Unfolding parental knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward palliative care for children with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Parents' views toward pediatric palliative care (PPC) remain underexplored, especially in low/middle-income countries where care relies heavily on families. A better understanding of parents' perspectives would inform strategies to support PPC integration into the care of children with cancer. This multicenter study aimed to examine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward PPC among parents of children with cancer in Lebanon to uncover areas for improvement and determine associated factors. METHODS: Using a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design, 105 primary caregivers (RR = 95.4%) were recruited during the child's visit to one of three pediatric oncology centers in Lebanon. Data were collected through structured interviews using questionnaire items newly developed or taken from validated tools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Only 18/105 participants (17.1%) had heard about PPC and 2% had accurate information about it. When given a brief description, more than 90% endorsed PPC and recommended its integration upon the child's diagnosis. Respectively, "Religious and spiritual engagement" and "Overwhelming negative emotions" were the most cited facilitators and barriers to integrating PPC. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs were significantly associated with several demographic and clinical factors such as education level, number of persons living with the child, child's symptom count, and pain score. CONCLUSION: This research is among the very first studies conducted to examine parents' perspectives toward PPC for children with cancer in Lebanon. Study findings inform future directions to promote PPC in limited-resource settings through expanded research, policy, education, and practice initiatives.

Co-occurrence and metabolic biomarkers of sensory and motor subtypes of peripheral neuropathy from paclitaxel.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is the major treatment-limiting toxicity of paclitaxel, which predominantly presents as sensory symptoms, with motor symptoms in some patients. Differentiating CIPN into subtypes has been recommended to direct CIPN research. The objective of this study was to investigate whether sensory and motor CIPN are distinct subtypes with different predictive biomarkers in patients with breast cancer receiving paclitaxel. METHODS: Data were from a prospective cohort of 60 patients with breast cancer receiving up to 12 weekly infusions of 80 mg/m2 paclitaxel (NCT02338115). European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire CIPN20 was used to evaluate CIPN. Clusters of the time course of sensory (CIPNS), motor (CIPNM), and the difference between sensory and motor (CIPNS-CIPNM) were identified using k-means clustering on principal component scores. Predictive metabolomic biomarkers of maximum CIPNS and CIPNM were investigated using linear regressions adjusted for baseline CIPN, paclitaxel pharmacokinetics, and body mass index. RESULTS: More sensory than motor CIPN was found (CIPNS change: mean = 10.8, ranged [-3.3, 52.1]; CIPNM change: mean = 3.5, range: [-7.5, 35.0]). Three groups were identified with No CIPN, Mixed CIPN, and Sensory-dominant CIPN (maximum CIPNS: mean = 12.7 vs. 40.9 vs. 74.3, p < 0.001; maximum CIPNM: mean = 5.4 vs. 25.5 vs. 36.1, p < 0.001; average CIPNS-CIPNM: mean = 2.8 vs. 5.8 vs. 24.9, p < 0.001). Biomarkers of motor CIPN were similar to previously identified biomarkers of sensory CIPN, including lower serum histidine (p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that sensory and motor CIPN co-occur and may not have differentiating metabolic biomarkers. These findings need to be validated in larger cohorts of patients treated with paclitaxel and other neurotoxic agents to determine the optimal approach to predict, prevent, and treat CIPN and improve patients' outcomes.

Vitamin D deficiency increases severity of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

PURPOSE: Approximately 25% of patients receiving weekly paclitaxel for breast cancer require treatment disruptions to avoid severe, irreversible peripheral neuropathy (PN). Vitamin insufficiencies are PN risk factors in many diseases, but their relevance to chemotherapy-induced PN is unknown. METHODS: We investigated whether baseline insufficiency of vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, or homocysteine increased PN in patients with breast cancer receiving weekly paclitaxel in a retrospective analysis of a prospective observational study. Patient-reported PN was collected at baseline and during treatment on the Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN20). The primary analysis tested associations between vitamin deficiency and the maximum increase from baseline in the CIPN20 sensory subscale (ΔCIPN8). Secondary analyses tested for association with PN-induced treatment disruptions and adjusted associations for treatment and clinical variables. RESULTS: 25-hydroxy-vitamin D was the only nutrient with sufficient deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) for analysis (15/37 = 41%). Vitamin D-deficient patients had a greater mean PN increase than non-deficient patients (ΔCIPN8 ± SD, 36 ± 23 vs. 16 ± 16, p = 0.003) and a non-significant, approximately threefold increase in risk of treatment disruption (OR 2.98, 95% CI [0.72, 12.34], p = 0.16). In multivariable models adjusted for clinical and treatment variables, baseline vitamin D level was inversely associated with PN (ß = - 0.04, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment vitamin D deficiency was associated with PN in women receiving weekly paclitaxel for breast cancer. Vitamin D deficiency may be an easily detected PN risk factor that could be resolved prior to treatment to prevent PN, avoid treatment disruptions, and improve treatment outcomes.

Genetic variation in EPHA contributes to sensitivity to paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

AIMS: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a treatment limiting toxicity of paclitaxel. We evaluated if EPHA genetic variation (EPHA4, EPHA5, EPHA6, and EPHA8) is associated with PN sensitivity by accounting for variability in systemic paclitaxel exposure (time above threshold). METHODS: Germline DNA from 60 patients with breast cancer was sequenced. PN was measured using the 8-item sensory subscale (CIPN8) of the patient-reported CIPN20. Associations for 3 genetic models were tested by incorporating genetics into previously published PN prediction models integrating measured paclitaxel exposure and cumulative treatment. Significant associations were then tested for association with PN-related treatment disruption. RESULTS: EPHA5 rs7349683 (minor allele frequency = 0.32) was associated with increased PN sensitivity (ß-coefficient = 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.11-0.67, p = 0.007). Setting a maximum tolerable threshold of CIPN8 = 30, optimal paclitaxel exposure target is shorter for rs7349683 homozygous (11.6 h) than heterozygous (12.6 h) or wild-type (13.6 h) patients. Total number of missense variants (median = 0, range 0-2) was associated with decreased PN sensitivity (ß-coefficient: -0.42, 95% confidence interval -0.72 to -0.12, P = .006). No association with treatment disruption was detected for the total number of missense variants or rs7349683. CONCLUSION: Isolating toxicity sensitivity by accounting for exposure is a novel approach, and rs7349683 represents a promising marker for PN sensitivity that may be used to individualize paclitaxel treatment.

Rasch model-based testing of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (QLQ-CIPN20) using Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance) A151408 study data.

PURPOSE: To test the psychometric properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (QLQ-CIPN20) using Rasch-based methods. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was performed using pooled QLQ-CIPN20 data from patients (N = 1008) who had participated in any of four multi-site chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) treatment and prevention trials. QLQ-CIPN20 responses were evaluated using a polytomous Rasch partial credit model. Data were assessed for person-item fit using the chi-square statistic, item scaling based on response proportions, threshold ordering using item characteristic curves and logit threshold locations, differential item response (DIF) (i.e., response bias) using likelihood ratio tests, and unidimensionality using cluster analysis. RESULTS: A statistically significant chi-square test indicated poor fit of the observed to the expected responses. More than 70% of the respondents reported a complete absence of six symptoms, reflecting significant floor effects and poor item scaling. Disordered/non-ordinal or narrow response thresholds were found for 11 of the 20 items. Item responses were significantly different by gender (p < 0.0001) and chemotherapy type (p < 0.0001). Cluster analysis findings suggest that the QLQ-CIPN20 is a unidimensional scale due to the absence of item clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Rasch model testing revealed psychometric weaknesses that could be addressed by revising the QLQ-CIPN20's problematic items and response options. Alternatively, perhaps the new gold standard CIPN measurement approach in future intervention trials should involve use of only the best items, which would also allow comparisons across previous trials that utilized the QLQ-CIPN20.

In Search of a Gold Standard Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Use in Chemotherapy- Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Clinical Trials.

PURPOSE: To test a reduced version-CIPN15-of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy scale (QLQ-CIPN20) to establish a possible gold-standard patient-reported outcome measure for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). METHODS: Using a prospective, longitudinal, case-control design, patients (n = 121) receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy completed the CIPN15 at baseline and 12 weeks and underwent objective neurological assessment using the 5-item Total Neuropathy Score-Clinical (TNSc). Healthy controls (n = 30) completed the CIPN15 once. Structural validity was evaluated using factor analysis. Because a stable factor structure was not found, a sum score was used to evaluate measures of the CIPN15's psychometric properties-reliability, validity, sensitivity, and responsiveness-as follows: internal consistency via Cronbach's α and item-item correlations; test-retest reliability via correlation between 2 CIPN15 scores from each patient; concurrent validity via correlation between CIPN15 and 5-item TNSc scores; contrasting group validity via comparison of CIPN15 scores from patients and healthy controls; sensitivity via descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, ranges); and responsiveness via Cohen's d effect size. RESULTS: Most patients received single agent oxaliplatin (33.7%), paclitaxel (21.2%), or more than 1 neurotoxic drug concurrently (29.8%). Factor analysis revealed no stable factor structure. Cronbach's α for the CIPN15 sum score was 0.91 (confidence interval [CI] = 0.89-0.93). Test-retest reliability was demonstrated based on strong correlations between the 2 scores obtained at the 12-week time point ( r = 0.86; CI = 0.80-0.90). The CIPN15 and 5-item TNSc items reflecting symptoms (not signs) were moderately correlated ( r range 0.57-0.72): concurrent validity. Statistically significant differences were found between patient and healthy control CIPN15 mean scores ( P < .0001): contrasting group validity. All items encompassed the full score range but the CIPN15 linearly converted sum score did not: sensitivity. The CIPN15 was responsive based on a Cohen's d of 0.52 (CI = 0.25-0.79). CONCLUSION: The sum-scored CIPN15 is reliable, valid, sensitive, and responsive when used to assess taxane- and platinum-induced CIPN.

Comparison of oxaliplatin and paclitaxel-induced neuropathy (Alliance A151505).

PURPOSE: Oxaliplatin and paclitaxel are commonly used chemotherapies associated with acute and chronic neuropathies. There is a need to better understand the similarities and differences of these clinical syndromes. METHODS: Neuropathy data were pooled from patients receiving adjuvant oxaliplatin and weekly paclitaxel or every 3 weeks of paclitaxel. Patients completed daily questionnaires after each chemotherapy dose and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality-of-life questionnaire for patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy before each chemotherapy cycle and for 12 months post-treatment. RESULTS: Acute neuropathy symptoms from both drugs peaked around day 3. Acute symptoms experienced in cycle 1 predicted occurrence in subsequent cycles. Paclitaxel-induced acute symptoms were similar in intensity in each cycle and largely resolved between cycles. Oxaliplatin-induced acute symptoms were about half as severe in the first cycle as in later cycles and did not resolve completely between cycles. Both drugs caused a predominantly sensory chronic neuropathy (with numbness and tingling being more common than pain). Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy worsened after the completion of treatment and began to improve 3 months post-treatment. In contrast, paclitaxel-induced neuropathy began improving immediately after chemotherapy cessation. During treatment, the incidence of paclitaxel sensory symptoms was similar in the hands and feet; with oxaliplatin, the hands were affected more than the feet. Both paclitaxel- and oxaliplatin-induced acute neurotoxicity appeared to predict the severity of chronic neuropathy, more prominently with oxaliplatin. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the similarities and differences between neuropathy syndromes may provide insight into their underlying pathophysiology and inform future research to identify preventative treatment approaches.

What about Alice? Peripheral neuropathy from taxane-containing treatment for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: In this review, we discuss the plight of Alice, a patient with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who struggles with taxane-related peripheral neuropathy (PN). Using this unique point of view helps us to appreciate the implications of PN on daily activities as well as the difficulty in decision-making regarding continuation of treatment. In addition, published reports of phase 3 trials are reviewed to identify the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-induced PN as well as the assessment tools used in these studies. METHODS: A literature review spanning the years 1998-2012 was performed. Phase 3 studies and a meta-analysis of taxane-based therapy in advanced NSCLC were selected for review for their findings regarding the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-induced PN. RESULTS: In total, 16 phase 3 studies and 1 meta-analysis were reviewed. Use of grading scales and PN assessment tools was inconsistent across the studies, and some studies did not report PN at all. CONCLUSIONS: The true incidence and severity of chemotherapy-induced PN in clinical trials may be masked by nonstandardized reporting; thus, a more standardized approach to grading, assessing, and reporting PN in clinical trials is greatly needed to allow for appropriate comparisons across studies. Understanding chemotherapy-induced PN from the patient's perspective as well as the development of PN at the clinical trial level will help health care providers anticipate the development of PN and improve their ability to manage it.

Cancer treatment-related neuropathic pain syndromes--epidemiology and treatment: an update.

Cancer treatment-related chronic neuropathic pain (NP) is a pervasive and distressing problem that negatively influences function and quality of life for countless cancer survivors. It occurs because of cancer treatment-induced damage to peripheral and central nervous system structures. NP becomes chronic when pain signal transmission persists, eventually sensitizing neurons in the dorsal horn and other pain-processing regions in the central nervous system. Frequently overlooked, NP due to cancer treatment has been understudied. Consequently, only a few pharmacologic interventions have been shown to be effective based on the results of randomized controlled trials. Future research designed to explore pathophysiologic mechanisms and effective mechanism-targeted interventions is sorely needed.

Prazosin as an Adjuvant to Increase Effectiveness of Duloxetine in a Rat Model of Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

OBJECTIVES: Duloxetine, the only American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) treatment recommended for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in cancer survivors, is not effective for 40% of survivors. This study examined the ability of a duloxetine-prazosin combination to prevent the development of allodynia and hyperalgesia in a rat model of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OPIN). METHODS: Female (n = 24) and male (n = 41) rats were started on duloxetine (15 mg), prazosin (2 mg), or a duloxetine-prazosin combination one week prior to administration of the chemotherapy drug, oxaliplatin, and continued the duloxetine-prazosin combination for 32 days. Behavioral testing for mechanical allodynia and mechanical hyperalgesia was done with selected von Frey filaments over the course of the study. RESULTS: Overall percent paw withdrawal for rats that received the duloxetine-prazosin combination was significantly lower in female (p < .001 for both conditions) and male (p = .029 for allodynia; p < .001 for hyperalgesia) than those that received water. No significant posttreatment differences were found for allodynia or hyperalgesia between rats treated with duloxetine and rats that received the duloxetine-prazosin combination in either sex. CONCLUSIONS: These finding provide preliminary evidence that a duloxetine-prazosin combination can prevent the posttreatment development of allodynia and hyperalgesia in both male and female rats; however, the results suggest that the duloxetine-prazosin combination is no more efficacious than duloxetine alone in preventing chronic OIPN. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The profession of nursing is built on clinical practice supported by scientific research. The current study addressed the clinical practice problem of prevention and management of painful OIPN, which is a priority area in oncology nursing.

Effectiveness of Duloxetine on Oxaliplatin-induced Allodynia and Hyperalgesia in Rats.

Development of painful oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) is a major problem in people who receive oxaliplatin as part of cancer treatment. The pain experienced by those with OIPN can be seriously debilitating and lead to discontinuation of an otherwise successful treatment. Duloxetine is currently the only recommended treatment for established painful OIPN recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, but its preventative ability is still not clear. This study examined the ability of duloxetine to prevent signs of chronic OIPN in female (n = 12) and male (n = 21) rats treated with the chemotherapeutic agent oxaliplatin. Using an established model of OIPN, rats were started on duloxetine (15 mg) one week prior to oxaliplatin administration and continued duloxetine for 32 days. Behavioral testing for mechanical allodynia and mechanical hyperalgesia was done with selected von Frey filaments. Significant posttreatment differences were found for allodynia in female (p = .004), but not male rats. Duloxetine was associated with significant differences for hyperalgesia in both female (p < .001) and male (p < .001) rats. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the preventative effects of duloxetine on both oxaliplatin-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia in male and female rats, with a difference noted in response between the sexes.

Patient-targeted education (ePRO-E) to increase ePRO intent within an Alliance clinical trial (A221805-SI1).

BACKGROUND: The Patient Cloud ePRO app was adopted by the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) to facilitate capturing electronic patient-reported (ePRO) outcome data, but use has been low. The study objectives were to test whether a patient-targeted ePRO educational resource (ePRO-E) would increase ePRO intent (number of users) and improve data quality (high quality: ≥80% of the required surveys submitted) within an ongoing NCTN study. METHODS: The ePRO-E intervention, a patient-targeted educational resource (written material and 6-minute animated YouTube video), was designed to address ePRO barriers. ePRO intent and data quality were compared between 2 groups (N = 69): a historical control group and a prospectively recruited intervention group exposed to ePRO-E. Covariates included technology attitudes, age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity. RESULTS: Intervention group ePRO intent (78.8%) was statistically significantly higher than historical control group intent (47.1%) (P = .03). Patients choosing ePRO versus paper surveys had more positive and higher technology attitudes scores (P = .03). The odds of choosing ePRO were 4.7 times higher (95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.2 to 17.8) (P = .02) among intervention group patients and 5.2 times higher (95% CI = 1.3 to 21.6) (P = .02) among patients with high technology attitudes scores, after controlling for covariates. However, the 80% submission rate (percentage submitting ≥80% of required surveys) in the ePRO group (30.6%) was statistically significantly lower than in the paper group (57.9%) (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: ePRO-E exposure increased ePRO intent. High technology attitudes scores were associated with ePRO selection. Since the ePRO survey submission rate was low, additional strategies are needed to promote high-quality data submission.

Parents providing palliative care for children with cancer.

Parents of children with cancer provide paediatric palliative care (PPC). However, the activities they perform remain underexplored, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the care heavily relies on family involvement. The aim of this study is to identify parental PPC tasks and intentions to perform PPC tasks and to determine their associated factors. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used to recruit parents of children with cancer from three major paediatric oncology centres in Lebanon. Data were collected through structured interviews using an adapted questionnaire. The statistical analyses included descriptive, bivariate and regression analyses of PPC tasks and intentions. One hundred and five participants completed the study. On average, parents performed 22 PPC activities. The findings suggested statistically significant associations of the number of PPC tasks with the participants' marital status, number of people living with the child, the intentions to perform the tasks and the number of the child's symptoms in the previous week. Examining parents' tasks in PPC in LMICs, such as Lebanon, enhances knowledge of PPC practice in these regions and informs improvement strategies. These results promote PPC understanding, highlight factors influencing PPC delivery and provide a useful measure of PPC tasks performed by parents of children with cancer.

Home-based aerobic exercise feasibility in oxaliplatin-receiving newly-diagnosed cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial but difficult to maintain during chemotherapy. This pilot RCT explored the feasibility of the MI-Walk intervention-an 8-week motivational enhancement therapy- and home-based brisk walking intervention-among gastrointestinal (GI) cancer survivors receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: Sixty stage II-IV GI cancer survivors were recruited from 5 sites at their second infusion visit. Participants were randomized to receive PA education alone or the MI-Walk intervention: motivational enhancement therapy consisting of 3 motivational interviewing and self-efficacy-enhancing counseling sessions, a Fitbit Charge 2, exercise diaries, telephone follow-up, scripted motivational email messages, and optional weekly walking groups. RESULTS: The enrollment and completion rates were 62% and 90%, respectively. The MI-Walk participants (n = 29; mean age = 56.79, SD = 11.72; 97% white; 79% male) reported a baseline moderate-vigorous PA duration of 250.93 (SD = 636.52) min/wk. The mean MI-Walk Intervention acceptability score was 50.32 (SD = 12.02) on a scale of 14-70. Mean Fitbit and counseling helpfulness scores on a 5-point scale were 3.67 (SD = 1.43) and 3.44 (SD = 1.36), respectively. Participants' Fitbit moderate-vigorous PA 8-week averages ranged from 0 to 716.88 min/wk; 64% of participants adhered to ≥127 min/wk. Several characteristics (e.g., age, comorbidity, PA level, employment status, BMI, education level, gender, symptoms) were associated with enrollment, attrition, and intervention acceptability and adherence (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Enrollment and retention were adequate. The Fitbit and counseling were the most helpful. Acceptability and adherence varied based on participant characteristics; therefore, intervention tailoring and further research among cancer survivors less physically active at baseline and most in need of complex exercise intervention are needed. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT03515356.

Effect of duloxetine on pain, function, and quality of life among patients with chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: There are no known effective treatments for painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of duloxetine, 60 mg daily, on average pain severity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial at 8 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded cooperative research networks that enrolled 231 patients who were 25 years or older being treated at community and academic settings between April 2008 and March 2011. Study follow-up was completed July 2012. Stratified by chemotherapeutic drug and comorbid pain risk, patients were randomized to receive either duloxetine followed by placebo or placebo followed by duloxetine. Eligibility required that patients have grade 1 or higher sensory neuropathy according to the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and at least 4 on a scale of 0 to 10, representing average chemotherapy-induced pain, after paclitaxel, other taxane, or oxaliplatin treatment. INTERVENTIONS: The initial treatment consisted of taking 1 capsule daily of either 30 mg of duloxetine or placebo for the first week and 2 capsules of either 30 mg of duloxetine or placebo daily for 4 additional weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary hypothesis was that duloxetine would be more effective than placebo in decreasing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain. Pain severity was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form "average pain" item with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing as bad as can be imagined. RESULTS: Individuals receiving duloxetine as their initial 5-week treatment reported a mean decrease in average pain of 1.06 (95% CI, 0.72-1.40) vs 0.34 (95% CI, 0.01-0.66) among those who received placebo (P = .003; effect size, 0.513). The observed mean difference in the average pain score between duloxetine and placebo was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.26-1.20). Fifty-nine percent of those initially receiving duloxetine vs 38% of those initially receiving placebo reported decreased pain of any amount. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, the use of duloxetine compared with placebo for 5 weeks resulted in a greater reduction in pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00489411.

Comparison of Pre-Diagnosis Physical Activity and Its Correlates between Lung and Other Cancer Patients: Accelerometer Data from the UK Biobank Prospective Cohort.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in health outcomes for people with cancer, and pre-diagnosis PA influences PA behaviors after cancer treatment. Less is known about the PA of lung cancer patients, and the strong history of smoking could influence pre-diagnosis levels of PA and place them at risk for health problems. This study aimed to compare pre-diagnosis PA and its correlates in patients with lung cancer and other types of cancer (female breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer) and examine the relationship between pre-diagnosis PA and all-cause mortality. Methods: This study used data from the UK Biobank, which is a national cohort study with accelerometry data. We included 2662 participants and used adjusted linear regressions and survival analyses. Results: Male and female lung cancer groups spent a mean of 78 and 91 min/day in pre-diagnosis moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), respectively; this is lower than the 3 other types of cancer (p < 0.001). Younger age and faster walking pace had a strong association with PA in all the four types of cancer (p < 0.01). Smoking status had a strong association with PA in the lung cancer group, while obesity had a strong association with PA in female breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer (p < 0.01). Higher levels of pre-diagnosis MVPA (≥1.5 h/day) were associated with a significantly lower all-cause mortality risk. Conclusions: The present study suggests that lung cancer patients are the most inactive population before diagnosis. The identified difference in correlates of PA suggest that cancer-specific approaches are needed in PA research and practices. This study also highlights the importance of high PA for individuals with high cancer risk.

Physical Activity Programming for Older Adults in Assisted Living: Residents' Perspectives.

Decreasing sedentary behavior and increasing light physical activity could promote the maintenance of functional abilities for older adults in assisted living (AL). The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather residents' recommendations about a proposed self-efficacy enhancing intervention to replace sedentary behavior with light physical activity. We interviewed 20 residents (mean age 83.1; 60% women). Topics included their current activities and thoughts about physical activity. We presented the intervention and asked questions to inform its modification. Data were analyzed with content and thematic analysis. Specific recommendations included shorter one-hour sessions and framing the intervention as increasing light physical activity rather than decreasing sedentary behavior. The thematic analysis identified multiple factors that could influence intervention implementation, including motivation to be active, safety concerns, ageist attitudes about physical activity, varying abilities of residents, social influences, and limited opportunities for physical activity. These results will inform physical activity intervention implementation for AL residents.

Temporal, Location- and Symptom-Specific Likelihood of Patient-Reported Sensory Symptoms Related to Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (OIPN) in Patients Receiving Oxaliplatin for Three Months.

While oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) is more common and severe in patients who receive the previous standard, 6-month oxaliplatin-based treatment, we hypothesized that OIPN was still pervasive in patients who received shorter, 3-month-treatment regimens. Using six EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 questions that quantify numbness (N), tingling (T) and shooting/burning pain (P) in upper/lower distal extremities, our aim is to quantify patient-reported responses over 3 months (6 cycles) of oxaliplatin regarding symptom-specific timing, location and severity. For each question, patients were asked how each of the sensory symptoms had affected them during the preceding week, with 1 = "Not at all", 2 = "A little", 3 = "Quite a bit" and 4 = "Very much". The proportional odds model for the cumulative log odds of response that allowed symptom-specific patient heterogeneity to be obtained was applied to a pooled dataset from the placebo arms of two multisite OIPN prevention trials and fit separately to the upper/lower distal extremities. For each symptom, we report the cycle-specific marginal probabilities for each response. In 141 patients, substantial patient heterogeneity in the likelihood, at a given cycle, of a more severe response for a symptom was present. Distinct patterns in the probabilities for each response over time for N and T were observed between the upper/lower distal extremities, while the probabilities of a response >1 for P was largely negligible in both locations. Despite the decrease in exposure to oxaliplatin from 6 to 3 months, OIPN was still pervasive with patients experiencing considerable N and T in the fingers (or hands) and toes (or feet).

Development and preliminary testing of the collaboration for leadership and innovation in mentoring survey: An instrument of nursing PhD mentorship quality.

BACKGROUND: High-quality PhD nursing student mentorship facilitates student and program success. Extant literature recommends evaluating and improving mentorship to foster optimal PhD student development. However, a comprehensive measure capturing all aspects of mentorship salient to PhD nursing student wellbeing and success is not available. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this pilot study was to develop a new instrument - the Collaboration for Leadership and Innovation in Mentoring (CLIM) - for quantifying important components of PhD student mentorship in nursing, and to preliminarily test its psychometric properties (content validity, sensitivity, test-retest reliability). DESIGN: The study employed a cross-sectional design. SETTING: The CLIM instrument was administered to nursing PhD students at a public state university in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen nursing PhD students at various stages in their degree progression completed the instrument. METHODS: PhD nursing students developed unique items based on qualitative data collected by the University using an Appreciative Inquiry framework. Seven nursing and non-nursing experts with experience in PhD mentorship evaluated content validity. After revisions, the final 44-item instrument was administered at two time points (one month apart) to allow assessment of test-retest reliability. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using Spearman-rank correlations and data from students with ≥1 year of experience with their mentor. RESULTS: Response rates were 94% for both administrations (n = 16). The instrument's overall Content Validity Index (CVI) was 0.91 (p = 0.05). Test-retest analyses resulted in high correlations (r = 0.91, p < 0.001), further supporting reliability of the CLIM instrument. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence suggests that the CLIM instrument is a reliable instrument of PhD mentorship in nursing. However, additional testing in larger and more diverse graduate student populations is needed to evaluate internal consistency reliability, among other psychometric properties.

Assessment of Pediatric Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Using a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure: The P-CIN.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is commonly experienced by children receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy. No validated pediatric CIPN patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures exist. Purpose: To test sensitivity, internal consistency reliability, content and convergent validity, and feasibility of the Pediatric Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy (P-CIN), an electronic PRO measure for assessing CIPN in children who received neurotoxic chemotherapy. Method: Five experts evaluated content validity of the 14-item P-CIN. Children 5 to 17 years old with CIPN (N = 79) completed the P-CIN via tablet computer; a subset (n = 26) also underwent neurological examinations using the Pediatric-Modified Total Neuropathy Score. Following preliminary analyses, one item was deleted and three others modified. The revised P-CIN was retested with patients (n = 6) who also completed the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency motor function assessment. Means, item response ranges, standard deviations, content validity indexes, Cronbach's alphas, and correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: Mean participant age was 11.25 (SD = 4.0) years. Most had acute leukemia (62.5%) and received vincristine (98.7%). Content validity index coefficients ranged from .80 to 1.0 (p = .05). For 9 of 14 items, responses ranged from 0 to 4 or 5; response ranges for toe numbness, pick up a coin, and three of four pain items were 0 to 3. After deleting one item, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .83. P-CIN scores were strongly associated with Pediatric-Modified Total Neuropathy Score (r = .52, p < .01) and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (r = -.83, p = .04) scores. Sixty-eight percent of children 6 to 17 years old completed P-CIN independently. Discussion: Preliminary evidence suggests that the 13-item P-CIN is internally consistent, is valid, and can be completed independently by children ≥ 6 years. However, we recommend additional testing.