Satisfaction with care evaluation in cancer patients. The EORTC assessment system

Este trabajo pretende presentar el área de la evaluación de la Satisfacción con los Cuidados (SC) recibidos por el paciente oncológico. La SC es considerara como una de las variables PRO – patients reported outcomes más importantes. La SC se entiende como un concepto multidimensional en el que se incluyen las diferentes experiencias y procesos asociados con la atención que reciben los pacientes. La evaluación de la SC juega un papel importante en la investigación clínica, en la gestión o en la práctica clínica diaria, y puede ser realizada en varios niveles de la atención sanitaria. El Grupo de Calidad de Vida de la Organización Europea para la Investigación y Tratamiento del Cáncer-EORTC ha desarrollado un sistema de medida formado por un cuestionario general de Calidad de Vida y módulos para diferentes tipos de tumor, tratamientos y otras áreas que lo complementan. Dentro de este grupo hay una línea de investigación dirigida a la creación de cuestionarios de SC. En el presente trabajo presentamos los cuestionarios creados por este grupo EORTC IN-PATSAT32 y OUT-PATSAT35 RT, las validaciones que se han realizado para nuestro país de dichos instrumentos, y otros cuestionarios de medida de SC que han sido empleados en oncología. Además, se hace referencia a aspectos específicos de la medición de SC.The aim of the present work is to introduce to the field of Satisfaction with Care (SC) assessment in cancer patients. SC is considered as one of the most important PRO - patients reported outcomes variables. SC is understood as a multidimensional concept in which the different experiences and processes related to the attention patients receive are included. SC assessment has a key role in clinical research, in administration or in the daily clinical practice, and can be performed in different levels of the health care system. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer–EORTC-Quality of Life Group has developed an assessment system composed of a general Quality of Life questionnaire and some modules for different treatments, tumors and other areas that complete it. There is a research line within the EORTC Quality of Life Group for developing SC questionnaires. In the present work the SC instruments built by this group EORTC IN-PATSAT32 and OUT-PATSAT35 RT, the validation studies for Spain of these two instruments, and other SC questionnaires that have been used in oncology are presented. Besides, specific aspects of SC assessment are explained

La evaluación de la satisfacción con los cuidados en el paciente oncológico. El sistema de medida de la EORTC

Este trabajo pretende presentar el área de la evaluación de la Satisfacción con los Cuidados (SC) recibidos por el paciente oncológico. La SC es considerara como una de las variables PRO – patients reported outcomes más importantes. La SC se entiende como un concepto multidimensional en el que se incluyen las diferentes experiencias y procesos asociados con la atención que reciben los pacientes. La evaluación de la SC juega un papel importante en la investigación clínica, en la gestión o en la práctica clínica diaria, y puede ser realizada en varios niveles de la atención sanitaria. El Grupo de Calidad de Vida de la Organización Europea para la Investigación y Tratamiento del Cáncer-EORTC ha desarrollado un sistema de medida formado por un cuestionario general de Calidad de Vida y módulos para diferentes tipos de tumor, tratamientos y otras áreas que lo complementan. Dentro de este grupo hay una línea de investigación dirigida a la creación de cuestionarios de SC. En el presente trabajo presentamos los cuestionarios creados por este grupo EORTC IN-PATSAT32 y OUT-PATSAT35 RT, las validaciones que se han realizado para nuestro país de dichos instrumentos, y otros cuestionarios de medida de SC que han sido empleados en oncología. Además, se hace referencia a aspectos específicos de la medición de SC

Quality of life assessment by applying EORTC questionnaires to rectal cancer patients after surgery and neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment

Background: Quality of Life (QoL) is a key element in rectal cancer (RC) patients. Aims: this study assesses QoL in a sample of RC patients in their treatment follow-up period, and compares surgery modalities. Patients and methods: eighty four locally advanced RC patients who had received surgery and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were included in the study. Of these, 70 had adjuvant chemotherapy. All patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-CR29 once at least one year after completion of their treatment. Low anterior resection (LAR) patients also completed a Functional Evaluation questionnaire. Results: QoL scores in the EORTC questionnaires for the sample as a whole were high in most dimensions, in line with the general population's QoL values, although moderate limitations (> 30 points) were observed in urinary frequency, flatulence, impotence and sexual function. The scores for the Functional Evaluation were adequate (mean combined bowel function score of 18.2). LAR patients had a higher stool frequency than those with abdominoperineal resection (APR; p < 0.001). No differences in body image were found amongst LAR and APR patients. LAR patients with a lower anastomosis had higher faecal incontinence (p = 0.02), whereas those with a reservoir had better emotional functioning (p = 0.04) and higher faecal incontinence (p = 0.03). Conclusions: QoL scores and functional evaluation indicated patients had adapted to their disease and treatment. The few differences in QoL found between surgery modalities are in line with other recent studies and in contrast with earlier ones that suggested a lower QoL in APR patients

An evaluation study of the determinants of future perspective and global Quality of Life in Spanish long-term premenopausal early-stage breast cancer survivors

Aim of the study : Quality of life (QL) is important in premenopausal long-term breast cancer survivors. In this study we assessed QL and factors associated with future perspective and global QL in premenopausal early-stage long-term breast cancer survivors from Spain. Material and methods : 243 premenopausal stage I-IIIA relapse-free breast cancer patients who had received surgery 5–20 years previously completed EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires once during follow-up. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results : QL mean scores were high in most areas (> 80 in functioning; < 20 in symptoms). The main factors for future perspective were emotional and social functioning, fatigue, breast symptom, and body image. The main factors for global QL were fatigue, pain and physical functioning, and emotional and social functioning. The best logistic model to explain future perspective associated high emotional and social functioning and low breast symptoms with a lower risk of low future perspective (R 2 = 0.56). Higher scores in physical and emotional functioning and lower scores in fatigue were associated with a lower risk of low global QL (R 2 = 0.50). Conclusions : Psychological, social, and physical factors were found to be possible determinants of global QL and future perspective. QL in premenopausal early-stage long-term breast cancer survivors may benefit from multidisciplinary treatment

Search for narrow resonances using the dijet mass spectrum in pp collisions at s√=8 TeV

Results are presented of a search for the production of new particles decaying to pairs of partons (quarks, antiquarks, or gluons), in the dijet mass spectrum in proton-proton collisions at s√=8  TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.0  fb−1, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2012. No significant evidence for narrow resonance production is observed. Upper limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section of hypothetical new particles decaying to quark-quark, quark-gluon, or gluon-gluon final states. These limits are then translated into lower limits on the masses of new resonances in specific scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. The limits reach up to 4.8 TeV, depending on the model, and extend previous exclusions from similar searches performed at lower collision energies. For the first time mass limits are set for the Randall–Sundrum graviton model in the dijet channel

Search for ZZ ' resonances decaying to ttˉt\bar{t} in dilepton+jets final states in pppp collisions at s=7\sqrt{s}=7 TeV

A search for resonances decaying to top quark-antiquark pairs is performed using a dilepton+jets data sample recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. No significant deviations from the standard model background are observed. Upper limits are presented for the production cross section times branching fraction of top quark-antiquark resonances for masses from 750 to 3000 GeV. In particular, the existence of a leptophobic topcolor particle Z' is excluded at the 95% confidence level for resonance masses M[Z'] < 1.3 TeV for Gamma[Z'] = 0.012 M[Z'], and M[Z'] < 1.9 TeV for Gamma[Z'] = 0.10 M[Z']