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Two late-breaking studies presented at the Oncology Nursing Society virtual annual meeting tackled an issue common to many cancer survivors poor sleep.
In the first, researchers found that almost two-thirds of patients with gastrointestinal cancers who received chemotherapy had high levels of sleep disturbance, and that these patients were more likely to be younger, unmarried or unpartnered, have a higher comorbidity burden, and less likely to be physically active.
The study, led by Yufen Lin, MSN, RN, of Duke University School of Nursing in Durham, North Carolina, was part of a prospective longitudinal study of gastrointestinal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Participants included 405 patients from two comprehensive cancer centers, one VA hospital, and four community-based oncology programs.
Here is the letter:
Cc Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President, European Green Deal
Margaritis Schinas, Vice President, Promoting our European Way of Life
Subject:
Call to urgently develop the Green Pillar of the European Health Union for a Healthy Recovery from the Pandemic
Dear President von der Leyen,
We, representatives of the undersigned organisations, are writing to you to express our grave concerns regarding the lack of coherence between the European Health Union proposals and the European Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition, especially in the area of transport. We urgently call on you to make the two initiatives truly linked and coherent by including the relevant European Green Deal initiatives under the coverage of the European Health Union as a ‘Green Pillar’ to both meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement and ensure a healthy recovery from the pandemic.
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Incidence of anxiety among prostate cancer patients was similar, no matter what type of primary treatment they chose, a researcher said.
No matter if prostate cancer patients underwent risk-based active surveillance/watchful waiting (AS/WW) or active treatment (AT) with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, median incidence of anxiety was comparable (16% in both groups), reported Rhea Mundle, BS, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
However, median incidence of depression was slightly lower (9.9%) in the active surveillance group versus the active treatment group (15%), she said at the Oncology Nursing Society virtual annual meeting.
In prostate cancer, patients face decisions at several points along the trajectory of their illness that can be particularly stressful specifically the point at which they make their primary treatment decision.
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Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors are at increased risk for late- and long-term cardiovascular complications, and providers should urge regular screening and risk-modifying behaviors, researchers said.
That was the conclusion of two literature reviews conducted by Rebecca Hoover, RN, BSN, and Deborah Mayer, PhD, RN, both of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and presented at the Oncology Nursing Society virtual annual meeting. Improvements in cancer treatments have improved cancer survivor rates, yet cancer treatments are associated with late- and long-term effects, said Hoover during her presentation on AYA cancer survivor treatment-related cardiovascular complications. Cardiotoxic chemotherapy and chest radiation increases the risk of cardiovascular complications, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease in the population exposed to them.
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Patients who suffer frequent chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN) are more likely to experience neuropsychological symptoms and stress characteristics, according to a study presented at the virtual Oncology Nursing Society annual meeting.
Compared with patients who did not experience nausea during their chemotherapy, the 28% of patients with high nausea occurrence across assessments had significantly higher scores for depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, morning and evening fatigue, as well as significantly higher levels of cognitive dysfunction, lower levels of morning and evening energy, and higher levels of pain intensity. Clinicians need to assess patients for clinically induced nausea and the associated neuropsychological symptoms and stress characteristics for appropriate interventions, said Komal Singh, RN, PhD, of Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University in Phoenix.