Cancer worry is associated with increased use of supportive health care-results from the multinational InCHARGE study

PURPOSE

To assess use of health care following a diagnosis of endometrial, cervical, and ovarian cancer in the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. Furthermore, to analyze the association between cancer worry and use of supportive care.

METHODS

An international multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study was undertaken among female cancer survivors with endometrial, cervical, or ovarian cancer 1-7 years post diagnosis. We investigated different aspects of cancer survivorship and follow-up care. Health care use included information on the use of supportive health care, general practitioner (GP), and follow-up visits to the department of gynecology. Cancer worry was assessed with the Impact of Cancer (IoCv2) questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 1433 women completed the questionnaire. Health care use decreased from time of diagnosis and was higher among cervical and ovarian cancer survivors than endometrial cancer survivors. Twenty-five percent of the women with ovarian cancer reported severe cancer worry, in contrast to 10 and 15% of women diagnosed with endometrial and cervical cancer, respectively. Women with severe worry had significantly higher use of supportive care activities. In a multivariable regression analysis, cancer worry remained a significant correlate for use of supportive health care services irrespective of disease severity or prognosis. The strongest association was found for use of a psychologist (OR 2.1 [1.71-2.58]).

CONCLUSION

Cancer worry is associated with increased use of supportive care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Targeted, timely, and accessible psychological support aimed at severe cancer worry may improve survivorship care and ensure optimal referral of patients in need of additional care.

SHAred DEcision making in Pelvic Organ Prolapse (SHADE-POP); Implementation is not as easy as it seems

OBJECTIVE

Despite the positive effects of decision aids (DAs), implementation remains a significant challenge. The aim of the current study was to determine what barriers clinicians experience using a DA for pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

METHODS

This study was conducted with a qualitative descriptive design including in-depth semi-structured interviews according to COREQ-criteria. Participants included clinicians and patients. Grounded theory analysis was used to describe the main themes.

RESULTS

A total of 9 clinicians and 4 patients participated. Four major themes (1) opinions about shared decision making (SDM), (2) current practice, (3) experience with the DA, (4) suggestions for improvement and one minor theme (5) experience with the study, emerged. Clinicians were predominantly positive about the DA.

CONCLUSION

Despite the positive attitudes of the clinicians in this study, the implementation of a DA is still challenging. The DA is forgotten regularly as improvement of logistics is needed, clinicians assume they already provide good care which might result in a reluctance to change and more engagement of physicians is needed.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Regular contact with clinicians to remind, help and increase engagement and a decrease of the logistic burden is needed to ensure all patients can fully benefit of the DA.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery for advanced-stage endometrial cancer

Background

Data showing the value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nact) followed by interval debulking surgery (ids) in the management of advanced-stage serous endometrial carcinoma (eca) are limited; the aim of the present study was to expand the knowledge about that treatment strategy in patients with advanced eca, including endometrioid eca.

Methods

Data were collected retrospectively from all patients with advanced-stage eca treated with nact between 2005 and 2014 at 3 oncology referral centres. Primary outcomes were the radiologic response to nact and achievement of optimal or complete ids. Secondary outcomes were recurrence rate and progression-free and overall survival.

Results

Of 102 eca cases included, a complete radiologic response was achieved in only 4 cases, with a partial response being achieved in 72% (64% of endometrioid cases, 80% of serous cases). Complete ids was achieved in 62% of the endometrioid cases and in 56% of the serous eca cases, with optimal ids achieved in 31% and 28% of those cases respectively. Survival rates were calculated for all patients with complete and optimal ids; recurrence was observed in 56% and 67% of the cases respectively, and progression-free survival was 18 months and 13 months respectively. Median survival duration was 24 months for endometrioid eca and 28 months for serous eca.

Conclusions

For patients with advanced eca who are not suitable for primary debulking, nact followed by ids can be considered regardless of histologic subtype. The treatment options for this group of patients are limited and have to be explored.

Older ovarian cancer survivors report lower long-term health-related quality of life than younger survivors: A study from the population-based profiles registry

OBJECTIVE

To assess long-term differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older ovarian cancer survivors compared to both an age-matched normative population and to younger survivors. In addition, the differential effect of chemotherapy on HRQoL between older and younger survivors was compared.

METHODS

Ovarian cancer survivors (n = 348) diagnosed between 2000 and 2010, as registered by the Dutch population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, were invited to complete the EORTC QLQ-C30 HRQoL questionnaire in 2012. HRQoL outcomes of survivors were compared with an age-matched normative population and older survivors (≥70 years) were compared with younger survivors.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was returned by 191 ovarian cancer survivors (55%), 31% were aged ≥70 years (n = 59). Compared to the normative population, survivors ≥70 years scored lower on global health status and all functioning subscales except emotional functioning, and they reported more symptoms. Survivors aged <70 years only reported worse physical and cognitive functioning in comparison with the normative population. Most differences were of medium to small clinical relevance. Age appeared to moderate the effect of chemotherapy on HRQoL. Older survivors who had received chemotherapy experienced better physical functioning and less pain and insomnia while the opposite was found in younger survivors.

CONCLUSION

In comparison with an age-matched normative population, older ovarian cancer survivors report lower HRQoL scores than younger survivors. As this represents a selection of long-term survivors, future research should focus on the trajectory of HRQoL from diagnosis throughout treatment and follow-up to identify which factors are related to worse HRQoL in the entire older ovarian cancer population and whether timely interventions are able to improve HRQoL.

Chemotherapy for ovarian cancer in the Netherlands: a population-based study on treatment patterns and outcomes

Information on treatment patterns for ovarian cancer (OC) is limited. The aim of this study was to describe current patterns of chemotherapy and other systemic treatments for OC in the Netherlands and evaluate survival outcomes following subsequent lines of treatment. Data from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry, including on newly diagnosed cancer patients, were linked to the PHARMO Database Network, including information on in- and out-patient drug use. Patients diagnosed with OC between January 2000 and December 2010 were selected. An algorithm was used to identify separate lines of treatment. Data were studied descriptively. Detailed data on systemic drug use were available for 261 patients (17%) with OC. In first-line treatment, 87% of the patients (227/261) received platinum-based chemotherapy. Of the 161 patients receiving second-line treatment, 101 patients (63%) received platinum-based chemotherapy. In third line, this was 51% (53/103). The median number of treatment lines received by patients was two (interquartile range 1-3), and eight or more lines of chemotherapy were identified for 12 patients. Median survival from diagnosis onwards was 47 months from the end of first-line treatment, median survival was 32 months, and from the end of second-line treatment, it was 14 months. Predominantly beyond second-line treatment, there is much variety in treatment patterns with chemotherapy for OC. Although uncertainty remains regarding the desirability of this observed treatment variation, there seems a need for detailed clinical guidance, assuring that physicians can properly choose the most suitable treatment for each patient.

Effect of chemotherapy on health-related quality of life among early-stage ovarian cancer survivors: a study from the population-based PROFILES registry

BACKGROUND

There is wide variation in the application of adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Our aim was to assess differences in health-related quality of life (hrqol) between patients with early-stage ovarian cancer who did or did not receive chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment.

METHODS

All patients diagnosed with early-stage ovarian cancer between 2000 and 2010 within the population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry (n = 191) were enrolled in this study. Patients were requested to complete questionnaires, including the cancer-specific (qlq-C30) and ovarian cancer-specific (qlq-OV28) quality of life measures from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. Primary outcome measures were the generic-and cancer-specific domain scores for hrqol in ovarian cancer survivors.

RESULTS

Of the 107 patients (56%) who returned the questionnaires, 57 (53.3%) had received adjuvant chemotherapy and 50 (46.7%) had been treated with surgery alone. Significant differences in hrqol between those groups were found in the symptom scales for peripheral neuropathy, attitude toward sickness, and financial situation, with worse scores in the chemotherapy group.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of our study show that patients who receive adjuvant chemotherapy have a significantly worse score for 3 aspects of hrqol. Efforts should be made to reduce use of adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage ovarian cancer. Moreover, preventive strategies to improve long-term quality of life for those who need adjuvant chemotherapy should be explored.