The supportive care needs for prostate cancer patients in Sarawak

Is There a Difference in Unmet Supportive Care Needs Between Older and Younger Outpatients Receiving Chemotherapy?

Objective: This study investigated whether there was a difference in unmet supportive care needs between older and younger cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. Background: Physiological, physical, cognitive, and social functions, which play a key role in coping with cancer, are impaired due to aging. Age-related physiological changes and psychosocial factors and comorbid medical conditions make some of the needs of older cancer patients unique and complex. At the heart of meeting these needs lies the concept of supportive care. First step of meeting their needs is to determine these needs. Study Design and Methods: The study was conducted in the Daytime Treatment Unit of the oncology hospital of a university in Ankara, Turkey. The study sample consisted of 93 patients aged 65 years or older and 93 patients under 65 years of age. Both groups were similar in terms of sex, cancer type, and chemotherapy protocols. Data were collected using a Patient Information Form and Supportive Care Needs Scale-Short Turkish Version and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: Participants had a median total score of 1.92. Their "daily life needs" and "sexuality needs" subscale scores were highest and lowest, respectively. Older patients had lower median total scores than younger patients. Younger patients had higher median "health care and information needs" and "sexuality needs" subscale scores than older patients. Conclusion: Elderly patients reported fewer unmet needs than younger patients. This may be due to age-related cultural factors as they may have difficulty expressing their needs. Implications: Results suggest to focus on the fact that patients' needs change with age and that they have difficulty expressing their needs.

Effects of Psychological Intervention on Perioperative Quality of Life and Serum PSA and FPSA Levels of Patients with Prostate Cancer Treated with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

Objective

To observe the effects of psychological intervention on the perioperative quality of life and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and free PSA (FPSA) levels in patients with prostate cancer treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Method

A total of 208 prostate cancer patients were selected and randomly divided into a study group with 104 cases and a control group with 104 cases. The control group received a plan of basic nursing combined with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and the study group received psychological intervention on the basis of the control group. Negative emotion, pain degree, quality of life, maximum urine flow rate, residual urine volume, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment. The levels of PSA and FPSA and the long-term efficacy of the two groups of patients before and after treatment were compared.

Results

After nursing, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score, pain degree, maximum urine flow rate, residual urine volume, IPSS score, emotional function, social function, role function, and physical function scores of patients in two groups were decreased, and the decrease was more significant in the study group. After treatment, serum PSA and FPSA levels in the study group were obviously lower than those in the control group. The two-year cumulative survival rate of the study group was higher than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in the cognitive function score and incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups.

Conclusion

Psychological intervention combined with traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of prostate cancer can effectively improve the patient's psychological state, reduce the degree of pain in patients, improve the therapeutic effect and the quality of life of patients, and significantly reduce serum PSA and FPSA levels, which could lead to a prolonged life.

Supportive care interventions and quality of life in advanced disease prostate cancer survivors: An integrative review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Supportive care interventions can improve quality of life and health outcomes of advanced prostate cancer survivors. Despite the high prevalence of unmet needs, supportive care for this population is sparse.

METHODS

The databases PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and ProQuest were searched for relevant articles. Data were extracted, organized by thematic matrix, and categorized according to the seven domains of the Supportive Care Framework for Cancer Care.

RESULTS

The search yielded 1678 articles, of which 18 were included in the review and critically appraised. Most studies were cross-sectional with small, non-diverse samples. Supportive care interventions reported for advanced prostate cancer survivors are limited with some positive trends. Most outcomes were symptom-focused and patient self-reported (e.g., anxiety, pain, self-efficacy) evaluated by questionnaires or interview. Interventions delivered in group format reported improvements in more outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional supportive care intervention are needed for men with advanced prostate cancer. Because of their crucial position in caring for cancer patients, nurse scientists and clinicians must partner to research and develop patient-centered, culturally relevant supportive care interventions that improve this population's quality of life and health outcomes. Efforts must concentrate on sampling, domains of needs, theoretical framework, guidelines, and measurement instruments.

Intervention en soins de soutien auprès de survivants du cancer prostatique avancé : Revue intégrative de la littérature

Contexte

Pour les survivants du cancer prostatique avancé, les interventions en soins de soutien peuvent améliorer la qualité de vie et les résultats cliniques. Même si ces patients ont très fréquemment des besoins non satisfaits, peu de soins de soutien leur sont prodigués.

Méthodologie

Les bases de données PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL et ProQuest ont été interrogées à la recherche d’articles pertinents. Les données ont été extraites, organisées par élément thématique et classées selon les sept domaines du Cadre des soins de soutien pour les soins en oncologie.

Résultats

La recherche a permis de relever 1 678 articles, dont 18 ont été inclus dans la revue et ont fait l’objet d’une évaluation critique. La plupart des études étaient transversales avec de petits échantillons non diversifiés. Les interventions en soins de soutien rapportées pour les survivants du cancer prostatique avancé sont limitées, mais tendent à être positives. La plupart des critères étaient axés sur les symptômes déclarés par les patients (ex. anxiété, douleur, auto-efficacité), et évalués au moyen de questionnaires ou d’entretiens. Les interventions réalisées en groupe ont donné de meilleurs résultats.

Conclusions

Les hommes atteints d’un cancer prostatique avancé ont besoin d’interventions supplémentaires en soins de soutien. En raison de leur rôle essentiel dans les soins aux patients cancéreux, les chercheurs en sciences infirmières et les infirmières cliniciennes doivent faire équipe pour trouver et élaborer des interventions en soins de soutien axées sur le patient et adaptées à la culture qui améliorent la qualité de vie et les résultats cliniques. Il faut centrer les efforts sur l’échantillonnage, les domaines des besoins, le cadre théorique, les lignes directrices et les instruments de mesure.

Unmet needs in Iranian cancer patients

Background: The identification and management of unmet needs is an essential component of health care for the growing cancer patient population. Information about the prevalence of unmet need can help medical service planning/redesigning. Therefore, this study aimed to identify unmet needs in Iranian patients suffering from cancer.

Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 650 cancer patients admitted to the major medical centers in Mashhad and Neyshabur by census sampling. The data was gathered by the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SUNS). Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test and Pearson correlation.

Results: Most of participants were female (56%, n=263) and Mashhad resident (67.1%, n=436). The most common cancers were colorectal (17.8 %, n=116), stomach (13.6%, n=88) and lung (9.4%, n=62), respectively. The highest unmet needs score belonged to work and financial needs (2.46 ± 0.91), and the least was the emotional domain (1.92±0.90). Among demographic factors, a significant relationship was found between resident places (p<0.001), and cancer type (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: This is the first study addressing the unmet needs of cancer patients in Iran. It reveals that cancer patients had a relative high number of unmet needs; this shows the necessity of including these factors in the routine assessment of all cancer patients and planning treatment interventions based on their individual’s need.

Male subfertility as a chronic illness: the role of adaptive challenges

Male factor infertility (MFI) is extremely common, often with several associated chronic health conditions. Because a man's fertility assessment may be their first contact with health services, the health care team has a responsibility to act as male health advocates to ensure comprehensive care. The diagnosis of subfertility allows a broader view of these men as patients with a chronic illness who have complex health needs. Because of the associated complexity of care following evaluation, there needs to be new approach in how men affected by MFI should be managed long term. In this commentary, we propose that the Adaptive Leadership Framework model for Chronic Illness is a suitable vehicle to use for management of the MFI patient's journey towards optimized health.