Palliative care in the treatment of women with breast cancer: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies on the quality of life in women with breast cancer show a high prevalence of signs and symptoms that should be the focus of palliative care (PC), leading us to question the current role they play in addressing breast cancer. Therefore, the objective of this review is to map the scope of available literature on the role of PC in the treatment of women with breast cancer. METHODS: This is a methodologically guided scoping review by the Joanna Briggs Institute and adapted to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist for report writing. Systematic searches were conducted in 8 databases, an electronic repository, and gray literature. The searches were conducted with the support of a librarian. The study selection was managed through the RAYYAN software in a blind and independent manner by 2 reviewers. The extracted data were analyzed using the qualitative thematic analysis technique and discussed through textual categories. RESULTS: A total of 9,812 studies were identified, of which only 136 articles and 3 sources of gray literature are included in this review. In terms of general characteristics, the majority were published in the USA (35.7%), had a cross-sectional design (44.8%), and were abstracts presented at scientific events (19.6%). The majority of interventions focused on palliative radiotherapy (13.6%). Thematic analysis identified 14 themes and 12 subthemes. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Our findings offer a comprehensive view of the evidence on PC in the treatment of breast cancer. Although a methodological quality assessment was not conducted, these results could guide professionals interested in the topic to position themselves in the current context. Additionally, a quick synthesis of recommendations on different palliative therapies is provided, which should be critically observed. Finally, multiple knowledge gaps are highlighted, which could be used for the development of future studies in this field.

Palliative care in the treatment of women with breast cancer: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, breast cancer ranks first among female malignancies; hence, there are strong recommendations for the early inclusion of these patients in palliative care. Palliative care aims to alleviate symptoms improving the quality of life of dying patients, an essential component of breast cancer care. This study aimed to map and synthesise the available evidence on palliative care for women with breast cancer and to discuss the review results with stakeholders. METHODS: A scoping review protocol is presented in this article, consisting of two phases. In the first phase, a scoping review study will be conducted adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines and guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Nine databases, an electronic repository, a trial register website, grey literature and additional sources will be searched. A focus group discussion with six stakeholders will occur in the second phase. The analysis will be performed through inductive and manifest content analysis using the IRaMuTeQ V.0.7 alpha software. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The scoping review protocol did not require ethical approval. However, the study's second phase has been approved by the institutional review board of Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand/MEAC/UFC. The findings will be disseminated through professional networks, conference presentations and publications.

Palliative Care in Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed the provision of palliative care (PC) services for women with breast cancer due to all the restrictions that came along with the virus. OBJECTIVE: To map the available evidence on the situation of PC in breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A scoping review was carried out based on the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The search was conducted in nine databases, one electronic repository, and one library, using controlled vocabularies. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles and seven documents were included. The majority (11.4% each) were published in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States, 38.9% addressed palliative radiotherapy (RT), and 47.2% consisted of recommendations. From the content analysis, five categories were obtained focused on the recommendations on changes in palliative treatment guidelines and the response of PC teams to the evolving crisis. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence pointed to the management of general PC, palliative RT, palliative chemotherapy, management of metastatic breast cancer, and use of technologies in palliative care. No recommendations were found to manage frequent symptoms in PC, indicating the need to develop primary studies that investigate these aspects in detail in this vulnerable group. IMPLICATIONS: The results contained in this document can provide professionals working in this field of care with a global view of how other teams have dealt with the pandemic, thereby identifying the best guidelines to apply in their reality, taking into account the clinical and social situation of each patient.

Telenursing in the sexual function of women with breast cancer: A study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Most women with breast cancer have sexual function problems related to cancer diagnosis and treatment. These problems harm the quality of life and relationships. However, most patients do not receive care or guidance regarding sexuality from healthcare providers. This study aimed to test the effect of telenursing counseling on sexual functioning in women undergoing breast cancer treatment. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at 2 reference hospitals for cancer treatment. One hundred eight women with stage I-IV breast cancer undergoing treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy) with a partner will be included in this study. The study was authorized by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará (Opinion number: 46,13,609) and the Maternity School Assis Chateaubriand (Opinion number: 47,42,687). Patients will be allocated to the following groups: the control group, which will not receive an active intervention, and the intervention group, which will receive 3 telenursing counseling sessions for 6 weeks. The levels of sexual function in these patients before the intervention, soon after the intervention and at 12 weeks were compared and analyzed. All data will be collected and analyzed by the JASP program. RESULTS: Differences in levels of sexual function among women allocated to the control and intervention groups in the analyzed periods. CONCLUSION: This evidence-based nursing care strategy can be used to improve the sexual function of breast cancer patients and consequently their quality of life and marital relationship.

Estrés percibido asociado a la pandemia por COVID-19 en la ciudad de Guayaquil, Ecuador / Perceived stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador

La nueva pandemia de coronavirus es la mayor crisis de salud pública que el mundo ha enfrentado en más de un siglo. Los temores e incertidumbres generados por la llegada repentina, alta peligrosidad y exponencial crecimiento de la enfermedad unidos a las medidas subsecuentes como el aislamiento que modificaron drásticamente la rutina, nivel de vida y economía de cada individuo influenciaron grandemente en detrimento de la salud mental de las personas, elevendo los reportes de ansiedad, depresión y estrés de la población. Con el objetivo de diagnosticar los niveles de este último asociados a la pandemia por COVID-19, se aplicó un muestreo no probabilístico a los estudiantes y profesores de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Guayaquil (Ecuador) y profesionales de la salud, aplicando la Escala de Estrés Percibido (EEP-10), adaptada y validada al contexto de COVID-19, con enfoques cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal. Se aceptó un total de 860 encuestas, con predominancia del sexo femenino (68,6%), y donde 61% de los participantes informó ser estudiante mientras que el 27,8% trabaja en asistencia sanitaria. El 13% de los encuestados mostró niveles de estrés percibido alto con una media de x̄ =17,017 (± 7,15) entre un valor mínimo de 0 y máximo de 40. En el análisis multivariado se determinó que el género (-2,399), tener un familiar con enfermedades crónicas (-1,61), familiar diagnosticado con COVID-19 (-1,764) y familiar fallecidos con COVID-19 (-2,3) son variables que influyen significativamente en el nivel de estrés percibido.

The new coronavirus pandemic is the biggest public health crisis the world has faced in more than a century. The fears and uncertainties generated by the sudden arrival, high danger and exponential growth of the disease together with subsequent measures such as isolation that drastically modified the routine, standard of living and economy of each individual greatly influenced the mental health of the patients. people, raising the reports of anxiety, depression and stress in the population. In order to diagnose the levels of the latter associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a non-probability sampling was applied to students and professors of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Guayaquil (Ecuador) and health professionals, applying the Perceived Stress Scale (EEP-10), adapted and validated to the context of COVID-19, with quantitative, descriptive and transversal approaches. A total of 860 surveys were accepted, predominantly female (68.6%), and where 61% of the participants reported being a student while 27.8% work in health care. 13% of the respondents showed high levels of perceived stress with a mean of x̄ = 17.017 (± 7.15) between a minimum value of 0 and a maximum of 40. In the multivariate analysis it was determined that gender (-2,399), having a family member with chronic diseases (-1,61), family member diagnosed with COVID-19 (-1,764) and family member who died with COVID-19 (-2,3) are variables that significantly influence the level of perceived stress.