The international phase 4 validation study of the EORTC QLQ-SWB32: A stand-alone measure of spiritual well-being for people receiving palliative care for cancer
The EORTC Quality of Life Group has just completed the final phase (field‐testing and validation) of an international project to develop a stand‐alone measure of spiritual well‐being (SWB) for palliative cancer patients. Participants (n = 451)—from 14 countries on four continents; 54% female; 188 Christian; 50 Muslim; 156 with no religion—completed a provisional 36‐item measure of SWB plus the EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL (PAL), then took part in a structured debriefing interview. All items showed good score distribution across response categories. We assessed scale structure using principal component analysis and Rasch analysis, and explored construct validity, and convergent/divergent validity with …
Radiotherapy before or during androgen-deprivation therapy does not blunt the exercise-induced body composition protective effects in prostate cancer patients : A secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials
Background Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) contributes to lean mass loss and adiposity increases in prostate cancer patients. Radiotherapy during ADT might act synergistically and further worsen body composition. Previous investigations have shown that resistance training is an effective method of preserving body composition during ADT, however, most have not accounted for direct or indirect effects of other therapies, such as radiotherapy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine training adaptations of the tissue composition in patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) prior or during ADT. Methods Analyses were performed by combining data from two previous trials for a total…
Associations between sex, age and spiritual well-being scores on the EORTC QLQ-SWB32 for patients receiving palliative care for cancer: A further analysis of data from an international validation study
Objective: The EORTC QOL Group has recently completed the cross-cultural development and validation of a standalone measure of spiritual well-being (SWB) for cancer patients receiving palliative care: the EORTC QLQ-SWB32. The measure includes four scales: Relationships with Others, Relationship with Self, Relationship with Someone or Something Greater, and Existential, plus a Global-SWB item. This paper reports on further research investigating relationships between sex, age and SWB for patients receiving palliative care for cancer—adjusting for other socio-demographic, clinical and function variables, including WHO performance status and EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL emotional and physical function sc…
Exercise medicine for cancer cachexia: targeted exercise to counteract mechanisms and treatment side effects.
Abstract Purpose Cancer-induced muscle wasting (i.e., cancer cachexia, CC) is a common and devastating syndrome that results in the death of more than 1 in 5 patients. Although primarily a result of elevated inflammation, there are multiple mechanisms that complement and amplify one another. Research on the use of exercise to manage CC is still limited, while exercise for CC management has been recently discouraged. Moreover, there is a lack of understanding that exercise is not a single medicine, but mode, type, dosage, and timing (exercise prescription) have distinct health outcomes. The purpose of this review was to examine the effects of these modes and subtypes to identify the most opt…