RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Improved survival for individuals with metastatic cancer accentuates the importance of employment for cancer survivors. A better understanding of how metastatic cancer affects employment is a necessary step toward the development of tools for assisting survivors in this important realm. METHODS: The ECOG-ACRIN Symptom Outcomes and Practice Patterns study was analyzed to investigate what factors were associated with the employment of 680 metastatic cancer patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare patients stably working with patients no longer working. RESULTS: There were 668 metastatic working-age participants in the analysis: 236 (35%) worked full- or part-time, whereas 302 (45%) had stopped working because of illness. Overall, 58% reported some change in employment due to illness. A better performance status and non-Hispanic white ethnicity/race were significantly associated with continuing to work despite a metastatic cancer diagnosis in the multivariate analysis. The disease type, time since metastatic diagnosis, number of metastatic sites, location of metastatic disease, and treatment status had no significant impact. Among the potentially modifiable factors, receiving hormonal treatment (if a viable option) and decreasing symptom interference were associated with continuing to work. CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of the metastatic patients remained employed; increased symptom burden was associated with a change to no longer working. Modifiable factors resulting in work interference should be minimized so that patients with metastatic disease may continue working if this is desired. Improvements in symptom control and strategies developed to help address workplace difficulties have promise for improving this aspect of survivorship.
Assuntos
Emprego/estatística & dados numéricos , Metástase Neoplásica , Neoplasias/complicações , Adulto , Neoplasias da Mama/complicações , Neoplasias Colorretais/complicações , Progressão da Doença , Feminino , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/complicações , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Neoplasias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias/etnologia , Neoplasias/patologia , Neoplasias/terapia , Peru/epidemiologia , Prevalência , Estudos Prospectivos , Neoplasias da Próstata/complicações , Autorrelato , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Sobreviventes , Fatores de Tempo , Resultado do Tratamento , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , TrabalhoRESUMO
Peripheral neuropathy caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy, especially platins and taxanes, is a widespread problem among cancer survivors that is likely to continue to expand in the future. However, little work to date has focused on understanding this challenge. The goal in this study was to determine the impact of colorectal cancer and cumulative chemotherapeutic dose on sensory function to gain mechanistic insight into the subtypes of primary afferent fibers damaged by chemotherapy. Patients with colorectal cancer underwent quantitative sensory testing before and then prior to each cycle of oxaliplatin. These data were compared with those from 47 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients showed significant subclinical deficits in sensory function before any therapy compared with healthy volunteers, and they became more pronounced in patients who received chemotherapy. Sensory modalities that involved large Aß myelinated fibers and unmyelinated C fibers were most affected by chemotherapy, whereas sensory modalities conveyed by thinly myelinated Aδ fibers were less sensitive to chemotherapy. Patients with baseline sensory deficits went on to develop more symptom complaints during chemotherapy than those who had no baseline deficit. Patients who were tested again 6 to 12 months after chemotherapy presented with the most numbness and pain and also the most pronounced sensory deficits. Our results illuminate a mechanistic connection between the pattern of effects on sensory function and the nerve fiber types that appear to be most vulnerable to chemotherapy-induced toxicity, with implications for how to focus future work to ameloirate risks of peripheral neuropathy.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Colorretais/tratamento farmacológico , Compostos Organoplatínicos/efeitos adversos , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico/diagnóstico , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico/patologia , Neoplasias Colorretais/complicações , Neoplasias Colorretais/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Compostos Organoplatínicos/administração & dosagem , Oxaliplatina , Dor/complicações , Dor/tratamento farmacológico , Dor/patologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico/induzido quimicamente , SobreviventesRESUMO
PURPOSE: To validate the Brazilian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-B) scale and to determine the optimal cutpoints for mild, moderate, and severe pain based on patients' rating of their worst pain. METHODS: One hundred forty-three outpatients with cancer were recruited in Hospital das Clinicas-University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed two underlying dimensions, pain severity, and pain interference, with Cronbach's α of 0.91 and 0.87, respectively. Convergent validity was shown by the correlation observed between the BPI dimensions with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 pain scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The BPI-B detected significant differences in the two dimensions by disease and performance status, supporting known-group validity. For the worst pain, the optimal cutpoints were 4 and 7 (1-4 = mild pain, 5-7 = moderate, and 8-10 = severe). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that BPI-B is a brief, useful, and valid tool for assessing pain and its impact on patient's life.
Assuntos
Neoplasias/complicações , Medição da Dor/métodos , Dor/diagnóstico , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Brasil , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pacientes Ambulatoriais , Dor/etiologia , Índice de Gravidade de DoençaRESUMO
This paper describes an innovative Pan-American survey on advanced-cancer care and examines the quality-of-care provided by Latin American institutions. A convenience sample of 777 physicians and nurses who treat cancer patients in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru were surveyed. Providers were identified through mass mailings, distribution at professional meetings and conferences, collaboration with regional institutions, professional organizations, and PAHO and online posting. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of quality-of-care assessments in each country. The five predictive models were subsequently compared descriptively. Higher access to care ratings and greater availability of end-of-life services corresponded with improved institutional quality-of-care ratings for all five countries. Barring respondents from Cuba, providers from the other four nations who practice in public institutions rated the quality of advanced-cancer care in their own institutions lower than those practicing in private hospitals or specialized cancer centers. Other institutional quality-of-care predictors included type of city, affordability-of-care ratings, availability of opioid analgesics, where patients die, barriers to cancer pain management, and the provider's specialty and gender. These findings highlight the need for providing accessible care and services to improve the quality of advanced-cancer care in Latin American institutions. Efforts should be aimed at improving the care offered in public institutions and addressing other types of disparities that may exist within countries by creating supportive and palliative cancer care programs that are accessible and affordable to those most in need.
Assuntos
Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Custos de Cuidados de Saúde , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Neoplasias/terapia , Auditoria de Enfermagem , Cuidados Paliativos , Argentina , Brasil , Institutos de Câncer , Cuba , Progressão da Doença , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Hospitais Privados , Hospitais Públicos , Humanos , América Latina , México , Peru , Padrões de Prática MédicaRESUMO
Introdução: Pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço (CCP) apresentam diversos sintomas durante o curso de sua doença, sejam decorrentes do câncer ou do tratamento. Entretanto, esses sintomas são raramente avaliados de forma rotineira, resultando em identificação tardia, piora da qualidade da vida, com impacto significativo na capacidade funcional dos pacientes e nos custos da assistência. Há diversos instrumentos genéricos disponíveis para avaliar múltiplos sintomas em pacientes com câncer e, ao menos, dois específicos para pacientes com CCP (o Head and Neck Distress Scale [HNDS] e o M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory - Head&Neck [MDASI-H&N]). Infelizmente, nenhum desses instrumentos foi traduzido ou validado para o português do Brasil. Objetivo: Apresentar a tradução da versão brasileira do MDASI-H&N, uma ferramenta simples, de auto-relato, validada na língua inglesa, específica para avaliar a presença e intensidade de múltiplos sintomas em pacientes com CCP e o impacto desses sintomas na vida diária. Métodos: Foi realizada tradução e retrotradução do MDASI-H&N, considerando os padrões internacionalmente recomendados, sendo as versões finais comparadas e avaliadas por comitê de pesquisadores brasileiros e do hospital M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Resultados: O instrumento traduzido é apresentado nessa publicação e, atualmente, passa por processo de validação clínica no Brasil. Conclusão: Por ser um instrumento padronizado internacionalmente e racionalmente estabelecido, recomenda-se que, após sua validação em português, o MDASI-H&N seja adotado como a ferramenta padrão-ouro para avaliação sintomática de pacientes de cabeça e pescoço em protocolos clínicos conduzidos no Brasil e na prática clínica diária.
Introduction: Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients present multiple symptoms during the course of their disease, either as a result of cancer itself or its treatment. Nonetheless, these symptoms are rarely systematically assessed, leading to delays in their identification, quality of life deterioration, thus resulting in significant impact on patient functional capacity and costs of health care. Generic instruments for symptom evaluation in cancer patients are available, and two have been specifically designed for HNC (the Head and Neck Distress Scale [HNDS] and the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory - Head&Neck [MDASI-H&N]). Unfortunately, none of these tools have been translated to or validated in Brazilian Portuguese. Objective: To describe the Brazilian Portuguese version of the MDASI-H&N, a simple, self-reporting tool, which was originally developed and validated in English. It was specifically designed to assess the occurrence and severity of multiple symptoms, the overall symptom burden, and the interference of these symptoms with daily life. Methods: Translation and back-translation of the MDASI-H&N to Brazilian Portuguese were performed. The final versions were compared and contrasted by a committee composed of investigators from Brazil and from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Results: The translated instrument is presented herein. It is currently undergoing clinical validation in Brazil. Conclusion: Since the MDASI-H&N is an internationally standardized and rationally designed instrument, we strongly recommend that, after the clinical validation in Portuguese, this tool be adopted as the gold-standard instrument for symptom evaluation in HNC patients participating in clinical studies in Brazil, as well as in routine clinical practice.
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Cancer is now a leading cause of death among adults in most Latin American nations. Yet, until recently, there has been limited research on the quality of, and access to, advanced cancer care in developing regions such as Latin America. This landmark, cross-national study assessed the quality of advanced cancer care in five Latin American countries by surveying a convenience sample of 777 physicians and nurses, and identifying the most salient influences on their quality-of-care assessments based on multiple linear regression analyses. Strategies for disseminating this survey included mass mailings, distribution at professional meetings/conferences, collaboration with Latin American institutions, professional organizations, and the Pan American Health Organization, and online posting. Results indicate that the respondents' assessments of the quality of, access to, and affordability of advanced cancer care varied significantly across nations (P<0.001). The strongest predictor of providers' national-level assessments of the quality of care was their ratings of access to advanced cancer care (Beta=0.647). Other predictors included affordability of care, country (Cuba vs. the other four countries), income-gap quintile, and institutional availability of opioid analgesics. Low prioritization of palliative care in both health care policy formulation and provider education also predicted the quality-of-care ratings. Findings from this study suggest that providers from five different nations hold similar equitable notions of quality care that are dependent on the provision of accessible and affordable care. Measures of social equity, such as the income-gap quintile of nations, and measures of policy barriers, such as the scale developed in this study, should be replicated in future studies to enable policy makers to assess and improve advanced cancer care in their countries.