Coping strategy influences quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer by mediating mood

Patients with advanced lung cancer and depressive/anxiety symptoms experience worse quality of life (QoL) We examined whether and how coping strategy influenced QoL in these patients. A multicenter cross-sectional study of 125 patients with advanced lung cancer was conducted. Patients using positive reframing as coping strategy, experience less anxiety and depressive symptoms leading to a better QoL. Introduction: Patients with advanced lung cancer experience high physical symptom burden with substantial psychological distress. Depressive and anxiety symptoms are common and associated with worse quality of life (QoL). Early palliative care (EPC) addresses the complex supportive care needs improving QoL and mood. The mechanisms of EPC are uncertain. We examined whether and how coping strategy, a primary component of EPC, influenced QoL in these patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study of patients with advanced lung cancer. A total of 125 patients completed assessments of QoL (QLQ-C15-PAL), depressive and anxiety symptoms (HADS), and coping (brief COPE questionnaire). The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. To determine whether and how coping strategy influences QoL, correlations and logistic regressions were performed. Results: Positive refraining correlates significantly with global QoL (r 0.25, P <.01), emotional well-being (r= 0.33, P <.01), pain (r = 0.30, P <.01), fatigue (r = 0.22, P <.01), loss of appetite (r = 0.22, P <.01) and nausea (r = 0.24, P <.01). Self-blame correlates significantly with worse emotional well-being (r = 0.19, P <.05) and insomnia (r = 0.19, P <.05). Using a 4-step logistic regression model, it was found that anxiety and depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between positive reframing and QoL. Conclusions: Patients with advanced lung cancer using positive refraining as coping strategy, experience higher QoL. The mechanism behind it seems that positive reframing goes along with less anxiety and depressive symptoms leading to a better QoL. Self-blame leads to more insomnia and worse emotional well-being. Providing skills to cope effectively could impact QoL in these patients

Coping strategy influences quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer by mediating mood

Patients with advanced lung cancer and depressive/anxiety symptoms experience worse quality of life (QoL) We examined whether and how coping strategy influenced QoL in these patients. A multicenter cross-sectional study of 125 patients with advanced lung cancer was conducted. Patients using positive reframing as coping strategy, experience less anxiety and depressive symptoms leading to a better QoL. Introduction: Patients with advanced lung cancer experience high physical symptom burden with substantial psychological distress. Depressive and anxiety symptoms are common and associated with worse quality of life (QoL). Early palliative care (EPC) addresses the complex supportive care needs improving QoL and mood. The mechanisms of EPC are uncertain. We examined whether and how coping strategy, a primary component of EPC, influenced QoL in these patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study of patients with advanced lung cancer. A total of 125 patients completed assessments of QoL (QLQ-C15-PAL), depressive and anxiety symptoms (HADS), and coping (brief COPE questionnaire). The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. To determine whether and how coping strategy influences QoL, correlations and logistic regressions were performed. Results: Positive refraining correlates significantly with global QoL (r 0.25, P <.01), emotional well-being (r= 0.33, P <.01), pain (r = 0.30, P <.01), fatigue (r = 0.22, P <.01), loss of appetite (r = 0.22, P <.01) and nausea (r = 0.24, P <.01). Self-blame correlates significantly with worse emotional well-being (r = 0.19, P <.05) and insomnia (r = 0.19, P <.05). Using a 4-step logistic regression model, it was found that anxiety and depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between positive reframing and QoL. Conclusions: Patients with advanced lung cancer using positive refraining as coping strategy, experience higher QoL. The mechanism behind it seems that positive reframing goes along with less anxiety and depressive symptoms leading to a better QoL. Self-blame leads to more insomnia and worse emotional well-being. Providing skills to cope effectively could impact QoL in these patients

A Multicenter Study to Assess EGFR Mutational Status in Plasma: Focus on an Optimized Workflow for Liquid Biopsy in a Clinical Setting

A multicenter study was performed to determine an optimal workflow for liquid biopsy in a clinical setting. In total, 549 plasma samples from 234 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were collected. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutational analysis was performed using digital droplet PCR (ddPCR). The influence of (pre-) analytical variables on ctDNA analysis was investigated. Sensitivity of ctDNA analysis was influenced by an interplay between increased plasma volume (p &lt; 0.001) and short transit time (p = 0.018). Multistep, high-speed centrifugation both increased plasma generation (p &lt; 0.001) and reduced genomic DNA (gDNA) contamination. Longer transit time increased the risk of hemolysis (p &lt; 0.001) and low temperatures were shown to have a negative effect. Metastatic sites were found to be strongly associated with ctDNA detection (p &lt; 0.001), as well as allele frequency (p = 0.034). Activating mutations were detected in a higher concentration and allele frequency compared to the T790M mutation (p = 0.003, and p = 0.002, respectively). Optimization of (pre-) analytical variables is key to successful ctDNA analysis. Sufficient plasma volumes without hemolysis or gDNA contamination can be achieved by using multistep, high-speed centrifugation, coupled with short transit time and temperature regulation. Metastatic site location influenced ctDNA detection. Finally, ctDNA levels might have further value in detecting resistance mechanisms