Psychosocial Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis During Pregnancy

Harrison, Paige M.

doi:10.1111/1751-486x.12067

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…With an extreme example of breast cancer treatment during pregnancy, chemotherapy may potentially negatively affect fetal outcomes while improving maternal outcomes and chance of survival. Among women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in pregnancy, women described anxiety and stress associated with this decision-making conflict 20,21 . In contrast, we did not uncover any major decision-making conflicts or associated anxiety or stress about the treatment decision in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Part of the Ritual”: Exploring Patient and Physician Decision Making Regarding Anticoagulation Use in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome is associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and/or aspirin (ASA) prophylaxis during pregnancy to prevent future loss is based on limited trial data with mixed results. Objectives: Given the clinical equipoise, we sought to understand how patients and physicians navigate the decision-making process for use of LMWH and/or ASA in pregnancy. Methods: We interviewed 10 patients and 10 thrombosis physicians in Ottawa, Canada from January 2017-March 2018. Patients who met the revised Sapporo/Sydney laboratory criteria with 1 late pregnancy loss or 2 early losses were identified in a Thrombosis Clinic or excluded patients from the TIPPS Study screening logs. Data collection and analysis occurred iteratively, in keeping with constructivist grounded theory methodology. Results: Our analysis generated three themes, present across both patient and physician interviews, which captured a patient-led decision-making experience: (1) Managing High Stakes, (2) Accepting Uncertainty, and (3) Focusing on Safety. Patients and physicians acknowledged the high emotional burden and what was at stake: avoiding further pregnancy loss. Patients responded to their situation by taking action (i.e. using LMWH injections became a “ritual”), whereas physicians reacted by removing themselves from the final decision by “[leaving] it up to the patient”. Conclusions: Our findings should be considered when designing future research on studying the role for LMWH/ASA in this population, as it suggests that the perceived benefits of treatment go beyond improving pregnancy rates. Rather, patients described potential benefit from the process of taking action, even in the absence of a guaranteed good outcome.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Part of the Ritual”: Exploring Patient and Physician Decision Making Regarding Anticoagulation Use in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the risk of laparoscopic appendicectomy may be higher due to concomitant infection. In addition women with suspected ovarian cancer undergoing surgery are also likely to suffer psychological harm due to anxiety and stress [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural history of ovarian endometrioma in pregnancy

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundOvarian endometriomas are classified as benign ovarian lesions. During pregnancy endometriomas may undergo major morphological changes which are referred to as ‘decidualisation’. Decidualised ovarian endometrioma may resemble malignant ovarian tumours on ultrasound examination. The aim was to study variations in the morphology and size of ovarian endometriomas diagnosed on ultrasound during pregnancy.MethodsWe searched our database to identify pregnant women who were diagnosed with ovarian endometriomas on ultrasound in order to study the effect of pregnancy on their morphological characteristics. In women who underwent serial scans during pregnancy we examined the changes in the size of endometriomas with advancing gestation.ResultsTwenty four patients with a total of 34 endometriomas were included in the analysis. All women were managed expectantly during pregnancy. On the first ultrasound scan 29/34 (85.3%, 95% CI 73.4 - 97.2) endometriomas appeared unilocular with fine internal echoes (‘ground glass’ contents) and they were poorly vascularised on Doppler examination. 1/34 (2.9% 95% CI 0.0 - 8.5) endometrioma was multilocular, with regular margins, ‘ground glass’ contents and it was also poorly vascularised. 4/34 (11.8%, 95% CI 1.0 - 22.6) had sonographic features suggestive of decidualisation such as thick and irregular inner wall, papillary projections and highly vascular on Doppler examination. The endometriomas showed a tendency to decrease in size during pregnancy.ConclusionsPregnancy has a major effect on the size and morphological appearances of ovarian endometriomas. Rapid regression of decidualised endometriomas is a helpful feature which could be used to confirm their benign nature.

show abstract

“…The psychosocial aspects of cancer and pregnancy are also been well documented‐ as separate health conditions; 6‐10 much less is known about the psychosocial experiences of women with concurrent cancer and pregnancy. Some healthcare professionals posit that the simultaneous occurrence of two life‐changing events would amplify the psychosocial stressors associated with these individual events 11 . Furthermore, according to the diathesis‐stress model of disease, 12 a cancer diagnosis may exacerbate any existing pregnancy‐associated physical, psychological and emotional vulnerabilities in patients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological aspects of gestational cancer: A systematic review

Leung

Bryant

2020

Psycho-Oncology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Gestational cancer is defined as any type of cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery. To date, existing studies on the psychological aspects of this type of cancer have not been evaluated for methodological quality. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the psychological aspects of gestational cancer. Methods: Five journal databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed articles reporting upon the psychological aspects of women with gestational cancer. Studies published from journal inception to December 2019 were included, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The Mixed-Method Appraisal Bias Tool was used, to assess the methodological quality of the studies. A narrative description was developed for the psychological outcomes reported in quantitative studies. Qualitative data was synthesized using thematic analysis. Results: Five papers were eligible for inclusion (two qualitative and three quantitative studies). Factors that contributed to women's psychological distress during gestational cancer included disease characteristics, sociodemographic factors, the baby's health, pregnancy-related factors and cognitive emotion regulation. Four main themes emerged from the qualitative studies; concerns about the baby's health, lost opportunities, "not fitting in," and healthcare decision-making. Conclusions: These findings suggest that (a) women with gestational cancer experience psychological distress that is associated with concerns about their babies' health, and (b) their healthcare experiences are affected by communication within multidisciplinary care teams.

show abstract

Psychosocial Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis During Pregnancy

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

“Part of the Ritual”: Exploring Patient and Physician Decision Making Regarding Anticoagulation Use in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome

“Part of the Ritual”: Exploring Patient and Physician Decision Making Regarding Anticoagulation Use in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Natural history of ovarian endometrioma in pregnancy

Psychological aspects of gestational cancer: A systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About