ABSTRACT
Objective: The influence of depression, anxiety, and family function in breast cancer patients on the quality of life of their children was investigated from the perspective of the participants’ demographic characteristics after controlling for their attributes. Methods: The demographic characteristics and confounding factors were divided into two subgroups, and two-factor analysis of variance was conducted with depression, anxiety, and family function as the independent variables, and the children’s quality of life scores as the dependent variable. Results: The quality of life of children in each characteristic demographic-subgroup was significantly lower when their mother had high depressed. Moreover, the quality of life in children of the subgroup with mothers receiving chemotherapy varied according to the quality of family function regardless of having siblings. Conclusion: It is necessary to focus on the conditions of children in addition to the psychological status of breast cancer patients. This investigation suggested that understanding mothers’ psychological status helps to identify children’s psychosocial problems. Moreover, it is suggested that the demographic characteristics of families with breast cancer patients should be considered when approaching mothers’ psychological status and family function.
ABSTRACT
<p>Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the healthcare workers’ awareness and support regarding the sexuality of cancer patients, their families. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire survey was conducted on the healthcare workers in Shikoku Cancer Center on May 2014. Results: Four hundred and fifty-seven (84.9%) workers responded to the questionnaire. It was 29.8% who have communicated about sexual issues with patients and their families, 67.0% acknowledged the necessity of supporting them. In the group which had experience in communicating about sexual issues and participating in study meetings of sexuality, there were more healthcare workers who acknowledged the necessity of support significantly (aware group). In the aware group, the reasons why they hesitated and felt difficulty in communicating about sexual issues were that they had no chances to communicate with patients about sexual issues (93.5%), they didn’t know whether the patients needed intervention of healthcare workers (89.2%), they felt lack of their knowledge of support regarding sexuality (89.2%), and they felt lack of their skill of support regarding sexuality (88.9%). In the aware group, in order to get knowledge and information about sexuality, books and brochures which could be introduced to the patients and their families (96.4%) were considered to be most wanted. Conclusion: We have to make an effort so that all healthcare workers recognize the importance of the necessity of communicating about sexual issues with the patients, their families and their partners.</p>
ABSTRACT
Objective The mortality of patients with locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer [TNBC] is high, and pathological complete response [pCR] to neoadjuvant chemotherapy [NAC] is associated with improved prognosis. This retrospective study was designed and powered to investigate the ability of [18]F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography [[18]F-FDG-PET/CT] to predict pathological response to NAC and prognosis after NAC
Methods The data of 32 consecutive women with clinical stage II or III TNBC from January 2006 to December 2013 in our institution who underwent FDG-PET/CT at baseline and after NAC were retrospectively analyzed. The maximum standardized uptake value [SUV[max]] in the primary tumor at each examination and the change in SUV[max] [delta SUV[max]] between the two scans were measured. Correlations between PET parameters and pathological response, and correlations between PET parameters and disease-free survival [DFS] were examined
Results At the completion of NAC, surgery showed pCR in 7 patients, while 25 had residual tumor, so-called non-pCR. Median follow-up was 39.0 months. Of the non-pCR patients, 9 relapsed at 3 years. Of all assessed clinical, biological, and PET parameters, N-stage, clinical stage, and delta SUV[max] were predictors of pathological response [p=0.0288, 0.0068, 0.0068; Fischer's exact test]. The cut-off value of delta SUV[max] to differentiate pCR evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve analysis was 81.3%. Three-year disease-free survival [DFS] was lower in patients with non-pCR than in patients with pCR [p=0.328, log-rank test]. The cut-off value of delta SUV[max] to differentiate 3-year DFS evaluated by the ROC analysis was 15.9%. In all cases, 3-year DFS was lower in patients with delta SUV[max] <15.9% than in patients with delta SUV[max] >/=15.9% [p=0.0078, log-rank test]. In non-pCR patients, 3-year DFS was lower in patients with delta SUV[max] <15.9% than in patients with delta SUV[max] >/=15.9% [p=0.0238, log-rank test]
Conclusions FDG-PET/CT at baseline and after NAC could predict pathological response to NAC before surgery and the clinical outcome after surgery in locally advanced TNBC patients