Nested Cohort Study to Identify Characteristics That Predict Near-Term Disablement From Lung Cancer Brain Metastases

Telemedicine in Cancer Rehabilitation: Applications and Opportunities Across the Cancer Care Continuum

ABSTRACT

Advancements in telemedicine have revolutionized the landscape of healthcare delivery, with particular implications for cancer rehabilitation. This journal article provides a comprehensive review of the utilization and application of telemedicine in cancer rehabilitation, spanning the entire cancer care continuum. The integration of telemedicine in cancer rehabilitation services is explored from diagnosis through survivorship, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities at each stage.

Risk factors for reduced function in women with a history of breast cancer

PURPOSE

People with a history of breast cancer are at risk of losing function during and after treatment. Unfortunately, little is known about the individual and additive effects of specific treatment, disease-related, and demographic factors that may contribute to functional decline. This manuscript reports the results of a multi-center study to evaluate the effects of these factors on function.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, women with a history of breast cancer referred to physical medicine and rehabilitation cancer rehabilitation clinics were administered the PROMIS® Cancer Function Brief 3D Profile to evaluate function in the domains of physical function, fatigue, and social participation. Clinical and demographic information, including treatment history and disease status, was recorded by clinicians. Patients were analyzed in two groups: those with active disease on antineoplastic treatment, and those with no evidence of disease (NED). A multivariable model was constructed to detect associations between clinical and demographic factors.

RESULTS

In patients with NED, the presence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) was strongly associated with reduced function in all three domains. In those with active disease, having brain metastases was significantly associated with reduced function in all domains and CIPN with reduced physical function. Radiation was associated with improved function in both cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Among women seeking rehabilitative care, CIPN and the presence of brain metastases were most strongly associated with a decline in function. The effects of radiation on function were unexpected and may be partially explained by the treatment's role in symptom management. Clinicians who treat breast cancer should consider a patient's functional status when providing supportive care.

A View of the Development of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures, Their Clinical Integration, Electronification, and Potential Impact on Rehabilitation Service Delivery

Recognition of the importance of a patient's perception of their status and experience has become central to medical care and its evaluation. This recognition has led to a growing reliance on the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Nevertheless, although awareness of PROMs and acceptance of their utility has increased markedly, few of us have a good insight into their development; their utility relative to clinician-rated and performance measures such as the FIM and 6-minute walk test or how their "electronification" and incorporation into electronic health records (EHRs) may improve the individualization, value, and quality of medical care. In all, the goal of this commentary is to provide some insight into historical factors and technology developments that we believe have shaped modern clinical PROMs as they relate to medicine in general and to rehabilitation in particular. In addition, we speculate that while the growth of PROM use may have been triggered by an increased emphasis on the centrality of the patient in their care, future uptake will be shaped by their embedding in EHRs and used to improve clinical decision support though their integration with other sources of clinical and sociodemographic data.

Minimally Clinically Important Change in the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC), a Generic Patient-Reported Outcome Tool, in People With Low Back Pain

BACKGROUND

The Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) is a generic metric of patient-reported functional status. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the AM-PAC score has not been determined.

OBJECTIVE

The study objective was to determine the MCID for AM-PAC in people with low back pain.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

Anchor-based and distribution-based methods were used to estimate the MCID. The Modified Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire was used as the anchor. Adults who had a primary ICD-9 code for low back pain in at least 1 outpatient physical therapist visit during an episode of care and who completed both the AM-PAC and the Modified Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire in at least 2 visits during the care episode were included. The MCID was calculated for the AM-PAC basic mobility version as well its adapted version, which the Cleveland Clinic uses for patients 65 years old or older.

RESULTS

A total of 1,271 participants were eligible for study. For the AM-PAC basic mobility version, anchor-based methods yielded MCID estimates of between 3.4 and 5.1, whereas distribution-based methods yielded estimates of 1.7 to 4.2. The minimal detectable change (MDC) for the AM-PAC basic mobility version was 3.3. For the adapted AM-PAC basic mobility version, the MCID was estimated to be between 2.9 and 4.0 via anchor-based methods and between 1.2 to 3.5 via distribution-based methods. The MDC for the adapted AM-PAC basic mobility version was 3.5.

LIMITATIONS

The estimated MCID was designed for people with low back pain only.

CONCLUSIONS

The MCID ranged from 3.3 to 5.1 for the AM-PAC basic mobility version and 3.5 to 4 for the adapted version, with the MDC as the lower limit. Changes in the AM-PAC for people with low back pain may be interpreted using the estimated MCID. Future studies are needed to determine the AM-PAC MCID for populations other than those with low back pain.