pathways in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer disease sites; rectal cancer surgery centralization; increased use of sentinel lymph node biopsies in breast cancer surgery; and decreased positive surgical margin rates in prostate cancer.
ConclusionsImproved quality is likely a result of diverse confounding factors. The deliberately cultivated multihospital multidisciplinary cops have contributed to positive structural and functional change in cancer surgery in the region. This regional cop model has the potential to play an important role in the development of successful collaborations in care quality improvement.
KEY WORDSCommunity of practice, regional collaboration, quality improvement, cancer care
Background
To date, little research has examined the quality of life and cancer-associated needs of bladder cancer patients. The objective of the current study was to assess the quality of life (QoL), informational needs, and supportive care needs (SCN) in a large sample of muscle invasive (MIBC) and non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) bladder cancer survivors across the treatment trajectory (newly diagnosed and undergoing treatment, post-treatment follow-up, and treatment for advanced/recurrent disease).
Methods
Questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of patients registered with Bladder Cancer Canada, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, or The Ottawa Hospital. Eligibility criteria included being > 18 years of age, English-speaking, and diagnosed with bladder cancer. The questionnaire included an adapted tool to measure informational needs, and validated measures for QoL (Bladder Utility Symptom Scale, BUSS) and SCN (Cancer Survivors’ Unmet Needs Measure, CaSUN). QoL scores and unmet needs were calculated and compared between disease groups and cancer trajectory groups.
Results and limitations
Of the 1126 surveys distributed, 586 were completed (response = 52%). Mean age was 67.3 ± 10.2 years, and 401 participants (68.7%) were male. The mean QoL score (BUSS) for the sample was 78.1 ± 17.9 (median 81.7). Respondents with MIBC had significantly lower QoL scores compared to NMIBC. Further, scores differed across the cancer phase groups with the follow-up surveillance group having significantly higher QoL scores compared to the newly diagnosed and advance/recurrent disease groups. The ten most highly ranked informational needs were from the medical, physical, and practical domains. Eighty-eight percent (95% CI 85–91%) of respondents reported at least one SCN, with a median of 12. Over half of the participants (54%, 95% CI 49–59%) had at least one unmet need and 15% had ≥ 10 unmet needs. Newly diagnosed participants had the highest number of unmet needs.
Conclusion
We found that the number of unmet supportive care needs and quality of life differed across cancer trajectory and disease groups. Future efforts should focus on the development and evaluation of tailored resources and programs to address the needs of people diagnosed and treated for BC.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (10.1007/s00520-019-4649-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
ConclusionBladder cancer survivors are not meeting guidelines for important lifestyle behaviours that may improve their overall HRQoL. Future research should investigate the impact of behavioural and educational interventions for health behaviours on HRQoL in this population.
Keywordshealth behaviours, health-related quality of life, patient education, supportive care, #BladderCancer, #blcsm
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