Cancer Patients' Unmet Needs in Three Low- to Middle- Income Countries: Perspectives from Health Care Providers.

We sought to determine differences by low- and middle- income countries (Brazil, Romania, and Turkiye) on the degree to which health care providers (HCPs) note unmet needs among patients with cancer (N = 741). HCPs endorsed sexuality/intimacy and financial concerns as the most common. Investigating age differences in unmet needs between Brazil and Turkiye, were that should be targeted by. Results revealed that unmet needs to manage emotional distress were higher among older patients in Turkiye, whereas unmet needs to manage insomnia/fatigue were higher among pediatric patients in Brazil. Findings may guide the development of programs to address unmet needs among patients.

Same storm, different boat: The global impact of COVID-19 on palliative care.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a complex and profound impact on the provision of palliative care globally. To support learning from palliative care providers and researchers worldwide, the Education Subcommittee of International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Palliative Care Special Interest Group developed a webinar with presentations by and discussion with eight international palliative care leaders. METHODS: Presentations were content rich; the speakers used both quantitative (e.g., sharing recent statistical findings) and qualitative (e.g., narrative storytelling, anecdotal experiences) approaches to portray the effect of COVID-19 in their region. Subsequent to the webinar, the committee collectively identified five themes conveyed by the presenters through consensus. RESULTS: The themes included: (1) altered accessibility to palliative care, with socio-economic status impacting virtual health availability; (2) reduced opportunities to preserve dignity, as survival has been prioritized over preserving the humanity of patients and their loved ones; (3) complicated grief and bereavement arising from social distancing requirements; (4) greater awareness of the importance of sustaining health provider well-being; and (5) the development of valuable innovations across nations, institutions, disciplines, and communities. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the webinar facilitated valuable connection for global learning and identified opportunities for research and clinical interventions. In an ongoing crisis that has exacerbated isolation, we will need to continue to learn and lean on one another as a global community to navigate ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International collaboration for assessing unmet needs of cancer survivors and family caregivers: Lens of healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients and their family caregivers have reported various needs that are not met. Recognition of the unmet needs by healthcare professionals may be a first step to adequately and systematically addressing them. Thus, the International Psycho-Oncology Society Survivorship Online Survey was developed to measure healthcare professionals' evaluation about the unmet needs of their patients and family caregivers around the globe. METHODS: The survey was developed in English and translated to additional 14 different languages. The survey was distributed on the web-based REDCap application to over 50 psycho-oncology societies and their networking platforms as well as social media and to authors who have published in psycho-oncology journals globally. RESULTS: A total of 1472 participants from 36 countries at least partially completed the survey. Healthcare professionals evaluated needs for managing one's emotional distress and patients' medical care and symptoms as the most common concerns for both patients and their family caregivers across all patient age groups. Less than two-thirds of the participating healthcare professionals reported that their institution had services or programs to address the needs of the patients or caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest several directions for further analyses to provide more specific information that would be readily translated into clinical practices, research, and policy aimed to enhance the quality of life of cancer patients, survivors, and family caregivers around the globe. In addition, this collaborative effort also hints at the importance of establishing international networks to promote equity in care for people touched by cancer worldwide.

A single-session Mindfulness-Based Swinging Technique vs. cognitive disputation intervention among women with breast cancer: A pilot randomised controlled study examining the efficacy at 8-week follow-up.

Objective: Previously Mindfulness-Based Swinging Technique (MBST)'s immediate efficacy for overcoming psychological concerns has recently received empirical support, yet its longer-term efficacy needed to be evaluated among women with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to assess and report the efficacy of MBST intervention among breast cancer patients for hopelessness, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, oxygen (SpO2) intensity, and heart rate-beats per minute (HR-bpm) at an 8-week period. Method: The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Emotion Thermometer, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease, and Beck's Hopelessness Scale were used for assessing the intervention's outcome; 149 BC patients were randomly assigned into two groups (equal-mean-age, p = 0.262). The participants in the control group (CG, n = 73) received Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-Cognitive-Disputation (CBT-CD) for 20 min, and intervention group (IG, n = 76) received MBST intervention. No additional psychological interventions were given between week-1 and week-8. Result: Outcomes of the 8-week post-treatment follow-up exhibited significantly higher improvements in all evaluated-measurements for CG, and some for IG with large effect size in the following: anxiety (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.57; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.44) and depression levels (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.43). It increased self-efficacy for managing disease (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.49; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.41) and hopefulness (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.59; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.46), and saturation levels measured by pulse-meter/oximeter (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.49; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.32). Conclusions: Both CBT-CD and MBST have been found to be efficacious interventions to shorten the psychotherapy duration for reducing clinical anxiety and hopelessness as well as increase self-efficacy for BC women. This may have a distinct clinical importance for supporting BC patient's adherence-to-treatment since CBT-CD could be an alternative technique to MBST as a brief intervention. In future studies, the effectiveness of MBST through adapting to virtual reality and other online delivery methods should be examined.

Efficacy of New Mindfulness-Based Swinging Technique Intervention: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Among Women With Breast Cancer.

Objective: Combining 3rd-wave-therapies with Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy (CBT) has increased in recent years. Usually these therapies require longer sessions which therefore increases the psychotherapy drop-out rate for cancer patients for multiple medical reasons. This inspired intervention of a shorter 20 min-long mindfulness-therapy (MBST) to be developed for Breast-Cancer-patients (BC). Method: This pilot randomised controlled trial was to assess the immediate-outcome of the MBST-intervention for its efficacy for BC-patients by using the Pearson Chi-square test, Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, and McNemar test for categorical variables; Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon test for the continuous variables. The Emotion Thermometer, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease, and Beck's Hopelessness Scale were used for measuring the intervention outcomes. One hundred seventy-three BC patients were randomly assigned in two-groups (equal-mean-age, p = 0.417). Control-Group (CG, n = 82) received cognitive-disputation-technique a form-of-CBT, and Intervention-Group (IG, n = 74) received MBST. The directives are given to IG: psychoeducation about Mindfulness, and to imagine themselves swinging-in a peaceful environment. When the patients imagine their swing going up, they physically take a deep-breath, and when going down they physically release their breath, and this process is repeated. Result: Outcomes post-treatment showed significant higher-improvement in IG in all the assessed-measurements, with large-effect-size: anxiety (p < 0,05, r = 0,67) and depression-levels (p < 0,05, r = 0,71); anxiety-trait (p < 0,05; r = 0,79) reduced, it increases self-efficacy for managing-disease (p < 0,05, r = 0,82) as-well-as hopefulness (p < 0,05, r = 0,61) and saturation-level measured by pulse-meter/oximeter (p < 0,05, r = 0,51). Conclusion: MBST is an efficacious intervention to reduce psychotherapy session time for immediate relief from clinical anxiety and hopelessness as well as increase self-efficacy and improve tranquillity for BC-women. It may have a particular clinical significance for supporting patient's adherence to treatment. Although in this pilot sample MBST was found to be effective for short-term-outcome, its efficacy for longer-term-outcome should be examined in future trials. Additionally, breathing laps can be increased possibly for a greater result on rise of saturation levels of patients.

Risk perception, treatment adherence, and personality during COVID-19 pandemic: An international study on cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of personality traits in moderating the relation between COVID-19 risk perception and treatment adherence, and between risk perception and psychosocial distress in patients diagnosed with cancer. METHODS: An online survey (n = 1281) was conducted worldwide in seven countries (Austria, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey). Inclusion criteria were to be 18 years of age or older, have received a cancer diagnosis, and be in treatment or follow-up. A few moderated regression models were performed with both personality traits and Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology super-spectra as moderators. RESULTS: Detachment, negative affectivity, psychoticism and all the super-spectra significantly moderated the relation between coronavirus risk perception and psychosocial distress, after the adjusting effect of confidence in safeguards. Only negative affectivity moderated the association between coronavirus risk perception and treatment adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Personality traits may foster the understanding of how a patient might adjust to cancer treatment and, more generically, to highly stressful events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to confirm the results in different cancer stages and types.