Purpose
Almost half of people diagnosed with cancer are working age. Survivors have increased risk of unemployment, but little is known about long-term work retention. This systematic review and ...meta-analysis assessed work retention and associated factors in long-term cancer survivors.
Methods
We searched Medline/Pubmed, Embase, PsychINFO, and CINAHL for studies published 01/01/2000–08/01/2019 reporting work retention in adult cancer survivors ≥ 2 years post-diagnosis. Survivors had to be in paid work at diagnosis. Pooled prevalence of long-term work retention was estimated. Factors associated with work retention from multivariate analysis were synthesized.
Results
Twenty-nine articles, reporting 21 studies/datasets including 14,207 cancer survivors, were eligible. Work retention was assessed 2–14 years post-diagnosis. Fourteen studies were cross-sectional, five were prospective, and two contained both cross-sectional and prospective elements. No studies were scored as high quality. The pooled estimate of prevalence of long-term work retention in cancer survivors working at diagnosis was 0.73 (95%CI 0.69–0.77). The proportion working at 2–2.9 years was 0.72; at 3–3.9 years 0.80; at 4–4.9 years 0.75; at 5–5.9 years 0.74; and 6+ years 0.65. Pooled estimates did not differ by cancer site, geographical area, or study design. Seven studies assessed prognostic factors for work retention: older age, receiving chemotherapy, negative health outcomes, and lack of work adjustments were associated with not working.
Conclusion
Almost three-quarters of long-term cancer survivors working at diagnosis retain work.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
These findings are pertinent for guidelines on cancer survivorship care. Professionals could focus support on survivors most likely to have poor long-term work outcomes.
The population of breast cancer survivors is growing. In Western societies, many of these women are working age, and therefore, potentially desire to return to the work force. We aimed to evaluate ...the unemployment risk for up to 8 years following a breast cancer diagnosis and identify contributing socio-economic factors.
This historical prospective study included baseline measurements from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics 1995 National Census, with follow-up to 2011. We retrieved data on employment from the Israeli Tax Authority database and cancer status from the National Cancer Registry. A control group without cancer was selected to match the patients. Analyses were controlled for socio-economic factors and the baseline employment status 2 years prior to diagnosis.
We retrieved data for 2341 patients with breast cancer and 6837 age-matched women without cancer. We found an elevated risk of unemployment during the 8 years after breast cancer diagnosis (2-year OR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.59–2.075; 8-year OR 1.26, 95%CI: 1.07–1.47). Age and all examined socio-economic variables were correlated to increased risk of unemployment. The strongest predictor was pre-diagnosis unemployment (2-year OR 18.95, 95%CI: 16.68–21.52; 8-year OR 4.92, 95%CI: 4.07–5.96). Surprisingly, patients with axillary involvement were associated with less risk of unemployment than other patients.
Breast cancer survivorship was associated with long-term risk of unemployment. Older patients and patients with lower socio-economic status were at increased risk of unemployment.
Objectives
To determine the trajectory of handgrip strength (HGS) from age 70 to 90 and its association with mood, cognition, functional status, and mortality.
Design
Prospective follow‐up of an ...age‐homogenous representative community‐dwelling cohort (born 1920–21) in the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study (1990–2015).
Setting
Home‐based assessment.
Participants
Subjects aged 70 (n = 327), 78 (n = 384), 85 (n = 1187), and 90 (n = 406), examined in 1990, 1998, 2005, and 2010, respectively.
Measurements
Handgrip strength (kg) (dynamometer), low HGS defined as sex‐specific lowest quartile grip; geriatric assessment; all‐cause mortality (1990–2015).
Results
Mean HGS declined between age 70 and 90 from 21.3 ± 7.2 to 11.5 ± 5.6 kg in women and from 35.3 ± 8.4 to 19.5 ± 8.2 kg in men. Cross‐sectional associations were observed between low HGS and poor functional measures (age 70–90), lower educational and financial status, smoking, and diabetes mellitus (ages 78–90). After adjustment for baseline education, self‐rated health, physical activity, diabetes mellitus, depression, and cognition, low HGS predicted subsequent activity of daily living dependence from age 78 to 85 (odds ratio (OR) = 2.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–6.89) and 85 to 90 (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.01–5.30), whereas the adjusted ORs for activities of daily living difficulty and depression failed to achieve significance. HGS did not predict subsequent cognitive decline. Survival rates were significantly lower in participants with low HGS (Quartile 1) than in those with normal HGS (Quartiles 2, 3, 4) throughout follow‐up from ages 78 to 85, 85 to 90, and 90 to 95. Similarly, after adjusting for sex, education, self‐rated health, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and smoking, a low HGS was associated with significantly higher mortality.
Conclusions
Mean HGS declined progressively with age, and participants in the lowest age‐specific quartile of HGS had a higher risk of subsequent functional decline and mortality.
Objectives
Studies of depression in older Muslim Palestinians diagnosed with cancer are scarce. To gain insight into the psychological response and coping ability of this very large, globally ...distributed population, we collected data from older Muslim Palestinian people diagnosed with cancer concerning depression hope and perceived social support. Both hope and social support were selected because they can be manipulated through intervention and education, as shown in the geriatric literature. Data were compared to data collected from older Jewish Israeli people diagnosed with cancer.
Design
The study sample comprised 143 Muslim Palestinian and 110 Jewish Israeli people diagnosed with cancer, aged ≥ 65. All participants were either in treatment for active disease or within 6 months of such treatment. Self-administered measures included depression (the Five-Item Geriatric Depression Scale), perceived social support (Cancer Perceived Agents of Social Support Questionnaire) and hope (Snyder’s Adult Hope Scale).
Results
Hope and depression were both found to be significantly higher among the Muslim Palestinian patients than in the Jewish Israeli participants. In both samples, higher levels of hope were associated with lower levels of depression, with this correlation stronger in the Jewish Israeli group.
Conclusion
To improve the psychological wellbeing of patients, healthcare providers must exercise cultural sensitivity in their interactions, respecting the perspectives of both the patients and their families. Incorporating the concept of hope into the therapeutic dialogue and language may improve psychological wellbeing and synchronize the needs and expectations of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, resulting in more equitable, effective and value-oriented care.
Inequalities among the western population, combined with the introduction of new treatment options for cancer, have challenged endeavors to provide equal care to patients with cancer. Israel's highly ...developed healthcare system and mandatory National Health Insurance afforded an opportunity to study geographic variation over time in mortality following cancer diagnosis.
This historical prospective cohort study included a nationally representative cohort that was assessed by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics 1995 census and followed until 2011. The cancer incidence (1995-2009) was ascertained by the Israel National Cancer Registry. We analyzed the effect on patient outcome of living in a given district, according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics classification. Patients were stratified by the year of diagnosis (1995-1997, 1998-2000, etc.), and associations were adjusted for age, ethnicity, and districts. We excluded patients with malignancies associated with screening program (breast, prostate, colon, and cervical cancers).
This study included 26,173 patients living in 13 residential districts. During the last years (2007-2009) of the study, the hazard ratio (HR) for risk of death was high in 8/13 districts (61.5%), compared to 4/13 (30.7%) during 2004-2006, and 0/13 (0%) during 2001-2003. Districts that were less likely to be associated with increased risk of death were located in the center of Israel and in metropolitan areas, compared to the peripheral regions. Furthermore, HRs were substantially higher in the last years of the study (2007-2009, HRs rose to 1.69, 95%CI: 1.38-2.08) compared to the earlier years (2004-2006, HRs rose to 1.35, 95%CI: 1.13-1.62).
Our findings suggested that geographic variation for mortality following cancer diagnosis have increased over time. Our results provide policy makers with vital information regarding the need for targeted interventions, mainly in peripheral regions.
Most cancer patients prefer to die at home; however, many die in hospital. The aim of the current study is to elucidate the association between dying at home and various personal factors in the ...Israeli population of cancer patients.
Data on cancer incidence (2008-2015) and death (2008-2017) was provided by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics and the Israel National Cancer Registry. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess odds ratios for death at home following cancer diagnosis while controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, years of education, residential socioeconomic score, and time from diagnosis. We also assessed the relation between place of death and specific cancer sites, as well as the time trend from 2008 to 2017.
About one quarter (26.7%) of the study population died at home. Death at home was most frequent among patients diagnosed with brain tumors (37.0%), while it was the lowest among patients with hematologic malignancies (lymphoma and leukemia, 20.3 and 20.0%, respectively). Rates of dying at home among patients with residential socioeconomic scores of 1, 2-9, and 10 were about 15, 30, and 42.9%, respectively. In patients from the 4th to the 7th decades of life, rates of death at home increased at a linear rate that increased exponentially from the 8th decade onwards. After controlling for potential confounders, predictive variables for death at home included age (OR = 1.020 per year, 95% CI 1.017-1.024), male sex (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.077-1.294), years of education (OR = 1.029 per year, 95% CI 1.018-1.040), and time from diagnosis (OR = 1.003 per month, 95% CI 1.001-1.005 all p < 0.001). No trend was seen from 2008 to 2013, while from 2014 to 2017 a slight increase in the rate of death at home was seen each year.
These results indicate wide variability in death at home exists among patients of different ages, sex, education, socioeconomic status and time from diagnosis. These findings stress the importance of delivering quality palliative care at home, mainly for patients with hematologic malignancies, younger patients, and patients of very low socioeconomic status. Understanding the complex mechanisms whereby patient preferences and the above variables may determine the preferred place of death remains an important research priority.
Background
There is growing concern regarding the impact of adolescent obesity on adult health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) in late ...adolescence and the incidence of pancreatic cancer during adulthood.
Methods
The authors analyzed a cohort of 1087,358 Israeli Jewish men and 707,212 Jewish women who underwent a compulsory physical examination between ages 16 and 19 years from 1967 to 2002. Pancreatic cancer incidence through December 31, 2012 was identified by linkage to the national cancer registry. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for pancreatic cancer according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI percentiles at baseline.
Results
Over a median 23 year follow‐up, 551 incident cases of pancreatic cancer cases occurred (423 men; 128 women). Compared with normal weight (5th to‐<85th percentile), obesity (≥95th percentile) was associated with an increased risk of cancer among both men (HR, 3.67; 95% confidence interval CI, 2.52‐5.34) and women (HR, 4.07; 95% CI, 1.78‐9.29). Among men, compared with low‐normal BMI (≥5th to <25th percentile), high‐normal BMI (≥75th to <85th percentile) and overweight (85th to 95th percentile) also were associated with a higher risk for cancer(high‐normal BMI: HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.05‐2.13; overweight: HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.39‐2.80). The estimated population‐attributable fraction because of overweight and obesity was 10.9% (95% CI, 6.1%‐15.6%).
Conclusions
Men and women who were obese or overweight as adolescents are at an increased risk for subsequent pancreatic cancer.
In a huge study investigating the association of adolescent body mass index with pancreatic cancer, adolescent obesity is associated with up to a 4‐fold increased risk for pancreatic cancer. In addition, overweight and even higher body mass index within the “normal” weight range among men are associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer in a graded manner.
The development of paclitaxel-loaded polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of brain tumors was investigated. Poly(lactide-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing 10%
/
paclitaxel with a ...particle size of 216 nm were administered through intranasal and intravenous routes to male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg. Both routes of administration showed appreciable accumulation of paclitaxel in brain tissue, liver, and kidney without any sign of toxicity. The anti-proliferative effect of the nanoparticles on glioblastoma tumor cells was comparable to that of free paclitaxel.
Both pembrolizumab (P) and combination of pembrolizumab with platinum-based chemotherapy (PCT) represent standard 1
st
-line options for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) with PD-L1 tumor ...proportion score (TPS) ≥50%. The two strategies have never been compared in a randomized trial. 256 consecutive patients with EGFR/ALK/ROS1-wild-type PD-L1 TPS ≥50% aNSCLC receiving P (group P, n = 203) or PCT (group PCT, n = 53) as a 1
st
-line treatment were identified in the electronic databases of 4 Israeli cancer centers. Time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Baseline characteristics were well balanced, except for age and ECOG PS differences in favor of group PCT. Median (m)TTD was 4.9 months (mo) (95% CI, 3.1-7.6) vs 8.0mo (95% CI, 4.7-15.6) (p-0.09), mOS was 12.5mo (95% CI, 9.8-16.4) vs 20.4mo (95% CI, 10.8-NR) (p-0.08), with P and PCT, respectively. In the propensity score matching analysis (n = 106; 53 patients in each group matched for age, sex and ECOG PS), mTTD was 7.9mo (95% CI, 2.8-12.7) vs 8.0mo (95% CI, 4.7-15.6) (p-0.41), and mOS was 13.3mo (95% CI, 6.8-20.3) vs 20.4mo (95% CI, 10.8-NR) (p-0.18), with P and PCT, respectively. Among various subgroups of patients examined, only in females (n = 86) mOS differed significantly between treatments (10.2mo (95% CI, 6.8-17.2) with P vs NR (95% CI, 11.4-NR) with PCT; p-0.02). In the real-world setting, no statistically significant differences in long-term outcomes with P vs PCT were observed; a prospective randomized trial addressing the comparative efficacy of P and PCT in different patient subgroups is highly anticipated.List of abbreviations:
AE - adverse events; ALK - anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene; ALT - alanine aminotransferase; (a)NSCLC - (advanced) non-small cell lung cancer; AST - aspartate aminotransferase; BRAF - v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B; BRCA2 - BReast CAncer gene 2; c-Met - tyrosine-protein kinase Met; CTCAE, v. 4.03 - Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.03; CTLA-4 - cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4; ECOG PS - Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; EGFR - epidermal growth factor receptor gene; FISH - fluorescent in situ hybridization; HER2 - human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; IC - tumor-infiltrating immune cells; ICI - immune check-point inhibitors; IHC - immunohistochemistry; IQR - interquartile range; irAE - immune related adverse events; ISCORT - Israeli Society for Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy; KRAS - Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog; (m)TTD -(median) time-to-treatment discontinuation; mo - months; (m)OS - (median) overall survival; (m)PFS - (median) progression-free survival; muts/Mb - mutations per megabase; NA - not specified/not available; NOS - not otherwise specified; NR - not reported/not reached; ORR - objective response rate; P - pembrolizumab; PCR - polymerase chain reaction; PCT - combination of pembrolizumab with platinum-based chemotherapy; PD - progression of disease; PD-1 - programmed cell death-1; PD-L1 - programmed cell death ligand-1; pts - patients; RET - proto-oncogene RET; ROS1 - proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase ROS1; SD - standard deviation; STK11 - serine/threonine kinase 11; TC - tumor cells; TMB - Tumor mutation burden; TPS - tumor proportion score.
Exercise has shown positive effects on fatigue, exhaustion, neuropathy, and quality of life in cancer patients. While on-land exercises have been studied, the aquatic environment offers unique ...advantages. Water's density and viscosity provide resistance, enhancing muscle strength, while hydrostatic pressure improves venous return. This trial aims to investigate the effect of aquatic exercises on time to return to work, work hours, work-related difficulties, daily life activity and participation, quality of life, exhaustion, fatigue, and neuropathy among cancer patients, compared to on-land exercise intervention group and a non-exercise group.
This randomized controlled trial will include 150 cancer patients aged 18-65 years with stage III colon cancer or breast cancer patients with lymph node involvement. Participants in the aquatic exercise intervention group will undergo an 8-week, twice-weekly group-based Ai-Chi program, while the on-land exercise group will perform identical exercise. The control group will not engage in any exercise. The primary outcome will be assessed using an employment barriers questionnaire, capturing return to work date and working hours and daily life participation and activity and quality of life. Secondary outcomes include exhaustion, fatigue, and neuropathy. Data will be collected at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and at 3,12, and 24 months. Mixed variance analyses will explore relationships among groups and over time for independent variables, with separate analyses for each dependent variable.
The potential benefits include an earlier return to work for patients, reducing their need for social and economic support. The study's implications on socio-economic policies are noteworthy, as a successful intervention could offer a cost-effective and non-invasive solution, improving patients' quality of life and increasing their participation in daily activities. This, in turn, could lead to a faster return to work, contributing to both personal well-being and broader societal interests by reducing reliance on social services.
The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05427344 (22 June 2022).
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