Psychosocial
predictors of the development and outcome of cancer
The role of
psychosocial factors in developing cancer in women from high risk
breast cancer families
This is a 10 year cohort study of 2,500 women currently unaffected by
cancer who are participating in the Kathleen Cuningham Consortium for
Research into Familial Breast Cancer (kConFab). Participants complete
questionnaires and a telephone interview targeting a history of
stressful life events at three yearly intervals. This is the largest
and best designed study exploring this question internationally to
date. We aim to:
i)
Prospectively examine the role of life event stress, social support,
psychological distress (anxiety, depression and medically-unexplained
fatigue) and personality characteristics (optimism, anti-emotionality
and controlled anger) in the development of primary breast cancer;
ii) Describe unaffected women’s uptake of cancer
screening and prophylactic surgery;
iii) Identify predictors of the long term
psychological outcomes of prophylactic surgery (e.g. body image,
sexuality, breast cancer anxiety and subjective cancer risk estimates)
and documents the ongoing impact
iv) Explore the role of 5-HTT (a serotonin
transporter) as a moderator of the effect of stressful life events on
depression.
Funding: NHMRC
Psychosocial predictors of outcome, unmet needs and quality of life in
women with ovarian cancer and their partners
This study is conducted in collaboration with the Australian Ovarian
Cancer Study (AOCS). AOCS has recruited approximately 1,500 new primary
epithelial ovarian cancer patients from major treatment centres in
Australia during 2002-2006, collecting data on demographic and disease
prognostic factors that can be shared with the Psychosocial Study. The
current study aims to:
i) Determine levels of psychological
distress, social support, coping style (optimism, minimisation,
helpless/hopelessness), unmet needs and quality of life in ovarian
cancer patients and their partners/primary
carers, measured at 3-6 monthly intervals for 2 years;
ii) Examine the interaction between patient and partner
psychosocial variables
iii) Prospectively investigate the role of psychological
distress, social support, coping style and unmet needs in determining
the outcome of ovarian cancer, in terms of a) quality
of life and b) recurrence
and c) survival.
Ultimately, the aim is to develop interventions
targeting the needs of ovarian cancer patients and their
partners/carers.
Funding:
Multi-state Cancer Research Grant
Predicting
bereavement outcomes in caregivers of women with ovarian cancer
Recent evidence suggests that caregivers are at significantly greater
risk of getting sick or dying after the death of their spouse or family
member. This may be especially true for caregivers who are experiencing
a difficult and prolonged bereavement, with some evidence to suggest
that those experiencing complicated grief have an increased risk of
poorer long term physical and mental health outcomes. This prospective
study follows up carers participating in the AOCS Quality of Life study
once the woman has died, investigating pre-bereavement and end of life
variables in the longer term. The aims of the study include:
i) Determine the prevalence of
complicated grief and establish the physical and psychological impact
of bereavement in caregivers;
ii) Evaluate caregivers’ access to and utilisation of
palliative care services;
iii) Prospectively investigate the role of pre-bereavement,
circumstances surrounding the end of life, and grief, in determining
the physical and psychological health outcomes; and
iv) Qualitatively explore the caregivers’ concept of ‘a good
death’ and ‘a good bereavement’ and the determinants of a good
bereavement.
The results of this study have the potential to
assist early identification of those at risk of poorer health outcomes,
and provide evidence for the design of targeted interventions that may
impact directly on service provision and health costs.
Funding: University
of Sydney Cancer Research Fund
