A rapid review of needs assessment tools for post-treatment cancer survivors

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) to improve immune system and decrease pro-metastasis markers in early post-treatment breast cancer survivors. Methods: 130 post-treatment breast cancer survivors were recruited and randomized 1:1 into TCC group and wait-list (control) group. The TCC group practiced for a 60-minutes session once per week, for a total of 52 weeks. 115 forms of Yang-style TCC were taught by a Tai Chi master. Blood samples were taken from each subject and complete blood count was performed. The expressions of NKG2D protein, P-selectin, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in plasma were measured. Lymphocyte activity was measured by cell proliferation reagent and ATP assay. Images of lymphocyte colony formation were taken with an inverted microscope. Results: At 52 weeks, TCC group demonstrated a significantly higher WBC (p=0.001) , a significantly higher NKG2D value (p=0.001) and a significantly lower VEGF value (p=0.005) when compared to the wait-list group. However, there was a small, non-significant change for P-selectin values between the breast cancer survivor groups. After 72h incubation, TCC group had a significant increase in lymphocyte proliferation (p=0.001) and greater area of lymphocyte clusters or colonies (p=0.001). Conclusion: The practice of TCC could stimulate tumor immunosurveillance via NKG2D and activate the immune response. VEGF, a marker playing an important role in breast cancer and its metastases, was also reduced in those who practiced TCC. As an alternative for conventional exercise, post-treatment breast cancer survivors may select TCC in their rehabilitation program.

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Developing a Return to Work Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors with the Intervention Mapping Protocol: Challenges and Opportunities of the Needs Assessment

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2018.00035 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jean-Baptiste Fassier ◽

Marion Lamort-Bouché ◽

Guillaume Broc ◽

Laure Guittard ◽

Julien Péron ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Needs Assessment ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Intervention Mapping ◽

Intervention Mapping Protocol ◽

Work Intervention ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

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Behavioral Activation and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Behavior Modification ◽

10.1177/0145445520916441 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 014544552091644

Author(s):

Concepción Fernández-Rodríguez ◽

Sonia González-Fernández ◽

Rocío Coto-Lesmes ◽

Ignacio Pedrosa

Keyword(s):

Cancer Survivors ◽

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽

Experiential Avoidance ◽

Behavioral Activation ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Post Treatment ◽

Behavioural Activation ◽

Commitment Therapy ◽

Acceptance And Commitment

Behavioural Activation (BA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aim to reduce the inflexible avoidance of painful thoughts, feelings and memories and to encourage involvement in relevant activities, objectives which are clearly relevant to the situation of cancer survivors with emotional problems. With a view to evaluating and comparing the efficacy of both therapies, applied on a group basis, a randomized controlled trial was developed. Cancer survivors (age 18–65 years) with anxiety and/or depression were assigned at random to two experimental groups (BA; ACT) and a waiting list control group (WL). Of the 66 cancer survivors randomized to trial (intention-to-treat sample), 46 participants ( M = 51.49; SD = 6.88) completed the intervention (BA, n = 17; ACT, n = 12; WL, n = 17) (per-protocol sample). The emotional state, experiential avoidance and behavioural activation of the participants was evaluated in the pre- and post-treatment and in a 3-month follow-up using standardized instruments. Both treatment groups showed statistically significant changes, indicating an improvement in all the result variables in the post-treatment and follow-up as compared to the pre-treatment. BA showed better results than ACT regarding impact on anxiety and activation. This greater efficacy may have been due to factors such as the emphasis placed in BA on behavioural activation and the central role played in it by functional analysis. The key role played by experiential avoidance and behavioral activation in the maintenance and treatment of emotional problems in cancer survivors is discussed. Raw data are available online ( http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/m7w688khs8.1 )

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Employment changes among Chinese family caregivers of long-term cancer survivors

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-09922-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Siqi Liu ◽

Mingzhu Su ◽

Nengliang Yao ◽

Nan Zhang ◽

Jialin Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Survivors ◽

Labor Force ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Treatment Phase ◽

Post Treatment ◽

Limited Ability ◽

Employment Patterns ◽

Employment Hours ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Family caregivers (FCGs) play a key role in the plan of care provision for long-term cancer survivors, yet few studies have been conducted on the impact of long-term caregiving on FCGs and their employment patterns. This study aims to further our understanding of the effect that caregiving role has on FCGs by identifying what cancer-related characteristics influence reduction of employment hours among FCGs in the post-treatment phase in China. Methods A total of 1155 cancer survivors participated in this study. Patients reported changes in the employment patterns of their FCGs. Descriptive analysis looked at demographic and cancer-related characteristics of cancer survivors and types of FCGs’ employment changes in both primary- and post-treatment phases. Chi-square test was used to statistically test the association between survivors’ characteristics and changes in FCGs’ hours of labor force work in post-treatment phase. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between cancer-related characteristics of participants and employment reduction patterns among FCGs in post-treatment phase while controlling for demographic factors. Results In the primary-treatment phase, 45.6% of all FCGs reduced their working hours and 17.4% stopped working altogether. In the post-treatment phase, 25.2% of FCGs worked fewer hours and 6.6% left the workforce completely. The results show that a higher probability of change in employment hours among FCGs is associated with the following patient characteristics: having comorbidities, receiving chemotherapy treatment, limited ability to perform physical tasks, limited ability to perform mental tasks, and diagnosis of stage II of cancer. Conclusions Care for cancer patients in both primary- and post- treatment phases may have substantial impacts on hours of formal employment of Chinese FCGs. Interventions helping FCGs balance caregiving duties with labor force work are warranted.

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