Unmet social support needs among older adults with cancer

Williams, Grant R.; Pisu, Maria; Rocque, Gabrielle Betty; Williams, Courtney; Taylor, Richard A.; Kvale, Elizabeth; Partridge, Edward E.; Bhatia, Smita; Kenzik, Kelly

doi:10.1002/cncr.31809

Cited by 68 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Older patients with cancer may rely even more on their social support to overcome challenges during chemotherapy. Few studies to date have focused specifically on the role of social support in older adults with cancer, a population of participants who are likely to have more support needs than their younger counterparts [7]. Among older patients with cancer, given their diminished physical function, cognition, nutrition status, and physiological function, social support may be critical for successful treatment and avoidance of the treatment-related toxicities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association between social support and chemotherapy-related toxicity in older patients with cancer

Shahrokni

Sun

Tew

et al. 2020

Journal of Geriatric Oncology

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The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between social support (SS) and grade 3-5 chemotherapy-related toxicities among older adults with cancer. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal study of patients aged 65+ with solid cancer which led to the development of a predictive model for grade 3-5 chemotherapy-related toxicity (the Cancer and Aging Research Group [CARG] Chemotherapy Toxicity Risk Score). SS was measured by a modified version of Medical-Outcome Study-Social Support Survey and grade 3-5 hematological and non-hematological toxicities were captured and graded using CTCAE version 3.0. Patients were categorized into those with poor (SS score ≤ 75) and good SS (score of 76-100). Multivariate polychotomous logistic regression was used to examine the associations between SS and chemotherapy-related toxicity with adjustment for the CARG Toxicity Risk Score. Results: Compared to patients with good SS, those with poor SS were less likely to have grade 3-5 toxicity, especially for non-hematological toxicity (adjusted OR = 0.52, p = .02). Patients who did not have someone to take them to the doctor "most" or "all of the time" were less likely to have grade 3-5 non-hematological toxicity compared to patients who had someone to take them to the doctor most or all of the time (adjusted OR = 0.32, p = .02). Conclusion: Our study showed that patients with poor SS, especially those with less availability of someone to take them to doctors were less likely to have a documented grade 3-5 non-hematological toxicity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association between social support and chemotherapy-related toxicity in older patients with cancer

Shahrokni

Sun

Tew

et al. 2020

Journal of Geriatric Oncology

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“…28 In a study with older adults with cancer, 45% of those with social support needs reported having at least one unmet need. 29 Thus, compared to the prevalence of unmet needs in cancer patients, our results suggest that the prevalence of unexpressed needs may be at least a quarter or higher. Furthermore, the screening procedures in the recruiting clinic are well developed compared to others, which might also contribute to a possible underestimation of unexpressed needs in our study.…”

Section: Prediction Of Not Expressing Needsmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…In comparison, the prevalence of unmet needs in cancer patients is thoroughly examined. [4][5][6][28][29][30][31][32] For example, a study from the UK found that 61% of breast cancer survivors had at least one unmet need, and 18% had more than five unmet needs. 4 In a sample of gynecological cancer survivors, 43% of respondents had at least one moderate-or high-level unmet need.…”

Section: Prediction Of Not Expressing Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and predictors of cancer patients' unexpressed needs in the admission interview of inpatient rehabilitation

et al. 2020

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Objective: The admission interview in oncological inpatient rehabilitation might be a good opportunity to identify cancer patients' needs present after acute treatment. However, a relevant number of patients may not express their needs. In this study, we examined (a) the proportion of cancer patients with unexpressed needs, (b) topics of unexpressed needs and reasons for not expressing needs, (c) correlations of not expressing needs with several patient characteristics, and (d) predictors of not expressing needs. Methods: We enrolled 449 patients with breast, prostate, and colon cancer at beginning and end of inpatient rehabilitation. We obtained self-reports about unexpressed needs and health-related variables (quality of life, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, and health literacy). We estimated frequencies and conducted correlation and ordinal logistic regression analyses. Results: A quarter of patients stated they had "rather not" or "not at all" expressed all relevant needs. Patients mostly omitted fear of cancer recurrence. Most frequent reasons for not expressing needs were being focused on physical consequences of cancer, concerns emerging only later, and not knowing about the possibility of talking about distress. Not expressing needs was associated with several health-related outcomes, for example, emotional functioning, adjustment disorder, fear of progression, and health literacy. Depression measured at the beginning of rehabilitation showed only small correlations and is therefore not sufficient to identify patients with unexpressed needs. Conclusions: A relevant proportion of cancer patients reported unexpressed needs in the admission interview. This was associated with decreased mental health. Therefore, it seems necessary to support patients in expressing needs.

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“…Nutritional status was assessed using self-reported history of weight loss. Social support was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Survey Social Support (MOS-SS) 8 item [24]. Psychological morbidity was measured via the PROMIS anxiety and depression short form 4 item.…”

Section: Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient-reported cognitive complaints in older adults with gastrointestinal malignancies at diagnosis– Results from the Cancer & Aging Resilience Evaluation (CARE) study

Mir

MacLennan

Al‐Obaidi

et al. 2020

Journal of Geriatric Oncology

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Objectives: Patient-reported cognitive complaint (CI) is poorly described in older adults with cancer. The purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence and examine the associations of patient-reported CI in older adults with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies at diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Using participants ≥60 years with GI malignancies from the Cancer & Aging Resilience Evaluation (CARE) Registry that underwent a Geriatric Assessment (GA), we examined CI using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Short Form 4a Cognitive Function. Cognition scores were dichotomized into normal (scores of 15-20) and impaired (4-14), and bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations. Results: A total of 264 participants with GI malignancy were included, mean age of 70.0 ± 7.1, 55.7% male, pancreatic cancer was the most common cancer (24.2%) and majority were stage III/IV (68.2%). 29.3% of participants endorsed CI. CI was not associated with demographic and clinical domains, but was associated with many GA impairments including instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADL) impairment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.0, 95% confidence interval 3.0-11.8), falls (aOR 2.7, 1.4-5.4), anxiety (aOR 10.3, 5.2-20.4), and depression (aOR 10.2,. CI was also associated with reduced global mental (aOR 18.7,) quality of life, and prior hospitalizations (aOR 2.4, 1.2-4.8). Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of patient-reported CI in older adults with GI malignancies that was associated with increased GA impairments, reduced health-related quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization.Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Unmet social support needs among older adults with cancer

Cited by 68 publications

References 31 publications

The association between social support and chemotherapy-related toxicity in older patients with cancer

The association between social support and chemotherapy-related toxicity in older patients with cancer

Prevalence and predictors of cancer patients' unexpressed needs in the admission interview of inpatient rehabilitation

Patient-reported cognitive complaints in older adults with gastrointestinal malignancies at diagnosis– Results from the Cancer & Aging Resilience Evaluation (CARE) study

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