Effects of Promotional Materials on Attitudes and Fear towards Colorectal Cancer Screening among Chinese Older Adults: An Experimental Study

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Managing symptoms in patients with advanced lung cancer during radiotherapy: results of a psychoeducational randomized controlled trial

Context. Breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety are distressing symptoms for patients with advanced lung cancer. Usually managed as isolated symptoms, theyoften can occur simultaneously. Previous research often has addressed management of discrete symptoms rather than considering them as a cluster, which, in reality, is the situation faced by patients.Objectives. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention (PEI) on the symptom cluster of anxiety, breathlessness, and fatigue, compared with usual care.Methods. A pretest/post-test, two-group, randomized, controlled trial was conducted. Education on symptom management and coaching in the use of progressive muscle relaxation were delivered to patients one week prior tocommencing radiotherapy (RT), and repeated three weeks after beginning RT. Symptom data were collected at four time points: prior to the intervention, threeweeks, six weeks, and 12 weeks postintervention.Results. One hundred forty lung cancer patients receiving palliative RT were recruited from a publicly funded hospital in Hong Kong. Doubly multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant difference (time ? group interaction effect, P ¼ 0.003) over time between the PEI and usual care control group on the pattern of change of the symptom cluster. Significant effects on the patterns ofchanges in breathlessness (P ¼ 0.002), fatigue (P ¼ 0.011), anxiety (P ¼ 0.001), and functional ability (P ¼ 0.000) also were found.Conclusion. PEI is a promising treatment for relieving the symptom cluster and each of the individually assessed symptoms. More effort needs to be directed a

End of Life Experience of Symptom Cluster and Their Management in Hong Kong Chinese Patients with Lung Cancer Who Receive Palliative Radiotherapy

Breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety are distressing symptoms for patients with advanced lung cancer, however, they are not relieved by palliative RT and are often viewed as neglected areas of clinical practice. This paper aims to review definitions of, and explore patients’ experiences of, breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety. Further, it will outline existing approaches, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, to treat them. Current treatments and perceptions of these symptoms will be discussed in the context of Hong Kong health care service. The review of literature also shows that breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety appears to have similar emotional origins. A contemporary approach of using a common pyschoeducational intervention to treat these symptoms together as a cluster in end of life care will be discussed

A study to assess the existence of the symptom cluster of breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety in patients with advanced lung cancer

The purpose of this small-scale study was to assess the existence of a symptom cluster involving breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety in patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing palliative radiation. A convenience sample of 27 patients were asked to complete a set of 100 mm horizontal visual analogue scales (VAS) measuring the intensity of anxiety, breathlessness and fatigue at 3 points in time: 1 day prior to palliative radiotherapy (RT) (baseline, T0), and at week 3 (T1) and week 6 (T2) after the commencement of the RT. The prevalence of the 3 symptoms ranged from 59% to 96%. At baseline the median intensity of symptoms was mild, becoming progressively worse at T1 and T2. The correlations between the 3 symptoms were moderately strong at T1 and T2 (r=0.49–0.75). The proposed symptom cluster had high internal consistency across T0–T2. These data support the notion that the symptoms—breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety—may be viewed as a symptom cluster. The high prevalence and moderate intensity of the symptom cluster demonstrates a need for an intervention to manage these symptoms simultaneousl

A theory-driven, culture-tailored educational intervention for cervical cancer screening among rural Chinese females: A feasibility and pilot study

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminarily estimate the effects of a theory-driven, culture-tailored, community-based educational intervention promoting cervical cancer screening among rural females. Methods: An experimental study with the two-arm parallel, nonrandomized control trial design was implemented, followed by individual semi-structured interviews. Thirty rural females between 26 and 64 were recruited, with 15 in each group. Both groups were exposed to the usual care about cervical cancer screening promotion from the local clinics, while participants in the intervention group additionally received five educational sessions in 5 weeks. Data were collected at baseline and immediately postintervention. Results: All participants completed the study, and the retention rate was 100%. Participants in the intervention group had more significant increments in cervical cancer screening-related self-efficacy (P ​< ​0.001), knowledge (P ​< ​0.001), and intention levels (P ​= ​0.003) than those in the control group. Most participants showed acceptance and satisfaction with this educational intervention. Conclusions: This study revealed that the theory-driven, culture-tailored, community-based educational intervention was feasible among the rural populations to promote cervical cancer screening. A large-scale interventional study with a prolonged follow-up duration is warranted to explore this educational intervention's effectiveness further

The Effects of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions on Symptom Management and Quality of Life among Breast Cancer Survivors Undergoing Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy: A Systematic Review

Breast cancer survivors need to undergo adjuvant endocrine therapy after completion of curative treatments to prevent disease recurrence. These individuals often experience symptoms which are detrimental to their quality of life (QOL). Implementation of interventions for effective symptom management among these survivors is warranted. This review provides an overview of studies on the effectiveness of the previously developed interventions for breast cancer survivors undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy on symptom alleviation and enhancement of QOL or health-related QOL (HRQOL). Five electronic databases were employed in the literature search. Study selection, data extraction and critical appraisal of the included studies were conducted by three authors independently. Twenty-four studies were included. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are effective in addressing the symptoms associated with adjuvant endocrine therapy among the breast cancer survivors, and in improving their QOL, although discrepancies were noted between the studies in terms of the significance of these effects. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions can be effective for symptom management among breast cancer survivors. Their implementation is recommended for effective survivorship care for these individuals. Further research on intervention development for breast cancer survivors is recommended to provide further evidence for the utility of the explored interventions in survivorship care for these patients.Arts, Faculty ofNon UBCPsychology, Department ofReviewedFacult