Patients' supportive care needs beyond the end of cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal survey.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate prevalence and severity of patients' self-perceived supportive care needs in the immediate post-treatment phase and identify predictors of unmet need.


METHODS
A multicenter, prospective, longitudinal survey was conducted. Sixty-six centers recruited patients for 12 weeks. Patients receiving treatment for the following cancers were recruited: breast, prostate, colorectal, and gynecologic cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Measures of supportive care needs, anxiety and depression, fear of recurrence, and positive and negative affect were completed at the end of treatment (T0) and 6 months later (T1).


RESULTS
Of 1,850 patients given questionnaire packs, 1,425 (79%) returned questionnaires at T0, and 1,152 (62%) returned questionnaires at T1. Mean age was 61 years; and most respondents were female (69%) and had breast cancer (57%). Most patients had no or few moderate or severe unmet supportive care needs. However, 30% reported more than five unmet needs at baseline, and for 60% of these patients, the situation did not improve. At both assessments, the most frequently endorsed unmet needs were psychological needs and fear of recurrence. Logistic regression revealed several statistically significant predictors of unmet need, including receipt of hormone treatment, negative affect, and experiencing an unrelated significant event between assessments.


CONCLUSIONS
Most patients do not express unmet needs for supportive care after treatment. Thirty percent reported more than five moderate or severe unmet needs at both assessments. Unmet needs were predicted by hormone treatment, negative mood, and experiencing a significant event. Our results suggest that there is a proportion of survivors with unmet needs who might benefit from the targeted application of psychosocial resources.
Armes
Jo
J
Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, Rm 3.21, James Clerk Maxwell Bldg, 57 Waterloo Rd, London SE1 8WA. jo.armes@kcl.ac.uk
Crowe
Maggie
M
Colbourne
Lynne
L
Morgan
Helen
H
Murrells
Trevor
T
Oakley
Catherine
C
Palmer
Nigel
N
Ream
Emma
E
Young
Annie
A
Richardson
Alison
A
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires