Kirsch, Janae L.

Abstract Background Despite 40 years of evidence supporting psychosocial interventions as a component of comprehensive cancer care, patients continue to report vast unmet psychosocial needs and distress. Cognitive behavioral therapies for cancer distress (CBT-C) are the most rigorously tested class of psychosocial interventions for cancer care. Purpose To report clinical effectiveness outcomes of cancer-related distress and self-efficacy following implementation of best-evidence CBT-C, adapted for a real-world, billable practice setting. Methods Patients who completed group-delivered, CBT-C (10 intervention hours, 5 sessions) in the practice setting were invited to enroll in a research study to document cancer distress across the year following CBT-C. Participants (n = 65) were primarily middle-aged (mean 50.5 years, 17% were young adults ≤40 years), female, and White. Analyses utilized mixed linear models with intent-to-treat procedures. Given group delivery and social skills training content within CBT-C, social self-efficacy was assessed as a potential treatment mechanism. Results Distress decreased across the year following CBT-C (mean score change of 20 points for YAs, 6 points for non-YAs), with statistically significant age x time effects. Within-person improvements in social self-efficacy scores were related to reductions in cancer distress, including distress subscales of intrusive thoughts, avoidant coping, and hyperarousal. The model explained 76.6% of the total variance in cancer distress. Conclusions This study demonstrates the effective translation of CBT-C from controlled research trials to the practice setting. CBT-C effectiveness within a mixed-cancer population and relatively rural region of the US is also supported. CBT-C can be effectively translated to the practice settings for which it is intended.

1593 Background: “Financial toxicity” refers to the financial burden imposed by treatment costs on individuals with cancer, constituting a major barrier to achieving equitable cancer outcomes. Recent literature increasingly demonstrates the detrimental impacts of financial toxicity on quality of life (QOL) among individuals with cancer, including individuals who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study evaluates associations among treatment cost burden and various aspects of QOL following HSCT. Methods: Seven hundred one HSCT recipients completed a survey examining their biopsychosocial health one year following transplant. The survey included the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT), a multifactorial measure of QOL specific to this population. Treatment cost burden endorsement was measured on a 5-item Likert scale. Hierarchical regression models were developed to assess the incremental effects of demographic characteristics (i.e., Block 1), clinical predictors (Block 2), and cost burden (Block 3) on physical, emotional, social, functional, BMT-specific, general, and composite QOL outcomes. Results: Significant model improvement was observed with the addition of clinical factors ( ΔF(2,650) = 20.28, p < .001), and subsequently, treatment cost burden ( ΔF(1,649) = 110.29, p < .001). In the final model, higher cost burden was associated with poorer physical (β = -0.323, p < .001), emotional (β = -0.301, p < .001), social (β = -0.250, p < .001), functional (β = -0.317, p < .001), BMT-specific (β = -0.341, p < .001), general (β = -0.377, p < .001), and composite QOL (β = -0.381, p < .001). Poorer performance score was associated with each QOL indicator ( p < .001), with allogeneic transplant type associated with poorer functional (β = -0.001, p = .002), but higher emotional (β = 0.118, p = .002), wellbeing. Older age (β = 0.113, p = .003) and female sex predicted higher (β = 0.183, p < .001), while Hispanic ethnicity predicted poorer (β = -0.095, p = .010), social wellbeing. Female sex was associated with poorer QOL specific to BMT concerns (β = -0.118, p = .001). Conclusions: Higher treatment cost burden is associated with poorer overall QOL and its physical, emotional, social, functional, and BMT-specific components one year following HSCT, after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. This reflects a critical barrier to equitable cancer care, suggesting that financial toxicity may perpetuate preexisting inequities in QOL, treatment, disease, and survival outcomes that disproportionately impact the underserved. Future research should prioritize 1) better understanding relationships among complex indicators of financial toxicity, QOL, and their underpinning mechanisms and 2) developing solutions to mitigate financial toxicity of HSCT and overall cancer care.

Objectives: Modifiable lifestyle factors are associated with morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors. The aims of the study were to examine: (a) receipt of provider advice to change behaviors, (b) health behavior change, and (c) how modifiable lifestyle factors might cluster together. Methods: Patients within a large HSCT program completed a survey (N =870) of lifestyle factors at pre-HSCT evaluation. The survey assessed self-reported adherence to American Cancer Society and HSCT guidelines for cancer survivorship in the year prior to a pre-HSCT evaluation. Lifestyle factors of interest were physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, tobacco use, alcohol use, and height/weight to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: Among patients not meeting all five guidelines (98%), 31% received provider advice to change. Between 10% and 42% reported healthy behavior change since diagnosis. Physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and BMI were the most commonly clustered lifestyle behaviors. Conclusions: A considerable proportion of patients did not meet national guidelines for lifestyle factors. Results highlight an immediate opportunity to improve health care delivery and transplant outcomes via pre-HSCT lifestyle screening and implementation of effective health behavior change interventions.

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo explore pre–hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) demographic, disease, and psychological factors predictive of future transplant regret and to determine post‐HSCT variables associated with regret.Patients and MethodsHSCT candidates participated in a prospective cohort study (June 2008–October 2013) examining health behaviors and HSCT outcomes, including completion of standardized surveys at pre‐HSCT (baseline) and 1‐year post‐HSCT. Cases were participants that endorsed regret at 1‐year post‐HSCT follow‐up, and controls were participants without regret at 1 year, matched on age, sex, and transplant type. For cases and controls, pre‐HSCT psychosocial evaluations were abstracted from the electronic health record and coded to determine the Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation score, psychosocial stressors, and mental health diagnoses. The association of selected factors with regret was estimated with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from conditional logistic regression models.ResultsAt post‐HSCT, 49 participants of 638 endorsed transplant regret (8%) and formed the case group; 98 controls were matched from remaining participants. Cases and controls were well matched on age (56.6 vs. 57.2 years), sex (both groups 34.7% female), and transplant type (both groups 81.6% autologous). After controlling for the number of hospitalizations and active treatment status, conditional logistic regression revealed that patients who endorsed regret were 3.7 times (95% CI = 1.37–9.69, p = 0.008) more likely to not be in remission compared to controls at 1‐year post‐HSCT.ConclusionMatched case–control analyses revealed that no pre‐HSCT variables collected during the pre‐HSCT evaluation period were predictive of transplant regret, while poorer outcomes at 1‐year after transplant were associated with regret.

Stress is ubiquitous in our modern society and contributes to many disease states. This narrative review describes the effect of stress/distress on cancer development and progression. Seminal randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews/meta-analyses, and distress management guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Society for Integrative LinearOncology (SIO) are highlighted. We describe the physiological effects of distress, distress assessment, and management. Psychological treatments are summarized. Evidence-based lifestyle modifications and integrative therapies are reviewed in detail, including mindfulness-based techniques, yoga, guided imagery, breathing techniques, hypnosis, exercise, music therapy, qigong/Tai Chi, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and improving sleep and heart rate variability. Recognition and treatment of distress can improve quality of life. More research is needed to determine the effects of managing distress on cancer outcomes, as well as the best type and duration of intervention, noting that the benefits of interventions may be specific for patients with different cancer types.

Abstract Objective Emotional distress has been correlated with greater healthcare utilization and economic costs in cancer; however, the prospective relationship between positive distress screens and future healthcare utilization is less clear. Taken together, there is a critical need to synthesize studies examining the prospective relationship between emotional distress and future healthcare use to inform distress management protocols and motivate institutional resource allocation to distress management. The aim of the systematic review is to explore the relationship between emotional distress, measured via validated emotional distress questionnaires, and subsequent healthcare utilization in patients diagnosed with cancer. Methods A systematic search of seven databases was conducted on 29 March 2022 and updated 3 August 2023. Eligibility criteria were: (1) peer‐reviewed, (2) quantitative or mixed methods, (3) adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with cancer, (4) cancer distress questionnaire(s) completed prior to healthcare utilization, and (5) written in English. Exclusion criteria included: (1) non‐emotional aspects of distress (i.e., spiritual or physical distress), (2) healthcare utilization characterized via economic or monetary variables, and (3) caregiver or non‐cancer populations. Results Nineteen peer‐reviewed articles were included in the review. There was significant heterogeneity in emotional distress instruments and type of healthcare utilization used. Most studies examining general distress or anxiety found that increased distress was predictive of greater future healthcare utilization. Conclusion The results suggest that individuals with higher levels of general distress and anxiety are at increased risk for future healthcare utilization.

Background: Cancer distress management is an evidence-based component of comprehensive cancer care. Group-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for cancer distress (CBT-C) is the first distress treatment associated with replicated survival advantages in randomized clinical trials. Despite research supporting patient satisfaction, improved outcomes, and reduced costs, CBT-C has not been tested sufficiently within billable clinical settings, profoundly reducing patient access to best-evidence care. This study aimed to adapt and implement manualized CBT-C as a billable clinical service. Patients and Methods: A stakeholder-engaged, mixed-methods, hybrid implementation study design was used, and the study was conducted in 3 phases: (1) stakeholder engagement and adaptation of CBT-C delivery, (2) patient and therapist user testing and adaptation of CBT-C content, and (3) implementation of practice-adapted CBT-C as a billable clinical service focused on evaluation of reach, acceptability, and feasibility across stakeholder perspectives. Results: A total of 40 individuals and 7 interdisciplinary group stakeholders collectively identified 7 primary barriers (eg, number of sessions, workflow concerns, patient geographic distance from center) and 9 facilitators (eg, favorable financial model, emergence of oncology champions). CBT-C adaptations made before implementation included expanding eligibility criteria beyond breast cancer, reducing number of sessions to 5 (10 total hours), eliminating and adding content, and revising language and images. During implementation, 252 patients were eligible; 100 (40%) enrolled in CBT-C (99% covered by insurance). The primary reason for declining enrollment was geographic distance. Of enrollees, 60 (60%) consented to research participation (75% women; 92% white). All research participants completed at least 60% of content (6 of 10 hours), with 98% reporting they would recommend CBT-C to family and friends. Conclusions: CBT-C implementation as a billable clinical service was acceptable and feasible across cancer care stakeholder measures. Future research is needed to replicate acceptability and feasibility results in more diverse patient groups, test effectiveness in clinical settings, and reduce barriers to access via remote delivery platforms.

BACKGROUND: We recently demonstrated in a randomized study the feasibility and effectiveness of telephone-based health coaching using motivational interviewing on decreasing hospital readmissions and improving quality of life at 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. In this qualitative study, we sought to explore the health-coaching intervention as seen from the perspective of the participants who received the intervention and the coaches who delivered it. METHODS: Semistructured participant interviews ( n = 24) and a focus group of all health coaches ( n = 3) who participated in this study were conducted. Interviews and focus group were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using coding and categorizing techniques and thematic analysis. Mixed-method triangulation was used to merge quantitative and qualitative data. RESULTS: Content analysis revealed 4 predominant themes of the coaching intervention: health-coaching relationship, higher participant confidence and reassurance (most related to improvement in physical quality of life), improved health-care system access (most related to decreased hospital readmissions), and increased awareness of COPD symptoms (most related to improvement in emotional quality of life). The strongest theme was the relationship with the health coach, including coach style and motivational interviewing approach. Health coaches' focus group also noted the importance of the coaching relationship as the most significant theme. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided themes to further inform the delivery and implementation of health-coaching interventions in patients with COPD after hospital discharge. Health coaching forged partnerships and created a platform for patient engagement, which was confirmed by both participants and health coaches.

Abstract Rationale Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often struggle with diminished autonomy and quality of life. Emotional factors play a crucial role in the well-being of patients with COPD; they are independently associated with critical outcomes such as dyspnea, quality of life, and health care use. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage personal thoughts and feelings, as well as to positively influence interpersonal communication and social well-being. Emotional intelligence is a trainable skill that is extensively used in corporate business to improve well-being and performance, and it may also be significant in the self-management of emotions in patients with chronic disease. Importantly, research supports the proposition that emotional intelligence may be developed and learned at any time or any age, and training programs have been associated with increased well-being and better emotional regulation in patients with chronic disease. However, to date, no research has been done to investigate its value in patients with COPD. Objectives We aimed to investigate the association between emotional intelligence and two meaningful outcomes in COPD: quality of life and self-management abilities. Methods Participants with moderate to severe COPD completed a disease-specific quality of life tool (Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire), the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, the Self-Management Abilities Scale, the modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, and pulmonary function tests, and also provided information about living conditions and self-reported health care use. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 310 patients with COPD (mean age, 69 ± 9 yr; 40% female; mean FEV1%, 42.4 ± 15.8) participated in the study. Emotional intelligence was significantly and independently associated with self-management abilities (P &lt; 0.0001) and all domains of quality of life assessed (dyspnea, fatigue, emotions, and mastery; P &lt; 0.0001) after adjusting for age, degree of bronchial obstruction, breathlessness, and other significant confounders. Conclusions Emotional intelligence may represent an important attribute in COPD, as it is associated with self-management abilities and all domains of quality of life, regardless of age or disease severity. Emotional intelligence can be learned and may complement existing rehabilitation efforts. Attention to it may address the current gap that exists in the treatment of emotional components of COPD responsible for decreased quality of life and increased health care use.