Cancer-related fatigue in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of the literature.

Adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA) represent a specific age cohort dealing with the disease in a stage of life characterized by development, upheavals, and establishment. The aim of this study was to point out the state of research on how AYA are affected by cancer-related fatigue (CRF). RESULTS: Twelve articles were included. CRF was found to be higher in AYA than in either of the comparison groups, healthy peers and older cancer patients. Most included studies did not measure CRF with multidimensional, fatigue-specific instruments. CONCLUSION: We found a gap in research concerning CRF in AYA. The existing findings suggest that CRF is a significant issue for AYA cancer patients. However, less is known about the prevalence, severity, and impact of CRF in AYA, and their treatment. This should be considered in future research, and risk and prevention factors should be ascertained. Multidimensional and fatigue-specific measuring tools should be used to do this.

[Pain experiences and life satisfaction of young adult cancer patients]. / Junge Erwachsene mit Krebs ­ Schmerzerleben und Lebenszufriedenheit.

BACKGROUND: After having completed medical treatment cancer patients often suffer from pain that can impair the quality of life. While young adolescents and adults (AYA) with cancer have become the focus of research during recent years, literature on the prevalence, quality and relief of pain in AYA patients is lacking. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated psychosocial data on pain experienced by AYA patients (e.g. prevalence, type, distress, anxiety and need for support) and the association with the quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Standardized and validated questionnaires were used for assessing pain and quality of life in AYA patients defined as the patient group between 18 and 39 years. Calculated regression models were summarized in a pathway model. RESULTS: Out of 117 AYA patients (66 % women) 45 (39 %) suffered from pain and of these 73 % felt impaired due to the pain, 58 (50 %) had a fear of pain and 21 (20 %) reported a need for support. The severity of pain had a negative influence on physical functioning (ß = -0.335) and health-related satisfaction (ß = -0.415). Regarding the quality of life, 105 patients (90 %) were overall satisfied with their life. Dissatisfaction was reported in the areas of occupation (39.34 %), ability to relax (36.31 %), physical performance (34.29 %), income (32.27 %) and partnership/sexuality (29.25 %). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that pain plays a relevant role for AYA patients after the end of medical treatment. A substantial proportion of AYA patients reported the need for support so that the question arises whether medical pain management is sufficient, particularly as pain was associated with impairment and strongly negatively associated with health-related satisfaction.

Motivations for having children after cancer--a systematic review of the literature.

Over the last decade, fertility-related issues have come to the fore of clinical oncology. The majority of research though has focused on a medical perspective without considering reproductive motivations that influence decisions on fertility-preserving options. In order to identify specific parenthood motivations in young survivors of various types of cancer, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. Relevant literature was searched manually and using databases (Medline/PubMed, PsycInfo). Of 4848 articles retrieved, 20 studies met a priori defined inclusion criteria. Cancer was found to have a likely effect on reproductive intentions. All studies reported on specific reproductive concerns, mostly related to negative consequences for the patient or on the future child. Pregnancy concerns were overrepresented in breast cancer survivors. Practical barriers to post-cancer parenthood were financial or partner-referred. Overall, fewer incentives than disincentives for post-cancer parenthood were reported. They included the importance of parenthood, achieving normality and a desire to focus on the positive. As reproductive motivations and concerns affect the majority of cancer survivors of reproductive age, they should be assessed as early as possible post-diagnosis. While researchers should focus on the development of appropriate assessment methods, clinicians might address specific reproductive concerns.

Postoperative Health-Related Quality of Life of Cervical Cancer Patients - A Comparison between the Wertheim-Meigs Operation and Total Mesometrial Resection (TMMR).

Introduction: The present study compares for the first time the standard therapy for cervical cancer in FIGO-stages IB-IIB, radical hysterectomy according to the Wertheim-Meigs operation, with the newly developed, nerve-sparing surgical technique, total mesometrial resection (TMMR) with regard to postoperative, health-related quality of life. Method: In the framework of a multicentre, retrospective cohort study a total of 110 cervical cancer patients were interviewed once by means of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the cervical cancer module (EORTC QLQ-CX24). The influence of the surgical method was investigated by analysis of covariance under control of age and the time elapsed between treatment and interview. Results: An influence of the therapeutic method was demonstrated in the EORTC scales physical function (p = 0.047), role function (p = 0.016), fatigue (p = 0.028), pain (p = 0.018), shortness of breath (p = 0.034), lack of appetite (p = 0.006) and diarrhoea (p = 0.012) in favour of the 74 women treated by TMMR. With regard to cognitive, emotional and social functioning as well as cervical cancer-specific symptoms, no significant differences between the therapy groups were found. Conclusion: The findings presented in this study suggest a superiority of TMMR in comparison to the previously employed radical hysterectomy according to Wertheim-Meigs with regard to the postoperative quality of life, especially in the fields of physical activity and fatigue. This needs to be validated in the course of prospective, multicentre studies. In addition, it must be clarified as to what extent the found effects are, in particular, due to the omission of an additional radiotherapy.

An art therapy intervention for cancer patients in the ambulant aftercare - results from a non-randomised controlled study.

Art therapy in psycho-oncology is gaining increasing importance, but systematic evaluations of its effects are rare. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an art therapy intervention for cancer patients in ambulant aftercare on psychological distress and coping. The intervention consisted of 22 sessions. At three points of measurement (t1: before intervention, t2: following intervention, t3: 6 months after t2), participants responded to questionnaires (Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping with Illness, Perceived Adjustment to Chronic Illness Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). A group of haemato-oncological patients served as the comparison group (CG). Pre-post comparisons and analyses of variance were applied for statistical analysis. Relevant confounders were controlled. Fifty-four patients (intervention group, IG) with various cancer diagnoses completed the intervention. One hundred and twenty-nine data sets were available for the CG. Analyses of variance included group membership (IG vs. CG) and the following factors: gender, other psychosocial help and major life events. None of these variables was a predictor for changes in depression, anxiety and coping. Therefore, we could not prove intervention effects over time. Our results contradict those of preliminary studies and raise important questions. Further work on evaluating art therapy is necessary to explore which intervention concepts in which setting at which treatment stage show significant effects. Therefore, controlling for relevant confounders is needed.

["About me and my disease" - the making of an individual book within an art therapy course for cancer patients]. / "Über mich und meine Krankheit" - die Gestaltung eines individuellen Buches im Rahmen einer kunstpädagogischen Intervention für Krebspatienten.

AIMS: Art therapy is increasingly gaining in importance in psychooncological care. At the university of Leipzig an art therapy intervention was developed for cancer patients in ambulant aftercare and was tested in retrospect. The aim of the course was making an individual book-object, in which the cancer could be a central topic. METHODS: Before and after the intervention the participants were questioned using semi-structured interviews. Beside the qualitative analysis of the interviews the process of the course and the making of the book were demonstrated using the example of a breast cancer patient. RESULTS: The participants reported various effects of the intervention. In all, 17 of 23 participants have created her own book. More than 75 % of the books created pick out their own cancer disease as a central theme. The participants deal with the subject in different ways. All participants placed themselves at the center and the majority created the book for themselves. CONCLUSION: The results show that the making of an individual book permits a constructive analysis with the cancer disease in a protected framework and can have a supportive effect on the participants in dealing with their disease.