body image and sexuality over the first year following breast cancer diagnosis to differentiate body image and sexuality trajectories, and then explored if differences in trajectories predicted 6 years' psychosocial outcomes. 363/405 (90%) Chinese women receiving surgery for BC were assessed at 5-days (Baseline), 1-month, 4-months, and 8-months post-surgery. Psychological distress, treatment decision making (TDM) difficulties, satisfaction with treatment outcome, optimism, and self-efficacy were assessed at Baseline.

Unmet supportive care needs: a cross-cultural comparison between Hong Kong Chinese and German Caucasian women with breast cancer.

The comparison of psychosocial needs across different cultural settings can identify cultural and service impacts on psychosocial outcomes. We compare psychosocial needs in Hong Kong Chinese and German Caucasian women with breast cancer. Completed questionnaires were collected from 348 Chinese and 292 German women with breast cancer for assessing unmet psychosocial needs (Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form), psychological distress (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale), and listed physical and psychological symptoms.

Distress trajectories at the first year diagnosis of breast cancer in relation to 6 years survivorship.

Purpose: To explore how initial trajectories of distress experienced during the first year following diagnosis with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) relate to subsequent long-term(6 years) psychosocial outcomes.

Methods: 285/303 Chinese women recruited 1-week post-surgery for predominantly ESBC were assessed for distress with the Chinese Health Questionnaire at 1, 4, and 8 months later.Latent growth mixture modeling revealed four distinct distress trajectories during the first 8 months following surgery (Lam et al.

Breast cancer surgery-induced immunomodulation.

Background And Objectives: Surgical procedures can cause tumor cells to disseminate into the circulatory system. Although this spread of metastatic cells will be limited by immune activity, immunosuppression tends to be the main effect resulting from surgery. The objective of this study is to assess hormonal and immunological changes induced by breast cancer surgery.

Trajectories of psychological distress among Chinese women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Background: The distinct trajectories of psychological distress over the first year of the diagnosis with breast cancer (BC) and its determinants have not been explored.

Methods: 285 of 405 Chinese women receiving surgery for BC were assessed at 5-day, 1-month, 4-month, and 8-month post-surgery on measures of psychological distress, optimism, treatment decision-making (TDM) difficulties, satisfaction with treatment outcome, satisfaction with medical consultation, and physical symptom distress. Latent growth mixture modelling identified trajectories of psychological response to BC.

Spirituality and well-being in cancer patients: a review.

Objective: Cancer places many demands on the patient and threatens the person's sense of meaning to life. It has been shown that cancer patients use their spirituality to cope with these experiences. The present literature review summarizes the research findings on the relationship between spirituality and emotional well-being.

Social adjustment among Chinese women following breast cancer surgery.

Background: How breast cancer surgery affects social adjustment among Chinese women is unknown, as are factors predicting such adjustment.

Methods: 405 Chinese women receiving surgery for localized breast cancer completed Social Adjustment Scales (Ch-SAS) at 1-, 4- and 8-months post-operatively. Subscale scores were regressed on baseline (days 3-12 post-operatively) measures of treatment decision-making difficulty (TDMD), self-efficacy (GSeS), consultation satisfaction (C-MISS-R), psychological (CHQ-12) and physical distress (PD), and 1-month follow-up optimism (C-LOT-R), and disappointment (E-OI), fully adjusted for demographic and clinical factors.

Education of creative art therapy to cancer patients: evaluation and effects.

Background: The course Cancer and Creative Art offers cancer patients the possibility to cope with their illness through creativity and self-expression.

Methods: Five groups of 35 participants, predominantly composed of women with breast cancer, participated in an explorative evaluation and effect study; premeasures and postmeasures were applied.

Results: The course met the needs of participants that included personal growth and contact with fellow sufferers as well as exploration and expressing their emotions and coping with their feelings.

Change in quality of life in Chinese women with breast cancer: changes in psychological distress as a predictor.

Introduction: The effect of fluctuating psychological distress on quality of life (QoL) scores is not well delineated. We examined how changes in psychological distress affected change in QoL over time in 259 Chinese women recovering from breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: Women were interviewed during their first postoperative outpatient visit for chemotherapy (Baseline), at 3 months (FU1), and at 6 months after Baseline (FU2).

Is self-efficacy a predictor of short-term post-surgical adjustment among Chinese women with breast cancer?

Background: High self-efficacy (SE) is regarded as beneficial for cancer patients in facilitating adaptation and therefore desirable. However, this may not always be the case.

Design: A longitudinal cohort study of women receiving breast cancer surgery.

Measuring social impacts of breast carcinoma treatment in Chinese women.

Background: There is no existing instrument that is suitable for measuring the social impact of breast carcinoma (BC) and its treatment among women of Southern Chinese descent. In the current study, the authors assessed the validity of the Chinese Social Adjustment Scale, which was designed to address the need for such an instrument.

Methods: Five dimensions of social concern were identified in a previous study of Cantonese-speaking Chinese women with BC; these dimensions were family and other relationships, intimacy, private self-image, and public self-image.