Monthly Archives: December 2014

Is there a duty to recontact in light of new genetic technologies? A systematic review of the literature.

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Otten E, Plantinga M, Birnie E, Verkerk MA, Lucassen AM, Ranchor AV, Van Langen IM






Is there a duty to recontact in light of new genetic technologies? A systematic review of the literature.
Genet Med. 2014 Dec 11;
Authors: Otten E, Plantinga M, Birnie E, Verkerk MA, Lucassen AM, Ranchor AV, Van Lan… Continue reading →

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Is implementing screening for distress an efficient means to recruit patients to a psychological intervention trial?

Posted on December 17, 2014 by van Scheppingen C, Schroevers MJ, Pool G, Smink A, Mul VE, Coyne JC, Sanderman R






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Is implementing screening for distress an efficient means to recruit patients to a psychological intervention trial?
Psychooncology. 2014 May;23(5):516-23
Authors: van Scheppingen C, Schroevers MJ, P… Continue reading →

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Participation in questionnaire studies among couples affected by breast cancer.

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Terp H, Rottmann N, Larsen PV, Hagedoorn M, Flyger H, Kroman N, Johansen C, Dalton S, Hansen DG






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Participation in questionnaire studies among couples affected by breast cancer.

Support Care Cancer. 2014 Dec 10;

Authors: Terp H, Rottmann N, Larsen PV, Hagedoorn M, Flyger H, Kroman N, Johansen C, Dalton S, Hansen DG

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Participation bias may be a problem in couple-based psychosocial studies. Therefore, it is important to investigate the characteristics associated with participation. The aim of this study was to analyze whether participation in a longitudinal psychosocial questionnaire study among couples affected by breast cancer was associated with socioeconomic, breast cancer-specific, and other health-related characteristics of the patients and partners.
METHODS: The analyzes are based on 2254 couples who were invited to participate in a nationwide survey on psychosocial adjustment among couples dealing with breast cancer. Participating couples (N = 792) were compared with non-participating couples (N = 1462) with regard to socioeconomic and health-related characteristics obtained from nationwide clinical and administrative registers.
RESULTS: Associations were seen between various socioeconomic variables and couple participation. The patient characteristics older age (OR = 0.15 [95 % CI = 0.07-0.55]), low education (OR = 1.95 [95 % CI = 1.46-2.68]), disability pension (OR = 0.59 [95 % CI = 0.39-0.55]), or non-western ethnicity (OR = 0.36 [95 % CI = 0.15-0.82]) reduced couple participation. The partner characteristics older age (OR = 0.23 [95 % CI = 0.15-0.43]), low education (OR = 1.67 [95 % CI = 1.25-2.22]), receiving disability pension (OR = 0.46 [95 % CI = 0.25-0.82]), non-western ethnicity (OR = 0.17 [95 % CI = 0.06-0.49]), or high morbidity (OR = 0.76 [95 % CI = 0.60-0.96]) also reduced couple participation. Furthermore, couples with low income (OR = 1.49 [95 % CI = 1.16-1.95]) had reduced participation. No associations were found between couple participation and breast cancer-related variables.
CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic characteristics of patients and partners, and morbidity of partners may influence participation in couple-based psychosocial breast cancer research. Breast cancer-related characteristics do not seem to influence participation.

PMID: 25487844 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Changes in cancer patients’ personal goals in the first 6 months after diagnosis: the role of illness variables.

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Janse M, Ranchor AV, Smink A, Sprangers MA, Fleer J






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Changes in cancer patients’ personal goals in the first 6 months after diagnosis: the role of illness variables.

Support Care Cancer. 2014 Dec 6;

Authors: Janse M, Ranchor AV, Smink A, Sprangers MA, Fleer J

Abstract
PURPOSE: Setting and pursuing personal goals is a vital aspect of our identity and purpose in life. Cancer can put pressure on these goals and may be a reason for people to adjust them. Therefore, this paper investigates (1) changes in cancer patients’ goals over time and (2) the extent to which illness characteristics relate to goal changes.
METHODS: At both assessment points (1 and 7 months post-diagnosis), colorectal cancer patients (n = 198) were asked to list their current goals and rate them on hindrance of illness, attainability, likelihood of success, temporal range and importance. All goals were coded by two independent raters on content (i.e. physical, psychological, social, achievement and leisure). Patients’ medical data were obtained from the national cancer registry.
RESULTS: Over time, patients reported a decrease in illness-related hindrance, higher attainability and likelihood of success, a decrease in total number of goals, goals with a shorter temporal range, and more physical and fewer social goals. At both assessments, patients with more advanced stages of cancer, rectal cancer, a stoma, and receiving additional chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy reported more illness-related hindrance in goal attainment, but only patients with a stoma additionally reported lower attainability, likelihood of success and more short-term goals.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the assumption that cancer patients adjust their goals to changing circumstances and additionally show how patients adjust their goals to their illness. Moreover, we demonstrate that illness variables impact on goal change.

PMID: 25479825 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Goal adjustment strategies operationalised and empirically examined in adolescents with cancer.

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Janse M, Sulkers E, Tissing WJ, Sanderman R, Sprangers MA, Ranchor AV, Fleer J






Goal adjustment strategies operationalised and empirically examined in adolescents with cancer.

J Health Psychol. 2014 Dec 4;

Authors: Janse M, Sulkers E, Tissing WJ, Sanderman R, Sprangers MA, Ranchor AV, Fleer J

Abstract
Adolescents facing cancer may need to adjust their personal life goals. Theories identified several goal adjustment strategies, but their use has not been tested. Therefore, this study operationalises goal adjustment strategies and examines their use. Adolescent cancer patients listed their goals 3 and 12 months post-diagnosis. Goals received scores on five goal characteristics: life domain, level of abstraction, importance, attainability and effort. Results showed that adolescents with cancer (N = 30, mean age: 14.2 years, 60% female) used four of five strategies described in theory, while one additional strategy was found. These findings suggest that adolescents with cancer use goal adjustment strategies as measured by goal characteristics over time.

PMID: 25476574 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Changes in cancer patients’ personal goals in the first 6 months after diagnosis: the role of illness variables

Posted on December 7, 2014 by






CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the assumption that cancer patients adjust their goals to changing circumstances and additionally show how patients adjust their goals to their illness. Moreover, we demonstrate that illness variables impact on goal change. Continue reading →

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Changes in cancer patients’ personal goals in the first 6 months after diagnosis: the role of illness variables

Posted on December 7, 2014 by






CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the assumption that cancer patients adjust their goals to changing circumstances and additionally show how patients adjust their goals to their illness. Moreover, we demonstrate that illness variables impact on goal change. Continue reading →

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Goal adjustment strategies operationalised and empirically examined in adolescents with cancer

Posted on December 6, 2014 by






Adolescents facing cancer may need to adjust their personal life goals. Theories identified several goal adjustment strategies, but their use has not been tested. Therefore, this study operationalises goal adjustment strategies and examines their use. Adolescent cancer patients listed their goals 3 and 12 months post-diagnosis. Goals received scores on five goal characteristics: life domain, level of abstraction, importance, attainability and effort. Results showed that adolescents with cancer… Continue reading →

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Goal adjustment strategies operationalised and empirically examined in adolescents with cancer

Posted on December 6, 2014 by






Adolescents facing cancer may need to adjust their personal life goals. Theories identified several goal adjustment strategies, but their use has not been tested. Therefore, this study operationalises goal adjustment strategies and examines their use. Adolescent cancer patients listed their goals 3 and 12 months post-diagnosis. Goals received scores on five goal characteristics: life domain, level of abstraction, importance, attainability and effort. Results showed that adolescents with cancer… Continue reading →

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Body image in cancer survivors: a systematic review of case-control studies.

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Lehmann V, Hagedoorn M, Tuinman MA






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Body image in cancer survivors: a systematic review of case-control studies.

J Cancer Surviv. 2014 Dec 2;

Authors: Lehmann V, Hagedoorn M, Tuinman MA

Abstract
PURPOSE: There is common consensus that cancer and its treatment can impair the body, but combined evidence of the previous literature in cancer survivors is missing. Therefore, we reviewed body image in cancer survivors and focused on case-control studies, in order to draw conclusions as to whether body image might be altered due to cancer.
METHODS: Medline, Cinahl, Embase, and PsycInfo were searched and after duplicate extraction, 1932 hits were retrieved and screened for eligibility. Included studies were rated on selection, measurement, and reporting bias.
RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were identified using 19 different scales to measure body image. Ten studies reported a more negative body image in survivors, nine found no differences, three reported mixed findings, and three reported a more positive body image in survivors. Potential bias was common and 16 studies had at least three sources of potential bias. Less-biased studies (i.e., ≤2 sources of bias) hinted to weak differences between survivors and controls, favoring healthy controls. A meta-analysis could not be performed.
CONCLUSIONS: This review was long overdue and indicates a somewhat more negative body image in cancer survivors than healthy controls. However, numerous problems potentially biasing study results have been detected and firm conclusions cannot be drawn.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Future studies should recruit larger samples, match samples, and pay attention to how body image is conceptualized and measured in order to draw reliable conclusions as to whether body image is impaired in cancer survivors.

PMID: 25446910 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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