The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Care Delivery and Quality of Life in Lung Cancer Surgery

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19) pandemic and associated restrictions have altered the delivery of surgical care. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 on care delivery and quality of life (QOL) from the perspectives of lung cancer surgery patients, family caregivers (FCGs), and thoracic surgery teams. Methods Patients/FCGs enrolled in a randomized trial of a self-management intervention for lung cancer surgery preparation/recovery were invited to participate in this qualitative study. Patients/FCGs data were collected separately 1-month postdischarge. Interviews were also conducted with thoracic surgery team members. Content analysis approaches were used to develop themes. Results Forty-one respondents including 19 patients, 18 FCGs, three thoracic surgeons, and one nurse practitioner participated in the study. Patient themes included isolation, psychological distress, delayed/impacted care, and financial impact. FCGs themes included caregiving challenges, worry about COVID-19, financial hardship, isolation, and physical activity limitations. Surgical team themes included witnessing patient/FCG\u27s distress, challenges with telehealth, communication/educational challenges, and delays in treatment. Conclusions COVID-19 had a varied impact on care delivery and QOL for lung cancer surgery dyads. Some dyads reported minimal impact, while others experienced added psychological distress, isolation, and caregiving challenges. Surgical teams also experienced challenges in the approach used to provide care

Smoking status and survival in the national comprehensive cancer network non–small cell lung cancer cohort

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to evaluate survival among current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers who are diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The study included patients who participated in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's NSCLC Database Project. Current, former, and never smokers were compared with respect to overall survival by fitting Cox regression models. RESULTS: Data from 4200 patients were examined, including 618 never smokers, 1483 current smokers, 380 former smokers who quit 1 to 12 months before diagnosis, and 1719 former smokers who quit >12 months before diagnosis. Among patients with stage I, II, and III disease, only never smokers had better survival than current smokers (hazard ratio, 0.47 [95% confidence interval, 0.26‐0.85] vs 0.51 [95% confidence interval, 0.38‐0.68], respectively). Among patients with stage IV disease, the impact of smoking depended on age: Among younger patients (aged ≤55 years), being a never smoker and a former smoker for ≥12 months increased survival. After age 85 years, smoking status did not have a significant impact on overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who were smoking at the time of diagnosis had worse survival compared with never smokers. Among younger patients with stage IV disease, current smokers also had worse survival compared with former smokers who quit >12 months before diagnosis. It is likely that tumor biology plays a major role in the differences observed; however, to improve survival, it is prudent to encourage all smokers to quit smoking if they are diagnosed with NSCLC. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society. Patients who are smoking at the time of diagnosis have worse survival compared with never smokers. Although some of these differences probably are related to tumor biology, to improve survival, it is prudent to encourage all smokers to quit smoking if they are diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96341/1/27824_ftp.pd

Social Determinants of Health Among Family Caregiver Centered Outcomes in Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally. Both lung cancer patients and family caregivers (FCGs) have unmet quality of life (QOL) needs. An understudied topic in lung cancer research is the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) on QOL outcomes for this population. The purpose of this review was to explore the state of research on SDOH FCGs centered outcomes in lung cancer. Methods: The databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and American Psychological Association (APA) PsycInfo were searched for peer-reviewed manuscripts evaluating defined SDOH domains on FCGs published within the last ten years. The information extracted using Covidence included patients, FCGs and study characteristics. Level of evidence and quality of articles were assessed using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Rating Scale. Results: Of the 344 full-text articles assessed, 19 were included in this review. The social and community context domain focused on caregiving stressors and interventions to reduce its effects. The health care access and quality domain showed barriers and underuse of psychosocial resources. The economic stability domain indicated marked economic burdens for FCGs. Four interconnected themes emerged among articles on the influence of SDOH on FCG-centered outcomes in lung cancer: (I) psychological well-being, (II) overall quality of life, (III) relationship quality, and (IV) economic hardship. Notably, most participants in the studies were White females. The tools used to measure SDOH factors included primarily demographic variables. Conclusions: Current studies provide evidence on the role of SDOH factors on lung cancer FCGs’ QOL. Expanded utilization of validated SDOH measures in future studies would provide greater consistency in data, that could in turn inform interventions to improve QOL. Further research focusing on the domains of education quality and access and neighborhood and built environment should be carried out to bridge gaps in knowledge

Precision Medicine and Actionable Alterations in Lung Cancer: A Single Institution Experience

OBJECTIVES: Oncology has become more reliant on new testing methods and a greater use of electronic medical records, which provide a plethora of information available to physicians and researchers. However, to take advantage of vital clinical and research data for precision medicine, we must initially make an effort to create an infrastructure for the collection, storage, and utilization of this information with uniquely designed disease-specific registries that could support the collection of a large number of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we perform an in-depth analysis of a series of lung adenocarcinoma patients (n = 415) with genomic and clinical data in a recently created thoracic patient registry. RESULTS: Of the 415 patients with lung adenocarcinoma, 59% (n = 245) were female; the median age was 64 (range, 22-92) years with a median OS of 33.29 months (95% CI, 29.77-39.48). The most common actionable alterations were identified in EGFR (n = 177/415 [42.7%]), ALK (n = 28/377 [7.4%]), and BRAF V600E (n = 7/288 [2.4%]). There was also a discernible difference in survival for 222 patients, who had an actionable alteration, with a median OS of 39.8 months as compared to 193 wild-type patients with a median OS of 26.0 months (P CONCLUSION: The use of patient registries, focused genomic panels and the appropriate use of clinical guidelines in community and academic settings may influence cohort selection for clinical trials and improve survival outcomes

Social determinants of health and lung cancer surgery: a qualitative study

IntroductionSocial determinants of health (SDOH) are non-clinical factors that may affect the outcomes of cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of SDOH factors on quality of life (QOL)-related outcomes for lung cancer surgery patients.MethodsThirteen patients enrolled in a randomized trial of a dyadic self-management intervention were invited and agreed to participate in semi-structured key informant interviews at study completion (3 months post-discharge). A conventional content analysis approach was used to identify codes and themes that were derived from the interviews. Independent investigators coded the qualitative data, which were subsequently confirmed by a second group of independent investigators. Themes were finalized, and discrepancies were reviewed and resolved.ResultsSix themes, each with several subthemes, emerged. Overall, most participants were knowledgeable about the concept of SDOH and perceived that provider awareness of SDOH information was important for the delivery of comprehensive care in surgery. Some participants described financial challenges during treatment that were exacerbated by their cancer diagnosis and resulted in stress and poor QOL. The perceived impact of education varied and included its importance in navigating the healthcare system, decision-making on health behaviors, and more economic mobility opportunities. Some participants experienced barriers to accessing healthcare due to insurance coverage, travel burden, and the fear of losing quality insurance coverage due to retirement. Neighborhood and built environment factors such as safety, air quality, access to green space, and other environmental factors were perceived as important to QOL. Social support through families/friends and spiritual/religious communities was perceived as important to postoperative recovery.DiscussionAmong lung cancer surgery patients, SDOH factors can impact QOL and the patient’s survivorship journey. Importantly, SDOH should be assessed routinely to identify patients with unmet needs across the five domains. SDOH-driven interventions are needed to address these unmet needs and to improve the QOL and quality of care for lung cancer surgery patients

Impact of Federal, State, and Local Housing Policies on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Black/African American Men and Women: From Policy to Pathways to Biology

Racist and discriminatory federal, state, and local housing policies significantly contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality for individuals that self-identify as Black or African American. Here we highlight three key housing policies – “redlining,” zoning, and the construction of highways – which have wrought a powerful, sustained, and destructive impact on cardiovascular health in Black/African American communities. Redlining and highway construction policies have restricted access to quality health care, increased exposure to carcinogens such as PM2.5, and increased exposure to extreme heat. At the root of these policy decisions are longstanding, toxic societal factors including racism, segregation, and discrimination, which also serve to perpetuate racial inequities in cardiovascular health. Here, we review these societal and structural factors and then link them with biological processes such as telomere shortening, allostatic load, oxidative stress, and tissue inflammation. Lastly, we focus on the impact of inflammation on the immune system and the molecular mechanisms by which the inflamed immune microenvironment promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. We propose that racial residential segregation and discrimination increases tissue inflammation and cytokine production, resulting in dysregulated immune signaling, which promotes plaque formation and cardiovascular disease. This framework has the power to link structural racism not only to cardiovascular disease, but also to cancer