Analyse longitudinale de la qualité de vie relative à la santé en cancérologie

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become one of the major objectives of oncology clinical trials to ensure the clinical benefit of new treatment strategies for the patient. However, the results of HRQoL data remain poorly used in clinical practice due to the subjective and dynamic nature of HRQoL. Moreover, statistical methods for its longitudinal analysis hâve to take into account the occurrence of missing data and the potential Response Shift effect reflecting patient’s adaptation of the disease and treatment toxicities. Finally, these methods should also propose some results easy understandable for clinicians.In this context, this work aimed to review these limiting factors and to propose some suitable methods for a robust interprétation of longitudinal HRQoL data. This work is focused on both the Time to HRQoL score détérioration (TTD) as a modality of longitudinal analysis and the characterization of the occurrence of the Response Shift effect.This work has resulted in the création of an R package for the longitudinal HRQoL analysis according to the TTD with an easy to use interface. Some recommendations were proposed on the définitions of the TTD to apply according to the therapeutic settings and the potential occurrence of the Response Shift effect. This attractive method was applied in two early stage I and II trials. The inverse probability weighting method of the propensity score was investigated in conjunction with the TTD method to take into account the occurrence of missing data depending on patients’ characteristics. A comparison between three statistical approaches for the longitudinal analysis showed the performance of the linear mixed model and allows to give some recommendations for the longitudinal analysis according to the study design. This study also highlighted the impact of the occurrence of informative missing data on the longitudinal statistical methods. Factor analyses and Item Response Theory models showed their ability to characterize the occurrence of the Response Shift in conjunction with the Then- test method. Finally, although the structural équations modeling are often used to characterize this effect on the SF-36 generic questionnaire, they seem not appropriated to the particular structure of the HRQoL cancer spécifie questionnaires of the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) HRQoL groupLa qualité de vie relative à la santé (QdV) est désormais un des objectifs majeurs des essais cliniques en cancérologie pour pouvoir s’assurer du bénéfice clinique de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques pour le patient. Cependant, les résultats des données de QdV restent encore peu pris en compte en pratique clinique en raison de la nature subjective et dynamique de la QdV. De plus, les méthodes statistiques pour son analyse longitudinale doivent être capables de tenir compte de l’occurrence des données manquantes et d’un potentiel effet Response Shift reflétant l’adaptation du patient vis-à-vis de la maladie et de la toxicité du traitement. Ces méthodes doivent enfin proposer des résultats facilement compréhensibles par les cliniciens.Dans cette optique, les objectifs de ce travail ont été de faire le point sur ces facteurs limitants et de proposer des méthodes adéquates pour une interprétation robuste des données de QdV longitudinales. Ces travaux sont centrés sur la méthode du temps jusqu’à détérioration d’un score de QdV (TJD), en tant que modalité d’analyse longitudinale, ainsi que sur la caractérisation de l’occurrence de l’effet Response Shift.Les travaux menés ont donné lieu à la création d’un package R pour l’analyse longitudinale de la QdV selon la méthode du TJD avec une interface facile d’utilisation. Certaines recommandations ont été proposées sur les définitions de TJD à appliquer selon les situations thérapeutiques et l’occurrence ou non d’un effet Response Shift. Cette méthode attractive pour les cliniciens a été appliquée dans le cadre de deux essais de phase précoces I et IL La méthode de pondération par probabilité inversée du score de propension a été investiguée conjointement avec la méthode du TJD afin de tenir compte de l’occurrence de données manquantes dépendant des caractéristiques des patients. Une comparaison de trois approches statistiques pour l’analyse longitudinale a montré la performance du modèle linéaire mixte et permet de donner quelques recommandations pour l’analyse longitudinale selon le design de l’étude. Cette étude a également montré l’impact de l’occurrence de données manquantes informatives sur les méthodes d’analyse longitudinale. Des analyses factorielles et modèles issus de la théorie de réponse à l’item ont montré leur capacité à caractériser la Response Shift conjointement avec la méthode Then-test. Enfin, bien que les modèles à équation structurelles soient régulièrement appliqués pour caractériser cet effet sur le questionnaire de QdV générique SF-36, ils semblent peu adaptés à la structure des questionnaires spécifiques du cancer du groupe « European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer » (EORT

An international tool to measure perceived stressors in intensive care units: the PS-ICU scale.

Background The intensive care unit is increasingly recognized as a stressful environment for healthcare professionals. This context has an impact on the health of these professionals but also on the quality of their personal and professional life. However, there is currently no validated scale to measure specific stressors perceived by healthcare professionals in intensive care. The aim of this study was to construct and validate in three languages a perceived stressors scale more specific to intensive care units (ICU). Results We conducted a three-phase study between 2016 and 2019: (1) identification of stressors based on the verbatim of 165 nurses and physicians from 4 countries (Canada, France, Italy, and Spain). We identified 99 stressors, including those common to most healthcare professions (called generic), as well as stressors more specific to ICU professionals (called specific); (2) item elaboration and selection by a panel of interdisciplinary experts to build a provisional 99-item version of the scale. This version was pre-tested with 70 professionals in the 4 countries and enabled us to select 50 relevant items; (3) test of the validity of the scale in 497 ICU healthcare professionals. Factor analyses identified six dimensions: lack of fit with families and organizational functioning; patient- and family-related emotional load; complex/at risk situations and skill-related issues; workload and human resource management issues; difficulties related to team working; and suboptimal care situations. Correlations of the PS-ICU scale with a generic stressors measure (i.e., the Job Content Questionnaire) tested its convergent validity, while its correlations with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-HSS examined its concurrent validity. We also assessed the test–retest reliability of PS-ICU with intraclass correlation coefficients. Conclusions The perceived stressors in intensive care units (PS-ICU) scale have good psychometric properties in all countries. It includes six broad dimensions covering generic or specific stressors to ICU, and thus, enables the identification of work situations that are likely to generate high levels of stress at the individual and unit levels. For future studies, this tool will enable the implementation of targeted corrective actions on which intervention research can be based. It also enables national and international comparisons of stressors’ impact.post-print925 K

Longitudinal analysis of the health-related quality of life in oncology

La qualité de vie relative à la santé (QdV) est désormais un des objectifs majeurs des essais cliniques en cancérologie pour pouvoir s’assurer du bénéfice clinique de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques pour le patient. Cependant, les résultats des données de QdV restent encore peu pris en compte en pratique clinique en raison de la nature subjective et dynamique de la QdV. De plus, les méthodes statistiques pour son analyse longitudinale doivent être capables de tenir compte de l’occurrence des données manquantes et d’un potentiel effet Response Shift reflétant l’adaptation du patient vis-à-vis de la maladie et de la toxicité du traitement. Ces méthodes doivent enfin proposer des résultats facilement compréhensibles par les cliniciens.Dans cette optique, les objectifs de ce travail ont été de faire le point sur ces facteurs limitants et de proposer des méthodes adéquates pour une interprétation robuste des données de QdV longitudinales. Ces travaux sont centrés sur la méthode du temps jusqu’à détérioration d’un score de QdV (TJD), en tant que modalité d’analyse longitudinale, ainsi que sur la caractérisation de l’occurrence de l’effet Response Shift.Les travaux menés ont donné lieu à la création d’un package R pour l’analyse longitudinale de la QdV selon la méthode du TJD avec une interface facile d’utilisation. Certaines recommandations ont été proposées sur les définitions de TJD à appliquer selon les situations thérapeutiques et l’occurrence ou non d’un effet Response Shift. Cette méthode attractive pour les cliniciens a été appliquée dans le cadre de deux essais de phase précoces I et IL La méthode de pondération par probabilité inversée du score de propension a été investiguée conjointement avec la méthode du TJD afin de tenir compte de l’occurrence de données manquantes dépendant des caractéristiques des patients. Une comparaison de trois approches statistiques pour l’analyse longitudinale a montré la performance du modèle linéaire mixte et permet de donner quelques recommandations pour l’analyse longitudinale selon le design de l’étude. Cette étude a également montré l’impact de l’occurrence de données manquantes informatives sur les méthodes d’analyse longitudinale. Des analyses factorielles et modèles issus de la théorie de réponse à l’item ont montré leur capacité à caractériser la Response Shift conjointement avec la méthode Then-test. Enfin, bien que les modèles à équation structurelles soient régulièrement appliqués pour caractériser cet effet sur le questionnaire de QdV générique SF-36, ils semblent peu adaptés à la structure des questionnaires spécifiques du cancer du groupe « European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer » (EORTCHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become one of the major objectives of oncology clinical trials to ensure the clinical benefit of new treatment strategies for the patient. However, the results of HRQoL data remain poorly used in clinical practice due to the subjective and dynamic nature of HRQoL. Moreover, statistical methods for its longitudinal analysis hâve to take into account the occurrence of missing data and the potential Response Shift effect reflecting patient’s adaptation of the disease and treatment toxicities. Finally, these methods should also propose some results easy understandable for clinicians.In this context, this work aimed to review these limiting factors and to propose some suitable methods for a robust interprétation of longitudinal HRQoL data. This work is focused on both the Time to HRQoL score détérioration (TTD) as a modality of longitudinal analysis and the characterization of the occurrence of the Response Shift effect.This work has resulted in the création of an R package for the longitudinal HRQoL analysis according to the TTD with an easy to use interface. Some recommendations were proposed on the définitions of the TTD to apply according to the therapeutic settings and the potential occurrence of the Response Shift effect. This attractive method was applied in two early stage I and II trials. The inverse probability weighting method of the propensity score was investigated in conjunction with the TTD method to take into account the occurrence of missing data depending on patients’ characteristics. A comparison between three statistical approaches for the longitudinal analysis showed the performance of the linear mixed model and allows to give some recommendations for the longitudinal analysis according to the study design. This study also highlighted the impact of the occurrence of informative missing data on the longitudinal statistical methods. Factor analyses and Item Response Theory models showed their ability to characterize the occurrence of the Response Shift in conjunction with the Then- test method. Finally, although the structural équations modeling are often used to characterize this effect on the SF-36 generic questionnaire, they seem not appropriated to the particular structure of the HRQoL cancer spécifie questionnaires of the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) HRQoL grou

Health-Related Quality of Life of Lebanese Women With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

BackgroundIn the past few decades, Lebanon has witnessed a significant increase in the incidence rates of women diagnosed with breast cancer. This increase, which is associated with the advancements in treatment modalities, emphasizes the need to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of women with breast cancer and to compare its patterns before and after breast-conserving surgery (BCS). ObjectiveThis study aims to describe changes in HRQoL according to body image pre- and post-BCS and just before initiation of adjuvant therapy in newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer in Lebanon. MethodsA prospective cohort study targeting Lebanese women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and who have an indication for BCS will be conducted in 2 health care facilities. Baseline characteristics and clinical data will be collected. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life cancer-specific and breast cancer–specific questionnaires will be used to assess HRQoL. The outcomes will be measured at baseline and 1 day after breast surgery. The primary outcome will be the body image dimensions of the Quality-of-Life breast cancer–specific questionnaire. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics, paired 2-tailed t test, and stepwise multiple regression. A total of 120 patients will be required. ResultsA total of 120 patients were enrolled in the study. Future outcomes will be published in professional peer-reviewed health-related research journals. ConclusionsThis study is strengthened by its follow-up nature, allowing us to draw conclusions about causality. The results of this study will identify the most affected components of HRQoL, as well as the factors that could play a role in improving HRQoL among women undergoing BCS. The findings of this study will help decision makers, physicians, and social workers to design a comprehensive program with multidisciplinary components for the management and care of patients with breast cancer in Lebanon. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/2789

Profiles of caregivers most at risk of having unmet supportive care needs: Recommendations for healthcare professionals in oncology

International audiencePurpose: This study aimed to identify profiles of caregivers to cancer patients at higher risk of having at least one moderately or highly unmet supportive care need based on 1) relevant socio-demographic (e.g. age, gender) and clinical (e.g. type of cancer, phase of the cancer pathway) variables highlighted in the literature and easily identifiable in routine, and 2) caregivers' anxiety and depression symptoms.Method: Three hundred and sixty-four main caregivers completed a questionnaire assessing their supportive care needs (SCNS-P&C-F) and anxiety and depression symptoms (HADS) during the treatment or follow-up stage of patients with digestive, breast, or lung cancer. Decision trees were used to identify profiles of caregivers with the Conditional inference Tree (CTree) technique.Results: In our study, only the combination of three main variables was important to predict the risk of unmet supportive care needs of caregivers: anxiety and/or depression symptoms, the age of caregivers or patients, and the presence/absence of metastases. Emotional distress has the greatest impact, exceeding that of the socio-demographic and clinical variables considered in this study.Conclusions: This study shows the importance of considering a set of variables and their combinations rather than evaluating their effects separately. Routinely assessing the anxiety and depression symptoms of caregivers using the HADS could improve the screening of caregivers at higher risk of unmet supportive care needs based on socio-demographic and clinical variables only. This study provides recommendations on how to identify caregivers at risk of unmet needs, in the context of an inability to support all caregivers

The Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC): A French short version for cancer patients

International audienceBackground: Intrapersonal and interpersonal Emotional Competence (EC) predicts better health and disease adjustment. This study aimed to validate a short version of the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC) scale for cancer patients.Methods: Five hundred and thirty-five patients with cancer completed a self-reported questionnaire assessing their intra- and interpersonal EC (PEC), their anxiety and depression symptoms (HADS), and their health-related quality of life (QLQ-C30). Confirmatory factor analyses and Item Response Theory models with the Partial Credit Model were performed to validate and reduce the scale.Findings: The Short-PEC (13 items), composed of 2 sub-scores of intra- (6 items) and interpersonal (7 items) EC, showed an improved factorial structure (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.075 (90% confidence interval 0.066-0.085), comparative fit index = 0.915) with good psychometric properties.Discussion: Future studies should use the Short-PEC to explain and predict the adjustment of cancer patients. The short-PEC could be also used in clinical routine to assess the level of EC of patients and to adapt psychosocial intervention

Ethical leadership, professional caregivers' well-being, and patients' perceptions of quality of care in oncology

International audienc