Reader clarifies September article citation on sexuality in patients with cancer.
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Humans↗
Biomedical subjects
Linda U Krebs
Publications and source records attributed to Linda U Krebs.
Quality of life in long-term cervical cancer survivors.
OBJECTIVES: To describe the quality of life (QOL) and long-term psychosocial sequelae of women of childbearing age diagnosed with cervical cancer 5-10 years earlier. METHODS: Utilizing a cross-sectional descriptive design, 51 cervical cancer survivors and 50 age-matched controls completed a comprehensive QOL interview. RESULTS: Participants were predominantly married, non-Hispanic White, with a mean age at diagnosis of 37 years and a mean age at interview of 45 years. This disease-free sample enjoys a good QOL, with physical, social, and emotional functioning comparable to or better than comparative norms. However, certain psychological survivorship sequelae and reproductive concerns persist. Participants reporting good QOL were less likely to report ongoing coping efforts related to having had this illness and were more likely to report greater social support, greater sexual pleasure, and less cervical cancer-specific distress. In a multiple-regression model, cancer-specific distress, spiritual well-being, maladaptive coping, and reproductive concerns accounted for 72% of the variance in QOL scores. Fifty-nine percent of respondents expressed that they would likely participate in a counseling program today to discuss psychosocial issues raised by having had cervical cancer, and 69% stated that they would have attended a support group program during the initial treatment if it had been offered. CONCLUSIONS: This information provides insight into the complex survivorship relationships between QOL and sequelae of cervical cancer for women diagnosed during childbearing years. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals to recognize that aspects of cancer survivorship continue to require attention and possible follow-up care.
Adolescent↗
Understanding cancer-understanding the stories of life and living.
BACKGROUND: Storytelling is an effective and efficient educational methodology for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs). It has been used for hundreds of years, is well respected, and has significant implications in the oncology setting. Storytelling not only values the individual sharing the story but also offers educational information and emotional support to those who hear it. METHODS: Content analysis of transcripts from an educational session in which AIs/ANs were encouraged to share stories of living with/surviving cancer identified 12 themes that revealed the essence of their cancer experiences. RESULTS: The themes identified were: cancer journey, responsibility to self and community, getting beyond the diagnosis, cancer lessons-cancer gifts, the strength of our stories, being connected, prospering through cancer, pain is more than a word, survival is an attitude, spirituality and cancer, specific cancer issues and understanding our ways. CONCLUSIONS: These themes are a reminder for health care professionals to spend time looking at, listening to and trying to understand how cancer and its treatments affect the everyday lives of people and families we treat and how this should guide our overall management plan. They teach us the importance of taking time to listen to the stories, responding to the cultural needs of every patient and family member and honoring teach the cancer journeys of all people.
Anthropology, Cultural↗
From survivorship to thrivership: native peoples weaving a healthy life from cancer.
BACKGROUND: In this commentary, we describe culturally specific cancer support and education programs that have been successfully adapted for use with both urban and reservation-based California Indian communities. METHODS: The Native American Cancer Survivor Support Circles were initiated in Los Angeles County in 2000 and were tailored for specific use with reservation-based communities in 2002. Support circles include culturally respectful ground rules, prayers, and culturally specific education topics (spirituality, coping with chemotherapy) and psychosocial support as well. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation showed that both Native men and women had greater confidence in their abilities to cope with their healing and recovery from cancer following participation.
California↗
A review of effective strategies for native women's breast health outreach and education.
BACKGROUND: This commentary provides a summary of a pilot study designed to assist the American Cancer Society in revising the Circle of Life breast health program for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs). METHODS: Included are analyses of a literature review focusing on breast health outreach strategies among AIANs and in-depth interviews with breast health focus group facilitators. Over 70 AIAN breast or cervix cancer screening articles were reviewed, and approximately 20 focus group facilitators were interviewed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A primary finding was that AIAN breast cancer outreach, education, and screening programs are most effective when community-driven and culturally relevant to local tribal nations and geographic regions.
Breast Neoplasms↗
The use of an electronic audience response system for data collection.
BACKGROUND: Gathering complete and accurate data from community groups, particularly medically underserved populations, is challenging. METHODS: An electronic audience response system (ARS) is a novel method for the efficient collection of data while maintaining participant confidentiality in group settings. RESULTS: Because data are captured electronically, an ARS eliminates the need to transfer data from paper forms, reducing errors and the amount of time required for data management. CONCLUSIONS: ARS is a useful data collection tool that works well with diverse populations and greatly increases data accuracy and completeness while maintaining participant confidentiality.
Computer Communication Networks↗
Lessons learned while developing "Clinical Trials Education for Native Americans" curriculum.
This paper highlights lessons learned while developing the Clinical Trials Education for Native Americans (CTENA) curriculum. The CTENA is a culturally specific clinical trials education curriculum that evolved from another ongoing NCI-supported project, Clinical Trials Education for Colorado Providers. The multicultural team learned many lessons while developing, pretesting, and revising this curriculum. These include allocating sufficient time and resources to tailor presentations for diverse tribal settings and workshop participants, addressing barriers to participation in clinical trials through culturally appropriate strategies, providing information to foster informed decision making related to participation, and writing as a team to increase cultural breadth of examples and interactive experiences. There are multiple challenges to developing and implementing a culturally acceptable curriculum on clinical trials within medically underserved communities. Both the multicultural team and the curriculum benefited from the collaborative process, resulting in a culturally relevant clinical trials curriculum that will assist Native Americans to make informed choices about clinical trials participation. The lessons shared here, which may need to be modified to be culturally relevant to other underrepresented communities, may be beneficial to others developing similar curricula for other medically underserved populations.
Clinical Trials as Topic↗