We reviewed the empirical literature on psychosocial factors influencing women’s decisions to undergo prophylactic surgery. A total of 34 studies were identified. The majority of studies found that women’s cancer-specific worries and risk perceptions exerted considerable influence in decision making about prophylactic surgery. Higher levels of cancerspecific anxiety were positively associated with interest in and intention to undergo surgery. In addition, greater perceived risk was also associated with greater interest and uptake of prophylactic surgery. Women also cited issues concerning body image and sexuality, familial responsibilities, and cultural norms as influencing the decision-making process. Several studies have begun to evaluate the impact of decision aids and counseling interventions, but additional studies are still needed to evaluate the long-term psychosocial, behavioral, and medical implications of these interventions. Decision counseling and preference clarification may be useful in facilitating the selection between different behavioral alternatives and in enhancing patient outcomes.
BACKGROUND The engagement of family caregivers in oncology is not universal or systematic. OBJECTIVE We implemented a process intervention (ie, patient-caregiver portal system) with an existing patient portal system to (1) allow a patient to specify their caregiver and communication preferences with that caregiver, (2) connect the caregiver to a unique caregiver-specific portal page to indicate their needs, and (3) provide an electronic notification of the dyad’s responses to the care team to inform clinicians and connect the caregiver to resources as needed. METHODS We assessed usability and satisfaction with this patient-caregiver portal system among patients with cancer receiving palliative care, their caregivers, and clinicians. RESULTS Of 31 consented patient-caregiver dyads, 20 patients and 19 caregivers logged in. Further, 60% (n=12) of patients indicated a preference to communicate equally or together with their caregiver. Caregivers reported high emotional (n=9, 47.3%), financial (n=6, 31.6%), and physical (n=6, 31.6%) caregiving-related strain. The care team received all patient-caregiver responses electronically. Most patients (86.6%, 13/15 who completed the user experience interview) and caregivers (94%, 16/17 who completed the user experience interview) were satisfied with the system, while, of the 6 participating clinicians, 66.7% agreed “quite a bit” (n=1, 16.7%) or “very much” (n=3, 50%) that the system allowed them to provide better care. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate system usability, including a systematic way to identify caregiver needs and share with the care team in a way that is acceptable to patients and caregivers and perceived by clinicians to benefit clinical care. Integration of a patient-caregiver portal system may be an effective approach for systematically engaging caregivers. These findings highlight the need for additional research among caregivers of patients with less advanced cancer or with different illnesses. CLINICALTRIAL
Abstract Background: The Temple University Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunter College Cancer Health Disparity Partnership (TUFCCC/HC Cancer Partnership) is a collaborative effort to develop a regional comprehensive collaborative cancer health equity research infrastructure in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City (PNN) Region and to establish rigorous and sustainable cancer research, education, and outreach programs at both institutions. One key component of the training efforts of this Partnership is the annual Summer Cancer Research Institute (SCRI), an 8-week intensive summer program that includes hands-on research training in laboratories or research centers under the mentorship of established investigators supplemented with cancer seminars, skill-building workshops, journal clubs, social activities, poster sessions and presentations. Methods: The goal of this study was to evaluate the recruitment process and the outcome of the first three cohorts of the SCRI. We assessed the previous recruitment and implementation process to identify successes and lessons learned. We also conducted program evaluation through pre-program and post-program evaluation, and long-term annual follow-up survey, and other formal and informal feedback among the 3 cohorts from the previous 3 years. Results: Through targeted multi-institutional recruitment strategies and by utilizing social media (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, institutional newsletters), the program received increasing numbers of applications each year, from 64 applications received in 2019, to 179 in 2020, and 345 in 2021. The number of students accepted were 10 in 2019 (admission rate 15.6%), 10 in 2020 (5.6%), and 15 in 2021 (4.3%). Among the 34 SCRI trainees, 10 (29.4%) identified as Black/African American, 6 (17.5%) as Hispanic/Latinx, 10 (29.4%) as Asian, and the rest as non-Hispanic white. Students come from a variety of majors, including biology, nutrition, biochemistry, bioengineering, public health, sociology, and medical geography. The SCRI trainees reported a high level of satisfaction with the overall SCRI program as well as the specific seminars, workshops, and journal clubs. The long-term follow-up survey data showed that among the first two cohorts (20 trainees), 4 applied to graduate or medical school, 9 completed graduate school, and 7 accepted a full-time or part-time job position. Trainees particularly enjoyed the hands-on experience in basic, translation, and population research, the skill-building workshops, and the annual symposium to gain presentation experience. Conclusion: The Partnership evaluation has identified strengths (e.g., hands-on research experience under established mentorship, multidisciplinary training) for implementing the SCRI program. Updates are being made to refine recruitment processes and adjust program components. Citation Format: Lin Zhu, Gargi Pal, Taylor Kazaoka, Rubia Shahbaz, Marsha Zibalese-Crawford, Sarah-Jane Dodd, Carolyn Y. Fang, Yin Tan, Grace X. Ma, Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi. Educating the next generation of cancer researchers: Evaluation of a cancer research partnership research training program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-212.
