A latent profile analysis of psychological resilience in gastric cancer survivors: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To characterize patterns of psychological resilience in gastric cancer survivors using latent profile analyses and to explore the factors influencing these latent profiles based on Kumpfer's resilience framework. METHODS: Five hundred eighty-six gastric cancer survivors were recruited between July 30, 2021, and May 1, 2023. A demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, Connor and Davidson's Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Fear of Progression Questionnaire Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used for the investigation. Latent profile analysis of the resilience of gastric cancer survivors was conducted, and the factors influencing the latent profiles were explored by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 586 questionnaires were collected, and 572 were valid, with an effective recovery rate of 97.61%. The results of latent profile analysis showed that the resilience of gastric cancer survivors was divided into four subgroups, namely, the low-resilience group (18.4%), moderate-resilience group (43.2%), medium-high-resilience group (30.2%), and high-resilience group (8.2%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that fear of disease progression, self-efficacy, medical coping mode and social support were influencing factors of subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological resilience in gastric cancer survivors is individualized. Nurses should assess risk and protective factors for survivor resilience based on Kumpfer's resilience framework, identify unique needs, and develop new approaches and interventions.

The effect of self-designed metabolic equivalent exercises on cancer-related fatigue in patients with gastric cancer: A randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To investigate the effect of Self-designed Metabolic Equivalent Exercises (SMEE) on cancer-related fatigue in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: 130 patients with gastric cancer admitted to Department of Oncology of a tertiary hospital in Shanghai were enrolled and assessed for eligibility. After excluding 1 patient who declined to participate, 129 eligible patients were randomly assigned into SMEE (n = 65) and control (n = 64) groups. The Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS) and EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of Life Scale were used to measure cancer-caused fatigue and quality of life, respectively, in both groups at the first admission and after 3 months. RESULTS: After excluding patients who did not receive allocated intervention due to medical (n = 3) and personal (n = 2) reasons, those who were lost to follow-up (n = 3), and those who had discontinued intervention (n = 2), 119 patients (64 in the SMEE group and 55 in the control group) were included for analysis. There were no statistically significant differences in the RPFS or QLQ-C30 score between the two groups at baseline. After 3 months, the total RPFS score of the SMEE group was significantly lower than that of the control group (2.86 ± 1.75 vs. 4.65 ± 1.29, p = 0.009), with significant improvements in affective meaning (0.83 ± 0.92 vs. 1.13 ± 0.77, p = 0.044) and sensory (0.70 ± 0.71 vs. 1.00 ± 0.54, p < 0.001) subscales; in the SMEE group, QLQ-C30 scores in somatic (2.00 ± 0.27 vs. 1.31 ± 0.26, p < 0.001), emotional (2.67 ± 0.58 vs. 2.07 ± 0.48, p < 0.001), and social (3.23 ± 0.58 vs. 1.64 ± 0.51, p < 0.001) functioning were significantly higher than those in the control group, with significant improvements in fatigue (p < 0.001), nausea/vomiting (p = 0.014), shortness of breath (p < 0.001), constipation (p < 0.001), and diarrhea (p = 0.001) dimensions. CONCLUSION: The self-programmed metabolic equivalent manipulation as an exercise intervention could effectively reduce the degree of cancer-caused fatigue and improve quality of life in patients with gastric cancer.

Study on correlation between perioperative cognitive function and nutritional status in elderly patients with gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cognitive function and nutritional status of elderly patients with gastric cancer during perioperative period, and to analyze their correlation. METHODS: Aged patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery in The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from March to October 2021 were selected as the subjects of this study. The monitoring data of cognitive function and nutritional status were retrospectively analyzed from 1 to 3 days before surgery, 1 and 3 days after surgery, 7 days after surgery (before discharge) and 30 days after surgery to analyze the correlation between cognitive function and nutritional status in elderly patients with gastric cancer. RESULTS: the incidence of mild cognitive impairment in elderly patients with gastric cancer was 52.43 %, the visual space of the two groups' (mild cognitive impairment) ability of execution, name, attention, language, abstract thinking, delayed memory and cognitive function scores were lower than 1 set of directional force (cognitive function in normal group), statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The nutritional status of elderly patients with gastric cancer was lower than that of healthy elderly group at the same period (P < 0.05). The scores of visual spatial executive function, name, attention, delayed memory, orientation and total score of cognitive function in elderly gastric cancer patients were positively correlated with nutritional status (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive function and nutritional status of elderly patients with gastric cancer are both in a low state during treatment and a higher level of cognitive function can help patients maintain a more correct nutritional cognition, and the nutritional status of patients will be relatively better. There is a positive correlation between cognitive function and nutritional status in elderly patients with gastric cancer, which should be paid attention to in the treatment.

Marital Self-Disclosure Intervention for the Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Chinese Patients With Gastric Cancer: Protocol for a Quasiexperimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gastric cancer experience different degrees of fear of cancer recurrence. The fear of cancer recurrence can cause and worsen many physical and psychological problems. We considered the "intimacy and relationship processes in couples' psychosocial adaptation" model. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to examine the effectiveness of a marital self-disclosure intervention for improving the level of fear of cancer recurrence and the dyadic coping ability among gastric cancer survivors and their spouses. METHODS: This is a quasiexperimental study with a nonequivalent (pretest-posttest) control group design. The study will be conducted at 2 tertiary hospitals in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. A total of 42 patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy and their spouses will be recruited from each hospital. Participants from Jingjiang People's Hospital will be assigned to an experimental group, while participants from Taizhou People's Hospital will be assigned to a control group. The participants in the experimental group will be involved in 4 phases of the marital self-disclosure (different topics, face-to-face) intervention. Patients will be evaluated at baseline after a diagnosis of gastric cancer and reassessed 2 to 4 months after baseline. The primary outcome is the score of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF) for patients. The secondary outcomes are the scores of the FoP-Q-SF for partners and the Dyadic Coping Inventory. RESULTS: Research activities began in October 2022. Participant enrollment and data collection began in February 2023 and are expected to be completed in 12 months. The primary results of this study are anticipated to be announced in June 2024. CONCLUSIONS: This study aims to assess a marital self-disclosure intervention for improving the fear of cancer recurrence in Chinese patients with gastric cancer and their spouses. The study is likely to yield desirable positive outcomes as marital self-disclosure is formulated based on evidence and inputs obtained through stakeholder interviews and expert consultation. The study process will be carried out by nurses who have received psychological training, and the quality of the intervention will be strictly controlled. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05606549; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05606549. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/55102.

Unmet needs in survivorship: Increased anxiety post oesophago-gastric cancer surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Despite significant surgical advancements in the treatment of oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC), patients often experience a considerable decline in health-related quality of life postoperatively. Psychological factors, such as hypervigilance and symptom-specific anxiety, may contribute to this. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and trend of hypervigilance and symptom-specific anxiety in OGC survivors across treatment stages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 103 patients with either gastric or oesophageal cancer, treated with surgery (and/or neoadjuvant chemotherapy), completed a specialist measure of oesophageal hypersensitivity (Oesophageal Anxiety and Hypervigilance Scale) at five time-points: spanning from diagnostic clinics to 6 months post-hospital discharge. RESULTS: The results indicate a trend of rising symptom-specific anxiety and hypervigilance scores over time post-hospital discharge. Total scores showed variations over time; elevated at diagnosis, decreasing between pre-operative assessment and 2-4 weeks post-hospital discharge, and rising again at between 3 and 6 months post-discharge, exceeding the average score at diagnosis. The patterns for the subscale scores for symptom-specific anxiety and hypervigilance followed a similar trend, though anxiety scores consistently exceeded hypervigilance scores at previous time-points. CONCLUSION: In noting the presence and variations of symptom-specific anxiety and hypervigilance in patients with OGC, this study directs attention to the previously unexplored significant psychological distress. Although specific conclusions from the data are restricted due to the study's design, it indicates the importance of assessing and addressing these psychological factors for effective management of patients with OGC.

The effect of virtual reminiscence therapy on depression and anxiety in patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of virtual reminiscence therapy on depression and anxiety in patients with gastric cancer (PwGC) undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, we randomly allocated 152 PwGC who met the inclusion criteria as 1:1 ratio to control (N = 76) and intervention (N = 76) groups. The patients in the control group received routine post-chemotherapy care, while those in the intervention group received reminiscence therapy over the phone in addition to routine care. The participants of both groups completed Beck's Depression Inventory and Zung's Self-rating Anxiety Scale before the study, 6 weeks after the beginning of the study, and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: Although the mean depression score before chemotherapy indicated moderate depression in both groups, the reminiscence therapy group showed a significant reduction in the depression score compared to the control group (P < 0.001) following intervention. The mean anxiety scores indicated mild to moderate anxiety in both groups, which was later placed within the normal range, there was a significant difference between the two groups. Intra-group comparison revealed that the mean depression and anxiety scores decreased significantly in the reminiscence therapy group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that virtual reminiscence therapy can decrease anxiety and depression in PwGC undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, it can be a supportive psychological method for these patients.

"Evaluation of quality of life in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma receiving chemoradiotherapy: a cross-sectional study".

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (QoL) in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: The European Organization for Cancer Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and site-specific module for gastric cancer (QLQ-STO22) were administered at four time points to 156 patients admitted to Cumhuriyet University Oncology Center between 2011 and 2018. RESULTS: The patient group comprised 76% men and 24% women with a median age of 61 years (range, 18-88). During CRT, 12 patients (8%) discontinued treatment, 25 (16%) lost weight, and 42 (27%) had reduced performance. There was significant worsening in QLQ-C30 global health status and all functional and symptom scale scores at CRT completion. These changes were also clinically significant except for physical functioning scores and were supported by minimal clinically important difference measurements. In the QLQ-STO22, all symptoms except dry mouth and hair loss were negatively affected at CRT completion. In general, scores were improved at 1 month after CRT and almost all scores reached baseline level by 6 months. Certain scores were more adversely affected in women (global health status, physical functioning, role functioning, fatigue, pain, and insomnia), those who lost weight during CRT (emotional functioning), and those with CRT interruption (emotional functioning and anxiety). CONCLUSION: Although CRT reduces QoL in patients with gastric cancer, the effects tend to resolve within 6 months after completing treatment. Female sex, weight loss, and CRT interruption negatively affected some QoL scores.

Quality of Life of Patients Depending on the Method of the Ggastrointestinal Tract Reconstruction after Gastrectomy for Stomach Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The article provides the study results, the purpose of which was to check whether there is a relationship between the type of reconstructive surgery and the quality of life of patients. The results of reconstructive surgeries in 90 patients diagnosed with stomach cancer who underwent gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy were analysed. METHODS: All patients were randomised into three groups, depending on the method of gastrointestinal tract reconstruction. The study also evaluated the quality of life of patients after gastrectomy using the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OG25 questionnaires. RESULT: The study results did not demonstrate the superiority of one method of reconstructive surgery over another. Patients who underwent Omega reconstruction generally functioned better physically and emotionally, and complained less often of pain, insomnia and diarrhoea. Patients after gastrointestinal tract reconstruction using the Roux-en-Y method reported less nausea and vomiting, eating disorder and anxiety. CONCLUSION: Based on the obtained data, it was concluded that currently it is impossible to state unequivocally which method of gastrointestinal tract reconstruction improves the quality of life of patients after gastrectomy, however, it should be clearly noted that QLQ questionnaires are a useful tool for evaluation of the quality of life of patients after gastrectomy.

ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC CANCER IN UKRAINE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To identify the main problems in the quality of life of patients with gastric cancer to optimize health care for them. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The sociological study was performed by surveying 404 patients with gastric cancer usage questionnaires EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22. Calculations were performed according to the EORTC QLQ-C30 Scoring Manual and QLQ-STO22. The analysis of three main indicators was performed: functional scale, symptom scale and quality of life scale. RESULTS: Results: The quality of life of gastric cancer patients amounted to 51.80±11.35 on a 100-point scale. According to the QLQ-C30 functional scale, the psy¬cho-emotional sphere (59.62±12.91), social functioning (66.42±13.48) are the most impressive in patients. According to the results obtained in the QLQ-C30 symptoms scale, gastric cancer patients were most concerned about financial difficulties (57.18±12.45) and fatigue with a score of 50.12±10.86 on a 100-point scale. According to the QLQ-STO22 symptom scale in the study of patients, anxiety (59.07±12.46) and hair loss (56.97±11.78) amounted to the highest scores. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Given the low quality of life of gastric cancer patients, they need psychological support, which is aimed at adapting to the manifestations of the disease and should be a mandatory component in the development of models or strategies for providing medical care to cancer patients. Standardized psychological care should be organized at all stages of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation in all institutions that provide treatment to gastric cancer pa¬tients. It is also important to develop and implement a comprehensive program to support gastric cancer patients in interaction with society, family and work.

Patient and caregiver socioeconomic burden of first-line systemic therapy for advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Aim: This study assessed the work productivity and financial impact of advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas, comprising gastric, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers, on patients of working age and their caregivers. Patients & methods: A multicenter medical chart review and surveys of patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and their caregivers was conducted in France, Germany, the UK, China, Japan and the USA. Results: Across differing regions, the study highlighted the impact of cancer on patients' ability to work, to function normally and on their wellbeing, as well as the economic burden placed on patients and their caregivers. Conclusion: Advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas have a significant impact on patients' and caregivers' well-being and are associated with reduced work productivity, and income loss.

Anxiety and depression in recurrent gastric cancer: Their prevalence and independent risk factors analyses.

ABSTRACT: Various anxiety and depression-related risk factors have been reported in cancer patients. However, little is known about the anxiety and depression-related risk factors in recurrent gastric cancer patients. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression in recurrent gastric cancer patients.Totally 82 recurrent gastric cancer patients were consecutively recruited, and their clinical features were collected from hospital's electronic medical records. Besides, 80 newly diagnosed gastric cancer patients and 80 healthy controls were enrolled. Their anxiety and depression status was assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).The HADS-anxiety score (9.1 ±â€Š3.4, 7.2 ±â€Š3.0, 4.8 ±â€Š2.7, respectively) and the percentage of anxiety patients (52.4%, 33.8%, 11.3%, respectively) were increased in recurrent gastric cancer patients compared to newly diagnosed gastric cancer patients and healthy controls; Also, the HADS-depression score (7.9 ±â€Š3.1, 6.7 ±â€Š2.6, 4.1 ±â€Š2.8, respectively) and the percentage of depression patients (41.5%, 25.0%, 8.8%, respectively) had similar trends. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression revealed that age ≥60 years, diabetes, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage at diagnosis, shorter time to recurrence and distant metastasis at recurrence were independent risk factors for anxiety occurrence, whereas age ≥60 years, diabetes, tumor location at diagnosis (cardia vs gastric antrum) and shorter time to recurrence were independent risk factors for depression occurrence.The prevalence of anxiety and depression is such high, and their relevant risk factors include age ≥60 years, diabetes and shorter time to recurrence in recurrent gastric cancer patients.

Preferences of first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients for gastric cancer screening: a discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND: It is very necessary to implement gastric cancer screening in China to reduce the mortality of gastric cancer, but there are no national screening guidelines and programs. Understanding of individual preferences is conducive to formulating more acceptable screening strategies, and discrete choice experiments can quantify individual preferences. In addition, the first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients are at high risk for gastric cancer. Compared with those without a family history of gastric cancer, the risk of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients is increased by 60%. Therefore, a discrete choice experiment was carried out to quantitatively analyse the preferences of first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients for gastric cancer screening to serve as a reference for the development of gastric cancer screening strategies. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed based on a discrete choice experiment, and 342 first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients were investigated. In STATA 15.0 software, the data were statistically analysed using a mixed logit model. RESULTS: The five attributes included in our study had a significant influence on the preferences of first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients for gastric cancer screening (P < 0.05). Participants most preferred the sensitivity of the screening program to be 95% (coefficient = 1.424, P < 0.01) with a willingness to pay 2501.902 Yuan (95% CI, 738.074-4265.729). In addition, the participants' sex and screening experiences affected their preferences. An increase in sensitivity 35 to 95% had the greatest impact on the participants' willingness to choose a gastric cancer screening program. CONCLUSION: The formulation of gastric cancer screening strategies should be rooted in people's preferences. The influence of sex differences and screening experiences on the preferences of people undergoing screening should be considered, and screening strategies should be formulated according to local conditions to help them play a greater role.

The Barriers and Facilitators of Gastric Cancer Screening: a Systematic Review.

AIM: Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death and the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Screening is one of the most important ways to increase survival. The aim of this systematic review was to determinate barriers and facilitators for accessing gastric cancer screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this systematic review, for identifying barriers and facilitators of gastric cancer screening, a comprehensive search was conducted in electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus in 2021. Combination keywords such as gastric cancer, screening, endoscopy, barriers, and facilitators were used for searching. Full text original studies in English language that are dealing with barriers and facilitators for accessing gastric cancer screening were included in this review. RESULTS: A total 13 articles included in this review. Ten barriers and ten facilitators were evaluated. The most common reported barriers were lack of signs, fear of screening procedure, fear of screening outcome, cost of screening, and embarrassment. The most frequent facilitator was socio demographic factors such as age, education, and employment. CONCLUSION: For promoting success in gastric cancer, screening programs, knowing barriers, and facilitators is  necessary. No signs and symptoms of disease have been shown as the major barriers toward gastric cancer screening in most studies.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Adults in the United Arab Emirates Regarding Helicobacter pylori induced Gastric Ulcers and Cancers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the current level of knowledge, as well as the attitudes and practices (KAP) of the adult population in Sharjah, UAE with regards to H. pylori induced gastric ulcers and gastric cancers. METHODS: A cross sectional study of 500 participants was conducted in public venues in Sharjah, UAE through the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire English and Arabic speaking residents aged 18 years and above of both sexes were invited to participate in this study via convenience sampling. Responses were collected and analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: General knowledge about H. pylori was poor, only 24.6% had heard of H. pylori. 61% of the participants did not know the link between H. pylori and gastric cancer. Only 3% of the participants associated psychological stress with gastric ulcer development. Females had higher knowledge scores (p = 0.008*). Participants with a medical background typically had higher knowledge scores than their peers in other fields of work (p < 0.0001*). Participants' attitudes towards H. pylori were suboptimal with only 33% willing to seek medical help If they get symptoms. Majority of participants with an approximate of 84% showed an overall average to excellent practices towards H. pylori. CONCLUSION: General awareness about H. pylori induced gastric ulcers and cancers is poor. The results of this study can be a starting point to devise new education programs and campaigns that raise awareness of this health issue which could be easily avoided with prevention, early detection, and intervention.
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Nutrition intervention is beneficial to the quality of life of patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing chemotherapy in Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: The best treatment therapy for gastrointestinal cancer patients is assessed by the improvement of health status and quality of life (QoL) after treatments. Malnutrition is related to loss of muscle strengths which leads to lower physical performance and emotional status. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the effects of nutritional interventions on the improvement of QoL among gastrointestinal patients undergoing chemotherapy in Vietnam. METHODS: A quasi-experiment with intervention and control groups for pre- and post-intervention assessment was carried out at the Department of Oncology and Palliative Care-Hanoi Medical University Hospital from 2016 to 2019. Sixty gastrointestinal cancer patients were recruited in each group. The intervention regimen consisted of nutritional counseling, a specific menu with a recommended amount of energy, protein, and formula milk used within 2 months. Nutritional status and QoL of patients were evaluated using The Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). The difference in differences (DiD) method was utilized to estimate the outcome between control and intervention groups. RESULTS: After the intervention, patients of the intervention group had better changes in scores of global health status (Coef =16.68; 95% CI =7.90; 25.46), physical (Coef =14.51; 95% CI =5.34; 23.70), and role functioning (Coef =14.67; 95% CI =1.63; 27.70) compared to the control group. Regarding symptom scales, the level of fatigue, pain, and insomnia symptoms significantly reduced between pre- and post-intervention in the intervention group. In addition, living in urban areas, defined as malnourished and having low prealbumin levels, were positively associated with the lower global health status/QoL score. CONCLUSION: Nutritional therapy with high protein was beneficial to the improvement in QoL, physical function and the reduction of negative symptoms among gastrointestinal cancer patients. Early individualized nutritional support in consultation with professional dietitians during chemotherapy plays an integral part in enhancing the QoL and better treatment prognosis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04517708.

Development and Validation of a Symptom-Focused Quality of Life Questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) for Gastric Cancer Patients after Gastrectomy.

PURPOSE: Patients who have undergone gastrectomy have unique symptoms that are not appropriately assessed using currently available tools. This study developed and validated a symptom-focused quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for patients who have received gastrectomy for gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on a literature review, patient interviews, and expert consultation by the KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group (KOQUSS), the initial item pool was developed. Two large-scale developmental studies were then sequentially conducted for exploratory factor analyses for content validity and item reduction. The final item pool was validated in a separate cohort of patients and assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and clinical validity. RESULTS: The initial questionnaire consisted of 46-items in 12 domains. Data from 465 patients at 11 institutions, followed by 499 patients at 13 institutions, were used to conduct item reduction and exploratory factor analyses. The final questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) comprised 40 items within 11 domains. Validation of KOQUSS-40 was conducted on 413 patients from 12 hospitals. KOQUSS-40 was found to have good model fit. The mean summary score of the KOQUSS-40 was correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and STO22 (correlation coefficients, 0.821 and 0.778, respectively). The KOQUSS-40 score was also correlated with clinical factors, and had acceptable internal consistency (> 0.7). Test-retest reliability was greater than 0.8. CONCLUSION: The KOQUSS-40 can be used to assess QoL of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy and allows for a robust comparison of surgical techniques in clinical trials.

Early Interdisciplinary Supportive Care in Patients With Previously Untreated Metastatic Esophagogastric Cancer: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Effective interventions to improve prognosis in metastatic esophagogastric cancer (EGC) are urgently needed. We assessed the effect of the early integration of interdisciplinary supportive care for patients with metastatic EGC on overall survival (OS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: An open-label, phase III, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute. Patients with previously untreated metastatic EGC were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to either early interdisciplinary supportive care (ESC) integrated into standard oncologic care or standard care (SC). ESC was provided by a team of GI medical oncologists, oncology nurse specialists, dietitians, and psychologists; patients in the SC group received standard oncologic care alone. The primary end point was OS in the intention-to-treat population. RESULTS: Between April 16, 2015, and December 29, 2017, 328 patients were enrolled: 214 in the ESC group and 114 in the SC group. At the data cutoff date of January 26, 2019, 15 (5%) patients were lost to follow-up. The median number of cycles of first-line chemotherapy was five (interquartile range [IQR], 4-7) in the ESC group and four (IQR, 2-6) in the SC group. The median OS was 14.8 months (95% CI, 13.3 to 16.3) in the ESC group and 11.9 months (95% CI, 9.6 to 13.6) in the SC group (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.9; P = .021). CONCLUSION: The early integration of interdisciplinary supportive care is an effective intervention with survival benefits for patients with metastatic EGC. Further optimization and standardization are warranted.

Self-efficacy, Hope as Mediators Between Positive Coping and Resilience Among Patients With Gastric Cancer Before the First Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gastric cancer experience severe psychological distress as a result of their cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy. Resilience is a defense mechanism that enables one to thrive amid distress. However, little research has been done to explore the formation and development mechanism of resilience among patients with gastric cancer before their first chemotherapy treatment. OBJECTIVE: The mediating roles of self-efficacy and hope on the relationship between positive coping and resilience among patients with gastric cancer before their first chemotherapy treatment were examined to inform the future resilience intervention. METHODS: A total of 253 patients with gastric cancer before their first chemotherapy treatment were investigated using the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, the General Self-efficacy Scale, the Herth Hope Index, and the 14-Item Resilience Scale. Structural equation modeling was conducted using Mplus version 7.03 to test the hypothesized mediational model. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling analysis showed self-efficacy and hope completely mediated the relationship between positive coping and resilience; the indirect effects were 0.242 (P < .01) and 0.258 (P < .01), respectively; indirect effects accounted for 81% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS: Positive coping is not the independent predictor that may contribute to resilience among patients with gastric cancer before their first chemotherapy treatment, but it can indirectly affect resilience through self-efficacy and hope. IMPLICATIONS: Self-efficacy and hope may increase the positive influence of positive coping on resilience among patients with gastric cancer before their first chemotherapy treatment. Resilience intervention might be enhanced by addressing the impact of positive coping on self-efficacy and hope.

Effect of early tumor response on the health-related quality of life among patients on second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer in the ABSOLUTE trial.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the association between early tumor response at 8 weeks, previously reported as a positive outcome prognosticator, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients enrolled in the ABSOLUTE trial. METHODS: HRQOL was assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) utility index score in patients with complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) and progressive disease (PD) at 8 weeks, and time-to-deterioration (TtD) of the EQ-5D score, with the preset minimally important difference (MID) of 0.05, was compared between these populations. Among the enrolled patients, 143 and 160 patients were assessable in weekly solvent-based paclitaxel (Sb-PTX) arm and weekly nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) arm, respectively. RESULTS: Changes of the EQ-5D score from baseline to 8 weeks in the nab-PTX arm were 0.0009 and - 0.1229 in CR + PR and PD patients, respectively; the corresponding values for the Sb-PTX arm were - 0.0019 and - 0.1549. For both treatments, changes of the EQ-5D score from baseline at 8 weeks were significantly larger in patients with PD than in those with CR + PR. The median TtD was 3.9 and 2.2 months in patients with CR + PR and PD, respectively, for nab-PTX [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.595, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.358-0.989]. For Sb-PTX, the corresponding values were 4.7 and 2.0 months (HR = 0.494, 95% CI 0.291-0.841). CONCLUSIONS: Early tumor shrinkage was associated with maintained HRQOL in AGC patients on the second-line chemotherapy with taxanes.

Application of Computed Tomography Imaging in Diagnosis of Endocrine Nerve of Gastric Cancer and Nursing Intervention Effect.

In this article, some parameters and characteristics of computed tomography (CT) images in patients with gastric cancer are analyzed and the application of CT images in the diagnosis of gastric cancer endocrine nerves and the impact of nursing intervention on the quality and mental state of CT images of patients with gastric cancer are discussed. First, all patients were scanned with CT, and the CT values of the normal stomach wall and all lesions at different single-energy levels were recorded separately. Second, the improved back propagation network model was applied to realize the diagnosis of gastric cancer through the analysis of various features of CT images. The effect of nursing intervention on the image quality and mental state of CT imaging of patients with gastric cancer was studied. The results show that the energy spectrum curve of CT images and the improved back propagation network model are helpful for the initial diagnosis and identification of gastric cancer. Nursing intervention has a good influence on the clinical examination, image diagnosis, and psychological state of patients with gastric cancer, and it is easy for patients to undergo image diagnosis and examination according to correct operating procedures.