The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer has a dramatic impact on the emotional, social, and sexual do... more The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer has a dramatic impact on the emotional, social, and sexual domains of a woman's life. The complexities of human sexuality are broad, particularly for people coping with life-threatening illness. Healthy sexual expression can affirm love, relieve stress and anxiety, foster hope, accentuate spirituality, and distract one from the emotional and physical sequelae of chronic illness. This article reports on the development of a sexual health education guide for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who experienced a recurrence and were undergoing treatment. Extensive literature and the findings of this study document that patients often feel that sexuality has been ignored in their cancer care. This article provides examples of the responses from study participants and the resulting integration of those responses into the guide.
The grim prognosis that accompanies a diagnosis of a malignant glioma affects quality of life (QO... more The grim prognosis that accompanies a diagnosis of a malignant glioma affects quality of life (QOL) as patients attempt to adapt to overwhelming losses. Caregivers also experience negative changes in QOL as responsibilities grow. This pilot study measured the QOL of patients with malignant gliomas prior to tumor progression and the QOL of their caregivers. It examined negative and positive factors that impacted the QOL while highlighting positive factors often overlooked in brain tumor QOL research. Standardized QOL questionnaires and focus groups were utilized. Patients experienced distress in the domains of physical, psychological, and social QOL but in all four of the QOL domains there were also positive outcomes. Caregiver data demonstrated mostly positive outcomes in the four QOL domains except for loved one's declining health and fear that the loved one would die.
Resumen Los días 17 y 18 de febrero de 2009, en Pasadena (California, Estados Unidos), se celebró... more Resumen Los días 17 y 18 de febrero de 2009, en Pasadena (California, Estados Unidos), se celebró una Conferencia de Consenso patrocinada por la Fundación Archstone de Long Beach (California). La conferencia se basó en el convencimiento de que el cuidado ...
Patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors suffer a spectrum of progressive symptoms that red... more Patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors suffer a spectrum of progressive symptoms that reduce their quality of life (QOL). Operative palliative strategies seeking to improve QOL and decrease symptom burden are poorly studied. This study seeks to measure the effect of operations on symptoms and QOL in patients with advanced gastrointestinal malignancies. Patients undergoing World Health Organization (WHO)-defined palliative operations for gastrointestinal cancers were prospectively followed with monthly QOL and Distress Thermometer surveys until 6 months post-operatively. Comparisons were made between preoperative and 3-month postoperative data. Parameters of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual QOL were measured on a scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best). Frequency of occurrence and degree of distress caused by that specific symptom were scored from 0 (rarely/not at all) to 5 (most of the time/severely). Thirty-five patients had gastrointestinal cancer. The median age was 55.3 years. The most common symptoms were pain and obstruction. Thirty-three operations were abdominal. Ultimately, 34 patients (97%) were discharged home. When preoperative data were compared to 3 months postoperative, the frequency of the primary symptom improved by 2.22 (p = 0.001) and the distress it caused decreased by 1.82 (p = 0.004). Physical QOL decreased by 0.61 (p = 0.009), psychological QOL decreased by 0.50 (p = 0.015), social QOL decreased by 0.48 (p = 0.017), spiritual QOL decreased by 0.42 (p = 0.008), and overall QOL decreased by 0.50 (p = 0.012). Because of the unrelenting nature of gastrointestinal tumors, QOL over time will inevitably decrease. Palliative operations effectively improve symptom frequency and distress without greatly affecting the expected decline in QOL and its parameters.
The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer has a dramatic impact on the emotional, social, and sexual do... more The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer has a dramatic impact on the emotional, social, and sexual domains of a woman's life. The complexities of human sexuality are broad, particularly for people coping with life-threatening illness. Healthy sexual expression can affirm love, relieve stress and anxiety, foster hope, accentuate spirituality, and distract one from the emotional and physical sequelae of chronic illness. This article reports on the development of a sexual health education guide for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who experienced a recurrence and were undergoing treatment. Extensive literature and the findings of this study document that patients often feel that sexuality has been ignored in their cancer care. This article provides examples of the responses from study participants and the resulting integration of those responses into the guide.
The grim prognosis that accompanies a diagnosis of a malignant glioma affects quality of life (QO... more The grim prognosis that accompanies a diagnosis of a malignant glioma affects quality of life (QOL) as patients attempt to adapt to overwhelming losses. Caregivers also experience negative changes in QOL as responsibilities grow. This pilot study measured the QOL of patients with malignant gliomas prior to tumor progression and the QOL of their caregivers. It examined negative and positive factors that impacted the QOL while highlighting positive factors often overlooked in brain tumor QOL research. Standardized QOL questionnaires and focus groups were utilized. Patients experienced distress in the domains of physical, psychological, and social QOL but in all four of the QOL domains there were also positive outcomes. Caregiver data demonstrated mostly positive outcomes in the four QOL domains except for loved one's declining health and fear that the loved one would die.
Resumen Los días 17 y 18 de febrero de 2009, en Pasadena (California, Estados Unidos), se celebró... more Resumen Los días 17 y 18 de febrero de 2009, en Pasadena (California, Estados Unidos), se celebró una Conferencia de Consenso patrocinada por la Fundación Archstone de Long Beach (California). La conferencia se basó en el convencimiento de que el cuidado ...
Patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors suffer a spectrum of progressive symptoms that red... more Patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors suffer a spectrum of progressive symptoms that reduce their quality of life (QOL). Operative palliative strategies seeking to improve QOL and decrease symptom burden are poorly studied. This study seeks to measure the effect of operations on symptoms and QOL in patients with advanced gastrointestinal malignancies. Patients undergoing World Health Organization (WHO)-defined palliative operations for gastrointestinal cancers were prospectively followed with monthly QOL and Distress Thermometer surveys until 6 months post-operatively. Comparisons were made between preoperative and 3-month postoperative data. Parameters of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual QOL were measured on a scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best). Frequency of occurrence and degree of distress caused by that specific symptom were scored from 0 (rarely/not at all) to 5 (most of the time/severely). Thirty-five patients had gastrointestinal cancer. The median age was 55.3 years. The most common symptoms were pain and obstruction. Thirty-three operations were abdominal. Ultimately, 34 patients (97%) were discharged home. When preoperative data were compared to 3 months postoperative, the frequency of the primary symptom improved by 2.22 (p = 0.001) and the distress it caused decreased by 1.82 (p = 0.004). Physical QOL decreased by 0.61 (p = 0.009), psychological QOL decreased by 0.50 (p = 0.015), social QOL decreased by 0.48 (p = 0.017), spiritual QOL decreased by 0.42 (p = 0.008), and overall QOL decreased by 0.50 (p = 0.012). Because of the unrelenting nature of gastrointestinal tumors, QOL over time will inevitably decrease. Palliative operations effectively improve symptom frequency and distress without greatly affecting the expected decline in QOL and its parameters.
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