Roadmap for Connecting Cancer Rehabilitation With Survivorship to Improve Patient Outcomes and Clinical Efficiency.

ABSTRACT: An evolved model of comprehensive cancer care is needed that begins at cancer diagnosis to proactively manage cancer treatment toxicities and optimize patient health, function, and well-being. Building new care models requires connecting oncology, primary care, and specialized clinicians from many disciplines including cancer rehabilitation. Having a vision for an evolved standard of comprehensive cancer care is a requirement, but it is not enough to bring an innovative clinical program to life and sustain it over the long term. To inform the development of new clinical programs, two example programs are presented that successfully integrate cancer rehabilitation services along with details of a three-step process these programs used to facilitate their success and build robust business models that ensure their sustainability. Following the roadmap for growth presented here, gaining input from stakeholders and ensuring their buy-in, leveraging existing programmatic priorities, as well as developing a strategic growth plan can help clinical innovators ensure that new programs anticipate and continually meet the needs of oncology, primary care, subspecialty care, and programs, while addressing the business needs of administrators and improving the experience for patients.

Embracing Complexity-the Role of Cancer Rehabilitation in Restoring and Maintaining Function and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors with Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome.

Purpose of Review: Despite more than 6 decades of growth and transformation, the field of cancer rehabilitation has considerable room to evolve if it is to live up to its full potential. This article will discuss the importance of this evolution in the context of radiation late effects and serve as a call for the clinical and operational expansion of the field so that it can become a key component of comprehensive cancer care. Recent Findings: The clinical and operational challenges inherent in cancer survivors with radiation late effects necessitate different thinking with respect to how rehabilitation professionals evaluate and manage patients as well as how our institutions equip these professionals to practice at the highest possible level. Summary: To achieve its promise, the field of cancer rehabilitation must evolve to embrace fully the scope, scale, and complexity of issues faced by cancer survivors with radiation late effects. Better engagement and coordination of the care team are needed to deliver this care and ensure our programs are robust, sustainable, and flexible.

Cancer prevention, risk reduction, and control: opportunities for the next decade of health care delivery research.

In this commentary, we discuss opportunities to optimize cancer care delivery in the next decade building from evidence and advancements in the conceptualization and implementation of multi-level translational behavioral interventions. We summarize critical issues and discoveries describing new directions for translational behavioral research in the coming decade based on the promise of the accelerated application of this evidence within learning health systems. To illustrate these advances, we discuss cancer prevention, risk reduction (particularly precision prevention and early detection), and cancer treatment and survivorship (particularly risk- and need-stratified comprehensive care) and propose opportunities to equitably improve outcomes while addressing clinician shortages and cross-system coordination. We also discuss the impacts of COVID-19 and potential advances of scientific knowledge in the context of existing evidence, the need for adaptation, and potential areas of innovation to meet the needs of converging crises (e.g., fragmented care, workforce shortages, ongoing pandemic) in cancer health care delivery. Finally, we discuss new areas for exploration by applying key lessons gleaned from implementation efforts guided by advances in behavioral health.

Innovating the Personalization of Stratified Survivorship Care Pathways: Using a Cancer Data Ecosystem to Improve Care Access, Outcomes, Efficiency, and Costs.

New models of survivorship care are needed that improve outcomes for the growing number of cancer survivors, address the increasing complexity of their health needs, and deal with the shortage of clinicians and rising costs of this care. Technology can aid the delivery of personalized, stratified survivorship care pathways where the intensity of care, the care setting, and the providers required for that care vary with survivors' needs. Building a cancer data ecosystem of connected data streams that supports and learns from each patient can be used to streamline care, enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and facilitate research. This manuscript describes the input, analytics, and output components of the cancer data ecosystem that must be built and connected and also provides a real-world use case of how such a system could transform care in a large US comprehensive cancer center.

Consensus-Building efforts to identify best tools for screening and assessment for supportive services in oncology.

Purpose: To build consensus around an optimal patient-reported outcome measure of cancer symptoms and patient needs to facilitate patient-provider communication and trigger referrals to supportive services.Methods and materials: The Grid-Enabled Measures platform was used to crowdsource and facilitate collaboration to achieve consensus. Respondents were invited to nominate and independently rate the usefulness of measures that: (1) have been actively used at a healthcare institution, (2) have a multiple choice or yes/no type format, (3) are applicable to adults with cancer, (4) are patient-reported, and 5) have psychometric data if possible. Discussion boards within the GEM workspace allowed respondents to identify barriers to implementing patient assessment and referral systems.Results: 166 individuals from various disciplines from 25 organizations participated. Six instruments were nominated, and 553 rating surveys were submitted. The three most highly-rated overall instruments were the Distress Thermometer, the James Supportive Case Screening, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Participants noted that wide-scale implementation of this process requires both identifying problems and providing clinicians with algorithms to facilitate appropriate referrals.Conclusions: Consensus reported three most highly-related measures as optimal for comprehensive screening and identification for referral by assessing multiple domains of functioning and quality of life.Implications for RehabilitationGaining consensus on the best patient reported outcome measures is an important step towards improving access to cancer rehabilitation services.A consensus agreed on several measures to use for cancer rehabilitation screening. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General, National Comprehensive Cancer. Network Distress Thermometer and the James Instrument.The selected measures do not put undue burden on clinicians and patients.

Exercise is medicine in oncology: Engaging clinicians to help patients move through cancer.

Multiple organizations around the world have issued evidence-based exercise guidance for patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine has updated its exercise guidance for cancer prevention as well as for the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancer health-related outcomes (eg, fatigue, anxiety, depression, function, and quality of life). Despite these guidelines, the majority of people living with and beyond cancer are not regularly physically active. Among the reasons for this is a lack of clarity on the part of those who work in oncology clinical settings of their role in assessing, advising, and referring patients to exercise. The authors propose using the American College of Sports Medicine's Exercise Is Medicine initiative to address this practice gap. The simple proposal is for clinicians to assess, advise, and refer patients to either home-based or community-based exercise or for further evaluation and intervention in outpatient rehabilitation. To do this will require care coordination with appropriate professionals as well as change in the behaviors of clinicians, patients, and those who deliver the rehabilitation and exercise programming. Behavior change is one of many challenges to enacting the proposed practice changes. Other implementation challenges include capacity for triage and referral, the need for a program registry, costs and compensation, and workforce development. In conclusion, there is a call to action for key stakeholders to create the infrastructure and cultural adaptations needed so that all people living with and beyond cancer can be as active as is possible for them.

Comprehensive cancer control: promoting survivor health and wellness.

PURPOSE: As of 2016, an estimated 15.5 million cancer survivors were living in the United States and the number of cancer survivors is expected to increase to 20.3 million by 2026. Numerous clinical studies have shown that comorbidities, such as obesity and diabetes, and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity and heavy smoking, negatively influence overall quality of life and long-term survival of cancer survivors. Accordingly, survivorship programs seek to focus on overall wellness, including symptom management, monitoring for late effects of treatment, monitoring for recurrence, helping patients adapt healthy behaviors, and quality of life. This paper provides a broad overview of public health efforts to address the needs of cancer survivors. METHODS: To describe a range of examples of survivorship initiatives in comprehensive cancer control, we analyzed documents from comprehensive cancer control programs and coalitions and solicited detailed examples from several national partners. RESULTS: Comprehensive cancer control programs, coalitions, and partners are undertaking myriad initiatives to address cancer survivorship and building upon evidence-based interventions to promote healthy behaviors for cancer survivors across the country. CONCLUSION: A coordinated public health approach to caring for the growing population of cancer survivors can help address the long-term physical, psychosocial, and economic effects of cancer treatment on cancer survivors and their families.

Attachment anxiety is related to Epstein-Barr virus latency.

Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding individual differences in chronic interpersonal stress. Attachment anxiety, a type of relationship insecurity characterized by worry about rejection and abandonment, is a chronic interpersonal stressor. Stress impacts cellular immunity, including herpesvirus reactivation. We investigated whether attachment anxiety was related to the expression of a latent herpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), when individuals were being tested for breast or colon cancer and approximately 1 year later. Participants (N=183) completed a standard attachment questionnaire and provided blood to assess EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG antibody titers. Individuals with more attachment anxiety had higher EBV VCA IgG antibody titers than those with less attachment anxiety. The strength of the association between attachment anxiety and antibody titers was the same at both assessments. This study is the first to show an association between latent herpesvirus reactivation and attachment anxiety. Because elevated herpesvirus antibody titers reflect poorer cellular immune system control over the latent virus, these data suggest that high attachment anxiety is associated with cellular immune dysregulation.

Providing care for cancer survivors in integrated health care delivery systems: practices, challenges, and research opportunities.

PURPOSE: Optimal approaches to cancer survivorship care are needed. This study sought to identify practices, barriers, and research opportunities in meeting the care needs of cancer survivors in integrated health care delivery systems. METHODS: This study was conducted at 10 sites within the Cancer Research Network, a National Cancer Institute-funded consortium of integrated health care delivery systems providing care for nearly 11 million enrollees. We identified 48 clinical leaders, administrators, and providers in oncology, primary care, nursing administration, and specialty care. Forty (83%) completed semi-structured, audio-recorded, transcribed telephone interviews, which we analyzed using an immersion-crystallization approach. RESULTS: Respondents were aware of the needs of cancer survivors and the difficulties they face in transitioning from treatment to follow-up care. Respondents from all sites reported that oncology and primary care are jointly responsible for the care of cancer survivors, often through the use of electronic medical records. Many respondents were not familiar with standardized survivorship care plans. Only two sites had formal cancer survivorship programs in place, and two were developing such programs. Respondents at sites with and without programs acknowledged existing gaps in evidence on the effectiveness of formal survivorship care and expressed a desire for additional research. CONCLUSION: Our exploratory study suggests an awareness of cancer survivorship care in integrated health care delivery systems, although approaches to providing such care vary across systems. These settings may offer a unique opportunity to develop, test, and implement innovative models of care, which can be systematically evaluated to inform and enhance cancer survivorship care in diverse health care settings.

Fatigue, inflammation, and ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acid intake among breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Evidence suggests that inflammation may drive fatigue in cancer survivors. Research in healthy populations has shown reduced inflammation with higher dietary intake of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which could potentially reduce fatigue. This study investigated fatigue, inflammation, and intake of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs among breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Six hundred thirty-three survivors (mean age, 56 years; stage I to IIIA) participating in the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Study completed a food frequency/dietary supplement questionnaire and provided a blood sample assayed for C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (30 months after diagnosis) and completed the Piper Fatigue Scale and Short Form-36 (SF-36) vitality scale (39 months after diagnosis). Analysis of covariance and logistic regression models tested relationships between inflammation and fatigue, inflammation and ω-3 and ω-6 PUFA intake, and PUFA intake and fatigue, controlling for three incremental levels of confounders. Fatigue was analyzed continuously (Piper scales) and dichotomously (SF-36 vitality ≤ 50). RESULTS: Behavioral (P = .003) and sensory (P = .001) fatigue scale scores were higher by increasing CRP tertile; relationships were attenuated after adjustment for medication use and comorbidity. Survivors with high CRP had 1.8 times greater odds of fatigue after full adjustment (P < .05). Higher intake of ω-6 relative to ω-3 PUFAs was associated with greater CRP (P = .01 after full adjustment) and greater odds of fatigue (odds ratio, 2.6 for the highest v lowest intake; P < .05). CONCLUSION: Results link higher intake of ω-3 PUFAs, decreased inflammation, and decreased physical aspects of fatigue. Future studies should test whether ω-3 supplementation may reduce fatigue among significantly fatigued breast cancer survivors.

Estrogenic botanical supplements, health-related quality of life, fatigue, and hormone-related symptoms in breast cancer survivors: a HEAL study report.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether estrogenic botanical supplement (EBS) use influences breast cancer survivors' health-related outcomes. METHODS: We examined the associations of EBS use with health-related quality of life (HRQOL), with fatigue, and with 15 hormone-related symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats among 767 breast cancer survivors participating in the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study. HRQOL was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study short form-36 physical and mental component scale summary score. Fatigue was measured by the Revised-Piper Fatigue Scale score. RESULTS: Neither overall EBS use nor the number of EBS types used was associated with HRQOL, fatigue, or hormone-related symptoms. However, comparisons of those using each specific type of EBS with non-EBS users revealed the following associations. Soy supplements users were more likely to have a better physical health summary score (odds ratio [OR] = 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-2.70). Flaxseed oil users were more likely to have a better mental health summary score (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.05-2.94). Ginseng users were more likely to report severe fatigue and several hormone-related symptoms (all ORs ≥ 1.7 and all 95% CIs exclude 1). Red clover users were less likely to report weight gain, night sweats, and difficulty concentrating (all OR approximately 0.4 and all 95% CIs exclude 1). Alfalfa users were less likely to experience sleep interruption (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.12-0.68). Dehydroepiandrosterone users were less likely to have hot flashes (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.14-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that several specific types of EBS might have important influences on a woman's various aspects of quality of life, but further verification is necessary.

Exercise and dietary change after diagnosis and cancer-related symptoms in long-term survivors of breast cancer: CALGB 79804.

OBJECTIVE: Improving diet and exercise can reduce survivors' risk of cancer-related fatigue, poor physical functioning, and potential recurrence. A cancer diagnosis can represent a 'teachable moment', leading survivors to make positive changes in diet and exercise behaviors; however, little is known about how often this occurs or about factors that enhance or limit survivors' ability to make these changes. This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated both the prevalence and clustering of self-reported changes in diet and exercise and how these changes related to ongoing cancer-related symptoms, social support, and stressful life events among long-term breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Survivors (n=227, response rate=72%) of a prior Cancer and Leukemia Group B treatment trial, on average 12 years post-diagnosis, completed a mailed survey assessing health behavior changes since diagnosis and current symptoms, social support, and stressful life events. RESULTS: Over half of survivors reported making positive exercise or diet changes since diagnosis: over 25% reported making exercise and diet changes. Analyses of covariance models showed that survivors who reported increasing their exercise also reported lower fatigue. Trends were also found between increased fruit and vegetable intake and decreased fatigue and between increased exercise and increased social support. CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore the need for health promotion efforts among survivors. Exercise promotion is especially needed since more survivors attempted to change dietary behaviors than exercise on their own. Further, fatigue may limit survivors' ability to change their health behaviors; alternatively, survivors who increase their exercise may experience less fatigue.