%0 Journal Article
%T Supportive Care Needs following Cancer Treatment: A Comparison of Breast and Brain Cancer in an Australian Cohort
%A Bhasker Amatya
%A Fary Khan
%A Louisa Ng
%A Mary Galea
%J ISRN Rehabilitation
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/945472
%X Objective. To assess and identify patient-reported supportive care needs following definitive treatment in persons with breast cancer (BC) and primary brain tumours (gliomas) (BT) in an Australian community cohort and to assess the commonalities and/or discrepancies of the reported needs in these oncological populations. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional survey of persons with BC ( ) and BT ( ) using questionnaires for supportive care needs, psychological morbidity, and quality of life. Results. BT participants were younger than BC patients (mean ages 51 and 57 years). The median time since diagnosis for both groups was over 2 years. The level of psychological morbidity, mainly depression, was high in both groups: BC (22%) and BT (20%). Participants in both groups reported at least one need (¡°met¡± or ¡°unmet¡±). The BC patients reported higher numbers of ¡°needs¡± and ¡°unmet¡± needs compared with BT patients (mean 13.7 versus 11.6 needs; ¡°unmet¡± needs mean 6.0 versus 4.1). The common ¡°met¡± and ¡°unmet¡± needs highlighted by both groups were comparable; the domain for most ¡°met¡± needs included comprehensive cancer care, while ¡°unmet¡± needs related to existential survivorship issues. Conclusion. Despite successful treatment many cancer survivors experience unmet supportive care needs in longer term. Understanding the impact of these beyond the acute phase is important as care shifts to community settings. More research in existential survivorship issues is needed. 1. Introduction Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide [1]. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women [1], comprising up to 16% of all cancers in women [2]. Primary brain tumours (BT), a comparatively rare and diverse group of neoplasms, account for 2% of all cancers [3] and affect 7 per 100,000 population annually worldwide [4]. The overall incidence of BC and BT is on increase worldwide [2]. In Australia, by 2015, 1 in 9 women will develop BC [5]. It is estimated that in 2009, there were 22,070 new cases of BT in United States [6, 7]. In Australia, a similarly high incidence rate is reported, with approximately 1400 new cases and more than 1200 deaths annually [8]. The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes the integration of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment [9], rehabilitation and palliative care [2] in the management of. BC and BT within the national cancer control programs. With recent therapeutic advances, survival rates of persons with cancers have improved [10¨C12]. However, recovery and treatment options after BC or BT can be challenging, and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.rehabilitation/2014/945472/