Consumer habits and practices for cosmetics and personal care products in Singapore: An online survey.

Understanding trends in habits and practices of cosmetics and personal care products is essential for the assessment of product exposure and simultaneously, the establishment of safe use levels for incorporated ingredients. To date, most exposure data is limited to European and USA populations, with data on Asian-specific habits and practices lacking. This data gap needs to be filled as evidence has shown that there is a large variation in product use behaviors between consumers, across and within populations. Moreover, there is a need to seek a more efficient approach of data collection. Conventional methods of collecting habits and practices data require extensive effort and are generally cost and time intensive. In this publication, we demonstrate the feasibility of employing a rapid and cost-effective online survey approach to gather habits and practices for Southeast Asia, specifically Singapore. We describe the methodology and display the type of habits and practices data that can be gathered through this approach. Although certain limitations exist, this approach can be used to effectively collect preliminary product use data across regions and different product categories.

Effects of High Anxiety Scores on Surgical and Overall Treatment Plan in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer and high levels of anxiety often pursue more aggressive surgical interventions. The neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) setting could provide a window of opportunity to address patients' anxiety. However, the impact of anxiety on surgical decisions in the setting of NAT for breast cancer has not been previously studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective database of patients with breast cancer treated with NAT at BC Cancer was used to identify patients treated with NAT and subsequent surgical resection. Patients with bilateral breast cancer or BRCA mutations or those referred to the hereditary cancer program were excluded. An anxiety score of 0-3 was assigned based on responses to the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and Psychosocial Screen for Cancer. Clinicopathological information and treatment data were retrieved and cross-referenced between the low-anxiety (scores 0-1) and high-anxiety (scores 2-3) cohorts. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2016, 203 patients met eligibility criteria. Of these, 93 patients (45.8%) had low anxiety and 110 patients (54.2%) had high anxiety. Overall, 161 patients (79.3%) had locally advanced cancers; no differences in stage, grade, or biomarkers were found between the low- and high-anxiety cohorts. Patients with high self-reported anxiety at initial consultation were younger (mean 56 years vs. 60 years; p = .011) and more likely to undergo mastectomy for breast-conserving surgery-eligible disease and bilateral mastectomy for unilateral disease compared with those with low anxiety (37.3% vs. 18.3%; likelihood ratio 9.15; p = .002). No significant differences in treatment timelines were identified between the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: Patients with high anxiety at initial consultation were nine times more likely to undergo aggressive surgery compared with patients with low anxiety. These findings underscore the need for early identification of patients who may benefit from tailored supportive and educational services to address sources of anxiety and knowledge gaps. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The prevalence of anxiety among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer is being increasingly acknowledged. However, health care providers have not fully appreciated the impact of anxiety on the surgical management of patients with early-stage breast cancer. This study highlights the importance of self-reported anxiety on surgical management. The preoperative period provides a unique window of opportunity to address sources of anxiety and provide targeted educational materials over a period of 4-6 months, which may ultimately lead to less aggressive surgery when it is not needed.