A concept analysis of remission within the domain of cancer survivorship

An Investigation into Psychological Aspects of Patients Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: A Review Study of Postgraduate Theses Prepared in Turkey

A significant number of scientific data concerning breast cancer is generated in Turkey. The present research reviewed postgraduate theses examining the psychological evaluation of breast cancer patients conducted in Turkey. The objective of the review study was to ascertain the focal topics of the theses, identify commonly examined psychological variables, determine research gaps, compare the frequency of experimental and intervention studies with other kinds of research, and provide recommendations for literature. A retrospective descriptive study was designed by performing a search on the YÖK Thesis Center website with the keywords "breast cancer" and "psychology" (in Turkish and English) between 2000 and 2024. The criteria for inclusion in the review study required that the dissertation be a master's or doctoral thesis in psychology, involve breast cancer patients as participants, focus on patients who are not in remission, and be available as open access. Twenty-seven postgraduate theses were selected. Of the theses 88.9% were classified as master's theses, while 11.1% were categorized as doctoral theses. Although the variables included in the these studies were numerous, some were investigated more often. "Post-traumatic growth" was evaluated by 12 theses, "perceived social support" by 6, "depression-anxiety-stress" by 15, and "coping" by 8. more frequently observed factors include metacognition, ruminative thinking, schemas, body perception/image, and self-esteem. Most of the studies were relational and non-interventional. Only three studies used psychological intervention. It is suggested that thesis studies should include more participant characteristics, control for them in analyses, and be more experimental and effectiveness focused.

"Life-changing": the experience of super-responders to biologics in severe asthma

BACKGROUND

There is limited information on the patient's perspective of how biologic treatments impact their lives. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the patient's experience of being considered a super-responder from a quality of life perspective.

METHODS

Patients with severe asthma identified as super-responders were invited to semi-structured interviews conducted online. Participants could bring a family member/friend to the interview. The interviews explored experiences of biologic treatment, were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-five participants took part in this study. Themes emerged on the impact of biologic treatment for participants and for their friends/family: (i) Words used to describe their often life-changing experiences and (ii) the positive changes noted. Biologic treatment stopped the disruption of family life and social life caused by exacerbations. Improvements in mental health were also noted. Marked individual variations in the way it affected their lives were noted. Most participants noticed improvements 2-3 months after starting their biologic, but some noticed improvement within a few days and others after 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Super-responders reported profound but heterogeneous improvements following biologic treatment beyond asthma symptoms and exacerbations including important benefits to social and family life. Improvements may be underestimated as social and family benefits are not reliably measured in current studies with implications for health economic evaluations. Not all patients are super-responders, and excellent responses may be lost in group mean data in trials. Individual time course and response patterns need further elucidation to identify who will respond best to biologics.