Symptom experiences of older adults during treatment for metastatic prostate cancer: A qualitative investigation.

INTRODUCTION: Exploring symptom experiences of older men during metastatic prostate cancer treatment can help clinicians identify unmet supportive care needs that, if addressed, could improve toxicity management and enhance patient wellbeing. Previous qualitative studies of older adults with advanced prostate cancer have focused on the psychological experience rather than the overall symptom experience. Therefore, the objective of this study was to understand the lived experience of symptoms and supportive care needs in older men undergoing treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with older adults (aged 65+) who completed their first cycle of chemotherapy, androgen-axis targeted therapies, or radium-223 for metastatic castrate-resistant and sensitive prostate cancer at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada. Six coders worked in pairs to review interview transcripts and conduct a thematic analysis. A consensus was reached through team discussions. Topics of interest included symptom experiences, the impact of symptoms on daily life, symptom management strategies, and suggestions for external support. RESULTS: Thirty-six interviews were conducted with older adults (mean age: 76 years, 92% with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer) who started chemotherapy (n = 11), androgen-axis targeted therapies (n = 19), or radium-223 (n = 6). The most common treatment-specific symptoms included: fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, mood disturbances, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Four themes on the impact of symptoms on daily life emerged: resting more than usual, changes in mobility, changes in maintaining activities of daily living, and not feeling up to most things. It is important to note that participants who underwent chemotherapy have previously completed other lines of treatment and had more advanced disease, possibly contributing to higher prevalence of symptoms and greater impact on daily life. Four themes on symptom management strategies emerged: positive support systems, seeking help, interventions by healthcare providers, and self-management strategies. Suggestions for external support included building social support networks, improving health literacy, improving continuity of care, receiving support from healthcare providers, engaging in health-seeking behaviours, and addressing unmet supportive care needs. DISCUSSION: Exploring symptom experiences of older men with metastatic prostate cancer provides valuable insights for developing supportive care programs and improving patient care.

Care provided by older adult caregivers to a spouse in active cancer treatment: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: Due to population aging, the number of older adults with cancer will double in the next 20 years. There is a gap in research about older adults who are the caregiver of a spouse with cancer. Therefore, this review seeks to answer the overarching research question: What is known about the association of providing care on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), psychological distress, burden, and positive aspects of caregiving for an older adult caregiver to a spouse with cancer? METHODS: This scoping review was guided by the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and refined by Levac et al. Comprehensive search strategies were conducted in Medline, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) from inception until April 15, 2021. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts, full text, and completed data abstraction. A gray literature search and two stakeholder consultations were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 8132 abstracts were screened, and 17 articles were included. All studies outlined caregivers provided preventive, instrumental, and protective care to a spouse in active cancer treatment. However, the time spent on caregiving was rarely examined (n = 4). Providing care had a negative association on HRQOL, perceived burden, and psychological distress outcomes. Five studies examined positive experiences of caregivers. CONCLUSION: The scoping review findings highlight the informal care provided by older adult caregivers to a spouse with cancer and how the care provided is associated with HRQOL, burden, psychological distress, and the positive aspects of caregiving.

Care provided by older adults in active cancer treatment to a spouse: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Older adults with cancer may be spousal caregivers for partners with one or more chronic conditions, and there has not been an overview of the needs of this population. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review to assess what is known about the type and amount of spousal care provided by older adults (≥65 years) with any type of cancer, in the active treatment phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search strategy was designed with a Health Sciences Librarian and performed using the following electronic databases from inception to January 2021: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsycInfo. Two independent reviewers screened all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. RESULTS: Searches were run February 26, 2020, and re-run January 8, 2021. A total of 8887 titles and abstracts were screened and 32 selected for full text review, but only two case reports were included in this review. The two case reports discussed the experience of an older adult with cancer, in active treatment, as the caregiver to a spouse. However, the type and amount of care provided by the caregiver to the spouse was not specified in either report. In both reports, caregivers declined cancer therapy to focus on the needs of the care recipients. CONCLUSION: Only two case reports were identified that examined the experiences of older adults with cancer acting as caregivers to a spouse. It is important for future studies to address this gap to better understand the needs of this population and develop future supportive interventions.

Self-management interventions for issues identified in a geriatric assessment: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: With the development of electronic geriatric assessment (GA), recommendations for self-management can be provided to patients without the presence of health care providers. Our research question was to identify what self-management interventions can be used by patients to address issues identified in GA and to determine their effect on patient-centered outcomes such as quality of life, health, mood, cognition, and functional status. METHODS: Searches were conducted on July 13, 2021, by a health sciences librarian in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library. A combination of database-specific subject headings and text word searches was used such as self-management, a key word for each of the geriatric assessment domains and older adults. Two independent reviewers reviewed abstracts and full texts for inclusion and abstracted data. Narrative synthesis was used to summarize findings. RESULTS: Among 28,520 abstracts reviewed, 34 randomized controlled trials were included. The most frequently studied geriatric domains were mood (n = 13 studies), mobility/falls (n = 12), quality of life (n = 11), and functional status (n = 7). The majority of studies demonstrated positive effects on mobility/falls (9 of 12), pain (3 of 5), comorbidity (4 of 4), and medication management (4 of 4). Most studies were of low to moderate quality. All geriatric domains were targeted in at least one study. CONCLUSIONS: Low- to moderate-quality studies show a variety of effective self-efficacy-targeted interventions exist for older adults to improve several important geriatric domains and related outcomes. However, long-term effects, validation, and scalability of these interventions remain largely unknown.

Systematic review of self-management interventions for older adults with cancer.

AIM: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of self-management interventions for older adults with cancer and to determine the effective components of said interventions. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of self-management interventions for older adults (65+) with cancer guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement. We conducted an exhaustive search of the following databases: Ageline, AMED, ASSIA, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, and Sociological Abstracts. We assessed for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Down & Black for quasi-experimental studies, with data synthesized in a narrative and tabular format. RESULTS: Sixteen thousand nine hundred and eight-five titles and abstracts were screened, subsequently 452 full-text papers were reviewed by two independent reviewers, of which 13 full-text papers were included in the final review. All self-management interventions included in this review measured Quality of Life; other outcomes included mood, self-care activity, supportive care needs, self-advocacy, pain intensity, and analgesic intake; only one intervention measured frailty. Effective interventions were delivered by a multidisciplinary teams (n = 4), nurses (n = 3), and mental health professionals (n = 1). Self-management core skills most commonly targeted included: problem solving; behavioural self-monitoring and tailoring; and settings goals and action planning. CONCLUSIONS: Global calls to action argue for increased emphasize on self-management but presently, few interventions exist that explicitly target the self-management needs of older adults with cancer. Future work should focus on explicit pathways to support older adults and their caregivers to prepare for and engage in cancer self-management processes and behaviours.

Providing Medical Information to Older Adults in a Web-Based Environment: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a disease that predominantly affects older adults, and several organizations recommend the completion of a geriatric assessment to help with cancer treatment decision-making. Owing to a shortage of geriatric teams and the vast number of older adults diagnosed with cancer each year, a web-based geriatric assessment may improve access to geriatric assessment for older adults. We systematically reviewed the literature to obtain the latest evidence for the design of our web-based geriatric assessment tool Comprehensive Health Assessment for My Plan. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to probe the following questions: what is the impact of providing health test results to older adults in a web-based environment without the presence of a health care provider for patient-centered outcomes, including satisfaction, perceived harm, empowerment, quality of life, and health care use (eg, hospitalization, physician visits, emergency room visits, and costs), and what recommendations do older adults and developers have for designing future apps or websites for older adults? METHODS: This systematic review was guided by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) statement. Studies were limited to publications in English that examined a web-based tool that provided test results to older adults (aged ≥65 years) without the presence of a health care provider. A health sciences librarian performed the search on November 29, 2019, on the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2018. The findings are summarized narratively and in tabular format. RESULTS: A total of 26,898 titles and abstracts were screened by 2 independent reviewers, of which 94 studies were selected for a full-text review, and 9 studies were included in this review. There were only 2 randomized controlled trials of high quality that explored the effects of receiving health care results on the web via eHealth tools for older adults or provided evidence-based recommendations for designing such tools. Older adults were generally satisfied with receiving screening results via eHealth tools, and several studies suggested that receiving health screening results electronically improved participants' quality of life. However, user interfaces that were not designed with older adults in mind and older adults' lack of confidence in navigating eHealth tools proved challenging to eHealth uptake and use. All 9 studies included in this systematic review made recommendations on how to design eHealth tools that are intuitive and useful for older adults. CONCLUSIONS: eHealth tools should incorporate specific elements to ensure usability for older adults. However, more research is required to fully elucidate the impact of receiving screening and results via eHealth tools without the presence of a health care provider for patient-centered outcomes in this target population.

Protocol for a systematic review of self-management interventions for older adults living with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer predominates in adults over age 65. Cancer treatments are known to create physical and psychosocial challenges, which may be amplified for older adults with cancer. Learning and applying self-management behaviours and skills during treatment with cancer can help to manage/recover health and improve quality of life. In many other chronic illnesses, self-management interventions are known to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the effectiveness of self-management interventions for older adults with cancer on physical, psychosocial, and health system-related outcomes. METHODS: We are conducting a systematic review of self-management interventions for older adults (65+) diagnosed with cancer (solid tumour or haematological) in the active treatment phase of cancer. This systematic review is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Studies are limited to experimental or quasi-experimental methods published in English, French, German, or Dutch. A search strategy was designed with a Health Sciences librarian and performed using the following electronic databases: Ageline, AMED, ASSIA, Cinahl, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, and Sociological Abstracts. Approximately 14,000 titles and abstracts are being electronically screened by a minimum of 2 reviewers, with relevant studies to be screened for full text. The final sample of included studies will be assessed for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Down and Black for quasi-experimental studies, with data synthesized in a narrative and tabular format. DISCUSSION: This systematic review will expand the knowledge base of interventions supporting self-management for older adults with cancer. This study will inform future intervention development by identifying gaps and strengths in effective self-management interventions targeting the needs of older adults receiving active treatment for cancer. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROPERO registry ID# CRD42019134113.