Supportive care needs in newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer patients receiving radiation therapy
- 25 June 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Psycho‐Oncology
- Vol. 22 (6), 1220-1228
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3126
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to examine changes in physical symptom severity, functional status, supportive care needs, and related factors in oral cavity cancer patients during 6 months after beginning radiation therapy (RT) or concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT). Methods A prospective longitudinal study was conducted involving oral cavity cancer patients from an RT clinic at a medical center in northern Taiwan. Patients were assessed for supportive care needs and physical symptoms at five time points: before the beginning of RT or CCRT and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after beginning RT or CCRT. The generalized estimating equation was used to identify predictors of overall needs as well as six specific dimensions of needs. Results A total of 82 patients completed the 6 months of follow‐up. Patients had moderate to high levels of supportive care needs over the 6 months. Although the highest information need was at the pretreatment phase, in general, the peak for overall and individual care needs was at 2 months since first receiving RT or CCRT. Patients without religious beliefs as well as those with higher educational level, functional level, overall physical symptom severity, and baseline anxiety reported more supportive care needs. Anxiety level before treatment was the most common factor across most supportive care needs. Individual physical symptoms, including fatigue, swallowing difficulty, and oral mucositis, were significantly related to higher physical and daily living needs. Conclusions A systematic clinical assessment to detect patients' care needs is necessary to improve the provision of timely cancer care and meet patients' healthcare needs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords
This publication has 55 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Role of Spirituality and Religious Coping in the Quality of Life of Patients With Advanced Cancer Receiving Palliative Radiation TherapyThe Journal of Supportive Oncology, 2012
- The unfulfilled promise: a systematic review of interventions to reduce the unmet supportive care needs of cancer patientsSupportive Care in Cancer, 2011
- Managing Symptoms in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer During Radiotherapy: Results of a Psychoeducational Randomized Controlled TrialJournal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2010
- Validation of the Chinese version of the Short‐form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire (SCNS‐SF34‐C)Psycho‐Oncology, 2010
- Predictors of change in unmet supportive care needs in cancerPsycho‐Oncology, 2010
- Psychometric testing of the Impact of Event Scale-Chinese Version (IES-C) in oral cancer patients in TaiwanSupportive Care in Cancer, 2005
- Study of unmet needs in symptomatic veterans with advanced cancer: incidence, independent predictors and unmet needs outcome modelJournal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2004
- Karnofsky and ECOG performance status scoring in lung cancer: A prospective, longitudinal study of 536 patients from a single institutionEuropean Journal Of Cancer, 1996
- Can Karnofsky performance status be transformed to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scoring scale and vice versa?European Journal Of Cancer, 1992
- The Hospital Anxiety and Depression ScaleActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1983